To our next rector,

As we gather each week to consider the future of St. Mary’s, we do so in prayer. As we contemplate, the presence of God is in our midst. We trust the Holy Spirit to guide us and to guide you in common discernment about our future ministries together.

In our Parish Profile, we have tried to share with you the things about us that we believe are significant. We have documented our history and described the way we worship and our common life of work and play. We have included pictures of our parish family to show you the faces of our Christian community. But of course, one face is missing – yours.

We look forward to having you among us in our sanctuary, among our children and teens, among all of us as we seek to serve God by serving others, at the table with us as we work together in God’s name to offer the gift of leadership to all. We look forward to sharing your faith and your vision.

We hope that you will enlighten us through preaching and teaching. We hope that you will counsel and guide us. We hope that you will challenge and equip us to fulfill our mission. We hope that you will lead us in prayer and worship and that we can walk together in mutual ministry.

We in turn promise to welcome you with open hearts and minds, to care for you and those you love, to be honest with you, and to support your efforts to the best of our abilities. We look forward to having you as a member of our parish family. In the meantime, may God guide us in our mutual discernment.

Faithfully yours,
The Search Committee

Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.

Matthew 13:52