Parish Profile St. Mary s Episcopal Church, Park Ridge 306 S. Prospect Ave Park Ridge, Illinois 60068 www.stmaryspr.org www.facebook.com/stmaryspr
Who we are, in our own words A place of refuge and renewal Committed to each other, willing to take risks Theologically diverse The consummate definition of community Energy personified "A continually evolving faith community looking to be challenged pg. 2
Who we are Some defining statements We re progressive; we welcome a diversity of views, and thrive on lively, respectful conversation We ve been enriched by distant outreach projects but we also have a strong desire to do more for nearby people on the margins of society We ve been blessed with great lay leadership over the years; today we seek inspiration and guidance to raise up the next generation within our congregation for good works here and beyond our walls Our Mission: to pursue and recognize heaven on Earth through relationship with God and service to others and one another Our leadership structure has served us well, but we re growing into a new collaborative model that asks our rector and vestry for a more strategic focus (see the book Governance and Ministry, by Dan Hotchkiss, www.alban.org/governanceandministry.aspx) We are a richly gifted congregation with dedicated lay leaders, wonderful associate clergy, deacons and a strong interim rector; we are in need of a leader to galvanize us, and harness our energy in sustainable and purposeful directions We re resilient and adapt well to change (we ve had a lot); now we long for continuity in leadership pg. 3
Rich Worship Liturgies St. Mary s values its rich and varied worship experience. The foundation has been traditional: our 10 a.m. service is Rite II sometimes chanted, sometimes spoken and we ve retained the Rite I service at our 8 a.m. Eucharist for those who prefer that tradition. Over the years we ve sampled from the New Zealand and Iona Prayer Books, tried a Saturday Night U2 charist, and even experimented with a four line Creed (cuts right to the chase!). We ve had Jazz services to celebrate Shrove Tuesday (in a Dixieland style a la Mardi Gras) and we ve enjoyed contemplative Friday Night Taizé services that brought new musicians and new sounds to the sanctuary. We occasionally join other nearby churches for an ecumenical Eucharist and we ve hosted Interfaith services with a local Imam. While you will see some more casual attire on the altar in summer (and flipflops and cut offs in the congregation), we relish the resplendent formal vestments, incense and musicians of feast days. We are liturgically openminded and enrich our experience by hearing and experiencing faith in different ways. Our theology is inquisitive, not irrefutable. We appreciate thoughtprovoking and inspiring preaching and we like to be challenged to think and carry forth our faith into the world. pg. 4
Music Music is integral to St. Mary s personality. The program has grown from one small choir and an electronic organ in the late 1990s to three active choirs, a breathtaking handmade pipe organ and a Steinway piano. Our Parish Choir is the backbone of the music program and provides musical leadership for the 10 a.m. Sunday worship service throughout the program year as well as additional services such as Ash Wednesday, Holy Week and Lessons and Carols in Advent. The choral literature ranges from plain chant to music of our time. Our Gospel Choir began nearly a decade ago following visits from noted Gospel music performer and educator Horace Clarence Boyer. They now provide enthusiastic musical leadership four times a year at our 10 a.m. Sunday service and have travelled to participate in workshops and to perform for other congregations in the area. Our Treble Choir is made up of young people from the 2nd grade to middle school. In recent years several have continued into the Parish Choir. We are fortunate to have a gifted parishionercomposer, as well as a Composer in Residence who has produced wonderful pieces many of which were first presented at St. Mary s. pg. 5
A Spirit of Seeking Nourishing minds of all ages is an integral piece of our church s ministry. It begins with our Montessori based Atrium of the Good Shepherd children s program, carries on through Youth Group for high schoolers, and into a vital Adult Formation program. We are committed to Christian formation. Remodeling that was completed in 2009 provided additional space for Christian formation and there is a great desire to fully utilize it. In a community with lots of young people, we are seeking new ways to engage and impact families and to do so in a way that respects the many demands on young parents, and the very busy lives of kids and young adults. Recent adult programs have ranged from What is Heaven? and CS Lewis The Great Divorce to Sensible Gun Laws and Hands On Sustainably. An adult Lenten Series feeds our intellectual curiosity and makes space to reflect and be prayerful. Recently we ve had wonderful attendance for evening sessions preceded by a hot dinner a happy indication that we enjoy being together in community. An annual Women s Retreat has covered topics such as the Book of Ruth, Song of Songs and faith and food. Men of the parish meet periodically on Saturday mornings to share breakfast and conversation. A Saturday morning Zen meditation group has attracted a cross section of local folks and parishioners to a relaxing and quiet indulgence to counter balance their busy lives. pg. 6
Parish life We enjoy being with one another, and are enriched by our time together whether through worship and formation or outreach and social activities. We are often referred to as St. Mary s of Park Ridge, but 40% of our congregation comes from beyond city borders. It s a point of pride, and we d like to attract even more broadly in the future. We work hard together and enjoy spending time together socially Desire for social connection From the greeters who hold the door open on Sunday mornings to the Newcomers group that helps new members feel at home, we try to create a welcoming space. We enjoy relaxing as a congregation to celebrate our achievements and milestones and sometimes for no reason at all. For years we hosted a Mardi Gras party on the last Saturday night before Lent. It was our biggest fundraiser of the year, and it was a great opportunity to be together for music, laughter and fellowship. In a similar twist, recent buzz about the British drama Downton Abbey prompted a small group to plan a themed dinner party just for fun. The idea has taken off and what began as a little get together may have turned into our next big thing. Caring for our own We pull together in hard times and hold each other up when we need help. This happens through pastoral clergy visits, and through lay Eucharistic ministers who bring communion to shut ins, our Prayer Shawl ministry that anonymously delivers handmade wraps, and through our Flower Ministry (parishioners who carry altar flowers out into the community). Our Care Corps volunteers help families and individuals with meals when they are ill, caring for a loved one, or grieving. pg. 7
Caring for others Just a few short years ago our parish advocated for a seasonal PADS Shelter for the homeless to be hosted in our building, but local opposition prevailed. It was painful but we ve channeled that energy in a number of positive ways. On a monthly basis we assemble about 100 sack lunches and distribute them in city neighborhoods where demand is great. We call this our Second Sunday Sack Lunch program, because it s on the second Sunday of every month during coffee hour that we roll up our sleeves and make these lunches. To expand this vital ministry, we ve begun including clean, dry socks to these lunch bags over 1500 pairs in the last 10 months. A video about the program can be found here: www.stmaryspr.org/secondsunday/. Our sack lunch program is an easy way for people to dip their toe into outreach For over twenty years we ve prepared meals for the Soup Kitchen at Church of the Advent in the Logan Square neighborhood of Chicago. We ve also enjoyed a close relationship with St. Cyprian s Food Pantry and the ReVive Center for Housing and Healing (for whom we prepared Christmas care packages that went to 44 families for Christmas this year). We support Bishop Anderson House in its ministry to the sick and those who care for them. They provide vital training for lay chaplains (which several of our parishioners have taken). We re proud that several of their current leaders hail from St. Mary s. For over 25 years our congregation has had a deep connection with the CCA Academy, an amazing last chance high school for at risk kids in the North Lawndale neighborhood. We re proud of our participation and leadership in the grassroots political action group United Power for Action and Justice (a non partisan community organization). We ve worked with them on issues such as health care reform, minimum wage and affordable housing. pg. 8
As an international outreach, we have had a longstanding relationship with our sister parish in San Juan Bautista, which is in the Diocese of Southeast Mexico (near Veracruz). Thirty one of us have travelled there over the course of five trips. We ve worked with them to establish a community water filtration system and a small corn mill to help create economic opportunity. Challenges We have an extraordinary story to tell and continue to enjoy remarkable energy. But we recognize that our current challenges are real. After a much beloved rector of 25 years retired in 2002, St. Mary s has had two interim rectors and two full time rectors. We ve been through a lot of change and our share of conflict in the process. We have some healing to do. Our transition periods have been hard on the continuity of important ministries, from Outreach and Stewardship to Formation and Fellowship. We have an endowment that has offered us security over the years, but our expenses continue to grow, and stewardship is down as are the number of overall pledging units. As part of our newly adopted mission statement (to pursue and recognize heaven on Earth through relationship with God and service to others and one another) we are striving to accomplish one big thing each year. We are craving continuity in leadership and a renewed sense of shared vision. pg. 9
Facts and Figures Our property With a significant $2.1 million remodeling project completed in 2009, we are lucky to have a secure and healthy physical plant. The project included air conditioning our sanctuary and chapel, building out new second level offices/meeting rooms, improved Christian formation spaces, wheelchair accessibility to our two main levels, improved and new kitchens, new sound system in our sanctuary and remodeled gathering spaces. Portions of our building are well over 100 years old, and so there is always work to be done! The Rectory, located next to the church, is a 4 bedroom brick colonial with 2 ½ baths and a detached 2 car garage. Sharing our space We make our meeting and performance spaces available for a variety of community groups such as Church of South India (in our chapel), Jazzercise, Le Petit Opera company, AA/NA Groups, Single Mothers By Choice Group, and Adopted Parents Group. pg. 10
Finances In 2012 we had total pledges of $479,000 with 139 pledging units yielding an average pledge of $3,446. 2013 saw a drop in pledge dollars by 10% but the number of pledging units remained the same. For 2014 our pledge totals are stable at $421,000, however we have 14 fewer pledging units. We have been blessed over a number of years with an endowment that totals $1.91M as of January 1, 2014. Approximately 5% of the endowment is used each year to help supplement our annual budget. At our 2014 Annual Meeting, the parish voted to use onethird of our endowment to pay off our mortgage, which related to our 2009 remodeling. We want to talk more about giving as a spiritual practice, and how we respond individually to God's abundant Grace in our lives pg. 11
Congregational Information As of our most recent Parochial Report submitted in 2014 for 2013, we reported 708 Baptized Members with 350 Communicants in Good Standing. Our average Sunday attendance was 207 for two morning services, 90% of which attended our 10am service. Approximately 84 children are enrolled in our Sunday morning Christian Formation program with a number of teens in our Jr. and Sr. High Youth Groups. Park Ridge, IL Park Ridge is primarily a residential community with a population of 37,500 and located 14 miles northwest of downtown Chicago and 2 miles east of O Hare Airport. It has over 15,000 housing units of which 82% are owner occupied. Designated a number of years ago as a Tree City, USA, it has a small town atmosphere with tree lined streets and over 24% of its land dedicated to parks and open spaces. It has excellent school systems comprised of 5 elementary schools, 2 middle schools and 2 high schools. More information is available at the village of Park Ridge website, www.parkridge.us. The Diocese of Chicago St. Mary s is part of the Diocese of Chicago which has been led since 2008 by Bishop Jeffrey Lee. He s brought a special focus to congregational vitality and leadership with programs like the Thrive leadership school, Fierce Conversations workshops, the Living Compass wellness program, as well as the Nicholas Center, now under construction, which will be a place for training leaders. The diocese has over 40,000 baptized members within 127 congregations across 21 counties in northern and north central Illinois. In 2013 the diocese grew average Sunday attendance more than any other in the Episcopal Church. For more information, please visit the diocese website at www.episcopalchicago.org pg. 12
Our Next Rector We seek to call as our next rector a priest grounded in a vital and growing Christian faith. We expect that they will not only share but also model that faith with us in meaningful worship, formation programs, leadership decisions, group meetings, and individual conversations. We believe the following qualities will help us to thrive together in the future. Qualities we are seeking A deep personal faith, and an ability to inspire, to challenge, and to connect An ability to collaboratively define a vision and lead us strategically to realize it Capability to help us define our individual ministries and to raise up leaders within our congregation Experience with congregational (or organizational) growth An appreciation even passion for stewardship; reminding us of the spiritual basis for sharing what we ve been given A gift for preaching with an authenticity and passion that feeds our minds and hearts as we take God s message outside our building Capability to lead an organization through change, as well as the conflict that may accompany that change The compassion to listen and provide comfort to parishioners in times of trouble, illness and loss A willingness to reach out and interact meaningfully with individuals and organizations in the community and help us build our network pg. 13
A letter Dear Rector: We are excited to welcome you to St. Mary s. We look forward to sharing your spiritual, intellectual and emotional leadership and experience as we all travel on God s journey for us. We need your visioning and management skills as well as your inspiration and encouragement when we encounter the obstacles, successes, disappointments and changes that await us. As a community and individually, we are blessed. We have talents, generosity, enthusiasm and abundance. We also confront substantial changes within our community and in our world. We are refining our governance structure, our allocation of human and material resources, our outreach programs, and our stewardship responsibilities. In the face of those changes, we are sometimes conflicted. With you, we want to embrace the future challenges and opportunities that change brings, while retaining the best of our traditions. Our search process has been led by the Holy Spirit. We have heard the Spirit s calling in the voices of our committee members, our parishioners, our neighbors, the local and diocesan clergy, and world events. We believe that the same Spirit is calling you to join us to spread the Good News. Sincerely, Anne Angela Dave George Pam Amy Curt Georgia John The Rector Search Committee We d like to hear from you. For consideration, please contact Jim Steen at the Diocese of Chicago (JSteen@episcopalchicago.org or 312 751 4210) to begin the process. pg. 14
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