Dear Ones,
It is my great joy to introduce you to Bishop Alan Scarfe, who will be leading Grace as clergy-in-charge during my long-planned sabbatical from mid-May to mid-September. Bishop Alan recently retired as Bishop of Iowa, where The Rt. Rev. Betsey Monnot, Grace’s first assistant rector, was elected to succeed him. Another Holy Spirit connection is the fact that Bishop Alan is originally from Yorkshire, England; my family and I will be spending 7 weeks of the sabbatical in the UK thanks to a grant from the Lilly Foundation (more on that soon!) Bishop Alan has lived and served in the US for over 40 years; you can read his bio here. As I have gotten to know him, I have found him to be a compelling preacher, an engaging conversationalist, and a deep contemplative soul. Bishop Alan is excited to spend this time with you all, and I am almost as excited about your time of sabbatical together as I am about mine! I know it will be a time of reconnection and renewal for all.
In Christ’s deep peace, Amy
PS If you’d like to hear a sample of Bishop Alan’s preaching, Scroll down to Pentecost 2021 / Convention opening worship homily by Bishop Alan Scarfe: https://www.saechurch.org/sermon-podcasts/
A Message From Bishop Alan:
Dear People of Grace,
In the days running up to my retirement after eighteen years as bishop of Iowa, the most frequent question I received on the farewell visitations was “Well, Bishop, what do you intend to do in retirement?” My “clever” (and somewhat pious) answer was to say that it was as a follower of Christ that ultimately brought me to them as Bishop, and I will hope to continue following God’s call in this next phase of life. Traveling to St Helena and Napa Valley for the summer to provide sabbatical supply was not something I saw coming. In fact, I wondered if it was a temptation to distract me from the longer process of finding my way into the new future. I have barely unpacked my boxes of nick knacks from my office! I had also promised my garden some attention after eighteen years of neglect.As we explored the possibility with Amy and then the vestry, we began to think of a possibility of devoting our short time together in seeing what sabbath time might look like as a parish. I am certainly in that self-reflecting time of pause, review and explore. These are complicated times to pursue our faith. We are beginning to come together in person again after a long couple of winters; we are living with the serious character and consequence of earth’s fragility under human stress; and we are caught up as a world in the hostilities in the Ukraine, wondering how to pressure for peace, and prevent one drastic wrong step. And dare we ask God for input?
I realize that, simply put, you all want to get through the next few months as steadily and faithfully as possible. I hope I can help you do that. And I encourage us not to avoid the opportunity for our own renewal and strengthening in faith which some intentional programming might allow us to pursue. The vestry has kindly allowed me to break up my time with you to honor other responsibilities, as I am a Bishop Visitor to a Religious Community who hold their annual Convocation in mid-June, and of course have General Convention in mid-July. So, I will be with you for an initial five weeks from early May to mid-June, and then for a further eight weeks after mid-July. At our wedding forty six years ago, my wife and I were told that God said to my pastor “Tell them, they shall serve me”. Donna and I have served God together all of these years, and she certainly is the better agent of grace. She is committed however during the summer to a series of Renaissance Faires, and so will only be with me for a couple of weeks immediately after General Convention. Thanks again to Amy and the vestry, we are looking forward to a few days at Grace this coming Holy Week as a way of getting acquainted.
Until then, I leave you in Christ’s love and peace,
Bishop Alan Scarfe
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