Rev. J. Scott Turner and his wife Dr. Jo Anne Grace

Biographical Summary

The Rev. J. Scott Turner

Scott Turner is a cradle Episcopalian raised by a cotton farmer and a school teacher on a farm near Brownfield, Texas. He graduated in 1976 from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology. In 1980 he received  the Master of Divinity degree from The School of Theology, University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.

 In the years following, Scott was ordained Deacon and Priest in the Diocese of Northwest Texas. He was the vicar of a mission congregation in ranching country east of Amarillo, Texas. He served as Associate Rector of Trinity Church, Galveston, Texas for five years. While there, he served on the Board of St. Vincent’s House, a ministry of service to the poor by the Diocese of Texas.

He was called as Rector of Christ the King, in Arvada, Colorado in 1989. He served on the Board of the Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief (now Episcopal Relief and Development) during this time.

He has been in the Diocese of Colorado ever since. Father Turner became the founding Executive Director of Commerce City: Mission Possible! in 1995. This was a Healthy Community Initiative of the Colorado Trust. He worked with low income youth in planting community gardens, low water use landscaping, City Parks improvements, and wetlands restoration as well as other community organizing activities.

He then took a turn at business in the private sector as freight broker working with nursery plant growers to ship their products to market. This allowed Fr. Turner to work with several congregations in Colorado on a part time basis. He finished a four year stint as half time Priest-in-Charge of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Windsor, Colorado in October of 2007 when they were financially able to call a full time pastor.

Fr. Scott Turner has long had a passion for the gospel call to assist the poor of the world. He also has a passion for proclaiming the Good News to the faithful. Cross International gave him the opportunity to do both as Outreach Spokesman for about 18 months.

In March of 2009 Scott was asked by Bishop Rob O’Neill to interview with the vestry of St. Paul’s in Steamboat Springs, CO. He was called and subsequently accepted the position of Priest-in-Charge. He started May 1, 2009. In July of 2011 Scott was called to become the Rector of St. Paul’s Church and inducted in August.

He and his wife, Jo Anne Grace, Ph.D,  moved from the foothills west of Loveland, Colorado.  Dr. Grace is the Spiritual Care and  Bereavement Coordinator of Hospice and Palliative Services Care of Northwest Colorado, a division of the Visiting Nurses Association.