Message from the Wardens
Search Process Committees Appointed by Vestry
As the Wardens of St. John’s Church and pursuant to the charge given us, we report to you the following persons to serve on the Self-Study Committee and the Discernment Committee concerning the search for the next Rector of St. John’s. After selecting the chairpersons for the respective committees, we met on multiple occasions with the chairpersons and the incoming Junior Warden, exclusively, and prayerfully deliberated who to serve on the two committees. We are pleased to report that every person we called to serve accepted our invitation. These are proven leaders in our parish, representing varying age groups and varying years of experience in our parish, and the Vestry approved their selection at its August 19 meeting.
Self-Study Committee
Betsy Cannon – Chair; Jim Bennett; Melissa Carter; Cissy Johnson; J.R. Marshall; Catherine McLemore; Scott Mitchell
Discernment Committee
Charlie Harris, Co-Chair; Margaret Ann Selman, Co-Chair; Jon Dailey; Josie Eskridge; Marney Garzon; William Haynes; Lawrence Hughes; Caroline Lawson; Jim Marshall III; Allison Prillaman; Radney Ramsey; Britney Schremser; Fred Tyson; Charlotte Walker; Cole Wise
The Self-Study Committee will be responsible for developing a Parish Profile which describes St. John’s. To accomplish that, every member and group at St. John’s will be asked to provide input as to how they view the parish and desired qualities in the next Rector. Their work will be completed in December 2019.
The Discernment Committee will begin in January gathering names and working through the interviewing process. Each of you will be invited to submit names of priests you wish to be considered. Additionally, the Episcopal Church will disseminate the Parish Profile nationally and use its computer files to help us gain names which appear to be good matches. The Discernment Committee will sort through the list, invite those whose names have been submitted to answer written questions, then will conduct phone interviews, do on-site visits, and invite a short list of priests to visit here. Then a final candidate will be recommended to the Vestry who will issue the call. The schedule should allow a priest to be called early in the summer and that person to begin serving here by September 1, 2020.
Both committees will begin working together in September receiving training from our Calling Coach, Sarah Sartain. Each week we will pray for the Search Committees and the Search Process. This coming Sunday, August 25, at 9:15, the Wardens and Rector will hold a forum in the parish hall to present information and answer any questions you might have. We encourage you to attend and we ask for your prayers.
Yours faithfully,
Bill Eskridge, Senior Warden
Jimmy, McLemore, Junior Warden