In this Issue:

Sauls Nominated for Presiding Bishop

St. Martha's and Martha's Place: A commitment to service

Internationally known author and teacher Newell to be in Lexington

A conversation with the Bishop on his nomination for Presiding Bishop

Commentaries:

Reflection: Miss Della and the Palm Crosses

X-ercizing: Undone

From the Bishop: Anticipation of Easter

Diocesan Calendar

Past Issues

Bishop Sauls Nominated for Presiding Bishop

By Katerina Longfeld

The Rt. Rev. Stacy F. Sauls, Sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Lexington, has been nominated by petition of colleagues in the House of Bishops for consideration as the 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The election will be held on June 18 at the General Convention of the Church in Columbus, Ohio. The official process for nominating candidates for presiding bishop included both nominees selected by the Joint Nominating Committee, and a provision for nomination by petition. Bishops Sauls states that “I have come to the conclusion that I should allow my name to go forward for consideration by my colleagues, in whose judgment and faithfulness I have complete confidence. Enough of my colleagues have been supportive of this step that I think I must pay attention to what God may be asking me to do. They have convinced me that there are some things that would be brought to the table by my candidacy. For them, it has to do with me being a person who believes the actions taken in 2003 were the right things to do and at the same time respects those who disagree, and has worked very hard to listen and find a way forward, particularly in the House of Bishops. For me, it is that I have been formed by your voices and experiences of the people of God in Central, Eastern and Northern Kentucky, the experiences of rural poverty in Appalachia complicated by environmental neglect, the way you have taught me to pursue the mission of God with reliance on creative thinking rather than material resources.”8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;8221;

Bishop Sauls is frank in stating that one of the most difficult parts of his decision to allow his name to go forward was the fear that he might “inadvertently send a message to our diocese that I had ceased to care for them or our ministry together. All I can do is assure you that my love for the people of this diocese and my excitement and enthusiasm for the ministry we share are unchanged. The only thing I know to do is to pursue the mission and ministry we share with the same energy that I have always brought to it from now until the last minute we have to share it together, whether that comes as a result of this election or at some more distant time in the future.”

This is the second consecutive election of a Presiding Bishop in which the Bishop of Lexington has been a nominee. (The Rt. Rev. Don A. Wimberly, Fifth Bishop of Lexington, was a nominee for the office in 1997.)

Bishop Sauls’ complete letter to the Diocese, answer regarding possible candidacy and other materials can be read at www.diolex.org.

Also nominated by petition for consideration are Bishop Charles Edward Jenkins III of Louisiana and Bishop Francisco Duque-Gomez of Colombia. They join Bishop Neil Alexander of Atlanta, Bishop Edwin F. Gulick of Kentucky, Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori of Nevada and Bishop Henry N. Parsley Jr. of Alabama, who were nominated in January by the joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop.

All seven nominees addressed the House of Bishops meeting at Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, N.C., in an evening session devoted to hearing the nominees’ views on the ministry of the Presiding Bishop in church, national and global contexts. While the meeting was for “bishops only,” views of the nominees were to be published by April 10 concurrently with release of the “Blue Book” reports to the upcoming 75^th General Convention.

Each nominee by petition is subject to the same background checks and screenings conducted for the four bishops selected by the Nominating Committee, according to Committee Co-chairs the Rt. Rev. Peter Lee (Virginia) and Diane Pollard (New York.)

Advocate Online Staff:

© 2005 The Episcopal Diocese of Lexington

The Advocate is mailed free to all Episcopalians in the Diocese of Lexington. The Advocate is published 10 times a year (monthly Sept.-Mid-Summer, bi-monthly Mid-Summer-June, July-Aug.) by the Diocese of Lexington, a non-profit organization.

Additional subscriptions: $10 per year and address changes should be sent to: The Advocate, P.O. Box 610, Lexington, Ky. 40588-0610.
The deadline for submitting articles, photographs, announcements, and letters is the last Friday of the month prior to publication. These should be sent to:
The Advocate, Kay Collier McLaughlin, Ph.D., Editor, P.O. Box 610, Lexington, Ky.
40588-0610 (Kcollierm@diolex.org).

Member: Episcopal Communicators; Associated Church Press Office: The Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Lexington, Mission House, 203 East Fourth Street, Lexington, Ky. 40508-1515. For information call (859) 252-6527.

All rights reserved. The Advocate reserves the right to refuse publication and to edit all contributions. Permission required for reprinting.