Only God knows. There's no fixed schedule for the Search or the Transition overall. Based on Heavenly Rest's experience in the past and that of other churches of our kind, we should expect the search to take from nine months to a year after the Parish Profile is completed. After a new rector is called, it may take a few more months for the rector to relocate. In the meantime, we'll be in Bob Dannals' and Cindy Stravers’ highly experienced hands.

With care and many steps. The Search Committee will gather names of potential candidates from a variety of sources, including the Diocese's Canon for Transition Nora Smith. Those interested will be provided a copy of the Parish Profile - tantamount to the job description - and be asked to submit a formal application. After a lengthy review, the committee will choose a handful of finalists and formally recommend a very few to the Vestry. The Vestry, after meeting with each at the church, will "call" one of the nominees to be our 11th rector. The Vestry will then seek the approval of its chosen nominee by the Bishop of New York.

Plenty! The parish community provides its input through the surveys and in-person and online meetings organized by the Profile Committee. Our collective reflections on the past and thoughts about the future are critical in discerning the direction our church is headed and the type of person best suited to lead us. This "discernment" informs the Parish Profile - the job description to be handed to each candidate.

A behind-the-scenes helping hand. Canon for Transition Nora Smith has held several meetings with the wardens, vestry, Parish Profile Committee, and the Search Committee to provide pastoral and practical guidance. With the help of the Profile Committee, the Diocese has produced its own document on what Heavenly Rest is looking for, and it will solicit and review potential candidates. When all is said and done, the burden of search, vetting, and discernment rests squarely upon our parish, but ultimately the Diocese, through the Bishop, will need to approve the person we call to be our rector.

No. The responsibility for calling Anne Marie's replacement as associate rector - unlike that of calling Matt's successor - falls to the rector, not the lay leadership. So a permanent replacement for Anne Marie will need to wait. In the meantime, Heavenly Rest will rely more heavily on clergy who have played big parts in our parish's life occasionally, unofficially and spectacularly: Margaret Rose, Robbie Pennoyer and Meredith Hawkins.

No. Matt's physical distance is considered an important part of the separation from his tenure that will allow for our effective discernment of what's next. That doesn't mean he's no longer part of our lives or we in his prayers. As our Bishop, he has a large - if less direct - influence over all that our parish does. And if we individually or as a parish have a special need - fire, flood, famine - Matt can be counted on to respond to a direct request. But casual drop-ins for now are not part of the picture.