Now the real work begins.
The nominating period for our 8th bishop diocesan closed at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, June 27.
Our pool of candidates includes men and women, from coast to coast and beyond our borders, gay and straight, and of many ethnic backgrounds. It reflects the diversity of The Episcopal Church and of our diocese, just what we hoped for.
Our task now is to study the application packets and determine how closely each candidate fits our profile — the gifts and experience we determined, with the help of all of you who participated in the listening sessions and the survey, are required for our next bishop.
We are also looking for the surprises, the unexpected skills, and the extraordinary accomplishments we know our candidates will offer.
We’ll meet on July 12 to decide which of those candidates will move ahead to Zoom interviews. In those Zooms we’ll ask a basic set of questions of all the candidates, then pose some questions unique to each candidate, and finally allow time for the candidates to ask us questions. We know that discernment is a two-way street, and just as we are examining the candidates, they are examining us.
We invite your prayers as our holy work continues:
Gracious and loving God,
You who call us each by name,
Be near to those listening deeply for your voice in this time of discernment.
Give courage to those who are stepping forward in faith.
Grant peace to those still uncertain.
May your Spirit guide this journey with wisdom, clarity, and love.
Amen.