The Reverend Dr. Robert S. Dannals will celebrate the Feast of Saint Michael this September 30th as the seventh rector of Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. Called in late July by the unanimous vote of the Vestry, upon the unanimous recommendation of the Rector Search Committee, Bob, which is what he prefers to be called, his wife, Valerie, and their 14 year-old daughter, Mary Blair, will move to Dallas this fall.
They are excited. Why? “Let me – let us – count the ways!” Bob said during a recent telephone conversation. “The parish is eclectic and comprehensive in its theological perspectives, expressions of worship and ministry opportunities. It is in many ways a microcosm of the Episcopal Church. It is committed to children, teenagers and young adults, as well as to outreach and growth. But most of all, we are excited that such a large, robust and multi-talented congregation also wants to be humble, warm, and self-offering.”
A Florida native who has served as rector of the 4,000 member Christ Church, in Greenville, South Carolina the last 10 years, Bob has been impressed by his initial encounters with Saint Michael parishioners and their Texas hospitality. “Someone told me recently that Texans, even those who have moved here from somewhere else, are attractive, generous, resilient, faithful and wide-open friendly. And she was right! How could we ask for anything more?” He says he’s counting on that friendliness and faithfulness to ease the transition – his family’s from Greenville to Dallas and the parish’s to its new rector.
He will begin his tenure by asking questions, listening to stories and absorbing the unique character, history and heritage of Saint Michael. “We are joining an active faith community,” he says, “and we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.” Declaring it unnecessary to make any radical changes, he says his first priority will be to retain, support -- and thank! -- the clergy, staff and lay leaders who are presently serving the parish, and to call several new clergy and program staff in fulfillment of Saint Michael’s “wonderful and ambitious strategic plan.” Having recently completed an equally visionary strategic plan at Christ Church, he realizes that the timely and successful completion of the capital campaign will also demand his leadership skills early-on.
Despite his clear strengths in organizing a large parish, seeing it through tough times, working with a large staff, raising money and assisting in the development of programs and ministries, Bob Dannals comes to Saint Michael and All Angels primarily as a spiritual leader. He anticipates doing a great deal of speaking and writing, preaching and teaching, to encourage and excite our parishioners “in God’s unfolding journey for Saint Michael and All Angels.”
He notes, “The core of Christian life is to praise and worship God – to be in daily communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit through prayer, the reading of Scripture, receiving the Sacraments and living our faith in liturgy and music. And then, by God’s grace, to reach out to our world with the Good News of the Gospel. It’s like breathing – we need to breathe in all of God’s benefits, blessings, and restorative grace, and exhale this bounty through engaged mission and ministry. It is my job and privilege as rector and priest to encourage all of us to have this daily spiritual rhythm.”
Bob’s current bishop calls him one of the most gifted priests in the Episcopal Church today. Bob’s personal, more humble assessment, is that we will find him friendly, open, and accessible, and that we will come to know his inquisitive mind and accepting heart through trusted relationships as we build a bold common vision for our church.
Bob’s birthday is November 24; he is 51. He and Valerie (a former high school sweetheart he hadn’t seen for 17 years) have been married 15 years. A graduate of Florida State University, where he majored in religion and psychology, Bob received his M.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from Drew University. He also received a doctorate in practical theology (with a thesis on Dietrich Bonhoeffer) from the Graduate Theological Foundation. In addition to Christ Church in Greenville, he has served three Episcopal parishes in North Carolina: Christ Church, Charlotte; Trinity Church, Statesville; and Christ Church, New Bern.
Christ Church, Greenville, has a 24-acre campus which includes a church dating to the 1850’s, a chapel, a large cemetery, an administration/education/nursery building which was once the parish lower school, a new youth/community center, and across the street, a counseling center. Christ Church offers six Eucharistic services each weekend, including Taize and a contemporary service with projection screens and music featuring piano, drums and violin. The parish school, Christ Church Episcopal School is located in another part of the city and offers the International Baccalaureate. The Christ Church endowment fund totals more than $11 million.
Bishop Robert Estill (former rector, Saint Michael and All Angels) lured Bob from Florida to North Carolina after meeting him at Virginia, and recommended that Bob replace him when he retired from preaching summers in a small chapel on Long Island. “Like a natural Texan,” Bishop Estill says, “he is open to ideas and comfortable with people.”
Bob and Valerie like to dance. They’re looking forward to learning the Texas Two-Step and have offered to teach all comers the South Carolina Shag.
Bob’s friends say he has a terrible golf slice. But he loves golf – and fishing, hiking, and hunting.
Download the Letter Announcing Father Dannals’ call to Saint Michael and All Angels