UPDATE: All Saints to Call The Rev. Brad Landry as Next Rector:

Dear All Saints family,

     It is our great pleasure to announce the call of our next Rector, The Rev Bradley J. Landry. Brad is currently the Rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and Montessori School in San Antonio, Texas. He was a unanimous choice of both the Search Discernment Committee and the Vestry, and he will begin his ministry with us on February 14, 2022.

     Although joining us from Texas, Brad and his wife Elizabeth have roots in Birmingham. Brad attended Samford University and served as Youth Minister at St. Mary’s on the Highlands during college. He then attended seminary at Sewanee, and following graduation, he served as an Associate Rector at the Church of the Nativity in Huntsville for three years. Brad, Elizabeth, and their children, Hattie (15), Noah (14), and Rowan (9), then moved to San Antonio, where Brad served St. Paul’s for the past eight years.

     Brad has been blessed with many gifts. He is an empathetic listener and communicator. He has a calm and captivating energy, a delightful sense of humor, and is open to new ideas and possibilities. He is a gifted preacher and teacher. He has a deeply spiritual presence and is a capable administrator at his parish.

     We cannot adequately thank the Self-Study Committee, the Discernment Committee, and the church staff for their faithful and diligent work. The committee members' names are listed below. Please join us in expressing thanks to them.
     Self Study Committee: Susan Anderson (Chair), Jenny Blackmon, Amanda Ennis, Janet Givhan, Ron May, Lauren Nassetta, Brett Noerager, Amy Berger Richmond, Mary Wheless
     Discernment Committee: John Poole (Chair), Nancy Ball, Adelaide Booth, Erin Donohoo, Todd Hollifield, Venita Mann, Alexa McElroy, Marisa Mitchell, Jay Murrill, Trent Ponder, Jessica Sanchez, Jimmy Wooten
     Finally, please keep Brad, his family, St Paul’s, and our All Saints family in your prayers as we move through this exciting time of transition.

          Sincerely,
               Bryson Waldo, Senior Warden
               Andrew Edwards, Junior Warden

UPDATE: Discernment Committee, August 10:

The All Saints Discernment Committee has received an approved list of candidates from Bishop Glenda Curry.New Paragraph

UPDATE: Parish Profile, July 2:

Dear All Saints Family,

We are excited to update you on our search for our new rector. The Self-Study Committee has completed the parish profile and supplementary videos. All have been reviewed and approved by the vestry. The parish profile is now posted on the Diocese of Alabama and National Episcopal Church websites, which will invite interested priests to enter the search process. The profile is also now available here. Please take a minute to read the profile and view the videos. We feel they are wonderful portraits of our church community.

John Poole will serve as Chair of the Discernment Committee. This committee will interview and evaluate interested priests, and ultimately, they will make a referral to the Vestry to call our next Rector. There is no time limit for this process, but it typically takes 6-9 months.

The profile was the product of a dedicated and talented group led by Susan Anderson. Their names are listed below. We are most grateful for their hard work. Please share your thanks with them all. 

Susan Anderson, Chair
Jenny Blackmon
Amanda Ennis
Janet Givhan
Ron May
Lauren Nassetta
Brett Noerager
Amy Berger Richmond
Mary Wheless
Ian Cunningham, Videographer
Sarah Sexton, Document Editor
Brian Wallace, Videographer and Video Editor
 

If you would like to recommend a candidate, please submit the candidate's name, parish, and diocese to John Poole before August 2.

Please continue praying for our church community, especially the Discernment Committee as they begin their work in this next phase of the process.

Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a rector for this parish, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayerfully,

Bryson Waldo, Senior Warden
Andrew Edwards, Junior Warden
Susan Anderson, Self-Study Committee Chair
John Poole, Discernment Committee Chair

UPDATE: Parish Survey, April 27:

On Tuesday, April 27, you will receive an email with the parish survey. It is imperative that all adults (ages 18 or older) in the parish participate! This information will be used to create the document that introduces All Saints to candidates for the rector position. It will give them demographic information about the parish, the community, our ministries and our history, and it will also tell them about our desires for the future. Please take 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire so that we can best represent All Saints as we search for our next rector! Hard copies of the survey will also be available in the church office and can be mailed upon request. 

If you have not received the survey via email or would like to request a hard copy, please email Sarah Sexton. 

UPDATE: March 2021 - From Parish Profile Committee Chair, Susan Anderson

Dear All Saints Family, 

As we move through Lent, I would like to update the parish on the work of the Profile Committee. As a reminder, our job is to produce a document that introduces All Saints to candidates for the rector position. It will give them demographic information about the parish, the community, our ministries and our history, but it will also tell them about our desires for the future.

We are now deep in the information-gathering phase, with members of the committee sitting in on weekly Lenten study sessions focused on "What is the Spirit Saying to the Church?"We are using this time of self-reflection to ask questions that help us understand who All Saints is and wants to be, so that we can convey that in the profile. Profile committee members and delegates are asking questions, listening to your thoughts and concerns, and taking notes.

If you have not yet joined a Lenten study group, it's not too late! For more on the series and classes, go to our Lenten page or email solson@allsaintsbhm.org.

After Lent, we will be sending out a survey to gather some additional information from you (please participate!), and we will begin writing, editing and designing the profile. If all goes according to plan, we will have a completed profile document in early summer. Please feel free to call or email me with questions, 205-447-5377 or susancullenanderson@gmail.com.

Also, please continue to pray for us and for All Saints as we do this important work. 

Sincerely,

Susan Anderson 

Parish Profile Committee Chair

UPDATE: January 14, 2021 - From Parish Profile Committee Chair, Susan Anderson

Dear All Saints Family,   

As we step into 2021, I want to give the parish an update on the work of the Profile Committee and our plans to move forward. The committee’s job is to produce a document that introduces All Saints to candidates for the rector position. The profile will contain information describing our members, our ministries, and our history. It will also express who we are more broadly and who we want to be in the future.   

Trying to understand all of this during a global pandemic, when we are not meeting in person, and when the ground is constantly shifting beneath all of us, has been very difficult. The All Saints that emerges from this time will likely be different than the one that entered it, and it is hard to know what that church may look like.   

The Profile Committee has been meeting regularly by Zoom, interviewing staff and vestry, and drafting a parish survey. Originally, our plan was to send out the parish survey now, in January, followed by small group meetings to hear more from parish members. We have decided, however, that knowing more about what is on the hearts and minds of parishioners will guide us in asking relevant questions and creating a more meaningful survey.   

As a first step, you will receive a questionnaire from our church staff. This survey will acknowledge preferred forms of communication, programming needs, and engagement in worship. Then on Wednesday, February 24, we will begin a parish-wide Lenten small group series entitled “What is the Spirit Saying?” This study will focus on the future of the Church in general, as well as All Saints specifically. Members of the Profile Committee will be involved in these small groups. We will use the information gathered from these two efforts to inform next steps. We expect to send a parish survey in the early spring and follow-up with additional small groups as needed or requested.   

Your involvement in the survey and the Lenten series is critical for the Profile Committee to understand your views regarding All Saints. You will be hearing more about the series and opportunities to join groups, and I ask you to please take part. The times we are living in right now are unprecedented. A prayerful pause during Lent to reflect on who we are and who we want to be is appropriate, so that we can hear what the Spirit is saying for us as we discern our next rector.   

Taking time like this to understand who we are before trying to recruit a new rector will result in a later completion of the profile than we had initially planned. Practically speaking, the steps that follow a completed profile require life to be more normal. Ideally, we want to meet candidates in person and travel to visit their home churches, preferably filled with people. We want to show them the same at All Saints. We are honored to have Mary Bea as a devoted Interim Rector, and she is committed to leading us as we prayerfully and intentionally discern what’s next for our community.   

Thank you for taking part in this important process with us. We continue to ask for your prayers for the parish, the staff and vestry, and the committee members as we pursue this course.   

Sincerely,     

Susan Anderson     

Parish Profile Committee Chair

UPDATE: May 20, 2020 - From Our Senior and Junior Wardens, Janet Givhan and Bryson Waldo

Despite the restraints of the pandemic, we have initiated the first steps in our search process by identifying parishioners who are willing and able to serve on the two search committees and represent a broad spectrum of ages, interests, and experience in our community. From these names, we have formed both the self-study committee, which will write a parish profile, and the discernment committee, which will search for a priest who best fits our shared vision for the future of All Saints. Once approved by the vestry, these committees will be formally presented to the parish, installed, and charged with their mission.

Our first task will be to begin a parish-wide self-study process to discern who we are as a community and what our goals and aspirations are for the future. Over the coming few months, the profile committee plans to enlist the input of as many people as possible. After a profile is completed, then the discernment committee can begin the search for our next rector.

Let us all continue our prayers for God’s hand to guide and bless us in this journey. 

The Rector Search Process: 

The vestry met with Sarah Sartain, the Diocesan Clergy Transition Officer, for a first organizational meeting. She has outlined a detailed process for the call of a Rector. Together we will move through this over the next 12 -18 months.

Interim Rector:

Dear People of All Saints,

The vestry is delighted to announce that The Reverend Mary Bea Sullivan will be joining us as our Interim Rector beginning June 22, 2020. She currently serves St Luke’s, Birmingham as an Associate Rector. She was formerly the Rector at Holy Spirit, Alabaster. At St Luke’s, she has been the driving force behind the development of Care Teams, composed of trained lay volunteers, and of Founder’s Place, a respite day program for adults living with memory loss. Founder’s Place is currently directed by our own Susanna Whitsett. Mary Bea brings great energy and enthusiasm to her ministry, a deep love of people, a welcoming presence, strong leadership, and a spirit-lead voice to proclaim the Gospel.

We look forward to a warm All Saints welcome for Mary Bea in mid June. The vestry will now turn its energy to the formation of Parish Profile and Discernment Committees so that, in July, we are prepared to begin the search process for our next Rector.

Please continue to keep this process and all involved in your prayers.

Sincerely,
All Saints Vestry

Committees:

Self-Study/Parish Profile Committee: Will be charged with self-study of our parish and the writing of a parish profile. This committee will provide opportunities for the entire parish to share their vision of All Saints current strengths and challenges and their hopes for our future life together. Once completed, the profile will be shared with the parish and posted on the national church website for review by all interested candidates. 

Discernment Committee: Will be formed to discern who, of the interested candidates, would be best suited to lead us in God’s work. Their choice must then be approved by the Bishop and presented to the Vestry. The Vestry will then meet, interview the candidate, and offer a formal call to serve us as our next rector.

Transition Committee: Will be formed to help in the work needed to relocate, welcome, and celebrate this new ministry.

The list of those now serving on these committees can be found below.

Almighty God, giver of every good gift: Look graciously on your Church, and so guide the minds of those who shall choose a rector for this parish, that we may receive a faithful pastor, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.