Set by God in the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Piedmont Episcopal Church Madison, est. 1834, and Grace Church Stanardsville, est. 1901, each have a long tradition of serving their respective communities. Each church is located in a small-town county seat and lives into its mission to serve neighbors in need and to glorify God through inspired worship by Word and Sacrament with the vibrant music of inspiring hymns from diverse sources. These rural communities are within thirty minutes of Charlottesville, an hour from Harrisonburg and two hours from Richmond and Washington, DC.

JOYS AND STRENGTHS

While we are distinct congregations, we have come to find that we share very significant common traits. We are warm and inclusive communities of similar size. We welcome all who come through our doors. We firmly believe that our worship centered on Holy Eucharist and accompanying fellowship to be most important for our life of faith in Christian community. Fellowship events and outreach activities are considered for us to be the most natural ways to serve and demonstrate the good news of the gospel for both churches. Both churches have active, ongoing engagement in local community service organizations, making good use of well-maintained buildings and grounds. Both churches make use of various platforms for communication such as Facebook and weekly newsletters.

As parishioners of Grace and Piedmont, we are profoundly grateful for the past 3 years of mutual ministry with our current priest.  We look forward in faith with love and hopeful expectation for what God will do next in our discernment and call of our next priest.

MORE ABOUT OUR JOY

At Grace:  Grace Church’s closest neighbors live mostly in rental housing, some subsidized, including two apartment complexes.  This has led to the creation of a neighborhood after-school program called Help Offered for Primary Education (HOPE) run by church volunteers, as well as a thriving Unity Garden on our five-acre campus and a free Fifth Saturday neighborhood brunch.

This close community involvement has led to the re-establishment of a Sunday School for children.  Children from the neighborhood attend as do those of parishioners who live further away.  We have also added a nursery for a couple of infants and their families who have become a new part of our church family.  We hope to see this intergenerational activity continue to grow.

While our long-time organist and choir director left last summer, we now have a new organist who is learning the craft and art quickly.  Our volunteer choir remains enthusiastic and sings together even without a formal leader.  The congregation loves to sing praises and glory to God.

A list of all our outreach ministries and activities is available here.

At Piedmont: We are blessed with a robust music program of anthems and congregational singing for worship including choir, organ, piano and guitar using the 1982 Hymnal and LEVAS.  We are very grateful to have this program under the volunteer leadership of our loving and gifted organist and choir director.

Our members offer their gifts and energy to several thriving local community helping organizations, too, including Madison Free Clinic, Madison Emergency Services food pantry, Boys and Girls Club, Madison Learning Center and to Madison Day, a county-wide day of service projects.

On the horizon, we will pilot a once-weekly intergenerational program beginning in May.  Participants will learn to play our hand chimes and also enjoy a creative writing component. This is being developed by our music director along with teachers and parents in lieu of our recent week-long summer children’s music and arts camps.

CHALLENGES

We have encountered the demographics of change in church attendance. We are loving but small, aging congregations and have few families with young children. While we are committed to our faith and active in our outreach,  we confess to some fatigue especially among those who have been filling rotating leadership positions. Having said that, our counties do have potential for growth and we are excited about our ongoing ministries.  We seek collaborative leadership to expand on what we have accomplished with fresh approaches engaging our respective laity more in this model of mutual ministry. Our new covenant of mutual ministry addresses the challenge of working together “recognizing the need for flexibility and mutual cooperation” without losing our distinctive identities.

WE ARE SEEKING A PRIEST:

• Who honors the beauty and power of the Episcopal communion, while remaining open to the revitalizing call of the Holy Spirit.
• Who is energized by preaching sermons emphasizing the centrality of Jesus, the application of scripture to daily life and ministry, and the work of the Holy Spirit.
• Who is warm, compassionate, and personally engaging.
• Who encourages and models habits of personal devotion, prayer, and stewardship of the church body’s time, talent, and resources to foster sustainable ministry.
• Who demonstrates sensitivity to the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of both parish families through active pastoral listening.
• Who is skilled in motivating, empowering, and celebrating active lay ministries and lay leadership.
• Who has a genuine commitment to community outreach and a desire to engage diverse populations.

To apply, please send cover letter, OTM, and resume (if desired), to the Rev. Shirley Smith Graham, ssmithgraham@episcopalvirginia.org.