|
Aloha St James’ Ohana,
By now you’ve read or heard the news that our beloved Father David, priest and Rector at St James’, is retiring after 15 years of faithful servanthood. We share your anxiety over the uncertainty of the future, but we also recognize we have a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and thank David and Bobby for all they have given and to share how much they mean to the community. We want to send them into their future with joy and blessings from all of us. More details are to come, but we will acknowledge a well-earned retirement. We will celebrate David’s departure with style and with all the Aloha we can offer.
The wardens and your vestry have begun planning for what lies ahead. We are in regular communication with the Bishop’s office and Bishop-elect Libby; we will be working with The Rev. Jazzy Bostock, who has been appointed as the new diocesan Canon for Clergy Transition Ministries and Pilina*; and we have begun the process of identifying an interim priest who can join us in January 2027. Bishop Bob feels an interim priest would be wise for the St James’ `ohana, given Father David’s long tenure, and we agree. Our interim will serve as pastor, priest, and teacher for approximately a year, until we call our new permanent Rector. Our interim priest will not assume all of David’s responsibilities; governmental and financial roles transfer to the wardens and vestry during this period of interim ministry.
The senior warden has agreed to serve for one more year and the junior warden will run for an additional year at January’s annual meeting. We hope this will provide some level of continuity during this transition.
The search parameters will be developed starting in January 2027 and we look forward to seeing where the Holy Spirit leads us without preconceived expectations. In the meantime, know that the wardens and your vestry are actively working on the next phase of The Parishes of St James’ as we continue to support what we love so much about our parish. The St James’ `ohana is not any one person, including Father David, but is each and every one of us pulling together as “one canoe.“
We will do our best to keep you as informed as we can, but don’t hesitate to reach out to the wardens or a vestry member if you have questions and we will do our best to answer. If we don’t know the answer right away, we’ll be sure to find out.
With excitement for what the Holy Spirit has ahead for us, we remain,
Your wardens,
Hans L’Orange
hanspeterfaye@gmail.com
Ian Hersey
ilhersey@gmail.com
* Pilina is a Hawaiian word that means relationship, connection, association, or union
The Episcopal Parish Congregations of St. James’ Church (Waimea), St. Columba’s Church (Pa’auilo), & the Beach Mass (Kawaihae)
P.O. Box 278
Kamuela, HI 96743
StJamesHawaii.org
StColumbaHawaii.org
808-885-4923
| 
