Dear Congregation, 

On behalf of the Vestry and Search Committee, we announce with great joy and celebration the call of the Rev. Charlotte Johnson to be the 15th Rector of Church of Our Saviour Chicago. She will commence her ministry at COS on April 22nd, 2025.

Rev. Charlotte has most recently served as Priest-in-Charge for Grace Episcopal Church in New Lenox, Illinois where she has established her reputation for passionate leadership, inspiring sermons, and dedication to pastoral care. Throughout her journey in ministry, her path has been marked by a profound sense of faith, community engagement, and a passion for spiritual growth.

Prior to her work at Grace/New Lenox, Charlotte was called to be Interim Rector of St. Peter's Church in Lakeview after having also assisted at St. Gregory's in Deerfield. This followed Associate Rector and Interim Rector roles in the Diocese of California. Recently she has also served on the denomination-wide Safe Church Council of Advice and on Bishop Paula Clark's Task Force to Reimagine the Diaconate. You can read her introductory message to COS here.

She graduated from the interfaith Spiritual Direction Institute at Mercy Center in Burlingame, CA in 2010 and was ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Diocese of California in 2016. This training built upon her prior academic achievements, including a Master of Divinity from Church Divinity School of the Pacific, an M.A. in early childhood education from San Jose State University, and a B.A. with honors from the University of Michigan.

A Chicagoan by birth she returned to the Midwest in 2021 after 32 years in the San Francisco Bay Area. For fun, Charlotte enjoys reading, knitting, live music, art museums, hiking, and playing with her goofy dog, Louie.

As we embark on this new chapter, we are excited about the many blessings and opportunities that Rev. Charlotte will bring to our parish. Her vision aligns with our mission to foster a welcoming, inclusive, and spiritually enriching environment for all.

As we announce this important event in the now 158-year history of COS, it bears reflection as to how we were able to engage Charlotte. Words fail to describe the gratitude we all feel for the incredibly hard work of the Search Committee, faithfully co-chaired by Kris Gleason and Rebecca Elfring-Roberts, whose path was lit by the participation of Angie Allen, Davi Bambino, Peter Civetta, Alex Simmons, Joel Spear, and Helen Valkavich. This group tirelessly engaged the Parish to better understand our needs and hopes, distilling those insights into actionable criteria that were used to enlighten the many consequential choices that must be made as part of their national search.

In gratitude and faithfulness, we now come together in prayer and fellowship to support Rev. Charlotte as she begins her ministry with us. We look forward to growing in faith and in community with God’s help.

Faithfully yours, 

Brandon Cox and Willie Cade, Wardens

Church of Our Saviour