Sunday Worship 8, 9:30, & 11am · Details

  545 S. East Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois 60304  ·   708-386-5613  ·     Give

St. Christopher's Oak Park
  • Welcome
  • Worship
    • Service Times
    • Music
  • Learn
    • Adults
    • Children & Youth
  • Serve
    • Serve St. Christopher's
    • Serve the Community
  • Gather
  • Connect
    • News & Events
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Visitor Information
    • Calendar
    • Building Usage
    • Ministry Scheduler Pro
    • Breeze Member Login
    • Give
    • Contact Us
  • Give

Rector Search Update

It is January 2023. How did we get to where we are now?

Over the past year, our Search Committee and Vestry have engaged, listened, prayed, and discerned together in order to open our hearts and minds to the future of St. Christopher’s:

  • December 2021: The Interim Rector and the congregation commissioned the seven members of the Search Committee.
  • Spring 2022: In a thoughtful and prayerful process, the Committee asked the congregation to complete the Congregational Assessment Tool (CAT)
  • Small Group Summer 2022: When the Committee and Vestry received the results of the survey, we decided to work together on the next step and launched Small Group Summer. Vestry and Search Committee members co-led small group discussions to better glean the pulse of congregants and the vision of the future.
  • September 2022: The Search Committee provided the Vestry with a written summary of the lessons learned from the CAT and small group sessions to prepare for both groups moving forward with our separate roles and responsibilities.
  • October-December 2022: The Search Committee then drafted the Parish Profile and Office of Transition Ministry (OTM) materials, which together serve as a job description for the next rector. Those documents provide a snapshot of:
    • who we are
    • who/what we believe God is calling us to do
    • what skills and qualities are needed to help get us there.

The profile and OTM, once posted, remain active for 60 days.

The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago does the initial screening of any applicants based on information that only they know. All materials from all eligible candidates are then forwarded to the Search Committee.

​When will the application period be over?

We anticipate the application period ending by mid to late March.


What is next?

Once the Search Committee has all applications, we will review the applications, research candidates, schedule and conduct interviews, and make site visits as appropriate. More on that process is below. At the end of our discernment, the Search Committee will recommend a single candidate for the Vestry’s discernment and (hopeful) call.


When and how will the congregation know what is going on?

All of the work of the Search Committee from this point onward is confidential until a rector candidate accepts a call from the Vestry. If you ask a Search Committee member how things are going or await an announcement in church, all you will likely hear is “we are interviewing.” We will not say things like “we’ve narrowed it down to two people,” or “we haven’t found anyone we like” (highly unlikely!), or “we’ll be making an offer next week.” Likewise, the Vestry will not know anything else until it is time to involve them in the process.


How does the list of applicants get narrowed down?

Through the interview process, both candidates and our Search Committee are considering this decision very prayerfully. When we narrow down to a top candidate or candidates, Committee members may travel to see/hear them in their current role. Candidates are also invited to St. Christopher’s, Oak Park, and the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, a particularly helpful visit if this would be a major move for the candidate (and family as applies). Finalists meet with both the Vestry and Search Committee for worship and fellowship and have final interviews with the Search Committee and Bishop Paula Clark.


​Then what?

The name of the final candidate is put forth to the Vestry for consideration, and, if approved, the Search Committee’s work begins to close. It is the Vestry who makes an offer and takes it from there, including negotiating a final agreement and getting this Bishop’s approval. At this point, the congregation will learn when and how its next chapter will begin and the identity of the incoming Rector. Part of that will include saying goodbye to Kevin, and part of it will involve creating a warm welcome to the new rector and their family.

Finally, the Search Committee then goes into wrap-up mode, ensuring that all documentation is up to date and any lessons that we learned are recorded for future searches.


Share this page: Rector Search Update

Important Links

  • Parish Profile (not available yet, waiting diocesan approval)
  • OTM (not available yet, waiting diocesan approval)
  • Annual Report

St. Christopher's Search Committee

Emily Culbertson, co-chair
Maya Ganguly
Marilyn Huebel, co-chair
Mary Kay Tobin
Bill Urso
Peter Walters

Contact Us: [email protected]org

Sunday Worship

  • 8:00 AM Contemplative Eucharist, Rite I
  • 9:30 AM Contemporary Wiggles Eucharist, Rite III
  • 11:00 AM Choral Eucharist, Rite II

Location

545 S. East Avenue · Oak Park, Illinois 60304
708-386-5613


Connections

Diocese of Chicago

The Episcopal Church

  View Entire Post

Service Times

Sunday Worship

  • 8:00 AM Contemplative Eucharist, Rite I
  • 9:30 AM Contemporary Wiggles Eucharist, Rite III
  • 11:00 AM Choral Eucharist, Rite II

Location

St. Christopher's Oak Park
545 S. East Avenue
Oak Park, Illinois 60304

Contact Us
708-386-5613

Newsletter Signup

Welcome Life Events Children & Youth Leadership The Episcopal Church

We look forward to welcoming you to St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, an open and affirming congregation in the worldwide Anglican Communion.

We pray that you will find here the love that is Christ’s law – love that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things – knowing that God’s love is bigger than anything we can ask or imagine.

Learn More Visitor Card

In the Episcopal Church, we call holy life events sacraments. We acknowledge that God is present in every occasion of our lives. Some of these we mark together with special celebrations of worship to highlight the ways in which God is always at work throughout our life’s eventss. As Episcopalians, we believe that these observations reveal God's grace to us in new ways and call them sacramental.

Baptism Confirmation/Reception Marriage Burial

We have created a Sunday morning for Children and Families beginning with worship at 9:30AM. Then, immediately following snack, the young people participate in the Whole People of God lectionary-based Sunday School curriculum, so that everyone in the church is reflecting on the same scripture. Children engage the themes and stories of the day in our 9:30 worship. Art, activities like acting out the story, and music reinforce what happens in worship.

Learn More

In the Episcopal Church the people of God, ordained through baptism, are to be ministers of Jesus wherever they live, work, and play. The Priest is the pastor to the people who proclaims the gospel; administers the sacraments; and blesses and declares pardon in the name of God.

Supporting the Ministers of God are the Staff and Vestry. The Rector is elected by a vestry with the bishop‘s approval.

Meet Our Leadership

We as Episcopalians believe in a loving, liberating, and life-giving God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. St. Paul's is part of the Episcopal Church, a church that is both rich with ancient tradition and relevant to life in the 21st century. We believe that God loves you - no exceptions.

We believe in following the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection saved the whole world.

Learn More
Give Now Pledge

Everything on our beautiful church campus is paid for by the people of St. Christopher’s. Our worship, our music, our Sunday School, our outreach, our staff, our buildings and every candle is made possible by the generosity of our church members, friends, and supporters. Please give now so that we can continue to build the Kingdom of God together.

Give Now

The people of St. Christopher’s are our service ministers and, working with the staff and vestry, are full stewards of the mission and ministry of our congregation. Steward is an ancient concept. A steward is a person who is responsible for someone else's property, finances, or affairs.

Make a Pledge Pay My Pledge

Learn More