felix hominum

diocese of edmonton episcopal election: bishop elected: Jane Alexander

Dr. Jane Alexander has been elected 10th Bishop of Edmonton on the 3rd ballot.  She led the voting from the first ballot onward.

3rd ballot results:  clergy/lay

Jane Alexander:   52/89
David Ashdown:   10/14
Darcey Lazerte:    2/9
Merv Mercer:       22/35
Peter Wall:          4/12

Candidates Ainsworth, Drake and King were dropped on previous ballots.

Thanks and prayers of blessing to all who allowed their names to stand.

Update:

Announcement on diocesan website here.

Anglican Journal article here.

diocese of edmonton episcopal election: opening faceoff

Lovely lunch over at the hotel in downtown Edmonton, as we wait for the announcement of the results of the first ballot.  Archbishop John Clark preached and presided this morning to begin our day together.  For anyone interested in how the election turns out, I'll probably post the results later on this afternoon as they become available.

If you are reading, we would appreciate your prayers.

Coffee break, we will have some results in a few moments.

electing a Bishop - what's in a name?

What’s In A Name?

Our word ‘bishop’ comes from the New Testament word episcopos. It’s an Anglo-
Saxon- language-development-thing: episcopos got shortened to episcop. Then somebody thought biscup sounded better than episcop. And from biscup it’s not too far to bishop.

The New Testament word episcopos means “overseer”, or “one who has oversight”. You may ask: “Oversight of what, or whom?” In Christian tradition oversight has meant two things:

1) Overseeing the continuing ministry of Jesus Christ in each new time and place;

a) through the ministry of all Christians in general;
b) through the ministry of those ordained to serve the local Body of Christ

2) Overseeing and defending the unity and continuity of the Church of Jesus Christ
as it has been handed down.

From A Resource Paper Published by the Diocese of Edmonton Executive Council
To Aid Discernment in the process of raising up the next Bishop of the Diocese.

Well, I've taken some time to carefully look at the various materials available from the candidates for upcoming episcopal election of the next Bishop of Edmonton.  But before looking at anything specific in regards to candidates' answers, the first question I must ask myself is:  what is a bishop?

Overseeing the "continuing ministry of Jesus Christ in each new time and place".  An episcopal office is one of continuity.  It is to be in fellowship with the communion of the saints throughout the ages. Yet a bishop is to bring the same gospel into new times and places.  It is the twofold arena of the Great Commission: time and place. This oversight is, in the office of bishop, for "all Christians".  It is universal or "catholic".   And in each particular bishop it is local - a bishop has a certain diocese in which to exercise his ministry.

So when I ask what a bishop is, I begin to look at three things.  The bishop continues the ministry of Jesus which was handed on to the Twelve, and from them to the next generation, and down to us in this day.  This is our responsibility through time - our tie to the generations of Christians who preceded us, and the faith we hand on to those who will follow us.  Second, a bishop is a bishop for the whole church.  A bishop is not simply a bishop for my own parish, or even for my own diocese.  The church is truly catholic when a bishop exercises a ministry in connection with the whole church.  Third, a bishop has a specific vocation to exercise ministry for the local congregations under his oversight, and each "new time and place" will have its own challenges and needs.  There seems to be a rather organic balance desired here.  A bishop needs to be an agent of continuity, but is called to minister in new times and places.  A bishop needs to minister locally, but needs to be connected to the catholic church. 

For myself, I find that addressing the question "what is a bishop" helps to give a framework within which to approach our episcopal election.  By no means is this an exhaustive list of what a bishop is called to be.  Read and digest the whole resource paper.  Perhaps some of us will skip this step and jump straight into looking at the candidates' materials.  But unless I have a sense of what the office calls for, how will I know how to discern?  It is of course obvious that only one candidate will become our next bishop.  So to all the candidates who have allowed their names to stand we should offer our prayers and our thanks.  It is no easy thing to be up for public scrutiny and discernment.

Pray without ceasing.

episcopal election post series

candidates' info, episcopal election, Bishop of Edmonton video links now up

Election results are now here.

Video links to interviews of the candidates for the episcopal election to select the next bishop of Edmonton are now up.  Click on the name to go to the video.  Parishes will also be sent DVDs shortly.

The Reverend Wendy Ainsworth
The Very Reverend Dr. Jane Alexander
The Rt. Rev. Dr. David Ashdown
The Venerable Edward King
The Reverend Canon Darcey Lazerte
The Reverend Dr. Mervyn Mercer
The Very Reverend Peter Wall

I have a few more things to tinker with on this post, but there you have it for now.

There may be further questions one might like to ask of the prospective candidates, including their reactions to the recent Anglican Church of Canada troubles on the west coast, and now, it seems, in Ontario as well.  This is simply to say that the internal difficulties of our church are real.  The National Post is reporting that "At least five more Anglican churches -- three in British Columbia and two in Ontario -- are likely to separate from the national Church" (article here).

 

Yukon to elect bishop-coadjutor

Archbishop Terry Buckle, current Metropolitan of the Province of British Columbia and the Yukon, has announced his intention to retire at the end of 2008. The Diocese of the Yukon intends to elect a coadjutor bishop on May 31, 2008. Those clergy who may wish to seek nomination are requested to contact the Chair of the Nominating Committee who will provide them with details of our process and the requirements and deadlines involved.

The Diocese of Yukon's website is here.

Magicstats had a bit of an announcement about Bishop Buckle's retirement back here.

 

candidates' info, episcopal election, bishop of Edmonton

Election update here

The various persons nominated for the position of Bishop of Edmonton have their cv's and responses to the questions for the candidates available.  You can download a pdf by clicking on the link after each name.  The diocesan page with all this info and more is here.

The Rev. Wendy Ainsworth here
The Very Rev. Dr. Jane Alexander here
The Rt. Rev. David Ashdown here
The Ven. Edward King here
The Rev. Darcey Lazerte here
The Rev. Dr. Mervyn Mercer here
The Very Rev. Peter Wall here

While these pieces of information are helpful, they are by no means exhaustive.  There are no doubt things which delegates might wish to know which have not been asked of the candidates, for a variety of reasons.

The final step in the Search Committee nomination process is the determination of the nature and form of the information which should be made available to Synod Members concerning each nominee.

This aspect of the election process usually causes Members of Synod significant frustration. Members of Synod called upon to elect a bishop frequently complain that the information which they are given about the candidates is insufficient.

GUIDE FOR THE ELECTION OF A BISHOP; pdf here 9.e page 15
Originally prepared in May 1999 by
Brian Burrows, Provincial Chancellor
Revised in August 2007 by
David Jones, Provincial Chancellor

"Search for a Bishop", subtitled a "Resource Paper Published by the Diocese of Edmonton Executive Council" tells us that

The election of the next Bishop of Edmonton has much to do with you. He or she will be your spiritual overseer. The more informed you are:

- the closer your mind and spirit will be to the mind and spirit of God as revealed in scripture, and given witness in the tradition of the Church,
- the more discerning you will be in the crucial choice.

So what does all this mean?  Well, let's be Anglican Christians.  We pray, individually and corporately.  We discern what the role of a bishop is, from Scripture and tradition.  We use our minds and our brains to digest the information and inform our potential decisions.  While we are encouraged to refrain from "politicking", we still have a responsibility to use our powers of discernment, submitted to the guidance of the Spirit, and informed by our reading and reflection.

Let's jump straight to the nitty gritty.  Many (but not all) delegates will be keenly interested in the candidates' understanding of the same sex issues, and their opinions about the decisions made (or not made) at the last General Synod.  Will that be a deciding factor for some delegates?  Quite possibly.  But let me state this:  I believe it would be a grave mistake for either side of the issue to vote in a candidate based simply on their take on that one issue.  I do not mean that it is not a very important issue.  It is.  But to vote for a candidate based only on one criterion, would not, I believe, serve the Church.  Whether or not the candidates have made their take on this issue clear in their statements I do not know.  I have not read through the information yet.  (I figured that would be something I would do this week when I have a chunk of time for uninterrupted reading.  This generally takes place between 2 am and 5 am, except when the baby needs changing...)  Personally, I feel completely free to email a candidate and respectfully ask a question if I am unclear about something and I believe I need more information to make a faithful and informed decision.

Be that as it may, I had another thought about how to approach this election.  What if I tried to discern not what kind of a bishop would be most helpful to me, but what kind of a bishop would be most helpful to you?  And what if I considered not what kind of a bishop would best support my style of ministry, but what kind of bishop would best uphold yours?  And what if I considered not what kind of bishop would be most beneficial to the growth of my parish, but what kind of bishop would be most beneficial to the growth of your parish?  Just a thought...

Lastly, while there are going to be strongly held opinions on the virtues and qualifications of each candidate, each one is to be treated as a brother/sister in Christ.  I will suggest that if anyone wishes to comment on this, that they refrain from publicly comparing what they see as the various merits of the candidates.  At a certain point in time I will offer my own take on some of the questions posed to the candidates, particularly regarding the resolutions from General Synod.  All of the candidates would desire our prayers.  And if we are faithful in our prayer and discernment, then we can trust God's guidance over us.

Click here for the 2008 Episcopal Election post series

 

wholesome encouragement for nominees: bishop of Edmonton, III

From the letters of St Jerome, a bit of reflection on the rise and role of the bishop :

Hence a presbyter is the same as a bishop, and before ambition came into religion, by the prompting of the devil, and people began to say "I belong to Paul, I to Apollos, I to Cephas", the churches were governed by the direction of presbyters, acting as a body.  But when each presbyter began to suppose that those whom he had baptized belonged to him, rather than to Christ, it was decreed in the whole Church that one of the presbyters should be chosen to preside over the others, and that the whole responsibility for the Church should devolve on him, so that the seeds of schism should be removed.

Jerome
in ep. ad Tit.  I, I, 5  (Jerome's commentary on Titus, and you can also see more of his ideas in Letter 146, To Evangelus)

Click here for the Episcopal election post series

list of candidates announced for next bishop of Edmonton

The Search committee has posted the names of the candidates for the upcoming episcopal election for the next Bishop of Edmonton on the diocesan website:

The Rev. Wendy AINSWORTH
The Very Rev. Dr. Jane ALEXANDER
The Rt. Rev. David ASHDOWN
The Ven. Edward KING
The Rev. Darcey LAZERTE
The Rev. Dr. Mervyn MERCER
The Very Rev. Peter WALL

I've met 6 (I think) of the candidates.

There is a provision in the process for additional names to be added up to 72 hours prior to the beginning of the electoral synod.

Over the next little while we will be looking at the various documents we've been asked to consider as we discern who is called to be our next bishop.  Understanding the vocation of a bishop is key to helping us discern the person called to that office.  In the meantime, it would be appropriate to uphold all these people in prayer.  It is probably not an easy thing to discern whether to let one's name stand. 

While we are first and foremost called to pray for discernment, the diocesan committee will also be posting information on the candidates, as well as their responses to a series of questions.  As a delegate to the synod, I will be looking at those responses when they are available.

I would like to remind us that each of these persons holds an office of leadership within our church.  No doubt, there will be initial preferences among various the members of our diocese as to whom they think is best suited to be our next bishop, and whom they think is not so called.  Such a situation is unavoidable.  It is particularly acute at this time in the life of our church. However, we are called to follow advice which St Paul himself heeded and quoted:  "You shall not speak evil of a leader of my people."  Look it up (Acts 23 et al).  That sentiment will be the guiding policy for any discussion (and comments) here at felix hominum in the upcoming weeks.

Click here for the Episcopal election post series

Don't forget that soon we will be descending into Hell.

Update:  since I'm going to be away from the blog for much of the day, and to avoid any possibility of having to check comments as they come in, I'm going to close off the comments here for a while.  The pancake mix is calling.

wholesome encouragement for nominees: bishop of Edmonton, II

Ignatius of Antioch. Bishop and Martyr, Feb 1.

Arrested and brought before the emperor, the latter addressed him: “Who are you, poor devil, to set our commands at naught?” “Call not poor devil,” Ignatius answered, “one who bears God within him.” And when the emperor asked him what he meant by that, Ignatius explained that he bore in his heart Christ, crucified for his sake. “Change your ideas, and I will make you a priest of the great Jupiter, and you will be called ‘father’ by the Senate.” “What could such honors matter to me, a priest of Christ, who offer Him every day a sacrifice of praise, and am ready to offer myself to Him also?” “To whom? To that Jesus who was crucified by Pontius Pilate?” “Yes, and with whom sin was crucified, and the devil, its author, vanquished.”

The questions and the courageous replies continued for a time that day and also on the following one. Saint Ignatius said, “I will not sacrifice; I fear neither torments nor death, because I desire to go quickly to God.” Thereupon the emperor condemned him to be torn to pieces by wild beasts in Rome.

Les Petits Bollandistes: Vies des Saints, by Msgr. Paul Guérin (Bloud et Barral: Paris, 1882)

Okay, so maybe it's not all that errr, encouraging.  Remember to pray:

Almighty God, giver of all good gifts, look on your Church with grace, and guide the minds of those who shall choose the next Bishop for this Diocese, that we may receive a faithful servant who will care for your people and support us in our ministries; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BAS)

Almighty God, the giver of all good gifts: Grant thy blessing, we humbly beseech thee, to the clergy and laity about to assemble for the election of a Bishop; and give unto them the spirit of wisdom and understanding, that a chief Pastor may be chosen who shall minister before thee to the glory of thy Name, the good government of the flock committed to their charge, and the welfare of thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. (BCP)

Ignatius is credited with introducing the term "catholic" to describe the Church, and he describes the relationship between bishop and laity wonderfully:

Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.

Letter to the Smyrnaeans 8,
J.R. Willis translation.

Click here for the Episcopal election post series
 

Finding the virtue of your patron saint

On Sunday our parish will celebrate a patronal festival.  Our parish church is named after St Timothy, "apostolic man".  Some details of his life can be gathered from the letters addressed to him in the New Testament. 

Born at Lystra, Lycaenia, Timothy was the son of a Greek father and Eunice, a converted Jewess. He joined St. Paul when Paul preached at Lystra replacing Barnabas, and became Paul's close friend and confidant. Paul allowed him to be circumcised to placate the Jews, since he was the son of a Jewess, and he then accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey. When Paul was forced to flee Berea because of the enmity of the Jews there, Timothy remained, but after a time was sent to Thessalonica to report on the condition of the Christians there and to encourage them under persecution, a report that led to Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians when he joined Timothy at Corinth. Timothy and Erastus were sent to Macedonia in 58, went to Corinth to remind the Corinthians of Paul's teaching, and then accompanied Paul into Macedonia and Achaia. Timothy was probably with Paul when the Apostle was imprisoned at Caesarea and then Rome, and was himself imprisoned but then freed. According to tradition, he went to Ephesus, became its first bishop, and was stoned to death there when he opposed the pagan festival of Katagogian in honor of Diana. Paul wrote two letters to Timothy, one written about 65 from Macedonia and the second from Rome while he was in prison awaiting execution. His feast day is January 26.

from here

Among some Anglican clergy there is a notion of celebrating and nurturing the particular virtue of the saint or feast day of one's ordination.  I was ordained on St Andrew's day, and as if by some great coincidental or providential connection of the "communion of saints", I find myself drawn to the example of evangelism modeled in the "first missionary".

When the saints are gathered together in a parish, I find it helpful to think upon the grace and virtues given to St Timothy, and ask how we can follow his example.  In the second letter to Timothy, we see Paul writing:

I long to see you so that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.

First, does our parish give joy to those who see us?  Paul longed to see Timothy, so that he "may be filled with joy."  I pray that our little parish might have the same effect on those who come here - when they see us may they be filled with joy.  Second, there is that image of faith being passed on and nurtured from generation to generation.  From grandmother to mother to son.  That image should inspire in us the desire to hand on the faith to the next generation.  As well, it serves as a reminder that the church has within it Christians of all ages, and our ministries need to encourage discipleship in the Sunday school through to the retirement home.  It is an image of all ages.  And I believe it to be the mark of a healthy church that it includes and takes seriously the spiritual needs and growth of every age group.

We also remember that it is in the first letter to Timothy that we see advice from Paul regarding offices in the church - bishop and deacon (1 Timothy 3).  But before Paul gives his list of qualifications for the offices, he gives Timothy two reminders:  mercy and prayer. Twice in the first chapter, Paul uses the phrase "I received mercy".  And then Paul spends some number of words encouraging Timothy and his congregation to pray.  Paul hopes that "supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings should be made for everyone."  I think the "everyone" is an important word.

So let me propose a thought or two as many of us begin to think about our episcopal election.  Can we be the kind of diocese that reflects the virtue of joy?  That when our new bishop arrives (from far or near), they might say with Paul that coming to us fills them with joy.  And can we conduct ourselves first and foremost with those virtues of "mercy" and "prayer" which precede Paul's instructions about church offices?  As I watch the conduct of politicians south of the border, I wonder what the difference in witness might be between the way the "world" conducts an election, and the way the church conducts an election.  Let us try to cultivate an atmosphere of "mercy and prayer", thus fulfilling Paul's desire (which surely came from Christ) that we might heed his call:

Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us. (2 Timothy 1:14)