"For God, who
said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to
give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ."
2 Corinthians 4:6
In our 20-year history, Faith Episcopal Church (“Faith Church”) grew from a
small group meeting in The Rev. Canon Kent and Kathy McNair’s living room to a
vital, family-centered, generous congregation that averages 300 daily attendance
at our two services on a Sunday. We are mostly a middle class/upper middle class
congregation with nearly 80 percent of our adults having a college education. We
strive to live up to our mission to praise God by serving, growing, and sharing
in Christ’s love. Throughout the week, you may see the Youth Group preparing for
their annual Sierra Service Project, hear the choir practicing a mix of hymns
and contemporary music, or have lunch and a lively discussion with our senior
members.
Theologically Moderate
Our members consist of young families, empty-nesters, and retirement-aged
people, as well as singles. Children, from newborns to teens, are always visible
in great numbers. We strive to be friendly, relaxed, and open to newcomers.
Our church members come from a variety of religious backgrounds and
experiences. The theological perspective is a moderate one, although there are a
number of persons who share a more progressive as well as a more conservative
outlook, who all worship together. While we are grounded in the Episcopal
tradition, we try different things. We’ve had Gospel Music Sunday, Cowboy
Sunday, Hawaiian Shirt Sunday, services in Spanish, and members wearing their
ethnic dress on Pentecost. At a Sunday worship service, you may view a drama,
marvel at our children conducting the service on Youth Sunday, study a
particular book of the Bible, or you may discover a calling during the Ministry
Fair.
It is important to recognize there is a high level of theological
diversity among members of the congregation. Not only is our community made up
of people from different denominations (i.e., cradle to grave Episcopalians,
Lutherans, Roman Catholics, Presbyterians, Baptists, etc.), we also have a
community that is spread wide across the conservative to liberal spectrum, both
politically and theologically. The ability of our community to survive and
thrive with this level of diversity speaks to our uniqueness, which has been
enhanced by a rector who has effectively employed a wide variety of resources
across theological and denominational boundaries.
Focus on Children
Children have always been our focus. Children’s Chapel has evolved into a full
Sunday school accommodating over 50 children on average each Sunday, with the
potential of over 130 children who are currently on roster, along with an
energetic Youth Group that meets on Sunday evenings. The youth practice living
their faith through the numerous outreach activities such as Operation Christmas
Child, fixing homes with Sierra Service Project, or raising funds and buying
gifts for foster children at Christmastime. Lack of space is limiting growth, so
the time is nearing to stretch our financial commitment for a Christian
Education building.
Small Groups
As the church grows, small groups are an integral
way members stay connected and explore their faith. This was demonstrated to us
when we participated in a church-wide study of Pastor Rick Warren’s Purpose
Driven Life. Our small groups offer a range of activities from the spiritual to
the educational, and also social. Bible and book studies, parenting and
adolescent issues, bridge and dinner groups are an integral part of life at
Faith. Periodically, church-wide book studies helped us go deeper in living out
our Christian faith. After studying The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, a
collaborative effort by parishioners successfully raised nearly $14,000 for a well in
Africa.
Active Lay Ministries
With growth, the reliance on lay leaders became essential. Rather than a Vestry
member having oversight of a ministry, lay leaders are cultivated and supported
so they can develop teams to facilitate ministries such as Youth Group, Pastoral
Care, Altar Guild, and a number of other ministries. Leaders meet monthly and
attend a yearly retreat for support and spiritual study.
Transition in Progress
From meeting in a living room, to a rental in a storefront, to our own building
nestled in the beautiful foothills of the Sierra, Faith Church is still
evolving. Our founder, visionary, and friend, Kent McNair, will be retiring at
the end of 2012. Our Vestry and congregation have decided to find his
replacement in a new and distinctive way, which fits nicely with Faith Church’s
unique culture. During our time of transition, we have chosen not to have an
interim pastor. At Faith Church our goal is to call a new Rector and have that
person start prior to Fr. McNair’s departure at the end of 2012. This is the
ideal scenario and one that we are working towards; however, nothing is set in
stone. There are many variables, most of which is finding the best candidate
for Faith Church and matching his or her availability to our need. The Vestry and
Search Team’s plan is to include some overlap with Fr. McNair so there is time
for assimilation prior to his departure.
We have established several
teams to assist in the efficiency of this process. Leadership for this
transition is being shared throughout the congregation but coordinated by the
Vestry. We plan to take an inventory of the gifts and skills of our members as
well as craft a new vision for ministry in order to determine what God is
calling us to do in the next phase of our congregational life. These tasks will
be organized by the Transition Team. The search for a new Rector will be the
responsibility of the Search Committee. We also intend to develop the human and
financial resources to support our growth which will be led by a Stewardship
Ministry Team. Communicating all the information of this transition with the
congregation is of the utmost importance; therefore a Communications Team has
been formed as well.
Survey of Congregation
The Transition Team has already done a significant amount of work. To prepare
us for this transition, Holy Cow! Consulting worked with this team, the ministry
leaders, staff and the Vestry at our Fall 2011 retreat. Holy Cow! Consulting
also administered a church-wide survey so that we can better understand who we
are as a parish so that the right match can be found to continue and expand upon
the spiritual work at Faith. (Vital
Signs Summary Document).
The survey indicates that we are satisfied
with how things are and do not want any significant change in the direction of
the church compared to the recent past. Yet, we appear to be very adaptable
and are comfortable making frequent adjustments in the way we do things.
Conflict at Faith Church is very low. Morale appears to be very high, which
suggests members are energized about the ministry at Faith Church. Also,
members value involvement in the church beyond worship.
Challenges
We do have some
challenges. In the last several years, there has been a gradual dip in our
average Sunday worship attendance from 359 to 305, while at the same time our
space limits the ability to comfortably accommodate the growing number of
children in Sunday school. Younger members expressed concern that our current
commitment to children and youth ministry might be lost in the transition to a
new rector. As our senior members increase, there is a concern about
administering to their pastoral needs. We have a hefty mortgage on our building
and may be suffering some building campaign fatigue, yet a Christian Education
building would alleviate the overcrowding on Sunday mornings and provide more
opportunity for adult education.
Children have always been our focus. Children’s Chapel has evolved into a full
Sunday school accommodating over 50 children on average each Sunday, with the
potential of over 130 children who are currently on roster, along with an
energetic Youth Group that meets on Sunday evenings. The youth practice living
their faith through the numerous outreach activities such as Operation Christmas
Child, fixing homes with Sierra Service Project, or raising funds and buying
gifts for foster children at Christmastime. Lack of space is limiting growth, so
the time is nearing to stretch our financial commitment for a Christian
Education building. 
As the church grows, small groups are an integral
way members stay connected and explore their faith. This was demonstrated to us
when we participated in a church-wide study of Pastor Rick Warren’s Purpose
Driven Life. Our small groups offer a range of activities from the spiritual to
the educational, and also social. Bible and book studies, parenting and
adolescent issues, bridge and dinner groups are an integral part of life at
Faith. Periodically, church-wide book studies helped us go deeper in living out
our Christian faith. After studying The Hole in Our Gospel by Richard Stearns, a
collaborative effort by parishioners successfully raised nearly $14,000 for a well in
Africa.