Christ Church, Guilford

at Priest-in-Charge (for three years with option to be elected Rector)
Location	Guilford
Date Posted	May 12, 2023
Category	Connecticut (Amber Page Gehr)
Job Type	Full Time
Setting	Town
Compensation	We adhere to the ECCT guidelines, which can be found in the Commons Companion on the ECCT website.
Diocesan Compensation Info	https://www.episcopalct.org/administration
Health Benefits	Full Family
Housing	Negotiable
Is there a rectory?	Yes
If there IS a rectory, is it optional or required that cleric live there?	Live-in Rectory Preferred
If there IS a rectory, how many bedrooms and bathrooms?	Three bedrooms and two bathrooms
Equity Allowance	Negotiable
Communicants in Good Standing	238
Average Sunday Attendance	65
Child Population in Church School	12
Adult Population in Church School	0
Teacher Population in Church School	3
Budget	$286,962

Description

Liturgical style and practice

Our liturgical style is best described as small church, broad church. We use Rite 2 with hymns from The Hymnal 1982 and occasional selections from Lift Every Voice and Sing. The choir leads the congregation in settings of the service music which rotate with the liturgical seasons. No incense; however, the bell in the tower is rung at the words of institution during the Eucharistic Prayer. We live-stream our services with organ, hymns, and a soloist. Recordings are available on Facebook. (https://www.facebook.com/cecguilford)

Strengths

We strive to live up to our mission statement, to welcome all, to provide hope and express gratitude for God’s love and creation, while nurturing our community and celebrating our faith. Since 1744, we have stood on the Guilford Green, a church that welcomes all on their spiritual journey. We give of our sustenance and our energy to those in need in this community and elsewhere. We acknowledge our faults and reach out to one another in support. Our strongest programs are worship, music, and outreach. We have great strength in an intelligent, caring membership.

Challenges

We have not had a rector for the entire church year, from September to the present. While that is a strong challenge, we have met it by enjoying the different styles of supply priests and have found unexpected strengths within our own parish. We are an aging community, and sometimes the flesh is weak while the spirit is willing. We would love to have more children in our Sunday School. We are weak in Pastoral Care, and have been for many years, but we are working to meet our challenges.

Comments

Christ Church is a happy, optimistic church, full of Christ’s love for one another and for our neighbors. Many longtime members have been coming back recently. We have an active Bible study group of 10-12 members which could count as Adult Church School above. Teens were counted as adults, not children, above.

Check out our website here.

Check out clergy compensation information in ECCT in The Commons Companion found here.

Contact Information

Amber Page Gehr

Diocesan Transition Minister

Phone: 203-639-3501 ext 131