[Diocese of East Tennessee] The Standing Committee of the Diocese of East Tennessee April 28 announced a slate of five nominees who will stand for election as the fifth bishop of the Episcopal Church in East Tennessee.

The nominees are:

• The Rev. Brian Cole – Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Lexington, Kentucky
• The Rev. Hendree Harrison – St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Athens, Tennessee
• The Rev. Canon Frank Logue – Diocese of Georgia
• The Rev. Canon Lance Ousley – Diocese of Olympia and St. John’s Episcopal Church, Kirkland, Washington
• The Rev. Marty Stebbins – St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, Wilson, North Carolina

Nominees’ biographical information and answers to a series of questions, can be found here.

The Rev. Jay Mills, president of the Standing Committee, said, “It is my humble honor to be involved in the bishop search as the chair of the Standing Committee. It is truly exciting to be part of the opening of God’s choice for us for our new bishop. We are truly lucky to be a healthy, happy diocese in the midst of that search. It made us an attractive diocese, I suspect, for interested folks.”

“The Search and Nominating Committee has worked hard;” said Chairman Joe Vrba, “we’ve prayed even harder and we’ve shed a few tears along the way. We’ve trusted in the Holy Spirit throughout. And, you know, everything worked out fine. Every one of us feels blessed in having been part of this process.”

As allowed by the constitution and canons of the diocese, additional nominations may be put forward via the petition process for two weeks following the announcement of the slate. The petition window is now open and will close at the end of the day on May 12, 2017.

As the work of the Search and Nominating Committee comes to a close, the work of the Transition Committee is already well underway, with “walkabouts” scheduled to give every person in the Diocese of East Tennessee a chance to get to know the nominees before the special electing convention in July. Additional details will be shared on the bishop search website and on all diocesan communication channels in the coming weeks.

The 5th bishop of the Episcopal Church in East Tennessee will succeed the Rt. Rev. George Dibrell Young, III, who announced his retirement last April. Young has served as bishop since June 2011.