Loading...The Nominating Committee of the Diocese of North Carolina today announced five nominees stand for election as the sixth Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina.
The nominees include our very own the Rev. Canon Amy Real Coultas.
The nominees are:
- The Rev. Susan Buchanan, Rector, Christ Episcopal Church, North Conway, NH (Diocese of New Hampshire)
- The Rev. Canon Amy Real Coultas, Canon Missioner, Christ Church Cathedral, Louisville, KY, and Episcopal Chaplain, University of Louisville Interfaith Center, Louisville, KY (Diocese of Kentucky)
- The Rev. Lisa Fischbeck, Vicar, Episcopal Church of the Advocate, Chapel Hill, NC (Diocese of North Carolina)
- The Rev. Matthew Heyd, Priest and Director of Faith in Action, Trinity Church Wall Street, New York, NY (Diocese of New York)
- The Rev. Anne Hodges-Copple, Rector, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Durham, NC (Diocese of North Carolina)
Bishop Curry commends the nominees and the Nominating Committee. "We are praying for a Bishop Suffragan who will be a missionary bishop and partner with us as we work to proclaim, live and witness to the gospel of Jesus in the mission context of the new 21st century Galilee," he said. "The Nominating Committee has prayerfully identified five priests capable of being just that."
A Bishop Suffragan is a permanent assistant to the Bishop Diocesan. The Bishop Suffragan in the Diocese of North Carolina would have some responsibilities in the whole Diocese (e.g., Galilee ministry initiatives, young adult ministries, diaconate expansion, diocesan outreach ministries, and Sunday visitations) and some specifically related in the Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Charlotte convocations (e.g., convocation confirmations, bishop pastor for clergy, and deployment of deacons).
Canon Coultas responded to her nomination, "I am humbled and excited to be part of this process with the people of the Diocese of North Carolina along with the four excellent priests who are my fellow nominees. The members of the Search Committee have been great companions in this discernment; I am thankful now to be able to share this process with those I love and work with here at the Cathedral, the UofL Interfaith Center, and around the Diocese. I ask your prayers as I continue to listen for the Holy Spirit!"
We will do just that here in Kentucky. Please join us in prayer for her as she follows down her path of discernment.
The nominees will participate in a visit to the Diocese January 8-12, during which time they will meet with clergy and participate in three walk-abouts with clergy and lay people of the Diocese. During the walk-abouts, nominees will have time to address those present in a general session and to answer questions in smaller groups.
The Bishop Suffragan election will take place during the 197th Annual Convention of the Diocese of North Carolina January 25-26, 2013, at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, NC. The election will be available via a live feed on the Diocese of North Carolina's webpage. The consecration of the bishop-elect will take place at the historic Duke Chapel in Durham, NC, on June 15, 2013, with the Most Rev. Dr. Katharine Jefferts Schori presiding.
Additional information about the nominees, including their photographs, biographies and answers to selection questions, are available in the nominee profile on the bishop suffragan search website, bishopsearch.dionc.org. A schedule of events, information related to the petition process to submit additional nominees for consideration and resources for congregations also are available online. Please pray for the nominees and for our diocese as we go through this important and exciting time in our life together.
For more information and/or questions, contact the Transition Committee at ncsuffragantransition@gmail.com.
