Rector Search

On June 20, 2010 the Vestry was pleased to announce that the Rev. Steve Keplinger, formerly of St. David's Episcopal Church, Page, AZ, had accepted the position of rector at Grace St. Paul's. Fr. Steve and his wife Jean officially began their ministry at GSP on Sunday, September 12, 2010.

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Our Transition Period in More Detail (2008-2010)

Summer 2008

The search process began in June after the retirement of our Rector, the Rev. Canon Gordon McBride.

In June, the Vestry called the Rev. Harold O. Clinehens, Jr. to serve as Interim Rector.

The Vestry selected the Search Committee in June and announced the members: Lynne Albright and Ernie Galaz, Co-Chairs; Chris Eastoe, Linda Hutson, Beth Lee, Dick Miya, Catherine Penn, Tom Pitello, Terry Shreve, Roger Swett and Virginia Zuelow.

In August, the Rev. Canon Frank Clark was assigned to Grace St. Paul's to assist us in the search process.

Fall 2008

The committee held its first organizational meeting Sept. 7. Ernie Galaz led the group in an exercise about decision-making styles designed to help the committee communicate with each other more effectively.

Canon Clark met with the committee on Sept. 14. He went over the entire search process, from coping with feelings of loss and grief, to describing the tasks of gathering information and developing a Parish Profile. Canon Clark also introduced the committee to Appreciative Inquiry (AI) and suggested that we consider using AI in our parish visioning process.

The Search Committee was officially commissioned at the 8 and 10 o'clock services on Sept. 21.

Throughout the fall, the committee discussed the issues of transition, studied written material on AI, and outlined the information that will be needed for the Parish Profile. Committee members were assigned to gather data on the following areas: GSP and Tucson Demographics, GSP Ministries, Parish History and a description of our Financial Status. We agreed our Vision for the Future would be developed using AI at a Parish Summit to be held sometime in the spring of 2009.

Winter 2009

At a retreat on Jan. 2-3, Canon Clark facilitated an Appreciative Inquiry process using focused questions about our experiences, values, and hopes for Grace St Paul's. We dialogued in pairs and then larger groups, discovering commonalities in our responses and crafting a statement that fully enveloped our common values and dreams for our parish. Going through this inspiring experience energized and bonded the group.

At the end of the retreat, the committee agreed that utilizing AI in the search process would allow members of the parish to share and listen to one another's stories of their best experiences at Grace St Paul's, along with their hopes and aspirations for the future of our congregation. We see this process as a very positive way of articulating a shared vision of the future for our next Rector, and for building new bonds of affection and fellowship within the parish.

The committee also developed a timeline for the remainder of the search.

Spring 2009

On March 21, the Parish Summit was attended by nearly 100 people who shared their stories, hopes and dreams for the future of our parish. Feedback from the event was overwhelmingly positive as attendees made new connections and experienced a shared vision. Following the Summit, search committee members began facilitating makeup interviews for those who were not able to attend.

On Sunday, March 29, Fr. Harold Clinehens announced that he would be leaving GSP to accept a call to serve as Rector at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Lodi, Calif. Fr. Harold expressed his deep desire to be of service in the rebuilding process now going on in the Diocese of San Joaquin. His last Sunday with us was May 17 and the parish held a celebration of the Clinehens' ministry at GSP.

Summer 2009

Bishop Kirk Smith met with the Vestry on May 7 to discuss options for a new interim rector. During the month of June, several candidates were vetted and in early July, the Vestry interviewed and called the Rev. Deborah Heathcock to serve as interim rector, beginning August 16.

The Search Committee met throughout the summer to sift through results of the Parish Summit and to create a narrative of those results for our Parish Profile. Various profile templates were studied and a "visual look" was identified. Members of the Committee took on the task of writing the various sections of the profile (i.e. "Worship," "Stewardship," "Spiritual Formation") and then worked together to create a coherent document.

Fall/Winter 2009

The Search Committee finished the task of gathering all the data to complete the job of writing the narrative portion of the Parish Profile. The Profile was edited, artwork and photos selected, and a design for the graphic layout was chosen. The completed Parish Profile was sent to Bishop Kirk Smith for review and approval in December 2009.

The Parish Profile (see link above) was published on the GSP website in mid-January and the position was listed with the Church Deployment Office; Diocesan office screened initial applicants for suitability.