Clergy
St. Francis Episcopal Church is in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, with local area leaders shown below. The Diocesan web site is found at epicenter.org.
Fr. Mitch Tollett, Rector
The Rev. Mitchell “Mitch” Tollett has served as both Priest-in-charge and Rector of St. Francis Episcopal Church in Tyler, Texas, since January 1, 2014. Previously he served as Curate at Christ Episcopal Church in Temple, Texas.
The Rev. Tollett was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He was honorably discharged from the United States Navy in 1994 after serving for four years. He graduated from the University of Houston in 1998 with a degree in Computer Engineering Technology. He worked in the field of computers and programming at Compaq, and HP, and ICON Clinical Research until 2009 when, after a period of discernment, he entered seminary. He received his Masters of Divinity from the Seminary of the Southwest at Austin, Texas, in 2012.
The Rev. Tollett is active in the Diocese of Texas currently fulfilling a three year term on the Executive Board of the Diocese, Dean of the Northeast Convocation, and recently served as a delegate at the Province VII Synod meeting in 2015. He is a member of The Gathering of Leaders organization lead by Bishop Claude Payne. He works a week during the summer as a director of a session at Camp Allen, the diocesan retreat center near Navasota, Texas.
The Rev. Tollett believes, “Love God, Love Neighbor, change the World.”
He is married to Camille (Cain) Tollett. Camille is a loving wife and mother of their son Jimmy.
The Rev. Tollett was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He was honorably discharged from the United States Navy in 1994 after serving for four years. He graduated from the University of Houston in 1998 with a degree in Computer Engineering Technology. He worked in the field of computers and programming at Compaq, and HP, and ICON Clinical Research until 2009 when, after a period of discernment, he entered seminary. He received his Masters of Divinity from the Seminary of the Southwest at Austin, Texas, in 2012.
The Rev. Tollett is active in the Diocese of Texas currently fulfilling a three year term on the Executive Board of the Diocese, Dean of the Northeast Convocation, and recently served as a delegate at the Province VII Synod meeting in 2015. He is a member of The Gathering of Leaders organization lead by Bishop Claude Payne. He works a week during the summer as a director of a session at Camp Allen, the diocesan retreat center near Navasota, Texas.
The Rev. Tollett believes, “Love God, Love Neighbor, change the World.”
He is married to Camille (Cain) Tollett. Camille is a loving wife and mother of their son Jimmy.
The Rev. Joel McAlister, Curate
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Joel McAlister, his spouse Laura, and two children Max and Mila (pronounced Mē-la) are excited to join the St. Francis community starting this July. Joel is graduating from the Seminary of the Southwest in May and will be ordained to the transitional diaconate in June. Before his time at seminary, Joel lived in Austin, TX and worked in children’s ministry in various locations including Good Shepherd Episcopal Church. Before that, Joel worked in the Diocese of Kansas as an intern college missioner at the University of Kansas for two years. Throughout college and shortly after college, Joel spent time traveling and working abroad with trips to Mexico, Peru, Spain, and Kenya. He has a heart for nature and loves to hike and camp, especially in the Grand Teton National Park wilderness. Joel is interested in finding new ways the church can incorporate nature, connectedness, and creativity into its worship and mission. Joel and his family enjoy spending time together and are especially joyful in welcoming their newest member of their family, Mila, who was born April 13th of this year.
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