 Watch
this space for regular updates on the St. Thomas transition process.
May 8, 2008
The Parish Profile Committee has created the Parish
Profile survey. It was handed to parishioners on Sunday, May 4;
it will be mailed to homes this week; you can also fill out the survey
online
here.
(A
printable copy is also available.)
Surveys
are to be returned by May 23. The May 18 Sunday Forum will take the form
of a focus group, and sessions will be held with other key ministry
groups this month.
The Rev. Carla Pryne is Chaplain to the Parish Profile
Committee; she is offering prayer support, helping us stay grounded in
our own spiritual listening, and providing perspective from past
experience in parish search processes.
- Jean Haehl,
Parish Profile Committee
April 24, 2008
A "thank you": I appreciated your gracious spirit as we walked
together over some new terrain these past one hundred days. The
reception on my final Sunday as Priest-in-Charge was a cornucopia of
delight. Kathy and I loved the hymns and gift certificate to the Dahlia
Lounge. Icons are a new interest, and the lovely book Icons from
Sinai is another treasure. Thanks also for your kind words in the
pictoral diary. The big surprise was three cakes, especially the one for
my 40th ordination anniversary. I enjoyed serving St. Thomas and will
always be grateful for your prayers and mutual support of one another
during this interim time.
- The Rev. Hollis Williams, Priest-in-Charge,
January-April 2008
April 21, 2008
We warmly welcomed our new Interim, The Rev. Dr. Jane Maynard,
and her husband, Jim Treyens, on Sunday with a
reception after the 10:15 service. We look forward to working with
Pastor Jane and her time with us.
The Parish Profile Committee, comprised of seven church members, is now
meeting weekly to develop a Parish Profile document to be used by the
Search Committee in calling a new rector for St. Thomas Church.
Currently the focus has been on creating a survey for the parish which
will give all of us an opportunity to express ourselves about where the
church is now, what our true mission is, and where we hope to be in the
future. The committee has reviewed previous St. Thomas profiles, as well
as those from other churches around the nation. The co-chairs,
Suzan Del Bene and Jean Haehl, met with the
vestry on April 15.
- Alice Reid, St. Thomas Vestry, Warden for
Communications
April 15, 2008
Transition from Hollis to Jane
The Rev. Hollis Williams concludes his service as
Priest-In-Charge for the parish on April 16. The vestry, staff and
parishioners expressed their appreciation for Father Hollis’s generous,
wise, witty, and faithful leadership at a thank-you reception on Sunday,
April 13. We are immensely blessed that Father Hollis and his wife Kathy
are a part of our community, and we look forward to his return to the
pews.
The Rev. Dr. Jane F. Maynard will begin her service as
Interim at St. Thomas on Thursday, April 17. We will officially welcome
her on Sunday, April 20 with a welcome reception following the 10:15
a.m. service.
- Andrea Sato Borgmann, Senior Warden
April 7, 2008
What's Next for St. Thomas Church? forum
On Sunday, April 6, Senior Warden Andrea Sato Borgmann
presented a forum called "What's Next for St. Thomas Church?" If you
have iTunes installed on your computer, you can listen to the
podcast. Or you can view the
Powerpoint slides
from the forum in PDF form.
- Josh Hosler, Associate for Christian Formation
March 20, 2008
Parish Profile Committee Created
The vestry met on Tuesday, March 18 and ratified the Letter of
Mutual Ministry Agreement between the Wardens and Vestry of St. Thomas,
the Bishop of Olympia, and our Interim, the Rev. Dr. Jane F. Maynard.
The Rev. Hollis Williams will continue to serve as Priest-in-Charge until the arrival
of Pastor Jane on April 17.
The vestry elected Charles Brown as Junior Warden. He
and the Senior Warden, Andrea Sato Borgmann, will serve
as officers of the parish corporation. Also elected were Alice
Reid as Warden for Communications and Events; Jeff
Belfiglio as Warden for School Relations; and Nancy
Pitarys as Warden for Personnel. These "special purpose" warden
positions are part of the leadership team of the vestry but are not
officers of the parish corporation.
The vestry has convened a Parish Profile Committee to
begin work on the parish profile. This committee will gather input from
the congregation and draft a profile of the congregation. The profile
will describe who we are as the people of God at St. Thomas, where we
are going, and the skills and abilities we need in a future rector to
lead us in that direction. Committee members have extensive skills in
market research, written and graphic communications, marketing, and
management. The committee members are Suzan del Bene
(co-chair), Shirley Deffenbaugh, Jean Haehl (co-chair),
Catherine Kunkel, Scott Manning, Claudia Mazzie-Ballheim, Peter
Pitarys, and Jean Johnson (vestry liaison).
- Andrea Sato Borgmann, Senior Warden
March 10, 2008
Interim Rector SelectedThe vestry is happy
to announce the selection of an interim for St. Thomas!
The Rev. Dr. Jane F. Maynard was recommended
by Bishop Rickel, who worked with the wardens to secure her as our
interim.
Pastor Jane graduated from the
University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in 1975 and received a
Masters Degree in Developmental Psychology at the University of
Illinois. She went on to the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in
Berkeley and the Claremont School of Theology, where she received an
MATS in Pastoral Counseling in 1998 and a PhD in Pastoral Theology in
2001.
Pastor Jane has served as a hospital chaplain and
in a variety of ministry settings, including several congregations in
Idaho and California. She also served as Director of Field Education and
Professor of Pastoral Theology at CDSP from 1995-2003. After moving to
Seattle with her husband, Jim Treyens, in 2003, she has worked as
Interim Dean for the Diocesan School of Ministry and Theology, and as
Priest-in-Charge at Good Samaritan in Sammamish. Pastor Jane has
been serving as Interim at Epiphany Parish in Seattle since September
2007. In 2006, Jane published
her first book, Transfiguring
Loss: Julian of Norwich as a Guide for Survivors of Traumatic Grief.
Jane’s husband Jim is a software salesman.
Jane and Jim enjoy traveling, reading, attending
movies and concerts, and playing with their cats, Madeleine and Omega.
Together they have three children: Daniel (26), Beckie (24) and Marc
(23).
Pastor Jane will begin work at St. Thomas on
Thursday, April 17, 2008. Until that time, Father Hollis has graciously
agreed to remain as our Priest-in-Charge.
- The St. Thomas Vestry
March 6, 2008
The vestry met at Camp Huston for a retreat last weekend, during which
time they had the opportunity to meet with the proposed candidate for
interim rector.
Negotiations with the interim candidate are ongoing. An announcement
will be made when negotiations are finalized, which the vestry hopes
will be within the week. Priest-in-Charge Hollis Williams was at the
retreat throughout the weekend, lending his wise counsel and good humor
to all.
The vestry elected Andrea Sato Borgmann as Senior Warden. Because some
of the vestry were unable to attend the retreat, the vestry will elect
Junior Wardens at the March vestry meeting on March 18. Tammy Waddell
continues to serve as Junior Warden until a replacement is elected by
the vestry.
- Alice Reid, St. Thomas Vestry
February 6, 2008
Clergy and Diocesan Leadership
Father Hollis Williams continues his service as
priest-in-charge of St. Thomas. Father Hollis will serve until an
interim rector is called by the Vestry. He will be working approximately
20 hours per week, typically on Mondays, Wednesdays and half days on
Sundays. He will also be available to preside as necessary for special
events such as funerals and weddings.
Bishop Greg Rickel and Senior Warden Bob
Simeone conferred briefly during the pilgrimage to Chicago on
February 2-3 to celebrate Bishop Jeff Lee’s
consecration. Bishop Greg will provide the name of at least one and
possibly more potential interim candidates for the vestry’s
consideration. The wardens anticipate making initial contact with the
first of these individuals during the week of February 7. We hope that
the interim rector will be selected and being work at St. Thomas in the
next two months, but the process could take longer depending on that
individual’s availability.
Search Process
As previously reported, the first step in the search process will be
commencing the parish self-study, which will culminate in the parish
profile. The vestry anticipates selecting a parish profile committee
during the month of February.
- Andrea Sato Borgmann, Junior Warden
January 27, 2008
Sunday Forum: What's Next for St. Thomas?
Our Sunday forum this week covered a number of transition-related
topics. A recording is available as a podcast through iTunes.
Unfortunately, we experienced some technical difficulties and didn't
record the entire presentation; but you can hear the first 33 minutes of
it.
Once you have iTunes
installed on your computer, you can link to the forum
here.
You can also follow along with the slides from the presentation
here.
- Josh Hosler, Associate for Christian Formation
January 11, 2008
Clergy and Diocesan Leadership
Father Hollis Williams officially began serving as priest-in-charge
of St. Thomas on January 6, 2008. Father Hollis will serve only until an
interim rector is called by the Vestry. He will be working approximately
20 hours per week, typically on Mondays, Wednesdays and half days on
Sundays. He will also be available to preside as necessary for special
events such as funerals and weddings.
We were blessed to have Bishops Greg and Nedi present with us to
celebrate Evensong on Sunday, January 6th. Evensong was the final
farewell event for the Lee family. Bishop Greg reiterated his and Bishop
Nedi’s commitment to be with us during this time of transition.
Bishop Greg joined the Vestry for a hard hat tour of the new St. Thomas
School on Thursday, January 10th. We shivered a bit in the cold and
wind, but were impressed by the new school building that is taking shape
next door. The new school will be a state of the art learning
environment for the formation of young hearts and minds. The school has
taken great care in the planning and design of this building. Seeing it
take shape was inspiring for the Vestry as we imagined a new parish
center. The Vestry toured the conference and preschool rooms that will
be available for the church’s regular Sunday use once the school
building is complete.
- Andrea Sato Borgmann, Junior Warden
Interim Rector and Search Process
Father Hollis, the wardens and Bishop Greg met to discuss the St.
Thomas transition on January 10th following the new school tour. We will
work on a parallel track to find a permanent interim and begin the
search process. The bishop's office will present the name of one or two
potential interims for us to interview. We hope that the interim rector
will be selected and being work at St. Thomas in the next two months,
but the process could take longer depending on that individual’s
availability. The bishop’s office, along with a search consultant from
the diocese, will be available as we begin the search process. The first
steps in the search will be commencing the parish self study, which will
culminate in the parish profile, and selecting the search committee. -
Andrea Sato Borgmann, Junior Warden |
