Tacoma, WA 98465
As I write this I have just left a Vestry meeting, a meeting conducted on Zoom, in which the Vestry considered many 
things that are ahead for Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church of Tacoma. Those things under consideration I list here, now, in no particular order, for you to ponder and wonder about their importance in the mission of Saint Andrew’s.
Profile Committee – This is that committee that would set about questioning the congrega- tion to determine the identity of Saint Andrew’s. Who are we? Who do we wish to be? What would we like to do to further our Christian walk to be who we are in the eyes of God. The committee that the Vestry is currently working to call and appoint will ask these questions with an aim to create “Saint Andrew’s Profile”. That profile will be what a prospective candidate for the position of Rector to Saint Andrew’s reads in order to decide whether they are a good fit to the open position. Also, by examining that profile it becomes a tool that will be used by our search committee, that committee that will search for our new rector, to determine whether one candidate or another will be a good fit to Saint Andrew’s.
The Search Committee – This is that aforementioned committee that will actively look at applicants to the position of Rector of Saint Andrew’s. They will sift through applicants, interview some, visit and in some cases attend a church where a priest currently serves with an aim to determine whether or not that priest is truly a good fit for Saint Andrew’s. Over a period of time that could last for several months, perhaps longer, this committee may arrive at a single candidate to present to the vestry, who may call that priest to be Saint Andrew’s next Rector.
A Capital Campaign committee – As you may know Saint Andrew’s has been considering a renovation of our kitchen for a few years now. In January of 2020, at that year’s annual meeting, a kitchen renovation committee presented to the congregation a plan for that renovation. They have since been tasked with scaling back the scope of that renovation and the congregation has been recently presented with that new plan. The Vestry has heard overwhelming support of that plan from the congregation, and we now must raise funds to cover the costs of that renovation. The Capital Campaign committee will be that entity that raises those funds by soliciting members for monetary pledges.
Youth and Sunday School programs – Is it now time to restart our programs for Church School and for programs that support our youth? Are we ready to have children back in church every Sunday? Are we ready and able to support a program that caters to the youth of our church family? These are all questions that the Vestry wrestles with while we consider the needs of the younger members of our congregation.
Celtic Faire – To put on Saint Andrew’s October Celtic Faire event as we have done in the past it takes 10-12 leaders to meet 5-6 times over the course of 2-3 months to discuss and decide on what is included in the running of the Celtic Faire. Do we have those leaders in the congrega- tion now? Do we have the others that also work in the days leading up to the Faire and on the day of the Celtic Faire
And of course, we continue to work through the pandemic, forcing all of us to think about all of the precautions that we take when gathering in the sanctuary for worship. You should have received an email with a link to a survey from Father Tom that the Vestry will use to gauge the needs and feelings of the congregation when it comes to precautions that we take on Sundays. Holy week and Easter will soon be upon us. How will we continue to keep socially distant? Will we ask people to continue to wear masks? How do the people of Saint Andrew’s feel about these things? The Vestry will only know how we go forward with these decisions with input from you.
What is realistic to expect the body of Saint Andrew’s to take on after working through the long tiring journey that has been the coronavirus pandemic. Is this the right time to be raising money for a new kitchen? We have the work of calling a new Rector. Can we afford not to put more effort into that? Should we be concentrating on those things that sustained us as a body of Christ before the pandemic put all of that on hold?, ie. Youth, Celtic Faire, Adult Ed, Food Bank, and numerous other programs. I guess, in presenting all the decision-making that the Vestry must do, I ask, the Vestry asks, that you pray to God about all these things. Ask that He give Saint Andrew’s, not just the Vestry, direction, guidance. It is in Him that we will do his best work if He can show us the best path.
Thank you and God Bless
Norbert
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