I am about to do a new thing.  
[Isaiah 43.19]

It's exciting......

As part of the Diocese of Western New York Convention in November 2010, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, delegates to convention will elect our next Bishop. The person chosen will step into a historic role. When Bishop J. Michael Garrison retires, the new Bishop Elect will become the 11th Bishop of our Diocese. In addition, our next Bishop will also take his or her place in the long line of bishops that the Anglican Communion traces back to the Apostles, those chosen by Christ to be the shepherds and leaders of the earliest Christian communities.

It's electric ......

The upcoming election is all the more important because of the wide range of issues, challenges, and possibilities now facing our Diocese.

It's educational .....

Everything you wanted to know about Bishops, but were afraid to ask.....

Ever wonder --- Why do we have Bishops? What is the role of a Bishop? How did we come to have Bishops? How does a Diocese elect a Bishop?

Well, we have the answers to those questions and much more!!

The Educational Committee of the Bishops Search Committee has prepared a FQA (Facts, Questions, and Answers) document available on the Bishops Search Web Site to help congregations and their members better understand the context for the election and to answer all those crazy questions we have about Bishops.

The Document is divided into five sections:

• THE PROCESS OF BECOMING A BISHOP
• QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE SURVEY AND THE PROFILE
• THE BROAD CONTEXT: THE MISSION OF OUR DIOCESE
• HISTORY, ROLE, AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF A BISHOP
• WHAT DO BISHOPS ACTUALLY DO?

AND, if that's not exciting enough, those same issues will be addressed through a Five Week Lenten Study, also prepared by the Educational Committee for use by Congregations use during Lent. This Lenten Study Program will follow the following format:

Theme and Overview

Each session has a theme, drawn from scripture, which is chosen to illuminate the lessons and learning objectives as outlined in the session overview.

Opening Collect

Each session opens with a collect or prayer that highlights the issues in which we hope people will engage. The Collects are taken from the Sundays of Lent and the prayers are taken from the Book of Common Prayer (BCP).

Icebreaker

Each session includes an opportunity for the participants to introduce themselves and respond briefly to a question that brings them into personal dialogue with the session theme.

Scripture Selections

Each session recalls the lessons of the Sunday lectionary and highlights verses that encourage biblical reflection on the themes of the session. If time permits, parishes are urged to reflect upon the complete lessons appointed for each Sunday in Lent from the the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL).

Encountering Saints

Each session includes two biographies of Bishops drawn from Lesser Feasts and Fasts (LFF). One is a Historic Bishop and one is an American Bishop, selected because their ministries-within the constraints of their time and place-deepen our understanding of the episcopacy and the theme of the session.

Additionally, the Education Committee is working on a program for youth and children that will increase their understanding of Bishops and our Diocesan Process of electing the next Bishop of Western New York.