Resignation of Alice Basset-Jellema
This past week, the Vestry of Church of the Guardian Angel accepted, with sadness, the resignation of its Vicar, the Rev. Alice Bassett-Jellema after 22 years of devoted care and service.
Alice is resigning for medical reasons; she has an advanced glioblastoma, which is to say a brain tumor. That condition and the treatment of it has made it impossible for her to continue in the roles she has lovingly filled for Guardian Angel and Remington. Alice, her wife Chris, and their children are coping admirably with the situation. Alice's spirits are high, though this ordeal takes a lot of her energy.
There are no words that can express what Alice has meant to the entire community. And we are also mindful of the leadership and service she's given to the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, our parent organization. Backpack day, Reading Camp, the Food Pantry, and Soup-er Bowl Saturday are just some of the public programs Alice led at Guardian Angel. In the broader area, she was involved with Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development (BUILD), DreamBuilders, the Diocese's Exploring Baptismal Ministry program, and other efforts to empower individuals and small groups to exercise their values by making concrete contributions to the issues facing our society.
She also spent countless hours one-on-one with people in the community, providing incomparable pastoral care.
Alice was an amazing fit for the unusual nature of our congregation and mission, and no one could step in to do all the things she did in the way she did them. The vestry is working with the Diocese on plans for continuing the work of the church in Remington at Guardian Angel. Alice is a hard act to follow; God's work must continue and, with God's blessing, it will continue at Guardian Angel.
Regular Sunday services continue at 8 and 10 am with a breakfast at 9 am. Homework Club is starting up soon on Tuesday evenings and the Food Pantry continues each Wednesday at 9 am. We are working on a new plan for community dinners. This is a time when we could really use your involvement and presence. If you're interested in getting involved in any of these programs, please let us know, or just show up!
We are working on a way for the community to express our gratitude to Alice for all she has been and done amongst us, and will let you know when we have more detail.
