A Letter to Our Next Rector
We are glad that your ministry journey and our search for a new Rector have intersected. We believe that God has already chosen our new Rector. You may very well be that person and we are eager to meet you.
St. Mary’s is a vibrant, generous and hospitable parish. We have a heart for encouraging each other, caring for those in need or difficulty and helping a hurting world. While cherishing our Episcopal traditions, we embrace change and are good at “trying on” new ideas and ways of being the Body of Christ in the world. We pray for a new priest and pastor who will help us explore new ways to worship, put our faith into action, serve God and our neighbors and grow together in faithful fellowship and witness.
As a parish, we are deeply invested in many inward- and outward-reaching ministries that serve God’s holy purposes and stretch us spiritually. Parishioners are committed to the daily and devoted work of being the hands and feet of Our Lord Jesus in this time and place. We love God, St. Mary’s and the community of which we are a part, and we are open to God’s missional movement and call among us in an ever-changing culture.
And lest you think this all sounds too good to be true, we want to acknowledge our challenges. We have a large and aging infrastructure that requires upkeep and repair beyond the constraints of our annual budget. We have a modest endowment. We need to conduct a capital campaign. We aspire to become a congregation that more closely mirrors the community in which God has placed us. Our congregation remains large of heart, but our numbers are slowly dwindling.
Our deep desire is to grow our church in strength and conviction to serve Christ. We hear Christ’s command to go into the world in peace and love. We look forward to working with the faithful spiritual leader God sends us to serve the greater Manchester area and beyond and to maintain and grow our Christ-centered community of faith.
We eagerly anticipate meeting you and learning how, together, we can respond most fully to God’s call to us.
St. Mary’s Discernment Committee
We are glad that your ministry journey and our search for a new Rector have intersected. We believe that God has already chosen our new Rector. You may very well be that person and we are eager to meet you.
St. Mary’s is a vibrant, generous and hospitable parish. We have a heart for encouraging each other, caring for those in need or difficulty and helping a hurting world. While cherishing our Episcopal traditions, we embrace change and are good at “trying on” new ideas and ways of being the Body of Christ in the world. We pray for a new priest and pastor who will help us explore new ways to worship, put our faith into action, serve God and our neighbors and grow together in faithful fellowship and witness.
As a parish, we are deeply invested in many inward- and outward-reaching ministries that serve God’s holy purposes and stretch us spiritually. Parishioners are committed to the daily and devoted work of being the hands and feet of Our Lord Jesus in this time and place. We love God, St. Mary’s and the community of which we are a part, and we are open to God’s missional movement and call among us in an ever-changing culture.
And lest you think this all sounds too good to be true, we want to acknowledge our challenges. We have a large and aging infrastructure that requires upkeep and repair beyond the constraints of our annual budget. We have a modest endowment. We need to conduct a capital campaign. We aspire to become a congregation that more closely mirrors the community in which God has placed us. Our congregation remains large of heart, but our numbers are slowly dwindling.
Our deep desire is to grow our church in strength and conviction to serve Christ. We hear Christ’s command to go into the world in peace and love. We look forward to working with the faithful spiritual leader God sends us to serve the greater Manchester area and beyond and to maintain and grow our Christ-centered community of faith.
We eagerly anticipate meeting you and learning how, together, we can respond most fully to God’s call to us.
St. Mary’s Discernment Committee