Click here to find the long-promised report from our congregational survey that many of you completed late last year. We had hoped to distribute it this in March and to have forums after our services to discuss it. Unfortunately the situation does not allow this but we do not want to delay delivering the report any longer until things improve.
As you recall, this survey is intended to give us a “snapshot” of our progress and readiness to move to the next step in the transition toward developing a Parish Profile and ultimately a search for a permanent rector. The report is quite encouraging. Our results indicate we are “transformational” congregation. We continue with our strong commitment to outreach and support of one another in community and in worship. One description our interpreter, Susan Czolgosz from Holy Cow! used in her verbal report to the Vestry was that we are a “Magi” community: i.e. we show an openness to change and are inclusive of the marginalized. She also shared that low scores on the personal Spiritual Vitality index are common with “progressive” congregations. While we are pleased with these positive notes and are quite hopeful, we remain in a vulnerable phase of our journey. In lieu of the in-person congregational forums, we have scheduled 2 Zoom meetings where parishioners can discuss the results and ask questions. Links and meeting IDs/passwords for Zoom meetings will be provided to the congregation via email.
Monday, April 27, 7 to 9 p.m,
Saturday, May 2, 2 to 4 p.m.
Parishioners who are not able to participate in these meetings will be provided other avenues to have their questions addressed.
The next stage in our transition will be Holy Conversations with parishioners in small groups to determine what dimensions of our faith life are important to us and what we aspire to as a congregation. This information will be incorporated with the CAT data into our Parish Profile. This process will necessarily be delayed and may have to be modified due to the current pandemic restrictions on such meetings, but our best estimate is that our rector search will take 6 months longer than originally anticipated. But we trust that this is God’s plan to enable us to find the very best match in a new priest for St. Clare’s.
We remind you of the “Prayer for the Election of a Bishop or Other Minister” (#13 BCP p818) that we prayed during our wonderfully successful search for an Interim and urge all to continue this petition during our current process:
Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a rector for this parish, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Your Vestry
Image by Andreas Breitling from Pixabay