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(Note: Bishop Jim Kelsey of Northern Michigan was killed June 3 in an auto accident as he was returning home from a parish visitation. Here Bishop Dean Wolfe remembers Bishop Kelsey and recalls the ministry shared by bishops in the Episcopal Church.)

My heart is heavy with the news that Bishop Jim Kelsey of Northern Michigan was killed in an automobile accident on the way home from a Sunday visitation. When I read the e-mail bearing this sad information, I could not fully describe my grief to my family, who wondered why tears were sliding down my face.  

The fellowship of the House of Bishops is a difficult thing to communicate, and because it’s difficult to describe, it remains one of the best kept secrets in The Episcopal Church. From what I heard and read before I was elected a bishop, I expected the House of Bishops to be an unfriendly place. It was the place where the bishops of our church constantly disagreed with one another, often in a most disagreeable manner. Some of these disputes acquired a near-legendary status, and I came to my first meeting of the House with real apprehension. Would I find any evidence that the House of Bishops was a group of Christian leaders who took seriously their responsibility to love one another?

Imagine my relief when I was warmly greeted by countless bishops, and when a smiling Jim Kelsey told me to call him anytime I needed help. I never expected in a million years to be met with such authentic warmth and genuine goodwill! I did not know about the camaraderie that exists between people who do a difficult job, sometimes under extreme pressures, who hold those who do the same work with respect and appreciation. I did not know that in such a pressurized environment the bonds of affection could grow to be so strong.

Of course, there are certainly disagreements in the House of Bishops, and some are more devoted to preserving and building our community than others. Yet even when there are deep disagreements, they are typically expressed with great respect, care and concern for the other. I know not everyone has had the same experience I have had and not everyone will see the House of Bishops as I do.

I am well aware that bishops are an imperfect group of human beings, and all the sins to be found anywhere else will be found in our midst. But I think it is important for people to know that bishops who may disagree vehemently on the issues of the day often hold tremendous respect and affection for one another. Sometimes over a Diet Coke, or a glass of wine, or a penny-ante poker game, these bonds of affection are further knit together. This is important and holy work, because these bonds are often tested in the next day’s conversations.

I believe that if more Episcopalians knew of these friendships, they might be inspired to preserve the relationships they have with those with whom they disagree. They might come to appreciate those relationships just a little bit more.

More than 200 men and women from across the United States and 12 sovereign nations spend nearly four weeks together each year being the House of Bishops. We share meals, worship, conversation and the work of the Church. The days are often long and the process can be extremely tedious. We come from very different backgrounds; we have different theological perspectives and hold different expectations for our work together. We even speak different languages.

Many Episcopalians still do not know that all official business in the House of Bishops is translated into both French and Spanish. We are truly an international fellowship!  But in spite of our differences, or perhaps, because of them, great friendships arise out of our time together.

I have come to see the extraordinary gifts so many of my colleagues possess. Many are extraordinary speakers and writers and theologians. Many are great administrators and church builders. All of them have great hearts. All of them have given the better part of their lives in the service of The Episcopal Church, and they take seriously their vows to guard and guide the Church as God grants them the grace and ability to do so.

So when one of them is suddenly snatched from this fellowship, the sense of loss is profound. And when the one taken from us is a leader with a deep spiritual presence and a respected, conscientious voice, then the loss is nearly inconsolable. We are numb. But we are people of deep belief, and we are nothing if not tenacious. And so we walk by faith and not by sight.

I will never forget Jim Kelsey’s extraordinary contribution to the House of Bishops. Jim and I sat at the same table during the last year in the House, and I saw, firsthand, Jim’s deep passion for Christ and the Church.

He gave smaller dioceses a larger voice.

He was adamant about building up the ministry of all the baptized.

He possessed a holy impatience, and when he saw something he believed to be wrong, he was courageous in working to make it right.

I still have unopened e-mails from Jim as he strove to find the right response to an Archbishop who would not recognize one of our own. I will miss him more than I can say, and his death makes me want to cling to my fellow bishops more closely. In Jim’s last diocesan address, his quoted “one of his favorite collects” from the Book of Common Prayer.

“Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among thing that are passing away, to hold fast to that which shall endure.”  

+Dean
The Right Reverend Dean E. Wolfe
Ninth Bishop, The Episcopal Diocese of Kansas