First Steps in the Transition

Summer is approaching fast, with its promise of escapes to beaches, mountains, lakes and maybe even foreign shores. The Vestry, meanwhile, has its eyes on mid-winter. Not that we want to hasten the arrival of snow—or the departure of Jim Burns. But plan we must.

By the end of June, the Vestry will have taken steps to form three committees important to the coming transition: the Search Committee, responsible for gathering and vetting candidates to replace Jim as rector; the Parish Profile Committee, which will prepare a pamphlet that will help rector candidates understand our past, present and goals for the future; and the Celebration Committee, tasked with coordinating the many things our parish will want to do to honor Jim.

Before the summer is out, we'll let you all know who the heads of these committees are and how you can contribute to them. We're counting on broad parish participation—beginning in the fall and on into next year—to make the transition a success.

We'll also let you know our progress toward calling an interim rector—someone who can help us maintain the momentum Jim, Tom and Elizabeth have built up. Already some exciting possibilities have popped up.
The transition promises to be a period of the most mixed emotions—sadness at the absence of someone who has been a phenomenal force in our lives; anxiety and impatience over a search process that will at times seem overly long, and excitement about what the next stage of our mission can and will bring. Count on feeling them all.

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help with one or another aspect of the transition, we'd welcome hearing from you. The easiest way to reach us is by email: andrew.horrocks@creditsuisse.com or johnchitchcock@gmail.com.

We wish you a peaceful summer,
Andrew Horrocks and John Hitchcock
CHR Wardens