Showing posts with label bishop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bishop. Show all posts

Sunday, May 6, 2018

Bishop Elect: the Rev. Canon Michael Hunn


The Rev. Canon Michael Buerkel Hunn, Canon to the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, was elected the next bishop of the Diocese of the Rio Grande at the Electing Convention Saturday, May 5 at the Cathedral of St. John, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 
The slate of three candidates were Canon Hunn, the Rev. Canon Lucinda Ashby, Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of Idaho, and the Rev. Simon Charles Justice, Rector of Church of the Good Samaritan, Corvallis, Oregon.
Canon Hunn was elected on the third ballot. Diocesan Constitution and Canons require a majority, determined by the total number of those eligible to vote, in Lay and Clergy orders on the same ballot. You can see the totals, by ballot, on the Diocesan website.
After the bishop-elect receives the canonically required consent of a majority of the Episcopal Church's diocesan standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will ordain and consecrate the new bishop Nov. 3 in Albuquerque. Info about this, and other Transition events is available on the Transition Team website. 

In accepting the election, Canon Hunn expressed his thanks to Bishop Michael L. Vono, the current bishop for his leadership of the Diocese. "I feel a great sense of humility to be following you as God's servant in the Diocese of the Rio Grande.  I know you love your people and I want you to know I will love them faithfully and care for them with every capacity God gives me. I am also grateful to begin this ministry at this moment - when you have done so much to heal, reconcile and build trust over the course of your episcopate."
You can read more from Canon Hunn in the special edition of In the Loop.


Canon Michael & Meg Hunn at Santa Fe Walk About (photo by Jim Overton)

Sunday, April 29, 2018

April 29: Prayers for the week Leading up to Electing Convention

Pray individually and/or with your group during this week leading up to the Electing Convention, using these or other prayers. .
Sunday, April 29: Prayer for Seeking a New Bishop for The Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande
Holy and Almighty God our Father, You have blessed us in the Diocese of the Rio Grande in manifold ways over the past years. You have strengthened us, united us, loved us, guided us.
We thank you, Lord.
Touch the hearts of able clergy men and women throughout the Episcopal Church so that they might hear your call upon their lives to do your work among us and with us and through us.
We entreat you, Lord.
Be with our Diocesan Bishop Search Committee that they will discern your will in choosing good candidates who will be elected by the diocese to be our future Bishop.
We entreat you, Lord.
Be with our Diocesan Transition Committee as they guide us in blending our lives and our ministries with that of our new Bishop in order that we move forward in our life together.
We entreat you, Lord.
Be with us all. Give us patience and trust as we seek a new shepherd for our diocese. Be with us, Lord, for the sake of your son, Jesus Christ.
Amen

Monday, April 30: For the Mission of the Church
Everliving God, whose will it is that all should come to you through your Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him, that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
.
Tuesday, May 1: For the Diocese
O God, by your grace you have called us in this Diocese to a goodly fellowship of faith. Bless our Bishop Michael, the Candidates for Bishop: Lucinda, Michael, & Simon; and all diocesan clergy, and all our people. Grant that your Word may be truly preached and truly heard, your Sacraments faithfully administered and faithfully received. By your Spirit, fashion our lives according to the example of your Son, and grant that we may show the power of your love to all among whom we live; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Wednesday, May 2: For the Unity of the Church
O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thursday, May 3: For a Church Meeting
Almighty and everliving God, source of all wisdom and understanding, be present with those who take counsel in Albuquerque for the renewal and mission of your Church. Teach us in all things to seek first your honor and glory. Guide us to perceive what is right, and grant us both the courage to pursue it and the grace to accomplish it; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Friday, May 4: For a Church Convention
Almighty and everlasting Father, who has given the Holy Spirit to abide with us for ever: Bless, we pray, with the Spirit’s grace and presence, the clergy and the laity soon to be assembled in your Name, that your Church, being preserved in true faith and godly discipline, may fulfill all the mind of the One who loved it and gave himself for it, your Son Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Electing Convention, Saturday May 5: For the Election of a Bishop
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


Sunday, April 8, 2018

April 8: Thanksgivings for Blessings (Kathleen Pittman)


How is thanksgiving related to perseverance? Exactly how do those crops mature so they are ready for harvest? What does this have to do with a new Bishop, anyway?

As the people of God in the Diocese of the Rio Grande, we have had many new opportunities to grow over the last few years. We have been blessed by trying and learning. The Bosque Center is an example of being blessed by sowing the seed and reaping the harvest. We purchased an old Catholic retreat center on the west side of the Rio Grande, a couple of blocks off a busy street in Albuquerque. The building needed renovation. The building needed additions and lots of TLC. Our diocesan leaders saw possibilities and planted the seed. Now we have an amazing space that blesses us and many other groups as they stay there and worship and conference and study there. Because we were willing to plant the seed….to try something new…we were blessed. In the years since the retreat center opened, the word has spread. Now the calendar is full of reservations for groups large and small to use the center. Grabbing on to this new idea, not being afraid to invest capital and develop the center, has blessed the diocese financially, as well. Last year, we earned about $300,000 with about $150,000 going back into the center.

Think of raising children. The parents persevere in showering the child with love and gentle (I hope) corrections. Once is not enough. Children must be nurtured. And all the while, the parents are thanking God every day (most days at least) for having such a wonderful and amazing child. It takes years to raise a child to maturity. Eventually, if the child is lucky and we are lucky, that child will take care of us in our last years. So, perseverance pays off.

We have learned to plant seeds and persevere as we wait for the harvest. The coming years, with a new Bishop at the helm, we will, most certainly, be challenged to embark on new journeys. The road may be rocky and crooked, but with perseverance, the harvest will come. Let’s be open to new ways and new challenges and amazing harvests.

Kathleen Pittman, Ph.D. (President, Standing Committee)

Activities and Prayer for this Week

 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. (Galatians 6:9-10)

Jesus promises that we will reap good as we persevere.
Discuss the points of interest to you, and your group.
The Diocese of the Rio Grande is blessed with many ‘crops’. Individually or in your group identify some of these blessings, whether they are people, ministries, the diocese itself, or other things.
Create a blessing tree by writing one blessing on a leaf shape and adding it to a tree outline. You can get fancy and use a real branch if you want, too.
Prayer: God of abundance, you have blessed the Diocese of the Rio Grande greatly. Open our eyes to these blessings, and to ways in which we can share them with others. Amen.
Share: Comment on this post  to share one or 2 of the blessings you, or your group, put on your tree, or post a photo of the tree itself. 

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Lent I, February 18: Come to Jesus (Cindy Davis)

Welcome to this two and half month journey of preparation and prayer across the diocese leading up to the Electing Convention on May 5. We currently have over 2 dozen who have signed up to get the weekly meditation online, and others who have requested a hard copy. I’m sure there are some who have downloaded their own copy and will be checking the Women’s Ministry website for the meditations. Please invite friends to join you in prayer for the diocese, even if you do not do anything more than read the meditation and pray the prayer in the study guide.
Today’s Bible citation is from Matthew. It is a familiar one. Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you; and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matthew 11:28-30)
Even though it is a familiar Bible verse, we aren’t very familiar with yokes in 21st Century America, so this may not be an easy image to relate to. I like to look at the root of words because sometimes that offers an insight you don’t get from the basic definition of a word. “Yoke” traces back to a Latin word jungere which means ‘to join’. So, a yoke is something that joins things. Usually it is 2 animals, generally oxen, but it can also join the top of a piece of clothing to the rest of the garment and even (this I didn’t know) be the soft iron between the poles of an electromagnet.
Jesus was referring to the common usage of yoking 2 oxen together. In Bible times oxen were used for farming. They were very useful for plowing the, often rocky, ground of Israel because they are strong and able to work long hours pulling a plow or other farm equipment. There is, I understand, an art to yoking 2 beasts together. In fact, oxen typically are trained to be either the nigh (left-side) or off (right-side) ox and don’t do well with switching sides. When training oxen, a younger one is yoked with a well-trained ox. When the youngster tries to take off on his own, the old and wiser ox keeps him in place and moving forward. Generally, the farmer directs the oxen with voice commands while walking beside them.
Jesus invites us to ‘take my yoke and learn from me’. We are invited to be joined to Jesus on our Christian journey. As the wiser One, Jesus can keep us on track when we want to go off on our own. Jesus promises, “you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Sharing the job with Jesus means that we don’t have to do it all ourselves. Being yoked with Jesus means we don’t have to be ‘carrying heavy burdens’. We can trust that God is in control because God is walking beside us giving direction.
As we prepare for the election and welcome of our next Bishop it is the perfect time to look at how we as individuals, congregations, and a diocese can be yoked to Jesus and find joint ministry with God.
Over the next several weeks we’ll be looking at what we are currently doing; and think about things we might do better or change as we prayerfully prepare for our new chief pastor.
This week, I invite you to identify some concerns you may have about the life and ministry of the Diocese of the Rio Grande. You can share your thoughts with others in your small groups; or start a conversation here on the Women’s Ministry website or on the Facebook page.
If you want to download the study guide, you can do it here. You will also find the suggested activities and prayers below each week. 

Activities and Prayers

  • Discuss the points of interest to you, and your group.
  • Make a list of what you, and your group, think are the major cares and/or concerns of Diocese of the Rio Grande. Have each person identify no more than 3 concerns that weigh heaviest on your heart.
  • Activity: Give each person a 6” length of string or ribbon. Tie a knot for each of the three concerns you identified. Pray for these three things every day this week.
The Knots Prayer (revised):
Dear God, please untie the knots that are in the minds and hearts of the men and women of the Diocese of the Rio Grande. Remove the have nots, the can nots, and the do nots that we have allowed into our mind. Erase the will nots, may nots, might nots that can find a home in our hearts. Release each of us from the could nots, would nots, and should nots that obstruct our life as a diocesan community. And most of all, dear God, remove from our minds, heart, and lives all of the ‘am nots’ that we allow to hold us back. Amen (original author known to God)

  • Share one or 2 of the concerns you, or your group, identified as important Share one or 2 of the concerns you, or your group, identified as important-if you want to do so via the website or Facebook page.

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Come Follow Me Study


As you know, the diocese has entered the process to call a new Bishop in 2018. Please pray for members of the Search Committee, and Transition Team. You can keep up with the search process on the diocesan website. And  download the litany of prayer for the search, written by Kathleen Pittman of Roswell.


Come Follow Me: As part of this process, the Women's Ministry and Transition Teams are teaming up to offer Come Follow Me, a series of meditations and activities for small groups or individuals. As we pray and study together as women and men of the diocese, we will be better prepared to elect our new Bishop on May 5.
Each Sunday, starting February 18, a meditation will be posted online to supplement the study guide. You can also sign up to get the study in your email by emailing wdrgstudy@gmail.com and asking to sign up.  
The Come Follow Me study can be downloaded, and a copy can be mailed if you contact Cindy and request it.
Form a small group in your parish or family or current Bible study to join in this opportunity to deepen our community.