St. James
| Location | Dexter |
| Date Posted | March 1, 2024 |
| Category |
Michigan (Ellen Ekevag)
|
| Job Type |
Half Time
|
| Setting | Suburban |
| Compensation | $31,236 (includes cash stipend and SECA reimbursement) |
| Diocesan Compensation Info | https://www.edomi.org/church-admin/hr/ |
| Health Benefits | None |
| Housing | None |
| Is there a rectory? | No |
| Equity Allowance | No |
| Average Sunday Attendance | 33 |
| Child Population in Church School | 4 |
| Adult Population in Church School | 12 |
| Budget | $213,580 |
Description
Liturgical style and practice
St. James’ is neither high church nor low. We have a happy medium. We use different versions of the prayers and music, changing with the season, or just to keep it mixed occasionally.
Strengths
- Flexibility, in general! Sometimes we get bogged down with what we’ve always done, but most of us are willing to try new things, at least once, including changes to the service, physical layout, and events.
- Sense of community and care for everyone, willingness to pitch in when and where we are needed.
- The congregation is friendly. We are welcoming and affirming.
- There is a love of engaging with the community and doing charitable works. We regularly respond to requests to collect, gather, or contribute for specific causes, especially for supporting Faith in Action.
- We have several new couples who have joined post pandemic, and they are active participants.
- We Zoom all of our services and many of our meetings, which allows for more people to attend.
- Our front yard ministry has potential--food pantry, library, turquoise table and chair, and the bee butterfly garden.
- We have a new office manager and music director, both of whom are excellent.
Challenges
- The same people tend to be at the table leading the congregation and activities, which poses challenges: First, those with younger families or sharing in care of family members have difficulty with bandwidth for participation. Second, those who have been leading can be facing burnout.
- Related to the previous challenge, we could benefit from help with motivating and follow-up, to support all of us as volunteers and to ensure that we continue to move forward on our goals.
- We need to define why St. James’ exists within the community. What vital ministry would be lost if St. James ceased to exist?
- Some of us tend to fret about the past.
- We should pay more attention to our spiritual growth.
- We need to strengthen our financial position.
- We could benefit from coordinating more activities with other churches, like St. Luke’s or Saline.
Contact Information
Clergy interested in being considered for a particular position should send a cover letter, resume and OTM portfolio to the Rev. Canon Ellen Ekevag, Canon for Congregational Development and Transitions for the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan by email: eekevag@edomi.org or mail to 4800 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48201.