News to Share

Dear, dear All Soulsians,

I’m writing you to share the news that I’ve accepted the Search Committee’s invitation to be on the slate of candidates for the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California. This is a great honor and I am humbled by it.

I want to be clear that I’ve entered into this discernment loving you all. Being the Rector of All Souls Parish in Berkeley is one of the best jobs in the Church, and if someone else is called to bishop, I will be honored to continue as your Rector.

I realize that this discernment is taking place while lots is happening at All Souls: a new Associate Rector and Parish Administrator, the final touches on design for our Living Waters building projects, and the discernment of grantees for the Isaiah Project. And, I know that together we have built a congregation that is broader, deeper, and more stable than any one person, me included. Along with the promptings of the Holy Spirit, it is this stability that has allowed me to enter this process of discernment.

Over the next two and a half months this communal discernment will continue, culminating in the election of the 9th Bishop of California on December 2nd at Grace Cathedral. More information can be found at the search committee’s website.

Many of you have been praying with me for the past several months. I have leaned on those prayers and well-wishes as I have listened to the Holy Spirit in this process. I ask for those prayers to continue––for me, Sarah, and our family, for the other candidates, and for all who will be discerning in the next couple of months. In the meantime, I will be walking the path with you all as I have for the last fifteen years––with trust in God, an open heart, and a willingness to follow.

In the peace of Christ,

Phil+