I am thrilled to announce that after a relatively lengthy search, we have called our next Interim Assistant Rector: the Reverend Lauren Lukason!
When Father CJ+ announced his retirement in August of this year Thank You | Clergy Reflections | Trinity Episcopal Church) I sensed that having someone who could hit the ground running was going to be important. After all, I am your Interim Rector and only contracted for this position for a few more months, and we have some exciting and important things to tend to, including welcoming a new Rector.
Having another priest on staff will help with all the regular duties of parish life, but the Assistant Rector will also assist in two important ministries: Worship ministries (coordinating with the established lay leaders around key areas of recruiting, training, and developing our ministries of worship) and the Welcome ministry (which is an aspect of one of the four strategic Target groups and essential for us keeping the momentum moving forward).
These two areas have come into focus during my time with you as essential to our ability to move into a deeper sense of connectedness both pastorally and organizationally.
When Lauren+ sent over her materials, I immediately felt a connection to her leadership, sensibilities, and competence as a partner in leading this parish through this transition. Lauren’s experience in parish ministry for the last six years as Priest-in-Charge makes her the ideal person to help us prepare for the next phase of ministry in our corner of God’s world.
A lifelong Episcopalian, she has been a member of a variety of Episcopal parishes and can speak into the context with ease and comfort. She is committed to values of authenticity and “making church together.”
On top of all this, she is kind and funny and generous, a strong preacher, and has a life-long commitment to the Episcopal Church, first as a parishioner and lay leader, then as a deacon, then as a priest, and now as our Interim Associate Rector.
Lauren has begun her goodbye to her friends at her current parish and plans to be with us full time starting November 2. I am so excited for you all to get to meet each other and grow to love each other as much as I do!
In Peace,
Jodi+
*****
Dear People of Trinity Episcopal Church,
Greetings! I am grateful for the opportunity to introduce myself to you and to share something of what excites me about the possibility of ministry together at Trinity.
As your Interim Assistant Rector, I look forward to supporting and assisting the Rev. Jodi and you during the coming months as you prepare to welcome your next rector. I hope to be a source of encouragement and support as you continue to deepen your life together, celebrate the gifts that make Trinity distinctive, and discern how God is calling you into the next chapter of your shared ministry.
As I have learned about you, I have found myself drawn to your commitment to being a welcoming, inclusive community, rooted in the Episcopal tradition while looking hopefully toward the future. I am especially inspired by your understanding of Trinity as a community where relationships deepen, questions are welcomed, music draws people closer to the Holy, and faith finds expression in care for neighbors near and far.
I, too, am passionate about cultivating communities that choose to live into the tensions that arise as we are transformed into the Body of Christ, living and worshiping together in prayer. I believe worship is at the heart of the Christian life. Whenever we worship together—with our voices raised in song or our hands at work in the wider community—God is at work through the varied gifts of the gathered community, forming and transforming us into one body united in mission to reflect God’s glory and love in the world ever more fully.
It has been my experience that rich, inclusive, deeply rooted worship helps form us as Christ’s beloved community. It nourishes and emboldens us to go into the world, sharing the Good News of God’s love. It also gives us the strength to look inward, speak sometimes difficult truths, and make different and, with God’s help, corrective choices that reorient us toward reconciliation with God and one another.
I believe the Spirit works through both our shared joys and our differences, inviting us to listen deeply, recognize the gifts each person brings, and remain open to the ways God may be calling us to grow. Becoming Christ’s Body is not about eliminating every tension or arriving at perfect agreement; it is about learning to love one another faithfully through the process of becoming who God calls us to be.
As we share these coming months, I look forward to getting to know you, worshiping alongside you, and discovering the many ways God is already at work in and through this community. My hope is to help nurture the spiritual life, relationships, and sense of shared purpose that will sustain you as you prepare to welcome your next rector and embark on the ministry that lies ahead.
May God bless Trinity in this season of transition, deepen your life together in prayer, and guide you toward a future filled with hope.
In Faith,
Lauren+