Dear United Methodist friends in Christ,
I give thanks to you all, using the words of the Apostle Paul in Philippians, for partnership in ministry from the first day until now. Called to ordained ministry, I was set apart for this life of itinerant clergy leadership 42 years ago at the North Carolina Annual Conference Session in Fayetteville. Little do any in the company of clergy know of all that will unfold from that day forward!
I would like you all to know that I have requested retirement, effective September 1, 2021. Your welcome nine years ago to episcopal leadership here in North Carolina was a gift beyond measure.
Mike and I are deeply grateful for the journey together across these nine years. We will continue to live in Raleigh and will pray with you for our new episcopal leader, yet to be discerned and announced through the ongoing discernment of the Southeastern Jurisdiction Committee on Episcopacy and the College of Bishops.
With gratitude to God for the life we share in Christ’s ministry,
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward