Almighty God, giver of every good gift:
Look graciously on your Church, and
So guide the minds of those who shall
Choose a bishop for this Diocese, that we
May receive a faithful pastor, who will
Care for your people and equip us for our
Ministries, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen

When a diocese finds itself without a sitting bishop, the responsibility for the administration of the diocese, or the ‘ecclesiastical authority’, resides with the Standing Committee. Along with everything that includes, it also falls to them, as they vision for the future, to oversee the search process and the election of a new bishop.

For some months now our own Standing Committee has been balancing the administration of Rio Grande while deciding upon the best possible process to move us forward. They have chosen to put in place a procedure that includes help in healing our various hurts, as well as a search process that balances the diversity in our diocese. They have proceeded with great patience and prayer and should be commended for their dedication to the Lord’s will for us.

The committees put in place for this process are:

The Search Committee which is responsible for acquiring names of qualified candidates for Bishop, researching who would be a ‘good fit’, and presenting a final list of those names for the Standing Committee to place in nomination at our electing convention composed of clergy, wardens and elected delegates from every congregation.

The Transition Committee which is responsible for introducing the candidates for bishop to the diocese and helping Rio Grande get to know the candidates. Also, the Transition Committee oversees plans for the consecration and relocation of the new bishop.

The Design Team which is responsible for helping all members of the diocese work toward healing and reconciliation. This is a monumental task, but they have embraced it with enthusiasm and expertise. The Team, along with professional consultants, created a format, The New Life Retreats, which are proving to be a wonderful tool to help us move through this transition period and prepare us to call our new bishop.

For St. Christopher’s, our introduction to the Search Process for the next Bishop for the Diocese of the Rio Grande will be The New Life Retreat to be held at All Saints Church, September 12-13, 2008. We will begin with dinner and an evening session on Friday, and then gather on Saturday for a morning session, lunch and a brief afternoon session to conclude our time together.

I encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity for personal input in the Search Process as we work together with our brothers and sisters in Christ from parishes around the diocese. Having already been a part of this retreat process, I can say first hand that it will be enjoyable, enlightening, encouraging….and it’s FREE!

I look forward to seeing lots of members of the St. Christopher’s Church Family at All Saints as we take our first steps in the Search Process for our next Bishop.

Blessings,

Kathy