As the governing board of our church, the Bishop's Committee is a group of lay people, elected from and by the congregation for a maximum term of 3 years. The group acts as representatives and leaders who oversee and develop strategies for the temporal life of our church. The Bishop’s Committee also guides and coordinates the church committees. The church canons of Diocese of Minnesota that pertain to a vestry also apply to the Bishop's Committee. The Bishop's Committee is elected at the annual parish meeting held during January each year.

Our church is currently designated as a mission church.  As the name suggests, the Bishop's Committee is accountable to the Bishop of Minnesota, the Rt. Reverend James L. Jelinek, who is designated as our Rector.

Our Current Bishop's Committee members are listed below:

Senior Warden, Greg Carlson
The Senior Warden, often called the "Priest's Warden," is the congregation's representative who works directly with the Priest. Greg has been a congregation member since 1992 and is a cradle Episcopalian. He is passionate about feeding the needy and youth volunteer work. He loves  to golf, watch movies, cook and eat great food, rock music, camp, and relax on his front or back patio. He is the father of two wonderful kids:  Annika and Britt, and is husband to Lori Hedstrom whom he describes as "my fabulous wife-best friend of 30+ years."

Junior Warden, Bill Lundell
The Junior Warden, often referred to as the "People's Warden," is the congregation's direct representative on the Bishop's Committee and deals with the maintenance, improvement, use, and development of church property. Bill is a computer service technician and enjoys golf and household projects.
Clerk,  Laura Strirmlinger is the recorder and reporter of the Bishop's Committee decisions and actions. The Clerk, a non-voting member, records the minutes of each Bishop's Committee meeting, ensures they are accurate, then distributes them to all members and posts them for congregation. Laura has been a member of Ss M&M for 12 years.

Treasurer, Rick Schultz, as a non-voting member of the Bishop's Committee, the Treasurer advises the committee regarding church finances, budget and financial responsibilities. Rick is an awesome tennis player and enjoys volunteering for Habitat for Humanity utilizing his carpentry skills.

Member, John Hulting was elected for a term in 2009 and is a newer member of the current Bishop's Committee. However John has served 2 different terms on past Bishop's Committees and is a founding member of our congregation. He recalls the early services occurred in a funeral home. John has often been active in many church projects especially those that require knowledge of construction or repair of facilities.  He has been lending his wonderful voice to our choir for the past 15 years. 

Member, Merry Sawdey is serving her 3rd year as a Bishop's Committee member.  Merry is married to Aaron, the baker of our altar bread, and is the parent of an active 6 year old.  She is also a Kindermusik educator and is in training to be a spiritual director. She enjoys storytelling and assists Father Joe with Storytime on Sunday morning. Merry is also our volunteer chair for the Christian Formation programs which includes child, youth and adult. Merry is enrolled in the fourth year of the Education for Ministry course.

Member, Jeffrey Garrett has been a member of Martha and Mary for four years.  His term on the Bishop's Committee will end December 2009. Jeff is married and has a three year old son. Jeff's professional experience is in business systems, and business process analysis and change. While on the Bishop's Committee Jeff's areas of interests have included planning, growth, and finance.

Member, Mary Kay Bumblis has been a member of Ss. Martha and Mary since 1999. She completes her term on the BC this December. Her devoted service includes 3 years as a voting member and 2 years as the clerk. Mary Kay loves assisting with our youth activities and coordinating our Bear & A Prayer program. She is enrolled in the 3rd year of the Education for Ministry program, has completed the training needed to be a mentor for the Education for Ministry program, and is also studying Biblical Greek. Mary Kay has been the key liaison with The Rev. Canon Sandra Holmberg, Canon Missioner for Ministry Development, regarding team ministry information. She is a retired 3M professional and her experience includes project management and information technology. She is anxiously awaiting the birth of her first grandchild who is expected in early December.

Member, Stephanie Benedict, her husband Luke, and son Hayden have been congregation members for 3 years. In addition to her service on the Bishop’s Committee, Stephanie volunteers at Hayden's school as a lunchroom monitor, working in the copy center, lending a hand to a teacher, and other help as her talents are needed.  She is a regular volunteer a the Mt. Calvary food shelf and drives for the Meals on Wheels program. Her professional experience includes management and customer service.

Father Joseph Hopwood and Father Bruce Henne also participate on the Bishop's Committee.
Generally the Bishop's Committee meetings are held on the Third Monday of the month at 7:00 p.m.
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