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Fr Mead Retires; the Parish is Strong

The Feast of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (June 29) is Fr Mead’s final Sunday as Rector of Saint Thomas. He is the celebrant and preacher at the 11am Festal Eucharist. All are welcome, and we encourage you to stay on for coffee hour, which features a photo exhibit and book sale.

Fr Mead’s faithful leadership and humble service over the past eighteen years allow him to firmly pass the baton to Fr Turner, whose faithful leadership and humble service put him in a postion to firmly grasp it. Fr Turner’s first Sunday as Rector of Saint Thomas will be September 14, the Feast of the Holy Cross. His Institution will be on Tuesday, October 21 at 5:30pm. Details for both events will be added to the website calendar in due course.

Fr Mead’s contributions to Saint Thomas as XII Rector were acknowledged and celebrated at the June meeting of the Saint Thomas Vestry, as follows:

RESOLUTION

WHEREAS The Rev’d Andrew Craig Mead has served with distinction as Priest and Rector of Saint Thomas Church in the City and County of New York for eighteen years; and

WHEREAS during his tenure, Father Mead has transformed Saint Thomas Church by creating a real sense of parish where there is a deep warmth and inclusion that makes visitors and strangers feel welcome, and this continually draws them within our tether (even by means of our website); and

WHEREAS at all times Father Mead has given all who worship at Saint Thomas a keen knowledge of how to live every aspect of their lives with Christ as their guide, as evidenced by his preaching, teaching, and life example; and

WHEREAS, Father Mead has been a true Defender of the Faith in his care for liturgy, the preservation of the Choral Foundation, the rich Prayer Book language, and all that defines the Anglican Tradition as given to the Episcopal Church with the consecration of Bishop Seabury; and

WHEREAS during his tenure, Father Mead has led the Parish to undertake major projects to preserve the fabric ranging from infrastructure projects such as the lighting of the church to the restoration of the stained glass windows to the plan to build a new Chancel Organ; and

WHEREAS Father Mead has redefined stewardship and made the Parish aware of its important role in the financial stability and health of Saint Thomas Church as evidenced by the extraordinary growth of the Every Member Canvass and the successful Capital and Buy-a-Pipe Campaigns; and

WHEREAS Father Mead has built a firm foundation for his successor, doing everything possible to make his transition seamless;

BE IT RESOLVED that the Wardens and Vestry do grant unto The Rev’d Andrew Craig Mead the title and dignity of Rector Emeritus from 1st July 2014 without terminus, together with all and singular the privileges thereunto belonging and appertaining.

25th June 2014
A regular meeting of the Vestry
The last meeting of The Rev’d Andrew Craig Mead as Rector
New York, New York

Let us all join the Vestry in thanking the Meads on June 29, and in welcoming the Turners in the season to come.

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