EDENTON — After two decades of ministry in war zones, disaster zones and distant seas, the Rev. Hayes Perdue is trading his Navy uniform for a rector’s collar — and a commute down U.S. 64.
Perdue, a retired U.S. Navy chaplain and beloved presence at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Edenton, has accepted a call to become the next rector of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Wilson. He is set to begin his ministry there on June 15, with his first Sunday leading worship on June 21.
Perdue was ordained to the priesthood in 2002 at the Church of the Apostles in Fairfax, Va., and spent three years there as an associate priest in charge of pastoral care — work that would define the heart of his vocation. In 2005, he answered a different kind of call, accepting a commission as an officer in the United States Navy Chaplain Corps.
Over the next 20 years, he carried that same pastoral heart into some of the world’s most demanding places — combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, a humanitarian tour in Haiti, and an unaccompanied year in Bahrain — before retiring in June 2025.
A year of sabbatical followed, but the pull of parish ministry proved strong. Perdue connected with the search committee at St. Timothy’s, and both sides quickly sensed what they described as a clear call.
“We are delighted that God provided St. Timothy’s with a Christ-centered, Spirit-filled priest,” the St. Paul’s community said. “We have no doubt that his pastoral gifts and ministry experience will be a blessing to St. Timothy’s and the community of Wilson.”
As for the practicalities, Perdue noted cheerfully that the drive to Wilson is a significant improvement over his recent routine of commuting back and forth to Naval Station Norfolk. He and his wife are searching for a Wilson apartment where he can stay during the week.
His wife, the Rev. Melody Perdue, will remain at St. Paul’s — a point the congregation made with characteristic warmth. She has no plans to leave, they said, “until such time as the Holy Spirit drags her kicking and screaming elsewhere.”
A formal installation service at St. Timothy’s will be announced at a later date.
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