A Collect for the Election of our Bishop

 

Creator God, whose Church lives beyond the walls of buildings 

and the boundaries of cities, we ask that you guide our work 

as the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia moves together 

through a transition of leadership. 

We pray for patience in dialogue and wisdom in discernment, 

that the richness of our diverse voices, 

from farmland to small town, mountain to downtown, 

will all be valued and heard. 

We pray for the person who will be elected as our next Bishop, 

for all those who are in discernment, 

and for the people of this diocese, 

so that the work of spreading God’s love

in southwestern Virginia and beyond

will grow and flourish in the years to come. 

In the name of your incarnate son we pray, Amen.