Saint Paul's Church, Concord, NH

A Place to belong — Whoever you are — Just as you are

Search Committee Collect

Please pray with us:

Holy and Gracious God, we are grateful for your presence in our lives and for this opportunity to seek for and call our next rector. Grant us wisdom, sensitivity and discernment in this ministry and bless us with a faithful pastor that together we may grow in love of you and in service to our parish, our community and the world, through Jesus Christ our Lord, AMEN.

We will keep you posted as we continue this spiritual journey. Check this web page as well as the Upper Parish “Search News” bulletin board for information and updates.

Meet our members:

Search News

*6/7/09 Please welcome the Reverend Kate B. Atkinson, who has recently accepted the Vestry's call to be the new Rector of St. Paul's Church! More information on Kate and her family can be found here. Kate's first service at St. Paul's Church is scheduled to be August 23, 2009. Many, many thanks to the Search Committee and Vestry for all of their hard work during this process.

*5/3/09 The search process is entering the final stage! On Sunday April 26 the search committee presented the vestry with four candidates for our new rector. This completes the formal responsibilities of the search committee, although they will continue on the periphery with the vestry. The vestry will now interview and meet with the four candidates during May and will then meet to discern which one to call. Please keep all of us in your prayers as we complete this process.

*3/28/09 The Search Committee is reviewing materials on new candidates provided by Diocesan House. Telephone conversations were held with several of these candidates and interviews held in Concord followed. The Committee is busy scheduling visits to a select number of these candidate’s home parishes. Following what will have been a thoughtful and prayerful evaluation of all candidates, the Search Committee will present their final candidates to the Vestry. While the Parish is anxious to call a new Rector, the Committee plans to move carefully to allow for a good and successful conclusion to the search process and they appreciate everyone’s patience, prayers and support.

Information about St. Paul's Church

Search Committee Info:

Members of the Search Committee:

Ruth Perencevich, Chair
Steve Gordon, Chaplain
Geoff Forester, Vestry Liaison
Fran Clapp
Dave Cawley
Elizabeth Davis
Penny Halvorsen
Nancy Holbrook
Deb LaCross
Mike Lafond
Ashley MacDougall
Missy Martinson
Gail Szostak

In addition to the committee members, there are three Diocesan search coaches: David Young from St. Andrew’s, Hopkinton; the Rev. Ann Stevenson; and Roberta “Bobbe” Fairman, Canon for Deployment.

This is will be an exciting, spiritual, and labor-intensive journey and we thank the members for their commitment to this very important Ministry. You can be sure they will have our support and constant prayers.

We want to thank all of those very committed St. Paul's parishioners whom applied to be on the committee but were not selected. Not being selected did by no means imply they were not good candidates. It took the Vestry multiple hours of intentional, Spirit led consideration and discernment with 40 plus applications with only 14 seats to fill which we feel speaks to the health and enthusiasm we have at St. Paul's! We ask everyone to keep praying for ways in which to participate in this journey through the many venues the search committee will bring forward.

Please keep the search process in your prayers, as we all remain united thru Christ on our journey to find our new Rector.