Spiritual Autobiography // The Rev.

Thomas Cannon // January 11, 2024

I was born in 1958 and raised in a large Irish Catholic family in and around Philadelphia. Typical of the era and geography we were
staunchly practicing Roman Catholics and my early schooling was in an archetypal Catholic Parish School in West Philadelphia. My
First Communion came just as the effects of Vatican II reached the parish level so my age group was the first to avoid having to
learn the Latin Mass. For which we were appropriately grateful. I was confirmed the next year by the Archbishop of Philadelphia.

As a curious aside, it was a combination of Vatican II and the assimilation of Irish Catholics into mainstream America that began our
family's gradual movement toward non-practicing Catholicism. So with many Catholics of my generation, by middle school years our
parents migrated us to public schools and life in the suburbs. We still identified as Catholics in the same way the Reform Jews who
dominated our neighborhood waved the flag of Judaism. It was a cultural marker and little else.

For some years I viewed this time with genuine warmth and gratitude but strictly in the “pre-conversion” strata of my life. I have since
changed that view. Despite the irregular and even at times heterodox accouterments of my Catholic religious education and
experience, there is no doubt that I was taught and believed in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Savior, and my only hope for this
life and the next.

I graduated high school in June of 1976 and the following August I matriculated to the University of South Carolina. It was here I first
encountered Evangelical Christians. Growing up, you were Jewish or Catholic. I knew Protestants existed. I just didn’t know any.
And the Evangelical Protestant was way out of my purview. A recently converted Southern Baptist dorm-mate challenged me to
read the Gospel of Matthew and Epistle to the Romans. I bought a Good News Bible and accepted the challenge.

I was fascinated by the narrative in Matthew’s gospel. Much of it I was familiar with from my Catholic education but reading it straight
through provided a sweep and drama that had eluded me. I was also intrigued by the constant Old Testament references.

It was when I read the Epistle to the Romans the Holy Spirit took full hold of me. The teaching and actions of Jesus suddenly
became conjoined into a convincing and powerful whole. I was nearly thunderstruck when I arrived at Romans 8:1-2,

There is no condemnation now for those who live in union with Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit, which brings us life
in union with Christ Jesus, has set me free from the law of sin and death.

Much like the experience of John Wesley at Aldersgate Chapel, I felt my heart “strangely warmed” and knew at that moment that
Jesus did love me and was with me, always.

Early nurture in my newly renewed faith came at Rose Hill Presbyterian Church not far from campus and Reformed University
Fellowship which had recently arrived at USC. They were both formative in being faithful Christian communities and demonstrating
the value of Christians growing in the “ordinary means of grace” as opposed to larger and perhaps flashier ministries.

Nearing graduation I sensed a growing interest in ministry. I am thankful that my parish and campus minister both encouraged and
cautioned me. My enthusiasm for ministry must be matched by demonstrable gifts for doing ministry. I was wisely advised not to
enter seminary out of college but rather to officially seek recognition as a Candidate for Ministry in the local presbytery and to secure
a lay ministry position.

After two years as an Intern with RUF, I was approved to attend seminary. I started at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia and
after one year transferred to Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi.

After my first semester at RTS, Dawn and I were married at First Baptist Church in Florence, SC. Our first ministry calling was to
Australia where I was seconded to the Presbyterian Church of Australia and spent ten years as the pastor of a developing church in
Melbourne and later as Protestant Chaplain at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. The years were fruitful in ministry and
life as all three of our children were born there. During my time at RMIT, I also helped establish a ministry for the Australian
Fellowship of Evangelical Students. It was through my involvement with AFES that I first connected with the Anglican world. AFES
was run mainly by Sydney Anglicans and they soon became my good friends and ‘ministry tribe’. We shared ministry sensibilities
and I admired their ability to be theologically and biblically reflective while maintaining a genuine heart and zeal for ministry.

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Our return to the USA came when I accepted a call from Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York to help establish their first
church plant in Greenwich Village where I served as Associate Pastor and Campus Minister to New York University. Ministry
flourished but the financial pressure of maintaining ministry and life in Manhattan led us to Savannah, GA where I established the
work of RUF at Savannah College of Art and Design. After eight years parish ministry beckoned and I became Senior Pastor of Red
Mountain Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, AL. The work at Red Mountain was exhausting as it involved following a pastor who
apostatized and left his wife for an elder’s wife. God was gracious and the church recovered well and continues to grow.

As I was ending my time at RMC, the position of leading the ministry of Reformed University Fellowship for the PCA came open. I
applied in the same way a utility infielder swings for the fences against a future Hall of Fame pitcher. To my great surprise and
delight, bat connected with ball and I began work as Coordinator of RUF in January 2014.

My four-year term as RUF Coordinator was full and, by all metrics, productive. While initially concerned how I would transition into
the world of denominational bureaucracy (a ‘suit’) I found the work well suited me. For my four-year term, I was by every metric
doing a faithful work. The ministry grew and expanded. We significantly increased our advancement numbers by literally millions of
dollars. My yearly performance reviews were consistently on the highest scale and I was thoroughly enjoying the work. While initially
eager for another four-year term, there arose just at the end of my first term circumstances (external and way out of my control)
which made it wise and inevitable for me not to seek reappointment. I would simply say my tenure there was full and productive in
experience, sudden and disappointing in its conclusion.

So at the venerable age of 60, I thought it wise to step back for some time to reassess my direction in the latter years of my
vocational life. Not arising from any crisis of faith but rather to reaffirm my occupational direction. With the full support and oversight
of my presbytery, I stepped back for a season from ministry. During this time my wife and I moved to Beaufort, SC principally to be
near our daughter Grace, son-in-law Ashton, and our first and newly arrived grandson Ethan. And I began employment with a major
airline. I enjoyed the work and about four years in I felt renewed to pursue ministry full-time. In August of this year, I moved a step in
that direction by taking a full-time teaching position in the Upper School of Holy Trinity Classical Christian School.

Why Anglicanism?

As mentioned earlier, my first contact with Anglicanism was in Australia where I became good friends and ministry colleagues with
the Sydney Anglicans around me. When I returned to the USA I noticed a significant number of my colleagues were adapting what
they considered “Anglican” aspects to worship. At Red Mountain Church I continued that practice as I too was drawn to the
language, theological depth, and historic rootedness it offered. But I also realized we were picking and choosing these elements
because they “seemed to fit” or, to be honest, “sounded cool.” There was no rhyme or reason to where we placed them.

The most significant influence on my potential road to Anglicanism has been our experience at Saint Helena’s Anglican Church.
Upon moving to Beaufort it was not my intention to leave the PCA. The only PCA option in Beaufort however was positioned on a
theological grid skewed heavily to the very tight and very sharply defined on matters adiaphora.

We settled into Saint Helena’s and thrived under the outstanding preaching and warm pastoral ethos of the staff and congregation.
Significantly we both were drawn to worship guided by the Book of Common Prayer. Seeing the actual theological and historic
pattern of the worship was a delight to me and in many ways felt like a homecoming to my Catholic experience albeit without the
irregular and possibly heterodox accouterments.

Other theological issues are drawing me to Anglicanism. While I can’t be described as charismatic or an egalitarian, the depth of the
PCA’s positions on the issues of charismatic gifts and women in ministry is simply far too deep and unswerving. Whereas I am
especially willing to offer a much wider berth of conviction on these matters.