Canon Betsy in Bishop Search - Diocese of Northwest Texas
A Message from Bishop Poulson
Dear Friends in the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma,
As you will see today, Canon Betsy Randall, our Canon to the Ordinary, is one of the nominees to be Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas.
In ministry and in our Christian faith, we become used to holding different emotions at the same time, aware that God’s plans are always the right ones. I feel sadness at the prospect of losing her from our diocese, because Canon Betsy has been a great blessing to us all, and a wise and trusted counselor and partner in ministry for me and the other canons. And yet, I am so deeply happy for Betsy and Gardner, for the Diocese of Northwest Texas (where the Randalls have deep roots), and for the whole Church, because the Episcopal Church needs effective bishops more than ever.
One of our spiritual gifts in our diocese has been to help nurture bishops for the wider Church from our staff, most recently with Canons José McLoughlin and Susan Brown Snook. It is a sign of our strength that other dioceses look to us for outstanding candidates for bishop.
When the election happens in January, Canon Betsy will have been with us almost four years. And that time with us may continue, as no one but God knows what the outcome of the election will be. But whatever the next months may hold in store, I ask you to join with me in prayer for Canon Betsy, for Gardner and their children, for the other candidates in Northwest Texas, for our diocese, and in thanksgiving for the wonderful ways that God is always at work.
A Message from Canon Betsy
Dear Friends in Christ,
I have been invited to stand for election for the next Bishop of the Diocese of Northwest Texas. I am grateful to discern a call to serve in the place where I was taught to love and follow Jesus. In the following months I will participate in a public interview process, culminating with an election in January.
In the meantime, I will remain here, serving alongside some of the most faithful and inspirational ministers of the gospel that I have ever known. Your dedication to serving God and loving our neighbors has impacted my ministry in tremendous ways that will last throughout my life. I am grateful to Bishop Poulson for encouraging me to engage in this season of discernment and ask your prayers for Gardner, our family, the candidates, and the people of the Diocese of Northwest Texas as we seek God’s will together.
