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From your diocesan Standing Committee

From Your Diocesan Standing Committee

 
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
 
The search process for the 12th Bishop of Milwaukee is underway.
 
Our diocesan consultant, the Rev. Ann Hallisey, was with us to lead the diocesan clergy conference at DeKoven Center in Racine from January 20-22. This was a time to be with one another and engage in dialogue about our common life and mission in this diocese and to share some ideas and hope about our future in the Diocese of Milwaukee. All who attended reported that this time together was a gift and a blessing.
 
Following the Clergy Retreat, Ann stayed at DeKoven and led a retreat from January 24-25 for the newly-commissioned Search Committee. They got through a good deal of material during their time together, and, even as I type this note to you, they are getting started on a variety of tasks under the careful leadership of co-chairs Fr. Ian Burch and Ms. Jan Watter. You will be hearing updates about their work in the not-so-distant future.
 
Your Standing Committee has created a prayer for the search process that we're going to ask every parish in the diocese to make a part of their regular worship. It is provided for you at the end of this message. As part of the search process work, we have also created an official "charge" (think "marching orders") to the Search Committee and we are working on a theological statement, as well. As you know, an undertaking such as this involves a financial component, and so we are also in the midst of preparing a budget.
 
While we have plenty to do, it's going well at this point and for that, we are grateful!
 
God bless you.
 
Fr. Scott Leannah, on behalf of the Standing Committee
 
Diocesan Prayer as we search for the 12th Bishop of the Diocese of Milwaukee:

Gracious and loving God in whom we live and move and have our being: We pray for your guidance and wisdom that we may faithfully follow your calling in our own lives and as we as the Diocese of Milwaukee discern the calling of our twelfth bishop. We give you thanks for the service of Bishop Steven Miller in the life of our diocese and for the blessings that marked his ministry among us. We also pray for his family during this time of transition. We pray for those whom you have called to serve on our Standing, Search, and Transition Committees, and we pray also for those who will respond to your call to enter into discernment with us to be our next bishop. Give us all listening and prayerful hearts for this most important task. This we ask in the name of the One who said, “Come, follow me.” Amen.    

Posted by The Rev. Scott Leannah
Tags: standing committee, bishop transition
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12th Bishop of Milwaukee Search: Search Committee Names Announced

Dear Friends in Christ,
 
As we continue the search process we began in August when Bishop Miller announced his retirement in November 2020, the Standing Committee has appointed the Rev. Ian Burch (St. Mark’s, Milwaukee) and Jan Watter (St. Bartholomew’s, Pewaukee) to serve as co-chairs of the Search Committee.
 
In addition, the Standing Committee worked hard to choose from a highly qualified pool of applicants to serve on the Search Committee. Here is the list of those who have agreed to serve on the Search Committee:
 
  • The Rev. Ian Burch (St. Mark’s, Milwaukee), co-chair
  • The Rev. Matthew Buterbaugh (St. Matthew’s, Kenosha)
  • Bertram Ezenwa (St. Boniface, Mequon)
  • The Rev. Nancy Hills (Christ Church, Whitefish Bay)
  • John Johnson (Grace, Madison)
  • Daryl Laatsch (St. James, West Bend)
  • The Rev. Pedro Lara (Christ Church, Delavan)
  • Debra Martinez (St. Dunstan’s, Madison)
  • The Rev. Dave Mowers (Trinity, Baraboo)
  • Bill Robison (Trinity, Wauwatosa)
  • Melissa Santa-Cruz (Christ Church, Whitefish Bay)
  • The Rev. Elizabeth Tester (St. Paul’s, Watertown)
  • Jan Watter (St. Bartholomew’s, Pewaukee), co-chair
  • Sally Williams (St. Mary’s, Dousman)
  • Tammy Prather (St. Bartholomew’s, Pewaukee), ex-officio Standing Committee liaison
This group will come together as the Search Committee for the first time when they meet for an organizing retreat January 24-25, at the DeKoven Center in Racine. The retreat will be led by the Rev. Ann Hallisey, our diocesan search consultant.
 
We urge you to continue to pray for everyone involved in the search, and to look for ways you can involve yourself as well.
 
Faithfully,
 
The Rev. Scott Leannah
Standing Committee President
 
Posted by The Rev. Scott Leannah
Tags: search committee, standing committee, bishop transition

Update from the Standing Committee

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Greetings to everyone in the diocese from your Standing Committee!
 
Since our bishop has announced his retirement in 2020, we have been laying the groundwork for our role in the common life we share as members of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. We do not take this burden lightly. It is our goal to engage in a thorough, prayerful and thoughtful process of discernment. To that end, we are pleased to announce our unanimous selection of the Rev. Anne Hallisey as our consultant. She has guided other dioceses through search processes before and comes to us highly recommended.
 
Her particular skills, gifts and professional background seem to be a perfect fit for us. We will have more news to share in the not-so-distant future but for now, that first and significant step is taken care of and we couldn't be more pleased with Anne's decision to help guide and shepherd us through this process. 
 
Aside from that, we continue to work with Bishop Miller and the Executive Council as we seek to fulfill our role in the life of the diocese.
 
The Rev. Scott Leannah, President 

Posted by The Rev. Scott Leannah
Tags: standing committee, bishop transition

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