Immediately after Bishop John Bryson Chane’s Jan. 30 announcement that he will step down as the eighth Episcopal Bishop of Washington in 2011, the search for his successor began.

The Standing Committee of the Diocese of Washington was asked to appoint a Search Committee and a Transition Committee, and on March 27 announced that Diocesan Council member Gerry Perez, of Holy Trinity, Bowie, will chair the Search Committee and the Rev. Joan Beilstein, rector of Ascension, Silver Spring will chair the Transition Committee.

Committee members also have been chosen from among more than 80 applicants, said Standing Committee president Salli Hartman, and will be announced as soon as all members have been contacted and have accepted the appointment. The list of members and all updates and announcements about the search process can be found online at http://search.edow.org.

Members of both committees have been asked to attend an April 17 retreat, where they will receive their charges, talk about the process and have their first official meetings, Hartman said.

Harman said the Standing Committee was pleased with the number of applicants, many of whom are leaders in the diocese and in their parishes, and tried to select a representative group.

In its letter of invitation to applicants, the Standing Committee said it sought “individuals who can work without prejudice, favor, or affection to help our diocese elect a bishop who will support all people to be with one another in community, while honoring different views.”

“It’s a very diverse diocese, and we wanted to make sure we were representing the whole breadth and depth of the diocese,” Hartman said.

The Search Committee will work to develop the diocesan profile, an overview of the diocese that will be presented to prospective candidates. It will manage the process for advertising the position, review and assess resumes received, “prayerfully consider the needs of the diocese in evaluating potential candidates” and develop a slate of candidates for consideration by the diocese.

The Transition Committee will work with diocesan staff on the special convention to elect the bishop, establish channels of communication among the staff, Standing Committee and Search Committee, organize the candidate “walkabouts,” travel, housing and other hospitality and coordinate the details of the installation service. The committee also will work to support the new bishop’s transition into office.

Since Bishop Chane’s announcement, the eight-member Standing Committee has met each week to get to grips with the process and to invite, receive and appoint applicants for the two committees.

Going forward, it will be responsible for “making sure they’re following the charges and meeting the deadlines we’re required to meet,” Hartman said.

The Standing Committee has created the following timeline for the search process:

•    April 17, 2010 – retreat for Search and Transition committees (required)
•    March 2011 – announcement of slate of candidates for bishop
•    June 2011 – special convention for election of Bishop of Washington
•    November 2011 – consecration of 9th Bishop of Washington

It also has produced a prayer for the search process, and urges all parishes and other diocesan organizations to use it as part of worship during the search process.

“We hope we’ve appointed two committees that represent the diocese and can help us pick a bishop that best meets the needs of this diocese going forward,” Hartman said.

“I think the choice of chairs for the search and transition committees are excellent ones,” said diocesan governance officer Ann Talty. “I have worked with each of them for a long time, and look forward to being available to them as this process unfolds.”

Parishes around the diocese will hold their annual meetings in May and June to elect vestry members and delegates and alternate delegates to the annual Diocesan Convention, Talty added.
She asked parishioners to remember that “the delegates and alternates elected at May and June 2010 annual meetings will be the ones electing the bishop in 2011.”

 Prayer for Search for New Bishop
Everliving God, you brought your people through the wilderness to a land of plenty, enlivening them with hope: Send down upon your holy catholic Church and our Diocese of Washington the comfort of your Spirit in this time of transition. We pray especially for those who have given themselves to your service in this search for our next bishop. Rekindle in us the fire of love, justice and peace; give us the grace to seek your wisdom, and the determination to draw all people into the unity of your kingdom. And draw our hearts to you, that in all our works we may glorify your Name. We pray this through your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.