A transition

Volunteers of Saint Philip’s Buildings & Grounds (B&G) committee collaborate with church staff to oversee the care and maintenance of the campus’ beautiful property.

After 8 years on the committee (the last three of which he was Chair), Bob Couch has retired.

During his tenure, he oversaw the installation of the pet memorial, as well as several projects to restore the historical buildings using time-honored methods by traditional crafts people.

When asked what inspired him to volunteer for so long, Bob said, “I loved working with the other parishioners on the committee. It’s always about the people.”

Emily Swartz very recently accepted the role of B&G committee chair.

She has attended Saint Philip’s since 1989 and has volunteered for a variety of ministries over the years, including interim Director of Children’s Programs many years ago.

Prior to COVID-19, Emily helped serve breakfasts in the Murphey Gallery on Sunday mornings. The pandemic required that the breakfasts be suspended so Emily decided to combine her joy of gardening with the safety of being outdoors; she joined the Garden Guild (a sub-committee of B&G) in March of 2020.

Emily is an engineer by training and has worked both in that capacity and in manufacturing operations. She says that over the years she has tried to help where she could, including being a Girl Scout leader for 17 years, Girl Scout service unit manager, and manager of multiple youth sports teams.  Accepting the role of B&G Chair is more of the same.

“I look forward to learning more about what needs to be done and collaborating with others on the B&G team as we work towards the goal of maintaining the beautiful campus that we are so blessed to enjoy.”