Jurisdictions Announce Bishops' Assignments

Episcopal leadership of the Dallas Area will remain open upon the Aug. 31 involuntary retirement of Bishop W. Earl Bledsoe, the South Central Jurisdiction decided July 21 in its final action.

Don House, chair of the jurisdictional episcopacy committee, said that in consultation with the South Central College of Bishops it was decided to leave the position open pending the outcome of Bishop Bledsoe's expected appeal of involuntary retirement. According to the Book of Discipline, this option will allow the College of Bishops to fill the position as needed. In most cases, a retired bishop is activated to fill administrative functions until a new bishop is elected.

The last of the U.S. jurisdictions to complete its episcopal elections, South Central assignments are as follows:

• Arkansas: Bishop Gary Mueller
• Central Texas: Bishop Mike Lowry
• Great Plains (newly merged Kansas East, Kansas West and Nebraska): Bishop Scott Jones
• Louisiana: Bishop Cynthia Fierro Harvey
• Missouri: Bishop Robert Schnase
• Oklahoma: Bishop Robert Hayes
• North Texas: Bishop Mike Mckee
• Northwest Texas-New Mexico: Open, to be filled temporarily by retired bishops William Hutchinson and Dan Solomon.
• As-yet-unnamed Conference formed by merger of Southwest Texas and Rio Grande: Bishop Jim Dorf.

North Central Jurisdiction

• East Ohio:    Bishop John Hopkins
• West Ohio:   Bishop Gregory Palmer
• Michigan Area:  Bishop Deborah Kiesey
• Indiana:  Bishop Michael Coyner
• Northern Illinois: Bishop Sally Dyck
• Illinois Great Rivers:  Bishop Jonathan Keaton
• Wisconsin:  Bishop Hee Soo Jung
• Iowa:  Bishop Julius Trimble
• Dakotas/Minnesota Area:  Bishop Bruce Ough

Northeastern Jurisdiction

• Boston Area (New England Annual <regional> Conference): Bishop Sudarshana Devadhar
• Harrisburg Area (Susquehanna Annual Conference): Bishop Jeremiah J. Park
• New Jersey Area (Greater New Jersey Annual Conference): Bishop John Schol
• Philadelphia Area (Eastern Pennsylvania, Peninsula-Delaware annual conferences): Bishop Peggy A. Johnston
• Pittsburgh Area (Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference): Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton
• Upper New York Area (Upper New York Annual Conference): Bishop Mark Webb
• Washington Area (Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference): Bishop Marcus Matthews
• West Virginia Area (West Virginia Conference): Bishop Sandra Steiner Ball

Southeastern Jurisdiction

• Alabama West Florida - Bishop Paul L. Leeland
• Charlotte, NC - Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster
• Florida - Bishop Ken Carter
• Columbia, SC - Bishop Jonathan Holston
• Holston - Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor
• Louisville KY - Bishop Lindsey Davis
• Mississippi - Bishop James Swanson
• Nashville TN - Bishop Bill McAlilly
• North Georgia - Bishop Mike Watson
• Raleigh, NC - Bishop Hope Morgan Ward
• Richmond, VA - Bishop Young Jin Cho
• Birmingham, AL - Bishop Debbie Wallace-Padgett
• South Georgia - Bishop James King

Western Jurisdiction

• Greater Northwest (former Seattle, Oregon-Idaho and Alaska Missionary): Bishop Grant Hagiya
• Mountain-Sky (former Denver) : Bishop Elaine Stanovsky
• California-Nevada: Bishop Warner Brown
• California-Pacific: Bishop Minerva Carcano
• Desert Southwest: Bishop Robert Hoshibata