November 21, 2011
Dear Members of Trinity,
The Vestry wants to assure everyone that all of its members are doing everything they can to make this time of transition as smooth as possible. The Vestry wants to also assure people that our transitional phase will be transparent and that we will be communicating regularly with our members to explain where we are in the process and what progress is being made. If anyone has any questions please speak with one of the four wardens or another Vestry member.
The discernment process has made clear that the congregation wants its priest to be its spiritual leader and chief executive officer who works closely with and in conjunction with an active vestry and its operational teams.
Trinity accepts and realizes that our church cannot rely primarily on its priest to carry its work; it must be a collaborative relationship that has clearly defined roles for members of the parish and the priest consistent with the duties and responsibilities that are worked out together between the priest and the Vestry.
Minutes of the Vestry are available to any member of the parish – just ask Wendy for a copy. The Vestry will be operating with an executive committee so that weekly staff meetings are attended and the regular operations of the church are supervised on a daily basis. It is thought that this will be a good way for people to experience how the Vestry hopes to operate in the future. Most of the day-to-day operations of the church will be done by the teams as we have them now constituted but they may change as people find better ways to operate.
Jim Cassarino and the worship team have been arranging for supply priests and they are working very hard to make this coming season a meaningful time for all of us. We thank him and those working with him. Our lay pastoral care team also has a lot of responsibility during this time and we thank them for the critical and important role that they are doing for all of us.
The Vestry is meeting December 1st with the Bishop and Lynn Bates from his office for the first time to talk about what happens next for Trinity. We will be informing you what we learn and what is going to happen next in the process of our finding a new priest. The Vestry hopes that all of the work that has been done will help shorten the process considerably.
Being on the Vestry is always hard work. But during this transition time, the work is especially difficult. Please keep Trinity in your prayers.
Peace be with you,
The Vestry
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