Listening for God at every step on our journey.

May 26, 2010

New Rector Announced in Letter from Senior Warden

Dear Fellow Parishioners and Friends of Grace-St. Luke's Church,

I have some exciting news to share. Last night, your Vestry voted to call our next Rector, the Rev. Richard Lawson. Richard is currently at St. John's Episcopal Church in Decatur, Alabama, where he has served as Rector since 2004. I spoke with Richard immediately after the vote, and he has accepted our call.

The Search Committee has worked extremely hard for 14 months to identify the candidate that best fits the needs of our community. In their presentation last night, there was so much that excited me about Richard. He is energetic, passionate about the Episcopal Church and its liturgy, and has strong managerial skills. Though smaller than Grace-St. Luke's, Richard's church has an exceptionally strong programmatic offering of classes, retreats, bible studies, breakfasts, outreach, occasions for fellowship and opportunities for prayer in community. He loves to teach Sunday school and Bible Study, and he has been very active with youth in both his parish and the Diocese. He is loved by his current parishioners across the age spectrum, and is respected and admired by wardens, colleagues, and Alabama's Diocesan staff.

There is much more to say than this letter permits, which is why the Vestry has asked the Search Committee to make a presentation for the Parish this Sunday, May 30, at 9:30 am during the Sunday School hour.

I recognize the timing is less than ideal with the Memorial Day holiday, but we wanted to take the first opportunity available to share this news with you all. We will also schedule another opportunity to see the presentation for those of you who may not be able to be there this Sunday. We are still working out the details of Richard's arrival and look forward to sharing those with you soon. We can't wait for you to meet Richard, his wife Katherine, and their children Evans (8) and Adaline (9).

Our Grace-St. Luke's family has been very patient on this long journey. I am confident that our deliberative, intentional, and prayerful wait has delivered what we have all worked and prayed for: a passionate, thoughtful, effective, and holy leader for the next chapter of our journey together.

In Christ,

Patrick Burnett
Senior Warden

April 2, 2010

The Grace-St. Luke's Rector Search Committee is down to a handful of candidates. The group has completed almost all of its visits to these candidates’ parishes, and is now making plans to bring the finalists and their spouses to Memphis.

During their visits, the candidates will complete another in-depth interview with the committee, be interviewed by the Bishop, and will get a closer look at our neighborhood and city.

Easter is presenting a scheduling challenge as you can imagine, but the committee is working with as much speed as possible and is as excited as the parish is about having an announcement soon.

February 5, 2010

The Rector Search Committee is excited to announce that visits to finalists begin in February.

The committee will begin narrowing its list of candidates to the 3 to 5 final candidates and begin visiting them in their home parishes in the next few weeks.

The committee has looked at more than 200 candidates. These finalists have already been through written interview, phone interviews, and in some cases, video interviews.  When the committee visits their home parishes, members will interview the candidates further, meet their families, and interview references in person.  After that, the committee will make plans to bring up to three of them to Memphis to see the church, meet some people, tour the school and talk with the Bishop.

In the ten months since the Vestry issued a charge to the search committee, the group has worked hard to get to the “visit phase” a few months quicker than was initially projected. 

As the search process intensifies moves closer to a final candidate, please keep the search committee in your prayers.

January 15, 2010

In January, the Grace-St. Luke’s Rector Search Committee turned its attention away from proactively recruiting candidates into the process and began focusing full-steam on discernment. In excess of 225 candidates have been considered, based on their detailed clergy skill and experience profiles from the national church office as well as resumes, web sites, parishioner recommendations, and other supplemental information.

As of mid-January, the committee has made significant progress.

WRITTEN INTERVIEWS

15 of the 225 candidates have been asked to complete written interviews, and most of those interviews had been received and reviewed by the committee. A few more may be asked to complete written interviews.

PHONE INTERVIEWS

So far, seven of these 15 have been asked to schedule hour-long phone interviews with the Search Committee, based on their written interviews. Five phone interviews have been completed. A few more candidates will be scheduled for phone interviews.

VISITS

After phone interviews are complete, three to five candidates will be reference-checked and visited in their home parishes. As many as three will be invited to visit GSL and complete a final round of interviews. No candidates have entered this phase yet.

Please keep the Search Committee in your prayers as the discernment process narrows and intensifies.

January 3, 2010

Since the Parish Profile and Rector Search web page were launched in Oct., Grace-St. Luke’s has had extraordinary interest in our search. Take a look at the candidate-recruitment phase by the numbers: 

  500+ visits to our “Rector Search” web page from 41 states

  150 candidates that meet our general criteria were provided by the Episcopal Clergy Deployment Office

  30+ self-applicants from across the country

  30+ candidates from committee research/networking

  10+ referrals from the GSL community

Now the committee has begun working diligently to process these candidates while ensuring each gets adequate consideration of their fit for our needs. The narrowing will occur as each candidate is either eliminated or progresses to the next level of consideration:

Around 200 candidates in all will be considered. So far, around 100 of these have been removed from consideration.

20 to 30 of these candidates will be asked to answer written questions. So far, the committee has asked 8 candidates to answer written questions.

10 to 25 candidates will be interviewed by phone and/or videoconference. The committee has selected 3 candidates for phone interviews, so far.

3 to 5 candidates will be reference checked, visited in their home parishes, and invited to visit GSL. No candidates have been selected yet for visits.

1 candidate will be presented to the vestry.

The committee will continue to provide updates as members work prayerfully through the discernment process with this large number of candidates.

December 1, 2009

All of the committee’s hard work is beginning to pay off as we have received inquiries and applications from a number of candidates. Many were unsolicited; and, several were in response to referrals from the parish. Each candidate is moving through the committee’s screening process.

The steps include qualification checks, consultation with the Bishop’s office, a written interview, a phone interview, reference checks, and background checks. Once the list is narrowed to a handful, the committee will conduct in-person interviews. The goal of this lengthy process is to help ensure the candidate matches GSL and the Vestry charge.

As you can imagine, it is a massive volume of work, and the committee is grateful for the parish’s patience. The most common questions asked of committee members these days concern timelines. When will the committee close the call for names? When will a recommendation be made? When will we have a new Rector? Though sometimes unsatisfying, the answer to all three of these questions is, “We don’t know.” The committee is continuing the parish’s dedication to
thoroughness and diligence in this process, and has agreed to see each phase of the process to its thoughtful completion.

It’s an approach that requires patience on all of our parts, and one that we all pray will culminate in God’s provision of an inspired and gifted priest and leader for our cherished church home.

November 15, 2009

At the Annual Parish Meeting on November 15, Search Committee Chair Michael Rowland updated the Parish on the Search Process and answered questions. He reported the committee is well into the name collection phase and has received about 150 names from the Clergy Deployment Office and probably 50 more from other sources and direct applications.

One of those sources was recommendations from people in the parish, and he thanked the group for those and encouraged more.

He expressed thanks on behalf of the committee for the Parish's  patience as the committee works deliberately through all the candidates.

October 30, 2009

On September 27, many of you were on hand for the unveiling of the new Parish Profile and screening of the accompanying Grace-St. Luke’s history video.

After Senior Warden Jim Taylor walked attendees through the two-year “intentional interim” period we undertook prior to the formation of a search committee, the committee debuted “Sacred Stories,” a comprehensive document that covers church finances, attendance, history, programs, and more. Above all, the document aims to present a transparent and authentic picture of our parish. Copies were then mailed to all parish households who had not picked one up.

Perhaps more exciting was the announcement that the completion of the profile marks the committee’s opening of the call for candidates. The committee has already received numerous strong candidate names to consider, and is working with the Bishop’s office to research numerous additional names from across the country. The committee is taking a very proactive approach and is seeking out the names of strong candidates from a wide variety of sources.

So don’t hesitate to send in a name! You can submit names to the Grace-St. Luke’s Search Committee confidentially at gslsearchcommittee [at] live [dot] com, by fax at 452-5121, or by mail at P.O. Box 111410, Memphis, TN 38111. You can also monitor the committee’s progress in the rector search portion of the new parish web site: www.gracestlukes.org/rectorsearch. There you can even download a digital profile and watch the history video.

September 6, 2009

This Rector Search Committee Update is brief, but represents a  major milestone in the process. The Parish Profile is final and off to  the printer... and the Search Committee is planning to unveil it to the Parish in a special celebration!

Parish Profile Unveiling
Sunday, September 27

There will be a reception following the 10:30 service with a video presentation, and copies of  the profile will be available for everyone. We hope you'll join us, and we hope you'll continue to pray that the groups' hearts will remain open to God's voice at every step on this  journey.

August 23, 2009

The Search Committee has about wrapped up all the advance preparation necessary to begin receiving names. The Parish Profile will be done in a matter of days... the last step is getting a new set of pictures of our worship space and service... and that's happening today. The final piece will be a professionally designed 24-page printed document that covers attendance, finances, programs, and all the other information prospective rectors would want to know about us.

The committee also met with the Clergy Deployment officer from the Bishop's office last week, who walked us through the official listing that will go in the national church's database.

So be on the lookout for the printed Parish Profile in the next couple of weeks. The committee is excited to be approaching the next phase in the process... the building of the master candidate list. 

We'll continue to provide updates on the process in the service, on the bulletin board in the hallway to Trezevant, and in the Messenger each month.

July 26, 2009

As the summer ends, the Rector Search Committee is wrapping up the  preparation and research phases of the search process. In addition to  the parish Rector Search Roundtable Sessions, we completed additional  sessions with church youth and with the GSL School Board. We are  compiling all that information -- along with demographic information  from the church office -- into the final parish profile document. 

Here's what's next:

• By the end of August we hope to announce the Parish Profile is  complete and, at that point, open the call for nominations.
• We'll then post a confidential e-mail address and mailing  address for nominations in the Messenger, Sunday bulletin, and on the  Rector Search bulletin board next to Lucy's office.
• The committee will post our opening in the national church  database, and also proactively seek out names of strong candidates  from our region as well as from across the country.

The Parish has been very supportive during the long -- but very  necessary -- planning and research phases of our search.  The  committee is excited to be moving into the Fall with the new and  exciting work of building a candidate list. Thank you for your  continued prayers and support.

July 1, 2009

At the Rector Search Roundtables on June 6 and 20th, many parishioners offered their perspectives on what they hope to see in a new Rector and where they see our parish heading in its next chapter. The conversation was inspired and forward-looking. If you were unable to attend the sessions and have some input you’d like to present the committee, you may deliver a letter to the Church Office labeled Rector Search Committee.

Thanks to all the wonderful participation, the Search Committee is excited about the new Parish Profile, which should be ready for candidates around the end of the summer.

On a sad note, Search Committee member Jim Berg has been offered a wonderful professional opportunity in Phoenix, Arizona, and has chosen to accept it. After careful and prayerful consideration, we have asked the Vestry not to replace Jim on the committee. The group is working well together and making deliberate progress. While Jim’s talents and insight will be missed, the committee is confident that moving forward with its current makeup is the best way forward. Wish him luck in his new venture!

May 17, 2009

PLEASE MAKE PLANS TO ATTEND THE RECTOR SEARCH ROUNDTABLE

The Search Committee is eager to hear your hopes and visions for the next chapter in our Parish life together. Please make plans to share them at one of the two scheduled Rector Search Roundtables:

Saturday, June 6                  Saturday, June 20

9:00 – 12:30             or            12:30 – 4:00

Trezevant Hall                          Trezevant Hall

At the Roundtables, everyone will have a chance for small-group dialogue with Search Committee members. We’ll also look at the official Vestry charge to the committee and meet the committee’s new consultant, The Rev. LaRae Rutenbar. Don’t miss this important opportunity to share your unique perspective.

NOTE: Childcare will be available, but a reservation is required. Please let the church office know a week in advance of your session.

May 15, 2009

Our journey to a Rector Call has begun. We have received our formal charge from the Vestry, we have organized our search committee, and we have engaged a consultant to assist us. Now we are eager to hear your hopes and visions for the next chapter in our Parish life together.

We invite you to join us for the first leg of the journey: an in-depth dialogue session.

OUR PARISH. OUR VISION. OUR FUTURE.

The GSL Rector Search Roundtable

At the session, parishioners will join different tables where specific topics are being discussed. At each table, a member of the search committee will be listening, clarifying, and taking detailed notes. The format offers two real strengths. First, everyone gets the opportunity to make the kind of complicated points that aren’t so easily communicated on surveys. And second, the smaller groups minimize the intimidation some people might feel about speaking out in a large-meeting setting. We are very excited about the process and are looking forward to the event. In addition, the meeting will offer you a chance to:

Meet The Rev. LaRae Rutenbar, the committee’s new search consultant. LaRae is an Episcopal priest and an experienced search consultant and interim Rector.

See and discuss the official “charge” issued to the committee by the Vestry.

Share historical images for the history section of the upcoming Parish Profile. We’re looking for historical images of the church, past clergy, weddings, baptisms, etc. Bring them to the meeting and we will scan them right then, so you can take them back home afterwards.

God speaks to us in so many ways, and one of the most powerful is often through each other. Help us see our parish through your eyes. Help us see our future through your heart. We hope you’ll join us on June 6 or June 20 for this exciting first step on our important journey together.

May 11, 2009

SEARCH PRAYERS FROM OUR MANY GROUPS

From the choir to athletic teams, from outreach projects to our numerous committees, all of the parish’s many groups will be touched by our new rector. In order to stay mindful of these many perspectives, the Rector Search Committee is collecting prayers from groups across our Parish as part of the process. If you’d like to send a prayer from your parish group, make sure it’s less than 75 words and then send it to the church office marked “Search Committee Prayers” by June 30.

In addition to using them in their meetings, the committee also will be sharing these prayers with the Parish at large throughout the search process so that all of us might pray together for the clarity, wisdom, and tenacity that the road to a call will require.

April 30, 2009

The committee charged with calling a new Rector to Grace-St. Luke’s is working busily to get up and running. The group is committed to a thoughtful and thorough search, and is building the processes and subcommittees that will make such a search possible.

In the past few weeks, committee members have gathered procedural advice from a long list of people with search experience, including past GSL search committee chairs, members of past committees throughout the diocese, and search advisors from across the region. The group is distilling this long list of recommended procedures into an overall process that fits our parish.

Subcommittees have been set up for budgeting, correspondence, and numerous other functions. A communications subcommittee has also been formed to make sure there are frequent progress updates to the parish and polished communications with candidates.

Above all, the Search Committee will be listening for God at every turn in the process. As part of that focus, the committee’s chaplains are making prayer an important part of the group’s business, and are also collecting prayers from groups throughout the parish who will be touched by our new Rector. The committee will be sharing these prayers with the Parish at large throughout the search process, so that all of us might pray together for the clarity, wisdom, and tenacity that the road to a call will require.

SEARCH COMMITTEE NAMED: February 17, 2009

Dear Fellow Members of Grace-St. Luke’s:

On behalf of the Grace-St. Luke’s Vestry, I am honored and delighted to announce the Vestry’s appointment of a Rector Search Committee. The Committee members, all of whom have accepted our call to serve, are as follows:

Michael Rowland, Chair

Jim Berg

David Brown

Karen Clark

Sandra Ireland

Stinson Liles

Merilyn Mangum

Holley McGehee

Hal Morse

Nicki Soule

Our Search Committee was appointed by your Vestry at a called vestry meeting this week. We thank you for all of your continuing interest, patience, and prayers as your Vestry has engaged in an intentional and thorough process for selecting a committee to undertake our search for a new rector. We invite and encourage all parishioners to attend the upcoming Parish Update meeting on Sunday, March 1st, during the Christian Education hour (9:20 until 10:15) in McClure Hall, when we will share important information about the 2009 budget and also introduce the Search Committee members and provide more details about the search process.

The Search Committee will have numerous organizational matters to address in the coming days and weeks, so we respectfully ask that parishioners who have candidate names to submit hold onto those ideas until the committee has established a process for receiving names, resumes, and other input. Please keep Michael, Jim, David, Karen, Sandra, Stinson, Merilyn, Holley, Hal, and Nicki in your regular prayers. May we all offer minds and hearts that are open to God’s vision for our parish family. Thank you for being a part of this holy and sacred place as we embark on this exciting and formative time in the life and mission of Grace-St. Luke’s.

Faithfully and sincerely,

James Brinkley Taylor, Jr.

Senior Warden