St. Thomas is in the process of searching for a new rector. Here we present the Timeline and Updates, as we have them, on the search process. In the meantime, we are privileged to have the Rev. Lisa Hines serving as Locum Tenens.
February, 2010
A Parish Profile, presenting a description of St. Thomas for prospective Rectors, has been completed. [ View the Parish Profile ]
December, 2009
Rector Search Committee has been named. After much deliberation, the Vestry is pleased to announce the following members of the search committee:
Chet Robinson (chair)
Tammy Tiner
Dwight Allen |
Beth Lawrence
Gretchen Sams
Ted Hopgood
Chris Woodward |
Alvie Niles
Doug Welsh
Melissa Cunningham |
In addition, the committee will include ex officio members of the Vestry: Valerie Woodcock, Jack McFarlane & Corinna Strayer
The committee will begin its the search in earnest in 2010. The confidential nature of this new phase means that there will be no updates until a new rector has been announced.
Reports of Parish Meetings & Surveys
October 7, 2009
Our final scheduled parish-wide meeting as part of our Rector Search process will be this Sunday, October 11, following the 10:30 service in the Parish Hall.
This will be our "Visioning Event" at which we establish our vision for St. Thomas for the coming 5 years.
It is your chance to get involved and be a part of our future planning.
The Visioning Event will be facilitated by a Diocesan facilitator and should last until about 3:30.
Your Vestry will providing a light lunch, and childcare will be available both in the nursery and on the playground.
There will be even more cause to rejoice that day as we burn the mortgage on our 1994 sanctuary before the Visioning Event.
Come celebrate this milestone for St. Thomas!
Please join us for lunch, the Visioning Event, and Mortgage Burning this Sunday.
We truly need to hear everyone's voice at this important juncture in St. Thomas' history.
September 2, 2009
Our first parish-wide meeting as part of the Rector Search process is just a week away (Thursday, September 10, at 6 PM in the Parish Hall).
This will be our "Reaffirmation Meeting" at which we will evaluate and possibly modify the Mission and Core Values we set out for ourselves nearly 5 years ago.
I encourage everyone who is available to attend.
The meeting will be facilitated by a trained Diocesan facilitator and should last less than 3 hours.
Dinner and childcare will be provided.
Our second and final parish-wide meeting as part of the Rector Search process will be held next month on October 11 following the 10:30 service.
At this meeting we will establish our vision for St. Thomas as we move into a new decade.
Please mark this meeting on your calendar.
We have had a good response to our Congregational Survey which was distributed to you over email last month.
We will conclude the survey this weekend, so if you have not taken the very short anonymous survey yet please do so by clicking here.
If you would prefer to have the survey mailed to you in paper form, please contact the parish administrator by phone or by clicking here.
Finally, the Vestry committee which has been established to nominate a 12-person Rector Search Committee is now taking nominations.
You may nominate yourself or another member of the parish by emailing me or any member of the Vestry.
You may also submit nominations in the drop box located in the Narthex.
I want to thank everyone for your enthusiasm and interest in the Rector Search process.
Please do not hesitate to contact me or any member of the Vestry with any questions or comments you may have.
We have a busy fall ahead of us at St. Thomas, and we rely on your continued participation as we prepare to welcome a new rector.
August 22, 2009
Your Vestry is continuing to move forward under the "Pre-Search" timeline we have established for selecting a Rector Search Committee. Prior to naming the members of the committee in November, we can expect to: (1) compile the results of our Congregational Survey (which was distributed earlier this month); (2) hold two parish-wide meetings in the fall to review our mission, core values, and vision, and (3) prepare a "Parish Profile" document which will include nearly everything a prospective rector could want to know about us.
Search Committee Nomination Process
The Search Committee will consist of 9 voting members from the congregation and 3 ex-officio members from the Vestry. The Vestry will shortly begin accepting nominations for the Search Committee: you may nominate yourself or someone else at St. Thomas. Please remember that membership on the Rector Search Committee is a rewarding but fairly time-intensive responsibility which will involve training by the Diocese, many meetings, and possible travel to visit prospective rectors at their home parishes. In addition, Rector Search Committee members must exhibit mature and faithful leadership, have open minds, and bring no personal agendas to their role. This important committee will be the face of St. Thomas during the rector search process.
October 16 will be the final date to submit Search Committee nominations to the Vestry. (If you have already made a nomination informally to someone on the Vestry, please reconfirm this so we can be sure all nominees are included.) We will notify all nominees once they have been nominated, and a 5-member ad-hoc committee of the Vestry will review the list and recommend a diverse slate of committee members to the Vestry at our November meeting.
This is an exciting time for St. Thomas, and the search process will leave an indelible impact on this place for years to come. I encourage you to get involved. And, as always, feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.
Jack McFarlane, Senior Warden
July 3, 2009
Dear St. Thomas Family, Greetings and Happy 4th! I want to let you know about the progress we have made in our search for a new rector. (This is the same information I presented in church recently.) We have a number of "tasks" to check off our list before we can welcome a new rector, and the Vestry is counting on your participation in the coming months so we can bring the best person for the job to St. Thomas.
The Vestry has now had two meetings with different diocesan representatives concerning the search process, and we have prepared a preliminary calendar outlining the order of events. You will find this calendar both online at our website and in the Narthex. We are currently in the "Pre-Search" phase of the process, which will culminate in our selection of a search committee (in November) which will then undertake the challenging work of reviewing candidates and ultimately recommending a new rector for St. Thomas.
Much to do between now and November!
The Diocese provides a set path which parishes are required to follow when transitioning to a new rector; the path is well thought-out and based on long observation of successful (and unsuccessful) rector searches. The first step on this path for St. Thomas will be to identify who we are by the numbers, and this will be accomplished through a Congregational Survey. This survey, which you will receive this summer, will ask standard demographic questions designed to give us, and prospective rectors, an understanding of the overall make-up of our parish.
In August, we will announce the procedure by which the Vestry will select the members of the Search Committee. In addition, we will publicize the dates of two parish meetings: a re-affirmation meeting--- wherein we will review, revise, and re-affirm the mission statement and core values which were set out during our last rector search five years ago, and a visioning meeting---wherein we will establish the vision we have of St. Thomas for the coming years.
Shortly following these two meetings, likely in November, we will prepare a "parish profile" document which will paint the picture of St. Thomas for the benefit of both prospective rectors interested in learning more about our parish and for the benefit of our Search Committee as it prayerfully considers its call in seeking our next leader. The Vestry will also announce the members of the Search Committee at this time.
The Vestry's November announcement of the Search Committee will conclude the Pre-Search phase of our rector search. Following the announcement, the Search Committee will go through a training program with the Diocese and launch the next phase of the search process in earnest.
Many of you are familiar with the search process from our last rector search, and you know the importance of strong participation from all corners of the parish. With that in mind, the Vestry---and later the Search Committee---will keep you regularly posted on the status of the search: in church, by email, and in the Voice. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me or any member of the Vestry if you have any questions.
In the meantime, enjoy your summer!
Sincerely,
Jack McFarlane, Sr. Warden
St. Thomas
Image: Shield "Rough Stone" © Jan Neal
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