When we began our Transition journey, we were advised to be vigilant about our Parish health as many congregations experience a drop in engagement and/or funds. This is typically related to the uncertainty of the path ahead.
To date, we really have not been impacted in this way. Our energy and engagement are high, and we seem to be enjoying our journey together.
However, we just have experienced our first significant shortfall in funds.
As of September 30, our YTD revenue has not met our budgeted revenue. You can see this in the graph provided monthly by the Finance Committee:
Until now, we have been close to budget even though we have had other months where giving did not meet expectations. This is because giving in the early part of the year was extremely high.
You can help by ensuring that your pledge is up to date. We urge you to generously support us so that we may continue to be the Parish we all envision.
As always, please contact us at if you have questions or comments.
Blessings,
The Transition Communications Committee
Dan Becker, Kathy Fox, C.J. Joplin-Jack, Andrew Miller and Sue Morse
We are pleased to announce that we have formed a Rector Search Committee. Kathy Asta, Jerry Hauser, Mary Beth Lewis, Jennifer Pensy, Jacob Rudolph and John Steiner all have accepted the call to be Committee members along with Co-Chairs, Terzah Becker and Wayne Grider. Laura Ferenc will continue to serve as Chaplain to the search process.
Our goal was to form a committee that represents as closely as possible the rich spectrum of our parish’s ministries, gifts, and demographics. Thank you to the many who applied. We are blessed to have such an engaged congregation.
The Search Committee will receive applications from the Diocesan Canon for Transition and Wellness, the Rev. Canon Vanessa Stickler Glass. This will occur after the Parish Profile is completed and posted. From these applications, the Search Committee will present to the Vestry 2-4 candidates they could support as Rector. It will then be the Vestry’s task to call our next Rector.
Please join me in thanking Kathy, Jerry, Mary Beth, Jennifer, Jacob, John, Terzah, Wayne and Laura for serving our community.
And please pray for the Search Committee as they begin their work together over the next few weeks. We recognize that, while we at St. John’s have been working to discern God’s call to us, our potential candidates are doing the same. We have faith that God will be present with us and our candidates as we take this next step in our transition process.
Blessings,
Sue Morse
Senior Warden
Search Committee Members
Kathy Asta
Attends: 9:30 service
St. John’s member: 8 years; recently retired Chief of Staff for two large pharmaceutical companies
Ministries: Choir and Choir Guild Chair, multiple Choir Director Search Committees, President of prior congregation
Skills: Strong listening skills, considers perspective of others in decision-making and works toward community-building when engaged with others, extensive committee and group interaction work
Jerry Hauser
Attends: 7:30 service
St. John’s member: 11 years; retired academic; PhD. in Communication, Director of Graduate Studies and CU Faculty Ombudsman
Skills: Mediating differences of opinion, communication, intentional listening, significant committee and Search Committee work
Mary Beth Lewis
Attends: 7:30 & 9:30 services
St. John’s member: 34 years; Parenting teenagers plus three grown children, Professor CU Leeds School of Business, retired CFO for major food and grocery companies
Ministries: Finance Committee, Catechist for young children, Discernment Committee, Past Director of St. John’s Soup Kitchen, Eucharistic Minister
Skills: Critical discernment skills for people and situations, handling demanding, high-pressure tasks, effectively working with committee and board members
Jenn Pensy
Attends: 9:30 service
St. John’s member: 8 years; Parenting three young children involved in Youth and Family Formation, past President of elementary school PTO, led executive board and multiple committees, freelance marketing/web designer
Ministries: Youth and Faith Formation Search Committees, Sunday school teacher, Faith Formation Planning Committee, St. John’s Players, St. John’s Soup Kitchen
Skills: Excellence in communications, rapport- and consensus-building, listening to needs of others and visioning future outcomes, managing multiple tasks and deadlines
Jacob Rudolph
Attends: 9:30 service
St. John’s member: 1.75 years; Executive Director of The Pride Network, former member Boulder Chamber Orchestra Board of Directors, Forbes 30 Under 30 selectee, beginning graduate studies at Institute of Taoist Education and Acupuncture
Ministries: Leads Yoga in the Church, Master of Ceremonies for St. John’s Run for the Roses fundraiser
Skills: Strong interviewing experience, servant leadership approach to committee work, honoring all stakeholders while striving for a common purpose
John Steiner
Attends: 9:30 service
St. John’s member: 3 years; Parenting two young children involved in Family Formation, Supply chain and IT Project Management for Fortune 500 corporations to small startup companies
Ministries: Teaching children’s Sunday School, Youth Leader, adult small group leadership
Skills: Works to find common ground, strong process approach to conversations and talent discernment, patience, simplifying issues to core elements, working with a variety of cross-functional teams and individuals, assessing individual and team performance
Terzah Becker
Attends 9:30 service
St. John’s member: 13 years; Parenting two teenagers involved in Youth Formation and as Acolytes, Librarian for Boulder Public Library, freelance editing and writing of book reviews for Good Reads and Publisher’s Weekly, Leads library Drop-in Tech program
Skills: Strong team leader, well organized, excellent communicator, extensive hiring experience, strong listening and writing skills
Wayne Grider
Attends: 9:30 service
St. John’s member: 9 years; retired executive from Fortune 500 company, experience in non-profit and corporate leadership, marketing, project management, organizational development
Ministries: Multiple church Search Committees, former Vestry member for two churches, Usher, Food Insecurity Social Action Ministry
Skills: Building teams, collaborative leadership, project management, extensive hiring experience
Laura Ferenc
Attends: 9:30 service
St. John’s member: 16 years; retired engineer, owned accounting/bookkeeping business, certified in Healing Touch
Ministries: Chaplain for the Profile and Search Committees, Daughters of the King; Healing Prayer Ministry
We are often asked, “How are we doing?”. Sometimes this question is referring to the search for our next Rector, and sometimes it is referring to our finances.
Search for Our Next Rector: We feel very good about where we are in the process, with the Profile Committee nearing completion of the Parish Profile and the Search Committee being formed. We are about where we should be process-wise! We are now assessing what it might take to recruit our next Rector. Because we live in an area where the cost-of-living is high and we are in a competitive situation with other parishes, we all can expect significantly higher budget needs in 2024.
Parish Finances: We are tracking well to our budget. Our annual budget contains both what we expect to spend and what we expect to receive. This means that, while under budget, our giving is tracking closely to what we expected. It also means that our clergy and staff have done a great job in managing expenses. They are very creative! Since 34 percent of our giving is expected to come in during the final quarter of the year. we can quickly fall behind if giving is under what is expected.
The Finance Committee has been working on a means to provide you with greater visibility of the numbers. They are posting a summary of our monthly financial status in the Eagle and will hold an, “Everything You Always Wanted To Know About St. John’s Finances, But Were Afraid To Ask,” session in the fall. Look for details to come!
As always, please contact us at if you have questions or comments.
Blessings,
The Transition Communications Committee
Dan Becker, Kathy Fox, C.J. Joplin-Jack, Andrew Miller and Sue Morse
The Transition Communications Committee recently brought to my attention that there was some confusion around who on staff is doing what in the Pastoral Care of members of the Parish and beyond. At the most basic level that answer is, whoever is present and available at the time that a request comes in. And at least one of the clergy is always available.
Of course, you can request to meet with a particular priest if that is your preference. For Counseling, both Pastor Julia and I have a “three meetings max” rule. Neither of us are formally trained counselors, we love to hear your story and point you to things that you had perhaps not seen before, but we do know our limitations and refer you to trained counselors when we know that we will not be able to meet your need. Financial assistance through the Clergy Discretionary Account is administered by either one of us, and both of us make hospital visits and pre-surgery calls as needed. Funerals mostly are determined by the clergy not traveling on the day of the service, though the unofficial rule has been that funerals for active church members are handled by Pastor Julia (as available) and funerals for people who neither of us had met are conducted by me (again, as available). Depending on his availability and prior involvement with the parishioner or family, Father Marc also holds funerals, and makes home visits.
St. John’s has the great honor of two retired clergy making regular calls on members unable to join us for worship in person. Both Father Albert and Father Will have established home visit relationships that sometimes have lasted for decades. I am grateful for their ministry. And Father Marc just recently reactivated the Eucharistic Ministry at St. John’s through which he sends trained parishioners, with reserve sacrament, to share communion after worship with people at home.
Our biggest concern about clergy availability for Pastoral Care at St. John’s, as is the case in many congregations, is that sometimes we are expected to know of illness, hospitalizations, or deaths without being told. So I ask you to please let us know. Chris Williamson, who serves as our communications person, administers the Prayer list and can add your name to it or remove it. Should you want to add someone else’s name to it, please first obtain their permission. Chris also will share the information with the clergy. Daughters of the King, a wonderful ministry dedicated to prayer, also accepts prayer requests, either called in or left on a Welcome Card in the offering plate on Sunday mornings.
If in doubt, please email us at or call the church at (303)442-5246. The Rector transition should not affect the availability of Pastoral Care. All of us are honored to be part of this ministry.
Though we may be in the midst of summer vacation season, the St. John’s Profile Committee continues their work drafting our profile, giving thoughtful and prayerful attention to this foundational part of our search effort.
A significant part of the Profile Committee’s charge was to seek input from – and prayerfully listen to – the congregation. We are grateful to each member of our parish who has shared their perspective, thankful that the Profile Committee has taken such a broad-based approach to their task, and, as Vestry members, grateful that the input the Profile Committee has received can also be used today, as we collectively seek to live into God’s calling and serve the needs of our congregation and community.
One tool that the Profile Committee used – the CAT survey from Holy Cow! Consulting – has been particularly helpful in answering two questions on the top of the Vestry’s collective mind: is our joyful experience of St. John’s representative of the congregation’s experience, and are the investments we have made on the congregation’s behalf bearing fruit?
To our great joy, the survey indicates that the answer to each of those questions is a resounding “Yes!” It is clear from the survey that each of us, no matter our layperson role, tenure as a member, or service we attend, experiences the same St. John’s.
The survey also revealed that each of you are seeing – and valuing – the fruits of our recent investments in our Music and Faith Formation programs. We have reestablished our investment in Faith Formation at 50 percent higher than 2019 levels and increased our investment in the Music program by 25 percent. The congregation’s investment in this important work has enriched our life as a parish, provided a more welcoming environment for families and increased our opportunities to serve the greater Boulder community.
This is not to say that our work is done – the survey results made clear that we collectively have work to do in our outreach to our community and our service to those in times of need.
As we reflect on the survey results and on our individual experiences at St. John’s, we rejoice that our congregation is well served, not only holistically, but also specifically in the Music and Faith Formation programs in which we have invested so much. And, if the survey results are anywhere near as accurate as the statisticians tell us they are, we know that you are rejoicing, too. Thanks be to God!
As always, please contact us at if you have questions or comments.
Blessings,
The Transition Communications Committee
Dan Becker, Kathy Fox, C.J. Joplin-Jack, Andrew Miller and Sue Morse
Our Parish has been a fixture in Boulder for almost 150 years. During these many years we’ve found ways to care for those in need while also ministering to our own congregation. We’ve never been a wealthy Parish, but through careful stewardship and God’s abundance we’ve had enough for ourselves and others, even in lean times like the Pandemic. Or, now, while we are between Rectors. The Bible verses from Jeremiah 17:7-8 come to mind:
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.
They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green;
In the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.
Now that the recent 6 weeks of rain has receded and the heat of summer is upon us, these verses seem a lovely metaphor for our careful stewardship of God’s abundance.
The Summer Solstice has passed and the days are hot, and it is a time to slow down and reflect.
Almost half of 2023 has passed. Did we spend that six months of time and money wisely? Did we do the right things to help all of us (and especially our children) make the huge adjustment to post-Pandemic life? Did we give our share of time and money to ensure Parish formation, worship, administrative and social action ministries operated effectively?
To give us a new outlook on these questions we’ve invited our Diocesan Canon for Communication, Mike Orr (The Wizard of Orr) to speak to us the evening of July 27. We’ve heard from several reliable sources that he is an expert on the subject as well as being a fabulous and fun speaker. Dinner will be offered beforehand at a nominal charge. You’ll be hearing more about this event in the coming weeks, and we hope you’ll Save-the-Date in your calendar and make time to attend!
As always, please contact us at if you have questions or comments.
Blessings,
The Transition Communications Committee
Dan Becker, Kathy Fox, C.J. Joplin-Jack, Andrew Miller and Sue Morse
Summer is upon us! Our services will have that summer look with the choir and faith formation programs on summer break. Yet, our journey together living in Christ continues. Our clergy and staff will continue to be here for us, as they have been all year. They even are offering a new program, Vacation Bible School, for our children and youth.
You gave generously in 2022, and we built our 2023 budget based on sustaining that level of giving. Thank you! Let’s keep it up through the summer so our vibrant St. John’s family can continue to do Christ’s work in the world!
As always, please contact us at if you have questions or comments.
Blessings,
The Transition Communications Committee
Dan Becker, Kathy Fox, C.J. Joplin-Jack, Andrew Miller and Sue Morse
Thank you to everyone who participated in our first Parish Profile Listening Session! The Listening Sessions will continue in June, both in person and via Zoom.
Many of the questions in the Congregational Assessment Tool survey may have stimulated further thoughts you would like to share with the Profile Committee. Or, you may not have had a chance to complete the survey and still want to share your input. The Listening Sessions are another opportunity for you to be heard.
These sessions will be facilitated discussions where everyone will be heard in a respectful and safe environment. They are not debates, but each speaker will have equal time. Each session will be limited to one hour.
Please see the schedule in this week’s Profile Committee article and choose a time that works for you.
Your input is valued and needed as together we develop a vision for St. John’s future.
Blessings,
The Transition Communications Committee
Dan Becker, Kathy Fox, C.J. Joplin-Jack, Sue Morse and Andrew Miller
Thank you to everyone who completed the Congregation Assessment Tool survey! We now begin the next phase of developing our Parish Profile with Listening Sessions, both in person and via Zoom.
Many of the questions in the survey may have stimulated further thoughts you would like to share with the Profile Committee. Or, you may not have had a chance to complete the survey and still want to share your input. The Listening Sessions are another opportunity for you to be heard.
These sessions will be facilitated discussions where everyone will be heard in a respectful and safe environment. They are not debates, but each speaker will have equal time. Each session will be limited to one hour.
Please see the schedule in this week’s Profile Committee article and choose a time that works for you.
Your input is valued and needed as together we develop a vision for St. John’s future.
Blessings,
The Transition Communications Committee
Dan Becker, Kathy Fox, C.J. Joplin-Jack, Sue Morse and Andrew Miller
Monday, May 15, will be your last chance to complete the Parish Profile Survey online! (Paper copies must be returned to the church office by 1pm on Friday, May 12.) Don’t miss this opportunity to make your voice heard in developing our Parish Profile. This is an essential step in our Rector search.
Our Junior Warden, Chris Myatt, shares his experience in completing the survey below:
The Parish Profile survey is a chance to help steer the direction of the church. It is structured to assess each member’s personal views and beliefs, and then moves on to goals, strategic direction, and participation in church life. These are vital elements of our community here, and these survey results will help guide the selection of the next Rector.
As with many surveys, there are many questions. I personally go with my ‘gut’ answer immediately, and doing so took 20 or 25 minutes. Afterwards, many questions stimulated further thought. It is worth the time, and we all appreciate everyone’s help in defining our congregation.
As always, please contact us at if you have questions or concerns.
Blessings,
The Transition Communications Committee
Dan Becker, Kathy Fox, C.J. Joplin-Jack, Andrew Miller and Sue Morse
On Monday evening, Dan Becker, a member of the Vestry and the Transition Communications Committee, completed the Parish Profile survey. He offers some thoughts on the survey and the importance of its role as St. John’s begins the process of creating our Parish Profile:
A hundred questions sounds like a lot, and so I was somewhat dreading the process of filling out the Parish Profile survey. In the end, it took under 30 minutes and made me feel better about the process St. John’s is going through in order to find a new Rector.
Among other items, the survey includes general questions about how satisfied you are with how things are at St. John’s, asks you to think about the areas where you think St. John’s needs to invest significant additional energy and asks you to rank what aspects of worship are and aren’t important to you. The questions were interesting, and answering them wasn’t an unpleasant experience at all.
After completing the survey, I was taken to a web page explaining why the survey is so important: “Research shows that leaders do not have a broad enough level of interaction with members to accurately gauge the perspectives of the entire church. Their natural tendency to relate to a relatively small percentage of the congregation results in a view of the entire congregation that is skewed.”
The best way to ensure that the search for our next Rector is not “skewed” in this way is to have as wide participation in the Parish Profile process as possible. The survey is an important first step in that process and will lead into more free-form listening sessions to be held later this spring and summer. I’d invite everyone at St. John’s to take less than 30 minutes out of their day between now and May 15 to answer the survey!
The Transition Communications Committee members all have taken the survey, concur with Dan and strongly encourage each member of the Parish to participate by completing the survey.
As always, please contact us at if you have any questions or concerns.
Blessings,
The Transition Communications Committee
Dan Becker, Kathy Fox, C.J. Joplin-Jack, Andrew Miller and Sue Morse
The word, “discernment,” has been used several times in Weekly Eagle Transition articles to date. What does the word mean when used in this way?
Two secular definitions for discernment are:
the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure
the ability to judge well
In the Episcopal Church, we may have heard of someone contemplating entering the priesthood or diaconate as someone in the “discernment process,” where the postulant and advisors determine how closely their gifts and experience match the unique and current challenges of ordained ministry.
But all of us, by virtue of our Baptismal Covenant, are asked to “discern” how best we can serve God. Looking at the Covenantal questions four through eight to which we respond, “I will, with God’s help,” we promise to:
continue in teaching, fellowship and communal meals
resist sin and repent when we fall into sin
proclaim the Good News of God in Christ
seek and serve Christ in all persons, as stated in the second Great Commandment
strive for justice, peace and the dignity of every human being
In other words, we must discern who God wants us to be, even as laity in the Church! We may not be ordained, but we still are ministers! How do we accomplish this? By asking the following questions to determine our gifts:
What activities in your life do you consider life-giving?
What activities make you feel closer to humankind? To God?
Where do your gifts meet the world’s needs?
We also must discern who God wants us to be as a Parish in the spiritual process of calling a new Rector. Just as each of us children of God is unique, so is each Parish. Thus, each Parish is called by God to a unique mission.
We at St. John’s must articulate and envision our story. We must take a prayerful pause from our usual activities and listen for God’s guidance. In our listening we must allow the space and time for God to lead us forward. Then, with God’s help, we need to think and react communally.
The Profile Committee will guide us through this process with a questionnaire and group sessions. At its completion we will be able to “grasp, comprehend and judge well,” or discern, where God is leading us. Then, we will share our story online with potential Rector candidates.
At the same time a yet unknown-to-us clergy person will be discerning THEIR call to lead US.
St. John’s story will bring us together. Thanks be to God!
Blessings,
The Transition Communications Committee
Dan Becker, Kathy Fox, C.J. Joplin-Jack, Andrew Miller and Sue Morse.
