Election of Black leader helps redeem Episcopal church

From Atlanta-

The recent election of Bishop Michael Curry as the 27th presiding bishop of The Episcopal Church – the first African American to hold the denomination’s highest office – to succeed the church’s first female presiding bishop is expected to help atone for the church’s failure to take a more active role opposing slavery and Jim Crow laws.

Curry, bishop of the North Carolina Diocese since 2000, was easily elected presiding bishop of the 2.5 million congregation on June 27 at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Salt Lake City, capturing 121 of 174 votes in a four-person race. Prior to moving to North Carolina, Curry served 12 years as rector of St. James Church in Baltimore.

Recalling the election of Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori nine years ago as the church’s first female presiding bishop, Curry said: “It was an experience of the Holy Spirit, for real … And today I had that same feeling. And I think that’s a sign of our church growing more deeply in the spirit of God and the movement of God’s spirit in our world.”

More here-

http://atlantadailyworld.com/2015/07/11/news-analysiselection-of-black-leader-helps-redeem-episcopal-church/

US Episcopal Church makes history by electing 1st black presiding bishop

From Christian Today-

Following the horrific Charleston church shooting that claimed the lives of nine church members from the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church recently, the US Episcopal Church made history on Saturday as it elected its first black presiding bishop at its general conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Bishop Michael Curry, 62, of North Carolina reportedly won in a landslide vote to replace outgoing Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who was the first female to lead their denomination. Curry was one of the four bishops being considered for the position and he won with 121 votes, while his closest competitor only got 21 votes.

More here-

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/us.episcopal.church.makes.history.by.electing.1st.black.presiding.bishop/57452.htm

Michael Curry Elected PB Round-up

New YorkTimes-

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/us/episcopal-church-elects-its-first-black-presiding-bishop.html?_r=0

Reuters-

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/27/us-usa-episcopal-bishop-idUSKBN0P70UL20150627

Huffington-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/27/episcopal-church-michael-curry-black_n_7679264.html

ABC-

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/episcopal-church-elects-black-presiding-bishop-32075597

Fox-

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/06/27/us-episcopal-church-elects-1st-african-american-presiding-bishop-curry-north/

Winston Salem--

http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/episcopal-church-elects-former-winston-salem-rector-first-black-presiding/article_d996acb3-dc6f-5759-9c8f-fbd1cf5e8269.html

Desert News-

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865631557/North-Carolina-bishop-elected-as-presiding-bishop-and-primate-of-Episcopal-Church.html

Washington Post-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/religion/episcopal-church-elects-michael-curry-first-black-presiding-bishop/2015/06/27/0e5fdc20-1d23-11e5-bed8-1093ee58dad0_story.html

Charlotte Observer-

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/living/religion/article25672120.html

Buffalo News-

http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/buffalo-native-elected-to-head-episcopal-church-20150627

ENS

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2015/06/27/episcopalians-react-to-historic-election-of-michael-curry-as-presiding-bishop/

Reflecting on outgoing Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s tenure as Episcopal Church brings in new leader

From The Washington Post-

This opinion piece is by Diana Butler Bass, an independent scholar and expert on U.S. religion. She is the author of eight books, including “Christianity After Religion.”

In 2006, the Episcopal Church elected Katharine Jefferts Schori to serve a nine-year term as the denomination’s presiding bishop, the head of the church, an ecclesiastical position equivalent to the Church of England’s archbishop of Canterbury. The election was historic – she was the first woman elevated to the position, and the only w

And now her term is coming to an end. On Saturday, the Episcopal Church elected a new presiding bishop, Michael Curry of North Carolina. Curry will be the first African American to lead the church, one of the oldest and most historic Christian bodies in the United States.
oman among the senior bishops of the global Anglican Communion.

More here-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/06/27/reflecting-on-outgoing-presiding-bishop-katharine-jefferts-schoris-tenure-as-episcopal-church-brings-in-new-leader/

Memo to the Next Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church

From Huffington-

Dear Presiding Bishop nominee:

You are in a group of four fine bishops nominated to serve as our next Presiding Bishop. As a rather new, but very interested Episcopalian, I would like to offer my reflections to you, based on my pastoral experience dealing with people from every corner of the hemisphere, who are still wondering what "Espiscopal" or "Episcopalian Church" or "Presbypiscopal" means. By the way I've heard all of these used to refer to our church and many more variations are out there in English and Spanish... especially by folks in the mainstream media when they refer to our church.

As you read these points, keep in mind that the priest who writes this has a background in media -- secular and religious -- but is wholly motivated by a desire that all may come to know and experience the love of God, way beyond our denominational restrictions and boundaries.

Below are just a few "words from the pews:

More here-

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/father-alberto-cutie/memo-to-the-next-presiding-bishop-and-primate-of_b_7662832.html

Connecticut Episcopal bishop a candidate to lead national church

From Connecticut-

The church no longer stands at the center of American life, but Bishop Ian T. Douglas, one of four candidates to lead the nationwide Episcopal Church, sees that change as part of God’s work in the world.

He says it gives Christians the opportunity to shift from worrying about the church and to focus more on what God wants them to do.

“For me what’s fundamentally important is that our vocation as followers of Jesus is to participate in what God’s doing as far as bringing new life into the world, what I often describe as God’s mission of restoration and reconciliation,” said Douglas. “By virtue of our baptism, we’re called to participate in that work. … But that’s different than keeping the church in business.”

More here-

http://www.nhregister.com/general-news/20150620/connecticut-episcopal-bishop-a-candidate-to-lead-national-church

NC Bishop among 4 nominated to lead Episcopal Church in the United States

From North Carolina-

The Right Rev. Michael Curry, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, was officiating the ordination of a young priest at a Raleigh parish when he spotted a name tag on a church member who was part of the service.

When the service ended, Curry led the ceremony’s participants out. The second the door shut behind them, Curry whipped around to Blake Strayhorn, who heads Durham’s Habitat for Humanity, pointed at the nametag and said, “My mom was a Strayhorn. We’re cousins!”

The complexities of family trees with Southern roots make it possible that Curry, who is black, and Strayhorn, who is white, share some common lineage, and Strayhorn hopes they do. But even if they don’t, Curry’s claim fits the broader theme that has defined his 15 years as bishop: All people are brothers and sisters in the human family of God.

Read more here:

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article25083385.html#storylink=cpy

From Utah (Since when is the House of Deputies the "lower house"?)

As Episcopal Church leaders prepare to elect a new presiding bishop and vote on a "special liturgy" for same-sex marriage ceremonies and organizational changes to the 1.8 million-member denomination, not all are in agreement over the health and future of one of the nation's oldest Christian faiths.

Some understandable soul-searching has taken place in the wake of the church losing half its membership since 1966, 12 percent in the past nine years alone. The denomination's progressive stances are blamed for much of the exodus by conservatives, while other clergy say the church is going through needed "pruning" as it becomes more inclusive to reflect today's society.

The Rev. W. Frank Allen of Radnor, Pennsylvania, is one of 800 lower-house delegates coming to Salt Lake City for the movement's triennial General Convention beginning Monday. He is pleased the denomination accommodates a diverse following of worshippers.

More here-


http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865630957/Episcopal-Church-hopes-triennial-convention-will-help-present-a-church-thats-more-attractive-to.html

Episcopal Church's General Convention to elect new US Primate

From The Church Times (England)

THE Episcopal Church's triennial General Convention will gather in Salt Lake City next week; and among their business will be the election of a new Presiding Bishop to succeed Dr Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first female Primate in the Anglican Communion. Her nine-year term of office concludes on 31 October.

The four nominees to be considered by the Convention are: the Bishop of Southern Ohio, the Rt Revd Thomas Breidenthal; the Bishop of North Carolina, the Rt Revd Michael Curry; the Bishop of Connecticut, Dr Ian Douglas; and the Bishop of Southwest Florida, the Rt Revd Dabney Smith.

The four candidates will be presented to the General Convention next week, on Wednesday afternoon, and the vote itself will take place on 27 June, by the House of Bishops, at St Mark's Cathedral in Salt Lake City, before being confirmed by the House of Deputies.

More here-

http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2015/19-june/news/world/episcopal-churchs-general-convention-to-elect-new-us-primate

Decision 2015 and the work of the Church

From The Living Church-

This June a major decision will be made. Someone will be chosen to lead, and the effects of that choice will ripple outwards for years. This new leader will form disciples, teach a new generation of Christians, model charity and servanthood, strengthen relationships within the church, and open doors to those outside our walls. This new ministry will be challenging: the leader we chose will have to work with different constituencies, build consensus, teach and learn at the same time, and bathe daily tasks in prayer. In the end, we trust and hope that this chosen leader will bring a new season of vitality and growth.

More here-

http://livingchurch.org/covenant/?p=6190

JNCPB report includes updates

From ENS-

The Episcopal Church Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop (JNCPB) has released the following statement with an update of progress following its recent meeting:

The Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop (JNCPB) met January 12 – 14. After nearly two years of conducting its work electronically, the committee gathered for the purpose of discerning the list of candidates to continue in the process. Committee co-chair, Bishop Edward Konieczny, said that during the time together the committee’s “passionate, emotional, and difficult work laid an incredible foundation that we will aim to continue with grace.”

More than 165 people representing over 60 dioceses submitted names during the nomination period last fall. Bishops whose names were submitted were invited to continue in the discernment process as established by the JNCPB by submitting information and materials for consideration. Video conferencing afforded the opportunity for committee members to talk with the candidates.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2015/01/22/jncpb-report-includes-updates/

Presiding Bishop announces she will not stand for reelection

From ENS-

The following message is from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori:
To all the people of God in The Episcopal Church:

It is a great joy and privilege to serve as your Presiding Bishop.  I have been blessed to be able to meet and build relationships with people around the globe – in every diocese in this Church, most of the provinces of the Anglican Communion, our full communion partners (ELCA, Moravian Church, Old Catholics of the Union of Utrecht), as well as civic leaders and leaders of other denominations and faith traditions.  That relational work is fundamental to the reconciliation we seek in Christ.  As bridges are built, more and more people can begin to cross the divides between us, and God’s dream begins to take flesh in a more just and peaceful world.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/09/23/presiding-bishop-annouces-she-will-not-stand-for-relection/

Nominating committee issues call, profile for 27th Presiding Bishop

From ENS-

The Episcopal Church Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop (JNCPB) has issued the Call for Discernment and Profile for the 27th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church.

The Call for Discernment and Profile is located here.

https://extranet.generalconvention.org/staff/files/download/10876.pdf%20

Between now and September 30, any member of The Episcopal Church may submit a name of a bishop to JNCPB whom they believe should be considered for nomination through the email listed in the Call for Discernment and Profile.  JNCPB will inform bishops whose names have been presented and advise them that if they wish to engage the discernment process, they must submit their materials as specified in the Call for Discernment and Profile between October 1 and October 31. The JNCPB will announce its nominees in early May 2015.

The election will take place during the 78th meeting of General Convention June 25-July 3, 2015 in Salt Lake City. The current draft of the convention schedule shows the election taking place on June 27.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/08/13/nominating-committee-issues-call-profile-for-27th-presiding-bishop/

Joint Nominating Committee presents last of three essays

From The Joint Nominating Committee-

The Episcopal Church Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop (JNCPB) has issued the following information.

The Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop (JNCPB) continues its work to prepare The Episcopal Church for the election of the 27th Presiding Bishop at General Convention next summer.  The Committee publishes the third of three essays designed to begin a discussion about the election which will take place in the summer of 2015. 

This essay discuss how the constitutional/canonical role of the office has changed and evolved from being the senior bishop by consecration who presides over meetings of the House of Bishops to the complex multifaceted position it is today. The first essay described the basic time-line and steps of the nominating and election process (here).  The second essay outlined the current roles, functions, and responsibilities of the Presiding Bishop (here).

More here-

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/notice/joint-nominating-committee-presents-last-three-essays

 

Seattle prelate is early prospect for Episcopal Presiding Bishop

From Seattle-

The bishops of America’s Episcopal Church will elect a new Presiding Bishop next July.  Western Washington’s Bishop Greg Rickel is being sounded out as candidate for a top job that requires the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job.

Rickel, 51, is an Arkansas native, a onetime hospital administrator who successfully built a multiethnic, multilingual congregation in fast-growing Austin, Texas, before being elected Episcopal Bishop of Olympia in 2007.

Rickel indicates he is willing to have his name put in nomination.  A Joint Nominating Committee will on August 1 publish a profile of sought-after talents and a call for nominations. The General Convention at which bishops make their choice is June 25-July 3, 2015, in Salt Lake City.
More here-

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2014/07/21/seattle-prelate-is-early-prospect-for-episcopal-presiding-bishop/