Dear Truro family,
It was wonderful to meet for coffee and conversation with many of you last Sunday. After I explained my sense of vision and direction in my time as Truro’s priest-in-charge, several of you asked for a written summary of those comments.
My hope: To build trust and to encourage hope.
When a congregation goes through challenging times, and especially when they lose a leader, it is easy for people to lose hope and trust. The job of restoring hope and trust is a challenging one, one that involves all of us. Noticing and labeling what we see God doing in our midst builds hope. Nurturing our relationships, especially those which have been broken, builds (or rebuilds) trust.
Three priorities for my time with you:
1. Work to encourage cultural shifts.
- Humility (from arrogance)
- Truth-telling with love (from deceit/deception)
- Teamwork (from division)
(This is easier to talk about than to write about; you can’t hear my tone of voice. It has to do with what I think God asks of all of us – we move from the things He hates to the things He loves.) And one more cultural shift:
- From “staffing up” to “raising up.”
2. Give care and oversight so that all three key areas of Truro are flourishing.
In the 22 cottage meetings we held last year, three key areas emerged as markers of Truro’s identity and calling.
- Exuberant, Spirit led, Bible-based Worship
- Christlike Connections (like community groups or discipleship classes)
- Reaching our neighbors and the nations.
3. Systems in place so new rector doesn’t have to waste initial “personal capital” at least in the first six months.
- This includes making sure our practices are aligned with our “rules” and with our values and making sure we are appropriately staffed for our size and mission.
What my job is NOT:
- To develop a 5-year plan or to declare A VISION. As priest-in-charge, I will not be your leader long enough to implement a specific long-term vision or strategy. That doesn’t mean I don’t have a vision for Truro’s life or for my role here. But it won’t be a long-term strategic plan. That is work for your new rector, vestry and staff to delineate.
One more thing.
I am part-time (60%). And I am still learning most of your names! I will likely drop more than a few balls. Please do not assume that this means I don’t care. And please do not hesitate to try again if the ball I drop affects you.
Please continue to pray for Truro, for the vestry, the staff and for parish members. Pray that we may all live up to God’s call on our lives – individually and as a parish.
