Current News
Electing Convention Report
April 22, 2010
After almost three years, much prayer and perseverance, the Bishop Discernment Committee saw the fruits of their labor come to fruition at the Diocese of Alaska’s 35th Annual Convention. On Saturday, April 10, 2010, Delegates from across the Diocese came together for a special electing Convention for the 8th Bishop of Alaska.
Balloting began at 1:30 on Saturday afternoon. After each ballot was counted, appointed members of the Standing Committee were given the results to share with the Candidate they were paired to shepherd throughout the voting process. Once all of the Candidates were apprised of the ballot results, the results were made public to the convention delegates, while simultaneously being published on our Diocesan website.
By dinner, we had inched through three ballots, each one getting us closer to finding our future shepherd. The heightened anticipation brought on by each ballot was excrutiating. Eager to reach a conclusion, the convention chose to cast the fourth ballot before breaking for dinner. Following dinner, we would reconvene to receive the results of that ballot. Even through exhaustion, the mood in the room was electric and full of enthusiasm as the delegates eagerly reconvened for the ballot results. The delegation burst into applause and shouts as the ballot counters and Standing Committee members re-entered the room. From the smiles on their weary faces, it looked like we had finally found our Bishop.
On the fourth ballot, The Very Reverend Mark Andrew Lattime, of Geneseo, New York, became the bishop elect for the Diocese of Alaska.8th Bishop of Alaska!
Mark and his wife, Lisa, have three children; Allison (16), David (15) and Jack (8). They enjoy spending time outdoors, camping, boating, fishing, kayaking, snowmobiling, skiing, hiking & snowshoeing. Mark is also a recreational small airplane pilot who looks forward to exploring the skies of Alaska!
When asked about his personal ministry statement, Mark shared that he is, “Called to nourish Christ’s people from the riches of His grace and strengthen them to glorify God, as a priest and pilot, I seek to be an ambassador for Christ, supporting and sharing with others in witness and ministry for the Gospel of Christ.”
Mark will be consecrated as the 8th Bishop of Alaska at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 4, 2010 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Parish in Anchorage. The Most Rev, Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, will preside.
Welcome home Mark, Lisa, and family. Welcome home.
Faithfully,
The Bishop’s Discernment Committee
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Previous News Items
8th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska Elected
April 10, 2010
The Very Rev. Mark Lattime, rector of St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Diocese of Rochester, Geneseo, New York was elected the 8th Bishop of Alaska on the fourth ballot on April 10, 2010 at Meier Lake Conference Center near Wasilla, Alaska. More coverage on the electing convention to follow.
It’s Official!
February 16, 2010
The Petition Process, (the process through which we use to “nominate from the floor,”) closed at midnight, February 12, 2010. We have received and verified one more candidate to add to our slate of candidates for the 8th Bishop of Alaska. The Rev. Dr. Gregory Kimura has been added to our existing slate of four candidates. The Rev. Dr. Greg Kimura will also join the other candidates on the Fly About around the Diocese, beginning the end of this month.
Our final slate of candidates include:
The Rev. Can. Ginny Doctor - Fairbanks, Alaska
The Rev. Dr. Gregory Kimura – Eagle River, Alaska
The Very Rev. Mark Lattime – Geneseo, New York
The Very Rev. Timothy Sexton – Honolulu, Hawaii
The Rev. Suzanne Watson – Westport, Connecticut
8th Bishop of Alaska Candidate
Fly About Schedule
February 28 – March 10, 2010
February, 2010
Hot off the press! The Bishop candidates and their spouses will be coming to a gathering near you soon!
The Bishop Discernment Committee, Bishop Staff and Standing Committees have worked together to create a diverse Fly About Schedule allowing the candidates to visit at least two communities in each of our four Deaneries. The purpose of these visits is to give a chance for the candidates to get a feel for the uniqueness of the peoples and places within our Diocese. As well, it is a chance for as many people as possible in our Diocese to meet and greet the candidates.
Your Dean and local Discernment Committee members will be creating the detailed schedule of their time within your Deanery. More information will follow shortly!
And then there were four…
January, 2010
Upon completing the onsite travel visits to our finalists in October and November, the Discernment Committee gathered in Anchorage for the final time the first weekend in December. Although our gathering had several agenda items, the majority of our time was spent sharing information gained from our onsite visits. As we discussed these visits, we lifted each candidate and their family up in prayer. Finally, we each weighed in individually, with our own thoughts, regarding each candidate. With this collective discernment, we prayerfully selected those names to move forward to the Standing Committee.
We are proud of the prayerful work we have done. We are confident we remained true to the desires of our diocese, as represented in our Diocesan Profile. We are relieved our work is done and eager to see God’s new direction for our diocese.
It was our pleasure to recommend to the Standing Committee the following candidates for the 8th Bishop of Alaska:
In Alphabetical Order:
- The Rev. Canon Ginny Doctor, 59 - Fairbanks, Alaska
- The Very Rev. Mark Lattime – 43 – Geneseo, New York
- The Very Rev. Timothy Sexton, 61 - Honolulu, Hawaii
- The Rev. Suzanne Watson – 47 – Westport, Connecticut
We hope the information being sent to clergy and congregations, and also posted on the website at www.alaskabishopsearch.org will help introduce these people to you.
Just to ensure the breadth & diversity of candidates has been considered for our position of 8th Bishop of Alaska, a way to nominate additional candidates is available. The “Petition Process”, which is the equivalent of taking “nominations from the floor” is currently open. The process is thoroughly explained on our webpage, which is also where the application can be found. Material is also included in the mailing to clergy and congregations. Utilizing this process will give opportunity for any nominees to have their information published and to participate in the fly-about. It also allows us to accomplish the necessary background checks before the candidates could officially be considered as our Bishop.
Our final candidates will participate in a fly-about, around the diocese in late February, early March 2010. This trip will take the candidates to each of the four deaneries to get a chance for the people of our diocese to meet and greet the candidates and their spouses.
Our electing convention for the 8th Bishop of Alaska is scheduled to take place April 9-10, 2010, at Meier Lake, Wasilla. Then, mark your calendars for September 4, 2010, when we will gather at the Dean’ina Center in Anchorage with the Presiding Bishop to consecrate the 8th Bishop of Alaska!
We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our consultant, Betsy Greenman, who faithfully and patiently led us through both phases of our search. Please continue to keep these final candidates and your Discernment & Transition Committees in your prayers as our Diocese takes another step in continuing God’s journey. We are marching in the light of God!
March on!
Stacy Thorpe
Communication Liaison
Standing Committee Accepts Candidates
January, 2010
The Standing Committee, on January 4, 2010, accepted from the Bishop Discernment Committee, three candidates for the election of the 8th Bishop of Alaska. Along with the candidate from the first search there are a total of four candidates.
On the Bishop Search website you will find a letter from the Standing Committee President (link), candidate information (link) and the nomination by petition process. (link) The Standing Committee President letter, the nomination by petition process, and candidate information will also be mailed to clergy and congregations.
Each candidate has been asked to produce a DVD and when it is ready it will be on the website and mailed to each congregation.
We are working on finalizing a "fly-about" schedule where the candidates will travel throughout the diocese, not to every congregation, but to all the deaneries. This will be an opportunity for you to learn more about the candidates and allow them to learn more about you and the diocese. The schedule will be presented to the Standing Committee on January 15-16. When it is approved it will be on the website and mailed to clergy and congregations.
Thank you for your prayers and support and ask that you continue to hold the candidates and all those involved with discernment process for a Bishop in your prayers.
DG Hall
Bishop Discernment Committee
Committee ready to make visits!
October, 2009
What a whirlwind of activity your Bishop Discernment committee has been involved in since our last communication! We have been prayerfully discerning the incredible ministries of the 24 applicants who were willing to have their name put forth for consideration of the position of our next bishop. This has meant many, many hours for each of our members reading resumes, profiles, and the heartfelt answers to our questions. It has also found us checking references.
The last weekend in September, our full committee gathered together in Anchorage to collectively, prayerfully discern each candidate. Much discussion was held over the information provided by each candidate, as well as the reference check information we had gained. After many hours of talk and prayer, we were led to invite eight candidates to join us for phone interviews the following weekend. We sent them four of the eight prepared questions for our telephone interviews to help them prepare for our call.
Throughout the coming week, we did a further round of reference checks on those continuing individuals, as well as prayerfully re-read their application packets. During that week, we were disappointed to have one of our candidates drop their name from the process for personal discernment reasons. So, the first weekend in October, again we met in Anchorage, to hold seven telephone interviews. We began Friday night, all sitting in a circle of our B & B livingroom, with our speakerphone in the middle. We began with the four prepared questions, then moved on to four additional questions. Each candidate had a couple specific questions, raised from their application packets as well. This process lasted 45 minutes for each interview. Following each interview, our group would discuss and pray for the candidate and their ministries, take a short break, then begin again with a new candidate. On Saturday, we worked over 14 hours! By the end of the weekend, we were confident we had five outstanding candidates we needed to see in action. Five site visits out to their locations to see them working in their communities. We contacted these individuals and began to set up our travels, two committee members to each location. We also began the mandatory background checks through the Oxford Document Management company.
During that following week, before Diocesan Convention, one of our final candidates prayerfully withdrew from discernment due to family conflicts. And now that left four. Four wonderful, God filled, Spirit led, candidates to be added to the one candidate remaining from our first part of our search process. At the end of October, beginning of November, our committee will be traveling in different directions to visit each of these candidates. We will be meeting with them, their families, their wardens, vestries, secretaries, musicians, congregations, Bishops and communities.
The weekend of December 11th, your Discernment Committee will meet one final time to discuss these visits and to decide which names to move forward to the Standing Committee to be presented to the Diocese. Our hope is to provide five solid names for the discernment of the Diocese. Once those names are approved, each candidate will be requested to provide a DVD introducing themselves while responding to a series of questions. These DVD’s will be sent out to each congregation for viewing.
In February, one final step will be to open a Petition Process, which is the equivalent of taking “nominations from the floor”. This process will be open to add any people to our slate who may have been overlooked. The process will be thoroughly explained on our website and through e-mail communications to congregations when the time draws nearer. Although these names will not go through any formal discernment process, they will go through the formal background checks required of all candidates.
Our final candidates will participate in a fly-about, around the diocese in late February, early March 2010. Our electing convention for the 8th Bishop of Alaska is scheduled to take place April 9-10, 2010, at Meier Lake, Wasilla. Then, mark your calendars for September 4, 2010, when we will gather in Anchorage with the Presiding Bishop to consecrate the 8th Bishop of Alaska!
Please continue to keep these final candidates and your Discernment Committee in your prayers as we move toward the light at the end of our tunnel! We are truly in the homestretch - Thanks be to God!
Stacy Thorpe
Communication Liaison
The Discernment Committee prayerfully reviews applications.
September, 2009
The deadline for receiving all nomination application materials was August 15th. As of that deadline, we officially have 24 new applicants for the 8th Bishop of Alaska!
The Bishop Discernment Committee is entering into a publicly silent phase of the discernment process. This is the stage where each member of the discernment committee privately and prayerfully studies each candidate’s application materials. This is also the time we have begun contacting some references of our candidates.
For those wondering how this next part of the process takes place, each candidate’s information is prayerfully read through the Gospel eyes of each of our committee members. We are keeping close in mind the criteria developed in our Diocesan Profile, specifically those listed on pages 15-16 (also available at www.alaskabishopsearch.org). Some of these include “deep, spiritual prayer life, multicultural awareness, advocate for ministry and growth, listens from the heart…” to name a few. The individual committee members prayerfully consider each candidate, based on the information submitted. At the end of September, the Discernment Committee will gather together face to face in Anchorage to collectively lift up and discuss each candidate. As we prayerfully consider each candidate, we will assign a numerical ranking based on the strength of the candidate’s skills, experience and personal qualifications related to the criteria. From that work, we will decide whom we would like to continue in conversation with, via telephone interviews. Those who will not be continuing in the process after that point, will be contacted and thanked for their ministry and willingness to having their name put forth.
Following the telephone interviews in October, we will continue reference and background checks. We will also begin readying ourselves to make on-site visits to the finalist candidates in November. These visits will be the final determining factor before we gather one final time in December to prayerfully decide the names to present in January to the Standing Committee for consideration of the 8th Bishop of Alaska. If all continues as planned, our final candidates will participate in a fly-about, around our diocese in late February, early March 2010. At this time, we fully anticipate our electing convention of the 8th Bishop of Alaska to take place April 9-10, 2010.
During this silent phase of our discernment process, please continue to lift up those candidates and their families who are willing to venture forward in this process with our Diocese. As well, please continue to hold the Bishop’s Discernment Committee, Standing Committee and Bishop’s staff, in your daily prayers.
Faithfully Submitted,
Stacy Thorpe
Communication Liaison
Bishop Discernment Committee
Nominations closed July 31
August 5, 2009
As of July 31st, the final nominations for the 8th Bishop of Alaska have officially been closed! We received a total of 28 nominations! All completed nominee packets will be due to the Discernment Committee by August 15th. After that time, the committee will begin a somewhat silent period where it may seem we are out of communication – perhaps implying little work is being done, but please rest assured this is where our real work begins as we prayerfully study each applicant’s packet, truly listening to God’s Spirit. This process will yield little public information, but its impact will define the remainder of our work.
Quite the opposite, this summer the Bishop’s Discernment Committee’s went very public! Our whimsical idea of announcing our Bishop search at General Convention by wearing neon colored t-shirts, turned out to be extremely well received! The deputies wore a rotation of four shirts with slogans on the front that read: “Got Bishop?” “The Frozen Chosen!” “B AK BSHP” and “The Call of the Wild” The slogan on the back of all of the shirts was the same: “Alaska is Calling – Ask Me More!” Our entire deputation continually fielded questions or comments about Alaska and passed out many Bishop Search business cards publishing our webpage. We were featured in several articles, pictures, blogs, etc. And most importantly, we received a wide variety of nominations from our visibility in Anaheim!
In September, the Discernment Committee will have a face-to-face meeting in Anchorage to prayerfully evaluate and rank the candidates. From this meeting, we will have decided on those we wish to follow up with a telephone interview the first weekend in October. Following our Diocesan Convention in October, we will spend the month of November making on-site visits to our final candidates. The beginning of December, the committee will gather one last time to share information gained during the on-site visits and to finalize our list to move forward to the Standing Committee in January for publication to the Diocese by February. If all continues as planned, our final candidates will participate in a fly-about, around our diocese in late February, early March 2010. At this time, we anticipate our electing convention of the 8th Bishop of Alaska to take place April 9-10, 2010.
During this silent phase of our discernment process, please lift up those candidates who are willing to venture forward in this process with our Diocese. As well, please continue to hold the Bishop’s Discernment Committee in your daily prayers.
Faithfully Submitted,
Stacy Thorpe
Communication Liaison
Bishop Discernment Committee
Alaska Bishop Search at General Convention
July 13, 2009
Two members of the Bishop Discernment Committee, Stacy Thorpe and Clarence Bolden, are deputies to General Convention. Along with the other deputies they are getting the word out about Alaska's search for a Bishop. Check out the article on this link...http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_112353_ENG_HTM.htm
* If clicking on the link above does not work: open a new browser window, cut and paste the link into the address bar, and press Enter.
Bishop Discernment Committee Update
June 2009
The Bishop Discernment Committee has been moving full steam ahead since our first meeting in March! On April 17th, we re-opened the nominations for our next Bishop. Nominations have steadily been submitted to our website since that date. Through our consultant, Betsy Greenman, our Diocesan Profile has been submitted to the Church Deployment Office on the national level. This has allowed her to use a national database to seek out clergy who closely fit our Diocesan Profile. May 29-31, the full committee met at Meier Lake, Wasilla with our consultant to review names pulled from the national database, and learn how to read their profiles. Another large portion of our time together was spent with Bishop Kimsey, who offered his insight into our diocese, after spending a few months as our assisting bishop. He offered a wealth of knowledge when it came to the vantage point of a Bishop.
Another major portion of time together was spent in conversation with the Diocesan staff. Much of the conversation was centered on communication. How to improve getting the "word out" on what the Bishop Discernment Committee (BDC) is doing and how to help the staff handle questions that come to the Diocesan Office about the discernment process. The Charge to the BDC from the Standing Committee includes monthly communication. The BDC and Standing Committee also discussed communication and how to do it effectively and in a timely, open manner. To aid in accomplishing this, the BDC will publish a monthly article in The Good News, as well as have Shirley Lee, the Diocesan Communications Liaison electronically distribute our updates to the diocese. The BDC communication to the staff and the diocese will include frequent reference to the timeline and process in an effort to help folks be aware of where the BDC is on that timeline.
Best utilizing the opportunity of General Convention, where we will be in contact with thousands of Episcopalians, was the final focus of our time together. Knowing we will have at least nine Alaskan representatives at convention (our eight deputies and Bishop Kimsey,) we brainstormed how to most effectively get our word out. We have decided to use several ideas including some catchy, bright colored t-shirts with bold messages, calling cards to share which will have our Bishop search website address and possibly some tri-fold, color brochures. Of course, word of mouth will be constant!
As for our timeline, things are proceeding on schedule. Our nominations will close at midnight, July 31st. All completed nomination material is due August 15. The BDC will continue reviewing nomination packets as they are completely received. In September, the BDC will have a face-to-face meeting in Anchorage to evaluate and rank the candidates. From this meeting, we will have decided on those we wish to follow up with a telephone interview the first weekend in October. Following our Diocesan Convention in October, we will spend the month of November making on-site visits to our final candidates. The beginning of December, the committee will gather one last time to share information gained during the on-site visits and to finalize our list to move forward to the Standing Committee in January for publication to the Diocese by February. If all continues as planned, our final candidates will participate in a fly-about, around our diocese in late February, early March 2010. At this time, we anticipate our electing convention of the 8th Bishop of Alaska to take place April 9-10, 2010.
Please continue to hold the Bishop’s Discernment Committee and all of those in our discernment process up in your prayers.
Faithfully Submitted,
Stacy Thorpe Communication Liaison
Bishop Discernment Committee
Bishop Discernment Committee Meeting
March 13-15, 2009
The first weekend in March, the newly formed Bishop Discernment Committee gathered together at a local Anchorage bed & breakfast to initiate their work together. Beginning with prayers and dinner Friday evening, committee members broke bread together before embarking on this next step of discernment for the VIII Bishop of Alaska.
Of this newly formed committee; five are continuing Search Committee members:
Dan Hall, Chair (South East)
Stacy Thorpe, Secretary (South Central)
Linda Demientieff, Treasurer (Interior)
Deatrea Marciel (South East)
Clarence Bolden (Interior)
Three new members were appointed by the Standing Committee to round out this new committee:
Rev. Wilfred Lane (Arctic Coast)
Martin Oktollik, Standing Committee (Arctic Coast)
Rev. Ann Whitney, (South Central)
The Standing Committee met with us Saturday morning to formally give us their charge and to commission our new Discernment Committee. After enjoying lunch together, we were able to sit and discuss the way forward.
The tasks the Standing Committee charged the Discernment Committee with are:
- To discern at least three qualified nominees who will be recommended to the Standing Committee for the presentation to an Electing Convention of the Diocese of Alaska.
- To develop, within 30 days of receiving this charge, a timeline, which does not exceed an Electing Convention of 2010.
- To develop and implement, in collaboration with the Standing Committee and the Diocesan Administrator, a budget and monthly reporting system.
- To report, through Discernment Committee chair or his delegate, at each of the Standing Committee’s regularly-scheduled monthly meetings. This report should indicate progress, budget, and any additional clarification or resources needed from the Standing Committee.
The remainder of our weekend was spent discussing where we are in the process, what has already been accomplished, what can be used from the first part of the process and where we need to pick up. We spent considerable time drafting a new timeline for our work, which should be published with this update! Time was also spent getting ready to open up nominations, including updating our nomination form, essay questions and updating various website pieces.
After finishing the work of our time together, we enjoyed Eucharist with one another. It was then that we found ourselves readied for the next step of this discernment process for the next Bishop of Alaska.
Please keep our Bishop’s Discernment Committee and our Diocese in your prayers over the coming months.
Faithfully submitted,
Stacy Thorpe
BDC Communication Liaison
