Bishop’s Journal
September 2025
1 | Labor Day; Bishop’s sabbath
2 | Staff Meeting
Meetings with Staff Members
3 | Meeting with Warden
Meeting re: Lilly Grant/Iona Collaborative
4 | Virtual Meeting, Becoming
Beloved Community
Meetings with Staff Members
5 | Travel to Oxford; officiate wedding in Oxford
Preached
6 | Meeting with Holy Innocents Church, Como
7 | Visitation, Church of the Holy Cross, Olive Branch
Preached
8 | Bishop’s sabbath
It was quite the weekend in North Mississippi: I officiated a wedding at St. Peter’s Church, Oxford on Friday evening, had a meeting at Church of the Holy Innocents, Como on Saturday, and my Sunday visitation at Church of the Holy Cross, Olive Branch! The Rev. Robert Clay Calhoun and all of the people of Holy Cross extended such a warm welcome and gracious hospitality! (And I love that I had the chance to warm up with the choir as they rehearsed before worship!)
By Sunday evening, I’d made it back to Camp Bratton Green to join the clergy who are participating in Fresh Start! Such a powerful time! #grateful.
9 – 16 | House of Bishop’s meeting, Dominican Republic
17 | Meeting with clergy
Meeting with CPA firm
A wonderful midweek visitation at St. Alban’s, Bovina! So grateful to the Rev. Elisabeth Malphurs and all of the St. Alban’s parish family for the warm welcome, the tour of this historic property, delicious dinner and engaging conversation! Sallie Mae, the church cat, was very welcoming, too!! Looking forward to seeing them for a Sunday visitation early next year!
Spoke
18 | Meeting with staff member
Finance Committee Meeting
19 | Meeting with Staff Member
Meeting with Clergyperson
Travel to Memphis
20 | Saturday’s symposium on Frances Wright was so informative about the life of a Scottish-born woman who became the first person of European descent to settle in what is now Germantown – hoping to create an intentional cooperative community in which enslaved persons could work their way to freedom. Being a speaker meant I got no photos, but I am grabbing one of Andrew Pouncey ’s photos of the other two speakers – Roger Illsley, author of Wrighting Wrongs, and Susan Guthrie Chang Saridakis, Frances Wright’s great-great-granddaughter. So very grateful to Andy, to the Germantown Historical Preservation Association, and to all the folks from St George’s Episcopal Church – Germantown, TN who came out to support this day! It was so good to be back!!
Spoke
21 | Meet virtually with Convocations for Youth Delegation Elections
21-22 | Sunday afternoon’s Hymn Festival at Germantown United Methodist Church was balm for the soul! Many thanks to GUMC and Grace-St. Luke’s Episcopal Church for this wonderful afternoon of scripture, reflection and music!
Travel to Jackson
23 | Today, I joined a dedicated team from Christ Church, Vicksburg in delivering Meals on Wheels. On Tuesdays in September, this team cooks, packs and delivers meals to seniors identified by Vicksburg’s Community Council – and they’ve been doing this ministry for decades!! So grateful to have joined them before heading to our All Saints’ campus to have some holy conversation about its future.
Travel to Jackson
Meetings with Staff Members
24 | Office Day
25 | Reference Panel
Executive Committee Meeting
26 | An awesome day…!!!! Started with my first visit to the Piney Woods School, where Dr. Will Crossley and his team continue the tradition of founder Laurence C. Jones in providing a stimulating environment for educating young minds. [Quick snippet of history: Jones founded the school in 1909 when there were virtually no schools for black students – providing students not only with solid education but also strong vocational skills. Students helped build the campus – and some of the original buildings stand.] I offered a word of encouragement of my own to these students, and then seniors were busy discussing ACTs and college apps!
By early evening I’d made it to St. Mark’s, Gulfport, to join that parish for a delicious fish fry, with proceeds supporting community ministry. The weekend will be full of visitations, meetings and clergy visits.
Visit with clergyperson
27 | Visit with clergyperson and spouse, Gulfport
28 | So very grateful for a very full weekend on the Coast! Visitations today at St. Thomas Church, Diamondhead AND Christ Church, Bay St. Louis! Beautiful worship, confirmations, receptions and reaffirmations! And, of course, delicious lunch and dinner – and fabulous hospitality!! I am thankful for both worshipping communities making space for visitations, meetings and clergy visits on this full and wonderful weekend!
St. Thomas Church, Diamondhead
Preached, reaffirmed 1, received 2
Christ Church, Bay St. Louis
Preached, confirmed 10
Meet with Vestry
Meet with Clergypersons
29 | Travel to Jackson
30 | Staff Meeting
Meetings with Staff Members
I made the trip to Yazoo City to join the Rev. George Woodliff at the ReviveYazoo community revival, sponsored by the Yazoo City Ministerial Association. We took the opportunity before the revival to ask God’s continued blessing on the Manna House ministry, which feeds the hungry in Yazoo City each day; Manna House has recently undergone some substantial refurbishments to keep it in great shape as it supports neighbors.
