THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE'S RESOURCE PAGE

St. James’ Focus Groups to Meet

A message from Laura Dabundo, chair of the Nominating Committee


As many of you heard at the Parish Meeting on Sunday, the next step for our parish, following the successful Congregation Assessment Tool survey (CAT), is focus groups. The Nominating Committee will host nine of these spread out between now and early June.


There will be three members of the Committee present: a moderator/facilitator, note taker (no electronic recordings or recording of names), and time keeper. Each meeting should last for an hour. You are all the privileged and desired guests! Various organizations and ministries have been assigned to particular meetings in order to assure and distribute attendance and to enable people to feel comfortable speaking among people they know, as you see, below. However, you are free to come to whichever one of the focus groups fits your schedule. Come whether you are a part of an organization or ministry or not! Each group can have ten to twenty people present. 


The questions, as you see below, are all general and pertain to the church from every perspective; they are not limited by any means to a particular organization or ministry. We want to hear from as many of you as possible, just as you did so triumphantly with the CAT! As one member of our committee put it, these are the kittens that follow from the CAT! The purpose of the focus groups, in short, is to tell our story, our hopes and aspirations, to take the pulse of the parish to find a path forward. From the CAT and the kittens, then, we shall construct our Parish Profile to announce our search for a permanent rector. If you have any questions, you should ask a member of the Nominating Committee, all of whom are pictured on the St. James’ web page. 


Focus Group Questions


1. What makes St. James' different from or unique compared to other parishes and churches in your experience?

2. Why do you come to St. James'? What brings you back?

3. How can we strengthen the pastoral response of the church in times of need?

4. What should all of us do to welcome people to St. James' so that they feel it can be their home?

5. As we anticipate the call of a new rector, what are the gifts, talents, or abilities to take

St. James’ into the next phase of our life together?


Focus Group Assignments—most rooms TBD


Sunday May 5th - Focus group for search input at 12:15 in conference room - flower ministry and open to all


Thursday May 9th - Focus group for search input at 7:30 pm following Worship at 6:30 for feast of the Ascension in conference room for LEMs, readers, LEVs, Altar Guild, Vergers, and open to all 


Sunday May 12th - Focus group for search input at 9:15 to 10:15 in second-floor classroom and open to all 


Sunday May 19th - Focus group for search input at 9:15-10:15 in large second-floor classroom (there are two classrooms) for pastoral care and outreach volunteers and open to all


Sunday May 19th - Focus group for search input at 9:15 -10:15 in second-floor classroom next to other room for hospitality, coffee hour, breakfast teams, ushers etc. and open to all


Sunday May 19th - Focus group for search input at 12:15-1:15 in conference room for CE volunteers, youth, and parents of children and youth


Sunday, June 2nd -  Focus group for search input at 9:15 - 10:15 for those regular 8 am worship congregation members who have not already attended another session and open to all 


Sunday June 2nd at 12:15-1:15, last focus group for search input in conference room for ECW, DOK, and other women's group members who have not been at another focus group


All focus groups are open: choose the date and time that works best for you.



Nominating Committee Members

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