About the Reverend Nigel and Reverend Rachel Taber-Hamilton

Along with our rector we are also blessed with the occasional presence of his wife, Rev. Rachel Taber-Hamilton, who is rector of St. Stephen Episcopal Church on the north end of Whidbey Island, and their three furry four-footed children: collie dogs Dougal and Bonnie, and cat Willow.

Nigel served six congregations in central and southern Indiana, most recently as vicar of All Saints' Episcopal Church in Seymour. However, he grew up in London, England. Nigel holds a combined honors degree (MCL) from the University of Wales, Bangor, in Biblical Studies and Religious History, a second bachelor’s degree from the University of Birmingham, England, as well as his M. Div. from his English Seminary, Queens College, also in Birmingham.

Nigel first came to this country in 1977 as a World Council of Churches Ecumenical Fellow based at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA., a consortium of nine Protestant and Roman Catholic seminaries. In addition to his role as an Ecumenical Fellow Nigel studied at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, our west coast Episcopal seminary in the GTU, graduating in 1978.

Rachel also brings many talents to the Whidbey Island community. Her education and skills include, one bachelors and two masters degrees (B.A. SUNY New York, Geneseo, in theater; M.A. at the University. of Alaska/Fairbanks in anthropology, M. Div. Loyola University Chicago) and Ph.D. work in anthropology, at Indiana University Bloomington.