Survey results posted
The Ascension Parish Survey results and summaries have been posted on our new Survey page.
Committee receives survey results
At a special meeting on Saturday, March 23, the Rector Search Committee met with Susan Czolgosz, the diocesan transition consultant. She gave committee members a thorough walkthrough of the Parish Survey results received from Holy Cow Consulting, the firm that administers the survey.
The very high rate of participation in the survey yielded very useful results, and during its 2013-0403 SC_Agenda, the committee will plan how to present the results to parishioners.
Chairman Mike Milano reports
The Search Committee would like to thank all who participated in the recent Parish Survey, the first in many steps to calling a new permanent rector. We received more than 100 responses: a very encouraging level of participation. We should receive the results of the survey by the end of March.
We are continuing to work on the parish profile and other requirements established by the Diocese.
Thank you, and I can only ask that you continue to pray for us.
Michael Milano, Chairman
Survey Update Read at Mass on Feb. 10
The webmaster apologizes for not having posted the text of this statement until now. Rector Search Committee Chairman Mike Milano gave the following statement at Masses on Feb. 10:
Good morning. The Search Committee needs your help. Two weeks ago at our Annual Meeting, we were able to sit in small groups and share information about our parish and what you would like to see in a new permanent rector. We also discussed the need for all congregants to complete the survey. While many of you have done just that, there are still a number that need to respond. [Webmaster's Note: Response has been very high to the survey, far beyond expectations. Many responded to the reminders in the weekly This Week at Ascension email blast from the parish office and in the Sunday Mass bulletins.]
The survey takes about 1/2 hour to complete. So today, I am asking you to take the time and complete this very important phase of the work for the benefit of the entire parish. We still have about three weeks, until the end of February, to get this done and I urge all of you to take the time and complete the survey.
For those who do not have a computer or would prefer a hard copy, Jim Lo Bello has them, and if you see him after Mass, he can provide you with a hard copy. Take it home and complete it at your leisure and return it to Jim before the 24th of this month.
An important note is that once you start the survey, all questions must be answered or your survey will not be included as part of the Parish Profile. Do not skip any questions, as this will invalidate the rest of your answers.
Once we get the results of the survey, we will share that information with all of you. In addition, in the weeks to come, after Easter, we will be holding small-group discussions with all of you to obtain your input on what you want to see in a new permanent rector.
If there is anything you would like to discuss with any member of the Search Committee, at any time, please feel free to do so. We encourage your participation.
Thank you, and please complete your survey.
The Parish Survey
Church of the Ascension parishioners: Please take our Parish Survey before the end of February.
Those attending the Parish Annual Meeting on Jan. 27 received the URL (the website address) for the online parish survey. The URL has also been included in this week’s issue of This Week at Ascension, which parishioners receive via email.
To limit participation to parishioners, the URL isn’t being posted for public view on the website or this Rector Search microsite. But if you’re listed in our parish directory and can’t find the URL, please email scottknitter@gmail.com to request that it be emailed to you.
The survey has been tailored to our parish’s needs and designed to gather important input to enable the Rector Search Committee to evaluate applicants for the rector position. It takes 30 minutes or less to fill out online; answering each question involves just one click of the mouse on the appropriate answer. At the end there’s a freeform text box where you can type your own comments.
In addition, the Rector Search Committee is compiling comments received during table discussions at the Annual Parish Meeting and will facilitate further focus groups and informal conversations to gather additional input. Representative comments reflecting different points of view will be used in our Parish Profile presenting a balanced view of our parish to prospective rectors.
Process Update Read at Mass
Here is the Search Committee process update written by Michael Milano and read by Jim Lo Bello and Scott Knitter at Masses on Sunday, January 20.
THE SEARCH COMMITTEE has completed a very important step in our search for a new permanent rector: the Parish Survey. We urge all parishioners, including teenage parishioners to take part in the survey process by computer if at all possible. The link to the survey will be available next Sunday (Jan. 27). For those who do not have a computer, or if you have difficulty in accessing the link, please see Jim Lo Bello after the Annual Parish Meeting, and he can provide you with a printed copy.
Next Sunday at the Annual Parish Meeting, the Committee will be available to listen to your views regarding what qualities you would like to see in a new rector. This is a great opportunity to let us know your likes and dislikes, your hopes and desires relating to what qualities you feel are needed by our new rector at Church of the Ascension.
We strongly urge that all parishioners take part in the discussions next Sunday, the first of such meetings. Committee members will be available after next Sunday to continue to receive your input, as we feel that this is an integral component of our process.
By mid-March, we hope to have all surveys completed. Shortly after that, we should have the results of the survey and will share them with you.
I can tell you that the next phase is the completion of our Parish Profile, which will then be put online for potential applicants to view and consider. This phase is expected to be completed by mid-May, and then the Diocese will begin to inform us of applicants.
Thank you for your participation in this most important phase in our search for a new rector.
Church of the Ascension, Chicago
Church of the Ascension, Chicago
Church of the Ascension is a parish of the Diocese of Chicago in The Episcopal Church. Complete parish information is available at the parish website. When the Rector Search Committee finishes the Parish Profile, that document, with a detailed look at the current state of the parish and aimed at prospective rector candidates, will be provided at this Ascension Chicago Search site along with the other search-related information posted here.
