Diocese of Easton
Participation in the Discernment Process
Pastoral Letter
Pursuant to Canon III.12.3(b)
To be read at each service on June 7, 2026
Dear Beloved,
The Diocese of Easton is in a time of transition and discernment. We are currently without a Diocesan Bishop and so the Standing Committee is the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese. The Standing Committee has arranged for the Rt. Rev. James J. “Bud” Shand to be our Assisting Bishop while we discern our future as the Episcopal Church on the Eastern Shore.
The Standing Committee has appointed a Discernment Committee to help with the process of educating the people of the diocese on the way forward. The Discernment Committee prepared a three-phase program to help discern our future. Phase One is to educate ourselves about what a diocese is and to understand the current state of the Diocese of Easton. That way people around the diocese will share a baseline of knowledge. For Phase Two the Discernment Committee will go out to the diocese to engage in conversations and conduct surveys to find out what we in the diocese value and what our priorities are as the church on the Eastern Shore. In Phase Three the people of the diocese will determine how to best organize ourselves as a diocese for the future of the Diocese of Easton.
Today we begin Phase One. We call upon every parish to participate in this process by scheduling a Sunday or some other day convenient to the parish as a Parish Discernment Information Day. Schedule your Parish Discernment Information Day anytime between now and the end of September. The Discernment Committee has prepared an education video that all clergy and lay members are asked to watch and then have a discussion about the information presented in the video. This could take place after a Sunday service or at a time of your choosing. The Discernment Committee is providing discussion questions. Please record your parish’s responses and send them to the committee for tabulation and analysis. The Discernment Committee will share the results with you and use them in planning Phase 2 which will take place this coming fall.
The prophet Hosea counsels that “whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the Lord are right, and the upright walk in them.” You are invited to learn more about your diocese by taking part in your parish’s Discernment Information Day. With every parish participating we hope to reach most of the clergy and laity in the diocese so that we all become better informed and prepared this fall to discuss and plan for our future.
In discernment there are no pre-determined outcomes and so over the next few months together we will explore many possible ways forward to see what is best for us. Let us be open to what God is calling us to be as we walk together with the Holy Spirit, who is with us and guides us to a bright future as the Episcopal Church on the Eastern Shore.
May God’s blessings continue to be upon you today and always,
The Rt. Rev. James J. Shand, Assisting Bishop
The Rev. Dr. Darcy Williams, President, Standing Committee
The Very Rev. David Michaud
Ms. Diana Kunkel, Ph.D.
Co-Chairs, Discernment Committee