Bishop holds first OR-ID Threshold Event

Bishop Elaine Stanovsky and her husband, Clint, were warmly welcomed at the bishop’s first “Threshold Event” held in the Oregon-Idaho Conference. This was the second of eight events to be held across the Greater Northwest Episcopal Area. The first was in Anchorage Alaska in October.  
Representatives from three districts were there as part of the welcome. Cascadia and Colombia Districts of the Oregon-Idaho Conference and the Vancouver District of the Pacific Northwest Conference were represented by District Superintendents and Lay leaders as they gathered at Montavilla United Methodist Church in Portland.

Stanovsky shared thoughts with the gathering of around 200 people on current events, reaching out to new constituencies, and how she hopes to set a direction for the area. She candidly shared that she had not expected to be reassigned to a new episcopal area, so part of the challenge has been dealing with that surprise and mental shift from what she had planned as a time of renewal leave, to a time of relocation and connection with a new community.

Reflecting on the tension brought about by the recent election cycle she observed, “In times like this, the church is called back to a traditional role of facilitating the conversation.”

During a short question and answer session, she was asked about her vision for the conference and area. In her response she shared, “That together we will learn to love the Lord with all our heart and soul and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves.” But she went on to say that a leader cannot make a plan without taking into account the life-giving work that is already happening in a location. That needs to come from the community, so she isn’t walking in with a preconceived vision. Instead, she wants to take time to get to know the needs and passions of the area, and then pair that with the resources and staff of the conferences.

Stanovsky also shared that her spiritual formation began as a youth at Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF) and continues to guide her; and she really has no preference between the University of Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers (However, as the Bishop, she is now a trustee at Willamette University).

January Threshold Events will be held in Olympia and Eugene. More events will happen in February, March, and April. Learn more on the Greater Northwest Area website.

Read Bishop Stanovsky’s Biography