Canon Whitney Rice selected as Bishop candidate in the Diocese of Southern Ohio
June 29, 2023
We are pleased to announce that the Rev. Canon Whitney Rice has been selected as a nominee for Bishop in the Diocese of Southern Ohio.
Canon Whitney is one of four finalists for the position. The election will be held September 30, 2023. You can learn more about the Diocese of Southern Ohio and their Bishop search process by visiting their website.
Here are letters from Canon Whitney and Bishop Deon Johnson explaining and reacting to this honor:
Dear Friends in Christ,
I share news with you today that I have been nominated by the Standing Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio to the slate of candidates for their next Bishop Diocesan.
This has been a rich and demanding discernment journey for me, and I am so grateful to Bishop Deon for his guidance and support in this process.
Being nominated is an honor and does not mean that I am unhappy serving with you, or that I will be elected. It merely means that I am trying to remain open to where the Spirit is leading.
Regardless of how the path unfolds, I am committed to the work we are doing in this diocese, on everything from care and support of those in the ordination process to our Requiem or Renaissance program. My attention and my effort remains here with you, unless and until I am called elsewhere. I am so grateful to serve with you in the amazing ministry taking place across our diocese.
The election will be September 30. Between now and then, I ask your prayers for me and for the discernment of the people of Southern Ohio. I am happy to answer questions and have further conversation with anyone who has thoughts or concerns.
Thank you for all that you do and all that you are -- it is truly a blessing to me to be a part of the work and community of the Diocese of Missouri.
Pax,
The Rev. Canon Whitney Rice
Canon for Evangelism & Discipleship Development
"And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless." - Philippians 1:9-10
Dear Siblings in Christ,
God continues to work in, on, and through us as we discern our divine purpose as followers of Jesus Christ. The work of discernment, listening deeply for the voice of God, and being open to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives, is hard yet holy work.
I invite you to join me in congratulating Canon Whitney Rice on her selection by the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Ohio to be one of the candidates for their next Bishop Diocesan. This is a tremendous honor and is truly a reflection of the brilliantly collaborative work Canon Whitney has undertaken here in the Diocese of Missouri. I fully support Canon Whitney in her process of discernment, knowing that she is open to where God might be calling her while being fully committed to the ministry we share here in the Diocese of Missouri.
Be assured that the work of evangelism and discipleship development continues to be a priority for us as a diocese and Canon Whitney's commitment to that work is unwavering.
Over the next few months, I invite you to pray for Canon Whitney, our siblings in the Diocese of Southern Ohio, and for our own diocese. Pray with me that the Holy Spirit may continue to move us closer to the realization of God's dream for such a time as this.
May God continue to richly bless and keep you in all ways, and may the Holy Spirit continue to call us ever closer to the realization of the Beloved Community in Christ Jesus our Savior.
Yours in Christ,
The Rt. Rev. Deon K. Johnson
XI Bishop of The Episcopal Diocese of Missouri
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