VICAR

Lizzie has lived all over the world, with her boots now rooted in Austin, Texas. She’s living her dream as the founding planter of Jubilee Episcopal Church! She is passionate about evangelism for a God who makes each of us for joy, which is why you might see her doing silly dances and talking about church history on Instagram & TikTok with her combined 80k followers, or on her podcast with fellow Episcopal priest Rev. Laura - And Also With You. She’s thrilled to share her debut book, a first-of-its-kind devotional for the disillusioned, the deconstructing, and the disenchanted called: God Didn’t Make Us to Hate Us: 40 Devotions to Liberate Your Faith from Fear and Reconnect with Joy with TarcherPerigree of Penguin Random House, due out in February 2025.

Lizzie grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and received her First Communion as a devout Catholic in the second grade. By the time she reached Middle School, her mother had led her family into her own calling to ministry, and Lizzie had the privilege (and, admittedly, challenge!) of watching her mother pursue ordination in the United Methodist Church, which culminated in her mother’s ordination as an Elder the same weekend Lizzie graduated high school. This makes Lizzie officially a second generation clergywoman and specifically, a clergywoman mama, and she delights in talking about motherhood, pregnancy, and reproductive justice from this lens of faith and leadership in the church.

A graduate from Mount Holyoke College (Summa cum laude), Lizzie brought a passion for intersectional feminism and queer theology to her studies at Duke Divinity School and Seminary of the Southwest. It was her time in both South Hadley, Massachusetts and Durham, NC that brought her into the Episcopal Church, and it was the Episcopal Church that brought Lizzie and her beloved spouse, Jonathan, to Texas. Prior to ordination, she worked in youth & children’s ministry and as a hospice chaplain, all while concurrently teaching art in bars and waiting tables.

Her home is filled with love with her husband, The Rev. Jonathan McManus-Dail, their beloved daughter, another baby on the way, and two mischievous cats.

CURATE

After growing up in the piney woods of East Texas, Hayden Paul, an alumnus of Texas A&M University, embarked on his professional career with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Business Administration in 2011. His early career was marked by impactful roles in the Texas Legislature and as Vice President of Public Affairs and Government Relations at the Research Valley Partnership in Bryan/College Station, Texas. His expertise in legislative and economic development prepared him for subsequent achievements in private lobbying and real estate, where he focused on regional growth initiatives and sustainability.

Amid his growing career, a divine revelation led Hayden to a profound spiritual awakening amid a global pandemic. It was here that Hayden’s journey took a quick and decisive turn towards ordained ministry, driven by a fresh calling to restore and reconcile people to Christ. Finding the Episcopal Church in the aftermath of the Obergefell vs. Hodges Supreme Court decision in 2015, he credits much of the completion of his “deconstruction” of fundamentalism to the people who poured into him as a new Episcopalian him when he felt unlovable and unworthy as a queer man.

Hayden graduated with a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary in May 2024 and is a member of the prestigious 2024 cohort of the Trinity Wall Street Leadership Fellows. His academic pursuits are deeply influenced by the intersections of theology and systems theory, with which he hopes to enact meaningful change within the Church. His master’s thesis entitled “Abundantly Necessary: Exploring Appreciative Inquiry and its Theological Insights into Change and Adaptation in the Church” sought to provide a way in approaching a secular change management model to help the Church not only survive, but abundantly thrive. Hayden is also passionately committed to reconciliation, and he aims to restore hope and foster inclusive connections, particularly with the LGBTQ+ communities and those feeling estranged by the church.

Outside of work, Hayden enjoys the simple pleasures of life, such as reading the latest bestsellers and taking leisurely walks with his labradoodle, Truman. He remains active in his community through various nonprofits and their boards, advocating for the arts, child abuse prevention, and healthcare access. Although he has been called to Austin and finds himself in the middle “Longhorn country,” Hayden is rooted in his Aggie spirit, and is dedicated to inclusion, ensuring every human feels connected, valued, and loved.

MUSIC MINISTER

Born into a family with a long lineage of musicians, Carly learned at an early age to interpret and process the world around her through music, cutting her teeth on the sounds of Emmylou Harris, Patsy Cline, and Johnny Cash. She began singing in church as a child whenever she could, and picked up the guitar around the tender age of ten. 

By the time she was a teenager, Carly was regularly singing and playing guitar in church on a weekly basis, and soon became a band leader there for her youth ministry. 

During high school and college, she sang in the choir and served as a leader in campus ministry. The inter-denominational nature of church organizations on campus gave Carly the opportunity to lead music in a wide array of church traditions, enriching her appreciation for the nuances found within the larger community of faith. This would later lead Carly to partner with various ministries, coming alongside new church plants to help supply music.

Carly has led church music locally and internationally; in empty parking lots and on large stages; with beginner musicians and Grammy nominated musicians; by herself and with a full band. The one guiding principle that keeps her grounded in her purpose as a leader and musician is her belief that music touches our souls the way other mediums cannot, and there is a holy responsibility for ministers to provide an opportunity to connect with God through music in a way that is ethical, non-manipulative, and non-coercive. This guiding principle is largely what drew Carly to the Episcopal Church, and remains at the forefront of her convictions as she creates music.