Introduction

Dear Parishioners and guests.  The Church of the Ascension Search Committee is energetically working with Diocesan representatives and our Search Consultant to identify our parish's  needs to find the perfect Rector for our church family.  We are currently blessed to have The Rev. Caron Gwynn serving as our interim Rector.  Rev. Gwynn has been supporting our business and spiritual needs since December 2009 and has helped us explore a variety of new ideas and styles of worship.

The Search Committee is currently working on the Parish Profile; one of the first steps in the Search Process outlined in the graphic below.  The parish has completed two surveys: the Parish Demographic and the Parishioner Opinion Survey.  Preliminary results of the Demographic survey are available here.  The Parish Opinion survey results are being tabulated at this time and will be presented here.  A third survey is currently in development to collect additional information to help the Search Committee finalize the Parish Survey; a critical step in beginning the search for our permanent Rector.

This portion of the Ascension Web Site will always be in a constant state of development.  Please pardon our growth as we bring all the search information to you.  If you have any ideas or suggestions to make the site more intuitive and informative, please contact the Web Site Administrator.  Comments, suggestions, and recommendations are always welcome.

This page can be reached by bookmarking http://search.churchoftheascension-patuxent.org

The Process

The graphic below shows the notional process and search plan that the Search Committee is following.  Every Parish is different so there will always be some sort of variation, but the process always begins with the Parish Profile.  The Profile identifies the needs of the Parish so that both Ascension and prospective candidates for the Rector position can understand the wants and needs of the parish so that the perfect match can be made.  This section will be updated further as the Parish Profile is developed.

Search Committee

The Search Committee is staffed by the following Parishioners:

Meeting Minutes

 

Meeting Minutes will be posted in the future.  Please pardon the delay as this section of the Web Site is developed.

• November 22, 2009

• April 11, 2010: Focus Group Discussions

Parish Survey

Thank you for the tremendous response to the first Demographic and Parishioner Opinion  Surveys!  The Demographic Parish Survey was closed on March 31, 2010 and the .Parishioner Opinion Survey was closed on 30 April 2010.  This second survey collected more specific opinion and personal desires to address the spiritual wants and needs of the congregation. 

All the information gathered from the surveys will be used to develop the criteria by which we will chose our permanent Rector.  The information that each parish family provided will ensure that the Search Committee can find the right Pastor for Ascension.  The Opinion survey was to be completed by ALL members at least age 14. 

For future surveys, whether you are a longtime parish member, just visit Ascension occasionally, or are thinking about becoming a member, please take the time to provide your inputs.  It will be your personal contribution to finding the perfect Pastor for Ascension.

• Survey 1: Demographic Survey (preliminary, final coming soon)

• Survey 2: Parishioner Opinion (coming soon)

• Search Committee Status Presentation (coming soon)

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Search Updates

 

May 31, 2011:  The Vestry has chosen our new Rector, The Reverend Sherrill Page.  Rev. Page will begin her journey with us on July 1^st.  Please join us in worship on Sunday, July 3^rd and welcome her to Ascension during her first service.

 

May 22, 2011:  The Vestry has chosen our new Rector.  Due to privacy issues, the name of our new Rector cannot be released until all business matters have been completed and the Bishop approves the selection.  This should be completed in the next few weeks.  Once the information is made public it will be posted here.

 

May 5, 2011:  The committee has chosen three candidates and presented them to the Vestry.  The Vestry met with the candidates and will present their selection to the parish later this month.

 

February 4, 2011: The committee plans to schedule visits to rector candidates' parishes to hear them preach. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.

 

January 4, 2011: In January, the committee plans to perform longer interviews with top candidates (maybe 6); schedule visits to Rector parishes to hear rectors preach; schedule retreat with new vestry to explain progress and update schedule.

 

December 4, 2010: The Search Committee reviewed 33 resumes for prospective candidates and contacted 7 candidates for introductory phone interviews.  Four phone interviews were completed on December 1^st and three phone interviews on December 8^th.  The Committee plans to perform longer interviews with top candidates (maybe 6) later  in January 2011, schedule visits to prospective candidate's parishes to hear them preach, and schedule a retreat with the new vestry to explain progress and update schedule.

 

November 4, 2010: Our Church Profile is posted below. We opened our rector search on October 6, 2010 and have received over 30 resumes through the Diocese. The reputation of Church of the Ascension for strong out-reach programs, caring parishioners and a robust music program is well know within and outside EDOW.  The window for accepting resumes will be closed on November 12 and then we will begin personal interviews. Please pray for the search committee and the candidates applying so that God may lead us to a candidate who best suites our church family and local community.

 

October 4, 2010: On Sept 26, 2010 the Vestry approved the revised Church Profile that has been worked on during the summer by the Search Committee. This revision of the Profile reduced the size of the Profile from 16 to 8 pages, and added some ideas on Sustainable Ministries suggested by some of our parishioners and by the Bishop. The Search Committee submitted the Profile to the Bishop on Sept 26 and the Profile was approved by the Bishop with minor modifications on Sept 28. This week the Profile will be posted on our COA web site http://www.churchoftheascension-patuxent.org/ and we will begin to accept resumes from the Diocese. The open period for accepting applicants will be 6 weeks and we will be working with the Deployment office at the Diocese to receive resumes. If anyone knows of a suitable applicant, please have them contact the Deployment office at the Diocese http://www.edow.org/ or Mary Sulerud at Msulerud@edow.org This process must be done in strict confidence so no updates will be given during this review process.

 

Approved Parish Profile (Final)

 

Tom DeSelms
Chair Search Committee
 

August 22, 2010: Since the Bishop's visit in July the Search Committee has been making changes to the Parish Profile per the Bishop's and The Rev. Mary Sulerud’s (EDOW) comments and reducing the size of the profile.  The areas reduced or removed from the Profile will be moved to the Ascension web site.  Per the Bishops comments, the Search Committee has begun to canvas people within the congregation on existing ministries or new ministries that Ascension might grow.  If you have ideas for partnering or new ministries please let a Search Committee or Vestry member know.  These will be discussed with the Vestry and the congregation and a summary will be included in the Profile.  The Search Committee and the Vestry have met and have started to develop a plan to address the Bishop's policy letter on Sustainable Ministries and what it means to Ascension.