The Search Committee is committed to keeping the parish informed throughout the transition. This page is the central place for updates on the rector transition, including news, resources, and regular communications from the Search Committee.
Please visit often. We'll share updates here as our work progresses. We also welcome your questions, insights, and prayers.
Above all, we ask you to hold our parish, our future rector, and one another in prayer as together we seek God's guidance for St. Andrew's.
For clergy inquiries: Please contact The Rev. Canon Kevin Olds, Canon for Congregations & Transitions, at kolds@episcopalct.org.
Use the Message the Search Committee button to share a question, comment, or reflection. The form includes a space for your name, but you may leave it blank to submit anonymously.
The call of a new rector is the work of the entire parish. Our search begins with prayer. The Search Committee has prepared this Prayer for Holy Listening, and we invite you to make it part of your own prayer throughout the search process.
As we begin the search for our next rector, we want everyone in the parish to feel informed and to have meaningful opportunities to share their perspectives. Our first Parish Listening Sessions have been scheduled:
Listening Session Dates
Sunday, August 23 — after the 10:00 a.m. service
Sunday, August 30 — after the 8:30 a.m. service
Sunday, September 13 — after the 10:00 a.m. service
You are not expected to speak in front of others and are welcome simply to listen and reflect. If you feel moved to respond, you may share your thoughts verbally, in writing during the session or afterward, or electronically through the parish website, where we will make the same questions available.
These sessions are just one part of a broader parish listening process. There will also be opportunities to share through small-group conversations, one-on-one meetings, and a separate online parish survey.
However you choose to participate — by speaking, writing, reflecting, or simply being present — we want to listen carefully to what you have to say.
If you'd like to inquire or schedule a one-on-one conversation with a member of the Search Committee, please send us a message.
At its August 4 meeting, the Search Committee focused on encouraging parish participation in the search process and approaching this part of our work as an outreach ministry to the parish.
Much of our discussion centered on the upcoming Parish Listening Sessions and how to make them welcoming and meaningful opportunities for participation. We are preparing a simple booklet that will include our guiding principles of Prayer, Presence, and Participation, the Prayer for Holy Listening, and the questions we will explore together. We also plan to share the questions in advance so that parishioners have time to reflect before the sessions. Committee members are working together on hospitality and other details to help create an inviting setting for listening and conversation.
We also reviewed the ways we are keeping the parish connected to the search through email updates, weekly announcements, and this Rector Transition Page. Beginning this week, the Prayer for Holy Listening will also appear in the Sunday service bulletin.
Following the meeting, the committee toured the rectory with Jess Baycroft of Buildings & Grounds. Jess walked us through the house and property and shared areas B&G may recommend addressing as we prepare for a future rector. Overall, the rectory appears to be in excellent condition.
The Search Committee continues its work of listening and discernment as we move through the Observe stage of the ECCT transition process.
This week's update includes highlights from Canon Kevin Olds' visit to St. Andrew's, our recent Search Committee meeting, and the introduction of centering prayer as a regular part of our gatherings. We also invite the entire parish to join us in praying A Prayer for Holy Listening (see above), prepared for this season of transition.
In addition, we've submitted the Parish Financial Analysis Form to the Diocese, are preparing for parish listening sessions, a parish-wide survey, and other opportunities for input. We encourage everyone to visit this Rector Transition Page regularly for updates and opportunities to participate.
See the full Search Committee update by clicking below.
The Search Committee met on Wednesday, July 22, 2026. Because the Search Committee is comprised of the Vestry, we have chosen to hold separate Search Committee meetings three times each month, while continuing our regular monthly Vestry meetings. This allows us to devote adequate time to both the ongoing work of parish leadership and the prayerful discernment the search requires.
We began our meeting with the Road to Emmaus story (Luke 24:13–35), reflecting on how Christ walks with us throughout this journey. We are also seeking a prayer to share as we listen together for the Holy Spirit's guidance.
The committee reviewed the ECCT's visual depiction of the transition process: "Observe, Re-Present, Discern, Agree" (embedded below). Our current focus is the Observe phase, gathering information and listening deeply before drawing conclusions or making decisions.
The committee also reviewed other diocesan resources regarding the clergy transition process and our responsibilities during this season linked below:
Wardens' and Vestry's First Steps
Clergy Transition Process Timeline
Finally, we began mapping out the major milestones and anticipated timeline for the months ahead. As plans become more defined, we will continue to keep you informed.
We are in the process of gathering financial information to provide to the Diocese (e.g., about our pledge base and financial projections, among other things). We will provide an update when that process is completed. You may read a brief description of this process by clicking on the link.
Following a heartfelt farewell to Shariya, this update turns our attention to the work ahead. Learn about Canon Kevin Olds' upcoming visit, the Diocese's transition process, the Vestry's role as the Search Committee, and the many ways the parish will be invited to participate.
We celebrated Shariya's ministry and said farewell at the Parish Picnic on June 14. Many of you have asked how Shariya is doing and whether we've heard from her. Those questions come from a place of love and reflect how deeply she is missed.
As difficult as it can be, one of the important practices of a healthy clergy transition is that after a rector leaves, both the departing rector and the parish are given space to start their new chapters. Shariya shared that part of "leaving well" meant stepping back from ongoing contact with the parish. Honestly though, this just feels hard. But this space is meant as a gift both to her and to St. Andrew's, as we each continue listening for where the Spirit may be calling us. One thing we can say with confidence is that we know she is praying for us as we are for her.
Shariya announced her retirement as Rector of St. Andrew's after nearly ten years of faithful ministry, with her last day as June 14, 2026. In this first update, the Wardens outline the initial steps in the transition process, introduce Canon Kevin Olds and the Diocese's role, and invite the parish to focus on giving thanks for Shariya's ministry while preparing for the journey ahead.
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St. Andrew's Episcopal Church