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UPDATES
10.29.26 Thank you to everyone who took part in our parish survey. Of the 494 parishioners invited, 150 responded—equivalent to 74% of our average weekly worship attendance. That excellent response gives us a rich and reliable picture of St. John’s today.

This week, the search committee met by Zoom with Holy Cow! Consulting for a detailed debriefing on the results. Roughly 72% of respondents are clearly satisfied with parish life, and the consultants noted that this positions St. John’s well for growth and wider impact. Looking ahead, members named four top goals: reaching new people and welcoming them into the life of the church, attracting families with children and youth, strengthening pastoral care for people in times of need, and deepening our generosity in support of the church’s ministry. The survey also identified inclusiveness and advocacy as particular strengths.

As our consultants reminded us, survey data is not the end of a conversation but the beginning. A one- or two-page summary of the results will be shared with the congregation, and the full report will be available in the church office for anyone who would like to review it. We are now moving into the next phase of the search: small-group listening sessions, which began this week. These conversations will help us test and deepen what the survey revealed as we prepare to call our next rector.

Search Committee members will be reaching out to active groups within the parish (e.g., Dinner Church, Altar Guild and Usher volunteers) as well as hosting congregation-wide listening sessions on Sunday, November 8, and Sunday, November 15 (times and locations TBD.) We hope to provide multiple opportunities for you to take part in these sessions so that everyone’s voice can be heard.

Please keep the committee and our parish in your prayers.

UPDATES
10.22.26 Please submit completed surveys by Wednesday, October 21. Surveys are available online here. If you need a paper copy of the survey please email the Search Committee and one will be mailed to you. Completed paper surveys can turned into the church office. If you have any questions about this process, please review the material on the church website Rector Search or contact the search committee. Small group listening sessions with the Committee will start the first week of November. Details to follow.

10.14.26 Please submit completed surveys by Wednesday, October 21. Surveys are available online here. If you need a paper copy of the survey please email the Search Committee and one will be mailed to you. Completed paper surveys can turned into the church office. We aim for 100% participation and we encourage everyone to complete the survey as soon as possible before the October 21st deadline. The questions are based on a third- party data set of queries used by thousands of parishes in their rector searches. Using the survey feedback from our parish provides a wider context for the goals for our rector search. If you have any questions about this process, please review the material on the church website Rector Search – St. John’s Episcopal Church, Ross or contact the search committee.

09.17.26 The first key step over the next few months is getting feedback from the congregation — not just from those of us who linger over coffee hour after the 9:00 or 10:00 a.m. services, but from everyone. This fall, that will happen through two channels: a parish-wide survey, and a series of “listening parties” with small groups. The survey — officially the “Congregational Assessment Tool,” or “CAT” has launched and is available via this link. It will run for approximately four weeks. Please note that the survey is not bespoke to St. John’s. The questions are based on a third party data set of queries used by thousands of parishes in their rector searches. Using the survey feedback from our parish provides a wider context for the goals for our rector search and for appropriate candidates. Our goal is that every voice in the parish gets heard, so we’ll be announcing it weekly at all three Sunday services, through Connect, and via email for the next month.

09.04.26 The Search Committee is working closely with the Diocese of California to lead St. John’s through the process of calling our next rector. We expect the entire process to take about one year. This fall the Search Committee will guide the congregation through a discernment process that will involve small group conversations.

SEARCH PROCESS
The search process for our new Rector should take approximately one year. As a committee, we are operating under the guidance of our Diocese, and following their recommended process. The most important part of the process is getting feedback from you, the congregation. Feedback opportunities will unfold this fall (2026) through survey and small group participation. The survey has launched and is available via this link. It will run for approximately four weeks. Please note that the survey is not bespoke to St. John’s. The questions are based on a third party data set of queries used by thousands of parishes in their rector searches. Using the survey feedback from our parish provides a wider context for the goals for our rector search and for appropriate candidates. Following a review of the survey results, the Search Committee will launch into small group sessions throughout October / November. Please keep an eye on Connect and your email for opportunities to participate. After we discuss and collate the results of our survey and small group work, we will prepare a posting of the position, along with a description of our parish community, and what we are looking for in a new Rector. That position should be officially posted in February / March, 2027. We should start interviewing candidates in April, and have finalist visits in June. After that, the Search Committee will make a recommendation to the vestry with the goal of having our new Rector begin next August (2027). If you have any questions about this process, please contact the search committee via email.

SEARCH COMMITTEE
contact the Search Committee

Warren Jones is the Committee Chair. Warren, Jennifer, Griffin, and Rhys Jones are long time members of St. John’s, attending the 10am service. Griffin (19) and Rhys (16) were both confirmed in the Church and enjoyed many adventures with the youth group. Warren is committed to helping St. John’s be as vibrant in the next 20 years as it has been over the last 20. He honored to assist the selection of Rev. Chris’s successor.

Kari Saunders Chao has been a member of the St. John’s faith community for a significant portion of her life. She started attending St John’s 9 a.m. family service in 2012. As her son Eli grew older and got involved with the youth group program she began attending the 10 a.m. service and singing with the choir. Kari also remembers St John’s from back in the 1970s and 80s as her parents were parishioners then. She is honored to be a member of the current rector search committee.

Paul Kaplan was born and raised in San Francisco, attending Grace Cathedral School and later marrying there. He has been a parishioner at St. John’s for twenty years, having first come to our community for the memorial service of longtime parishioner Dick Ford. Paul has served on the Vestry and attends the 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. services.

Doug Aley lives in Greenbrae, and has been a parishioner at St. John’s with his family for 13 years (and is married to St. John’s Treasurer extraordinaire, Susan Aley). His family primarily goes to the 9 a.m. service where he helps lead the music ministry. Doug also served on the investment committee for a number of years. Both of his boys were confirmed at St. John’s and active members of the youth group.

Joannie Ericson and her family have been members of St. John’s since 2018, and her children have grown up through Choristers, Sunday School, and the Christmas Pageant. She has served on the Vestry as both Junior and Senior Warden, and currently leads the Memorial Garden restoration project as it enters its final phase. She loves St. John’s for its welcoming community, meaningful worship, and the many ways it nurtures people of all ages in their faith. She is honored and excited to serve on the Rector Search Committee as the parish prayerfully discerns the leader God is calling to guide St. John’s into its next chapter.

Rebecca Hleblasko and her family joined St. John’s in 1996, when her children Laura and Mike were 7 and 4. Over the years she has enjoyed volunteering in several capacities, including as a Sunday School teacher, usher, outreach committee member, Vestry member, and Senior Warden. She loves St. John’s for its spiritual nourishment, its multi-generational sense of community, and the willingness of the staff and Vestry to continue examining the way it does things and seeking ways to grow and ensure that St. John’s remains a dynamic source of support for parishioners and the larger community.

Julia Flynn Siler is an author and journalist who has been part of the St. John’s community for decades. She worships at the 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. services, is a soprano in the choir, and is a freshman member of the vestry. She helps out as a sous chef for dinner church and loves attending the annual parish retreat at the Bishop Ranch. She directs a spring literary series in Oxford, England but spends the rest of the year in Marin.

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