Leadership

Rector - Seeking

Deacon

The Rev. Dr. Melissa J. Sites grew up on a farm in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. Her grandmother and great-grandmother were church musicians, and her sister and mom are/were school teachers. Raised Presbyterian, she worshipped at St. John’s Zion Parish, Beltsville from 1994-2021. Her formal studies have included English literature, music, poetry, and women’s studies. She completed the 4-year EfM course in 2018, and was ordained a deacon November 12, 2022. Deacon Melissa earned a certificate in Contemplation and Creation Care from Sewanee in 2021, and serves as co-chair of the Creation Care Task Force for the Episcopal Diocese of Washington.

Deacon Melissa lives in Greenbelt with her husband, Ian Blackwell Rogers, a classical stage actor and early childhood educator. Their son, Jamie Rogers-Sites, is a musician and visual artist. Melissa is the Executive Director of College Park Arts Exchange, where she is dedicated to building community through the arts. Some of her other ministries include performing, teaching music, and writing. Hobbies include walking her dog every day, writing a daily poem (often based on nature observed during the walk), living the Reduce/Upcycle lifestyle, practicing different musical instruments and writing songs, and learning Biblical Hebrew.

Priest Associate

The Reverend Elliott M. Waters was born, baptized and raised in Crisfield located on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore. He received a B.S. degree from Morgan State University. After graduation, he was commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Army where he served on active duty with distinction for over 20 years. While serving, he, received leadership and management training at various military schools and earned an M.S. from the University of Southern California. After retirement from the military, he served as a business consultant until responding to a call to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church.

Upon graduation from Virginial Theological Seminary (VTS) in May 2001, Elliott served briefly as a transitional deacon prior to being ordained as a priest in December 2001 from the Diocese of Virginia. He has served in parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia, Pennsylvania and Washington DC. In 2018 he retired from the priesthood. He has elected to continue to fulfill his priestly vows as he is able and where he is invited. He is canonically resident in the Diocese of Pennsylvania and is licensed to serve in the Diocese of Virginia and Washington DC.

Elliott delights in serving God’s people in God’s church and the world. With the help of the Holy Spirit, he strives to proclaim the good news of the gospel in the way of love according the life and teachings of Jesus Christ to all. Elliott and his wife (Barbara) live in Alexandria, Virginia. They have two adult children.