Transition News
St. Michael & All Angels Office for Transition Ministry (OTM) Portfolio (March 13, 2023)
The Discernment Committee humbly and gratefully presents our parish’s OTM Portfolio, accessible by using either of the links below. Many thanks to our parishioners, clergy and Vestry for the feedback that helped the writing team improve the document and thanks to the Vestry for prompt review and approval!
As we continue to move forward together at the speed of trust, you in the congregation can help by sharing the above links and letting family, friends and acquaintances across the country know that we are looking for a new rector, and by continuing to volunteer generously your time, talents, and treasure to the parish to keep it a vital and healthy faith community. We are convinced that, with God’s grace, we will find the right person to shepherd us.
Revised OTM Portfolio (Feb. 28, 2023)
The Discernment Committee wants to thank everyone who provided feedback either at the OTM presentation sessions, or by email. We have been engaged in a process to incorporate that feedback in a thoughtful and prayerful manner, taking the time necessary to produce the most complete and accurate portfolio of the parish we can, given the constraints of the portfolio itself.
As a result, we have taken additional time to incorporate this feedback, and pushed back the publication of the portfolio with the Office of Transition Ministry. The revised OTM profile is accessible here:
As a result, we have taken additional time to incorporate this feedback, and pushed back the publication of the portfolio with the Office of Transition Ministry. The revised OTM profile is accessible here:
Revised OTM Portfolio
The Vestry is scheduled to review and approve a final version of the Portfolio on March 5, 2023.
The Discernment Committee asks for your prayers as we continue this process, offering the following prayer:
Merciful God, guide us and give us wisdom as we seek a new rector and leader at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. Open our minds and hearts to a deep awareness of your presence throughout the process. Give us an adventurous and willing spirit during this time of transition. Grant grace and commitment to those called to the Discernment Committee and Vestry. Help us all to see the needs of the whole parish and community as we search. All this we ask in your blessed name. Amen
As always, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to David Odegard at davidcodegard@gmail.com
The Discernment Committee asks for your prayers as we continue this process, offering the following prayer:
Merciful God, guide us and give us wisdom as we seek a new rector and leader at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. Open our minds and hearts to a deep awareness of your presence throughout the process. Give us an adventurous and willing spirit during this time of transition. Grant grace and commitment to those called to the Discernment Committee and Vestry. Help us all to see the needs of the whole parish and community as we search. All this we ask in your blessed name. Amen
As always, should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to David Odegard at davidcodegard@gmail.com
OTM Portfolio is Live! (Feb. 6, 2023)
The Discernment Committee proudly presents to the congregation a draft the parish’s OTM Portfolio, accessible by using this link:
Draft OTM Portfolio
This Portfolio was drafted primarily using the information from the listening sessions held in December and January. All of the answers provided in the listening sessions are accessible below. Any information that identified individual parishioners was redacted or anonymized, with brackets around any modified text.
A Message of Thanks (Jan. 22, 2023)
We want to thank the roughly 180 parishioners who contributed to and participated in the December and January listening sessions. And a special thank you to Sharon DeLand, David McGuire, and Denise Ulibarri Clauss for all their hard work organizing, planning, and coordinating those 14 listening sessions.
The Discernment Committee is compiling the information obtained from the sessions and preparing the draft portfolio that will be published with the Office of Transition Ministry to solicit for a new rector. The intention is to publish a draft of the portfolio to the parish in early February.
We have scheduled two question and answer sessions about the portfolio’s contents:
In-person potluck: February 12, 2023 at 12:30pm
Zoom session: February 15, 2023 at 6:00pm
Registration for these sessions will open in early February.
Where We've Been and Where We Are Going (Dec. 1, 2022)
The Discernment Committee has been hard at work not only planning for the listening sessions and the rest of the search and discernment process, but we've also taken the time to spiritually center ourselves, and acknowledge the work that's been done since Fr. Joe retired.
God has been with all of us this entire time, guiding the work that has been done, which can be seen in the 2022 Timeline Milestones graphic below:
God has been with all of us this entire time, guiding the work that has been done, which can be seen in the 2022 Timeline Milestones graphic below:
God will also guide the Discernment Committee moving forward. We have prepared a rough timeline that shows the milestones we have forthcoming that will lead the parish to call a new rector, visualized in the Transition Timeline below:
In the interim, if you have any questions about the Committee's work, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Discernment Committee at: transition@stmichaelsabq.org
Meet the Discernment Committee (Nov. 3, 2022)
The Vestry of St. Michael and All Angels is pleased to announce the Discernment Committee that will lead our search for a new rector. The committee consists of our two co-chairs: Liz Forster and David Odegard; six members of the congregation drawn from the distinguished pool of candidates: Bob Bowman, Grace Collins, Judy Fifield, David McGuire, Checky Okun, and Natty Plunkett; and three members of Vestry: Patrick Reilly (Senior Warden), Sharon DeLand, and Gary Jacobson.
We are grateful to all those who stood for consideration or nominated candidates. We look forward to being able to draw on those not selected as resources for congregational input and portfolio development or take on other roles within our parish.
Learn more about our Discernment Committee members below.
We are grateful to all those who stood for consideration or nominated candidates. We look forward to being able to draw on those not selected as resources for congregational input and portfolio development or take on other roles within our parish.
Learn more about our Discernment Committee members below.
Update on Transition (Aug. 22, 2022)
Thank you for holding us in prayer during the first few months of our transition to a new rector. With the presence of an interim rector, the vestry can now focus its attention on creating a Discernment Committee to lead us in reflection on our future pastoral needs and to conduct the search for a new rector.
As a congregation, we are in the initial stages of a long process that involves everyone. In A Change of Pastors, Loren Mead describes the five steps of the transition journey this way:
We are currently in the second step on this process, with some work still to do with the first step, reconciling the past, along with reconciling the present situation due to all the changes in our practices due to the Covid outbreak. However, there are a couple of items to bear in mind as we work through this in-between part of the transition. First, the third step, Self-study process, is much simpler than it was eight years ago, when we had to complete a parish profile. Second, we now have our interim rector who can help guide us through the process.
Canon Lee gave us excellent guidance as we began this transition, and all of what he said still holds true. This is a discernment process that requires a prayerful, considered approach. Also, it will work best to conduct our search in the Spring of 2023 when most of the other unfilled positions are being posted.
As we enter this process as an entire community, please prayerfully consider these words from Teilhard de Chardin:
As a congregation, we are in the initial stages of a long process that involves everyone. In A Change of Pastors, Loren Mead describes the five steps of the transition journey this way:
- Saying goodbye and reconciling with the past
- Discernment and direction finding
- Self-study
- Search
- Commitment to new direction in ministry
We are currently in the second step on this process, with some work still to do with the first step, reconciling the past, along with reconciling the present situation due to all the changes in our practices due to the Covid outbreak. However, there are a couple of items to bear in mind as we work through this in-between part of the transition. First, the third step, Self-study process, is much simpler than it was eight years ago, when we had to complete a parish profile. Second, we now have our interim rector who can help guide us through the process.
Canon Lee gave us excellent guidance as we began this transition, and all of what he said still holds true. This is a discernment process that requires a prayerful, considered approach. Also, it will work best to conduct our search in the Spring of 2023 when most of the other unfilled positions are being posted.
As we enter this process as an entire community, please prayerfully consider these words from Teilhard de Chardin:
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
To reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something
Unknown, something new.
Only God could say what this new spirit
Gradually forming within you will be.
Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
To reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something
Unknown, something new.
Only God could say what this new spirit
Gradually forming within you will be.
Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you.
Nuts & Bolts Forum: Sunday Worship and Music
offered in-person and via Zoom on Aug. 7 and Aug. 14, 2022
| nuts_and_bolts-worship_and_music.pptx |
