We are delighted to welcome Reverend Gregory B. Johnston as the next Rector of Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Charlestown, MA!
Greg is inspirational, teaching, empowering, organized, and loving — exactly the kind of Rector Saint John’s was looking for. His preaching is phenomenal, he is deeply committed to community outreach, he is comfortable and capable of managing the technological aspects of online worship in the time of COVID-19, he is deeply drawn to one-on-one pastoral relationships with parishioners, and he has an incredible gift for forming meaningful connections.
Greg currently serves at Saint Anne’s Episcopal Church in Lincoln, Massachusetts, where he has been Curate, since 2018. At Saint Anne’s, Greg preaches regularly, teaches the adult forum and teen confirmation programs, and ministers to homebound parishioners. Among many notable accomplishments at Saint Anne’s, Greg designed and implemented a new teen formation program, and served as part of the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable.
Greg graduated from Harvard University and obtained his Masters of Divinity from Yale’s Berkeley Divinity School, with a diploma in Anglican Studies. Prior to his service at Saint Anne’s, he served at Saint John’s Episcopal Church in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and was the Director of Religious Education at Trinity Episcopal Church in New Haven, Connecticut.
Greg grew up in Winchester (though he was raised in the Congregational Church and thus, no, he did not attend the Parish of the Epiphany!). He first heard about Saint John’s from our former Godly Play teachers, Reverend Emily Garcia, and Rachel Pfost. He currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his wife Alice and their two-year-old son.
The Search Committee officially recommended Greg to the Vestry following a nine-month search process, the Vestry issued its call to Greg on August 11, and he accepted the call that same day. The Wardens and Vestry have finalized a mutual covenant of ministry with Greg, and he is set to assume the position of Rector of Saint John’s Episcopal Church, Charlestown, MA on September 15th, 2020.
The Search Committee, the Vestry, and our new Rector are incredibly grateful for the prayers of the entire Saint John’s community throughout this process, and we are all looking forward to beginning this next phase of ministry at Saint John’s together.
Reverend Gregory B. Johnston, his wife Alice, and their two-year-old Murray.
We know it’s been a while since you have heard from us, and we wanted to provide you with a brief update on the Rector search process. We are delighted to report that the Search Committee is now actively interviewing candidates who have put forward their names to be our next Rector. Under the latest guidelines from the Diocese, we are allowed to complete much of the process virtually — interviews, reviews of sermons and liturgy, and everything else that might have traditionally been done in person. We are doing exactly that, and we have an excellent pool of candidates with whom we are engaging in discussion and discernment.
As we have mentioned before, this is the “quiet” and confidential phase of the search process. While we would love to share more with you, out of respect for the candidates and the process, we cannot — and we hope you’ll understand! That said, we are of course happy to provide any information and answer any questions that we can. Please feel free to reach out to Evie, Louis, or any of the members of the committee if you have any questions. And please, please, please continue to pray for St. John’s, for the work of the committee, and for all of the candidates as we continue on this journey of discernment together.
We suspect many members of St. John’s are curious about how the COVID-19 crisis has affected the Rector search process. We have an update, and some good news on progress.
In mid-March, the Diocese paused all clergy transitions, to allow priests to focus on their families and communities. Just last week, the Diocese announced that it was lifting that pause as of May 1st, and allowing parishes to move forward with Rector searches. This will allow us to post our Parish Profile publicly, to accept applications, and to conduct interviews (by phone and Zoom, consistent with social distancing requirements). In other words, the search is back on!
As we move forward, we have a few requests of you. First, and most importantly, please continue to keep St. John’s and the search committee in your prayers. We need them now more than ever! Second, after May 1st, please spread the word that St. John’s is accepting applicants to be our next Rector. Our Parish Profile will be posted publicly on our website, and priests can find information on the application process through the Diocese (or by contacting Evie or Louis). And finally, please continue to be patient with us as we enter this “silent” phase of the search process, in which we will evaluate candidates confidentially until we are prepared to bring finalists before the Vestry.
Of course, as always, please feel free to reach out to Evie, Louis, or any of the members of the committee if you have any questions.
Thank you so much for your participation in our meetings over the last several weeks! Your ideas and contributions were incredibly valuable as we shape the Parish Profile that will guide our selection of the next Rector. But even more than that, your love for Saint John’s and for each other shone through every time we met.
Here is what will happen next. This coming Sunday, we will meet during normal Sunday School hours with the children in the Godly Play class, and the youth in the Living the Good News Class, to get their input on what they value about Saint John’s. Later that day, the Search Committee will meet to begin the drafting of our Parish Profile, with the goal of having it complete, approved, andout to potential Rector candidates by the end of February. We will be counting on your prayers! And, as always, please feel free to reach out to Evie, Louis, or any of the members of the committee if you have any questions.
From Your Rector Search Committee
As you know, we are working to understand what is important to the parishioners of Saint John’s, and what qualities we would all like to see in a new rector. Please … if you haven’t already submitted a survey, go to the online version by clicking here. This Sunday (January 5th) is the last day to submit your responses.
Also, as noted earlier, we will be hosting meetings with members of the parish to discuss the topics that emerge from the survey as the most important to parishioners. We want the opportunity to hear why these are important to you and your hopes and dreams for Saint John’s in each topic area.
Thank you in advance for your participation in both of these important pieces of the rector search process!
Thursday, December 19th, from Your Rector Search Committee:
Earlier this month we sent members of the congregation a link to an electronic survey designed to help us understand what is important to the parishioners of Saint John’s, and what qualities we would all like to see in a new rector. We are pleased that responses are coming in. If you haven’t already done so, please take a few minutes to complete the survey before the January 5, 2020 deadline.
The survey can be reviewed and completed online by clicking here.
Also, paper copies for you to complete and return are available on the kitchen counter in the Parish House. If you would prefer to respond verbally, please feel free to ask any member of the Search Committee or another person of your choosing to assist.
As we recently announced at church, during the month of January, the Search Committee will be hosting meetings with members of the parish to discuss the topics that emerge from the survey as the most important to parishioners. We want the opportunity to hear why these are important to you and your hopes and dreams for Saint John’s in each topic area. Members of the Search Committee are opening their homes for these meetings, and we have scheduled them on various days and at various times with the hope that everyone can make it to one of the meetings.
The schedule of meetings is as follows:
Saturday, January 11 at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, January 16 at Noon Wednesday, January 22 at 7:00 p.m. Sunday, January 26 at Noon
You will be able to sign up on a sheet in the Parish House kitchen or via a Sign Up Genius email that you will receive before the end of the year.
Thank you in advance for your participation in both of these important pieces of the rector search process!
Members and Friends of Saint John’s,
When we, the Rector Search Committee, last reported to you a few weeks ago, we emphasized that we needed your help with the “three Ps” — your Prayers, your Patience, and your Pledge. And we thank you for giving us all three!
We are coming to you now with a request for a fourth “P”: we need your Participation. Our survey is a set of questions designed to help the Rector Search Committee understand what is important to the parishioners of Saint John’s, and what qualities you would like to see in our new Rector. While participating in this questionnaire is completely optional, we hope that you will, so that our parish profile fairly reflects who we are today and what we aspire to be in our future. You may print out the attached questionnaire, complete it in hard copy, and return it to the church office. Alternatively, pre-printed copies are available in the Parish House for you to complete and return. You can also fill out the questionnaire online at the link provided above. Finally, if you would prefer to have these questions read to you and give your responses verbally, you should feel free to ask any member of the Search Committee or another person of your choosing.
We hope to have questionnaire responses from all parishioners no later than Sunday, January 5, 2020.
Finally, looking ahead, after the surveys are complete, we will be hosting a series of meetings throughout January to get your further input on the future of Saint John’s as we develop our parish profile — so be on the lookout for an invitation coming after Christmas!
THE 2019 SAINT JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH RECTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE
Jen DiManno
Maureen Lavely
Bridget Nyhan – Chaplain
Evie Scoville – Co-Chair
Jane Struss
Adrienne Sweetser
Stacy Swift
Louis Tompros – Co-Chair
Doug Van Wie
THE SAINT JOHN’S VESTRY CHARGE TO THE SEARCH COMMITTEE ~ NOVEMBER 10, 2019
We appoint Jen DiManno, Stacy Heim, Maureen Lavely, Bridget Nyhan, Evie Scoville, Jane Struss, Adrienne Sweetser, Louis Tompros, and Doug Van Wie as the members of the Saint John’s Episcopal Church Search Committee.
We charge the Committee to: * Seek the will of God for Saint John’s Church and this rector transition. Listen to God with an open heart. * Pray daily for guidance, wisdom, and energy. * Understand the congregation’s dreams, desires, and concerns regarding this transition. * Work closely with the vestry to lead the parish in imagining what we can become and do during the coming decades. * Identify candidates to be the next rector of Saint John’s Church who meet the selection criteria developed together by the Vestry and the Search Committee. Find good candidates wherever they may be. * Based on deep mutual discernment with the candidates, present to the Vestry the person most likely to fit as an exceptional rector and partner in ministry for the next stage in our history. * Plan your work carefully and conduct it prayerfully, thoroughly, and with alacrity. * Work closely with the Vestry, provide regular updates of your progress, and work within timelines and budgets as agreed upon with the Vestry. * Support the Vestry in its work through the transition, including any interim period between the present Rector’s last day with the Parish and such time as the next Rector arrives and is integrated into the Parish. * Seek the counsel and support of the Bishop of Massachusetts through the search, discernment, and call process. * Maintain strict confidentiality regarding candidates and discernment discussions. * Comply with: * the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church, * the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese of Massachusetts, and * the Constitution, policies, and procedures of Saint. John’s Church.
SAINT JOHN’S SEARCH COMMITTEE PRAYER
Almighty God, may your loving presence guide us as we seek the next rector for Saint John’s. We ask your direction and guidance for those who shall choose our new spiritual leader, grant them the desire and the ability to truly hear each other and those who have entrusted them with this process. We pray for perception, faithfulness and joy, so they may hear our voice in all their deliberations. Inspire our conversations, deepen our prayer, and make us a community of humility and grace. We pray this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
THE ROLE OF THE SEARCH COMMITTEE DURING TRANSITION
The Search Committee, appointed by the Vestry, is composed of a representative group of Parishioners of varying ages, with different gifts, and skills.
The Search Committee has primary responsibility for guiding the Parish through a process of prayerful reflection on the Parish Mission and its hopes for this next stage of its life; for consulting broadly during this process; for composing a realistic and clear Parish Profile; and for conducting the search itself – in all its stages, except the final step – once the Parish Profile and other elements of the Rector position description have been posted.
According to the Canons of the Episcopal Church and the practices of our Diocese, no Clergy may serve on the Search Committee, and the Wardens are not allowed to serve, since their energies are devoted to keeping the church going during the interim period.
One or two members of the Vestry serve on the Search Committee, and serve as a liaison to the Vestry. In the very final step, the Search Committee presents their chosen Candidate to the Vestry, which, with the approval of the Bishop, issues the call to that person on behalf of the parish.
The Search Committee is to be fully transparent and communicate clearly and regularly with the Parish at large, and with the Interim in all the stages up to the posting of the Rector position description. From then onward, the Search Committee is to observe full confidentiality, as the search itself proceeds.
The Rector search process, while carefully organized and attentive to many organizational details, differs from a corporate search process in that it is conducted at all times in a spirit of prayer and in the perspective of the question “What is God’s call to us as a Parish, at this time, in this place?” It is also meant to be a time of spiritual and communal growth for us, as a Congregation and a chance for us to strengthen the Laity of the parish.
We are deeply grateful to the nine people who have agreed to serve on the Search Committee. You will be hearing from them in the coming weeks and months in more detail, step by step.
