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Staff
Rector - Fr. Gregory L. Crosthwait
Fr. Gregory Crosthwait, SSC, is St. Mark's Rector. Born and reared in Garland, Texas, he graduated with a B.A. in Literary Studies from University of Texas at Dallas in 1994 and earned a Th.M from Dallas Theological Seminary in 2002.
Fr. Crosthwait was ordained to the sacred priesthood in 2004 at St. Nicholas Church in the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas. He has served congregations in Carrollton, Texas, The Colony, Texas, and from 2008-2011 led a two-site parish in Northeast Texas. While the Crosthwait family has enjoyed small town life, they are enthusiastic about a return to the city. They are also blessed and very excited to be part of the parish family of St. Mark’s Church, Arlington, and the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth (ACNA).
The strong musical and choral traditions of St. Mark’s are of particular interest for Fr. Crosthwait, who grew up as an active member of First Baptist Church, Garland, participating in children’s and youth choirs from age 3 to 17. After college he attended a non-denominational Bible church. During this time he felt a call to ministry. In response to this call he attended Dallas Theological Seminary where he focused his studies in Systematic Theology and Pastoral Ministries. During seminary, in a course on the history of Christian worship, Fr. Crosthwait discovered the liturgy, the sacraments, and the Book of Common Prayer. This began the process which culminated in his call to the sacred priesthood. He sees his chief gifts for ministry as preaching and teaching the Holy Scripture, helping people learn to pray, read the Bible, and be active students of Jesus in everyday life.
In a short biographical statement, Fr. Crosthwait said, “When people find out that I’m a priest, they’ll often do two things. First, they’ll say, ‘Oh, that’s nice,’ while pausing for a mental review of our conversation to see if they’ve said anything to me that they wouldn’t have said in church. Second they’ll ask, ‘What do you do all day?’ And that's a challenging question to answer.
Fr. Crosthwait goes on to offer this job description. “I have to say that being a priest is pretty fascinating. And it’s not so much about what I do, but who I am. Simply stated, as a priest, I’m Jesus’ man in His Church. I’ve been integrated into the life and ministry of Jesus Christ in a particular way. This means that I spend a good deal of my time in prayer and study, staying close to Jesus for the benefit of His people and for my own benefit as well. I also spend time with Jesus’ people, the Church. And, especially, I try to spend time with people who do not yet know and follow Jesus so that they can meet Him and become a disciple, too.
Fr. Crosthwait is married to Emily Crosthwait, who grew up in the Lake Highlands area of Dallas. They were married in 1997 and have three children: Helen, Grace, and Thomas.
Organist - Dr. Linton Powell
Dr. Linton Powell is the Organist and is Professor
of Organ and Musicology at the University of Texas at
Arlington. Dr. Powell has given numerous concerts in
Europe and the USA and has been the recipient of a grant
from the National Endowment for the Arts. He is noted
for his research on Spanish music and was a Fulbright
Scholar to Argentina.
Choirmaster - Kathy Fox Powell
Kathy Fox Powell is the Choirmaster, who founded and
directed for 10 years the Renaissance Consort of Fort
Worth. Ms. Powell is a regular singer with Dallas Bach
Society and Orchestra of New Spain. She also serves on
the Worship Commission of the Diocese of Fort Worth and
in that capacity is involved in the planning of music
for Diocesan liturgies. Ms. Powell is also a practicing
real estate lawyer.
Parish Secretary - Debbie Blount
Debbie Blount has served as Parish Secretary since
September, 1991. She has three sons, Stephen, Bryan
and Jason, and two grandsons, Matthew and Caleb.
She is a member of St. Timothy's in Fort Worth.
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