
Deacon Tom and wife Lois have been members of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church since 1979. Tom was ordained to the Diaconate in 2007. Prior to ordination, Tom was a teacher and coach in the Amherst Central School System for 34 years, prior to serving in the Army in Viet Nam. Tom & Lois have three grown children, Bryan, Kristen, and Jeff, and three granddaughters, Lainey, Sienna, and Vivienne.
In addition to his regular liturgical duties, he has administered to pastoral care for parishioners; is a member of the Worship team; and has led Service From The Pre-Sanctified in the absence of our priest.
Tom has been active in 3 outside ministries, in which he tends to get the congregation involved in as well:
- Refugee Ministry -For over 20 years, he has led or participated in 8 family re-settlements in the WNY area, along with Deacon Joanne Coury Frake (now retired), and Archdeacon Diana Leiker. We also secured a $20,000 grant from the Diocese inI 2016 to fund and educate others on our ministry.
- Prison Ministry- Since 2009, Deacon Tom has been an active member of Collins Christian Ministries, counseling incarcerated men at the Middle-Security Facility at Collins, N. Y.
- Hearts & Hands- For two years now, both Tom & Lois have driven people with disabilities or difficulties that prohibit them from driving their own vehicles. The drives are for medical appointments, food shopping, or other necessities, etc. Tom serves as the liaison between H&H and the church.
At the Diocesan level, Tom served for five years( 2013-2018) before retiring to turn the reigns over to Diana Leiker. He also served on the Commission on Ministry and led several discernments for the church. Currently, he is a member of the Commission to Dismantle Racism and Discrimination for the Partnership.