At St. James’, we seek to honor our heritage and Black history all year round, but we do some special things during Black History Month. This year, we have a guest preacher series throughout February that we know you are going to love. Each of our guest preachers comes from a different background and brings different experiences to the pulpit, and each one will have something to say about what it means to hold on to an identity and a history in a diverse, changing, and sometimes hostile world.
February 1
Dr. Marlon Johnson, Dean of Community Life and Associate Professor of Counselor Education at the Seminary of the Southwest
Dr. Marlon Johnson is a licensed professional counselor with a focus on narrative and child-centered play therapy techniques. He completed his PhD in counselor education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in Fall, 2019. Johnson served as a 2018 doctoral fellow for the National Board of Certified Counselors and as the Tennessee Counseling Association’s NBCC Liaison. His research centers on recruitment experiences for African-American men into counseling programs, the intersectionality of LGBTQ identity and faith orientation, continuing multicultural counselor education, and college and career readiness in rural Appalachia.
February 8
The Rev. Yaa Addison, Associate Rector of Grace Episcopal Church, Silver Spring MD
Rev. Yaa oversees formation for all ages and Grace’s Youth Group. Before attending seminary, Yaa served as a youth coordinator at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, St. Dunstan’s Episcopal Church, and Church of the Redeemer. She also coached cross country and track & field at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Potomac, MD. Yaa graduated with her B.A. in Sociology from Gettysburg College, and in 2023 she graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary with an M. Div. Yaa is a proud DC native. She lives in DC with her wife and their dog Smeagol.
February 15, The Feast of Absalom Jones and the Commemoration of the Consecration of Bishop Barbara Harris
The Reverend Simón Bautista Betances
Simón Bautista Betances was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. He was ordained as a Roman Catholic priest in 1987 after obtaining his bachelor’s degree at the Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra and completing his theological studies at Seminary Saint Thomas of Aquinas, both in Santo Domingo. He later returned to teach philosophy at his alma mater. He served the Haitian immigrant community in the Dominican Republic for 12 years. During his ministry in the Dominican Republic, he served as pastor of two parishes and as the director of the National Center for Haitian Immigrants, a nonprofit run by the Roman Catholic Church. Simón has lived in the United States since 1993. In 2004, he was received into the Episcopal Church, serving as the Episcopal Diocese of Washington’s Canon for Latino Ministries before coming to Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, to be Canon for Latino Ministries and Outreach in 2014. He also as served as chaplain to the House of Bishops, a position he has held for five years, Chair of the Commission on Hispanic Ministries for the Diocese of Texas, and member of the Diocese of Texas Standing Committee. Simón is married to Amarilis Vargas and they have four children: María Teresa, Simón Antonio, María Leaquina, and Amarilis de los Ángeles-Lili.
February 22
The Rev. Edward Thompson
The Rev. Edward Thompson has served as the Middle School chaplain at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin since 2020. Rev. Thompson earned his M.Div. from Nashotah House Theological Seminary and his B.A. from Cutting University College. Before coming to Austin, he served in Galveston and New Orleans. He is a gifted preacher, teacher, author, and pastor, who originally hails from Liberia, and who worships with us at St. James’ when Sunday morning responsibilities do not call him elsewhere.
