Bishop Search

Registration is open for the special June 2 electing convention where clergy and lay delegates will elect the 13th Bishop of Rhode Island. The convention will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Pawtucket.

You can register online at the diocesan website. Complete your registration by May 28 to avoid late fees. NOTE: If you are part of a parish delegation, you do not have to register yourself. Parishes will be registering their entire clergy and lay delegations.

Check-in opens at 8 a.m., and the day begins with a Eucharist promptly at 9 a.m. Breakfast pastries and boxed lunch will be provided. Non-voting guests are welcome to attend the convention, with voice but no vote.

Today’s post is another in a series of reflections and impressions from members of the Search & Nomination Committee and Transition Committee. This post is from John Gilmartin, a member of the Search & Nomination Committee and a parishioner at Trinity Church, Newport. Note the links at the end of the post to videos from the May 12 walkabout event.

I loved the walkabout; it was a great day in the diocese, and I was privileged and blessed to be part of it. On a beautiful May morning, 400 of us gathered, listened, and questioned our five nominees for the next bishop of Rhode Island. It was a full day that gave us a special time to meet and enjoy what felt to me like a beautiful homecoming. My job during the walkabout was escorting the Rev. Jennifer Pedrick to each of the five breakout sessions. During the final session, I sat in Chapin Chapel and watched the audience listening to Jennifer, our nominee from Rhode Island. I was fascinated by the smiles and thoughtful expressions of the women listening. On the chapel walls were 19th Century memorials to the Episcopal founders of the school, early leaders in our church. By this time in the day I had heard the questions and answers several times, so what I felt was a sense of a great shared heritage, a vivid moment in the present and hope. Jennifer responded to one of the questions about vision and leadership as a process of looking for what’s shimmering in the church, and then responding to that. As I watched, I thought there’s some shimmering right here, and a sense of our Lord’s joy.

The day was full of discussions, and reunions. As we walked from venue to venue, people would erupt in joy meeting and greeting friends – sometimes friends they hadn’t seen in years. The closing ceremony had a special moment as our nominees received a standing ovation. For me, that moment was the end of a surprising year. I had no idea when volunteering for the committee what I was getting into. As we applauded I realized this was the last time we would see our nominees gathered together. As I listened to each of them speak in the opening session, I realized how much I loved each of them, how impressed I was with each of them, how diverse they were, yet how reassuring they were, how their spouses contributed to who they were and how fortunate we were to have each of them. Each of us on the committee has noted the qualify of Lora MacFall’s leadership throughout the year, and how much we have enjoyed our times together. We also have all loved the chaplains who have guided our meetings. It has been a special year, and the walkabout was a special day that I will treasure.

If you weren’t able to attend the walkabout, you can watch videos from that special day by clicking on the links below.
Plenary session
The Rev. Kurt Dunkle
The Rev. Cathy George
The Rev. Ledlie Laughlin
The Very Rev. Nicholas Knisely
The Rev. Jennifer Pedrick

Breakout sessions
The Rev. Kurt Dunkle
The Rev. Cathy George
The Rev. Ledlie Laughlin
The Very Rev. Nicholas Knisely
The Rev. Jennifer Pedrick

We have reached capacity at St. Andrew’s School for the walkabout event this Saturday. The anticipated attendance is approximately 375, and the largest meeting place at St. Andrew’s cannot accommodate more than that for our plenary session.

If you are a registered attendee, you will get an e-mail that includes an informational brochure. The brochure also is posted here. Check-in opens at 8:30 a.m.

If you have any questions, send them to news@episcopalrisearch.org

Today’s post is a reflection written by the Rev. Dennis Bucco, rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Pawtucket, about how that congregation is learning about the nominees for bishop and discussing the transition in preparation for the election in June.

This bishop’s election is my first. It is a very exciting time for the diocese, so I wished to get as much information about our nominees to the St. Luke’s congregation as possible. After the nominees were announced, I scheduled a parish-wide get-together following our 10:00 Eucharist and encouraged everyone to attend. Regardless of how much or little contact a person has with the bishop, it’s important to understand that he or she will be that person’s bishop, and decisions made by the future bishop will have an impact on our parish life.

As I prepared for the meeting, I read over the Q&A from the individual profiles and attempted to highlight the nominees’ responses to each question. As I started to filter out the information that I felt relevant for people to know, I realized that I may actually fail to communicate a piece of information that someone else may consider vital to know about one or more of the nominees. I needed to develop a different way to present the material that would be fair to the nominees, give the parishioners accurate information, and avoid allowing my personal opinions to sway their preference toward any one candidate.

I decided to read each nominee’s autobiography and answer to one set of the questions they were asked. I chose to read the answers to the questions, “What about the diocese of RI excites you? What about it concerns you? How do you imagine your talents, skills and experiences might be put to use in this context?” I chose the autobiography to give a general sense of each person, and this set of questions seemed to have broad appeal to most of the people at St. Luke’s.

I also had copies of the Q&A for individuals to take home as well as the website address for each person to read the other answers online. I was very happy that more than 30 people attended and stayed for over an hour as I presented the material. To encourage conversation to continue, I invited people to speak to the voting delegation about the nominees or election process.

After the walkabout, we will hold another information session. We will allow each person who attends the walkabout the opportunity to voice their thoughts on the experience and reflect on the information they gathered that they considered most important. However, I hope to devote a fair amount of our time together as an opportunity for the people to discuss the attendees’ questions that they consider important. Our goal is to create an informed sense of involvement, excitement and encouragement about the next person to lead us as Bishop of Rhode Island.

Do you have a story to tell about how your parish is preparing for the election of our next bishop? If so, send it to news@episcopalrisearch.org.

Don’t forget — the deadline for avoiding late fees for the May 12 “walkabout” event is Wednesday, May 2. There are two places where you can easily register online: on this blog or on the diocesan website. Everyone who attends the event (at St. Andrew’s School in Barrington) MUST preregister and pay the fee ($10 through May 2; $15 thereafter). If you know convention delegates who are not comfortable registering online, please encourage them to ask for help from their rector.

The walkabout event has been designed to ensure that everyone in attendance will have a small-group discussion opportunity with each nominee for bishop. The day begins at 8:30 a.m. with time for attendees to pick up name tags and an informational brochure. At 9 a.m., a plenary session will include opening prayer, a welcome from St. Andrew’s and brief comments from the five nominees to a question created by the Transition Committee. The rest of the day’s program will consist of five 40-minute breakout sessions during which each nominee will answer questions. Each attendee will be assigned to a single breakout room for the day, as indicated by a colored dot on his or her name tag. The nominees will move from room to room for each session. Lunch will be provided at noon, and the day will close with a brief plenary session for prayer at 3:30 p.m.

The informational brochure will be sent by e-mail to everyone who preregisters and will be posted on this blog in addition to being available at the event. It includes the day’s agenda, summary of key skills and attributes identified as most important for our next bishop, pictures of the nominees, space for taking notes, prayer for the search, timeline of upcoming events, names of committee members, and a map of the St. Andrew’s campus.

If you have questions about the walkabout event, send them to news@episcopalrisearch.org

Today’s post is the fifth of five this week (one each day, in no particular order) that are “letters to the people of Rhode Island” from the nominees for bishop. Today’s letter is from the Very Rev. Nicholas Knisely, dean of Trinity Cathedral in Phoenix, Ariz. All five letters will be posted on the Nominees page early next week.

Dear friends,
When I read your profile, the most exciting part was the description of the people of the diocese as being “dedicated, big-hearted and fun.” For me, ministry is accomplished fundamentally in community and undergirded by strong, vibrant relationships. A group of Christian people who describe themselves as you do, gives me great hope for the future. My delight was that in meeting the Search & Nomination Committee, the description of you as a talented people was not only not an exaggeration, it didn’t go far enough!

The challenges facing the diocese, the Episcopal Church and all faith communities right now are enormous. What worked well for us 50 years ago is no longer effective. We’re not exactly sure what we’re to do as we move into a new era that many of us were not expecting. The basic models we’ve used to create church communities are financially strained, some of the language we use no longer makes sense and structures that have worked for hundreds of years are failing us. We seem to be living in a moment when a new paradigm for ministry and diocesan life is emerging.

The leaders of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island whom I have met, lay and ordained, have been bright, dedicated, thoughtful and wise. I know that if there were simple answers to the challenges facing the church they would have found them. But there are no simple answers. This is a difficult and sometimes bleak moment in our journey toward the fullness of the reign of God.

If I didn’t believe in the creativity of the Holy Spirit and power of the gathered Christian community to respond, I would lose hope. But I have personally seen again and again the ability of a broad, diverse community of servant leaders to create new wineskins for new times. Our denomination’s history is full of stories of people who have shared the timeless truth of the gospel in new ways and by so doing have reinvigorated the church’s witness.

The church is in a moment its life when I believe we have to commit to “talking with each other for as long as it takes for the ‘real talking’ to begin.” That’s going to require patience, and it’s going to require endurance, tolerance and humor. Those qualities are all present in your voices within the bishop search profile and among the people I have met from the Diocese of Rhode Island.

The physical size of Rhode Island is both its greatest asset and its greatest challenge. By focusing positively on your ability to create a genuine, inclusive and broad Jesus-centered community, I believe you have the best chance of anywhere in the church to find a way forward together. My sense of call to Rhode Island is deeply connected to my desire to help make that happen, and to see where God would lead.

You are daily in my prayers as you discern your own call to your common ministry.
Nick

Today’s post is the fourth of five this week (one each day, in no particular order) that are “letters to the people of Rhode Island” from the nominees for bishop. Today’s letter is from the Rev. Kurt Dunkle, rector of Grace Episcopal Church in Orange Park, Fla. (near Jacksonville).

To the faithful in Rhode Island:
A week or so ago, we spoke powerful words for the first time in months:

Alleluia! Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

It was a joyful reminder of the reality of resurrection after a long, somber season of Lent. Remembering the reality of then; proclaiming the reality of now.

Jesus tried to tell his disciples about this reality many times. But again and again, they did not understand. Even when the faithful women told of the empty tomb, most had to see to be convinced. Resurrection became real only when they saw Jesus. Touched him. Ate with him. Words had to become flesh to be real.

Your profile described the diocese well: roots … tradition … history … richness … decline … concern … transition on all levels. That truth-telling was so appealing. It sparked my interest: Your needs and what I have already done in our diocese and at my parish seem to meet. Yet, I yearned for your words to take on flesh. As with the disciples, only the human touch made that rumor of resurrection live. Meeting with your Search & Nomination Committee members was the start of transforming those words into voices.

Now, as I have gotten to know you, my hunch is being confirmed and something new is coming to light.

First, it is becoming clear that there are real solutions to every one of Rhode Island’s challenges. Really. I know because I have been a part of it happening in my own ordained life. Twice!

For you, a closing cathedral opens the door to the newly imagined. What Christians wouldn’t want a prominent platform for transformational ministry already in place smack in the middle of a capital city? Around the state, available pews mean ready space for the thousands just waiting for the Good News as only the Episcopal Church can engage all our senses to make the story come alive. Moving from “tipping” to tithing becomes real when dry bones take on flesh, and flesh takes on breath, and that breath breathes vision. Remember: “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Managing decline in a healthy and positive way may be a valuable and desirable skill, but not for me. I’m not interested in managing decline, however executed. Rather, by getting to know you, I see growth in fallow fields. New people where the emptiness of silence now resides. I see the diocesan seal come alive: the anchor of Christ blooming forth in hope. Hope unfolding in Rhode Island.

But, something new is emerging alongside my hunch of fix-ability; there are many things in the diocese that simply need support and love to continue to bloom. From a few days spent touring your diocese “under the radar,” so to speak, it is also clear that so much is well and beautiful. For that, the fertilizer of episcopal love and support is what is needed. It will be exciting to see those flowers continue to bloom, too.

You said in your profile “we are Easter people.” Alleluia! Meeting you furthers my conviction that resurrection is real and ready to be embraced. But, because words can only go so far, I so look forward to meeting more of you. Heck, I want to meet all of you! I hope you are looking forward to meeting me and Cathleen, too.

See you on May 12 at the walkabout!

Blessings,
Kurt+

Today’s post is the third of five this week (one each day, in no particular order) that are “letters to the people of Rhode Island” from the nominees for bishop. Today’s letter is from the Rev. Jennifer Pedrick, rector of Church of the Epiphany in Rumford, R.I.

Dear Diocese of Rhode Island,
It is a privilege to be on this journey of discernment and now to be included among the bishop nominees. We have been asked to write about our changing perceptions of the diocese and our sense of call to this ministry. I write from my perspective as a local candidate, having lived and served here since I was called to the priesthood. I have seen the diocese with fresh eyes over the last few years and especially since beginning this discernment for the episcopate. This is partly because I have been cultivating and sharing a vision for diocesan change, with a focus on mission, discipleship, community building and strategy, and I believe this is beginning to take root and grow. My perceptions are changing because our diocese is changing. My perceptions are also changing because personally and professionally I have been growing.

Since entering this process, I have seen several parishes and missions make some bold choices as they have struggled with declining membership and resources. For example, there have been some faithful and difficult discussions among the churches in Cranston. Recently they have each had the courage either to engage their current mission with greater commitment or to explore merger. This is a vulnerable and exciting time for all four of these churches. As someone discerning the office of bishop, I have been able to envision how I could offer guidance, practical wisdom and pastoral care as they move forward. They are grappling with realities and possibilities with which I have experience and great passion. I have led parishes through merger, numerical and spiritual growth, and deepening discipleship. In my parish and in our diocese, I have fostered a vision and commitment to mission. I would be energized by doing the work of encouraging and challenging these congregations to become who God is calling them to be.

At our recent diocesan convocation we shared a wonderful weekend of worship, fellowship and learning. Over the two days ministers from more than 30 parishes contributed ministry in the form of leading worship, offering food and hospitality, or leading workshops. Close to 350 of us were together, and it was a joyful experience of giving and receiving, feeding and being fed. The grace of this continues as new mission ideas, friendships and ministries are emerging. Along with the Mission Task Force, who planned and led this event, I am excited by the possibilities for our future diocesan mission. As a nominee for bishop, I can imagine a diocesan culture where vision is inspired by God and shared by many, and I would like to lead that change.

I have been given so much through this discernment experience so far. Thanks to the members of the diocese for being yourselves, the Search & Nomination Committee members for your substantial ministry and pastoral care, and members of Church of the Epiphany for your love and vision. I am deeply grateful for the support of my family and the presence of God throughout. I look forward to sharing whatever the Holy Spirit will do among and through us.

With gratitude and in Christ,
Jennifer

Today’s post is the second of five this week (one each day, in no particular order) that are “letters to the people of Rhode Island” from the nominees for bishop. Today’s letter is from the Rev. Cathy George, currently on a writing sabbatical and former priest-in-charge of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Dorchester, Mass.

Dear Members of the Diocese of Rhode Island,
I write to you from our home in New Hampshire on a beautiful spring day. The window near my desk is open and birds fill the air with song.

It was a cold Saturday morning in January, following the invitation to continue in your process of discernment, when my husband Michael and I packed a bag and drove to Rhode Island. I lived in Providence and worked at Brown University more than 30 years ago, and have visited the coastal beaches and towns of your state. But this visit was to your parishes. We drove from one parish to another, stepping inside if a door was open, noticing how close or far you are from each other, how many bridges linked you across the water. I prayed for guidance in your parking lots as we stopped in Central Falls and Cumberland; Cranston and Wickford; Portsmouth, Tiverton and Barrington, to name a few. It was a Saturday so most of the doors were locked. I peeked into windows, and prayed for you. By late afternoon we checked into a hotel in Providence and walked to each of the parishes on the east side, up the hill and across the campuses of Brown and RISD. Sunday morning was well below zero, cold and sunny. My prayers continued as I worshipped in several downtown churches, staying for the readings at one, hearing the sermon at another and receiving communion once I arrived at the cathedral. In each place I was warmly welcomed as a visitor and prayed with your communities of faith.

This trip helped me get to know you and it allowed me to see what it is that God has given me that I have to offer you as your bishop. God has blessed me with experiences that match what you seek in a leader. In rural New Hampshire, a summer parish was nearly closed when I led the devoted people as an effective and compassionate pastor helping them open their doors, change how they did things, and invite others to their church. In an affluent suburb of Boston, I exercised visionary leadership through strong communication skills, and a passionate love for preaching relevant to people’s lives. With compassion I led our parish through change, spiritual growth and a sizable building project. We faced conflict together and deepened our maturity in faith as we learned to listen, compromise and laugh together. With hearts set on mission, we entered partnerships in the inner city, which led to my call to Dorchester. There, strengthening the role of lay leaders, I forged a future for ministry in neighborhoods living the gospel, offering food to the hungry, a playground for children and summer school for kids.

God has shaped me into a visionary leader who builds collaborative teams, welcomes change, is peaceful in the midst of conflict, prayerful and decisive in strategy, dependent upon Jesus, and enjoys the blessings of life.

Thank you for the generosity of your prayers as you faithfully prepare for the election of your 13^th Bishop.  I look forward to meeting you on May 12.

In faith,
The Reverend Cathy H George

Today’s post is the first of five this week (one each day, in no particular order) that are “letters to the people of Rhode Island” from the nominees for bishop. Today’s letter is from the Rev. Ledlie Laughlin, rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, Pa.

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
What do I see in the Diocese of Rhode Island? Potential: enormous potential. To realize that potential, you and your next bishop will need to do some essential work together.

In time spent with you, I experience a mix of feelings and perspectives. With some, I sense tentativeness – as if you’re not quite sure of where you’re headed. Some feel isolated. Some are experiencing significant loss – through circumstances in the parish, the economy or in other aspects of life – and feel demoralized or in pain. I find some filled with the passion of the Spirit, even energized. Some are hungry to proclaim the Gospel in creative ways and engage the wider community in works of justice and mercy. All of you – children, adults and seniors; small congregations and large – are valuable contributors to our work together.

As a whole, the Diocese feels a bit disjointed, even fractured; you are not functioning as a healthy body. This is not a judgment but an observation. Tentativeness and disjointedness are familiar to me; I recognize these from my own Diocese of Pennsylvania. Building upon my years of leadership here, it leads me to propose a particular course of action.

If elected, what would be my first steps? I want to meet you – each of you, to listen. I want to hear your dreams, your struggles, the challenges you see, to understand how you are putting your faith into practice. Why? In order to begin a relationship and lay a foundation of trust, to honor who you are, to thank you, to celebrate the gifts God has given you and to renew the fabric of our diocesan community. Our Church is facing hard choices but also opportunities for growth. Be not afraid. If we walk together as fellow members of one body of Christ, we can support one another and live with hope.

To grow in health, we will need to gain clarity around key ministries such as the Cathedral, Episcopal Conference Center and Episcopal Charities, and articulate a vision for how these extraordinary assets can best serve our people and our mission. How will we sort this out? Together. In prayer. Speaking truth. As people of God. Building justice in our community. With these decisions, we can honor the vital legacy of earlier generations and embark upon new ways of “being the church”!

As health in the body is renewed, I see a Diocese ready for adventure. I see the mission of the Church carried out in unique ways by all of us, as we respond to the needs of others in our community. I see us encouraging and supporting one another, seeking exciting ways to share the love of Christ. As the heart and hands of the body of Christ, I see the Diocese of Rhode Island becoming a beacon of light and hope to a needy world. I would love to be with you as a part of this body.

May the Peace of the Risen Christ be with you!
– Ledlie