Our Deacon
The Reverend Deacon Chester Hines, Jr. serves as a vocational deacon at The Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion in University City, Missouri. He has also served as deacon at Saint Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Creve Coeur and Christ Church Cathedral in downtown St. Louis. Chester has been actively engaged in the diocese of Missouri for over forty years, beginning his relationship with the diocese at All Saints Episcopal Church in St. Louis City. In addition to serving as a deacon in the diocese, Chester has served as a member and most recently as Chairperson of the Commission on Dismantling Racism. His relationship with the Commission began with its official formation under Bishop Hayes Rockwell in 1984 and following an extremely antagonistic and aggressive racial encounter he experienced at St. Luke’s Episcopal and Presbyterian Hospital in 1976 and 1977. It was a result of this unfortunate long term racial encounter that he made a lifelong commitment to work to address and dismantle racism wherever he lived, worked and socialized.
Chester is married to Elizabeth English Hines, a retired educator. They have twin sons, Christian and Christopher, both of whom live out of state. Chester retired in 2021 from a career largely focused on public service. Chester discerned his call to the Vocational Diaconate at Holy Communion and was ordained a deacon in November of 2014.