Our New Bishop to Be Consecrated Today

The Rev. Scott A. Benhase in a photo from the Albany
night of the "walkabout." Photo courtesy Julius Arial.

The Diocese of Georgia family is gathering in Savannah as the Rev. Scott Anson Benhase is consecrated as our tenth bishop. The follow is part of the service for today, beginning with a prayer our Presiding Bishop will pray:

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Father of mercies and God of all comfort, dwelling on high but having regard for the lowly, knowing all things before they come to pass: We give you thanks that from the beginning you have gathered and prepared a people to be heirs of the covenant of Abraham, and have raised up prophets, kings, and priests, never leaving your temple untended. We praise you also that from the creation you have graciously accepted the ministry of those whom you have chosen.

The Presiding Bishop and other Bishops now lay their hands upon the
head of the bishop-elect, and say together

Therefore, Father, make Scott a bishop in your Church. Pour out upon him the power of your princely Spirit, whom you bestowed upon your beloved Son Jesus Christ, with whom he endowed the apostles, and by whom your Church is built up in every place, to the glory and unceasing praise of your Name.

The Presiding Bishop continues

To you, O Father, all hearts are open; fill, we pray, the heart of this your servant whom you have chosen to be a bishop in your Church, with such love of you and of all the people, that he may feed and tend the flock of Christ, and exercise without reproach the high priesthood to which you have called him, serving before you day and night in the ministry of reconciliation, declaring pardon in your Name, offering the holy gifts, and wisely overseeing the life and work of the Church. In all things may he present before you the acceptable offering of a pure, and gentle, and holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and power and glory in the Church, now and for ever.

The People in a loud voice respond Amen.

Pray today for our new Bishop as he takes up this mantel of leadership.

The 10th Bishop of Georgia Is Elected

The Rev. Scott A. Benhase in a photo from the Albany night of the "walkabout." Photo courtesy Julius Arial.

In an easy second ballot win, the Rev. Scott Anson Benhase was elected 10th Bishop of Georgia. A confirmation process will follow over the next 120 days as other dioceses around the country affirm the choice, but that is a formality in the case of the able Rector of St. Alban's Church in Washington, D.C.

Victoria and I got to know Scott and his wife Kelly while travelling around the diocese with the nominees. While not being elected carries a unique blend of disappointment and relief, we are also confident that the Benhases are good people. The quick win also shows that the Diocese is of one mind about our one mission. Scott+ has support all around the Diocese and he can count on mine.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor

Electing the 10th Bishop of Georgia

The following is from the Rt. Rev. Harry Shipps, who served as the 8th Bishop of Georgia:

On September 12, a Special Convention of the Diocese of Georgia will gather in Dublin to elect the tenth bishop of our Diocese. The election will be from a group of six nominees selected by our Nominating Committee. Our diocese, larger than the countries of Portugal or Austria and dating back to 1733, is a family of seventy-two congregations. By and large, we have been a happy and responsible diocese.

There is no one Anglican procedure for selecting a bishop. In The Episcopal Church, the diocesan convention is divided into two electoral groups, clergy and laity. Each group votes separately for a nominee (termed a Vote by Orders) until each group has given one nominee a majority of their votes. That person is then the bishop-elect. The number of ballots varies from few to many. In other Anglican Provinces the procedures differ, from appointment by the Queen in England, to an election in which representatives of all dioceses participate, as in the The Church of Ireland. Our way reflects the American democratic approach, which also recalls the style of our Congress.

Our election then will be ratified by a majority of diocesan bishops and Standing Committees of The Episcopal Church. This is because all bishops are a part of and responsible to a greater whole, The Episcopal Church, in which they participate in its life and governance. When such consent is obtained, a date is set with the Presiding Bishop for consecration of the bishop-elect. At present, consecration of the bishop-elect is tentatively planned for 23 January 2010 in Savannah, the See City. All bishops are invited to participate in the consecration. A minimum of three is required by ancient canon, the Presiding Bishop normally being the chief consecrator. Oftentimes many more attend.

We would all do well to review the liturgy or the Ordination of a Bishop beginning on page 512 of the Book of Common Prayer. We will find therein what really is expected of our Bishops.

+ HW Shipps

Pray today for the Holy Spirit to be felt in a mighty way in the electing convention and for God's will to be done. Results will be posted as they are available online at www.georgiabishopsearch.org

Nominations for 10th Bishop of Georgia

Greetings Saints!

The search committee has completed its work in making nominations for the next Bishop of Georgia. I am among the five persons nominated and will stand for election on September 12 as the Diocese of Georgia meets in convention to elect its Bishop.

If the clock was rolled back a couple of years, I would have been able to assure you that I did not feel called to serve as Bishop of Georgia, and that I would have then readily turned down the honor of a nomination. But during that time, I had been encouraged by some who knew me well to see how I had already been involved in oversight in ways not typical for a priest, but that fits well with the central role of a Bishop. I did prayerfully consider this and have over the past 18 months had this affirmed in different ways. I therefore allowed the people who contacted me about making a nomination on my behalf to do so.

I have worked through the search committee to articulate as clearly as I could my vision for creating a team to proactively work toward clergy wellness while supporting our 71 congregations to more fully live into being the Body of Christ in their communities. Being named alongside four other well-qualified persons is humbling. It is also the search committee's thoughtful and prayerful confirmation that I should stay on this path toward the election. Full particulars on the nominees will be posted shortly at www.georgiabishopsearch.org

I do feel called to this. But I do not know whether God has called me to this election or to be the next Bishop of Georgia. I do know that God has laid on my heart a process for effecting positive changes for this diocese that I love. I will be therefore be available to the election and see where it leads.

This is extremely awkward for me with King of Peace. One would never go to an employer and state "I might be leaving in September, or I might stay around." But our relationship is more than employer and employee and I trust that you will join me in trusting God with what comes next. I am confident that if God has called me to this and if I am elected, then I am also confident that God has a plan for King of Peace and the congregation will not just be fine, but will grow from strength to strength.

The vestry has known of this possibility and has prepared for the possible future. Were I to be elected in September, I would remain at King of Peace through Sunday, October 12, with a goodbye function on the 11th. An interim priest would be hired for the year following my leaving, during which time a search committee could be formed and a new pastor hired. In The Episcopal Church, a parish (and we will soon be a parish) has a good deal of autonomy in hiring its clergy, with the Bishop providing support in that process and maintaining only the ability to veto a poor fit (which is rare). No one would be sent to King of Peace. The congregation would be involved in the decision through a search committee and through having a chance to have candidates come to King of Peace to celebrate the Eucharist and preach.

I get ahead of things only to let you know, that if I am elected, plans are in place to make sure that you are all well cared for. In the meantime, I counsel you to stay calm knowing that God did not bring us this far to leave us and all shall be well.

I ask for your prayers for the discernment of the diocese, for what we most want is God's will for this election.

peace,

Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Vicar
King of Peace Episcopal Church

Diocesan Profile

In the ongoing work toward the election of the 10th Bishop of Georgia, the hardworking nominations committee has completed and released the diocesan profile. The 40-page color document gives an excellent overview of the Diocese of Georgia, its current strengths and future challenges. The document is available online only. Click the artwork here to view the Adobe PDF file, which also contains the nomination forms for use in supplying prospective nominees as our next bishop.

Survey Says...

The results of the Diocese of Georgia wide survey for the bishop search process are in. 15% of the baptized adults in the diocese took the survey, which is nearly double the typical level of participation in other dioceses. You may click the button above to see the full 33-page report in Adobe PDF format. The primary two areas for defining what the diocese wants in the next bishop are:

7 most important issues/opportunities
The top seven are listed with the percentage of respondants who selected that item.

1. Programs for children and youth (66.10%)
2. Declining membership (64.10%)
3. Recruiting, training, developing, ordaining and retaining priests and deacons (61.20%)
4. Programs that minister to the multiple generations present in our congregations (55.90%)
5. Programs for college students and young adults (53.10%)
6. Improving communications within the Diocese (43.00%)
7. Evangelism and outreach with sensitivity to our changing demographics and emerging populations (42.50%)
   

7 most important strengths/characteristics of a new bishop
The top seven are listed with the percentage of respondants who selected that item.

1. Possesses sound judgment and wisdom (63.80%)
2. Has Integrity (55.90%)
3. Deeply spiritual and prayerful (50.10%)
4. Commitment to the traditional creeds of the Christian Church (e.g. Nicene Creed). (50.10%)
5. Leader (44.00%)
6. Strong theological background (42.20%)
7. Ability to maintain unity in the church (41.60%)

This is just the top surface of the results. The full survey is online here: Bishop Search Survery Results The next step in the process is that a diocesan profile is being created using the survey results and other information. Nominations will be open on November 15.

Bishop Search Survey

Please participate in the search for the 10th Bishop of Georgia by completing a survey before September 28.

You can do this in one of three ways:

1. Go to www.georgiabishopsearch.org and click on the Survey button. Complete the questions and submit your survey on-line.
2. Call toll free 1-866-373-7783 and complete your survey by telephone. An interviewer from the A.L. Burruss Institute at Kennesaw State University telephone survey lab will be available to answer your call Monday - Friday from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM. You may also leave a message to request an appointment for an alternate time at this number. Please indicate that you are calling to participate in the Episcopal Church survey.
3. Ask your pastor for a paper copy of the survey. Answer the questions and return the survey to King of Peace to have us type in your responses.

Don’t miss this opportunity for your voice to be heard. Your input will be very important to creating a diocesan profile, introducing ourselves and our hopes for the next decade to the larger church and to prospective nominees.

Password
In order to "discourage people from participating in our survey inappropriately" the Diocese has provided each church with a password to be used in taking the survey online or by phone. The password for King of Peace will be announced in church and sent by email to anyone at King of Peace writing to frank@kingofpeace.org to request the password for the survey.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor