Job Opportunity in St. Andrew’s Parish, Kent, CT
We are looking for a full-time Provisional Priest-in-Charge to live in the Rectory and guide our parish following the retirement of our Rector.
We are a parish of deep and personal faith. We do not proselytize, other than through trying to lead the most Christian lives we can, through our thoughts, words and deeds. We are understated New Englanders, wherever we came from.
We are a diverse community, embracing each other and welcoming all. Our newer members tell us that our hospitality to visitors is unusually warm and is the reason they chose St. Andrew’s.
Music is a core value of St. Andrew’s. Our choir director/organist is knowledgeable of liturgical music, honoring its rich tradition while expanding our horizons and challenging his choir of accomplished amateur singers. Our Music in the Nave series brings a variety of programs to the town. The Kent Singers holds its concerts in the church, as does the Sherman Chamber Ensemble.
While we are on the potluck supper circuit, we are at the same time a sophisticated parish. We are good listeners to varied music and are eager to enhance our faith and daily lives through the messages of thoughtful and focused homilies.
We sponsor or host a wide array of church activities, among them: Pancake breakfast with Santa, the Makers and Bakers fundraiser for Kent Affordable Housing, our August tag sale and Christmas bazaar. We participate in the Kent Food Bank and the Torrington Soup Kitchen. Our Mission and Outreach Commission disperses funds to address a wide range of needs, from the Kent Community Fund, to Sister Mary Lanning’s Street Corner Gourmet activities for the homeless in New York, to Books to the Philippines. AA and Al-Anon have their regular meetings in our parish house. Both St. Andrew’s and Kent are centers of volunteerism and community spirit.
Thanks to the loyalty and generosity of our parishioners the church and its buildings are in fine condition and we have the resources both to help others and to maintain our facilities. Our rectory, adjacent to the church, is a spacious and gracious residence.
We really enjoy each other’s company and have a lot of fun. We support each other. We are a close community always open to increasing our numbers.
We are seeking a Provisional Priest in Charge who would like to live in a vibrant town straight out of Yankee magazine, but a commuter train ride away from Manhattan. Kent lies in the Litchfield County hills of northwest Connecticut, and is at the eastern edge of the Hudson River valley. The town has natural beauty and New England charm. Our community boasts a variety of stores and galleries and an independent bookstore, as well as a public elementary school and several top private schools, three of which (Kent School, South Kent School and Trinity-Pawling) are Episcopal schools.
If you are interested in leading a church and living in a town that share beauty, energy and fellowship, please be in touch with the Rev. Lee Ann Tolzmann, Canon for Mission Leadership, at latolzmann@episcopalct.org and either of our wardens: Charmian Place, Senior Warden, at cplace@coopermailbox.com or Christopher Rehkow, Junior Warden, at crehkow@ncsplus.com.
