Early in my tenure (beginning in 1998) the leadership of the diocese developed a Vision/Mission statement of the diocese which reads: “We are one in baptism – our call to discipleship – to be the hands and heart of Jesus in the world.” This statement affirms our belief that it is the sacrament of baptism which confers membership in the Body of Christ and gifts each of us to engage the ministry which is ours for the purpose of living and spreading the Gospel.

Our emphasis has been on discerning and developing lay ministries and empowering congregational members and diocesan com-mittees to claim the leadership to which they have been called. We are talking about the Ministry of All the Baptized. Each one of us, by virtue of our baptism, possesses gifts to do the work of ministry where we live. This means that whether we are the bishop or a little child, each of us is gifted for the work of min-istry. The task before us is one of helping each of us claim the gifts which are ours and then use them in concert with one another for the spread of the Kingdom. This requires a con-centrated team effort on the part of all mem-bers of the diocese.

My emphasis as bishop in Idaho has been on encouraging each congregation to fo-cus its vision and action on mission, minister-ing Christ’s healing love in the world. Many congregations have developed new and excit-ing ministries that are vital to their communi-ties and our world. Whether it is in feeding the poor, educating young families, providing afterschool opportunities for our youth, or work-ing together with interfaith partners to provide shelter for the homeless, Christ’s love is being extended into our communities. And beyond our communities congregations have helped provide a permanent water supply for a Ken-yan orphanage, micro-credit funds for small business loans in Africa, money and hands to help people begin recovery after Hurricane Katrina, and a missionary presence in places like South Africa, Kenya, Honduras, North Carolina, Montana, Belize, and Jordan, to name a few places where both adults and youth have been on mission. And when you review the dreams for the future expressed by our congregations at our recent diocesan convention, you will see that this trend will only continue to grow.

While progress is being made, however, there is a tendency on the part of some to leave the work of ministry for others. In other words, putting the Ministry of All the Baptized into practice in our daily life is a difficult con-cept for some to grasp and is hard work, par-ticularly as it invites each member of the Body of Christ to practice discipleship as a way of life. We still have a way to go in helping some members of the diocese identify and claim their gifts for ministry.

Of course, there are still challenges to be met. In our congregations which do not have full-time clergy, we are working to develop Ministry Teams to bring appropriate leadership and coordination to the various ministries of the congregation. And we are still working to bring our deaneries closer together to support the work each congregation is addressing. But when you look closely at the provocative propositions generated by the people of this diocese articulating a vision for our fu-ture together, you will see that there is hope and energy for what lies ahead. Being a part of the Diocese of Idaho has been a blessing to me, and I am cer-tain that it will be a blessing for the next bishop of this diocese also, as he or she comes to help us realize the dreams which the Holy Spirit is calling us to pursue. It is an exciting time as we look to the future, and I commend this diocese to any person who might be seek-ing to discern God’s call to episcopal ministry in the church.

Peace and Blessing - HBB