Bishop Investigation Concludes
Dear Church,
By now a few of you on the diocesan email list have received a communication from both the Standing Committee of the Diocese and from Paul-Gordon Chandler, himself, notifying us that our Bishop is no longer allowed to serve as a Bishop in Wyoming or function as priest or deacon in The Episcopal Church. The decision concludes a long investigation into accusations of misconduct on the part of our Bishop filed through the Presiding Bishop’s office, the normal and reliable avenue for these types of complaints. Below, you fill find the two separate communications.
What comes next is not yet clear, and we shouldn’t expect it to be. We have healing work to engage as a diocese, and I am confident we will engage that work thoughtfully and lovingly, so that we might heal from all that has happened and any disfunction that led us here.
As a parish and as a diocese, we have nothing to fear. While the circumstances we find ourselves in are not the norm, we here at St. John’s are on very solid ground. In the process ahead, we will communicate any developments to the parish as we receive them. If we feel the need to hold any information sessions for people to speak, emote, ask questions, we will certainly conduct them.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or thoughts or feelings, I’d be happy to respond.
Love,
Jimmy
Standing Committee and Paul-Gordon Chandler Communications below
Greetings,
Presiding Bishop-Designate Mary Gray-Reeves announced she and Paul-Gordon Chandler have entered an accord which includes the sentence of deposition. This means he shall be deprived of the right to exercise the gifts and spiritual authority of God’s word and sacraments conferred at ordination. As of March 26, he is no long serving as Bishop of Wyoming.
The standing committee continues to serve as ecclesiastical authority and will remain in partnership with the Office of Pastoral Development to determine our next steps.
We are saddened by this news yet are thankful for the resolution. Lift up your prayers for the Chandler family and all who are affected by this outcome.
We enter into Holy Week remembering the servanthood of foot-washing, the terrors of Good Friday, and the piercing anxiety of Holy Saturday. Our suffering is intimately known by God; our hope of resurrection lies there as well. We belong to this God whose green blade rises from even most arid field. May we all continue to till and plant as part of God’s faithful work in Wyoming.
Megan Nickles
Standing Committee
Dear Diocesan family,
Greetings and I trust each of you, as well as your families and loved ones, are doing well. It has been very difficult for me to have been away these last months.
The reason I am writing is that to let you know that I will not be able to continue to serve as your bishop, and that I voluntarily decided to leave ordained ministry with The Episcopal Church. This has of course been heartbreaking for us.
Lynne and I prayed long and hard about all this, and while it will be difficult to understand, this decision allows me to stay true to myself, as well as to continue to be faithful to my calling: “Seeking to enable others to enter a deeper dimension spiritually and experience the beauty of God in fresh ways.”
Personally, as many of you are already aware, I never aspired to be a bishop. Rather, for me it was a sense of calling to serve with you in Wyoming. Serving among you has been among the greatest honors of my life. I thank God for the inestimable gift I was given of ministering alongside you over the last three years, as we together sought to follow the Christ of the Wyoming Road, and be open to whatever new frontiers he led us towards.
Thank you for welcoming us with open arms and hearts, for which we are profoundly grateful. We have been deeply inspired by you. I also want to thank you for your prayers that have sustained us during this wilderness time. There are some beautiful desert flowers that have emerged. We have experienced God’s presence through this challenging time in profoundly moving ways. And I know what it means to experience the power of grace.
It is important for us all to be reminded that none of us is ever truly defined by what happens to us, but rather by how we respond and who we choose to become as a result of it all. While I understand that this will bring confusion, I encourage us all to feed grace, and not anger or resentment, and cherish anew the spirit of kindness, gentleness and generosity.
You will undoubtedly have some transitional leadership until a new bishop is elected. Whomever they are, they will be blessed by your Wyoming welcome, as we so movingly were. Please know you will be in our thoughts and prayers as you enter into a transitional phase. Thank you for blessing us with the beautiful gift of your presence in our lives over these last three years. As I journey on into this next chapter of life, your love and light will continue to shine in my heart.
“Take Hope, Hold Joy, Be Love – Always Journey”
Your friend
Paul-Gordon
