Welcome to our new Peabody/Danvers church community blog, "Coming Together in Faith."

As we join together to begin a journey of exploration, discovery and communion, the possible merger of St. Paul's Peabody and Calvary Danvers offers us rich and exciting opportunities to open hearts and minds to new ways of ministry, and will surely give us the opportunity to discover a deeper sense of what it means to be Christian.

Harnessing the time, talent and treasure of our two communities, as we explore becoming one, invites multiple expressions of faith, and encourages us -- in a safe and loving environment -- to explore our visions for change and blending. 

Below, Rev. Thea reports on what transpired at the meeting, held last Saturday, at St. John's in Beverly Farms.  Here, too, the Communications Committee and our two Rectors, will post regular updates on what's happening as we explore and examine our progress.

We welcome your comments and questions below. Thank you!

Notes on the Meeting on Saturday, March 24

On March 24, 40 members of Calvary Church in Danvers and Saint Paul’s Church in Peabody gathered to discuss the possibility of a merger between our two parishes. The actual decision whether or not to merge will be made later by meetings of each parish. At this time, we are gathering information and beginning to create a vision for a shared future.

We were assisted by Mr. Phil Whitbeck, our congregational coach through the diocese, the Rev. Libby Berman, the diocesan Canon for Congregations, and our rectors, the Rev. Joyce Caggiano and the Rev. Thea Keith-Lucas.
As we arrived, we showed our membership in a festive way by wearing red leis for Calvary and yellow leis for Saint Paul’s. Several people commented that they should have stripes of orange instead, since they had spent significant time in both parishes over the years. We mixed the groups around the table before we started the discussion.

We reflected on John 19:25-27, when Jesus gives his mother and the beloved disciple to each other. In a time of change and loss, Jesus asked the people he loved to care for one another and to create a home together.

We split into small groups to discuss a variety of questions we have about uniting into one parish. Our goals at this meeting were to identify some of our options, figure out what information we need, and make a plan to get that information. In small groups and during our reports back to the full group, we came up with the following ideas:

• COMMUNITY – Would the merged parish be able to retain most of the current membership? Can the two parishes come together into one community?

We have deep similarities, and we are motivated by a desire to see our communities survive. We need to acknowledge that coming together will involve loss, grief, and a lot of work. Any combined church will feel different, and may feel too big at times compared to the smaller communities we know.
We hope to build on the feeling of connectedness we have now, with enthusiasm, love, hope, friendship, and a positive attitude. To succeed we need strong communication, assistance for those who have difficulty with transportation, and many opportunities to come together in small and large groups.

• WORSHIP – Are our worship styles and musical tastes compatible?

Our liturgies share a similar style and both churches have deep roots in the Episcopal tradition. A joint worship committee and educational efforts could help make sure everyone’s spiritual needs are met.

• MINISTRY – How can we continue supporting our distinctive ministries? Would the leaders of our shared ministries (outreach, altar guild, church school, etc.) work well together?

Many of our ministries are very much alike. Coming together would provide more volunteers for all our efforts. We are interested in each other’s distinctive efforts, like the pet ministry and the Brazilian ministry, and want to help keep them strong.

• LAY LEADERSHIP –How will the merged parish choose its leaders? Are our leadership styles compatible?

A merged parish would need new by-laws. Currently Calvary has a Vestry of 13 with 4 officers and 9 at-large members, and Saint Paul's has a Vestry of 9 with 4 officers and 5 at-large members. At first, the vestry members should be drawn equally from the two parishes. We may need to have two co-treasurers to oversee the combining of our assets.

It would help for the two current vestries to get to know each other, possibly by holding some social gatherings. We want to avoid a feeling of “us” vs. “them” and focus on a new “we”.

• STAFF – What staff would a merged parish need? How do we care for staff who may be impacted by the merger?

Our current staffing is similar, though Calvary has a paid sexton and currently has a music director in place. A merged parish would have similar staff needs to either of our single parishes. Staff choices would be made by a new combined vestry along with the merged parish’s clergy leadership. We will need to develop job descriptions and expectations together.

• CLERGY LEADERSHIP – How would the merged parish choose a priest? How can we support our current clergy through a time of transition?

The current clergy are an important support and source of continuity during a time of change. Eventually the merged parish would need to search for a rector or priest-in-charge who belongs to the new community and does not have a stronger relationship with either original parish. We expressed a hope that the new position would be full-time.

• FINANCES – Would the merged parish be able to produce a balanced operating budget? How would current assets be transferred to a merged parish?

It would be helpful to review our financial situation with a consultant from the diocese, especially regarding reserved funds. The Diocesan Council can give us guidance regarding how much of the proceeds from any property sale would be available to a merged parish. We should find a way to survey our members and find out how much they would be willing contribute in pledges to a merged parish.

• LOCATION – Where would the merged parish be located? What physical property is important to each church?

Our options for where to worship are the Danvers site, the Peabody site, or a new location. Before we can make any decision, we need to review the condition of each property, including how well it meets the needs of a merged congregation, what work is needed to fix any problems, and how much it would be likely to sell for. Diocesan consultants can help us with
this assessment. We want to make sure that the Danvers columbarium, the Peabody windows, and other sacred property are cared for well. We would have a choice to make between two organs.

Our next steps are:
1) Form a communications team to keep all of our members well informed using a shared database and a variety of ways to reach people (bulletins, newsletters, email, this blog and web). Volunteers: June Blair, Carol Bouffard, Jennifer Neil, and Fran Weil.

2) The two finance committees will work with consultants from the diocese to get more information about the financial process of merging and to carry out property evaluations.

3) We will meet Sunday, May 6 from 3 to 5 pm at Saint Paul’s in Peabody. We will look at any information we have gathered by that time, and we hope to meet with representatives from the Church of the Holy Spirit in Fall River to hear about the challenges, blessings and learnings from their merger of three parishes.