The Rev. Amber Carswell
On June 1, Christ Episcopal Church, 50 South St., will welcome its thirtieth rector, the Rev. Amber Carswell.
A 2014 graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary, Carswell comes to Warwick from Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis, Tenn., where she was associate rector of formation. Prior to that, she served as canon and director of program at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Following the departure of the Rev. James Erwin in 2019, Carswell told the church’s Search Committee that “working in large, multi-clergy parishes has been a gift in terms of giving me a diversity of experience, but I’m ready to put that to work in some place a little more intimate.”
Carswell’s responsibilities at Calvary Episcopal focused on Christian formation for both adults and children and on overseeing the children/family and youth ministries. The pandemic led her to create a new, self-directed curriculum for children to engage with the scripture and its themes from home. Carswell also led several pilgrimages, including one to Spain to walk El Camino de Santiago.
Carswell is originally from Kansas, the eldest of four sisters. She attended the University of Arkansas, graduating with a B.S. in Information Science, before deciding on ministry.
Joining Carswell in her move to the Northeast are her wife, Melissa Wilkinson, and their two dogs, Frank and Rowlf.
Carswell’s first services will be on Sunday, June 6, at 9: a.m., both (in-person and live-streamed, and at 11 a.m. in-person.
A Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, which comprises Manhattan, Westchester, Staten Island, Orange, Ulster and Putnam counties, will formally install Carswell as rector in a special service later this year.
- Roger Gavan