CGS Hosting Bishop’s Nomination Conference—All Members Invited!

In the coming weeks, the nine conferences of our synod will be meeting to discern and nominate candidates to be our next bishop. We are members of the El Camino Real Conference of the Sierra Pacific Synod, which includes the churches of the South Bay, Monterey Bay, and parts of the Central Valley, and we have offered to host our Conference gathering. The 26 churches of our conference will gather at CGS on Saturday, June 3, from 11-3pm. 

We will worship together, have lunch, and then discuss who we would like to nominate to stand for election at our Synod Assembly in September. We may nominate up to five pastors, and if they accept their nominations, they will go through a screening process and be asked to provide additional information about themselves before the official vote takes place this fall. This pre-assembly nomination process has been put in place to help ensure that assembly voters are able to make a faithful and informed vote.

There are three ways that CGS members are invited to be a part of this process:

1. All members are invited to attend, discuss, and vote at this conference! Come and join in this opportunity to have an impact on the future of our synod. No registration is necessary, but if you plan to attend, please just tell Pr. Kris so that we can ensure that we have enough lunches for everyone.
2. Consider if you know an ELCA pastor that you think may be a good candidate to be our next bishop. Note that any ELCA pastor can be nominated—they do not have to be from this synod. Consider reaching out to them, or having Pr. Kris reach out to them so we can see if they would consider accepting a nomination if we made one. We also will be spending quality time at the conference talking about what we are looking for in a bishop, so it’s ok if you’re not sure what would make for a good candidate. Come to the conference and find out!
3. The conference will be providing a catered lunch, but we will be taking care of the logistics of that lunch. If you are able to help with set up and clean up, please contact Jean Hope.

We hope you’ll consider supporting our broader church by participating in this conference!

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