Greetings in the Name of Christ! I am honored and humbled to join you in this discernment process as you faithfully follow the call of the Holy Spirit. From a very young age, I felt called to ordained ministry. In fact, my “call moment” is my earliest memory. I was sitting on my baby sister’s bedroom floor, watching dust particles float on a sunbeam. I distinctly remember thinking that the dust was the Holy Spirit and that I should catch it and give it to other people, and that’s what I felt God wanted me to do. Ever since, I have been striving to live that call as a disciple of Jesus.
What has been made clear to me from your profile and the time I have spent in your midst is that you are a group of faithful followers of Jesus who are doing the same. You strive for social justice, climate care, ministry with young people, evangelism, and more for the sake of the Gospel—and you are doing it in creative and faith-filled ways. In the face of the mounting social shifts happening faster than the church has historically been able to keep pace with, you are not only hoping for change but also praying and taking faithful action to bring it about. I believe that with the passion and dedication of its members and the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Diocese of Olympia and your next Bishop can help lead the Episcopal Church into creative and innovative ways of being church in this next chapter of Christianity.
I have been blessed to live out that Christ-centered call in many different ways and places as a Rector, author, seminary teacher, spiritual director, workshop and retreat leader, yoga and meditation instructor, and forest therapist guide. I also am deeply involved in the broader work of the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Pennsylvania. As a scholar and published writer, I have focused on such topics as reconciliation, worship, and indigenous spirituality (including personal lessons learned from my own tribe, The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Native Americans). I founded an online spirituality and wellness community called The Hive (www.thehiveapiary.com). I am blessed to be the spouse of Ken Raining, a reference librarian at the University of Pennsylvania, and mother to our amazing teen, Delia. You can find out more at www.hillaryraining.com.
Thank you for the joy of discerning with you. I will continue to hold the whole Diocese in prayer during this process.
