2016 Vestry Selection Results

Dear Restoration,

It brings me great joy to write to you with the results of our 2016 Vestry Selection.  It was an excellent process that was undergirded with faithful and overt prayer.  The results are a testimony to the wisdom and leadership of God as He guides our church through this season of growth in character, in impact, and in influence around Arlington County and beyond.

The selection process began with several dozen nominees.  The Vestry Discernment Team (VDT) was thrilled with the number of people who were offered as potential servant leaders for vestry.  We were also humbled by the number of people and the task of discerning the few out of the many who could be put on the slate.  I am so grateful for the number of people who WANT to serve AND the number of people who are ABLE to serve.  Restoration has a rich resource of gifted servant leaders and it is the reason we have such excellent leadership through our advisory teams (personnel, facility, outreach, finance, church planting);  and discernment teams (for people considering vocational change–  especially to ordained ministry); and vestry.  Thanks be to God!

In response to the abundance of nominees, the VDT chose to designate a day to fast and pray for unity and clarity.  For each of us, it was a meaningful time of listening to the voice of Jesus.  When we discussed what we had heard from God, there was a clear, discerned consensus.  Our next step was to invite a significant number of the nominees to consider becoming a candidate and for those who said yes, to fill out a Vestry Discernment Questionnaire (VDQ).

When we had received the VDQ from those who were willing to be considered as a candidate, we again took some time to pray and to listen to the voice of Jesus as we read the excellent, vulnerable, God-honoring answers that were offered by these potential candidates.  Then we met together as a team, face to face, to pray and to discern who would be on the final slate.  Those 6 candidates were the people you have been praying for and considering for vestry service.

During the Restoration Annual Meeting that was open from November 27 to December 4, members of Restoration voted for 4 of the 6 candidates.  Here are the results:  Leigh McAfee, Sean Burke, and Chris Belen now comprise the vestry class of 2019.  Susie Wallin will serve for one year in the vestry class of 2017.

The Restoration Vestry will look like this next year:

The Vestry Class of 2017

• Hannah Royal
• Christine Jones
• Susie Wallin  (newly selected)

The Vestry Class of 2018

• Becky Mohr
• Meredith Lloyd
• Dietrich Kuhlmann

The Vestry Class of 2019

• Leigh McAfee  (newly selected)
• Sean Burke  (newly selected)
• Chris Belen  (newly selected)

Every year, we are asking God for clarity about people with the right gifts for whom vestry is the right time.  There are always multiple people who could fill these roles–  and for that we are grateful that there is a rich choice.  Thanks be to God that He sees the future and He knows what our church needs and He guides the heads and hearts of His people to select and to choose and to faithfully follow.  Thank you to all the people who considered serving on vestry.  I appreciate your courage and humility and willingness to serve.

Please pray.

Over the next few weeks, the old vestry will be meeting with the new vestry through informal coffees and lunches in order to begin the process of orientation to this team.  On January 4, 2017 the vestry will meet for a formal orientation to the by-laws, policies, and procedures that govern our life together.  On January 24, the new vestry will meet for the first time and review the financial position of the church, 4 months into its fiscal year.  On February 3-4 the vestry will leave town for 24 hours to pray and plan how God might continue to move our church towards the planting of churches and the dreams of our strategic plan.

To the One who always does more than we can ask or imagine:  glory and honor, thanks and praise.

From the One who knows what we need before we even ask:  grace and peace; faith, hope, and love.

-David