Since October, the Nominating Committee has spent many hours in prayer and fasting; thought and discernment; patience and guidance; travel and examination.
The result is a slate of four nominees for Bishop Coadjutor. Following the requirements laid out in Canon 40 of our Diocese, we believe the Holy Spirit has guided us to these candidates and them to us.
Our process began with meetings to articulate the qualities and qualifications for a bishop of this Diocese. We called for nominations and then considered each name carefully. The candidates answered a lengthy questionnaire and submitted their resumes and other material, including college transcripts and medical reports. Finally, small teams went out to meet each of the finalists in his home parish, spending time with him and his wife.
Meanwhile, throughout the Diocese, people were at prayer, fasting on the second Friday of each month, and remembering the committee and its charge at every Sunday and weekday worship service. We ask God’s protection and above all his leading, so that we will discern and obey his will for our future.
Our prayers and work will culminate on June 1, when diocesan clergy and elected lay delegates from every congregation will gather at St. Vincent’s Cathedral for a Special Convention to choose a Coadjutor for the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.
In preparation for this, on May 11, the lay delegates*, the alternate lay delegates*, the clergy and their wives have been asked to gather at St. Andrew’s, Fort Worth, for a Candidate Forum. Here they will be able to ask questions and have dialogue with the nominees, beginning their discernment process under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
I will warn you: It isn’t going to be easy. The nominees are very qualified. Have we found who God has sent to us? As I said when I addressed the Diocesan Convention last November, we are approaching a crossroads in the life of our Diocese. Our hope and our future are in God’s hands. We must not be tempted to elect by any other means than prayer, fasting, guidance and discernment in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Very Rev. Edward Kresowaty
Chairman
The Nominees
The Rev. Christopher Culpepper, Rector, Christ the Redeemer, Fort Worth
Video message from Fr. Culpepper
The Rev. Michael Fry, Rector, All Saints’, Peachtree City, GA
Video message from Fr. Fry
The Rev. Joel Hampton, Rector, Holy Apostles, Fort Worth
Video message from Fr. Hampton
The Very Rev. Ryan Reed, Dean, St. Vincent’s Cathedral, Bedford
Video message from Dean Reed
