The Rev. Dr. John “Jady” Dunbar Koch, Jr
Mt. Pleasant, SC jadykoch@gmail.com June 7, 2022 Dear St. Luke's, It is with humble gratitude and heartfelt thanks that I have accepted the call of your Vestry to be your next Rector. I have long been an admirer of this church and her leadership and look forward to continuing the tradition of faithful, courageous, life-changing discipleship and evangelism for which you all are known. Many parts of this process have confirmed to me and my wife, Liza, that the Lord was moving us in this direction and we have felt His guiding hand each step along the way. From the outset, the written prayers from the different ministries in your parish profile indicated to us the type faithful, praying people to whom we might be called. Prayers from the search committee, the lay readers and chalice bearers, the counseling center, Sisters in the Sand, flower guild, greeters, intercessors, music team, the children--even the Hog Heaven BBQ Team!--instilled in us the confidence that the Lord would bless this process and through it His will for us and St. Luke's would be made known. So, don't stop now! Please keep the prayers for us and for the church coming as we all navigate this exciting transition. We have already been so blessed and encouraged by your vestry, staff, and search committee that we can't wait to meet the rest of you soon! With all blessings, Jady (and Liza, Tucker, John, Carrington, Garland and Davis) www.jadykoch.com www.standfirminfaith.com |
The Rev. Dr. Jady Koch
Rector The Rev. Dr. John D. Koch is a graduate of Washington & Lee University (2000) and Trinity School for Ministry (2007). Rev. Jady earned his Doctorate in Systematic Theology at the University of Humboldt in Berlin, Germany in 2014. In addition to various articles and lectures, he's the author of The Distinction Between Law and Gospel as the Basis and Boundary of Theological Reflection, which was published in 2016 (Mohr/Siebeck), and which explores the interrelationship between the doctrine of justification by faith alone and the preaching and teaching ministry of the church. Having served in churches in Berlin, Vienna, and Louisville, KY, Jady is excited to have been called to St. Luke's Church on Hilton Head Island and is looking forward to continuing his work to bring the truths of the Gospel to bear on the everyday realities of life in our modern world. He and his wife, Liza, have five children (Tucker, John, Carrington, Garland and Davis) and about a thousand house plants. Contact Jady: jadykoch@stlukeshhi.org (502)544-5711 
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Institution Service for Dr. Jady Koch Saturday October 8, 2022
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We are delighted to share the news that Reverend Dr. John D. “Jady” Koch accepted St. Luke’s call to be our rector! We know that with your continual prayers along with guidance from the Holy Spirit, God has truly blessed us with this decision.
Jady's initial letter to us, which accompanied his application, stated “my passion to bring people to the love and knowledge of the Lord and to help strengthen and encourage the faithful has only grown, and I gladly and with great joy bring that experience, knowledge, and passion to any position I have been called to serve.” This bold statement certainly intrigued us as it aligns directly with St. Luke’s mission statement “to know Christ and to make Him known.”
We invited Jady to answer Written Response questions. In his answers, he addressed such issues as his hope that St. Luke’s will be a place where people are hungry for faithful, consistent, courageous Bible teaching, and preaching. Jady's personal qualities, skills, and ministry priorities support our expectations of a new Rector and the desires expressed by the congregation in our Parish Profile. The Search Committee was struck by the powerful depth of Jady's relationship with God. His faith is obvious and authentic.
During the interview process, it was clear that building relationships are central to both Jady and his wife, Liza's, ministry. They both reiterated a theme of growing a stronger, wider faith community through building individual relationships and that hospitality is a primary force in forming bonds between brothers and sisters in Christ. They recognize that St. Luke’s is even now a family not only seeking this with one another, but also seeking it within our community and beyond into the world. Jady and Liza stated that missions and outreach are also critical.
The Rector Search Committee also visited candidates at their home churches to hear them preach. During the visit to Jady’s prior church, Christ Church in Mt. Pleasant, the Search Committee members not only heard Jady preach the Sunday sermon but also sang with the Worship and Praise team after he finished his Sunday morning Bible study. They had the opportunity to meet all five of his lively and beautiful children.
Following that wonderfully blessed time, the Search Committee invited Jady and Liza to visit St. Luke’s and meet the staff. This 3-day visit was very insightful. There were several meet-and-greets and Q&A sessions with different groups. The Search Committee was impressed not only with how Jady answered questions, but more importantly by the questions that he asked, and how intently he listened to our responses. He has an approachable and inclusive style able to discern the gifts and strengths of each individual that he meets and desires to empower those people to an even more effective ministry.
We believe that Jady will bring strong leadership and guide St. Luke's to a renewal of faith in God and in each other.
Sincerely,
In His Holy Name,
St. Luke's 2022 Search Committee,
John Evans, Chair
Norm Galloway, Co-Chair
Judy Pugatch, Communications Coordinator
*Beth Meeder
*Nancy Henty
*Bill Peacher
Keith Tillman
Mike Blackshire
Sarah Brigham Partlow
*Robyn Zimmerman
*Denotes Vestry Member as well as RSC
Vestry Members
(see above)
Jim McGuirk, Rector’s Warden
Kent James, People’s Warden
Elizabeth Glick
Mike Mitchell
Jim Legg
John Austin
Sarah Tillman
Gleaves Rhodes
We are delighted to share the news that Reverend Dr. John D. “Jady” Koch accepted St. Luke’s call to be our rector! We know that with your continual prayers along with guidance from the Holy Spirit, God has truly blessed us with this decision.
Jady's initial letter to us, which accompanied his application, stated “my passion to bring people to the love and knowledge of the Lord and to help strengthen and encourage the faithful has only grown, and I gladly and with great joy bring that experience, knowledge, and passion to any position I have been called to serve.” This bold statement certainly intrigued us as it aligns directly with St. Luke’s mission statement “to know Christ and to make Him known.”
We invited Jady to answer Written Response questions. In his answers, he addressed such issues as his hope that St. Luke’s will be a place where people are hungry for faithful, consistent, courageous Bible teaching, and preaching. Jady's personal qualities, skills, and ministry priorities support our expectations of a new Rector and the desires expressed by the congregation in our Parish Profile. The Search Committee was struck by the powerful depth of Jady's relationship with God. His faith is obvious and authentic.
During the interview process, it was clear that building relationships are central to both Jady and his wife, Liza's, ministry. They both reiterated a theme of growing a stronger, wider faith community through building individual relationships and that hospitality is a primary force in forming bonds between brothers and sisters in Christ. They recognize that St. Luke’s is even now a family not only seeking this with one another, but also seeking it within our community and beyond into the world. Jady and Liza stated that missions and outreach are also critical.
The Rector Search Committee also visited candidates at their home churches to hear them preach. During the visit to Jady’s prior church, Christ Church in Mt. Pleasant, the Search Committee members not only heard Jady preach the Sunday sermon but also sang with the Worship and Praise team after he finished his Sunday morning Bible study. They had the opportunity to meet all five of his lively and beautiful children.
Following that wonderfully blessed time, the Search Committee invited Jady and Liza to visit St. Luke’s and meet the staff. This 3-day visit was very insightful. There were several meet-and-greets and Q&A sessions with different groups. The Search Committee was impressed not only with how Jady answered questions, but more importantly by the questions that he asked, and how intently he listened to our responses. He has an approachable and inclusive style able to discern the gifts and strengths of each individual that he meets and desires to empower those people to an even more effective ministry.
We believe that Jady will bring strong leadership and guide St. Luke's to a renewal of faith in God and in each other.
Sincerely,
In His Holy Name,
St. Luke's 2022 Search Committee,
John Evans, Chair
Norm Galloway, Co-Chair
Judy Pugatch, Communications Coordinator
*Beth Meeder
*Nancy Henty
*Bill Peacher
Keith Tillman
Mike Blackshire
Sarah Brigham Partlow
*Robyn Zimmerman
*Denotes Vestry Member as well as RSC
Vestry Members
(see above)
Jim McGuirk, Rector’s Warden
Kent James, People’s Warden
Elizabeth Glick
Mike Mitchell
Jim Legg
John Austin
Sarah Tillman
Gleaves Rhodes