There is much to look forward to this fall, including the announcement of candidates in consideration to be the XII Bishop Diocesan of the Diocese of North Carolina. The Rev. Jane Wilson, president of the Standing Committee, recently released a statement regarding that announcement on behalf of the entire Standing Committee.

Dear People of God,

As the time draws near for the 201st Annual Convention, and as we await the announcement of the slate of candidates being considered as the XII Bishop Diocesan, the Standing Committee recognizes and thanks the Nominating Committee for the work they are doing, work that continues to be precisely on schedule.

In planning for the 201st Annual Convention, however, and for the timing of the slate announcement, the Standing Committee, which is overseeing the search process, determined that Convention is not the best time to make the announcement. The decision was made for two reasons.

First, because the members of the Standing Committee have no knowledge of who will be on the slate, we wanted to be as fair as possible in the event the slate contains a mix of in-diocese and out-of-diocese candidates. Should that prove to be the case, the Standing Committee wants to avoid the possibility of having in-state candidates in the Convention Hall while out-of-state candidates are not.

Second, both the work of Convention and the announcement of the bishop-candidate slate are extremely important events in the life of our diocese in the coming year, and the Standing Committee determined that both events deserved proper spotlight and focus.

So, watch diocesan communications channels closely! It is the hope and plan that the announcement of the names on the slate for the XII Bishop Diocesan of North Carolina will be made in the days shortly following the 201^st Annual Convention. (The specific day is still to be determined.) It is the wish of both the Nominating Committee and the Standing Committee that by sharing the announcement after our annual gathering, we will be able to celebrate fully and properly both the work of Convention and the candidates being considered as our next Bishop Diocesan.

Faithfully,
The Rev. Jane Wilson

Meanwhile, the Transition Committee is hard at work planning exciting events and opportunities that will allow every member of the Diocese the chance to get to know the candidates. We expect to share the full schedule in the Winter 2017 issue of the Disciple as well as all diocesan channels, so stay tuned, because you won’t want to miss what’s in store.