In May 2007, the Vestry of St. John's Episcopal Church selected an 11-member Search Committee to begin the search process for the calling of our 17th rector, filling the vacancy resulting from the unexpected death of Rev. Leland F. Smith in December 2006. The Committee also includes the Jr. Warden as a vestry representative, and the Rev. Craig Wiley, St. Thomas, Abingdon, VA, as our coach. At the first meeting, a Chairman, Co-Chairman, Spiritual Leader, and Scribe were designated.

The committee approved the term "Discernment Committee," instead of the traditional "Search Committee" in order to properly reflect the spiritual nature of our task: discerning God's choice of our next Rector.

During May, June, and July 2007, the Discernment Committee (DC) conducted a "self analysis" to clarify "who we are, where we are going, and what we need." This will provide a road map for us as we proceed with the discernment process. We used the Appreciative Inquiry process, and all members of the Parish were invited to share their personal "stories" about St. John's in small group sessions, each led bya DC and Vestry member. These meetings tended to be quite emotional and inspiring, and the information gathered is being prepared in specific documents by a DC sub-committee and scheduled for completion by August 1.

The vestry has commissioned the development of a Web Site, www.stjohnswytheville.org. This site communicates general Parish information and will also be used for conducting the discernment phase of our process. Interested applicants will be asked to respond directly by email on a secure and private address.

The DC expects to begin receiving applications by or before August 6 and begin the screening process by September 10. With God's help and guidance, our vestry has charged us to ask them to issue a calling by mid-November 2007.

Further updates on the status of our discernment will appear on the website. For additional inquires, questions, or comments, please contact the Church office.