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Dearly beloved of God at Good Shepherd,

 

I love you. I love the ministry we are doing together. I love the way we have not only survived the pandemic but thrived. I’m proud of the way we continue to welcome new members, including new Canadians. I’m awed by the faithfulness of our volunteers. I’m thrilled to baptize so many new believers and welcome children of every age. I’m honoured to walk with you in a good way on this land as we seek reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and strive for justice and peace among all people. God has been so good to us, and it thrills me to witness his work among us.

Today, it has been announced that I am a nominee for the ninth bishop of Olympia, the diocese that covers the western half of Washington state. It’s important that you know I did not go looking for a job. It’s not that I feel called away from our work together, but rather that the work we have done has given me so many gifts that I feel called to faithfully discern whether God is calling me to share those gifts in a new ministry context.

This means we are entering a time of uncertainty. The next step will be for me to visit the Episcopal church in western Washington and take part in a series of Meet and Greets with the other nominees during the week of 29 April.  The election will take place on Saturday 18 May, the day before Pentecost. If I am elected, I will make sure that we take the time necessary to make a good farewell, that you are cared for, that your next priest is set up well for a good transition into the next phase of God’s work in Castle Downs.

In this time of uncertainty, it is tempting to tell ourselves stories in the absence of information. These stories help to soothe our anxiety about the unknown. I would ask, as a Lenten discipline, that you not do that. If you have questions, please ask me. I would be very glad to talk to you about this process and why I responded to God’s call to enter into it. I also invite you to be a good steward of your feelings and those of others. Uncertainty can create space for miscommunication and hurt feelings, and it’s important that we avoid that as much as possible. Our neighbours depend on our ministry together, and as part of our commitment to love them as Jesus commanded, we will need to offer them the best we can in an uncertain time.

We will have opportunities to check in before the Meet and Greets. I will communicate with you as much as is within my power. For now, I ask that you hold Derek and me in prayer. It is a time of uncertainty for us as well, and we, as ever, need God’s help. Be assured that I am in constant prayer for all of you whom it has been my privilege to serve this last seven years.

Faithfully yours,

Jordan+