Christina Connelly (Chris) McAdams is a lifelong Episcopalian. When she came to Florida from North Carolina, her first church was St. Catherine’s in Temple Terrace, where she taught Sunday school and where her husband, John, served on the vestry and as the Senior Warden. When the family moved to Hyde Park in 1990, they joined St. John’s.
St. John’s has been integral to McAdams family life. John was elected to the vestry in 2010 and served as Senior Warden in 2013. Daughters Emily and Annie graduated from St. John’s Parish Day School. Their uncle and godfather, Chip Connelly, retired St. John’s rector, married both of them. Annie and her husband, Rhys Leonard (who also grew up in St. John’s Church and School), attend the 9:30 service with sons Wyatt and Jay. Emily is married to Clinton Koontz, and they live in Seattle with daughter Hadley and son Carson.
In addition to all that St. John’s has meant to her family, Chris is grateful for the abundant opportunities St. John’s has provided for spiritual growth and service to the church community. She was one of the first members of the Contemporary Women’s Bible Study and edited the Lenten Meditations booklet for several years when that was a CWBS project. She has helped with communications for several parish-wide events, and she completed Education for Ministry and became a Stephen Minister. Elected to the Vestry in 2005, she served as Senior Warden in 2007. Chris actively participates in the Altar Guild, the St. John’s Book Club, and the Mid-Morning Bible Study. More recently, she became a Daughter of the King and helps with FYI.
Chris graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Stetson University College of Law. In 2017, she retired as Central Staff Director of the State of Florida Second District Court of Appeal.