This week we are finishing up phone interviews with our current list of candidates. The committee divided up into teams of three for this process: One to ask the questions, one to take notes and one to listen and pray. Each candidate was asked the same five questions: How do they take care of themselves, their family and encourage others to take care of themselves; to tell us about an instance where they needed to implement change and an instance that required great pastoral sensitivity, about a situation when they were totally unfamiliar with the cultural norms and finally, about what they like most and least about their current position.
We all met on a “bridge” or conference line that not only allowed us all to listen and hear one another, but also, with our candidate’s permission, to record each conversation. Each conversation began and ended with prayer, and if the interviews that I took part in are any indication, each conversation was thoughtful, enjoyable and not going to make it any easier to discern who we should not go forward with to the next step. Each candidate my team talked to has so many wonderful experiences and talents to offer to our diocese!
The note taker for each team has written up their notes of the interviews and posted them on the committees’ private web-site for us all to review. In addition, committee members can play back and listen to any interview that they want to get more direct information on.
We are meeting again this Saturday, May, 23rd to prayerfully perform the difficult task of further reducing the number of candidates that we will go forward with.
As always, we ask you all to continue to keep us, and our candidates in your prayers as we go forward.
