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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Steven M Gotfried Dean Baxter Will Preach His Final Sermon Sunday Washington, DC- The Rev. Nathan D. Baxter will preach his last sermon as Dean of Washington National Cathedral this Sunday, June 22 at 11 am in the nave of Washington National Cathedral. In January, Dean Baxter announced his resignation. His final day as Dean of the sixth largest Cathedral in the world will be June 30. Dean Baxter’s 12-year tenure was distinguished by a number of major national services held at the Cathedral including the funerals of such notable Americans as Thurgood Marshall and J. William Fulbright, visits from a variety of world leaders including the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, and the nationally televised Service of Prayer and Remembrance following the attacks of September 11, 2001. Since his arrival at the Cathedral in the autumn of 1991 the Cathedral has planned and conducted its largest capital campaign, created a new Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage, established a resident Girls Choir and a renowned Cathedral Scholars Program to benefit public high school students in the District of Columbia. Under Dean Baxter the Cathedral also saw an expansion of both volunteer leadership and professional staff, as well as the advent of the first non-Episcopal clergy to serve as Cathedral canons. In January, when Dean Baxter announced his resignation , he cited that this was an ideal time for a change in leadership. He noted that the Cathedral was about to embark on a new phase, including preparing for a capital campaign and celebration of its centennial in 2007. “This is an ideal time for me to conclude my deanship,” Baxter said. “I have been able to complete much of what I set out to do eleven years ago. We’ve seen considerable growth in the breadth and depth of our programmatic ministry and have achieved national awareness of our mission and ministry.” A noted commentator on faith and national issues, Dean Baxter is a frequent guest on such national programs as The Protestant Hour, The O’Reilly Factor, Good Morning America, and This Is America with Dennis Wholey. He recently joined the MacNeil/Lehrer forum, We the People. Among his publications are Visions for the Millennium: Thoughts on Christian Living and the recently published Challenge and Comfort: A Pastor’s Thoughts for a Troubled Nation. # # # Office of Public Affairs |