Grace Episcopal Church
 

photo: The Rev. Emily GibsonInterim Updates

The Rev. Emily Gibson, Interim Rector for Grace Episcopal Church

Ordained in 1983, Pastor Emily has more than two decades of experience in Episcopal ministry, including work with parishes in Maine, New York, and New Jersey. She is certified in Appreciative Interim Ministry.

Emily began serving at our church on July 1, 2010. If you haven't already done so, please introduce yourself.

 

A letter from Emily

Dear People of Grace Church:

             

It was a pleasure to “inaugurate” the interim time at Grace Church on Sunday, July 4 as we shared worship together. I am excited about the work ahead, dealing first with the immediate challenges of learning everyone’s names and the routines of the parish, and then moving on to accomplish the tasks of the interim period. It will take some time for us to settle in and become comfortable with one another; after a long and productive ministry with Anna the focus for our work will be quite different. Plus, it’s summer, that time when the “livin’ is easy,” when needed time away for vacation and rest comes first! There are probably many questions as to “what” and “how” will go on during the interim, and so I am including this information and timeline as part of your summer reading. Here is the process I outlined in my first sermon on the 4th:

  • After the September start-up, we will hold small group meetings of 6-8 people, where dyads will interview one another about best experiences of Grace Church, what is valued here, and hopes/dreams for the future. The small group will then share the results of those interviews, listing on newsprint the themes and commonalities. I hope that everyone in the parish will be able to attend a small group meeting; and given the number that will be held, schedules should fit just about everyone’s time requirements.
  • A congregational “summit” will take place in late January or early February, when all the small groups will gather together in one place to review the results of the interviews, followed by a plenary session where the core elements of a purpose statement can be established and sent to the Vestry for fine-tuning. The names of those who would like to work on one of the areas will be noted.
  • Once the purpose statement is finalized, goals will be set in each of the action areas of the statement by those who indicated at the end of the summit in which area they had interest and for which they would be willing to take some responsibility. Current committees will find that their work will blend in well to the action areas, as the focus becomes more finely-tuned and defined.
  • With the statement, action areas, and goals set, a small committee will assemble the information into a one-page, tri-fold, parish profile, including brief summaries of the history and setting in which ministry occurs at Grace.  The Search Committee, in conjunction with the search consultants, will begin its work of reviewing names and resumes, then scheduling interviews and visits in order to discern the person who will be the best match for the purpose and direction the parish has determined through the above process.

 

As you can see by the description of what we’ll be doing together, it will be a busy time, given that the regular functioning of the parish will continue apace. The process of determining the future of Grace Church will be up to all of us, not just the Search Committee. As you can see, the Search Committee will work in response to the direction of the entire congregation, not the other way around. The participation and commitment of every member of the parish is crucial to the success of both the pastoral call and the ministry to be engaged. It is a time to plunge in, not tread water, as nothing can be taken for granted about congregational vitality in this or any other church in these times. Without purposeful direction, too much valuable ground is lost. The time when a parish is between settled rectors is an important opportunity to look at the gifts of the past, celebrate what is valued in the present, and take these into the future with intentionality and commitment.

 

I look forward to convening this process at Grace, and feel that the name of the congregation is an important resource for this time. We will continually look to God’s grace to guide us, and whenever things begin to feel daunting, just remember some of the words of John Newton’s famous hymn, “Amazing Grace”: “’Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” May God’s grace lead us to a greater sense of vision of the Kingdom, and the pastor who will help the parish fulfill it.