St. David's Episcopal Church | The Rev. W. Frank Allen | 1.28.2016

"Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
 1 Samuel 3:10
Dear People of St. David's,

I pray that you are well and that you and yours are warm and safe after our most recent snow storm.

As many of you know, our Diocese began a search for our next Bishop after Bishop Daniel announced his upcoming retirement. Over the summer and fall, I have prayed and struggled with whether God was calling me to be a candidate for Bishop. I love you all and being Rector of St. David's has been one of the most life-giving and challenging gifts of my life. The thought of leaving St. David's makes me sad because God is doing so much in our community and there is so much ministry to accomplish going forward. However, as you all know, I am a person under obedience to God and if He is calling me to be the next Bishop, I ought not to be closed to the possibility. I finally decided to allow my name to be proposed as a candidate after my Spiritual Director helped me understand that unless there was a good reason for me to stay out of this discernment process, then I need to allow my name to be proposed and allow the Holy Spirit to make the decision. I wasn't able to find a good reason and so allowed my name to be considered.

I have learned that I am one of the five nominees being considered as our next Bishop. There may be other candidates that will arise out of a petition process for other potential nominees that begins today, but I have been selected by the Search Committee and approved by the Standing Committee as one of the nominees for election.

The process toward election involves a week of "walk-abouts" or conversations around the Diocese to get to know the nominees, beginning the week of February 15th. All of the candidates and their spouses or partners will be present and the conversations are open to everyone. The locations and times are on our website as well as on the Diocesan website.

The election itself will take place at our Cathedral at a special electing convention on Saturday, March 12, 2016. A Bishop is elected by the clergy and by the laity and must have a majority in each "house." So each clergy person resident in the Diocese and each parish or mission has a vote. The parish vote is given by the persons who are the parish's delegates to the annual convention. Bishops and Standing Committees across the Episcopal Church then must give their consent and when there is a majority in favor, the election becomes valid.

The ordination or consecration of the Bishop will take place on Saturday, July 16th, with our Presiding Bishop, The Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding.

If I am elected as our next Bishop, I will continue to serve as Rector of St. David's until this June. During the period between election and ordination, the Vestry of St. David's will begin the search for an appropriate and gifted Interim Rector to serve the parish along with our exceptional and committed staff. The Vestry will also begin the process of developing a profile of St. David's and the characteristics of a new Rector. The Vestry will also form a Discernment Committee to search and call the 29th Rector of St. David's.

If it is not in God's plan for me to become Bishop here, then I will be blessed to continue the ministry at St. David's with you all and all whom God sends our way.

I suspect that we all have mixed feelings about the possibility of me being called away from St. David's. I know I do. Though if called, I suspect that God would want me to share some of the gifts of community and mission and ministry that have made St. David's such a vital parish in our Diocese.

I have some prayer requests for all of us in this time of discernment. I would ask that we all pray for clear discernment, for God's will to be done. I would ask that we lift up the Diocese and all the nominees in our prayer. I would ask that we pray for St. David's and remember that we are a church on a mission to know God in Jesus Christ and to make Christ known to others. We have all been called to continue to live into our mission to the best of our abilities, always faithful to the Lord who is calling us to life with Him and through us offering that life to others.

I am grateful to God for all of you and for this magnificent Christian community that we share. May God continue to bless us with His presence and with the power to accomplish all that He is calling us to do and to become. May God give us all listening ears to follow in His way.

Grace and Peace.
 
Frank Allen

The Rev. W. Frank Allen
St. David's Episcopal Church
763 South Valley Forge Road | Wayne, PA 19087
610.688.7947

St. David's Episcopal Church | 763 South Valley Forge Road | Wayne | PA | 19087