From the Rector

Dear Friends in Christ,

Over the last couple of months, we have been reviewing our facilities staffing, processes, and procedures. As that transition continues, I want to give you some updates.

I am pleased to say we have found a successful candidate for the Facilities Director position. I’ll share more information about this new staff member next week but I’ll say now that he has substantial experience across a range of relevant fields.

Of course, the harder part of these transitions is saying goodbye to people who have offered their gifts in many ways. Two staff members will be leaving in the coming days.

First, after nearly three decades of faithful work here, our head sexton, Ca Nguyen will retire.

I remember during our family’s first months at Saint Philip’s, how very kind Ca was to our younger son, Brayden. So much so that Brayden took to naming some of his stuffed animals Ca!

Ca would give me updates on Brayden’s antics with good humor and cheer. Decades of small moments like that have defined Ca’s time here. Few know the day-to-day and season-to-season workings of the place like Ca, and his institutional memory will be missed.

He and Tien have been a tireless gift to this community, and I am happy that Tien will continue to work with us over the next several months.

Second, we say goodbye to Myron Molzen.

Myron has given time and attention to our facilities the past nine years—especially post-COVID. During his tenure, we increased the number of groups who use our facility, upgraded La Paz and Saint Anne’s, and much more.

As we return to pre-COVID levels of campus activity—paired with an intense and substantial increase of building projects—the need to plan for that complicated mix of tasks has proven pressing. Part of that planning is recognizing that as our needs change, so, too, must the roles of those who implement them. New skills are required.

I look forward to welcoming our new team member and thank Myron, his partner Daniel, Ca, and Tien for their work over the years.

In a place like Saint Philip’s we are regularly in the middle of some transition or another. I once asked a docent at the Forbidden City how often the City had to be repainted. He said, “it’s never not being re-painted.” Thanks be to God that our facility needs are not quite that complex!

And while not as complex, our reality is similar: work is always underway to preserve our past and to prepare for the future. Bringing new staff on and giving thanks for the time and gifts of departing ones are part of that consistent on-going work.

I also want to thank the working group of leaders who have helped devise and implement these changes: our senior warden, John Bremond; Vestry member, Liz Wood; and, Michael Anderson.

I appreciate their experience and help in representing the congregation faithfully in these deliberations. As I have said before, this year we are focused on administrative processes and relationships. I am grateful for their leadership, and fortunate to have them as partners in that work.

Yours in Christ,

—Fr Robert