What is the result of the Bishop Councils decision for the next Bishop of the 1st District?

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2002

Answers

Bishop Z.L. Grady has been appointed to preside over the 1st Episcopal District. Bishop T.L. Kirkland replaces Bishop Grady as the Presiding Bishop of the 9th Episcopal District.

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2002

Who replaces Bishop Kirkland as Ecumenical Officer? I have a few suggestions :-) QED

-- Anonymous, March 21, 2002

Bro. Dickens I believe that the Office of Ecumenical and Urban Affairs may move to one of the overseas Bishops. The council meeting in June may be the time that decision is finalized. Which Bishop, my guess, is Bishop Norris (don't put to much stock in it as I guessed Bishop Talbot for the First).

Blessings to you all!!

-- Anonymous, March 22, 2002

I'm a bit confused. Can someone explain to me the rationale behind uprooting a Bishop from the 9th.District, with two years left to retire, and sending him to the 1st. District, while sending The Eccumenical Bishop to complete the two years remaining in the 9th. District. I need some help with this one!!!

-- Anonymous, March 28, 2002

While the "explanation" is probably only available from the Council of Bishops, perhaps the following points were taken under consideration:

• The need for "senior" leadership in the First;
• The desire for the First to have a bishop that would not be there for 10 years, thus someone retiring in either 2004 or 2008;
• The need for experienced leadership in the First (Bishop Grady has directly supervised for 10 years, Bishop Kirkland for 4);
• The stabilizing personality of Bishop Grady;
• The personal connection of Bishop Grady to the First;
• The desire of Bishop Kirkland to "set his hands to the plow";
• Bishop's Kirkland's own Alabama roots;
• The pending transitions in 2004 that would bring all who served in Africa in this quadrennium back to the States;
• The other factors to which we lay are not privy.

-- Anonymous, March 28, 2002