Perceptions from a Pewboy

The process of electing a bishop in the Northeastern Jurisdiction is finished! Thanks be to God!

Now that I can be a bit more forthright, I will tell you that I walked into yesterday’s first ballot with my “exit” speech already prepared. Since our two retiring bishops in the jurisdiction are both women, there was a strong sense leading up to this conference that, for the sake of inclusiveness in the college of bishops, we needed to elect a capable, articulate, visionary, and female episcopal leader.

Given the fact that the pewboy is precisely that—a boy—I never really anticipated being much of a factor when the balloting began. Receiving the annual conference’s endorsement as its episcopal candidate was the honor of a lifetime for me, but I never expected to receive anything more than our delegation’s support once the balloting began. I figured that I would gracefully withdraw my name from the process after the third or fourth ballot. (As an introvert, after all, I never like to overstay my welcome.)

You can imagine my shock—nay, my utter amazement—when the leading vote-getter on the first two ballots was none other than Baron von Pewboy! “Yikes,” I thought to myself, “What in the world does this mean?!”

It was a personal and profound affirmation that I never expected to receive. I’m still attempting to make some kind of sense of it.

By the third ballot, things began to shift. Those who sensed (wisely, I believe) the urgency of electing a capable woman to the episcopacy began to focus their voting on two strong female candidates. By the fourth, fifth, and sixth, ballots, I was a distant third in the voting. The discernment of the conference was clear. Early this morning, (Thursday) I finally gave my brief “exit” speech before the conference. It went something like this:

To have been endorsed as an episcopal candidate by the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference is an honor that I will never forget.

To have been given the opportunity to spend time with the other twelve episcopal candidates—all of whom are remarkably gifted and have probably forgotten more about ministry than I will ever know—is a privilege that I will never forget.

And to have experienced this time of discernment with all of you as a jurisdictional conference is a life-altering blessing that I will never forget.

It brings great joy and excitement to my heart to be able to return to the portion of the Kingdom that God has established in western Pennsylvania. And yet, as excited as I am about being able to return home, please know that I hold in my heart the journey that I have experienced here. For that journey, I simply say…thank you. From the depths of my soul, thank you.

It is with a profound sense of gratitude that I withdraw my name from the ballot.

In the midst of this process, to God be the glory.

A few ballots later, Rev. Dr. Peggy A. Johnson (from the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference) was elected to the episcopacy. I have come to know, respect, and love Bishop-elect Johnson over the last several days. We have prayed together, waited together, and listened together. She is a beautifully and abundantly gifted woman who is passionately committed to Jesus Christ and equally committed to the ministry of his church. Our jurisdiction will be strengthened and blessed by her leadership, of that I am convinced. Please be in prayer for Bishop-elect Johnson and her family as they prepare for a new and important season of transition.

So, with that, I am finished with this process. But what an experience it has been! The words of affirmation and encouragement that I have received along the way (both from the Western Pennsylvania delegation and from people I have never even met) have been overwhelming. I have been moved to tears more than once. Bishop Bickerton and Sally and Bishop Bashore and Carolyn (all of whom have been very visible and active here at Jurisdictional Conference) have ministered to me tenderly over the last several days. They could not have been more supportive or affirming.

Also, the “blog care” that I have received from all of you has touched my heart in ways that I can’t even describe. Your gracious words of love, prayer, and support have been a constant source of blessing. I am deeply grateful for your friendship.

You’ll get a kick out of this. As a post-episcopal-process celebration, Joel Garrett and I are going to see the midnight showing of “The Dark Knight” tonight. (It’s playing at the IMAX theater right next to the hotel here in Harrisburg.) I also have tickets to see the film a second time at the Homestead Waterfront with a certain lass of Mediterranean hue. (Tara, by the way, traveled back home today.)

In a few days, Tara and I will be traveling to the Canadian Rockies (Lake Louise, in particular) for a time of sabbath, rest, and play. I had no idea how desperately I would need it. Quite frankly, I am exhausted—but in a strangely good kind of way.

Because of our vacation, I will be away from the blog for a while. I look forward to catching up with you soon.

Until then, grace and peace. Thanks a million for caring about this humble pilgrim and his experiences with the episcopal process!

Here at Jurisdictional Conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, it is 4:30 P.M., and I am enjoying a quiet dinner break in my hotel room (with the lovely Tara only a few feet away). I have been participating in the episcopal interviews since 8:30 this morning. Thus far, I have spent time with 7 interviewing teams, and I have two more teams to visit after supper. I am scheduled to be finished with the interview process at 9:00 this evening. Tomorrow, the balloting begins.

I feel tired, but it is not the kind of tiredness that comes from experiencing something negative. Quite the contrary, I have found the whole experience thus far to be surprisingly affirming and rich. Regardless of how people will eventually cast their vote, I have had the consistent sense of being valued, cared for, and even cherished. Most of all, I have been regularly blessed by the realization that I am being upheld in prayer by folks here and folks back home. The result of those prayers, I am convinced, is a spirit of peace by which I have been inwardly occupied in each interview.

In the interview process, I have been confronted by a number of different inquiries, some of which are these:

“What makes you laugh and what brings you to tears?”
“How would you want to be remembered if you retired as bishop?”
“What is your stance on immigration and how can the church speak to this issue?”
“What is your vision for the church?”
“How do you navigate your way though the troublesome issue of homosexuality, and how do you teach on that issue?”
“What is your theology of worship?”
“What are your ideas for reaching youth and young adults, many of whom are completely absent from our pews?”
“What do you consider to be the most pressing issues facing the United Methodist Church?”
“What is the difference between social justice and social ministry, and how do you involve yourself in both?”
“What is your vision for making disciples, and how would you realize that vision in the ministry of the episcopacy?”

Some pretty good stuff, huh?

I’ve met some interesting people along the way. J. Philip Wogaman is a delegate to Jurisdictional Conference. (He was Bill and Hillary Clinton’s pastor at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C..) Mike McCurry is also a delegate here. (He was Bill Clinton’s press secretary from 1994 through 1998.) It has been good to experience theological dialogue with such gifted and intelligent people.

Tara and Joel Garrett have been caring for me all day long. I cannot put into words how much it means to have them at my side through this process. They have experienced every minute of the journey with me.

Mike Bill (a lay delegate to Jurisdictional Conference, a member of Central Highlands Church, and a dear friend) is a member of one of the interviewing teams that I visited earlier. In fact, Mike prayed over me in that team as we prepared for the interview. That was a moment I will never forget.

Western Pennsylvania’s delegation has been diligent in its work. The members of the delegation have figured prominently in every interview that I have experienced thus far. You would be proud of them.

So, that’s what I can report at this point. I continue to be grateful for your prayers, your support, and your love. They mean the world to me.

Tomorrow morning (Monday), I will leave for Harrisburg, Pennsylvania for the 2008 Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the United Methodist Church. I ask for your prayers.

Pray that the members of Western Pennsylvania’s delegation will experience a strong sense of Christ-centered community with one another. Pray for their strength, their discernment, their eagerness to love and be loved, and their devotion to Jesus Christ.

Pray that all of the delegates to Jurisdictional Conference will be attentive to the things that matter most.

And, if I may be brutally personal for a moment, please pray for me. As Western Pennsylvania’s episcopal candidate, I will participate in a rather grueling and intensive interview process at the Jurisdictional Conference that will require an uncommon amount of vulnerability and focus on my part. I would be lying if I told you that I am not unsettled by the magnitude of it all.

Given the current needs of the Northeastern Jurisdiction, I do not anticipate being elected to the episcopacy this year. I harbor no agendas or fantasies in that regard. I simply want to be authentically who I am throughout the process, all the while remaining available to the things that God wants me to see, hear, and experience. In short, I want to represent the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference as best I can, thereby honoring the people who have nurtured my discipleship and thereby bringing glory to the One who has saved and called me.

Pray for my soul. Pray for its protection and sanctification. Pray for my wife, Tara, who will be walking with me through the process. Pray for Joel Garrett, my friend and pastoral colleague, who will also be walking with me through the process. Pray for my Mom and Dad, who are proud of their son but who are facing a bevy of health-related struggles right now. Pray for my congregation, the love and support of which have been a constant source of personal blessing in recent days.

And pray for the Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference, that some portion of the Kingdom of God will be incarnated in Harrisburg this week.

I hope to blog soon—perhaps even throughout Jurisdictional Conference (schedule permitting). Until then, be assured of my gratitude for your willingness to undergird me with the ministry of prayer.

In the forum section of my church’s website, a man recently posted this question and experience. I share it here with his permission:

Did I sin? My family and I had the pleasure of going on a short vacation to a water park in Ohio this past weekend. We had stopped at a rest area to stretch our legs and grab a bite to eat. When we got out of the car a colored woman came up to me in tears and said she was traveling to see her sick mother. She told me that she had lost her purse and needed some money for gas to get there. In her car were 2 children and another adult. I had been saving money for this vacation for a long time, and I knew that I could spare a few dollars. But I told her that I was sorry and that I did not have any money for her.

I went into the restroom and thought to myself, ‘why didn’t I give that woman any money?’ Was it that I thought that she was just a moocher looking for some extra cash? Or was it because she was colored? If a white woman asked me the same question, I truly believe i would have reacted the same way, but why do I question myself?

I did end up giving the woman ten dollars and told her, ‘God Bless. I hope this helps.’ I hope I did the right thing.

This was my response to the man’s inquiry:

Hi ________

Thanks again for your honesty and for sharing a portion of your discipleship with us.