Melanie has been a member of St. John’s for the past 25-30 years, but has been an Episcopalian all her life, fulfilling the label of “cradle Episcopalian”. While she has fond memories of growing up in the Episcopal Church and attending youth camp, she has remained with the denomination throughout adulthood due to its inclusiveness towards all people and she appreciates St. John’s particularly due to its commitment to reach out to the community. This is not Melanie’s first time serving on the Vestry, but she especially values the current Vestry team, feeling that the team exemplifies a strong sense of unity, makes allowance for differences of opinion, shows respect to each member and shares a common sense of vision, a vision that consists of setting financial groundwork to see the greater purposes of the church expand: maintaining the building and current members and reaching out to the community.
Currently, Melanie works as a dental hygienist, where she enjoys the chance to be around people often and engage with both her co-workers and patients. Even so, dental hygiene wasn’t always her top ambition. Originally, Melanie wanted to become a ballerina, but changed courses when she was encouraged by a family member to pursue a more stable career. Non-the-less, her original dream has not been entirely abandoned. In fact, a glass or two of wine may encourage the lesser known identity of Melanie Hollman to make an appearance as the self-titled “world’s best dancer.”