Shayna Watson
Lancaster,PA
Summary
Experienced Priest+in+Charge with a proven track record in driving congregational development, delivering exceptional pastoral care, and offering valuable support to cathedral and parish leadership. Adept at fostering a sense of community and inspiring spiritual growth among diverse congregations. Skilled in strategic planning, implementing effective outreach programs, and cultivating strong relationships with stakeholders. Committed to promoting inclusivity, compassion, and the overall well-being of the congregation.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
Work History
Priest in Charge
Trinity Church DC
05.2024 - Current
- Worship Leadership: Led Sunday and special services, coordinated religious ceremonies, and collaborated with staff to create meaningful worship experiences.
- Pastoral Care: Provided counseling, conducted hospital and home visitations, and established on-call schedule for emergency support.
- Educational Development: Developed Christian education programs for all age groups and led training for lay ministries.
- Administrative Oversight: Managed finances, property maintenance, strategic planning, and maintained accurate records in compliance with Diocesan standards.
- Staff Leadership: Led and supported church staff, fostering a collaborative team environment.
- Vestry Governance: Chaired Vestry meetings, guided strategic planning, and ensured alignment with church policies.
- Transition Management: Supported the congregation through leadership transition, resolving conflicts and preparing for new rector.
- Diocesan Collaboration: Maintained communication with the Bishop, participated in Diocesan meetings, and completed the Annual Parochial Report.
- Community Engagement: Represented the parish in local events and encouraged parish involvement in outreach programs.
Associate Rector
Saint James Episcopal Church
06.2020 - Current
- Provides spiritual and administrative leadership to church and managed daily operations.
- Provides leadership and oversight to formation events and activities
- Pastoral care, counseling and visitations to parishioners and homebound Familiarity and comfortable serving diverse communities and language groups.
- Helped to create welcoming environment for visitors and encouraged congregation to offer support.
- Led multigenerational programs such as worship, bible studies, fellowship, and service opportunities.
- Coordinated and spearheaded programs to increase church members' service throughout community.
- Oversaw administration and management of all areas of ministry.
- Interacted with local community, building relationships with civic organizations and other churches.
- Spearheaded and organized stewardship campaigns in collaboration with staff and laity
- Oversaw and participated in capital campaign for renovations
- Planned and prepared advertising and promotional material to increase awareness about events, programs and reports
- Developed new process concepts and improved processes to differentiate for an effective new members intake
Canon Pastor
St. Stephen's Episcopal Cathedral
08.2018 - 05.2020
- Assisted the Dean in providing support, leadership and congregational development
- Served as school's Diversity Officer
- Provided spiritual and administrative leadership to church and managed daily operations.
- Led programs such as worship, study, fellowship, and service opportunities.
- Provided pastoral care through visitation, counseling, and prayer.
- Helped to create welcoming environment for visitors and encouraged congregation to offer support.
- Planned and conducted worship services, wrote sermons, and worked with key church leaders to carry out church mission.
- Oversaw administration and management of all areas of ministry.
- Officiated special services such as weddings, funerals, baptisms, and nursing home services.
- Distributed food and supplies to communities through mutual aid.
- Trained, facilitated faculty and staff on diversity awareness, implementing sustainable programming
Chaplain
Hospice and Community Care
01.2014 - 01.2017
- Administer psychospiritual support to diverse populations of people who are experiencing end of life and palliative care
- Work in interdisciplinary team setting, responsible for a caseload of 50-60 patients, visiting 15-20 patients and families weekly in their homes
- Provide psychospiritual assessments based on observations of pt and family
- Prescribe psychospiritual interventions such as rituals, plans of care and spiritual resources
- Provide service and program opportunities for public memorials
- Responsible for tending to the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of teammates and agency when called on
- Assist in addressing intersectionality of mental health, palliative and end of life situations
- Maintain electronic documentation highlighting: assessments, goals, interventions and course of care.
Assistant Adjunct Faculty for Homiletics
Lancaster Theological Seminary
01.2016 - 05.2016
- Mentor, facilitate and teach methods of preaching in small groups
- Co-taught lesson with colleague on rhetorical devices and persuasive speech
- Provided observations, assessments and grading on mentees
- Assist tenured faculty in grading, assessments, and classroom management of 40 students.
- Developed creative and effective teaching methods for course content to capture students attention.
- Designed and delivered class instruction to meet course competencies.
- Developed and kindled professional relationships with students to better communicate and enhance instruction.
Chaplain Associate
Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Children's Hospital
01.2013 - 01.2016
- Administer spiritual care to adult and pediatric patients who are experiencing acute crisis and or desiring spiritual presence in the hospital setting regardless of background and beliefs
- Work in interdisciplinary team setting, responding to codes, trauma alerts, as well as spiritual screenings
- Provide interventions such as spiritual care and existential analysis, psychospiritual and psychosocial assessments, rituals, and plans of care that best address existential distress
- Provide innovative and inclusive service and program opportunities via agency for public memorials
- Responsible for tending to the spiritual and emotional wellbeing of hospital staff via debriefing
- Maintain electronic documentation highlighting: assessments, goals, interventions and course of care.
Program Director
Anchorage Ministries of St. James Episcopal Church
01.2013 - 01.2015
- Coordinated and managed over 100 volunteers to serve breakfast to underserved and impoverished populations of people in Lancaster County
- Collaborated and partnered with local and government agencies to ascertain resources and financial support for the breakfast program
- Applied for grants from local, state, and federal agencies that support healthy food opportunities for soup kitchens
- Worked with local law enforcement and fire departments to review emergency management plan in order to assure the safety and security for program participants
- Grant writing and collaborative efforts helped to save the church $15,000 in their budget, allowing those funds to assist the community in other areas.
Shelter Coordinator
Women's Winter Shelter, Lancaster County Council of Churches
11.2012 - 04.2015
- Coordinated and managed over 500 volunteers from over 50 churches, nonprofits, and community members at large in order to provide shelter during the winter months for women and children
- Collaborated and partnered with local and government agencies to ascertain resource and financial support for the breakfast programs
- Provided public relations to raise awareness for program opportunities and to solicit support
- Worked with local law enforcement and fire departments to prepare our organization for emergency management in order to assure the safety and security for program participants.
- Supervised programming and administrative facets of temporary homeless shelter for women and children, many with dual diagnoses.
- Provided leadership, guidance and support to staff members.
- Referred clients to appropriate team members, community agencies and organizations to meet treatment needs.
- Monitored program performance and outcomes for successful delivery of services.
- Partnered with local organizations to expand access to social and community services.
Chaplain Resident
Lancaster General Hospital
08.2012 - 05.2013
- Delivered individualized approaches considering situational and population-specific needs.
- Counseled employees requesting emotional or spiritual support.
- Created and used spiritual assessments for crisis management, intervention, bereavement and chemical dependency.
- Initiated crisis assessment and intervention skills in emergency situations.
- Comforted family members, offered attentive listening and high level of emotional support.
- Provided spiritual care through visitation, counseling, and prayer.
Learning Associate Intern
WomanPreach! Inc.
01.2011 - 01.2012
Chaplain Assistant
Lebanon Valley College
01.2010 - 01.2011
Youth Advisor
Leadership Now - Lancaster Theological Seminary
01.2010 - 01.2011
Student Assistant
Lancaster Theological Seminary
01.2010 - 01.2011
Youth Care Worker
Youth Intervention Center
01.2008
Police Communications Operator
Pennsylvania State Police
01.2008
Police Communications Operator
Maryland State Police
01.2005 - 01.2007
Customer Service
Burnham Hydronics
01.2003 - 01.2006
Administrative Assistant
Office of Affirmative Action
01.1998 - 01.2002
Education
Anglican Diploma -
Virginia Theological Seminary
Alexandria05.2018
Board Certified Chaplain Certification -
Association of Professional Chaplains(APC)
01.2016
Master of Divinity -
Lancaster Theological Seminary
Lancaster, PA05.2012
Clinicial Pastoral Education - Chaplaincy And Pastoral Care
Lancaster General Hospital
Lancaster05.2012
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science And African Diasporic Studies
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA12.2002
Skills
- Congregational Support
- Spiritual Support
- Organizational Leadership and Development
- Team Leadership
- Volunteer Engagement
- Conflict Resolution Skills
- Management Reporting Skills
- Strategic Development
- Growth Strategy Development
- Community Engagement
- Administrative Proficiency
- Strategies for Congregational Growth
Academic Awards And Honors
- Community Image Award, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Fall 2015
- Victorius Women of Excellence Community Award, Lancaster Association of Ministers' Wives and Widows, Winter 2015
- Frederick Schaeffer Prize in Church & Community, Lancaster Theological Seminary, Spring 2012
- The Reverend Delores Berry Liberation Theology Preaching Prize, Lancaster Theological Seminary, Spring 2012
- Paul Reid Pontius Memorial Award, Lancaster Theological Seminary, Spring 2012
- Frederick Schaeffer Prize in Church & Community, Lancaster Theological Seminary, Spring 2010
Affiliations
- Public Library of Lancaster, Board of Trustees Member
- Lancaster Theological Seminary, Board of Trustees Member
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- Silvery Moon No.56, 5th District, Deborah Grand Chapter, OES, PHA, PA
- Association of Professional Chaplains
Special Interests
- Exploring dimensions of healing and wholeness for communities that experience trauma; Working with veterans whom experience PTSD; grass-roots organizing for various justice causes; developing spiritual care and chaplaincy forum for public utilization during national and local crisis.
- Travel
- Theological Exploration in Cinema and Entertainment
Experience
- Chaplaincy and Pastoral Care, Chaplain Resident, Lancaster, PA, Lancaster General Hospital, 2012-2013, Chaplain Intern, Lancaster, PA, Lancaster General Hospital, 2012, Chaplain Assistant, Lebanon Valley College, Lebanon, PA, 2010-2011
- Homiletics and Advocacy, Learning Associate Intern, Lancaster, PA, WomanPreach! Inc., 2011-2012
- Youth Development and Leadership, Youth Advisor, Lancaster Theological Seminary, 2010-2011, Youth Care Worker, Youth Intervention Center, Lancaster, PA, 2008
- Customer Service and Administration, Student Assistant, Lancaster Theological Seminary, 2010-2011, Police Communications Operator, Pennsylvania State Police, Harrisburg, PA, 2008, Police Communications Operator, Maryland State Police, Annapolis, MD, 2005-2007, Customer Service, Burnham Hydronics, Lancaster, PA, 2003-2006, Administrative Assistant, Office of Affirmative Action, Pittsburgh, PA, 1998-2002
Timeline
Priest in Charge
Trinity Church DC
05.2024 - Current
Associate Rector
Saint James Episcopal Church
06.2020 - Current
Canon Pastor
St. Stephen's Episcopal Cathedral
08.2018 - 05.2020
Assistant Adjunct Faculty for Homiletics
Lancaster Theological Seminary
01.2016 - 05.2016
Chaplain
Hospice and Community Care
01.2014 - 01.2017
Chaplain Associate
Penn State Hershey Medical Center and Children's Hospital
01.2013 - 01.2016
Program Director
Anchorage Ministries of St. James Episcopal Church
01.2013 - 01.2015
Shelter Coordinator
Women's Winter Shelter, Lancaster County Council of Churches
11.2012 - 04.2015
Chaplain Resident
Lancaster General Hospital
08.2012 - 05.2013
Learning Associate Intern
WomanPreach! Inc.
01.2011 - 01.2012
Chaplain Assistant
Lebanon Valley College
01.2010 - 01.2011
Youth Advisor
Leadership Now - Lancaster Theological Seminary
01.2010 - 01.2011
Student Assistant
Lancaster Theological Seminary
01.2010 - 01.2011
Youth Care Worker
Youth Intervention Center
01.2008
Police Communications Operator
Pennsylvania State Police
01.2008
Police Communications Operator
Maryland State Police
01.2005 - 01.2007
Customer Service
Burnham Hydronics
01.2003 - 01.2006
Administrative Assistant
Office of Affirmative Action
01.1998 - 01.2002
Board Certified Chaplain Certification -
Association of Professional Chaplains(APC)
Anglican Diploma -
Virginia Theological Seminary
Master of Divinity -
Lancaster Theological Seminary
Clinicial Pastoral Education - Chaplaincy And Pastoral Care
Lancaster General Hospital
Bachelor of Arts - Political Science And African Diasporic Studies
University of Pittsburgh
Similar Profiles
Daniel CastilloDaniel Castillo
Youth Minister at Waterfront Church DCYouth Minister at Waterfront Church DC
Elizabeth HodgesElizabeth Hodges
Worship Director at Hill City Church DCWorship Director at Hill City Church DC
Elariya YoussefElariya Youssef
Church Wedding Coordinator at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church Of Washington DcChurch Wedding Coordinator at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church Of Washington Dc
Marycatherine StengelMarycatherine Stengel
1st Grade Elementary Classroom Teacher at Hempfield School District1st Grade Elementary Classroom Teacher at Hempfield School District
Ava Freidly-WashingtonAva Freidly-Washington
Brand Ambassador at American Eagle Outfitters, IncBrand Ambassador at American Eagle Outfitters, Inc