Rector & Priest

Director of Spiritual Engagement, Ritual & Congregational Vitality

Judith Whelchel (she/her/hers) was ordained to the priesthood in 1996. Her work in the church has focused on the interconnection of the nurtured spiritual life and the work of justice. She was the founding Vicar of the Church of the Advocate, a spiritual community with unhoused persons in Asheville. She implemented Church Impact to encourage consideration of institutional wealth for social and environmental justice. Important influences in her spiritual life include the Christian mystics, the Divine Feminine, the natural world, ashtanga yoga, Carl Jung, and Black Lives Matter. Her heart has been deeply formed by the autism community, her spouse and dearest friend, Michael, and being a mother. Judith holds an MSW, an M.Div., and an MFA in creative writing. She keeps a garden, reads widely, and speaks Spanish poorly. Her favorite spot in the world is Western North Carolina—also she feels a connection with the Okefenokee Swamp, Mexico, and the Yunnan Province, China. A favorite book is David Abram’s The Spell of the Sensuous. A guilty pleasure is fried dill pickles.