GOOD WORDS FROM LOUISIANA

From Churchwork, the official publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana.

With Mud on My Shoes
by Bishop Charles Jenkins

Holy Scripture tells us that when we come to a place where the Good News of God in Christ is not honored we should "shake the dust from our sandals." There is no dust in south Louisiana this wet winter. My wellies are covered in mud and I have no intention of trying to shake that river mud from my feet! Serving God as Bishop in Louisiana has been an honor for me.

I had no idea how this ministry of episcope would turn out. If God had told me that a fellow from rural north Louisiana would ended up doing the ministry that has been mine for the past five years, I would have questioned God's credibility. Indeed, these last five years have been the hardest of my life. It has been frustrating as can be to try and deal with all that I have had before me whilst dealing with my own impairment. So, with honor there is humility. God is good.

My parting hope is that we shall continue strong as a Church to stand for all of God's children. There have been times when we alone have so done. If we keep doing God's will, we shall not be alone for long.

Thank you for your kindness and support. Please show the same and more to Bishop Thompson as he takes up the joy of episcope in Louisiana. Please forgive me for those things I ought not to have done and those things that I ought to have done that I did not do. They are many.

God bless you.

+Charles

Bishop Jenkins, I don't know if you meant to, but you made me cry. I shall miss you. May God bless you in your retirement. Take your time to rest and recover. Take all the time that you need. However, I, for one, do not believe that your ministry is over. I pray that God will enlighten you and Louise and guide you in the way forward.


When Anticipation Becomes Reality
By Harriet Murrell, Director of School for Ministry and Diocesan Archivist

...We woke up Saturday morning, December 5 and by mid-day experienced the naming of the eleventh bishop of the Diocese of Louisiana.

Since December 2008 when Bishop Jenkins announced his retirement, all Episcopalians, with varying degrees of interest, wondered what his decision meant. What would the nominating process be like? Would there be a woman among the nominees? Would the candidates pay attention to what we said in the prepared profile? Would our electing delegates reflect the attitudes of their constituency? After the walkabouts, did the candidates become real people expressing sincere interest in us as a diverse group of Episcopalians with spiritual and cultural differences?

The reality is here. The Very Rev'd. Morris Thompson, Dean of Christ Cathedral in Lexington, KY has been elected and, God willing, will be consecrated Bishop of Louisiana on May 8, 2010.

While appointed committees work to say goodbye to Charles and Louise Jenkins, to manage during the transition and to welcome Bishop-elect Thompson, his wife, Rebecca and his grown children, Virginia and Trey, is there anything we as members of the flock need to do? I contend yes.

Let our prayers for the Jenkinses, the Thompson and the congregations of this diocese be loving and sincere. Let us be open to the leadership of Bishop Thompson, resisting the urge to even think the words, "We don't do it that way."

As Dean Thompson visits the diocese in the winter and the spring of 2010, he is laying the ground work for his episcopacy. ...[We] must do what we can to be ready to welcome Morris Thompson as our leader, shepherd and friend.

Amen, Harriet.

A Note from Bishop-elect Thompson

Dear Clergy and Communicants of the Diocese of Louisiana,

It is with the highest pleasure that I accept your election as 11th Bishop of Louisiana.

I want you to know I am so very impressed with the diocese, both clergy and lay leadership, and look forward to our shared ministry. I have visions of being in each of your parishes and am anxious to get started.

Please know Rebecca joins me with excitement in getting to know you. She's already looking for books and movies that will teach us more about your rich culture. Any suggestions? We know we have lots to learn and are ready for you to teach us.

Our immediate residential plans are to move into 2605 St. Charles Ave. around the first of April. Catching the trolley in front of our home seems surreal. From 2605 our hospitality will extend throughout the diocese. Although we aren't there, you are in our daily prayers and thoughts. The ministry that is unfolding before us is filled with God's mystery and joy. It is this Gift that we share.

May God's grace be with us all in these times of anticipation.

I am as always...
Faithfully yours,
The Very Rev'd Morris K Thompson

May God bless you, Bishop-elect Thompson, and may God bless us here in south Louisiana as we await your consecration as our new bishop.

My two early suggestions for you to get to know us better are:

First: take care about which movies you watch, because films about us so very often get it wrong.

Second: Practice calling the trolleys "streetcars".