Staff
The Rev CB Baker, Rector
The Rev CB Baker has been rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Hot Springs, Arkansas since July 1, 2006. During that time Sunday attendance has doubled and financial giving has increased approximately 45%. The Rev Baker is involved in ecumenical and inter-faith work in the Hot Springs area as well as continuing his national and international work both within the Episcopal Church and beyond.
The Rev Baker was dean of St. Mary’s Cathedral from 1998 until May 2006. The Rev Baker is past president of the Memphis Ministers Association, Convener of Call to Renewal Memphis and Convener of Jubilee 2000 of Memphis. The Rev Baker has worked and spoken locally, regionally and nationally on issues of justice, peace and reconciliation. He was a tireless worker in the Memphis community, and continues to be in Hot Springs, on behalf of the poor and marginalized and is a strong proponent of looking beyond differences and finding common ground among different races, cultures and faiths. The Rev Baker represents the Episcopal Church on the oversight committee for Churches Uniting in Christ, he was the initiator of Memphis Multi-Faith Aid, which supplied medical supplies to Afghanistan after the United States invasion following September 11, 2001. The Rev Baker is a leading voice in an attempt to bring Christians, Jews and Muslims together to work toward peace in the Middle East. He is a member of the North American Regional Committee for St. George’s College, Jerusalem, and a member of the Board of Directors of Kids 4 Peace, USA. The Rev Baker is also a member of the Standing Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations for the Episcopal Church.
Lynn Payette, Director of Music
Lynn Payette came to serve as Director of Music/Organist in June of 1999. Prior to that, Lynn served at Episcopal Churches in Dallas and in the Chicago area. From 1986-89, Lynn served on the Personal Staff of the late Lord Runcie, then Archbishop of Canterbury, where she planned and played for all the services held at Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop’s London residence.
A native of Wheaton, Illinois, Lynn earned her Bachelor of Sacred Music degree summa cum lauda from Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois and was named a Senior Honor Recitalist. She was awarded a Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois.
Since moving to Arkansas, Lynn and her husband Jay, also a professional musician, have been involved in many different musical organizations in the community. Lynn has been a regular performer in the Hot Springs Music Festival (www.hotmusic.org) and the Hot Springs Music Club. For several years, she was the Director of the Cedar Mountain Singers, a community chorus in Hot Springs Village, and was recently appointed the Choral Director at the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Science and the Arts (www.asmsa.org).
Lynn also serves as an adjunct Music Faculty member at National Park Community College (www.npcc.edu), and is the conductor for the annual Sing Along Messiah, in addition to the vocal and instrumental ensembles she directs at St Luke’s. Lynn also serves as the music teacher for St Luke’s Episcopal School (www.stlukesschool.org), and leads music in their weekly chapel services.
Under her direction, the St Luke’s Parish Choir has toured Southeast England in 2001 and sang, by invitation, at the National Cathedral in Washington DC in June, 2003, as part of their Arkansas Day celebrations.
For nine years, Lynn served as Chair of the Liturgy and Music Commission for the Episcopal Diocese of Arkansas, and she initiated the Leadership Programs for Musicians (LPM - www.lpm-online.org) in the Diocese, serving as its first coordinator as well as a faculty member. lpayette@stlukeshs.org
Mrs. Kathy Randel - Parish Administrator
Kathy McCully Randel is a lifetime resident and a parishioner of St.Luke’s, Hot Springs. She has served as Parish Administrator since 2001. In this capacity she has the opportunity to serve both the church, parishioners, and the community. She is also active in many of the Outreach projects sponsored by St.Luke’s and enjoys working behind the scenes with different groups and committees. krandel@stlukeshs.org
John Zubro - Head of School jzubro@stlukeshs.org
Dee Vinson - Financial Secretary dvinson@stlukeshs.org
Dee Vinson began her service as the Financial Secretary for St. Luke’s in the fall of 2008. She grew up in the Bismarck area where she still lives, along with her husband of 16 years, Bryan, and two teenage girls’ ages 14 & 13. Dee & her family have been members of Caney Missionary Baptist Church in Bismarck for 8 years.