Author: Church of the Nativity

This is your Vestry’s final update for 2023 and my last as your Senior Warden. Beginning January 1, George Douglas will be Nativity’s Senior Warden, and Dave McKinnon the Junior Warden. I know I speak for Bill Sena, the 2022–23 Junior Warden, and Anne Krouse, the other Vestry member rotating off the end of this year, when I say what a privilege it has been to serve you and the Nativity community as wardens and vestry members. Thank you for your support and trust in us.

The Vestry would also like to extend a huge thank you to our wonderful staff who have worked extraordinarily hard since October 29. We are especially grateful for their providing the beautiful services throughout the week leading up to Christmas — starting with the Service of Lament and ending with the Advent IV Service and three Christmas Eve services on December 24. The choir as usually, set the atmosphere for Christmas Eve, and the amazing duet by Helen Moses and Jo-Mari Burgess was breath-taking. 

January 1 also marks the beginning of The Rev. Stephanie Yancy and The Rev. Dr. Cathy Deats’ service as Co-interim Rectors. We are in good hands with the leadership of the Vestry and of these two wonderful and dedicated priests. In their letter to the Vestry, they stated that Rev. Stephanie will work 3/4 time and Rev. Cathy 1/4 time. Stephanie will be in the office at least two days during the week and most Sundays; Cathy will be in the office one day per week and preach one Sunday a month. Rev. Stephanie will cover the other Sundays, along with Rev. Phillip. Others within the congregation will still have opportunities to preach, as has been our practice. Rev. Stephanie plans to attend all vestry meetings, pastoral support meetings, and staff meetings, while Rev. Cathy plans to attend all staff meetings and pastoral support meetings. Both will make themselves available for other meetings and any pastoral needs of the congregation.

A very important part of their ministry is to lead us through the tasks recommended for congregations experiencing a change in leadership. Those tasks include exploring our history and its effect on who we are today, creating opportunities for new leadership within the congregation, and exploring possible new directions in ministry. The goal is to prepare the Nativity congregation to welcome a new Rector and to thrive as we work alongside the person God is preparing to lead us.

— Beth Crow, Senior Warden

Our message this week comes from our Co-Interim Rectors, The Rev. Stephanie Yancy and Dr. Rev. Cathy Deats. The Vestry would like to wish each and everyone of you and your families a very Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends at Nativity,

I am so pleased that your vestry has called The Rev. Dr. Cathy Deats and me to be your co-interim rectors! I loved my time with you a year ago when Stephanie Allen was on sabbatical. I am looking forward to being with you again. As I told the vestry, as an interim rector my responsibilities will be somewhat expanded from my responsibilities as your supply priest. In addition to leading you spiritually and providing pastoral care, as interim rectors it will be Cathy’s responsibility and mine to work alongside you as together we prepare the way for your next rector to be successful. (Shades of John the Baptist!) I don’t know exactly what preparing the way will look like for you. I do know that it will start with a lot of just listening to each other. Cathy and I will be listening for your hopes, your dreams, your fears, and anything else you want to share. I trust the Holy Spirit to be with us in those conversations, and to lead us in the right way.

Cathy will say more about some specific tasks of interim rectors. The last thing that I want to say is that we will not be a part of the search committee or involved in any way in the search for your next rector. The vestry and the search committee will be the ones to keep you updated on the search as we go forward. Our official start date is January 1, however before she left Stephanie Allen had asked me to be your supply priest for the morning of Advent 4, this coming Sunday. So I’ll see you then!

Blessings always,
Stephanie

Dear saints of Nativity,

I am very excited to be joining you on your next journey, called “interim” to remind us that we are in an in-between time. As The Rev. Stephanie Yancy pointed out, the main goal of the interim period is to prepare you for your future and enable you to discern the best match for you and your future Rector.

The Alban Institute identified five “developmental tasks” that can enable a parish to be ready to accept a new rector and move forward constructively. These are: 1. Coming to terms with [the parish’s] history. 2. Discovering a new identity. 3. Shifts of power [in parish leadership]. 4. Re-thinking denominational linkage. 5. Commitments to new leadership and a new future. As with any model of process, these steps are not linear and often overlap or recycle. The bottom line is that we are entering a time of remembering, visioning, exploring, and re-thinking ministry for the body of Christ in Raleigh known as Church of the Nativity.

Stephanie and I are here to support you, to comfort you, and to challenge you. We are prepared to lead, and you will find us to be both gentle and direct leaders. You can count on our honesty, our skill, and most of all, our care.

O Spirit of G-d, be present in our journeys.
Be present in our days to come.
Be present in our works and in our words and in our hearts.
Be present in the bonds of our community, Lord Christ.
Be ever at work among us and through us.
Amen.

Peace,
Cathy

It is with great joy that we, the Vestry of Church of the Nativity, announce that we have called our Interim Priests. Yes, you read that correctly: priests. 

The Rev. Stephanie Yancy and The Rev. Dr. Cathy Deats will share the Interim position, with Stephanie serving ¾ time and Cathy ¼ time. They will begin the first of the new year. More details about their shared position will come next week.

In addition to this great news, the Vestry has selected the members for our Search Committee. We had a large number of very qualified individuals put their names forward for this role, and we are deeply thankful for each and every one of them for their service to Nativity. The Search Committee members are: 

• Morghan Bosch
• Beth Crow (Chairperson)
• Matt Dutton
• Susan Edwards
• Robert Joines
• Anne Krouse
• Allison Martin
• Sarah O’Connor
• Emily Phillips. 

This group will be meeting with Catherine Massey, Canon to the Bishop, in the first part of January to begin their work. All information about this transitional period will continue to come from the Vestry.

The Vestry is in the final stage of selecting our Interim Rector and will make an announcement as soon as all legal procedures are completed. As stated last week, the Vestry will meet on December 12 to approve the selection of Search Committee members; that list will be shared once all parties have accepted their nominations.