Message from the Senior Warden on the Rector Search Process

Shortly after the Rector asked me to be Senior Warden, it dawned on me that this would be an extraordinary year to hold that position. Within hours, that became apparent.

Besides all the normal tasks of a Senior Warden, add one more. Your Vestry is charged this year with calling a new Rector for St. Paul's. It's an awesome responsibility, and we knew we needed to get started right away.

Fortunately, this is an incredibly talented Parish with so many lay people who give time, talent, and treasure to St. Paul's in almost every undertaking. That is certainly going to be true as we discern who we are as a Parish and what we need in a new Rector. God willing, we will find him or her before the end of the year, and have the new Rector with us by next Spring.

While the ultimate decision is the Vestry's, subject to the approval of Bishop McConnell, it's traditional to create a Search Committee to oversee the search process, including the Parish Profile, candidate evaluation, and a recommendation of one individual for Vestry approval.

After multiple meetings to review applications from over 30 outstanding members of the Parish, the Vestry selected a 13-member Search Committee to be co-chaired by Geoff Hurd & Eileen Sharbaugh. Joining them are David Choura, Kathleen Davies Hendricks, Frank Horrigan, Bob Johnston, Sandy Ludman, Karen Melvin, Jane Offutt, Jonathan Paulus, Mary Kendall Rago, Scott Reynolds, and Pat Eagon Stafford.

We are incredibly grateful to the many other individuals who sought to serve on the Committee. Almost all were very qualified. As one Vestry person said, this is a "Solomon's choice," but in the end the Search Committee chosen is a bit younger than the applicant pool with a diversity of skills and talents and some long-term and brand new parishioners.

The good news is that the rest of us -- including you, the Vestry, and me -- have a critical role to play in the months ahead as we all together draft a Parish Profile to describe what St. Paul's is and discern the attributes we want in a new Rector.

I am committed to an open and transparent process, which means the Search Committee will solicit the views of all of us in a variety of different forums.

We need your help to reflect accurately this parish, and I invite you to participate as this process gets underway later this Spring.

Some have asked why not wait until Lou+ retires early next year before beginning the search. The Vestry considered this, but with the Bishop's approval thought this just wasted time.

To be clear, as is traditional, none of the Clergy at St. Paul's has had or will have any role in this search, and after we celebrate Lou's ministry and say good-bye, you can expect a couple month interim before the arrival of our new Rector. Fortunately, we are lucky to have both Michelle+ and Garrett+ here to manage the services and pastoral needs of this parish during that short interim.

So now the search begins with the goal of finding a new Rector, God willing, by the end of the year.

If you have suggestions or guidance for the Search Committee, don't hesitate to contact the co-chairs or the members to share your thoughts. And, of course, you are always welcomed to contact members of the Vestry or the Wardens. We want to hear from you.

Throughout this process, please keep all engaged in this task and this incredible parish in your prayers.

Respectfully,

Jon Delano

Senior Warden