A Message from Michael Walker, Senior Warden

Fellow Parishioners of Manakin,
As we approach the end of summer, and our thoughts turn from the heat and those summer vacations to cooler temperatures and getting back to normal routines. It is also a time full of important activities for our Manakin family. Yes, there are the feeding programs, Habitat houses, Sunday worship, and this ‘little’ thing called the Gala. There are also two things in particular that will affect Manakin for a long time.

September will be an important month for us as we embark on the process of selecting parishioners for two very important groups. First, the Vestry has selected the Nomination Committee for the upcoming election of three new members of the vestry. Later in this newsletter, there will be a form that you can self- nominate or nominate someone for the slate of candidates. The job of the Nominating Committee, which will be headed up by former Senior Warden John Carnwath, is to evaluate all candidates and put forth the best slate for the election at the annual meeting. During the vetting process, some nominees may not end up on the ballot because they declined or are not eligible to run. As you consider possible nominations, please remember this election is very important, as these newly elected Vestry members will be part of a Vestry that will call our next rector.

Also in September, you will receive a separate letter soliciting nominations for the Search Committee. It will contain forms to nominate yourself or another parishioner for that committee. These nominations, like those for the Vestry, are for a vital role that will ultimately affect all of us. The Vestry will work with a search consultant to fill the roster for the Search committee with parishioners who have different backgrounds and skills. And just like nominations for the Vestry election, it is possible that some nominees for the search committee will not be selected for the committee.

Both of these undertakings require dedication to the job at hand. Those who serve in these roles will need to attend meetings, participate in conversations, make phone calls, and much more. If you are thinking about filling out one of the nominating forms, I hope that you will consider where your interest and skills are best suited to serve your church. I will also caution that due to the time commitments for each, you consider one or the other, but not both.

I would also like to take this time to inform you of some developments from the August Vestry meeting. After much discussion, the Vestry feels that it is the best approach for the near future is to continue with the two Sunday services we currently are offering. At the same time, a discussion was held regarding the Wednesday night Healing services. The Wednesday night services have been lightly attended, with a recent one having no attendees. During the month of September we will explore alternative ways to provide the Healing Service components to parishioners as part of a regular Eucharist service. If you find yourself or another parishioner in need of this ministry, we are fortunate to have Martha Jenkins+ continuing to provide pastoral care. The Vestry does not take these service decisions lightly, and we want to reiterate that these are for the immediate future only. Once we have an interim in place, we will look to him or her to guide us going forward.

It has been a little over a month since our rector began his sabbatical. I hope you have had an opportunity to attend services with a variety of supply priests. We have had four different priests with individual styles of conducting worship and preaching. I think it is fair to say that they also have inspired us with thought-provoking sermons. Several of these priests will return in September and there will be will also be new supply priests during September and October.

As always, your Vestry is here to serve you. I encourage you to contact a warden, your Vestry liaison or any vestry member with any comments or concerns.

Note: As Manakin begins to move through this transition period, members of our congregation will be contributing to the Rector’s Message section of our web site.