THE RIGHT REVEREND
EDWIN M. LEIDEL, JR. ELECTED
BISHOP PROVISIONAL
A special convention of the Diocese of Eau Claire, met on Saturday, August 28, 2010 at Christ Church Cathedral, Eau Claire and elected the Rt. Rev. Edwin M. Leidel, Jr., retired Bishop of Eastern Michigan, as its Bishop Provisional. The diocese had been without episcopal leadership since April 2008 when the Rt. Rev. Keith B. Whitmore resigned to serve as assisting bishop in the Diocese of Atlanta. Eau Claire’s Standing Committee has been the ecclesiastical authority during the vacancy. Bishop Leidel’s ministry will be divided into several continuous blocks of time for the next 15 months, the initial segment running from the election through November 13, 2010.
In his remarks prior to the election, Leidel told the deputies: "I am not here as a potential CEO/expert/consultant to tell you what to do, but I am here as a potential advocate, as a cheerleader and a coach to help you to become the best you can be. Please do not elect me if you want things to be as they've always been. Do not elect me if you do not think God is in this new thing. Do not elect me if you are unwilling to roll up your sleeves and do some hard work."
An initial “visitation blitz” of all congregations provides an opportunity to listen and ask such questions as, “What's working? Where are you experiencing God? What are your hopes for a sustainable future?” He stressed that, with a 1/3 time Bishop, things will be different. It’s “a new time, not a time to sit back and say ‘Whew!’ but a time to pull together and work together as never before."
Bishop Leidel’s overwhelming election by lay and clerical deputies is in response to a deliberate and prayerful period of discernment as to the possibilities for the diocese. The consensus emerged that the services of a part-time bishop provisional would best facilitate this continuing process. Leidel’s proven record of leadership makes him uniquely qualified to assist the Eau Claire diocese in making a healthy and thoughtful transition into the future. He brings hope and optimism to the church in northwestern Wisconsin at a time of challenge and opportunity. The convention deputies heard their new bishop’s challenge as he noted that when alone, believers are unconnected and fearful. Nothing can happen. But when “connected, trusting, unified - we can. We will build a new and better future."
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