An important part of the ceremony is the giving of symbolic gifts to the new rector. During the service, the bishop will present her with a Bible, the wardens, the keys to the church, and parishioners’ gifts representing areas of their ministry, such as pastoral care, altar guild and youth.

A representative of the Sprout House Preschool, housed at the church, will present a gift for children’s play, and the Rev. Eung Park, pastor of the Hallelujah Korean Presbyterian Church, which meets at St. Paul’s on Sunday afternoons, will present a Korean hymnal.

From Summit Church

Davis comes to St. Paul’s from neighboring Calvary Episcopal Church in Summit, where she served most recently as interim rector, providing leadership in liturgy, administration and stewardship. She instituted new services for the Easter Vigil, a monthly Eucharist for Youngsters, and a Lenten Labyrinth program, and taught Bible study as well as adult and teen confirmation classes. She also implemented a program to provide consistent pastoral home and hospital visits.

Davis, who succeeds the Rev. Elizabeth Kaeton as rector of St. Paul’s, is a longtime resident of New Jersey and lives in New Providence with her husband and three sons.

Her educational background includes a master of divinity degree, summa cum laude, from Drew University in Madison, with course work at the General Theological Seminary in New York City. She also holds a master of arts degree in education from Columbia University Teachers College, New York City, and a bachelor’s of arts degree in political science from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn.

Before becoming interim rector at Calvary, Rev. Davis served as assistant rector and deacon there.

She also was a chaplain at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation and a seminarian at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Maplewood. Prior to her ordination to the priesthood, she served as director of Christian Education at Calvary Summit