I am writing to update All Souls on the plans to sustain our music ministry and move through this period of staff transition.

First, I am delighted to share the news that Carl DuPont has agreed to serve next year as Acting Director of the Jubilee Singers. Many of you will remember the energy and spirit in the sanctuary when Carl led Jubilee earlier this spring. This will be a one year agreement but Carl will be welcome to apply for the permanent position.

The searches for the Director of Music and Arts (Jen Hayman’s role) and Associate Director (Rochelle Rice’s role) are moving quickly. We already had a number of qualified applicants for the Associate Director position which we have had posted for several months. Some of those applicants have indicated interest in the Director position as well. We have also received new applications for the Director role since we posted that position just weeks ago.

The goal is to have at least “Acting” staff leadership in place to sustain the All Souls music ministry, in its current structure, through next year. We needed to move quickly to make this possible.

The plan is to continue with a national search for permanent hire(s) through next year, with opportunity for more fulsome input from both members of the choir and other members of the congregation.

Jen is supportive of this plan. She has recruited wonderful musical guests for the month of July and is working closely with me to make this a successful transition, as is Rochelle. One of the many reasons to move quickly is so that Jen and Rochelle can help to “on-board” the new staff.

In the All Souls governance structure, staff hires are made by the Executive Team. But an Advisory Search Committee, recruited by Jen, is leading this process with me. The members are Amlan Mukherjee, Elizabeth Zitelli, Fred Katz, and Taryn Wilgus Null. The Search Committee is interviewing candidates through this week. They may also continue serving through the national search for permanent staff leadership.

I have worked with Advisory Search Committees many times in my past ministries and have always moved forward with their recommendation.

There is also a new Music Advisory Committee that is meeting for the first time this week. That group will, I hope, be an on-going source of counsel for me as we move through this transitional year and into the future.

To say that there is interest in these searches is a real understatement. I wanted to share the plans and update you all on our progress. Remember to be in worship on June 25 for Jen and Rochelle’s farewell.

In our theology, there is no guarantee of outcome. That openness is one of the blessings but also one of the spiritual challenges of our faith. But we have been able to move quickly and interest from potential music leaders has been very gratifying. I am very hopeful that, working together, we can get this done.

Many blessings,

Rev. Bill