The Future Is An Exciting Place!

The Rt. Rev.

Junius M.

Horner,

1922-1933

The Rt. Rev.

Robert E.

Gribbin,

1934-1947

The Rt. Rev.

Matthew

George Henry

1948-1974

The Rt. Rev.

William

Weinhauer,

1975-1990

The Rt. Rev.

Robert H.

Johnson,

1990-2003

The Rt. Rev. G. Porter Taylor, 2004-Present

Our Diocese is in the process of searching for a new bishop and preparing for the transition when that person is elected. Candidates will be introduced to you in various locations next spring after the selection of three to five people. Meanwhile, the Transition Committee’s Communication and Education group thought it would be helpful to review our Episcopal history, look at the role of Bishop, and focus on our Western North Carolina Heritage.

Most of us have met a bishop once or twice in our lives, probably at a confirmation or the ordination of a priest. Bishops are clearly in charge of what is happening and even have a special chair at the altar. They come to our churches for ceremonies, men and women in elegant robes, wearing unusually tall hats, carrying staffs and looking very regal. They preach a sermon, put their hands on the heads of people there for confirmation and then they are gone.

What is “laying on of hands” about? What is “apostolic succession?” These rituals have special meaning for all of us. But why do we have them? Some might say that bishops and the hierarchy of the church are unnecessary and costly. They ask, “Why do we want bishops and cathedrals and all the celebrations and rituals?”

We hope this little booklet will offer clarity about the richness and love of tradition that is part of The Episcopal Church, as well as reminding us of God’s message to us: “Behold, I will make all things new.” (Isaiah 43:19)

Our Book of Common Prayer says the following about what a Bishop does: The ministry of a bishop is to represent Christ and his Church, particularly as apostle, chief priest, and pastor of a diocese; to guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the whole Church; to proclaim the Word of God; to act in Christ’s name for the reconciliation of the world and the building up of the Church; and to ordain others to continue Christ’s ministry.

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What’s All the Excitement About?

Here are Bishop Porter Taylor’s thoughts on being our Bishop, the gifts of our Western North Carolina Diocese, and a few of the transformations he has witnessed during his tenure:

After eleven years of being your bishop, everything has changed and nothing has changed. When I came to WNC, I didn’t own a cell phone and Chal Vaughn, my Administrative Assistant, kept my calendar in a notebook. On Sunday morning I poured over my paper map to find parishes. There were no tweets or Instagram or texts. We weren’t in communion with Moravians. Our Spanish Speaking presence was limited to Asheville and Hendersonville. We didn’t have a companion diocese or a Development Officer. We had significant financial issues and on and on.

Yet, there is a certain character about this diocese that has been constant since we formed. There is an earthiness to WNC, a sense of being grounded in who we are. We aren’t very trendy, but we are solid and true. I experience that in my visitations and in our various meetings. People aren’t so caught up in titles, nor do they want to tell you how important their position is. Instead, they are interested in the work and the mission. I have experienced an honesty and a candor that I am not sure all bishops receive, and it has been a blessing.

When I was first ordained as a bishop, I received much advice. Most of it was unhelpful. However, one bishop said to me just before the consecration, “Porter, love your people.” On the one hand the episcopacy is a very complex office. Bishops are to guide their diocese, yet be part of the larger Church. It’s why “episcopas” means “overseer.” We are to stand in the middle of the diocese yet go beyond the borders to represent our people to the wider councils, which in many ways are impossible tasks. Thus, at the end of the day, it’s about relationships. As I contemplate resigning as the VI Bishop of WNC, it’s not accomplishments I so recall as the people of WNC. I am grateful for the generosity, the hospitality, and the honesty that connects us as children of God, and I know the Seventh Bishop of WNC will give thanks for that as well.

+Porter Taylor

Our Retiring Bishop’s Reflection

A Few Highlights From Our History & Traditions

The Episcopal Church started as part of the Church of England and is a member of the Anglican Communion. Almost two million American Episcopalians are part of the 85 million Christians in 165 different countries who are all part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

After the American Revolution, people from England who came to North America loved the freedom of democracy and wanted a church that suited their new lives in a new country. The Episcopal Church in North America was organized, became uniquely American, and still kept its roots with the Church of England.

To symbolize the changes, early Americans changed the name from the Church of England to The Episcopal Church. Other changes were made as well, including creating our own Book of Common Prayer. Perhaps one most

important difference between the Church of England and The Episcopal Church is how democracy affected the structure of the church. The Episcopal Church elects its bishops from its membership while the Church of England selects its bishops by an appointed committee.

The shield of The Episcopal Church reminds us of this history. The colors red, white, and blue are the colors of the flags of both United States and England. The blue field in the upper corner has nine smaller crosses which form an “X” shape. These nine crosses represent the nine dioceses that met in 1798 to form the early Episcopal Church. The “X” shape represents the cross of St. Andrew, which is on the flag of Scotland. The very first bishop to be consecrated in The Episcopal Church in 1783, was a Scot, Samuel Seabury. Since that time, 1,091 bishops have been consecrated and the woman or man we elect will become a bishop through Apostolic Succession.

Apostolic Succession includes the laying on of hands which dates back to the laying on of hands by Jesus when disciples were given the authority to teach about The Way. It is an ancient tradition in many religions. Real as well as symbolic, it is a Jewish sign inherited by the early church. When a bishop in The Episcopal Church is consecrated, brother and sister bishops surround the new bishop and lay hands on her or him as one bishop says this prayer:

Therefore, Father, make (this person) a bishop in your Church. Pour out upon him/her the power of your princely Spirit, who you bestowed upon your beloved Son Jesus Christ, with whom he endowed the apostles, and by whom your Church is built up in every place, to the glory and unceasing praise of your Name. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 521)

The laying on of hands has been going on for centuries and is referred to as Apostolic Succession when it occurs during an ordination or consecration. It is another way to communicate a caring relationship such as baptisms, blessings, healing prayers and times when we ask God to cover this moment with presence and assurance.

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The first recorded worship from the Book of Common Prayer west of the Catawba River was in 1786. Valle Crucis, where one of our two conference centers is located, began as a missionary outpost in 1842. In 1894, a resolution was adopted in the Convention of the Diocese of North Carolina that the Western part of the State be set off and offered to the General Church as a Missionary District. The following year, in November 1895, the first Convention of the District of Asheville was held at Trinity Church in Asheville. In 1922, after all the requirements had been fulfilled, a petition from the Jurisdiction of Asheville to become the Diocese of Western North Carolina was presented at the General Convention of The Episcopal Church. It was accepted on September 12, 1922

The Bishop of WNC then was The Rt. Rev. Junius Moore Horner, D.D., who had presided all those years over the Missionary Jurisdiction. What started out as the Missionary District of Asheville now has over 15,000 members, 62 parishes, and 8 chapels/preaching stations. Look at the Diocesan Profile on our website for more information: www.diocesewnc.org.

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A Very Brief History of the Diocese of Western North

Carolina

www.churchpublishing.org/whenthebishopcomestovisit

As we continue toward an exhilarating future, let us Walk in the way, Widen the walls and Wake up the world!