Rector Search
Dear Fellow Parishioners, April 24, 2010
It is with great pleasure that the members of St. Andrew’s Search Committee and Vestry introduce to you our new rector, The Reverend Lu-Anne Conner, whose rich spirituality, liturgical, and pastoral skills have made her a unanimous choice for our next Rector.
Lu-Anne was revealed to the Search Committee in a distinct way, layer by layer, throughout the process, as her spiritual depth, character, outlook, experience, and abilities quietly radiated. Importantly, to all of us on the committee—ten diverse individuals who represent all facets of this parish—Lu-Anne was the true clear choice. Our sense of certitude in the decision has left us all feeling that the Holy Spirit was at work throughout this process.
Lu-Anne comes to us from her position as Associate Rector of St. Elizabeth’s in Ridgewood, New Jersey, where she has served with distinction since her ordination to the priesthood by Bishop Chilton Knudsen in 2002. St. Elizabeth’s is a truly vibrant and healthy traditional parish in a suburb of New York, one of the plum parishes in the Diocese of Newark. It is teeming with youth involvement, most of it under the mentorship of Lu-Anne. There she excels in a parish with many similarities to our own: an engaged congregation in a highly desirable area which enjoys financial health and stability and which deeply values its music and its liturgy.
A native of New England, Lu-Anne, age 48, received her B.A. in American History from Connecticut College in 1984. For several years, she worked in the insurance industry in southern Maine where she attended the Cathedral of St. Luke, before leaving to attend seminary in New York City. Lu-Anne received her M.Div. from Union Theological Seminary in May 2001 and was ordained to the diaconate by the Rt. Rev. Chilton Knudsen in June 2001. Lu-Anne returns often to Maine to visit her mother in Kennebunk, where her mother and late father had retired.
At St. Elizabeth’s, Lu-Anne has been sharing fully with the Rector in the preaching, teaching, liturgical leadership, and pastoral care of the parish. During the Rector’s Sabbatical, she served most ably as Sabbatical Rector overseeing a staff of eight, providing a particular focus on welcoming and incorporating new members, and teaching others to do the same. Lu-Anne’s ministry includes a special emphasis on pastoral care, and she has much experience with home and hospital visitations as well as in leading services for healing. One of her greatest skills is in working collaboratively with staff, students and parents to build bridges between youth and the life of the church. Remarkably, 75 percent of their 8th grade confirmands maintain consistent involvement in parish life throughout high school! She trains and supervises an acolyte corps of over 40 members from grades 4 through 12, teaching liturgical and leadership skills.
To members of the St. Andrew’s Search Committee, Lu-Anne has come across as a person of great composure—steady, calm and well organized – and quiet humor. We have seen a great spiritual depth in how she conducts herself through her written essay answers, her letters, her reflection during the evening prayer service she conducted with our committee and in her deportment as we shared an evening meal together. In short, she moved us each in different ways. Our Search representatives who visited Lu-Anne at St. Elizabeth’s on a Sunday while the Rector was away described Lu-Anne as conducting a wonderful service that incorporated two baptisms in which her wisdom and unflappability became evident. So, too, was the great respect and affection that the parishioners have for Lu-Anne. It appears she is a relationship builder who works on a heart-to-heart level.
The strength of Lu-Anne’s references (both those sharing comments by phone as well as in person with our representatives who visited her parish) has been truly powerful. They all say she is ready to be rector of her own parish. According to those who know her well, she has the gift of being personal; she’s an fine biblical scholar who skillfully relates the lectionary readings to our daily lives; she’s thoughtful but very present; she’s very approachable…meets you where you are; she’s very warm and genuine; and she is socially and politically progressive but honors a good Anglican tradition. They relate that Lu-Anne has been very supportive of the Rector (they balance each other well), is held in high esteem by the Vestry and gets along well with her Bishop. In regard to Lu-Anne’s role as a mentor for the parish youth, the mother of four boys who have gone through acolyte training with Lu-Anne told Paul and Marie that, “Sometimes there were things that my son would discuss with Lu-Anne that he wouldn’t discuss at home.”
We learned from references and our own interactions with Lu-Anne that she has the special skill of paying attention to others’ needs and expectations, in a fully respectful and engaged way. As a leader, Lu-Anne tells us that she is collaborative, consistent, and clear in her interactions with staff and with Vestry and Wardens. Below is Lu-Anne’s description, in her own words, of what she most enjoys in her role as a priest (in response to one of our essay questions):
“I take delight in identifying, mentoring, and encouraging the unique gifts of each of the baptized, because I believe that the Church needs the gifts and skills of absolutely everyone in order to continue its mission. I have a deep commitment to investing time with people of all ages in order to build healthy and holy relationships. I especially enjoy helping young people to mature in their faith and in their relationship to the church, particularly through my work with acolytes and my opportunities to teach and interact with the children in our Christian Education programs. I am passionate about liturgy, and I love to share my joy for it with others.”
On a personal note, Lu-Anne shares with us that her life partner, Kathryn (Kate) McCormick, is a 2003 graduate of Union Theological Seminary. Kate is Parish Administrator and Associate in Ministry of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Glen Rock, New Jersey. She hopes to sink her teeth into a social cause using her administrative experience and extensive journalism background. They told our parish representatives that they are both ready to commit their hearts and souls to the Newcastle area.
Lu-Anne, more than any other candidate, expressed in her quiet but forthright way how the fit of St. Andrew’s seems so promising for her and for us. Lu-Anne will be in Newcastle on August 1, where she will begin her ministry.
Faithfully,
Jack Dexter, Senior Warden, Jane Najim, Junior Warden, Steve Ward and Sally Crane, Search Committee Co-Chairs