Search for a New Rector
The work of the Search Committee
Completed July 18, 2010. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this document, whether by completing the Parish Survey, participating in the Focus Group discussions, submitting photographs, or helping to gather information about the parish and its history. A special mention: the work of two members of the congregation who passed away in the last few months is included in the Profile - material from Edward Getlein's history of Trinity Church, and photographs taken by Diana Beardsley.
Update and Projected Timeline as of May 6, 2010
The Search Committee is moving along in the search process as prescribed by the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. In addition to the regular meetings, the committee has been working diligently at the process of self-exploration and the creation of the Parish Profile. Two-hundred-forty-two parishioners completed the parish survey and over 100 attended the all parish potluck and discussion of results. As follow-up, six adult discussion groups, one child discussion group, and one youth discussion group were held and almost 100 parishioners participated. The search committee would like to thank everyone who has contributed so far, and invites your continued comments, questions, and candidate recommendations.
The next steps in the process include a goal-setting workshop with the Search Committee and the Vestry on May 22, 2010 and completion of the parish profile for submission to the Diocesan Transition Office. We hope to have these steps completed by summer. For your convenience, we’ve included a projected timeline below. It is very flexible, but will give you an idea of what to expect.
Spring 2010
- Parish Survey
- Discussion Groups
- Set goals
- Completion of Parish Profile
- Collection of names of potential candidates suggested by parishioners (due by June 1)
Summer 2010
- Submission of Profile and parish candidate suggestions to the Diocese
Fall 2010
- Get list of potential candidates from Diocese
- Interviews/Visitations
- Shorten list
Winter 2010/2011
- Present short list (2-3 candidates) to the Vestry
- Vestry makes call
Spring 2011
- New Rector arrives (goal)
Regular Announcements Regarding the
Progress of Our Search
Sunday 8/8/10
The Search Committee met on Wednesday, August 4th, with our search consultant Anne Watkins. Anne presented some information on the interview process to prepare for the upcoming interviews of potential candidates. Two subcommittees were formed to draft questions and prepare initial contact packets for candidates. We will meet in September to further prepare for the interview process. We will receive the list of possible candidates from the Diocese sometime in the fall.
We appreciate your continued prayers and support.
Sunday 7/25/10
The Search Committee met with Canon Erik Larsen from the Church Deployment Office this past week. The process going forward in choosing a new Rector was discussed. The committee will continue to meet over the summer to develop the format for the interview process. Names of potential candidates will be available to the committee in the fall.
The Parish Profile is now available on the website. Please take the opportunity to view this beautiful document. It tells “our” story and will be a tremendous asset in presenting our community to the candidates for Rector.
Please continue to ask the Holy Spirit to be present as the process moves forward.
Sunday 6/27/10
The Search Committee has completed the CDO form and the Vestry has approved it. This form will be sent to the diocese for review. The text of the Parish Profile is near completion. It was also presented to the Vestry. Once pictures and quotes are inserted, it, too, will be sent to the diocese. A meeting will be set up with Canon Erik Larsen for a midpoint check. He will give us feedback about the CDO form and the Parish Profile.
During the summer the interview process will be formulated. A mock interview will be completed by early September to prepare the committee for the interview process once we receive the list of candidates in the fall.
As the process continues please pray for the committee, the candidates that will come to us and for the Trinity family.
Sunday 6/20/10
The Search Committee met on Sunday June 13th
to complete the Church Deployment Office form. The Vestry will receive the form along with a draft of the Parish Profile to review at their next meeting on June 23rd. The finance committee and the vestry will be working together to determine the compensation package for the new Rector.
The completed CDO form and Parish Profile (when finalized), along with the list of candidates suggested by parishioners, will be sent to the Diocese, where the complete list of candidates for the position of Rector will be assembled.
We thank you for your continued support.
Sunday 6/13/10
The Search Committee met on Wednesday June 2nd and Wednesday
June 9th and has now completed work on the parish goals, responsibilities of the position of Rector, and related skills that we seek. These will be part of the Search Request form to be submitted to the Episcopal Church Deployment Office describing Trinity and letting potential candidates know what attributes we are looking for in a Rector. The Search Committee asks for your continued prayers and support.
Sunday 6/6/10
The Search Committee and the Vestry met on Saturday May 22nd to begin the process of developing goals for Trinity Church as we move forward in choosing a new Rector. We also worked on developing a list of what the new Rector can expect from Trinity and what our expectations of the new Rector are. It was a very positive and productive morning.
The committee met on June 2 to work on the task of refining the information from that meeting along with the information gathered from the survey and discussion groups to formulate four succinct goals to be included in the Church Deployment Office form. The goal is to have the form completed and in to the Diocese by the end of June.
The work continues on the Parish Profile which will be available for prospective applicants.
We welcome and appreciate input from parishioners, and ask for your continued prayers and support.
Sunday 5/16/10
The Search Committee would like to thank the members of Trinity who took the time to fill out the survey, attend the discussion groups and send comments to the committee via email. The response has been wonderful and demonstrates once again how important the process is to all of us. With the Holy Spirit guiding us we are moving forward in the process.
The next steps are to complete the Parish Profile and to set goals. On May 22nd the Vestry and Search Committee will have a joint meeting along with the consultants from the diocese to set goals and outline expectations for the new Rector.
The committee would also like to thank those who have submitted names of candidates to be considered, and encourage you to continue to do so. The deadline for names is June 1st. There are four ways for names to be added to the list of candidates:
1. Parishioners submit a name.
2. A priest will submit their own name.
3. The CDO (Church Deployment Office) will match names to our profile (similar to match.com!).
4. Transition Ministry Network.
All names are reviewed by the Church Deployment Office and a long list is then returned to the committee for consideration.
We thank you for your continued prayers and support.
Sunday 5/9/10
We encourage you to look at the Rector Search page of the Website and also the bulletin board in the Undercroft. Both places will have updates and contact information of committee members. There is an envelope on the bulletin board for comments, questions and suggestions. We thank you for your prayers and support and ask that you continue to keep the members of the committee in your prayers.
As part of our parish self-study, which is the first stage of our search for a new rector, we will be preparing a book called the Parish Profile. This Profile will have text describing many aspects of life at Trinity as well as information about the New Haven area, and will contain photographs to illustrate the material.
We know that many of our fellow parishioners are enthusiastic photographers and would welcome your photos of your favorite Trinity activities, places, groups, etc., to be considered for inclusion in our Profile. Only a limited number will be needed for the publication, but it would be wonderful to have a wide variety of photos (and viewpoints) to choose from.
Please send digital photos to Veronica Soell at veronica_soell@alum.quinnipiac.edu, or prints to her at 22 Union Street, Guilford, CT 06437.
Sunday 4/25/10
The results of the Parish Survey will be presented this evening at a Parish Pot Luck Supper. All are welcome. Dinner will be served as the evening begins at 5 pm. Please bring your dish ready to be served- for example warmed up or cut up. The presentation will begin at about 5:30.
Focus group dates, times and locations will be announced. You will have an opportunity to sign up after the dinner.
Please join us as we continue the journey to find our new rector.
Sunday 4/11/10
The Search Committee met last Wednesday, April 7th.
Almost 200 responses to the parish survey have been received so far. Today is the last day to respond to the survey on line, so please make every effort to add your voice if you haven't already done so. Together we can find the next Rector for Trinity.
A Parish Potluck dinner is planned for Sunday, April 25th from 5 to 7:30. The results of the survey will be presented and plans for the focus groups will be discussed. We ask that parishioners with last names between A and M bring a main dish and those with last names between N and Z bring a salad or side dish; the committee will provide beverages and dessert. Child care will be provided, and we ask those parents who need child care to call the parish office to sign up so that we know how many children will attend. We thank the hospitality committee who have agreed to help with set-up.
Photos of life at Trinity are needed to be added to the profile and website. If you have pictures, please forward them to the Search Committee. You will find us on the Trinity website under Rector Search on the Home menu.
Your continued prayers and support are greatly appreciated.
Sunday 3/28/10
The Search Committee invites everyone to an All Parish Potluck Dinner on Sunday April 25 from 5pm until 7:30pm in the Undercroft. At this meeting, the results of the Parish Survey will be presented and the next steps of the search process will be discussed. Please mark your calendars, as we are hoping for everyone's participation!
As part of our parish self-study we will prepare a Parish Profile describing life at Trinity as well as the New Haven area, with photos illustrating the text. We will welcome your photos of your favorite Trinity activities, places, groups, etc. Only a limited number will be selected for the publication, but it would be wonderful to have a wide variety of photos (and viewpoints) to choose from. Please send digital photos to Veronica Soell at veronica_soell@alum.quinnipiac.edu, or prints to her at 22 Union Street, Guilford, CT 06437.
Sunday 3/21/10
The survey went public on March 18. We discussed initial response to it. Please make sure you fill out the survey if you have not already done so. We encourage you to look at the new Search Section of the Website currently under construction and the bulletin board in the Undercroft. Both places will have updates and contact information of committee members. There is an envelope on the bulletin board for comments, questions and suggestions. We thank you for your prayers and support. We ask that you continue to keep the members of the committee in your prayers.
Sunday 3/7/10
The members of the search committee were commissioned by The Rev. James Sell at each of the three morning services.
Wednesday 2/24/10
The search committee met on Wednesday evening February 23. The parish survey and profile were discussed. Members of the search committee have been assigned to develop topics to be included in the profile and survey. You can expect the survey to be available within the next month. It will be available to be taken on the computer as well as on paper. We ask that you fill out the survey as soon as you can. There will be small group discussions once the survey is complete to obtain information on a more personal level. Parishioners are welcome to send written comments to the committee for consideration via email or snail mail.
The search committee will be commissioned at the church services on March 7th.
We ask that you continue to pray for us and the work we are doing for Trinity church.
Sunday 2/14/10
The search committee met on February 14th. Subcommittees have been set up to begin the process of formulating a Parish survey and Parish profile. Areas developed for the profile will include a detailed description of life at Trinity and information about New Haven.
The members ask for your continued prayers as the journey continues.
Thursday 2/4/10
The search committee met for the first time. We were briefed by Anne Watkins and Denise Holl, diocesan consultants, on our task, the process, the timeline, the goals. We established co-chairs, secretary, treasurer, and chaplain for the group.
Sunday 1/31/10
Telling Our Story; presentation and approval of search committee members.
Sunday 8/9/09
The Rev. Jim Sell's first Sunday at Trinity as Interim Rector.
Sunday 6/14/09
The Rev. Andy Fiddler's final Sunday at Trinity, due to retirement after serving Trinity for nearly 39 years.