The Rev. Annette Joseph, Poplar Bluff’s first female Episcopal priest, left the Church of the Holy Cross in 2021 to become the regional minister at Christ Episcopal Church in Cape Girardeau.
The congregation of the historic church on 420 N. Main St. was fortunate to find retired Rev. Edith Bird to fill in as supply priest, according to church administrator and Postulant for Holy Orders Parker Williams.
Bird was living in Cape Girardeau but drove the distance to the church to provide Eucharistic service every other Sunday. She was also tending to a husband going through a life-changing illness and on Jan. 9 she was forced to announce to the congregation that her husband’s condition had worsened.
“This will be my last service with you,” she told them.
By coincidence, the church had visitors in the pews that day.
“Who was that man with the great singing voice?” Cathy Schneider asked the congregation after the service.
No one knew, but when the man and his wife joined the congregation for coffee hour, the couple introduced themselves as Paul and Lee Nancarrow, recently retired to Rector, Arkansas, and looking for an Episcopal church to attend. They were welcomed in and given coffee.
When the conversation turned to what the church should do for a priest, Paul Nancarrow spoke up.
“I am a priest and I’d be interested in helping out,” he said.
Senior Verger Kim Malone quickly turned to him to get his particulars and found out Nancarrow had over 33 years in parish ministry, serving eight different congregations in Michigan, Tennessee, Minnesota and Virginia. He also had a doctorate in theology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, making his full title Reverend Doctor Father Nancarrow.
The vestry voted that day to accept him, pending approval by the Diocese of Eastern Missouri. That approval came quickly and Nancarrow gave his first sermon and provided Eucharist service to Holy Cross on March 13.
The service went very smoothly, the congregation agreed at that coffee hour.
“The worship team folks did a great job of explaining to me how the church does things, and making sure I was up to speed,” said Nancarrow of that service.
“And since I’ve served in different churches, I’ve picked up a few things about how to fit in with a new place,” he added.
Of the day he first walked into the church, Father Nancarrow said, “I’m always a little in awe of the guidance that brought us to Holy Cross on just that day. Lee and I had known for a long time that there were two Episcopal parishes within reach and we’d intended to come up to Poplar Bluff ‘sometime’ and see what Holy Cross was like. One Saturday, I checked the website, saw the next day would be Communion, and just had the feeling that it was time to make good on our intention and come see Holy Cross. Lee agreed with me, and we made our plan for the morning.”
“It seemed like the Holy Spirit was just opening the door for me,” he said.
Nancarrow has commitments to the other churches he has and continues to serve but he will be at Holy Cross every time his schedule allows.