St. David's is searching for a new permanent rector. On this page you will find details about our search process, updates from our Discernment Committee, results of our parish survey, as well as our digital parish profile.
The application period will close May 10th, 2024
The Discernment Committee continues their work to develop a parish profile in the Rector search process. See below for more information about the Discernment Committee and their work.
If you have questions about the transition or discernment process, please let us know at
teamdiscernment@gmail.com
or
wardens@sdlife.org
Jim Tracy
Sr. Warden, Vestry
Jenifer Bluhm
Jr. Warden, Vestry
See our parish survey results here:
See our latest updates here:
Everyone serving on the committee is a member in good standing of St. David’s, has either been Confirmed or Received into the Episcopal Church, and is at least 16 years of age. All have been active in the life of the church with St. David’s ranging from 2 years to 20+.
Beyond these qualifications, these individuals love St. David’s; are open to all possibilities; are able to listen carefully, responsively, and respectfully; are able to hold all work and conversations in strict confidence; and are rooted in prayer and awareness of God’s presence and guidance.
The Discernment Committee will reach out to parishioners through surveys and, more importantly, listening sessions. The committee will use all of this and more to prepare a portfolio to present an honest picture of the St. David’s community to potential candidates to serve as our next spiritual leader. The committee will accept applications, pre-screen candidates, decide which to interview, select candidates who will visit St. David’s as a finalist, and make a final selection to present the candidate’s name to the Vestry.
Please give your thanks to these fellow parishioners who have offered to commit a significant amount of time and energy to the future of St. David’s.
Questions? Contact
teamdiscernment@gmail.com
Holy and loving God, grant us the peace that surpasses all human understanding. Reassure us by your presence at moments of doubt or uncertainty. Comfort us with the knowledge that all our concerns are under your care and are governed by your will. Give us ears to hear, eyes to see, wills to obey, and hearts to love, knowing that you are already at work doing infinitely more than we can ask or imagine, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The above link will provide some information from the Diocese on the transition process.
The Diocese of Virginia takes seriously the challenges and joys inherent in transition. Whether the incumbent rector, vicar or priest-in-charge is retiring or taking another call, this “in-between time” can be an opportunity for accepting the loss of a beloved shepherd, for healing old wounds, for discovering how the church and its surrounding community has changed since the last call, and for imagining how God is calling the church to be the Body of Christ now and in the future. There will be anxiety about this future, but, approached faithfully, there may also be great discovery and growth.
The Discernment Committee has been working very hard and St. David's has reached an important milestone in the process of finding our new rector.
Richard Easley and Mathew Verghese have shepherded the process to this point, along with the entire team - Anne Brown, H.L. Norwich, Dotty Eisenhour and Bob Chirles.
They have worked through discernment, surveys, focus groups and data analysis. Together the team has completed a big project to document who we are and what we are looking for - from philosophy and ministry to compensation.
Next, the Discernment Committee pivots to more outward-facing communications.
Richard and Mathew have done a huge labor, even with busy schedules of professional commitments, and they will be stepping down from the committee. They will continue to serve as a resource as the Discernment Committee enters Phase 2, reviewing and interviewing applicants. In addition, Mary McClintock will be rejoining the committee after taking some time off for family health needs, and Karl Colder will be joining to complete the Phase 2 group.
St. David's is in good hands and God has a plan for us.
Thanks so much to all those who have served and are serving in order to bring us the right person to take us forward.
The Discernment Committee has submitted the 12 questions required by the Diocese of Virginia for the Ministry Portfolio using input received by the congregation from our 2023 Survey and Town Hall events. We have received feedback from our Diocesean representative, the Reverend Shirley Graham, and will now submit with edits to the Vestry for feedback and approval. Once approved, the final Portfolio document will be uploaded to the web and then we will await interested candidates' responses, followed by scheduling of online and in-person interviews over the coming months. We welcome your prayers as we thoughtfully continue to seek the next rector for St. David's to lead us into the future.
On Sunday, Nov. 5th, 2023, after our 10am service, The Rev. Shirley Smith Graham (Transition Minister for the Diocese of Virginia) joined us to host a town hall meeting about the rector transition process. She was able to answer questions related to the discernment process.
We are preparing a document that will be used to help connect us to candidates who would be interested in applying and interviewing for the permanent position later in 2023.
Please know that we are grateful for your weekly/daily prayers and we will continue to work hard on your behalf. The committee co-leaders are Richard Easley and Matthew Verghese - you can contact them at DC@sdlife.org if you have further questions.
We wanted to let the congregation know that we at the “D.C.” remain diligent in our ongoing efforts to help St. David’s find a permanent pastor after Rev. Susan Pinkerton's Interim term is completed in 2024. We have completed a comprehensive survey sent out to parishioners to help define everyone's highest priorities. See the results of the survey here.