Episcopal Church of the Nativity
Parish Profile Greenwood, Mississippi • January 2021
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C ON TEN TS
400 Howard Street Greenwood, MS 38930 Telephone: 662.453.7786 Fax: 662.453.1329 Email: office@nativitygreenwood.org
Who We Are
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A Brief History of Nativity
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Diocese of Mississippi
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Community 8 Our Facilities
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Rectory 11 Our Ministries
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Neighboring Mission Stations
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Godly Play
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Day School
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Stewardship 16 Financial Management
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Permanent Endowment
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Our Staff
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Parish Assessment
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Our New Rector
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From the Search Committee
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Contact Us
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Who We Are The Episcopal Church of the Nativity, located in Greenwood, Mississippi, is a deeply committed parish with members bringing a wide variety of personal histories, interests and talents, all searching for a closer relationship to Jesus Christ and the people in our community. We cherish our long history and look forward to living out the principles of our Anglican heritage. Nativity is an active, eclectic parish representative of our deep Delta roots. Our membership is a diverse group of backgrounds and professions. We are cradle Episcopalians and lifelong members of Nativity, yet many of us found Nativity on our spiritual journey. We are newlyweds, young families, empty-nesters, recent retirees, and octogenarians. We are physicians and medical professionals, educators and coaches, attorneys and judges, farmers, chefs, authors, realtors, bankers, business professionals of all types, civil servants, local leaders, and all in between. Our individual interests are as wide ranging as our backgrounds, and we count among us historians, hunters, birders, gardeners, flower arrangers, musicians, pilots, softball players, runners, walkers, motorcyclists, and fishermen. Our parishioners embrace the opportunities lay and community leadership present. Nativity maintains a leadership presence at the Diocesan level, with its members recently serving on the Executive and Standing Committees of the Diocese. Nativity is a part of the worldwide Anglican community, the Episcopal Church USA, and the Diocese of Mississippi. Above all else, Nativity is a place where all are welcome to worship, love, belong, grow, and serve.
Easter Sunrise Service
Annual Christmas Pageant “worship, love, belong, grow and serve.”
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A Brief History of Nativity In 1881, Greenwood was a small, unimpressive collection of river wharves, saloons, general stores, and a handful of frame houses. The levee systems that would turn the Mississippi Delta into a cotton-growing powerhouse had not yet been completed. There was little to attract new families willing to brave scorching summers, massive mosquitoes, and the network of swamps and bayous stretching from this Leflore County seat to the Carroll County hills. Without enough individuals to support separate denominational buildings, Greenwood worshipers of the 1880s met in a common center, designated as Union Church and located where the existing Ahavath Rayim Synagogue stands on East Market. Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians took turns worshiping in Union Church, and each would eventually break away to start their own building programs. In May of 1881, four Episcopal families asked The Reverend William P. Browne of Canton to travel north and meet with them to discuss a Greenwood parish. Mr. and Mrs. Littleton Upshur, Mr. and
Mrs. Alex Henderson, Mr. and Mrs. Gideon Montjoy and Dr. and Mrs. J.H. Lucas spent the evening of May 24, 1881, discussing that possibility with Reverend Browne, and plans were laid for a new congregation, to be known as the Church of the Nativity. The most pressing need for this new parish was a suitable church building, and Greenwood had nothing to offer. Littleton Upshur donated land a few blocks south of the Yazoo River on Main Street (the current site of Fire Station #1), and Gid Montjoy began delivering lumber from his property. The little group’s groundbreaking was arranged in October of 1882, and by the following March, the new church was complete. Thirteen communicants were on the rolls when the Church of the Nativity was admitted into union with the Diocese of Mississippi in April 1883. Those thirteen souls had a building but struggled to find a full-time rector in this isolated corner of Mississippi. It wasn’t until 1889 that the Reverend Cecil P. Wilson agreed to move to Greenwood, but his tenure was short-lived,
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lasting only one year. He was followed by the Reverend Jean B.C. Beaubieu and the Reverend George L. Neide. By 1895, the congregation had grown to include 50 members, and the small Main Street church was increasingly crowded. Nativity’s Lay Reader-in-Charge, Charles Wheat Hinton, arrived in 1899 and began campaigning for a new and larger building. While he was away at General Seminary in New York City, Dr. J.H. Lucas spearheaded the drive for a new structure and an effort to maintain the active congregation, which had dwindled to thirty-two by the turn of the 20th century. When Reverend Hinton returned from New York, building plans picked up speed. Parishioner J.S. McDonald owned the lot at the southwest corner of Church and Howard Street, a prime piece of property in a town that was now the fastest growing community in Mississippi. He had deeded the lot to Nativity in 1896 with the stipulation that “a suitable brick church…not to cost less than $4000” be built on the site. The land was lost to tax default in 1898 and reclaimed by founding member Alex Henderson for $69.99. It would be 1902 before the ground was finally broken for the new church.
The existing rectory was sold for $1750 to generate the initial funds, and J.E. Barnes and Company of Greenville was hired to begin construction. The Diocese of Mississippi purchased the deed from Mr. Henderson and then deeded it back to the parish on June 21, 1902. As was the custom in those days, the entire building was completed in a matter of months, and the first service was held on August 3, 1902, led by the Reverend C.W. Hinton and the Reverend W.C. Whitaker of Jackson. The Greenwood newspaper reported that “Everybody enjoyed these services and are profuse in complimenting the appearance of the new church building and its splendid arrangement.” Oddly enough, the cornerstone, still in place today by the bell tower, was not inserted until the following day. Two of the Gothic stained-glass windows of the old Main Street church were removed and installed in the new Howard Street sanctuary. The Jewish congregation paid $550 for the Main Street property and worshiped there until their Market Street synagogue was completed in the 1920s. In 1912, a two-story rectory was completed behind the sanctuary, facing Church Street during Greenwood’s
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boom years. It would serve the church rectors until a North Greenwood rectory was completed in 1956, leading to the old house’s demolition for a new educational and office wing. In 1926, the original tower on the south side of the sanctuary was demolished. The Rose Community Building was erected in memory of Bessie Rose, wife of the Reverend Lysander Rose. By then, Nativity had grown to 300 communicants and was one of Greenwood’s largest and most active churches. Throughout the century, Nativity was served by a series of outstanding rectors, including the Reverends Dr. Lysander Rose, Randolph Claiborne, Warren Botkin, Duncan Gray, Sr. (later the Bishop of Mississippi), and the inimitable Reverend Jones Hamilton, who would lead Nativity for a full quarter-century. He was followed by the Reverends Michael Engle, Larry Maze (later Bishop of Arkansas), and Craig Gates. Ella Breckinridge served as Interim Priest from 2005 until 2006, when the Reverend Matthew Rowe was called. During his tenure, plans for a large addition were completed and accomplished, adding a Great Hall, an office suite, a large kitchen, courtyard, loggia, and extra rooms for adult and youth education. In 2013, Reverend Peter Gray accepted the invitation to serve as Nativity’s Priest-in-Charge and was named Rector in 2015. Reverend Gray was instrumental in leading Nativity Day School to fi-
nancial and enrollment stability, adding the Godly Play curriculum for children, expanding the educational offerings in Adult Forum, and encouraging greater involvement of the congregation in community outreach. During his tenure, all debt incurred due to the physical expansion initiated under Reverend Rowe was retired, and a Columbarium was added to Nativity’s courtyard. Also, while at Nativity, the parish’s Permanent Endowment was established. Rev. Gray was a co-founder of Leflore County’s Mission Mississippi chapter and was involved in numerous venues to promote interracial cooperation and serve the entire Greenwood population. In February 2020, he accepted the position of Chaplain of University of the South and remained with Nativity until May 2020.
Recent rector timelines: 1917-1929 1930-1934 1934-1938 1939-1943
Lysander W. Rose Randolph R. Claiborne Warren Botkin Duncan Gray, Sr. (became the Bishop of Mississippi) 1943-1969 Jones Hamilton 1969-1987 Michael Engle 1988-1994 Larry Maze (became the Bishop of Arkansas) 1995-2005 Craig Gates 2005-2006 Ella Breckinridge (Interim) 2006-2012 Matthew Rowe 2013-2020 Peter Gray 2020-Present Carrie Duncan (Interim)
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Diocese of Mississippi Established in May of 1826, the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi has approximately 18,000 members and oversees a total of 86 parishes, missions, and mission stations. Within the diocese there are five chaplaincies, four affiliated schools, and its cathedral, St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral, located in Jackson, Mississippi. The Rt. Rev. Brian R. Seage is the 10th Bishop of Mississippi. Bishop Seage is a native of Thousand Oaks, California. He holds an undergraduate degree from Pepperdine University and a master’s of divinity from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest. He has been a priest since 1998. Also serving in the Diocese of Mississippi are 134 presbyters (70 Active Canonical, 49 Retired Canonical, 15 Licensed), and 34 deacons (19 Active Canonical, 12 Retired Canonical, 2 Transitional Deacons, 1 Licensed). Website for The Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi
In Mississippi, the Episcopal Church has had a long history of leadership in social-justice matters which have not only torn our state apart and but now give us opportunity for transformation and redemption. From issues of anti-racism to rebuilding just communities after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, our church has stepped out to be a living part of the body of Christ. SOURCE: DIOCESE OF MISSISSIPPI
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Community
Located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta, Greenwood is a city of approximately 14,000 residents. Given its access to Highway 82 and Interstate 55, Jackson, Mississippi, and Memphis, Tennessee, are within easy driving distance. Greenwood offers small-town charm and amenities along with award-winning restaurants, a variety of locally owned stores, a vibrant downtown, and an acclaimed upscale hotel and spa. The community’s economic base is a blend of agricultural, health care, educational, and industrial businesses. With three rivers and numerous parks, recreational opportunities abound. Greenwood is supported by the Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of Commerce and sponsors many
community events that draw visitors from across the United States, including the Viking Half-Marathon; Bikes, Blues, and Bayous; the Greenwood Gravel Grind; and the 300 Oaks Road Race. Tourism is further promoted by the Greenwood Convention and Visitors Bureau, located in downtown Greenwood. Greenwood is committed to preserving its historic downtown through Main Street Greenwood, whose Director is a member of Nativity. Learn a little more about Greenwood: • City of Greenwood • Greenwood Chamber of Commerce • Greenwood Convention and Visitor’s Bureau • Main Street Greenwood
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K-12 Education The public schools operate under a consolidated city/county district and Pillow Academy, St. Francis Academy, Leflore Legacy Charter School, Delta Streets Academy, and North New Summit School offer options for parents and students. • Greenwood Public Schools • Pillow Academy • St. Francis of Assisi School • Leflore Legacy Charter School • Delta Streets Academy • North New Summit School
Greenwood Leflore Hospital
Collection, a designer of home furnishings. Industry related to agriculture also thrives in the Greenwood-Leflore County area. Learn more about Greenwood’s health care and employers: • Greenwood-Leflore Hospital • Viking Range, LLC • Lynx Grills • Milwaukee Tool • John-Richard Collection • America’s Catch • Heartland Catfish Higher Education Mississippi Valley State University is located eight miles west of Greenwood in Itta Bena and Delta State University, Mississippi State University and the University of Mississippi are all less than 90 minutes away. Access to these universities provides avenues for enjoying both sport and the arts. Arts and Culture
Major Employers Greenwood is served by Greenwood-Leflore Hospital, a large community hospital staffed by many of Nativity’s parishioners, and which has commendably served this community during the difficult times presented recently. Greenwood’s largest employers are GLH; Viking Range, a manufacturer of high-end kitchen products for the home, and its affiliate, Lynx Grills; Milwaukee Tools, a manufacturer of high-quality tools; and John-Richard
Greenwood itself is committed to the arts, being home to The Museum of the Mississippi Delta. ArtPlace, Mississippi is also located in Greenwood, providing education through the arts to all age groups, with a predominant focus on youth. Nativity’s members are actively involved in both organizations: • Museum of the Mississippi Delta • ArtPlace, Mississippi
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Our Facilities The current Nativity sanctuary was built in 1902, approximately twenty years after the establishment of the congregation, in the heart of downtown Greenwood. The Gothic architecture, traditional wood pews, and series of stained glass windows create an awe-inspiring and welcoming space for worship. The sanctuary seats 230 people, including a choir. While the sanctuary is the location of services at Nativity, on any given Sunday, one can find many members visiting, eating breakfast, and enjoying fellowship in the parish hall. Constructed in 2009, the Great Hall can seat 250 people around circular tables and is outfitted with audio and projection equipment. Attached to the parish hall is a full-functioning kitchen furnished with Viking appliances. Adjacent to the parish hall is the Youth Ministry Center and Scout Hut, the home of a local Boy Scout troop. Nativity’s Columbarium and Memorial Garden were added to its courtyard in 2014, and were dedicated in 2015.
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Rectory Our church is blessed to have a Rectory, a wonderful home for our priest and his or her family. It’s a charming brick home situated on the banks of the Tallahatchie River in Northeast Greenwood. Located on Robert E. Lee Drive, a winding tree-shaded street with friendly neighbors and lots of charm, the Rectory features an excellent floor plan for entertaining with a formal living room, formal dining room, gourmet kitchen with Viking appliances, charming family room with fireplace, study filled with bookcases, and huge fenced yard and patio area. It contains four spacious bedrooms and two and a half baths. The home was built in 1956 and has been updated several times under the church ownership. Each family that has called our Rectory home has enjoyed making it “their home.” North Greenwood is a fabulous neighborhood for children. On any given afternoon, you will see people walking, kids biking, and lots of activity in the neighborhood. Though the house is not located on the church grounds, it’s just minutes away and gives the Rector’s family privacy and a quiet refuge away from the everyday church activity. We are proud to have the Rectory as part of our church and hope that our next Rector will find it to be a welcoming home.
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Our Ministries Nativity is home to many ministries that serve people not only within our church but throughout the community and beyond. • Acolytes • Altar Guild • Godly Play • EYC • Adult Forum • Lay Eucharistic Ministers • Mission Mississippi • Music, choir • Community Outreach • Potluck Luncheons • Pastoral Services • Serendipity Average Sunday Attendance
• Youth Sunday School • Speaker’s Series • Stewardship • WeeYC • Worship • You Matter Hot Dog Ministry
Parish Mission Statement The Episcopal Church of the Nativity is a Christian community where all are welcome to worship, love, belong, grow and serve.
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Neighboring Mission Stations Nativity is approximately eight miles east of Itta Bena, Mississippi, home to St. George’s Episcopal Church, a Mission Station of the Diocese of Mississippi. Nativity is approximately twenty miles west of Carrollton, Mississippi, home to Grace Episcopal Church, a Mission of the Diocese of Mississippi. Nativity recognizes a need to reconnect and support ministry efforts in those church communities.
Outdoor Eucharist at St. George’s, Itta Bena
Grace Episcopal Church in Carrollton
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Godly Play The Godly Play approach helps children to explore their faith through story, to gain religious language and to enhance their spiritual experience though wonder and play. Based on Montessori principles and developed using a spiral curriculum, the Godly Play method serves children through early, middle and late childhood and beyond. This approach to Christian formation invites children to wonder together in a safe, nurturing community. Each week, teachers present a sacred story, a parable, or a story about the
liturgical life of the church. The children then have a chance to choose their work for the day – drawing, building, playing with the stories themselves. Lindsay Powers leads a team of teachers that includes Kim Lawes, Kathy Whicker, Cindy Wilson, Katie Jones, Julia Harris, Lucy Jones, and Frances Knight. Click here to watch kids from the Episcopal Church of the Nativity help tell the Godly Play story “The Flood and the Ark” from memory.
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Day School Nativity Day School provides a safe, Christian environment to 40 children, age ten weeks to three years, Monday to Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. NDS was founded in 2011 as a mission to fulfill a significant need in the community. NDS has a 12 member staff of dedicated individuals who love God, teaching, and children. The Director of NDS is parishioner Landi Mohamed, who has more than
capably led the Day School through challenges presented by its growth and, more recently, by COVID-19. An eight-member board supports NDS, six of which are appointed by the Vestry, and on which sits the Rector and Senior Warden. Nativity Day School Webpage Click here for a short video of the work of the Nativity Day School.
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Stewardship Stewardship at Nativity is characterized by a community of faithful members who generously support the ministry and mission of the church through both pledges and unpledged gifts to the operating account. Together with plate offerings, these pledges and unpledged gifts comprise all of the church’s operating funding, except for occasional and usually small items of miscellaneous income. The total number of contributors has slightly declined over the prior three years; however, total giving remained consistent in 2017 and 2018 and increased by approximately $19,000 in 2019. This year (2020) has proven to be challenging in many ways for the church. With the restrictions surrounding in-person worship and the various ministries mentioned above, the decline in plate and pledge revenue is expected. The current year operating income is totaled approximately $455,000, including Paycheck Protection Program funds of $36,000. The church anticipates adequate operating income to cover the operating expenses of the church. Although the gifts of dedicated parishioners have been sufficient to meet operating expenses of Nativity, the challenge of stewardship at the church is raising the pledge/gift level from a broader group of parishioners and increasing the membership base. Stewardship embraces the worship service and the various ministries of Nativity, and all should participate with their financial support. Plate and Pledge Offerings 2017
2018
2019
2020
Number of Pledges
141
137
129
129
Total Plate & Pledge
$458K
$451K
$470K
$415K
Parish Statistics
2019-2020
Active Members 285
Baptisms 10
Confirmations & Receptions* 20
*Total number of Confirmations & Receptions are from 2018 and 2020. “worship, love, belong, grow and serve.”
Weddings
Burials
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Financial Management The church has a long history of disciplined management of the financial resources afforded by the parish’s generosity and God’s blessings. The church has maintained a balanced annual budget for the last four years. A stable income stream from annual pledging to make renewed investments in staffing, community outreach, and essential ministries. The financial condition of Nativity for the past four years is reflected in the following summarized statements of assets, liabilities, and fund balance and statements of income. Balance Sheets Assets Cash Investments Property Total Assets Liabilities Fund Balance
2017 $185,676 $477,164 $5,702,810 $6,365,651 $67,160 $6,298,492
2018 $206,560 $504,404 $5,702,810 $6,413,774 $48,476 $6,365,298
2019 $226,607 $575,670 $5,702,810 $6,505,087 $22,037 $6,483,050
2020 $325,435 $578,121 $5,702,810 $6,606,366 $11,880 $6,594,486
Statements of Income Revenues Pledge Plate Offerings Other Income Total Revenue Expenses Missions Rector and Staff Programs Building and Grounds Administrative Total Expenses Net Income (Loss)
2017 $443,997 $13,347 $9,012 $466,355
2018 $435,634 $15,659 $9,983 $461,276
2019 $456,852 $13,589 $1,211 $471,653
2020 $410,058 $4,872 $39,920 $454,850
$57,499 $246,218 $25,537 $106,529 $27,962 $463,745 $2,610
$58,786 $277,465 $35,491 $107,869 $30,785 $460,395 $881
$66,881 $217,179 $35,040 $105,969 $34,422 $454,491 $17,162
$65,217 $185,813 $16,828 $84,605 $32,986 $385,449 $69,401
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Permanent Endowment In 2017, the Nativity Permanent Endowment was established as a giving ministry that will preserve and protect our Church and allow contributions to grow in perpetuity. Legacy and endowment giving provides a critical permanent source of funding that minimizes the impact of short-term disruptions in annual giving. Through parishioners’ generosity, both living and deceased, the Church has accumulated a substantial financial reserve. Six component funds make up the Permanent Endowment of Nativity Church. Each of the funds has a distinct purpose that guides the vestry in making decisions about income use. The chart displayed includes the six funds’ names and their fair market value at the end of the calendar year since 2017. At the end of the third quarter for 2020, the total value was $646,000. Permanent Endowment of the Nativity Church Annual Fair Market Value
Preserve & Protect 2017 2018 2019 2020
$218,760 $237,384 $322,911 $365,145
ClemmentsFlautt $89,286 $82,376 $94,434 $95,001
Davis Communion
TEP Scholarship
$17,338 $16,259 $18,733 $19,200
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$123,701 $114,523 $129,121 $124,340
Kerr Fellowship & Formation $38,131 $36,250 $41,708 $41,942
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Our Staff Office Manager Cindy Wilson has served at Nativity since June 2020. She completed a Bachelor of Arts at The University Of Mississippi in 1995. She lived in Charleston, SC and worked in the Interior Design field for a few years before coming back home to the Delta and settling in Greenwood with husband, JL. Cindy and JL have three sons, James, Wells, and Hilliard and are long-standing members of the Nativity Parish. Business Manager Jami Lloyd has worked at Nativity since May of 2019. She completed a Bachelor of Business Administration at Delta State University in 2001 and a Master of Business Administration from Mississippi State University in 2006. Since 2002 she has worked at State Bank & Trust Company and there currently serves as Senior Vice President for Accounting. Organist and Choirmaster A native of Durant, Mississippi, David Williamson studied Organ and Sacred Music at Delta State University and privately with the late Joe A. Morrow at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Memphis, where he was Joe’s last assistant. He enjoys cooking, gardening, and preservation, particularly of old pipe organs. Verger
Sexton
Jim Barrett
Mary Barr
Learn more: https://www.nativitygreenwood.org/staff
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Parish Assessment Nativity’s Strengths The Episcopal Church of the Nativity has stood on the southwest corner of Howard and Church Streets for 110 years, a substantial Episcopal presence amid Greenwood’s historic downtown through decades of change and progress. In the last ten years, Nativity undertook a significant campaign for capital improvements, completed those improvements, and retired all associated debt. During the previous three years, Nativity established its permanent endowment, as discussed above, and continues to grow the endowment to preserve and protect its facilities and missions. As discussed above, Nativity has a strong history of Stewardship and effective management of financial resources. Within the last ten years, Nativity established its day school in furtherance of the Church’s missions. Through Parish leadership and support, Nativity has effectively grown and regularly sustains NDS at near or maximum capacity. NDS supports families and the Greenwood community with quality, affordable child care in a Christian environment. Within the last three years, Nativity established its Godly Play program to grow and nourish our children.
Nativity is home to multi-generational families. It is very common to see three generations of families sharing a pew on Sundays. The liturgical traditions of this Church have shaped and guided their long lives. Nativity has also grown through young families and new members with no prior affiliation to our church. Nativity possesses a generation of active, involved young adults taking leadership positions and introducing their children to this Parish’s traditions while creating new ones. Numerous avenues are available for service within the Church, including educational programs, music, Altar Guild, EYC, Outreach, and ECW. Parishioners have historically served and currently serve in leadership positions within the Diocese. Nativity’s strength is in its members, whose leadership has established robust systems to maintain and grow its missions. Within our membership are community leaders in business, politics, education, agriculture, and a wide variety of civic organizations. Nativity is a warm and welcoming environment where we challenge each other to grow in our service to our friends and neighbors.
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Nativity’s Challenges Nativity is a church with a strong tradition of cherishing our priests until they pass into retirement, take on significant leadership positions, or move on to the Bishop’s chair. We revere our spiritual leaders and still pass along tales of Duncan Gray, Sr., Jones Hamilton, Michael Engle, Craig Gates, and Larry Maze. While we miss Peter, we understand the significance of his Chaplaincy at Sewanee. The loss of its stalwarts due to age and infirmity has reduced some of the historical and institutional knowledge of Nativity. The loss of this great generation is felt in all areas of society. Yet, in recent years, the number of young families and children has grown. Specifically, sustaining attendance and membership growth for Nativity is always on our minds, as we are a Mississippi Delta parish. With that comes even more challenges because we are a region that does not enjoy the growth and prosperity that many other areas of our nation do. We recognize that our town and county have diminished in some ways over the past few decades. The influx of new families is slow, but we also know that Greenwood remains one of the brighter communities in the Delta. Those who grow up here, and choose to return after their education is complete, tend to stay with the Church in which they were raised. While Nativity has attracted new members and confirmed many of our youth, it is challenging to envision outgrowing our current facility.
The issues of growth and retention have been greatly exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis, which has cruelly forced isolation among Nativity’s members and significantly reduced worship opportunities. Despite Herculean and creative efforts at virtual worship and programming, and, when permitted, reduced attendance, there is no mistake: it is not the same, and Nativity is hurting. While leadership remains steadfast, hope remains strong, and the faithfulness of the Parish has not waned, it is of great concern how Nativity is going to move forward to re-establish itself. Nativity currently has a relatively strong financial position compared to other parishes in our region. We must continue to grow the number of pledging units to compensate for the loss of generous stewards whose financial contributions have sustained Nativity’s growth. Likewise, Nativity must continue to grow its permanent endowment for its continued success. While Nativity has fared considerably well financially during the crisis, as discussed above, we must figure out a way to make worship sustainable so that giving will increase in relevance to its membership. We are a deeply bonded community of Christians who are committed to loving and serving our Lord, each other, and our city. We look forward to welcoming a priest who shares those same priorities.
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Our New Rector Hopes and Expectations of a New Rector Nativity was fortunate to conduct three meetings with the Parish and members of the Search Committee in November 2020, at a time in between the loosening and re-tightening of attendance restrictions. Over three nights, the Parish communicated its hopes and expectations for the ideal candidates in its search. An overwhelmingly consistent theme arose from the three different groups of parishioners: the ideal candidate will possess experience and energy. Nativity seeks experience and energy from a Priest demonstrated in the following aspects: • Experience in areas other than the • Experience living in a town with priesthood, and the perspective similar characteristics as Greenbrought therefrom; wood, and experience to know that there are trade-offs that come • Experience in times of crisis and with living in an incredible comfor effective day-to-day pastoral munity with a good quality of care; life, but with certain limitations in • Experience and energy in parish terms of offerings; administration, a willingness to un• Experience necessary to recognize derstand the management systems the nuances of our region, our Nativity has in place, and a willingtown, and its people, understandness to assist us constructively in ing and celebrating their uniqueevaluating and re-evaluating those ness – both within and outside systems, as appropriate, for imNativity; provement; • Experience to recognize that • Experience and energy in facilNativity is a destination job, not itating programming for young a stepping stone on a pathway families, to enhance their spiritual elsewhere; growth and to keep Nativity at• Experience in a parish with similar characteristics as Nativity, in terms of size, space, programming, demographics, and finances;
tractive to young families;
• Experience and energy in enhancing our adult programming;
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• Experience and energy cultivating leadership within a parish, such that new leaders can refresh Nativity and make it less reliant on its historical leadership; • Experience and energy to lead us in our call to worship, out of the present situation, where we have been brought to a standstill by the current medical crisis; • Energy to help us identify our strengths;
• Energy to embrace Greenwood, and to lead us to greater involvement in community outreach; • Energy to reach into our ministries, and to assist us constructively in enhancing them; • Energy to assist us in looking back into our institutions and traditions which have fallen by the wayside, in order to revive them; and, • Energy to bring us constructive, invigorating ideas borne from experience.
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A Letter from the Search Committee Dear Prospective Priests: One of my favorite things to say – usually when found somewhere I’m not necessarily supposed to be – is, “Everybody’s got to be somewhere.” While everybody’s got to be somewhere, we choose Greenwood; we choose Nativity. I choose Greenwood even though I was born and raised here, and know its warts; I returned here after living and working elsewhere. I choose Nativity despite the fact that I was not raised in its traditions, and have worshiped elsewhere. I choose Greenwood and Nativity because of who we are. Nativity, like our community as a whole, is a great mix of tradition and contemporary thinking; we have found the balance between our anchors and sails and thrive in between. We possess an outstanding quality of life, spiritually and socially, as a result. We hope that this profile informs you as to what makes Nativity and Greenwood so special. In recent years, we have been trending towards a growing, financially stable congregation within the Episcopal Church that had a pretty clear vision for our future. That vision has been blurred in the past year by a pandemic and attendant measures taken as a result which were not foreseeable. It has robbed us of some of our collective energies and enthusiasm, but it has not robbed us of hope. Our hope is not simply for a clear pathway forward, with the assistance of an experienced and energetic spiritual leader; our hope is to be able soon to do the work to clear the pathway together, alongside an experienced, energetic leader. We know that among you is the energetic, experienced leader Nativity seeks. Sincerely: Harris F. Powers III Nativity Search Committee
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Contact Us 400 Howard Street Greenwood, MS 38930 Telephone: 662.453.7786 Fax: 662.453.1329
Office Hours: Monday through Thursday 8:30AM – 2:30PM, and by appointment
www.nativitygreenwood.org Email: office@nativitygreenwood.org Search Committee
Vestry
Kathy Whicker – Retired, Educator
Dr. Perry Whites, Senior Warden
Bob Provine – Retired, Provine Helicopter Service
Dean Kidd, Junior Warden
Tish B. Goodman – Owner-Broker, Bowie Realty, Inc.
Jay Williams, Finance Committee Chair
Michael McCool – Owner, Provine Helicopter Service
Allison Harris, Program Committee Chair Mary Gregory Porter Annie Smith
Sloane Porter Fair – DPT, Advanced Rehabilitation, Inc.
Joshua Stuckey
Hayes Harris – Farm Manager, O.F. Bledsoe Plantation
Ben Hargett
Harris F. Powers III – Attorney, Upshaw Williams Biggers & Beckham, LLP
Katherine Barbour
Dr. Perry Whites – Senior Warden (Ex Officio) Dean Kidd – Junior Warden (Ex Officio) Landi Mohamed – Nativity Day School Director (Ex Officio)
Ganes Clements Nancy Johnson Tish B. Goodman Sloane P. Fair Dr. Jimmy Miller Catherine Kidd, Clerk of the Vestry (Non-Voting) Stribling W. Hargett, Treasurer (Non-Voting)
“worship, love, belong, grow and serve.”
