As has become my custom, when traveling outside the diocese, I am writing to let you all know what I have been up to these past few days.

The national Episcopal Church has developed a three-year formation process for newly elected bishops, and I have been asked to serve on the "faculty" for it. It's known as the College for Bishops, and involves a Peer Coach relationship for each new bishop, as well as a week-long Residency, to be held each spring the week before Memorial Day weekend. Other faculty members include Clay Matthews (the Bishop Suffragan to the Presiding Bishop for Pastoral Development), Fred Borsch (retired Bishop of Los Angeles), Barry Howe (Bishop of West Missouri), Liz Workman (our process consultant, who has worked for years with EFM and related programs), and Carol Thomson (administrative support).

This year's Residency (the first one for this new program) took place in Memphis. There were 22 bishops as participants, from such places as California, Washington state, New Brunswick, Canada, Toronto, Canada, Texas, New Hampshire, Ohio, North Carolina, Colorado, Wisconsin, New Mexico, North Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, Arizona, Kansas, and the Virgin Islands. Quite a gathering - and a remarkably gifted group.

It was a full week, with various presentations about the theology and history of bishops in the Church, with various exercises to learn about leadership styles and conflict management styles, and wellness issues, and matters dealing with identity, with the role of Chief Pastor, with communications, with the Church Pension Fund, with the appropriate use of power and authority, and so forth. There was a rich experience of worship and small group reflection, and a couple of field trips (to such places as the Civil Rights Museum, the CREDO central office, Beale Street, and even Graceland!)

Overall, I have been left with a sense that the new "crop" of bishops are exceptionally well suited, and very much committed to helping us move through the tensions being experienced in some quarters concerning change in the Church. They will no doubt be offering significant leadership in helping us discover a way to bridge differences and to re-focus our Church on mission and the ministry we share, across the lines which might otherwise divide us.

I'll be in the office on Saturday (May 28), and visiting St John's in Munising on Sunday morning. As always, it'll be good to be back in the diocese!

Happy Memorial Day to all.