Meet the Clergy

The Rev. Deacon Jeb Boone

Co-Leader, St. John the Baptist Parish

Jeb Boone is a Deacon with the Apostolic Johannite Church and co-leads St. John the Baptist Parish with Rev. Subdeacon Olivia Riley. A staunch atheist for decades, Jeb became a spiritual seeker following a near death experience and has since developed a profound love of late antique Mediterranean spirituality, early Christianity and all things Gnostic.

Jeb studied Arabic Language and Middle East Studies as an undergraduate and made his home in northern Yemen for most of his 20’s where he worked as a freelance journalist, reporting for outlets like the Washington Post, the LA Times, Time Magazine, the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph among many others. Upon moving back to Atlanta, Jeb covered the intersection of technology, politics and power, focusing on hacker collectives like Anonymous and LulzSec. Jeb eventually traded in his press pass for health insurance and a steady paycheck and now works in the tech industry.

When he’s not attempting (and failing) to read arcane Koine and Arabic texts, Jeb likes to drive slow cars fast at racetracks around the metro Atlanta area, nurture the machine spirit of his beloved 2009 Honda Civic Si and experience divine bliss in every VTEC crossover. Jeb and his wife Rosie live just north of Atlanta and have one little dog with a big attitude.

The Rev. Subdeacon Olivia Riley

Co-Leader, St. John the Baptist Parish

Rev. Subdeacon Olivia Riley is a seminarian, acolyte and narthex leader in the Apostolic Johannite Church. She spent a large portion of her childhood growing up in the hills and hollers of Appalachia, and has fostered a deep connection to the people, spirits, flora and fauna of that area. She is an Appalachian cunning woman, having been taught by her paternal grandmother.

She studied Vedic theology for ten years within the Hindu community and this has colored her theology deeply, and is part of what pushed her into Gnosticism. She is passionate about female centered spirituality, sacramental theology, folk traditions, and political activism. Her hobbies include taking care of the 5-3/4 cats that share her home, spending time with her family, writing, reading and playing cozy video games. She has aspirations of becoming a bog witch in her golden years.