Bishop’s Journal

July 2025

1  |  Staff Meeting

Meetings with Staff Members

2 |  Conference Call with Communications Team, Presiding Bishop’s Office

3 |  Visit to Camp Bratton-Green – Primary Camp
I have enjoyed sharing time with our Camp groups – and am so grateful to our session directors, our permanent staff, our other staffers, the families who entrust campers with us every year – and to the amazing Chip Davis, our Executive Director, and his incredible wife and co-Director, Cathy, who keep it all humming smoothly! Added bonus was getting to see the Pastor family, former parishioners from St. George’s Church, Germantown! Until next summer! Thanks, everyone!!

8 |  Staff Meeting
Meetings with Staff Members

9 |  Meeting with clergyperson
Travel to Oxford, MS
Meeting with St. Peter’s Church
Vestry

10 |  Travel to Jackson, MS
Meeting with Vestry
Meeting re: affordable housing

11 |  Travel to Cleveland, MS
Officiate clergy funeral (the Rev. Julia Moore)

14 |  Bishop’s sabbath

15 |  Staff Meeting
Meetings with Staff Members

16 |  Meetings with clergypersons

17 |  Meeting with retired clergyperson
Meeting with CPA firm

18 |  Meet with staff person
Visit Special Camp II; celebrate Poolcharist

19 |  Traveled to England

20-27 |  Choir residency at Durham Cathedral

I am eternally grateful to Calvary Church Choir for letting me join them on their residency at Durham Cathedral. This first week in England has been such a gift. Worship each day has been unbelievably wonderful (And yes, I did sing one Evensong service!)! Thank you to the ever-so-talented Kristin Lensch for so much hard work on this program (We’re all indebted to you!)!

28 |  Heading south to York and York Minster – and another week filled with worship!

30 |  I began this day on which we
commemorate the life of William Wilberforce at Eucharist in the Lady Chapel at York Minster. Light poured into the East Window. William Wilberforce helped shine the light on the injustice of slavery. On what need in the world is God calling each of us to shine a light?
Noon Eucharist today was at St. Martin’s Church – a site dating back to the 15th century. The church was bombed during an air raid in April 1942. Miraculously, the 15th century St. Martin window had been removed and was preserved; it was reinstalled when the church was restored in 1968. One of its sister parishes, St. Helen, is just a short distance away.

(August 2025)

2 |  A fabulous week in York…much worship and prayer, a beautiful Evensong, a wonderful organ recital, a great visit to the Heritage Festival, a bit of reading and writing, making great new friends, and a few fabulous meals…the week has been full and good.

3 |  Today was truly a mountaintop experience. I am so grateful for (and still so humbled by) the invitation to preach at York Minster. So many thanks to Dean Dominic Barrington and all of the clergy team for such a warm welcome and such tremendous hospitality all week. This is an experience I won’t ever forget. (Photo from livestream of service.)

Preached
All my hope on God is founded;
he doth still my trust renew.
Me through change and chance he guideth,
only good and only true.
God unknown, he alone
calls my heart to be his own.
It seems only fitting that the closing hymn of my last Evening Prayer service on this visit to York Minster was one of my absolute favorites (and the prelude was a series of variations on that magnificent Howells hymn tune). This week has been a gift. Until next time, York Minster.

4 |  Traveled home.