Welcome to St. Thomas à Becket Episcopal Church

Our parish is named for a 12th-century saint, the Archbishop of Canterbury who was killed for opposing royal authority over the church. We were founded on Thomas Becket’s feast day (December 29) in 1978.

Mission Statement

St. Thomas à Becket Episcopal Church celebrates Jesus Christ and welcomes everyone. We enjoy worship, music, formation, and fellowship that inspire faith and create opportunities to share and receive love within and beyond our parish. With God’s help, we strive to serve with boldness, shown mercy, and learn with humility.

Vision Statement

Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. –John 13:34

We envision St. Thomas à Becket Episcopal Church as a people who joyfully express Christ’s transformative love for all, not only in our worship but through our devotion to each other and service in our community and beyond. We aspire to expand our presence as a welcoming, inclusive, and dynamic place of spiritual growth.

Clergy and Staff

The Reverend Michael L. Delk, Rector

A native Kentuckian, Fr. Michael took his Bachelor’s in Religion magna cum laude with departmental Honors from Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky, and his Master’s in Divinity degree with Honors from Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. During his time in seminary, Father Michael spent a semester abroad at Oxford University, and completed his Clinical Pastoral Education at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in west Philadelphia.

Over the past 25 years, he has served as the Assistant to the Rector at The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Lexington, Kentucky; as Canon for Youth, Young Adults, and Communications at The Cathedral of St. Philip in Atlanta, Georgia; as Rector of Hickory Neck Episcopal Church in Toano, Virginia, and as Rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, in Anchorage, Kentucky (east Louisville).

Father Michael has two adult children, Ben and Ed. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, movies, day hikes in the mountains, and playing video games with his sons. He began his tenure as Rector of St. Thomas à Becket on August 1, 2023.

The Reverend Al Prichard, Deacon

Deacon Al was ordained as a vocational deacon in 2011 and assigned to St. Thomas à Becket by Bishop Mike Klusmeyer. Deacon Al has been a member of the parish since the early 1980s and was an active lay person prior to ordination. Graduating from Davis and Elkins College with a degree in History and Political Science, initially Al taught high school in rural Tucker County in West Virginia. Later he completed a degree in accounting from West Virginia University. He has also completed graduate coursework from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and from West Virginia University. Al is retired from a 30-year career in public broadcasting, having served in various capacities, culminating with a position as Station Manager with the West Virginia Public Television station in Morgantown. Deacon Al’s ministry has focused on addressing the problems of the homeless and those with food insecurity. He has served on the boards of Bartlett Housing Solutions, Morgantown Community Kitchen, and Empty Bowls Monongalia. He has a gift for preaching and assists liturgically with worship at St. Thomas à Becket. He participates on the diocesan level as a member of the Commission on Ministry and with the West Virginia Iona School, the diocesan formation program. Recently, he chaired the Bishop Coadjutor Search and Nominating Committee. Deacon Al and his wife, Cheryl, have two children and enjoy their grandchildren greatly.

Natalie Homer, Parish Administrator

Natalie joined St. Thomas à Becket in 2018. Originally from Idaho, she moved to West Virginia in 2015 to pursue a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing at West Virginia University. In the past she has taught college composition and creative writing, and worked as a circulation librarian at a public library. In addition to St. Thomas, she works for West Virginia University Press, and is a published poet. Her husband Tim is a youth pastor in Waynesburg, PA.

Organist / Choir Director Position

Our parish seeks a quarter-time (10 hours/week) Organist/Choir Director who possesses highly developed skills as a musician, complemented by a pastoral presence and administrative capacity, with a passion for choral and congregational singing within an Episcopal liturgical community of worship. We envision this position growing in scope in the coming years.

Worship stands at the heart of who we are, and music is a vital element of our worship. We are an active, welcoming, inclusive, rapidly growing parish with an average Sunday attendance of 100, vibrant formation programs for all ages, and an intensive Outreach presence in the broader community.

We require a bachelor’s degree in music, or equivalent training, and some experience with liturgical Church music, both within the Anglican tradition and beyond it, and choral conducting. Formal organ study is desired. We seek a candidate capable of working collegially with clergy, staff, and members.

Principal functions of the role include leading our choir and congregation in the musical expression of our worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30, as well as for occasional weddings, funerals, and special worship occasions, such as Epiphany, Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the Great Vigil of Easter, Ascension Day, All Saints’ Day, and Christmas Eve services.

The Organist/Choir Director will need to select and prepare all congregational, choral, and instrumental music used in worship, in consultation with the Rector, with special attention to the encouragement and enhancement of congregational participation. The role will also include rehearsing our choir, recruiting members to that ensemble, and fostering a strong sense of teamwork and commitment. The Organist/Choir Director will need to manage the music budget, such as purchasing music, handling instrument maintenance, and other related expenses, as well as manage our music library and obtain necessary copyright permissions.

The parish will provide office space, administrative support, a computer, compensation commensurate with the Organist/Choir Director’s level of experience and education, along with four weeks of paid vacation, to include 4 Sundays not on major feasts, like Easter Day. Our primary instrument is an Allen Organ GX-335DK with added GENISYS voices, installed 2023.

Please direct inquiries and a resume or CV to rector@stthomasabecket.org

Bernie Schultz, Senior Warden
Jeff Fedan, Junior Warden
Beth Royall, Treasurer
Kevin Steurer, Vestry Secretary

The Reverend Michael Delk