The Diocese of Montreal has elected a new bishop, and the bishops of the Anglican Province of Canada have concurred! I am very pleased at the election of the Venerable Victor David Mbuyi Bipungu, and I am grateful to all of the candidates who put in time, thought and prayer to present their visions for the future. Thank you also to Archbishop David Edwards who led the process.
We asked the Holy Spirit to come and guide our diocese in that election. It was not an easy process and there were many bumps in the road, and many unmet expectations about how things would work. There was lots of fear about unwelcome outcomes, and lots of opinions about the danger of not electing the right candidate.
Throughout the process, many of you heard me say over and over that the Holy Spirit knew how to guide our diocese into electing the right person. My own journey of faith over the decades has been deeply enriched as I have grown in my own trust and hope in the Holy Spirit since I first became aware of the Spirit when I was a teenager. I have experienced the Spirit in many different ways, sometimes simply as an act of faith or trust and hope that God is with us.
The Church needs the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us, to teach us and remind us of
the words of Jesus. Why? Because the church is full of human beings, each with their own personalities and foibles. It can get messy. It can be hurtful. And sometimes it can get off track completely and follow the wrong path.
Can the Holy Spirit work with people like us? I am convinced that the Holy Spirit DOES work with people like us. Read the New Testament to see what the early church experienced as it fumbled along by faith. Each of us needs to be open to God’s Spirit moving in us and directing us.
In this season of Pentecost, I ask you to pray for our Diocese, for the Holy Spirit to be released on us all for the work of ministry. Pray for bishop-elect Victor David and his family. Pray for the Diocesan Council as they meet to strengthen the church and improve its policies and canons. Lean into the words Jesus said to his disciples.
“I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” John 14:25-27
Faithfully,
