The Diocese of Northern Michigan announced today that its Bishop’s Search Committee has nominated four priests to stand for election as the diocese’s next bishop. The election will be held in Escanaba, MI on December 4.
The nominees are:
*The Rev. Dr. Susanna E. Metz, executive director of the Center for Ministry in Small Churches at the University of the South, Sewanee;
*The Rev. Rayford Ray, a member of the Episcopal Ministry Support Team in the Diocese of Northern Michigan;
*The Rev. Nigel Taber-Hamilton, rector of St. Augustine’s-in-the-Woods Episcopal Church, Freeland, WA;
*The Rev. Jos Tharakan, rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Russellville, AR.
The announcement says:
“We had an excellent response to the publication of our diocesan profile, and we are delighted to be able to recommend four such talented nominees,” said Pat Micklow, a member of the search committee who is also a member of Diocesan Council.
Metz, rector of St. John the Baptist Church in Battle Creek, TN, is a lecturer in contextual theology and the director of field education in the School of Theology at Sewanee. She is also publisher of Tuesday Morning, a quarterly journal on liturgical preaching and ministry.
Ray, a four-time deputy to General Convention, has served for more than 20 years in the Diocese of Northern Michigan, working as ministry development coordinator and collaborating with parishes across the Upper Peninsula. He was recently an adjunct instructor at Episcopal Divinity School.
Taber-Hamilton, who served on the commissions on liturgy and music, ministry, and stewardship in the Diocese of Indianapolis, is certified as a mentor in the University of the South’s popular Education for Ministry program.
Tharakan, formerly the director of a Christian publishing house in his native India, writes a column for a local newspaper and has launched numerous web sites. He is an active member of the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education.
The diocese, founded in 1895, comprises 27 congregations in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Northern Michigan has been without a diocesan bishop since the Rt. Rev. Jim Kelsey died in a car accident in June 2007. In February 2009, the diocese elected the Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester as bishop, but he did not receive the consent of the wider church. Bishop Tom Ray serves as assisting bishop.
The diocese is also accepting nominations by petition until October 15. Instructions for nominating by petition are available on the diocesan web site at: http://www.upepiscopal.org.
Long time readers may remember that this is the second round of Episcopal discernment for the Diocese of Northern Michigan. Their previous nominee, the Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester, was the sole nominee presented to their convention last go round, and he did not receive sufficient consents from Bishops and Standing Committees.
Previous coverage may be found on The Lead between this first postand this last post that we had on the subject.