All IS WELL

All is well in Columbus. The sun has shined every day and we are all in good health. Our Deputation is up beat and working hard. We are of diverse opinions on some major issues but have true affection for one another which should serve as well in the days ahead.
We elect a Presiding Bishop tomorrow, or more accurately the House of Bishops elects with the House of Deputies confirming. That system has been placed under study as there is some pressure to allow the House of Deputies to have a vote. That might not be so easy as the Rules of the House provide for voting by orders, that is the Lay and Clergy votes would be counted separately and the candidate would have to be elected in both Orders. Imagine the political situation where a candidate would have to be by all three bodies.
The canidates are: The Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander the Bishop of Atlanta, I see him as a compromise candidate; The Rt. Rev. Edwin F. Gulick, Jr. the Bishop of Kentucky who has a very good chance of being elected; The Rt. Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori the Bishop of Nevada who has made a strong showing and will be closing at the finish; all of the former voted for the consecration of Bishop V. Gene Robinson. The last candidate put forward by the Nominating Committee is The Rt. Rev. Henry Nutt Parsley, Jr. the Bishop of Alabama who has picked up some late and strong support. He voted against the confirmation of Bishop Robinson. He is the only one of the candidates I have met as he sat at my prayer table for the eleven days of the last convention. I found him to be a soft spoken man of good nature and a caring spirit. As our own Don Betts, a member of the nominating committee has said "any one of the four will serve the Church well.
There are three other candidates that were passed over by the NC but will appear on the ballot by petition. The are The Rt. Rev. Stacy F. Sauls the Bishop of Lexington who served with me this year and last convention on the Constitution Committee. He is a person who is thoughtful, straight forward with a good sense of humor, he voted for Bishop Robinson; The Rt. Rev. Francisco J. Duque-Gomez the Bishop of Columbia, he voted against Bishop Robinson and The Rt. Rev. Charles Edward Jenkins III the Bishop of Louisiana who also voted against Bishop Robinson. With all due respect to these three, I do not believe the House of Bishops will look beyond those nominated by the NC.
The prayer services have been fabulous. Imagine singing with 2,200 people every morning the great and new hymns of the Church and thinking you sound like Mario Lanza(for you younger folks he was a truck driver who made a few Christmas records in years past). All is well and I hope the same for you. Woody