The Good News • June 2009

Getting to Know You

We had three excellent parish meetings over the last three Wednesdays! The meals were wonderful — a big "thank you" to Jim Griffith, Glenda Young and Denise Johnson for providing delicious and different meals (definitely not your usual church dinner fare). The meetings were lively and well attended, and I think we all had fun with each other, but it doesn't end there.

The objective was to get an idea of where St. John's has been, where we are going, and what kind of leadership we need to take us there. The exercises we were given were not easy. They required some serious soul searching, and I think they were designed to help us get to know ourselves better. When we interacted at the meetings, we got to know each other better as well.

During the exercise at our last meeting, it was quite clear that some of us have very different ideas about the leadership qualities we'd like to see in a new rector. My job now is to put together a committee of people who will represent some of these differing views. That committee, with the guidance of our interim consultant, the Rev. Ed Perkinson, will then start the search for a new rector.

I find this extremely exciting. This is the beginning of a whole new era of leadership for St. John's, but it's also an opportunity for us to get to know each other even better than we do now. I've seen it happen so many times in several organizations. Whenever a group of people work together for a common cause, a cohesiveness is formed. Friendships emerge, and a respect grows from those friendships. As long as we each remember that our objective is for the good of all and that personal agendas must be put aside, we will have a successful search, and just as important — we will have a congregation of people who care for and respect each other. After all, wouldn't life be boring if we all thought exactly the same way? It might be easier, but it would definitely be boring!

Prayers for a successful search,

Mara Amedia, Senior Warden