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“The earth is the LORD'S and all that is in it, the world and all who dwell therein.” Psalms 24:1 Our journey to guide Grace Episcopal Church into the future has begun. Our Rector has moved on after almost 8 years of leading our parish. Father Paul led us through some challenging and trying times while he was here and I know that we all are dealing with his leaving in our own way. We are blessed to have been able to call our Interim Rector, Rev. Douglas Tucker and to retain our Associate Rector, Helen Appelberg during this time of transition. This transition process lays the foundation upon which we build healthy mission and ministry. Now the real work begins. At the beginning of the transition process there are steps we need to take in preparing for the search that must be completed. Under the guidance and watchful eye of the Diocese it won’t be long until we start the search process. The Vestry met with the Canon to the Ordinary, Ann Normand, on August 9th. At this meeting Canon Normand outlined the process of calling a new Priest for Grace and answered questions we had in regards to the procedures we need to follow. The Vestry is scheduled to meet with Mary MacGregor, Director of Leadership Development for the Dioceses of Texas, on August 16th. This meeting is more the nuts and bolts of what we need to do. Then the work begins, after the meeting she will be training and guiding the Vestry on how to do things that must be accomplished before the search begins. She will be giving very specific information and a step by step path that we will follow to reach our goal of calling a new Rector to Grace. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, but we are in good hands. If you look at only the big picture, this looks like an extremely daunting task. There is an analogy that is used in business that is appropriate here. How do you eat an elephant? The answer is simple - one bite at a time. That’s how we are going to get through this apparently daunting task, by slowly chipping away at what seems to be overwhelming – one bite at a time. The first step will be a Parish meeting to develop our Core Values on Saturday, September 17th at 9AM. Everyone is invited and it will be conducted by a trained coach from the diocese who specializes in development. Another Parish meeting on Saturday, October 22nd at 9AM, lead by the same coach, will be held to review and establish our “Vision” statement. Also, we need to write a Parish Profile, have a congregational survey to address our rector profile, then summarize the surveys and at the end will be an invitation to the congregation to submit names of recommended priests who might be candidates or priests to consider. WHEW!! All of the above will be accomplished, one bite at a time, before the search committee will surface. It is our hope that all of the above can be completed in no more than four months. Each day I feel privileged to be Senior Warden during this time of change. We are blessed to have a very devoted Vestry and a congregation that is so supportive. The wonderful thing about our journey is that we will all have a voice in our future. Peace to all, Judy Webb, Senior Warden |