Transcript
Hello East Tennessee!
Recently, we discovered this beautiful topographical map of the diocese —in a closet here at the diocesan house.
I have kept it in my office as a visual reminder of the geography of our whole ministry region and it has helped me to recruit clergy and inform church leadership of the beautiful breadth of communities I’ve had the privilege of serving as your Canon To the Ordinary for the past 5 years.
In these last 5 years, we have encountered transition and conflict. We have striven to govern more efficiently and effectively. We have developed resilience and learned a great deal through the transformation or even closure of communities, and perhaps most significantly, we’ve weathered an unprecedented global pandemic.
Through these times, We have been CLEAR about who we are and what we are about, but often we have not been CERTAIN about who we want to become or how we are called to grow. This entire endeavor has required a great amount of FLEXIBILITY and we have met these moments, together.
The thing about flexibility, is that it is not infinite. Over time, flexible metals can become brittle.
When the Clergy gathered to renew our vows earlier this year, the Rev. Amy Bradley reminded us that we are refined and strengthened in God’s Holy Fire, and that it is in this refinement process that God forges something new and can create new alloys and restore our wearied flexibility.
I’ve often laughed with many of you, these days “we are LIVING in a FORGE.”
My friends of East Tennessee, the time has come for me to step away as your Canon to the Ordinary. Effective November 30, I will enter a season of rest, to reconnect with my own priestly call to nurture the spiritual development of East Tennesseans.
I’m making this choice to enter this time of rest so that I may renew my flexibility and resist the temptation to press on through sharpness or brittleness.
It has been an honor to serve Bishop Cole as his canon, and God is doing amazing and new things under his leadership in East Tennessee. As a partner in the opening chapters of his episcopacy, I’ve gotten to see firsthand his wise leadership, so it is with unreserved clarity that I know the next person he chooses to fill this office will be compassionate, caring, and conscientious—and they will possess a complementary skillset that will contribute to the flourishing of the next chapter of his episcopacy.
It has been a beautiful and wild ride, and I’ve worked along side the BEST staff in Tennessee – they have been dear companions in this work, and I would like to thank Bishop Cole and the whole staff for their unrelenting support.
I’m not going anywhere. After an appropriate season and within good boundedness, You can count on me to cheerlead and support the next person who holds this office.
I’m not sure where God is calling me next, but God has never ceased to show up for me and will undoubtedly show me the way.
In the meantime, if you’ve ever been on a zoom call with me, you may have noticed my “quilt sermon” backdrop. Or you may recall a time you asked “canon bolt, where should we meet when you come to visit us?” And I answered: “how about the room with the quilt hanging on the wall?” One of my dreams is to one day be able to research and document women’s holy handiwork that adorns our Appalachian sacred spaces— from the needlepoint kneelers to the banners to the quilts in our churches. East Tennessee, We are Beautiful, and Creative in our Worship of Almighty God!
Thank you for supporting my creativity in this position. You will be hearing more in the coming days from Bishop Cole regarding specific succession plans, but in the meantime, I’ll be here through November 30, cherishing our creative ministry together. Thank you.