From Illinois
A week from electing its 11th bishop, the Springfield Episcopal Diocese has drawn a collective deep breath, says the Rev. Christopher “Kip” Ashmore.
“Saturday (following the election), we exhale,” promises the rector of Trinity Church in Jacksonville.
It’s also when a whole new process starts.
Delegates from the diocese’s 38 parishes and clergy members will select a bishop from among three finalists — the Rev. Daniel Martins of Warsaw, Ind.; the Rev. Canon E. Mark Stevenson of Baton Rouge, La.; and the Rev. Matthew Gunter of Glen Ellyn — in a vote Saturday at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul.
A majority of U.S. bishops and Standing Committees must consent to the vote, and that’s no sure thing, considering the reputation of the Springfield diocese, according to Ashmore and others.
Martins, in particular, may have difficulty getting consent if he sticks with his conservative views on same-sex unions and gay clergy.
All three candidates were pressed on those issues and others, such as women’s ordination, at three question-and-answer sessions last week in Mount Vernon, Decatur and Alton.
More here-
http://www.sj-r.com/firstinprint/x1032442950/Upcoming-Episcopal-bishop-vote-isnt-final-step
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