Bishop hopefuls aim for diversity
Bishop hopefuls aim for diversity
Inside Bay Area, CA
REDWOOD CITY — Seven Episcopal ministers addressed the overflowing pews at St. Peter's Episcopal Church Saturday. Each stood before an enormous wooden crucifix and to the left of an equally oversized banner that bears the message, "No matter who you are ... you are welcome here."
Whether the Diocese of California can continue balancing a message of inclusion while affiliated with the more traditional Anglican community may be tested Saturday, when clergy and laity from 81 Bay Area congregations elect a new bishop.
In the 152-year history of the diocese, a region of 27,000 members from Marin County to Los Altos, it has only had white, male bishops. The latest, William Swing, is retiring after a quarter-century in the post.
Despite warnings that electing another homosexual Episcopal bishop — the Rev. Gene Robinson was tapped to lead the New Hampshire diocese in 2003 — would repel conservative Americans and could cause a global schism, the diocese is considering three openly gay prospective bishops.
The Rev. Bonnie Perry of Chicago, the Rev. Robert Taylor of Seattle and a write-in candidate, the Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe of San Francisco, have same-sex partners.
The other candidates are: the Rt. Rev. Mark Handley Andrus of Birmingham, Ala.; the Rev. Jane Gould of Lynn, Mass.; the Rev. Canon Eugene Taylor Sutton of Washington National Cathedral; and write-in candidate the Rev. Donald Schell of San Francisco. But search committee member Craig\nMartin, of St. Matthew\'s in San Mateo said most Peninsula Episcopalians\nwere concerned not with the "sexy topic" but rather with finding a\nbishop with plans to expand and diversity the shrinking church.
"How is it that we do a better job\nof attracting youth and young adults?" he said. "What is it we can do\nto better represent the cultural diversity of the Bay Area, which is\none of the most diverse places on the planet?"
Similar questions were asked when\nthe candidates addressed groups in San Francisco and Oakland last week,\nsaid Sean McConnell, communications officer for the Diocese of California.
"There continue to be a lot of\npeople leaving the church, and there are a lot of people leaving the\nmainlines and going evangelical," he said. "The Episcopal church in the\nBay Area would really like to mirror the actual population of the Bay\nArea. We\'re still pretty much a white church."
\n
\nOf the seven candidates, Gould, Perry and Schell incorporated Spanish into their speeches at St. Peter\'s on Saturday.
\n
\nPerry or Gould could become the diocese\'s first female leader; Sutton could become its first black bishop.",1] ); //-->
But search committee member Craig Martin, of St. Matthew's in San Mateo said most Peninsula Episcopalians were concerned not with the "sexy topic" but rather with finding a bishop with plans to expand and diversity the shrinking church.
"How is it that we do a better job of attracting youth and young adults?" he said. "What is it we can do to better represent the cultural diversity of the Bay Area, which is one of the most diverse places on the planet?"
Similar questions were asked when the candidates addressed groups in San Francisco and Oakland last week, said Sean McConnell, communications officer for the Diocese of California.
"There continue to be a lot of people leaving the church, and there are a lot of people leaving the mainlines and going evangelical," he said. "The Episcopal church in the Bay Area would really like to mirror the actual population of the Bay Area. We're still pretty much a white church."
Of the seven candidates, Gould, Perry and Schell incorporated Spanish into their speeches at St. Peter's on Saturday.
Perry or Gould could become the diocese's first female leader; Sutton could become its first black bishop.
"If we don't diversify this diocese, we're not going to make it in the 21st century," Sutton told the 300 Episcopalians at St. Peter's on Saturday.
About 700 priests and lay people will vote Saturday morning at Grace Cathedral, including 67 worshipers from San Mateo County. The diocese's choice then must be approved at the national church's General Convention in Ohio next month.
While meeting with Episcopalians throughout the Bay Area, each candidate expressed a desire to lead the diocese and a hope that the voters would make a decision based on their own beliefs and impressions, rather than pressure from the outside community.
"It would be pretty easy for us to become afraid," Barlowe said last Saturday. "Where God is, is perfect love, and perfect love casts out fear."
For more information or the results as they are announced Saturday morning, visit http://www.bishopsearch.org.
Staff writer Nicole Neroulias can be reached at (650) 306-2427 or nneroulias@sanmateocountytimes.com.
Site feed @ http://www.oasiscalifornia.org/news/atom.xml
Inside Bay Area, CA
REDWOOD CITY — Seven Episcopal ministers addressed the overflowing pews at St. Peter's Episcopal Church Saturday. Each stood before an enormous wooden crucifix and to the left of an equally oversized banner that bears the message, "No matter who you are ... you are welcome here."
Whether the Diocese of California can continue balancing a message of inclusion while affiliated with the more traditional Anglican community may be tested Saturday, when clergy and laity from 81 Bay Area congregations elect a new bishop.
In the 152-year history of the diocese, a region of 27,000 members from Marin County to Los Altos, it has only had white, male bishops. The latest, William Swing, is retiring after a quarter-century in the post.
Despite warnings that electing another homosexual Episcopal bishop — the Rev. Gene Robinson was tapped to lead the New Hampshire diocese in 2003 — would repel conservative Americans and could cause a global schism, the diocese is considering three openly gay prospective bishops.
The Rev. Bonnie Perry of Chicago, the Rev. Robert Taylor of Seattle and a write-in candidate, the Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe of San Francisco, have same-sex partners.
The other candidates are: the Rt. Rev. Mark Handley Andrus of Birmingham, Ala.; the Rev. Jane Gould of Lynn, Mass.; the Rev. Canon Eugene Taylor Sutton of Washington National Cathedral; and write-in candidate the Rev. Donald Schell of San Francisco. But search committee member Craig\nMartin, of St. Matthew\'s in San Mateo said most Peninsula Episcopalians\nwere concerned not with the "sexy topic" but rather with finding a\nbishop with plans to expand and diversity the shrinking church.
"How is it that we do a better job\nof attracting youth and young adults?" he said. "What is it we can do\nto better represent the cultural diversity of the Bay Area, which is\none of the most diverse places on the planet?"
Similar questions were asked when\nthe candidates addressed groups in San Francisco and Oakland last week,\nsaid Sean McConnell, communications officer for the Diocese of California.
"There continue to be a lot of\npeople leaving the church, and there are a lot of people leaving the\nmainlines and going evangelical," he said. "The Episcopal church in the\nBay Area would really like to mirror the actual population of the Bay\nArea. We\'re still pretty much a white church."
\n
\nOf the seven candidates, Gould, Perry and Schell incorporated Spanish into their speeches at St. Peter\'s on Saturday.
\n
\nPerry or Gould could become the diocese\'s first female leader; Sutton could become its first black bishop.",1] ); //-->
But search committee member Craig Martin, of St. Matthew's in San Mateo said most Peninsula Episcopalians were concerned not with the "sexy topic" but rather with finding a bishop with plans to expand and diversity the shrinking church.
"How is it that we do a better job of attracting youth and young adults?" he said. "What is it we can do to better represent the cultural diversity of the Bay Area, which is one of the most diverse places on the planet?"
Similar questions were asked when the candidates addressed groups in San Francisco and Oakland last week, said Sean McConnell, communications officer for the Diocese of California.
"There continue to be a lot of people leaving the church, and there are a lot of people leaving the mainlines and going evangelical," he said. "The Episcopal church in the Bay Area would really like to mirror the actual population of the Bay Area. We're still pretty much a white church."
Of the seven candidates, Gould, Perry and Schell incorporated Spanish into their speeches at St. Peter's on Saturday.
Perry or Gould could become the diocese's first female leader; Sutton could become its first black bishop.
"If we don't diversify this diocese, we're not going to make it in the 21st century," Sutton told the 300 Episcopalians at St. Peter's on Saturday.
About 700 priests and lay people will vote Saturday morning at Grace Cathedral, including 67 worshipers from San Mateo County. The diocese's choice then must be approved at the national church's General Convention in Ohio next month.
While meeting with Episcopalians throughout the Bay Area, each candidate expressed a desire to lead the diocese and a hope that the voters would make a decision based on their own beliefs and impressions, rather than pressure from the outside community.
"It would be pretty easy for us to become afraid," Barlowe said last Saturday. "Where God is, is perfect love, and perfect love casts out fear."
For more information or the results as they are announced Saturday morning, visit http://www.bishopsearch.org.
Staff writer Nicole Neroulias can be reached at (650) 306-2427 or nneroulias@sanmateocountytimes.com.
Site feed @ http://www.oasiscalifornia.org/news/atom.xml
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