The Rev. Leslie Barnes Scoopmire joined St. Martin’s in August 2018 as the Priest-in-Charge and became our 4th Rector on August 1, 2020. Prior to St. Martin’s she was an assisting priest at Christ Church Cathedral. Mother Leslie devoted 24 years as a teacher in the Pattonville School Disctrict, where she closed her career teaching students advanced placement US history, US history, college credit gender studies, and guitar classes. After discerning a call to the priesthood, she left teaching to attend Eden Theological Seminary, graduating with a master of divinity degree in 2017. Leslie holds a bachelor’s degree in English and Education from the University of Tulsa, which she attended on a music scholarship, as well as a Master of Arts degree in US history from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

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Leslie enjoys playing guitar, gardening, photography, bicycling, softball, and reading, especially poetry. Leslie is married to Bill, and they have three wonderful young adult children and three dogs who all have been assured they are the good boys and girl. A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, she is a fourth-generation Oklahoman.

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lscoopmire@stmartinschurch.org

636-227-1484 ext. 11

Deacon Loretta is excited about her part-time assignments at St. Martin’s and All Saints & Ascension in Northwoods. Fresh from an 18-month internship at Holy Communion in University City, Deacon Loretta is looking forward to the challenge of serving two parishes in different convocations. She hopes to focus primary on pastoral care, especially of the elderly who live in assisted living facilities and nursing homes, and to those in recovery.

Deacon Loretta was appointed by Bishop Wayne Smith in 2019 to Episcopal Recovery Ministries, a committee she now chairs. She is also a member of the task force charged with determining whether to pursue creating a space for our Diocese to gather for shared ministry, formation, recreation, and fun. She recently completed a stint on Standing Committee and served on the board of ECW as chaplain. 

The third and youngest child of Chinese immigrants who landed in Pine Bluff, Arkansas in 1949, she was baptized into the Episcopal Church when she was nine years old. She moved to Ballwin in 2002 to continue pursuing her career as a mortgage underwriter and consultant. Deacon Loretta is married to Jack Brown, a retired mortgage professional. She is stepmother to Max, who with his wife Morgan, lives in Elgin, Illinois. Her 95-year-old mother Sue resides in memory care at The Fountains of West County. Her fur children include two dogs, Maggie and Cissy and two cats, Toby and Boo.

Deacon Loretta plans to retire from her secular profession in the next year or two so she can devote much of her time to her new vocation, spend more time with family, and resume a few hobbies such as traveling, cooking, reading and sewing. 

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lgo@stmartinschurch.org

Janet joined St. Martin’s as Parish Administrator in February of 2007. Her responsibilities include working with the volunteer counters to deposit income, processing of expense payments and maintaining financial records of the parish with the Treasurer. She also maintains personnel and other records of the church, schedules facility use and updates the parish calendar.

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jtheiss@stmartinschurch.org
(636) 227-1484, ext. 10

Denise became our Music Director in 2015 and has been our organist since 2012. She has studied piano, organ, vocal music and instrumental music all of her life. Denise was an occupational therapist for several years before answering the call to focus on music as a career. Currently, she assists the choir director in the vocal music department at Parkway Central High School and provides accompaniment and instruction all across the St. Louis metropolitan area. She and her husband, Chris, live in St. Charles, and enjoy spending time with their three children who live in the area. “I feel that it is important to involve people of all ages in creating music during worship, whether through singing, playing an instrument, ringing hand bells, or listening and responding. Music provides a path for the Holy Spirit to move through each of us, and brings us together to become a new community of God.”

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dmarsh@stmartinschurch.org
636-227-1484, ext. 16