Transition News

St. David's is currently seeking a new Rector. The Rev. Dr. Graham M. Smith retired on September 18, 2011, after more than 19 years of dedicated service as Rector at St. David's. Fr. Graham and his wife Sherry are now living in Jerusalem, where Fr. Graham is serving as Dean of St. George's College. We wish them the very best.

Under Construction

This page in our website is in the process of being created as source of information about the transition process. News and details will be posted here as it become available. Please check back often and please bear with us as we organize this page.

December 28, 2011

Dear Member of St. David’s,

The leaders of our church have entered a time of discernment in which they are gathering information to guide their work in the search for a new rector. Over the last several weeks you have heard and read about one aspect of that process: the Church Assessment Tool (CAT). This tool will provide a clearer picture of who we are as a church and what directions might be important for our future. Your response is very important to us. We invite each member of St David’s, who is in high school or older and capable of responding to questions, to complete the CAT

The assessment will be conducted from January 8 through midnight January 29. We strongly encourage those who are able to complete the CAT online. All members will receive a letter in the mail and/or an email with instructions for accessing the online CAT. The instructions for completing the CAT are on the welcome page. We estimate that the online CAT will take 30-40 minutes to complete. The online CAT does not have a feature to save and return to your work, so please be sure that you have sufficient time to complete the CAT before starting. You can also download and/or print a copy to preview from the St. David’s website by clicking on the link labeled CAT Survey on the transition page. Any computer with internet access can be used. It is possible for multiple users to complete the CAT on the same computer, but one CAT must be finished prior to starting another. We will have sign-up sheets to use computers at St. David’s on Sunday mornings (January 8, 15, 22 and 29) if you wish to complete the CAT there.

 If you do not wish to use a computer, paper copies will be available beginning January 8 in the church office or on Sunday mornings at the church. For parishioners who are unable to get to the church, call the church office and the CAT will be mailed to you. You may also download and print a copy of the by clicking on the link labeled CAT survey on the transition page.  After completing the CAT, do not put your name on it, seal it in an envelope and return it to the church in person or by mail. The completed CATs will be kept anonymous. In order to allow sufficient time to process the paper CATs by the closing date, we ask that you return your completed CAT to St. David’s no later than January 22.

Your responses will be strictly confidential. The computer will not match individuals to CAT responses. Once the data has been compiled, an analysis and summary will be presented to the Search Committee and Vestry and made available to the entire congregation.

If you have questions or concerns, please contact Tom Tisch 847-724-5971, Steve Adam 847-724-6947 or Marilyn Berdick 847-259-5218. Thanks so much for your help.

Yours in Christ,

Steve Adam      Marilyn Berdick

Search Committee Chair  Search Committee Vice Chair

Click here to  Download a copy of the CAT Survey to preview

November 14, 2011

A joint meeting of the Search Committee, Vestry and Diocese representative was held. The committee has started work on a parish-wide survey of the members and on creating an updated church profile.

November 9, 2011

St. David's is pleased to announce that the new Rector Search Committee has been formed. A joint meeting has been scheduled with the new committee, the Vestry, and a representative from the Diocese to officially get the search process started.

September 2011

Click this link to see a copy of the Episcopal News Service news release regarding Fr. Graham's appointment: News Release