Episcopacy, Committee on the

1 2 3 The Upper New York Committee on the Episcopacy (COE) is elected at the beginning of a quadrennium and then serves for the entirety of the quadrennium. Because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the current quadrennium has continued longer than the normal four-year period. The current UNY COE was elected

4 5

in 2016 and is continuing in its duties until the 2016 quadrennium is completed. We are grateful to have been able to support Bishop Webb and his family here in UNY. 6 The UNY COE is made up of the following people: 7 8 9 10 11 • Rev. Dr. Bill Allen – Chairperson • Mr. Greg Forrester – Vice-Chairperson • Pastor Abigail Browka • Mrs. Kelli Farrell

12 13 • Pastor Olga Gonzalez-Santiago • Pastor Dr. Scott Johnson

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 • Rev. Dr. Sung Ho Lee • Mrs. Pat VanVleck

The chair and vice-chair of the COE are determined as the result of their order of election to the General Conference delegation from UNY. The rest of the COE members are chosen by the Bishop. In 2021, the UNY COE continued to meet with Bishop Webb. We met via conference calls on ZOOM. It is important to recognize that confidentiality is a fundamental element of the COE. The COE serves as a type of S/PPRC for the Bishop. Therefore, we have made a solemn covenant with Bishop Webb to share neither specific content nor tone of COE meetings. This environment creates a space for grace, trust, and honesty in all our interactions.

The role of the COE is to support the Bishop by praying for him and his family, by ensuring that the episcopal residence meets the needs of the family, by blessing the family with encouragement and hospitality throughout the year, by providing a listening ear for the Bishop, and by assisting the Bishop in receiving evaluative feedback concerning his leadership. Typically, some members of the COE will meet at least once at the episcopal residence to make sure all is well. However, we were unable to do this in 2021.

The Jurisdictional Conference will meet on November 2-4, 2022. When that JC is complete, a new COE will be formed to support and encourage the UNY bishop and her/his family through the new quadrennium. We ask that the laity and clergy of the UNY Conference take seriously our privilege and responsibility of holding up the UNY Bishop and her/his family in our prayers. We also ask that you keep the new COE in your prayers as they seek to do their duties faithfully.

Respectfully submitted, Rev. Dr. Bill Allen, Chairperson – UNYCOE – 2016-2022