On Saturday, September 17, Bishop Chip Edgar welcomed vocational deacons from across the Diocese to the Cathedral for his first annual Deacons’ Day. Also attending were The Rev. Janet Echols, Director of the Diocesan Deacon School and the current class of five deacons-in-training.
Following a Eucharistic service, Bishop Edgar addressed the group by reminding them of the qualifications for a deacon as laid out in Acts 6 : to be a person of good repute and full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. He observed that potential vocational deacons are already identifiable by the traits listed in Acts, and that current deacons should be front-line recruiters of new deacons. Bishop Edgar also said that he is a huge fan of the vocational diaconate because of the freedom to preach the Word deacons afford priests. Moreover, he said that whereas a church might have too many priests, it can never have too many deacons, as the need to reach the marginalized for the church is often beyond the scope of parish priests as they shepherd their flocks.
The group moved from the Cathedral to the Bishop’s residence at 50 Smith Street, where he and Beth served a delightful lunch. Anyone seeking information on the vocational diaconate can find it at here.
