A Prayer for the Search Committee as it continues its work:

Gracious and loving God, guide the Search Committee, Vestry, and people of Trinity through this time of transition and discernment. We pray that your Holy Spirit continues to open our hearts and minds to new opportunities and ideas, so that we may follow where you lead — knowing that Jesus Christ walks with us each step of the way.

Empower the members of our Search Committee to use their gifts for ministry to the fullest, to share their thoughts openly and honestly, to respect the opinions of others, and to encourage humility, patience, and joy. 

Finally, instill in all the people of Trinity a glorious vision of the future; that, guided by your Holy Spirit, we may be united in love — with warm hearts, enlightened minds, and open arms — so that we may gladly accomplish the mission to which you are calling us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Meet the members of the Rector Search Committee

Kate Howe, Co-Chair

I am the Executive Director of Indy Hunger Network, a non-profit organization housed on Trinity’s campus. My family first attended Trinity on Christmas Eve 2008, and Trinity has been a central part of our lives ever since. I have served as Senior Warden, Clerk to the Vestry, Co-chair of the Outreach Advisory Committee, Chair of the Landscape Committee, Acolyte Leader, and Board Chair and volunteer at the Mid-North Food Pantry. I have also tagged along on two choir pilgrimages to English cathedrals to hear my husband and two sons sing with the Trinity choir.

Todd Relue, Co-Chair 

Over the past 15 years, I’ve served in many roles at Trinity including on the vestry as Senior Warden, as an Acolyte Leader, as a Master of Ceremonies, and on a prior Rector Search Committee. I also serve as the Chancellor for the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. My wife, Abby, and I have two teenage children, Evie and Edward. I love this parish and am honored to serve as a Co-Chair of this committee.

Lisa Adler

 Trinity has been a foundational part of my and my family’s life since we joined shortly after the birth of our first child in 2009. I have participated in many different roles at Trinity, including serving on the vestry and as Clerk to the Vestry, Godly Play teacher, Journey in Faith participant and mentor, Chalice Bearer, and Acolyte Leader. My spouse, Adam, and I have two teenagers, both of whom are actively involved at Trinity in choristers, Sunday school and youth group, and acolytes.  

David Bacon

David Bacon is a local community organizer with deep roots in the Indianapolis community. He received his A.B. in Sociology from Occidental College in Los Angeles, California. He then went on to attend law school at Southern University, an HBCU located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He currently serves as the Co-chair of Trinity Episcopal Church’s outreach committee, the Board President of the Indiana Justice Project, and on the Board of Directors of Global Inheritance, a sustainability and art nonprofit based in Los Angeles California. His wife, AmySue Bacon serves as the Executive Director of Horizons at St. Richard’s.

Lillian Cardwell 

I grew up in the Trinity parish, as a student at St. Richard’s and a Trinity chorister and acolyte. I studied Art History at Yale University and worked for several years at a local youth theatre before joining the faculty at St. Richard’s as a middle school history teacher. 

I currently sing in the Trinity Choir with my husband Zach, and I serve as the soprano representative on the choir board. I served as a youth group leader from 2019 to 2023 and served on the Vestry from 2021 to 2024. 

Trinity has always been an important community in my life, and I am honored to be part of the Rector Search Committee. I look forward to helping Trinity imagine and realize our future with a new rector. As a St. Richard’s alumna and teacher, I’m also eager to foster the church-school relationship.

Deb Cooney

As a long-time member of Trinity, I am honored to be part of the Search Committee as we discern God’s will for our new rector.  I currently serve as a chalice bearer and have served as a Vestry member and lector.  I have been involved with our refugee families from the Central African Republic and, more recently, Afghanistan.  Close to my heart is leading a contemplative life, and, together with others, have offered programs at Trinity for Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, and walking the labyrinth.

James Cramer

Member of Trinity since 2002, James has been involved in a variety of ways, from two times Stewardship co-chair to Convener of Journey in Faith. He coordinated many Easter Vigil receptions, served two terms on Vestry, as a Sunday School teacher and has appeared  as Jonah, the Grinch and as a Magi. Over 40 years as a professional artist, James has performed, worked backstage and as an arts administrator. He shares these experiences with Trinity and contributes to the beauty of place.

Leigh Ann Hirschman

Since joining Trinity in 2008, I’ve served on several committees, on the vestry as junior warden, as a lector, and as the founding board chair of Trinity Haven. My husband John and I have two adult children, Jane and Charlie. Both are St. Richard’s alumni; Charlie spent many years as a chorister. This community is dear to my family and me, and I’m honored to serve on the rector search committee.

Vivian Kirklin 

Vivian Kirklin has been a parishioner at Trinity since moving to Indianapolis with her family in 2018. Her past involvement with the church includes assisting with Godly Play and Sunday School. Professionally, she is a freelance writer and editor. She looks forward to serving Trinity in its search for a new rector.

Bill Mirola

Bill has been a parishioner at Trinity for 33 years. He has served in many capacities including as a Vestry member, St. Richard’s Board member, youth leader, and representative to Diocesan Conventions and Legislative Aide to General Convention. Currently, he serves as one of the Ministers of Ceremony on Sunday mornings. Away from Trinity, Bill is a Professor of Sociology at Marian University and former Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences there. 

Ed Stephenson

My wife, Jane, and I have been members of Trinity for the past fifteen years. During this time, I have been actively involved in the church. I served on the vestry and as Junior Warden for two years. I also chaired the Outreach Committee, where I played a key role in overseeing the Trinity Outreach Center. Additionally, I contributed to the safety of the Trinity campus as part of an ad hoc committee focused on reviewing campus security. Currently, I coordinate the Trinity Men’s Breakfast Group, fostering fellowship and connection among the men of the parish.

Bob Wood 

I am currently helping teach Sunday School, and I served on the Finance Committee a few years ago. Although not technically “Trinity Service,” I also coach the St. Richard’s 5th/6th grade boys’ basketball team and serve on St. Richard’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. And I occasionally make the envelopes Oscar uses to deliver notes to people during Sunday services.

I am excited to promote Trinity’s many outreach efforts and—as a St. Richard’s parent, coach, and Board-husband—to help foster the church- school relationship

Dear Trinity Parishioners,

We write to you on behalf of the Search Committee to share information about the discernment process we are embarking on together as we seek to call the next Rector of our beloved Trinity. By design, this is an extended process that allows us time to reflect on who we are today, dream about what the future holds, and determine what charisms our next Rector should embody to help lead us into the next stage of our collective journey. A typical search for a parish like Trinity lasts 12 to 18 months.

The initial stage of the discernment process involves gathering information from the congregation. We will start by sending out an online survey called the Congregational Assessment Tool. This detailed survey of roughly 100 questions covers many areas and has been used in successful searches across The Episcopal Church. We expect the survey will be up and running before Thanksgiving and remain open for four weeks.

We will then host a series of Holy Conversations after church on January 5, February 9, and February 23. These conversations will be facilitated by Canon Giulianna Cappelletti Gray from the Diocese. Each conversation will focus on a different topic that is designed to help us gather valuable information to guide the search process. It is important that you participate in the Congregational Assessment Tool as well as the Holy Conversations. The Search Committee is attempting to carry out the will of the congregation through this process, so your voice needs to be heard.

The Committee will use the information gathered through the survey and meetings to develop a Parish Profile that tells the story of our wonderful and dynamic church to clergy who may be interested in joining us. Once published, the profile will be shared online for everyone to enjoy.

Interested clergy will submit their application materials to the Committee, which will then engage in rounds of discernment. Applicants will be interviewed and finalists will be brought on confidential visits to Trinity. The Committee’s work will culminate in a recommendation to Trinity’s vestry, which will then decide whether to extend a call to Trinity’s next Rector.

We recognize that transition periods by their nature can breed anxiety and uncertainty, but they are also important times to reflect, dream, and hope together. We are Trinity, a beacon of God’s light and love in this world. In our church’s history, we have had wonderful Rectors who have helped us to do and be more than we ever thought was possible and, God willing, we will work together to call another.

If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us or other members of the Committee including Lisa Adler, David Bacon, Lillian Cardwell, Deb Cooney, James Cramer, Leigh Ann Hirschman, Vivian Kirklin, Bill Mirola, Ed Stephenson, and Bob Wood. While there are some things, such as information about applicants, that we will not be able to share in order to protect the confidentiality and integrity of the process, we will answer every question that we can. Feel free to contact us at SearchChairs@TrinityChurchIndy.org.

We look forward to walking alongside you in this time of transition and renewal at Trinity.

With Love and Hope,

Search Committee Co-Chairs

Kate Howe and Todd Relue