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we have greetings of two convention and we're going to start with our Bishop elect Sally French
well good morning everyone I have to tell you it is such a joy to be here and it is even more of a
joy to be here following the necessary but maybe not inspiring voting setup instructions and not
presiding Bishop Michael Curry in the sequence as he is as you all know a very inspirational
and prophetic speaker especially on the live screen but I'm delighted to be here in this
room in this space it's only five weeks since you all gathered for the election in this room and
in this space and it feels like a great deal has happened since then for me and my family
we've sold our house in North Carolina and we found a wonderful place to land in New Jersey
my husband Clark and I both finish up in our current positions in about two weeks
our children are finishing school in North Carolina in three weeks they were Overjoyed to
discover that they catch both the North Carolina spring break and the New Jersey one on arrival
what they haven't figured out yet is that way they make up for that at the end of
the school year when North Carolina finishes on June 13th and New Jersey goes for another
week or so but we'll save that surprise until after they've made the connections
the movers are turning up on March 27th and we're going to be here in early April by the grace of
God and moving companies notwithstanding and I plan to be in the office across the street by the
middle of the month now when your elected Bishop a lot of people start to give you their best advice
and I think one of the best pieces of advice I've received so far which
actually came to me from a bishop who told me that he had received it from Bishop Curry
was that at this point I probably have some ideas about why I have been called to serve
as the 13th Bishop of New Jersey about why you might have elected me and that I should write
this down now while it's still fresh and clear in my head and put it in my desk drawer and keep it
where I can look at it on a regular basis in the years and the months ahead before I forget right
I think the part of why you might have elected me as your next Bishop by the grace of God
and with the Holy Spirit is that I bring some administrative and strategic gifts and vision
and these will be necessary as we engage in the work ahead around the budget and around
the ways that God's Mission and Ministry is lived out in the Diocese of New Jersey
I think another part of why I'm here is relationship I want to be in relationship with you
I want to know you and to love you I want to collaborate with you in Partnership
in God's amazing work this means that whatever conversations we have around
the budget and Around Mission and Ministry our conversations that I personally am going to lead
it also means that we are working on ways to get me on the ground in congregations in convocations
and in other ways I'm going to set up a formal system for visitations
and work on being available to congregations and communities now going from zero to a hundred
and ten percent on a Bishop's calendar is a complicated business it's not going to happen
overnight but we're going to get there soon I know folks are already reaching out to The
Bishop's office to try and find dates and times and ways to make those connections and I promise
you we will respond to that shortly and there will be a system and a process and it will be
ready to begin with some of those visits as soon as I arrive early in the midpoint of next month
but the last thing I want to say today is to Echo Bishop Stokes in saying thank you
thank you to this diocese and Convention for my election for inviting me into partnership with you
and for responding to God's call for us to walk together as bishop and people
this call and this diocese are already so precious to me and I am humbled and Overjoyed to be here
thank you to Bishop chip for his Decades of faithful leadership one of the things that
Drew me to you is the ways that congregations and leaders are already so connected and committed to
the work of God to Justice to compassion to care for one another and for the world around this was
visible in the churches that we visited and in the people we met during the search process and it is
clear to me that you have the gift of 10 years of healthy compassionate and faithful leadership
and so I give thanks to Bishop chip and Susan for all that they have done and continue to do
and finally I give thanks to God for this call and invitation one of my favorite Bible verses
is from Isaiah chapter 43. where God says to the prophet see I am about to do a new thing
and I will make a way God is indeed doing a new thing right here in New Jersey
and I give thanks for God's great work for each and every one of you thank you thank you thank you
stay here stay here stay here
when I when I met with the bishop nominees I told him the story of Susan buying me two hats
uh unbeknownst to me during the election process actually the first one was in
Newark I was a nominee for Newark and they elected Mark Beckwith and
Susan had bought these two hats one of which said that was close
and the other one was a purple hat that said Bishop elect
it got put away after that election but it was Resurrected after the election in New Jersey
and I wore it when I came into the Diocese of New Jersey and I am now handing it on to you
so I am a little off script here and Steve will probably cut the microphone in under a minute
for this wonderful hat
s and then replaced with a slightly pointier one
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