815 Wilmot Road Deerfield, Illinois

Transcription

1 ARIS RO IL Wilmot Road Deerfield, Illinois

2 ABOUT ST. GREGORY S Our Mission St. Gregory s mission is to receive and share God s love through worship and fellowship so we may seek and serve Christ in others. We have a strong tradition of deep parishioner involvement in carrying out this mission - within the Parish as well as more widely in our community and the world. Our Call We seek a rector who is committed to our mission, brings dynamic vision and leadership to our ministries, and will champion our spiritual growth through: Vibrant liturgy that enriches our spirituality Varied opportunities for people to get together in shared interests and service Visible presence and action in our community Our Identity HOSPITABLE MANY FAITH BACKGROUNDS FRIENDLY VARIETY OF COMMUNITIES Welcoming MUSIC ACTIVITIES/SOCIALS YOUTH Connected St. Gregory s Concerned SUPPORT MISSIONS/TITHE HEALING SMALL GROUP RELATIONSHIPS Spiritually Vital LEARN NEW WAYS TO ENCOUNTER GOD OPEN TO CHANGE 815 Wilmot Road Deerfield, Illinois p.1

3 ST. GREGORY S WORSHIP AND MINISTRIES Our Liturgy In keeping with our identity as a community of believers with many different spiritual needs, St. Gregory s offers three distinct services each Sunday 8:00 AM a r u 9:00 AM t r rat a r u rat t a ar t rar t tur a r a ut r a r a r a a t ur t a r t r 11:00 AM r r a r u t tra t a u A mid-week service of healing is held on Wednesdays at 7 00am to celebrate oly Communion with music. This service is followed by a light breakfast and fellowship. Sunday school for children and youth is held between the 9 00am and 11 00am services. Adult forums are also held during this time. A more intentional program for adult education is a strong desire of parishioners. In addition to Sunday morning services, middle-school and high-school youth groups meet Sunday evenings during the academic year for worship and fellowship together. 815 Wilmot Road Deerfield, Illinois p.2

4 ST. GREGORY S WORSHIP AND MINISTRIES Our Ministries, Activities, and Organizations St. Gregory s is a parish of active ministries carried out by many. Four ministries serve as pillars in our faith community: MUSIC Our worship is enhanced by a lively and diverse music program led by our music director. An adult choir with professional soloists, The Gregorys worship band, and pick-up groups provide opportunities for parishioner involvement at every service. PASTORAL CARE There are currently four certified Pastoral Care Visitors at St. Gregory s. These individuals, in addition to the clergy, provide hospital and home visits and communion to parishioners in need. They help maintain connections to the parish at times when people are most likely to need it and least likely to be able to come to church. CHILDREN AND YOUTH St. Gregory s is deeply committed to the spiritual formation of children and youth. A lay Christian education administrator coordinates Sunday School curriculum and teaching across all grades. St. Gregory s has a full-time youth minister who develops programs designed for spiritual growth and social support for sixth through twelfth-graders. Activities, service projects, and adventure and mission trips in alternating years form the foundation of this program. The youth minister is supported by the youth commission, a group of adults who help plan and carry out youth programming. Our preschool, which has a non-religious education program, serves families who live and work in the area with half-day programs during the regular school year. 815 Wilmot Road Deerfield, Illinois p.3

5 ST. GREGORY S WORSHIP AND MINISTRIES Our Ministries, Activities, and Organizations (continued) MISSIONS St. Gregory s commits 10% of its income to missions so that the gifts of parishioners are extended to causes locally, nationally, and globally. Our Missions Board reviews a wide variety of opportunities and strives to ensure responsible stewardship of funds. We desire stronger ties with the organizations that we support. Beyond these four foundational ministries, St. Gregory s parishioners support a wide variety of community initiatives including: Supporting our local food pantries with monthly food donations Cooking and serving in a community meals program Working on issues of justice for the under served in our county, including: housing, health care, and education Sponsoring families in need during Christmas through the ReVive Center for Housing and Healing Providing our meeting facilities for scouts and support organizations not affiliated with the church A list of all current ministries is available at: Our Diocese St. Gregory s is part of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago. Since 2008, the Bishop Jeffrey D. Lee has led the diocese, which is comprised of 127 congregations and more than 40,000 baptized members. In 2013, the diocese increased average Sunday attendance more than any other diocese in the Episcopal Church in the United States. The diocese has three simple goals: Grow the Church, Form the Faithful and Change the World. To support our diocesan goals and other missions, St. Gregory s supports the diocese through its significant, annual diocesan pledge. Additional information on the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago available at: Wilmot Road Deerfield, Illinois p.4

6 THE RECTOR OF ST. GREGORY S HIGH ENERGY St. Gregory s is a healthy, high-energy church ready for a high-energy Rector. During our transition, we look to build upon the solid foundation of community and faith that has made St. Gregory s a very special place for many years. LOW SATISFACTION Source: Church Assessment Tool TM 2015 Results HIGH SATISFACTION LOW ENERGY Our Challenges Like all faith communities, we face real challenges in the years ahead. We see these challenges as opportunities to grow together and seek a rector who will lead us on this journey to strengthen our mission in our parish, community and world. Our challenges include: GROWTH We must develop and implement a strategy to attract and retain new families to our parish. We believe a key component of this strategy is to improve our visibility and outreach within the community. Our new rector needs to build and deepen relationships in the community. STEWARDSHIP Though financially strong, we must engage the whole parish in the covenant of stewardship to support our missions, as well as the care and upkeep of our property and buildings. CHANGE For almost three decades, St. Gregory s has had only one rector. Our new rector must bring thoughtful, intentional change and leverage the strong leadership team that exists at St. Gregory s to listen, implement, and refine. We are excited about our future! Our Next Rector St. Gregory s seeks a new rector who embraces us as a faith community, recognizes our unique gifts, and collaboratively develops a vision for moving forward. We believe the following traits will continue to energize us as a congregation and desire a rector who will: PREACH AND TEACH THE WORD OF CHRIST Pastor us to spiritual connection and growth through worship and liturgy that is rich, nourishing and culturally relevant. 815 Wilmot Road Deerfield, Illinois p.5

7 THE RECTOR OF ST. GREGORY S Our Next Rector (continued) LEAD Guide us through challenges and change, maximizing our strengths and transforming our weaknesses into opportunities. EMBRACE OUR YOUTH Collaborate with our youth minister and lay leaders to involve, support and interact with the youth of the parish. Encourage them to be a vibrant part of worship, parish, and community life. HELP US FULFILL OUR BAPTISMAL COVENANT Assist members in following their calling to ministry and leadership while developing new leaders within the parish. FOSTER A SHARED VISION FOR GROWTH Reach out and have meaningful, lasting interactions with local community organizations and individuals of all faiths. To Apply If you are interested in applying for our rector position, please contact the Rev. Andrea Mysen, Associate for Ministries in the Diocese of Chicago, at or amysen@episcopalchicago.org. 815 Wilmot Road Deerfield, Illinois p.6

8 ST. GREGORY S FACTBOOK Our History St. Gregory s was established as a Mission in 1951, with generous support from Trinity, Highland Park, and Church of the Holy Spirit, Lake Forest. Father Jack Parker was the Mission s rector and he continued as rector when St. Gregory s was approved as a Parish in 1955, until his retirement. Father Bill Roberts was called in 1988 and served as the rector of St. Gregory s for 27 years until his retirement in Our Location St. Gregory s Episcopal Church 815 Wilmot Road Deerfield, IL Our Properties St. Gregory s is located in Deerfield, IL on a campus of five acres consisting of: 1 Handicapped- accessible church, built in bedroom rectory 3 The Marian House, original rectory which now houses the Youth Minister and family 4 Large outdoor meditative labyrinth that is walked regularly by the community for prayer and reflection. 3 The church property is adjacent to a large park district complex, with a playground, pool and baseball field Wilmot Road Deerfield, Illinois p.7

9 ST. GREGORY S FACTBOOK Our Village The Village of Deerfield is located in Lake County, IL, about 25 miles north of downtown Chicago, easily accessible by two interstate highways or commuter train. Deerfield is about 20 minutes north of O Hare International Airport. The average household income in Deerfield is $126,463. In October 2015, Business Insider ranked Deerfield 38th of 50 of the Best Suburbs in the U.S., based on transportation, an extremely low crime level and the fact that all 7 Deerfield schools had received perfect 10 ratings from Great Schools. Village of Deerfield information can be found at: Elementary and middle school information is at: High school information can be found at: dhs.dist113.org/pages/default.aspx Our Parish 186 households currently make up the St. Gregory s family. Historic annual numbers are: MEMBERS AVERAGE SUNDAY ATTENDANCE % 85% YEARS YEARS 18 MILES (furthest) 7 MILES (median) 3 BLOCKS (closest) MEMBER AGE ATTENDANCE TRAVEL DISTANCE 815 Wilmot Road Deerfield, Illinois p.8

10 ST. GREGORY S FACTBOOK Our Parish (continued) We proudly share our buildings and grounds with our community. St. Gregory s Pre-school is attended by children from across the area. We have sponsored Boy Scout Troop 50 for over fifty years. Other scouting groups use our meeting rooms regularly. We host Alcoholics Anonymous and several related AA groups. The Deerfield Park District uses our Founder s Hall for Summer Camp activities and our parking lot for youth baseball practice and games. Wilmot Elementary School, across the street, also uses our buildings occasionally and our parking lot regularly. Our Staff A full-time, salaried rector A salaried retired priest A Deacon and a Deacon Emeritus A full-time, salaried Youth Minister A lay Church School Administrator A salaried Director of Music Ministries A full-time, salaried Parish Administrator Four lay Pastoral Care Visitors A part-time compensated sexton who resides in an apartment on the second floor of the church. Our Finances St. Gregory s is financially sound and debt free. We have a long history of saving and raising additional funds for large expenditures before the expense is incurred. In addition to the annual figures shown below, we have an endowment fund with a current valuation of $630,000. OPERATING INCOME OPERATING EXPENSE , , , , , ,000 # PLEDGING UNITS 2015 / / / / / Wilmot Road Deerfield, Illinois p.9

11 DEAR RECTOR We joyfully welcome you to St. Gregory s and our parish family. God is present here, and we are eager to receive and share God s love with you. Our interim rector, David Jones, is providing spiritual leadership and pastoral care during our transition. Through prayer and conversation with you we look to our future with optimism and enthusiasm. Your vision, energy and spirit are vital to our continued spiritual growth. As a parish, we are blessed. Our community is compassionate and engaged. Over 90% of our active members participated in the Church Assessment Tool survey. Numerous small group sessions were conducted during this transition phase to ensure that all parishioners were involved in our search. With you, we will embrace the challenges and opportunities that change brings, while retaining the best of our traditions. We look to focus on growth, stewardship and the spiritual journey. Join us as we share God s love with all our hearts and minds. St. Gregory s welcomes you and we look forward to uniting our energy and efforts to discern God s future for our children, our parish and our community. We believe that the Holy Spirit is reaching out to you through our prayers the blessed ties that bind. In Christ s Love, The 2016 St. Gregory s Search Committee PRAYER OF DISCERNMENT O faithful God, as your people, we cherish our memories and our history as a sacred gift. We ask you to guide us in our time of transition. We need your wisdom, that we may be receptive to change, conversion, and growth. We need your grace to redirect our hearts, that we may be willing to offer ourselves in joyful service. Do not allow fear, ignorance or pride to limit the work of your Spirit, nor custom to prevent the creativity within us from bearing fruit. Open our hearts to the call of the Gospel. Give us courage and renewed hope, that we may meet the challenge of being the church of our time. We ask this in Jesus name. Amen 815 Wilmot Road Deerfield, Illinois p.10