As you have heard, we are now in the process of searching for our next Associate Rector. Fr. Will’s last Sunday will be August 25 before his wedding on August 31. We look forward to celebrating his ministry with us over the past four years and wishing him well in the next chapter of his life and ministry.
I want to share an update on where we are with the search process. As of last week, we posted a position description through the Diocese of Virginia and will be sharing in other places around the Episcopal Church. You can see that description here. Feel free to share this with people you know around the Church. Note that we have included in the posting that we are looking for someone who has been a priest in a parish for a few years. We are also open to someone coming to serve for a few months as an interim in order to give us more time for a search.
I also had an initial meeting last week with the group that I have asked to serve as an ad-hoc advisory committee. This group includes Michele Prout Alston (Senior Warden), John Graham (Junior Warden), Mac Smith (Grounds Warden), Jennifer Vaughan (vestry), Vicki Harrison, and Joseph Lyttle. When she returns from sabbatical in early July, Laurel Loch (Chief of Staff), will also be part of this group. I chose a group that would not be too large and would include our lay leadership as well as people who represent much of the variety within our congregation. We talked about the importance of keeping you informed along the way and inviting your feedback. Although the hiring decision is mine as Rector, I am listening carefully to the input of others and praying for the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Here is a brief outline of the process:
I will receive the initial inquiries and have introductory conversations with candidates that seem promising. From there, I will invite members of the advisory committee to participate in Zoom conference calls with some candidates. Then we will invite a finalist or perhaps two finalists to visit St. George’s before I make a decision. The Diocese of Virginia staff advisor to these searches, the Rev. Shirley Smith-Graham, is helping us find candidates and will also help us do background checks and other vetting before the agreement is finalized and announced. We will accept candidates as long as we need to until a hire is made (and only God knows how long it will take).
Our committee is working on a survey. We want you to share some thoughts about your hopes for St. George’s, generally, and your hopes for our next Associate Rector. We hope to have that out in the next couple of weeks. I will also hold a parish-wide forum on Sunday, June 16, after the 10 am service in Sydnor Hall. We can talk about this process, and I will also have an update on the capital campaign this Fall and where we stand on those plans (more on that separately).
Above all, please pray for this process. I trust that God is guiding us and candidates. At its best, a search process is an opportunity to clarify who we are and who we hope to become, with God’s help. May all we do be pleasing and delightful in God’s sight and in service of sharing the love of Christ.
Your rector and brother in Christ,
Joe+
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