St. John’s is delighted to welcome Deacon Fred Chisolm as Priest-in-Charge! In the following interview by the Diocese of New Hampshire, Fred describes a bit of his journey to us.
Q: Did you have a first career? If so, what? (Are you still doing that bi-vocationally?)
A: I am trained as an electrical engineer. I spent almost 40 years manufacturing, mostly in plant-management roles. I am a ½ time priest and will continue to work bi-vocationally until I retire from the private sector.
Q: What’s a little bit about your background – like where you were raised?
A: Born and raised in NYC. Received my engineering degree from Yale and my MBA from University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. After college I worked in Southern California and then Chicago before moving to NH almost 15 years ago.
My wife Alison and I currently live in the Hanover, NH area.
Q: Any school-related or training-related information
A: I started my theological studies on-line at Montreal Diocesan Theological College and then transitioned to the inaugural class of the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire School for Ministry (SFM). I was ordained on June 10, 2023.
I also attended the Episcopal Preaching Foundation’s PEP (Preaching Excellence Program) in May/June of 2023. I am currently attending Backstory Preaching’s Preaching Camp – which is a six-week training course on the process of developing an effective sermon and an effective and efficient sermon writing process.
Prior to becoming an Episcopalian, I served as a Deacon and then an Elder in the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA).
Q: What do you do outside of work? Any hobbies? Family? Fun facts?
A: I am a bit of a sermon nerd so I listen to 5-10 sermons/week across a range of Christian denominations. I have studied and taught both Tai Chi and East Coast Swing/Lindy-Hop dancing. I love big band jazz and visiting museums. On Sunday’s after church, you can find us driving the beautiful local routes through small towns of NH and VT.
