jurisdictional conference

I am sitting in Stuart Auditorium, in the midst of the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference. We began with interviews of candidates for the office of Bishop yesterday, had Holy Communion this morning, and began voting just prior to lunch. After four ballots, Paul Leeland of the North Carolina Conference has just over two hundred votes; three hundred are needed for election. I am receiving a very small handful of votes each time, although I am not an official candidate (and I promise that I am not voting for myself!).

Randy Maddox spoke earlier today about the Methodist or the Wesleyan way, and this evening three other Duke Divinity School faculty are making presentations. It has been very hot here in the auditorium at times, but at the moment it is cooling off. I believe that we will have one more ballot tonight, and we will have worked for more than twelve hours.

At the end of the week, after a Bishop has been elected, all of the Bishops will be assigned, and then we will return home:-)