Everything is awesome: A letter from our Senior Warden

Dear St. Andrew's Community,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Vestry and Staff of St. Andrew's.  As you know we are entering a time of transition with David Perkins' departure after serving as our Rector in the Interim.  I know I speak for all of us in thanking David for his ministry and wishing him the best in his future endeavors. 

The purpose of this note is to share with everyone that "everything is awesome!" My family really hates it when I use that phrase.  But it's true!  Saint Andrew's is really in an awesome place.  Attendance at worship and events is up.  Pledge commitments and giving are greater than in years past.  Our staff is having fun and motivated for success.  We have two new staff members who are specifically focused on EYC and Formation.  Our committee leaders and team members are in place and new things are happening every day.  The Day School has kicked off the new year educating more students than last year.  Our new website is up and running and is truly inviting and informative.  I could go on and on about all of the great things that are happening in our community because, "everything is awesome".

It also goes without saying that we are all anxious to bring closure to the search process and meet our new Rector.  Although I cannot give you a date that this individual will be joining us, the good news is that the process is going well, the search committee is in high spirits and we are heading into the final phase of the process.  You may recall that when we began this journey, we were told the average time frame is 24 months.  We are right on that target so I hope we can all be patient just a little longer. Think of this as Christmas time. As hard as it is to wait for Santa to come, somehow we all manage and Christmas Day is even more special after the anticipation.

Some more good news is that we have a great team in place to support our worship and pastoral care needs.  In addition to Travis and Kathy, we have two other Episcopal priests engaged, our Christian Formation leader, The Rev. Jen Kimball, and The Rev. Carol Chamberlain, a retired priest who regularly worships with us.  They are all committed to minister to our community during this time of transition.

In closing, many of you may remember the slogan that we printed on t-shirts at the beginning of the interim period, "Great Things Are Coming."  I think we need to get out our sharpies and update the slogan to read, "Great Things Are Here!"

Thank you for your continued support of our community. If you have any questions, concerns or needs, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or to one of the other members of the Vestry and Staff. 

Peace,

Michael Daniels

Senior Warden