Meet Parishioners Matt & Anne Dodds (Digital Ministry Leads)

Anne & Matt Dodds

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Meet Digital Ministry Leaders and Parishioners, Matt and Anne Dodds …

Behind this new website – and beyond it, in the digital ecosystem that comprises how the St James congregation communicates with the world around the church – stands a fun and talented husband-and-wife team, Matt and Anne Dodds. [as interviewed by Rosie Livingstone]

Can You Tell Me How You Came to Porto?

Anne:  "At an earlier phase of our lives, we lived overseas for a decade, first in Korea, then in Tokyo, then on to Hong Kong and Singapore.  So we've always had the international bug.  We had our two children while living in Japan, and ultimately brought them back to raise them in Vermont.  Recently, they've successfully 'launched', and we started looking at places to retire.  We agreed we really wanted to reacquaint ourselves with the cultural richness and discovery that comes with living overseas.

Matt: “Initially we were looking at destinations in the southern hemisphere for its warmer weather (Vermont is very far north and very cold in the winter). We spent time looking at New Zealand, South Africa, and even Uruguay. But Europe has always had a unique pull, and was better for us logistically because we're still making trips back to mind our parents back in the US.

Anne:  “Another factor was that my brother married a Portuguese woman -- who we adore -- so we have that connection as well.  The people are so warm and lovely.  On top of that, we've found Porto to be incredibly rich culturally, historically, and architecturally, without having the overwhelming size of Lisbon.  It feels like such a good fit.

How Did You Become Associated with the Digital Ministry Project?

Matt: "We've owned a modestly sized marketing firm for the past twenty years. Shawn Paul understood our background and asked us to head up the efforts to make a new website.

Anne:  "We should mention all the excellent work performed by Peter Blackburn, who built and stewarded the existing website for many years.  We're inheriting that body of impressive work.

Matt:  "The new challenge before us is to refine it, and more meaningfully integrate many other digital elements -- such as the email newsletter and social media -- bringing all church communications into an orchestrated whole.  We didn't want this to be a website project; it needs to be a broader effort to be successful. It's how we landed on the term 'Digital Ministry.'

Anne: "We've worked with many non-profits over the years.  They often face a challenge in moving from legacy systems to more fully embracing new opportunities that digital tools provide.  We hope to add value to the St James community by helping in that effort.  Working with mission-based non-profit organizations has been an important way to give back to the communities in which we've resided.

How is Stewarding Communications for this Church Different from Traditional Marketing?

Matt:  "The tools and approaches are often the same, but the ends are different. With a church, we're not making a 'sale' in the classic sense, we're looking to build a community of worship. We might not call it 'marketing', but rather say we're looking to 'tell our story.' 

Anne:  "And in doing that, St James has unique aspects to emphasize.  The fact that it's an English speaking church residing within a Portuguese city is one. Its formation story and longevity in this market is another. 

Matt:  "The fact that it's named after St James and lies along the path of the Caminho de Santiago is yet another. We hope to harness the latent power of the church's unique and relevant attributes, and thoughtfully leverage them in building our church community.

I Understand You both have connections to England & the Anglican Church...

Anne: "Matt & I both come from academic families. His parents were in England in Witney, Oxfordshire while his dad was on sabbatical, and my father had a sabbatical year in Bristol, when I was in my teens.

Matt:  "I have found memories of the buttercross in Witney, punting on the Thames, and eating lardies.  I attended St. Mary's Chuch of England Infants School on the green.  Recently, in talking with Vicky Field we found we both had a connection to Witney;  what a small world!

Anne:  "Perhaps it is nostalgia, but during our time in Asia, we would nip out to enjoy scones at The Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon, or go to Raffles for a Singapore Sling.  Porto, with its long connection to England through the port wine trade, has a bit of that same feel to us.

Matt:  "We were married in the Episcopal Church, and our children were both baptized there as well. So there's been a connection throughout our lives.

How Did You Find St James?

Anne: "Our daughter told us she was planning to go on Caminho to Santiago de Compostela.  Last September, when we saw there was going to be a talk at the Well House given by Father Colin, we decided we wanted to attend and learn more. Everyone was so welcoming that we were swept in.

Matt:  "Anne was raised Catholic, and has always carried that spirituality with her. But I think it's fair to say that for many years while raising our kids we were "Christmas and Easter" Christians. But before that our travels had put us in contact with Confucian, Taoist and Shinto thought, and learning about the spiritual culture of the place we lived was always of interest. While Anne knows the narratives of the liturgy from her childhood, I'm still learning the seasons of the Church’s liturgy.

Anne: "In our travels, we've found that the North of Portugal broadly, and the city of Porto specifically, have such a deep connection to Christianity. You really can't walk a block in the city centre and not directly experience its presence in its architectural heritage.

Can You Share How You Met?

Matt:  [Laughs]

Anne: [Laughing] This was before dating apps. We were shamelessly set up on a blind date by my roommate Sara at the time. She was dating Matt's friend, Mike, who was his co-worker at an Ad Agency in New York City. 

Matt:  We just had them come visit us in Porto.  It was a wonderful time. 

I'm Also Told You Have Some Interesting Hobbies...

Matt:  Anne worked in arts management, curating contemporary art exhibits at various museums in New York, Seoul, and Tokyo. I feel guilty that I took her away from that trajectory when she helped me by working in our marketing firm.  I suspect she'll get back to being involved with the arts now that she's here in Porto and we eventually fully retire. 

Anne:  Matt has built an alternative life in 'hickory golf.'  He plays with 100- year-old wooden-shafted clubs, playing them on classic courses. He's representing the U.S. this year this coming September in Ryder Cup Matches against the European side in Sweden. 

Matt: Golf is a journey, and to be successful requires an inward journey. For me, hickory golf pairs back all the technology to get at the soul of the game.