Meet & Greets

Dear friends and members of St. Matt's,

As many of you know, I have the particular privilege of serving on the Bishop Transition Committee. And while much of our work was confidential, now so much of it is public as we've announced the nominees to serve as our next Bishop Diocesan. If you haven't seen the slate yet, please take a look. Each one of these nominees brings us a tremendous set of gifts and passions, each one of them represents a bright future for the Episcopal Church in Connecticut.

Soon, you and everyone else in the Diocese will have an opportunity to meet these folks in person. I hope you'll consider going to do just that! The full schedule is here, and the closest opportunity is May 10th at St. Luke's, Darien. I won't be able to go on the 10th (as it's my baby's first birthday!), but I will attend at least one other meet and greet that week. And I believe our delegates, Sharon Pearson and Pam Ely will attend one as well - perhaps even on the 10th at St. Luke's. If you're interested in being part of a group that goes, please be in touch!

The nominees will visit each region from May 9th-May 14th. There are opportunities to register to be there in person as well as the opportunity to watch online. And this morning on our call with the Bishops there was some talk about the possibility of recordings being made available after the events as well. This is a key part of the process - so that you - and the rest of the diocese - can weigh in on who you believe God is calling to serve as our next Bishop.

The best way for you to do that is to go to the website, read their materials, watch their videos, attend or watch a Meet & Greet or two, and then share with me, with Pam, or with Sharon what you think. We will attend an Electing Convention on May 21st and each one of us will cast a vote (or several, depending on how many ballots!). If you have thoughts or questions, please feel free to be in touch with one of us. If you're curious, I'd be happy to share with you more about this journey and the pieces that are public about the work that we did to arrive here. After the Electing Convention, we will plan as a diocese to Consecrate our new Bishop on October 15th - and here as well, it's my privilege to Co-Chair the Consecration Committee.

This is such an important transition in our life together as Episcopalians. Choosing a companion on this road who will be our new Bishop is in some ways like choosing a new Rector, we're looking for someone who has the gifts we need to help us on our journey. We're listening for God's voice as we discern the direction God would lead us in. And as we go, we should pray for our Bishops, Ian and Laura, and for each of these nominees: Glenna, Jeffrey, Kate, and Tanya.

Faithfully,

--Marissa +