Transition Report Timeline
December 2024 – January 2025
Bob Bourne and Andrew Christopherson co-chairs

Please mark your calendars for May 24. Father Bill (Very Rev. Canon Bill Dunn) will be installed as our new rector at a service at 10 am, followed by a celebratory luncheon, that promises to feature some good Texas barbecue.

Thank you to everyone who took part in our transition process, from Homecoming Sunday April 2023, Story Day, various detailed committee work, small group meetings, completing the Parish survey, attending the HolyCow! analysis, or reviewing it later, completing the Parish profile and finally reviewing it and giving feedback to the vestry. 
Having been deliberate in our information gathering, the transition process has moved very quickly in the last few months. The Parish Profile was completed in September, the Vestry approved it and met with Canon Tom Quijada-Discavage, the Diocesan Canon responsible for “transformation.”  We reviewed our options moving forward, and learned that in addition to a traditional search, we could petition the bishop to allow us to call our current Priest in Charge, Very Rev. Canon Bill Dunn as priest in charge under special circumstance (PICUSC), in essence bypassing the rest of the search and putting Fr. Bill on the fast track to become rector. 
Some of Trinity’ recent rectors have been chosen by this method and some by the traditional search process. Both methods have been successful in some instances, and both have seen failure. If mistakes have been made in the past, it may well have been in choosing a priest who did not truly match our needs as outlined on the then current Parish Profile. 
The vestry therefore asked the members of the congregation to review the profile very carefully, and advise the vestry whether, based on the profile, we should embark on a broad search for a rector, or petition the bishop to allow us to use the PICUSC track.
The congregation responded!
Decisions like this are never unanimous, and the vestry appreciated and listened carefully to all opinions. We also reviewed the profile ourselves, carefully reviewing Fr. Bill’s qualifications and our knowledge of him and comparing them with the qualities outlined in the profile. Congregational responses were overwhelmingly in favor of moving forward with Fr. Bill as PICUSC.
At the vestry meeting on October 20, after continued review and discussion, and of course ascertaining that Fr. Bill was willing, a motion was unanimously passed to petition Bishop Taylor to allow us to call Fr. Bill as PICUSC.
The diocese moved very quickly, and on October 24, we heard the bishop had responded favorably, and we were able to move forward.
After completion of required paperwork and formalities, Fr. Bill was officially appointed as our PICUSC on October 26,2024
The PICUSC process traditionally is a yearlong journey including at least two “Mutual Ministry Reviews” conducted with the Vestry, the PICUSC and the diocese. Because of the time Fr. Bill has already spent leading our parish, (since July 5, 2022) we have been able to shorten that process. We were able to consider the Mutual Ministry review held in conjunction with Story Day, as our first and our second was held on November 23. After due deliberation with Canon Tom, the vestry were able to move forward and indicate to the diocese that we did intend to call Father Bill as our rector. The bishop’s schedule was reviewed, and May 24 set as the day for the installation.
As I am sure you are aware, the vestry is extremely pleased with this decision, and Fr. Bill’s acceptance. If you haven’t already, please congratulate Fr. Bill next time you see him. 

If you would like to review the profile, it is available at the church office, or online at https://www.redlandsepiscopal.org/rectorsearch

Please see our Timeline. It represents an abbreviated review of what has already happened in the transition process, and where we are going. It has been modified since our last update. (Green is what we have done, and blue is what’s next.)

Please review the previous reports which are archived and easily accessible on this page. The Pentecost 2024 report contains a review of the HolyCow! and Small Group findings presentation made to the congregation after our Pentecost service by Andrew Christopherson.

If you have questions about this process, please contact Kathleen in the office, (office@tec-redlands.org ) Bob (drbobbourne@gmail.com) or Andrew (andrewchristopherson@gmail.com )