St. James Episcopal Church
9 Williams Street
Clinton NY
tel: (315) 853-5359
e-mail: office@stjamesclinton.org
St. James office hours:
Tues-Fri, 9am - 1pm.
Our Mission Statement: "St. James' is a community where we come together in Christ to develop spiritually; find opportunities for outreach; receive comfort when in need; and engage in sacred experiences through our liturgy, music, fellowship and mutual ministry." More...
|
| News about the Search Process: Oct 2009 |
|
|
News from
the Search Committee
The Search Committee sends along many thanks to every person who completed the recent Parish-wide survey. Your prayerful survey responses, and the analysis provided by the survey consultant, will provide the basis for our design of the upcoming Focus Group discussions. Mark your calendars for the October 3 Potluck Supper. Canon Karen Lewis will review the important steps of Interim Work that the Vestry has agreed to undertake. Since we are in the start of the self study portion of our search process, paying attention to the Interim Work steps is vital. Watch for announcements and invitations to be involved in the various Focus Group discussions that will be occurring during November.
The survey results and the insights gathered during the Focus Groups will allow the Search Committee's Profile Working Group to develop our Church Profile. The profile is our statement of who we are and how we envision our future path and growth. The profile must be adopted and approved by the Vestry, and also approved by the Diocese. The profile is then the basic document that is published through the National Church Deployment Office to attract potential rector candidate responses!
October and early November will be busy times for the entire parish. As one survey responder noted: "There is much work to be done."
Please continue to pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us all as we journey through our self study and the entire search process!
Yours in Christ,
The Search Committee
 |
About the Interim Work
Interim work is a phrase we will be hearing at St. James in the months ahead. The diocese, through the National Church, is having every parish that is looking for a priest do interim work. There are five components to Interim Work;
- Coming to terms with our history – looking at significant events.
- Establishing a new identity. Although we think we know who we are, during the Interim process we will find that we have a new identity.
- Leadership and decision.
- Denominational image. That is, our association with the diocese and national church.
- Commitment to new leadership.
Our interim work starts with constructing a time line. The basic layout – with key events relating to the building and organization of St. James – was constructed in mid- September.
We need all of you to add the “human part.” We invite everyone to add his/her own remembrances of other significant events related to St. James, the National church, or the greater Anglican Communion. We will review (and continue to add to) our time line at the October 3rd Potluck Parish dinner. Canon Karen Lewis from the diocese will be our interim consultant. She will guide us through this communication process.
The interim work dovetails with the work of the Search Committee as we anticipate our future rector. The time line and the survey for the parish profile will help us with our 21st century identity.
The St. James leadership appreciates your prayers as we move forward with this project, especially as we look at the next two components of this interim work.
Heidi Philley, Senior Warden
and Patricia Jue
|
About the Focus Groups
We are now in the “getting-to-know ourselves” phase, or, as the church refers to this step, “a process of discernment.” The key point to remember is that this time is not “the search process.” That comes later. First we must “discern.”
The Focus Groups are a continuation of our self–evaluation as St. James Episcopal Church, Clinton, NY. Everyone will receive a personal invitation to attend one of the focus group meetings scheduled in November.
There will be 8-10 people in each group. Each group will discuss the same set of core topics. In addition, there may be some specific discussion topics depending on the group composition. Also, everyone will have a chance to add further input. A facilitator and a scribe lead each group. The scribe will record the discussion points, and will convey the general consensus of the group back to the search committee.
The input from the Focus groups, along with the survey, helps us discern who we are and where we want to be in our life as a church of God in Clinton, NY. Join us in prayer for our present time and our future together as a community of faith.
May God bless each and every one of us now and always.
Sandra Love
|
|
Worship Services
Saturday 5:15 PM
Sunday 9:30 AM
no Sunday service Sept 5 or 12
Many thanks to all who supported and continue to support our Young Adult Service Corp mission worker Joanna. On Thursday, Sept 2 we had a farewell pot luck. Pictures to come...
The vestry voted, on August 18th, to list the Lewis house for sale. If you are interested in being on the committee to work out the details or would like to know more about the decision, please contact one of the wardens, Jim White or Patricia Jue. Also click here...
Fair trade coffee St. James Church uses fair trade coffee. We see this as one step we can take in helping to alleviate poverty in the world by helping these farmers provide financially for their families.
|
