Christ Church welcomes new priest

SHARON — The Rev. Dr. Martha Tucker is still settling in after her first month of service in the ministry of Christ Church Episcopal in Sharon. She began on Nov. 18, and offers infectious enthusiasm about her new position and the church.

One of the impressive historic churches in the town center, Christ Church Episcopal is well-positioned for growth through the ministry of its new priest-in-charge.

Tucker has come to Sharon from St. David’s in Wayne, Penn., a church with a membership of around 3,300. She was one of several clergy on the staff.  

Describing Christ Church Episcopal  as a “healthy church” and “extraordinarily loving,” she said she has found that the parishioners care as much about each other as they do for their church.

“It would be hard to imagine how that is not contagious,” she said, adding that her approach to Christianity is “inclusive.”

Embracing her new role as “affirming and invigorating our mission,” Tucker’s full title is missional priest-in-charge.

“The four things that make me come alive are celebrating the sacraments, preaching, teaching and pastoral care,” she said, adding that she hopes above all to be a caregiver for her congregation.

Numbering the books on her shelf in the thousands, she admits that she is a voracious reader. Over a lifetime, she has collected books from fiction to memoirs, especially of artists and musicians (her Williams College degree is in art history). 

For poetry, Mary Oliver is a favorite, along with Welsh poet R. S. Thomas, T. S. Eliot, Brian Doyle, and Naomi Shihab Nye. Rev. Tucker singles out Nye’s poem “Kindness.” Her overall favorite, though, is John O’Donohue.

“Like the psalms,” she adds, “poetry can soothe or disrupt, but it never leaves you in the same place.”

During Advent, Tucker has a book study group underway, discussing Richard Rohr’s “Preparing for Christmas.” 

She will lead the Christmas Eve service, which will begin at 5 p.m. It will include the traditional Episcopal eucharist, along with hymns and carols. Regular Sunday services begin at 9 a.m. throughout the year. 

For more information, go to www.christchurchsharon.org.