THE ADVENT ANNOUNCES

SEARCH COMMITTEE

At long last, we have news (and good news it is) from the lay leadership of the Episcopal Cathedral Church of the Advent, in Birmingham AL. Today, they announced the names of the search committee members. The committee is tasked with selecting the next dean and rector of the Advent. The previous dean, Andrew Pearson resigned nearly two months ago. Today's announcement came in a letter from the Chair of the search committee, Don Menendez and the two wardens, John Hargrove and Jay Ezelle. 

Find the announcement here .

The committee has nine members counting the chair. The odd number means there can be no tie votes. Also, as far as I can tell, it is about evenly split among men and women (a good sign).

Also, the Advent website now has a special page devoted to the search where readers may keep abreast of the latest developments. Find it here . This is another good sign that shows improving communications between leaders and ordinary parishioners. 

So, now the search for the next dean and rector of the Advent can get underway. We should all admire the committee members who volunteered to take on this formidable task. They will have a great deal of work to do as those who have been on search committees will know.

One should not expect this search to be quick or easy. Dean and rector of this size church is a big job that calls for an outstanding candidate with certain education and experience. There is a large parish, a clergy staff, and a sizable lay staff as well as the day school. Most of all, this is a parish now seeking to define its identity and correlation with its larger denomination. In short, there is a lot to be considered.

(I suppose the only thing we know for sure is that the pipeline from St. Helena's of Beaufort SC has been closed. The next dean of the Advent definitely will not be coming from St. Helena's.) 

Surely, everyone will agree to offer generous thoughts and prayers in support of the new search committee.