December 23, 2011
An Update from the Election Committee
1. What's
Up?
The Election Committee continues to make progress in moving toward our April
21, 2012 election at St. James, Alexandria. We'll begin with a calendar update
and reminder so that folks can plan ahead. At present, appropriate background
checks are ongoing. After additional consultation between the committee and
the nominees, and after completion of background checks, a formal announcement
will be made no later than February 1, 2012 as to which nominees will go forward
with the process leading to election.
The first scheduled event for the nominees will occur on February 6, 2012, when all nominees will be asked to attend an interview with the committee. Interviews will be captured by video production and the interviews will then be presented to the diocese by way of the diocesan web site and by DVD to congregations for review at leisure.
At approximately the same time the nominees will be furnished with a written questionnaire. Once questions included there are returned to us, they will, as well, be published to the diocese, likely by March 1, 2012.
Next, in a manner similar to our last election, we will conduct two forums for the nominees during the week of March 18, 2012. Specifically, forums will be conducted at the Church of the Redeemer in Ruston on the evening of Monday, March 19 at 6 PM, with open reception to follow at the church. Participants in the forum will be free to speak to the nominees there. This event will be followed by a second forum in Lafayette, on Wednesday, March 21 at 6 PM at a location to be finalized.
We should also mention an additional opportunity for clergy only to converse with the nominees on Tuesday, March 20, with final arrangements pending. Everyone should stay tuned for updates on these opportunities. The Ruston and Lafayette forums will be conducted by question-and-answer format, with each nominee having the opportunity to respond to questions put forth by a moderator.
Following the forums, we expect a substantial degree of interaction within the diocese as it prayerfully determines who has been called to be the next bishop.
2. What is
a Letter of Agreement?
The Standing Committee of the diocese is charged with certain responsibilities
in a bishop's election process. One of those is the preparation of a "Letter
of Agreement" which has, as its, point, to set forth the mutual understandings
and expectations between a diocese and an elected, but not yet installed or
consecrated bishop. This item is now a document required by the office of
the Presiding Bishop. At present, the Standing Committee is working from other
exemplars furnished by our process consultant to confect our LOA. An adjunct
to the LOA is a proposed compensation package for the new bishop. That package
requires approval from Diocesan Council, and it is anticipated that the proposal
will be considered by Council at its January 2012 meeting.
3. Nominee
Appearances in the Diocese
Obviously, the diocese is presently abuzz with conversation about who the
nominees are and when folks will get to see and visit with them. That is normal
and natural. The reason for the February 1 release date may seem cloudy. We
have previously explained that this release date allows for completion of
the background checks and a final determination by each nominee, not at all
necessarily related to background checks, whether that nominee wishes to go
forward to completion of the discernment process. Remember that even as we
are beginning to learn about the nominees, they are, as well, learning about
us...from our profile, from other information furnished to them, and through
their own conversations with others.
One of the things the election committee must do is attempt to ensure that the discernment process on both fronts remains fair and has integrity. Commensurate with this goal we have asked all of the nominees not to make any kind of special appearances in the diocese. This is so to ensure that no one nominee gets an unfair advantage by special appearances through the diocese. There's another reason.....to prevent the perception, rightly or wrongly, that anyone is running a "campaign" for bishop.
We must remember that this is a holy process for a holy calling, so we ask that folks in the diocese not make special requests for appearances by any nominees known to you. We fully expect that the planned activities and interviews will provide the contacts you will need to make an informed and prayerful decision and we hope you will honor this request.
4. Delegate
Certification
Everyone should have noticed by now the last entry on this site regarding
delegate certification. Reported as an announcement from the election committee,
this communication was actually a guidance from the bishop's office explaining
how the diocesan canons work for this special convention. Thus congregations
should consider the guidance carefully so that there will not be confusion
come election time in April!
5. Keep Praying
Really this should be item number one! We'll be back soon with more updates
as things progress!
A Word from
the Transition Committee
The calendar is out and plans are underway for the Election of the Fourth
Bishop of Western Louisiana at St. James' Church, Alexandria, on April 21st.
Plans are also underway for a May 19th Celebration at Camp Hardtner to honour
Bishop MacPherson and Susan's Ministry among us. Preliminary work has also
begun for the Consecration/Installation of our next Bishop on July 21st at
St. Mark's Cathedral in Shreveport. St. Paul's Church, Shreveport has graciously
agreed to host Evensong and a Reception in honour of the MacPhersons on July
20th, the day before the Consecration.
The Transition Committee has divided its work among several task groups to address issues of logistics, liturgy and music, gifts, communication, public relations and hospitality for all of these events. Venues for the showcasing of various outreach ministries will also be a part of the Consecration Weekend. Integral to all of this work will be the inclusion of as many of the Diocesan Family as possible in making these special events memorable ones for this time in our history as the people of God in the vineyard of Western Louisiana. To that end, our next update will detail opportunities for broad participation from both individuals and churches throughout the diocese.
February
1, 2012
A formal announcement will be made as to which nominees will go forward
with the process leading to election.
February
6, 2012,
All nominees will be asked to attend an interview with the Election Committee.
Interviews will be captured by video production and the interviews will
then be presented to the diocese by way of the diocesan web site and by DVD
to congregations for review at leisure.
March 1,
2012
A written questionnaire, furnished by the Election Committee and completed
by the candidates, will be published to the diocese, likely by March 1, 2012.
Monday, March
19, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.
A candidate forum will be conducted at the Church of the
Redeemer in Ruston, with an open reception to follow at the church.
Wednesday,
March 21, 2012 at 6:00 p.m.
A second candidate forum will be conducted at a location to be finalized.
An open reception will follow. The Ruston and Lafayette forums will be conducted
by question-and-answer format, with each nominee having the opportunity to
respond to questions put forth by a moderator.
Tuesday,
March 20, 2012
An additional opportunity for clergy only to converse with the nominees
will be provided on this date.
April 21,
2012
Election of the Fourth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana
July 21,
2012
Consecration and/or Installation of the Fourth Bishop of the Episcopal
Diocese of Western Louisiana
The Election Committee Update is produced and distributed by the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana. The Rt. Rev'd D. Bruce MacPherson is bishop of the diocese. The publisher of the Update is Election Committee Chair, D. Dee Drell. Questions and comments should be directed to: Dee_Drell@lawd.uscourts.gov.
