Dear Friends,

The members of the Search Committee (for a new Rector) have met as a group with Canon Karen Lewis, from the Bishop’s office, and are in the planning stages of our search and discernment process.

As shared with us by Canon Lewis, the process can be separated into stages, each of which requires a commitment of time and resources:

• Preparation and Planning
• Self Study
• Clergy Search
• Discernment Call
• Mutual Ministry

We are at the start of the Self Study stage. This stage is focused on helping us understand our strengths and weaknesses as a parish as well as our aspirations for our next rector. Our Self Study Subcommittee is headed by Matt Weber; working with Matt is Colleen Campbell, Chris Fox, Sandra Love, and Barbara McKnight. This subcommittee has specifically been charged with "lead[ing] our congregation through a process of self study seeking the congregation's consensus of their Ministry, Identity, Direction, Systems Functionality, Church Growth Capacity, History with Clergy, and Expectations for Future Clergy. The Self -Study Committee will develop, and the Vestry will adopt, a parish profile and leadership criteria for the new clergy. The profile information and proposed compensation needs to be reviewed by the Bishop's office. It will then be posted on the central deployment website of the National church.

As a first step in our Self Study process, we will be undertaking a Parish-wide Survey, working in September with a survey format provided by Holy Cow Consulting company. Please watch for announcements in the service bulletins, via e-mail, and by regular mail for the various ways by which each Parish member will be able to complete the survey questionnaire.