Sometimes the Holy Spirit acts in surprising ways, and we only recognize the magnificent intention of her purpose after blindly following her call for awhile, even as we ask, “Why me, for this? Is this really what you want?”

In many ways, this is the spirit in which the two of us, Bishop Amy Current of the Southeast Iowa Synod, ELCA, and Bishop Betsey Monnot, of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, responded to God’s call to become partner bishops in the Anglican Lutheran International Commission on Unity in Mission (ALICUM). This commission, created by the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran World Federation, brings together pairs of bishops from across the globe to work together in partnership in their particular contexts. The goal of ALICUM is to deepen our relationships with one another and to grow in unity as disciples of Jesus ministering together in God’s world.

One of the things that we two bishops have in common is that neither of us had “leadership in ecumenism” on our bingo card when we became bishops. However, long before being invited into ALICUM, we had begun working together on ways that we could share ministry in some of our under-resourced small church contexts. For both of us, ALICUM seemed like it offered support for what we were already doing together as well as encouragement to continue.

As it turned out, being involved in ALICUM was much more than we had imagined it would be. We traveled to Amman, Jordan, and met with pairs of Anglican and Lutheran bishops from around the world: Cameroon, Tanzania, Columbia, Malaysia, Europe, and the Holy Land. Members of the steering committee were likewise from all over the world, and yet as we spent time together in worship and in song, in meetings, and in pilgrimage to the ancient site where Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan river, we came to recognize the depth of our unity in Christ. This was a recognition of far more than our mutual usefulness to each other as helpers in carrying out ministry in the world. We grew deeper in our own faith journeys as we learned to appreciate the diversity within the unity of the life in Christ that we all share.

Every Sunday after worship we are sent out to be Christ’s body in the world. In the same way, after the ALICUM gathering in Jordan, the bishop pairs were sent out to do the work of cultivating unity in mission, each pair in our own context. For the two of us from Iowa, our work will include the areas of youth ministry, communications, public witness, the diaconate, congregational development, and encouraging mutually supportive ministry partnerships between ELCA and Episcopal congregations where they exist in the same communities. The transformative work of building God’s reign includes all of us, not just bishops, and each of us is uniquely called to take part.

As bishops, it continues to be our honor to serve the people of God as we are called. When God surprises us with unexpected invitations to deepen relationship in the context of this service, it is our joy to grow in unity in ways that we never imagined before. All of us are disciples of Jesus, who prayed for his disciples, “that they may all be one.” (John 17:21a)

As the two of us bishops, along with each of you who are part of our synod and diocese, continue along this journey, let us join with Jesus in the prayer that we may all be one. We invite each of our congregations to include this intercession in your regular prayers.

Holy God, you call us to be one with you and with each other. Guide and form us, members of the Southeast Iowa Synod, ELCA, and of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, as we grow into greater unity with one another and with you. Open our eyes to see the many gifts that we bring each other, and open our hearts to grow deeper in your love as we both give and receive those gifts. All this we ask through our savior, Jesus Christ, the one Good Shepherd for the one flock. Amen.

For more information about ALICUM and the gathering in Jordan, please click here.

Yours in the abundant life of Christ,
+Betsey

The Rt. Rev. Betsey Monnot, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa

May 2025 e:News: From Bishop Monnot