Elaine Wotton

 by Phil Wotton

My wife Elaine was born and raised in Manchester, England, the youngest of 8 children.  In 1987, after college, she came to the US and began working for a company in South Florida. We met by chance, in 1997, at a ‘Jazz on the Avenue’ evening event held on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach. We were married the following year on a boat in Key West at sun set.  At the time, neither of us was attending church services, Elaine was christened Church of England, I was christened Catholic.

One Sunday morning, Elaine woke up and felt the overwhelming need to connect more closely with God. Looking through the Sunday paper, she came across the Religion Almanac section titled ‘Spirit moves this observance.’  The day was Sunday May 23, 1999 and it was Pentecost Sunday, the day that Christians say the Holy Spirit of God descended on the first believers.  Elaine felt so touched by the Holy Spirit that she promptly cut out the article and pasted it into her Book of Common Prayer where it remains to this day.  Elaine just had to go to church that morning.  She needed to find a Faith home. The first church that came to her mind was St. Paul’s because she had attended services there when she lived in Delray Beach in 1988 but she decided that she would be best going to St. Mary’s Church on Homewood Blvd because it was Anglican, so off she went.  She left the service just before communion, feeling downhearted and saddened because it did not give her the community feeling she had hoped for.  It just didn’t feel right. On Monday, she decided to phone St. Paul’s.  St. Paul’s had a new Reverend named Chip Stokes, he answered the phone and he listened as she told him her story.  Elaine then asked me to go to a St. Paul’s service with her the following Sunday and we’ve been attending ever since.

Elaine was confirmed at St. Paul’s a few days after giving birth to our first son Douglas. It was a difficult pregnancy and Douglas was in NICU for 12 days.  We were blessed with the love and support we received from our St. Paul’s family at that time. Chip Stokes came to the hospital and into NICU to bless Douglas. We prayed together that he would be healed and come home healthy, and he did. Both of our sons, Douglas and Philip were christened at St. Paul’s, both Acolytes and members of the youth group. They both sang in the children’s choir lead by Dr. Keith and they have played Kings and Shepherds at Christmas.  Philip attended the Day School and Douglas had his confirmation at St. Paul’s.  In 2000, at the Christmas service, Douglas was a nine month old baby Jesus, Elaine and I were Mary and Joseph. 

St. Paul’s has provided many avenues for Elaine to practice and remain close to her faith. Over the years, she has volunteered in the nursery and at various events.  When the boys were little, she loved vacation bible school so much that she took her own vacation time from work so she could volunteer for the week of VBS.  She belonged to the mom’s group, the book/movie prayer study groups lead by Susan Stokes, bible study classes with Chip Stokes, and now regularly attends Christian yoga on Tuesday nights.  She became a Daughter of the King, a Stephen Minister, Cursillista and Iconographer.  One of her icon writings of the Virgin Mary was included in a St. Paul’s icon writing exhibit at Old School Square.  Elaine recited prayers for healing as she painted the Virgin. The finished icon was blessed and prayed over by Reverend Kathleen and we gave it to my mom who had been the focus of Elaine’s prayers.  My mom had been diagnosed with terminal cancer and her time with us was uncertain, she lived eight more years.  

Elaine and I feel blessed to call St. Paul’s with its amazing staff and clergy our church home.