Vestry Nominees for the Class of 2029

The Nominating Committee of St. Paul’s Vestry is pleased to announce the four candidates on this year’s slate: Rick Bernhardt, Leah Ehlhardt, John Thorpe and Emily Wilhite. Get to know the nominees below.

Voting will open on January 18, to approve minutes from last year's Annual Meeting, the four candidates on the 2029 Vestry slate and Diocesan Convention delegates.

• Why do you want to serve on St. Paul’s Vestry?

  RICK BERNHARDT I am so grateful for St. Paul’s and all that this community has meant for my family and me over the past 20 years, and I hope to give back to our parish through serving on the Vestry.

  LEAH EHLHARDT I want to serve on the Vestry at St. Paul’s because I want to grow our community within the church. The Vestry are leaders in all areas of the church, and exemplify our values.

  JOHN THORPE I have served on the Vestry for the past three years and believe that I have been able to make a significant contribution to the work of the Vestry. As my term has approached a conclusion, I have discerned a growing belief that my service on the Vestry is incomplete. It seems as if I am being called to continue in my role for another three years so I have asked to be put forward for election to a second term.

  EMILY WILHITE I've been a part of the St. Paul's community for over 14 years, and I care greatly about its past, present and future.

• Describe your participation in a St. Paul’s ministry and/or in the community at large that you believe will be beneficial to your Vestry service.

  RICK BERNHARDT I sing in the choir and as a lector, necessitating regular attendance and engagement in worship. I have previously served on the Vestry and various committees. Through these experiences, I feel that I have connected with a wide swath of our St. Paul’s community and will be able to represent the interests of the parish well during this important time in its life.

  LEAH EHLHARDT At St. Paul’s, I’ve led the Intergenerational Team for a year and a half, planned the 2025 All-Parish Retreat, assisted with implementing Mess Fest and Children’s Holy Week Walk, and have served on the search committee for a new Director of Children, Youth & Family Ministry.

  JOHN THORPE I sing in the Choir and, like other members of the choir, believe this to be ministry in the fullest sense of the word. Service in the Choir leads directly into an intimate connection with the worship of our community and I believe holding up this connection will be beneficial to my vestry service.
  
  I also serve on the Adult Formation Team whose primary responsibility is planning adult forums. I believe it is important service to the Vestry to give voice to our educational mission for adults.

  EMILY WILHITE Lately I have been involved as a liaison between the community engagement team and family ministry. My daughter is also getting involved in the choir school. I'm observing what it takes for these ministries to operate throughout the year, and also trying to find areas of overlap where they can support each other and the community at large.

• Briefly share your education/work experience, highlighting any skills you feel would be especially beneficial to the Vestry.

  RICK BERNHARDT I am an Internal Medicine and Pediatrics physician, and I also serve IU Health as Executive Physician Director of Population Health. Both of these roles allow me to think about the well-being of both individual people and the community at large. I believe serving on the Vestry requires the same dual focus.

  LEAH EHLHARDT I’ve been a licensed speech-language pathologist for nine years. I’ve worked in the schools, skilled nursing facilities, in outpatient clinic, and in early intervention (birth to three). In my time as an SLP, I’ve worked with all walks of life and have been with people (and children) during their most vulnerable moments. I’ve learned to be resourceful and mindful of circumstances. I use a lot of flexibility, compassion, and empathy in my work, as well as keeping a view on realistic goals.

  JOHN THORPE I retired in 2019 after a 48-year career in education as a teacher, department head and high school academic dean and principal. I believe the leadership and consensus-building skills that developed during my career are beneficial to the Vestry.

  EMILY WILHITE I studied music and music technology in college and graduate school, and after some time working in technical sales within the niche market of acoustics and music manufacturing, I made a career change to Project Management, and have spent a decade now working in IT. In my experience, Project Management skills translate well to helping organize and coordinate ministry efforts.

• What are your hopes and goals for St. Paul’s and/or the Vestry in the coming three years?

  RICK BERNHARDT I hope St. Paul’s continues to be a diverse and vibrant community in the next three years. Over that time, we will smoothly transition to our next settled Rector, and I look forward, and, even before that, I hope to see our parish continue to grow in both membership and mission. St. Paul’s has so many wonderful gifts to share with the community, and I look forward to helping discern how we can most meaningfully do so.

  LEAH EHLHARDT I hope to continue with growth in the Intergenerational Team, in whatever form that may take. I envision St. Paul’s with an organized and passionate leader for our youth and families, and a rector who can challenge and sustain us as a parish. My goal for St. Paul’s is to be inclusive, inviting, intergenerational, and intentional.

  JOHN THORPE My immediate hope for St. Paul's is that the Vestry and the Discernment Committee will be able to conclude their work successfully and that we will welcome a new rector to our community.
  
  Another hope is that our new rector and the Vestry will be able to envision and actualize an enlivening path for our community as followers of Jesus and as the hands of Jesus in the world.

  EMILY WILHITE My hope is that St. Paul's continues to be a place where people find connection in Indianapolis and beyond. My goal is to strengthen bonds amongst parishioners, both socially and while we're carrying out our ministries so that we may better serve each other and our communities through Christ's love, and more people will experience that kind of love.