The Search Committee consists of Gordon Walls, Interim Priest-in-Charge, Doris M’Timkulu, Rector’s Warden, Charlotte Logan, People’s Warden, Lorna Kearns, Marcus Kramer, Deputy Wardens, Susan Brown, Ellen Pearson, Ian Rice, Lay Delegates. Before we, the Search Committee, could begin any work at all, we had to participate in a Diocesan-required Workshop, led by Rev. Canon Terry DeForest, Diocesan Director of Human Resources, who would explain the whole Search process and indicate he would be available for further help. With so many churches in the Diocese without rectors, he was not available till September!
Simply put, the Committee was to develop a Diocesan-approved Parish Survey, disseminate it, study the results, then have a Facilitator lead a Parish Workshop in early 2017 to discuss the Survey and receive Parish input. With the additional information gleaned from the Workshop, the Search Committee would have clarification of the needs of the Parish and be better prepared to craft a Parish Profile to be available in the Spring for the Bishop’s use in proposing potential quality candidates for the new Rector of St. John’s. After the necessary Workshop in September, we further familiarized ourselves as a working committee and signed the necessary Confidentiality Agreement for our work. Very quickly, the Committee realized the Search for a new Rector, with the process required by the Diocese, was going to take more than a few months!
A few general sections of the required Parish Profile were prepared in Draft by several contributors, not just the Search Committee, and by November, 2016, the Survey had been designed, mailed to all 255 names on the parish list, and emailed to about 110 households with email addresses. Parishioners and St. John’s friends had the choice of completing the hard copy or accessing Survey Monkey to complete the Survey online. A record response, 50%, of 46 online and 82 hard copies, the latter entered online by a Search Committee member, indicated the extreme interest the Parish had in the whole Search process. By the end of 2016, a date had been set for the Parish Workshop, January 28, 2017, with Facilitator, Rev. Canon Dr. Cathie Crawford Browning, known to many in the St. John’s community and definitely approved by the Diocese.
As the Search Committee continues again in earnest in 2017, it has a full workload, but is very impressed and thankful for the support and engagement of St. John’s parishioners, and the marvellous response to the Survey as we search for a new Rector for St. John’s. We shall continue to keep everyone posted as the Search process continues.
Respectfully submitted,
Susan Brown