Discernment Committee Update!

By the time you read this, the candidate interviews will be finished, and your Discernment Committee will be in the process of visiting a select group of rector candidates, in their home parishes. Two or three members of the Committee will be visiting each of the chosen candidates, and will spend time getting to know him or her over a weekend. During this weekend, the Committee members will interview pre-identified members of the candidate’s parish and/or other people in the candidate’s life, to find out more about the candidate and his or her ministry and leadership style. Also, the Committee members will attend a service led by the candidate, including listening to a sermon. Once these visits are completed, the Discernment Committee will gather once again to choose the final three candidates to be presented to the vestry.

As the chair of the Discernment Committee, I have been incredibly blessed with an amazing group of dedicated Messiah members. All of us love this parish and are committed to seeking God’s direction as we move forward. Here are some thoughts by Committee members regarding the interviews, which were held over two weeks in August:

“I have been uplifted by the candidates' expressions of their deep calling to ministry. It has reminded me that God calls us all to bring about His Kingdom. Their questions and responses challenge me to expand my understanding of the mission of the church and inspire me to look forward to the work yet to be done.”—Leonora Will

“It was great to finally see and hear each candidate on video and get a feel for their personalities. We had questions for each, but often it was their questions for us that were quite revealing. I had definite feelings of excitement interacting with certain ones especially. One of them will be our new rector! I am blessed to be part of this wonderful discernment group.”—Janet Hryniewicki

“This process has led us to question constantly our ideas of the identity of Church of the Messiah and to probe the difference between what makes us comfortable and what may be the way we are called to grow into the future. Also, we are seeing that the call to a new Rector will be a watershed both in that person’s life and in our life, and will require strenuous adjustments on both sides.”—Biff Baker

“This has been an exciting process, full of possibilities for Messiah's future. By interacting with the candidates, we have been learning about ourselves, as the Messiah community. As the candidates answered our thoughtful questions, we heard how they feel and believe about what our parish feels and believes. As they asked us questions, sometimes we got so excited answering and telling them about Messiah, that we had to stop, as we talked so much we had to remind ourselves that they had more questions for us. In each interview, the room was energized with the Holy Spirit who has been with us every step of the way. The Discernment Committee is a wonderful group so dedicated to the charge to recommend 3 candidates to the vestry to lead Messiah into the future, and I feel so blessed to have been part of this amazing experience.”—Carol Harvey

Please keep Messiah, the Discernment Committee and the candidates in your prayers as we move into the final stages of this process.