Uncategorized | Episcopal Church in Navajoland

An Update on the Bishop Election Process

cheiisdevshop — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 19:30:03 +0000

An Update on the Bishop Election Process

Update: Navajoland Bishop Search

Missionary Diocese of Navajoland
By Navajoland Communications Office
December 19, 2025

The Standing Committee of the Episcopal Church in Navajoland shares the following letter from the Rev. Alyssa Stebbing, who has formally withdrawn from the slate of nominees in the election of the first bishop of the Missionary Diocese of Navajoland.

We are grateful for Rev. Alyssa’s prayerful discernment, her time among the people of Navajoland, and the spirit of care and integrity with which she has participated in this process. The Standing Committee has accepted her withdrawal.

The bishop election process will continue with the remaining nominees, the Rev. Cornelia Eaton and the Rev. Leon Sampson. We give thanks for their willingness to continue offering themselves for discernment.

We ask the church to hold Rev. Alyssa, the nominees, and the people of Navajoland in prayer during this season.

Letter from the Rev. Alyssa Stebbing

Dear All,

It is with deep sorrow and regret that I will need to withdraw from the Bishop election. After prayer, meeting with my current and incoming Senior Wardens, and speaking with my regional Bishop, it is untenable for me to remain a candidate for six more months.

The 12 days spent in Navajoland and the entire prayerful process has had a profound effect on me, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. My heart and soul remain in deep prayer for this new mission diocese and for its new bishop. Cornelia and Leon, I will be praying for you and know God is with you. I hope that I can continue to support the Episcopal Church in Navajoland and walk with the people and their clergy, including the new bishop. I am in deep prayer as to how the Spirit will lead.

I am forever grateful for the relationships I made with you all. You all are wonderful and faithful servants of God. Thank you for all the hard work, prayerful discernment, love, and dedication each of you has made in support of this new mission diocese. I also thank you for your support of me in the process and your concern and care.

May the Creator God continue to bless and guide you.

In Peace and All Good,

Alyssa+

Important Changes to 2025–2026 Gathering Dates

cheiisdevshop — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 21:00:24 +0000

Sacred Rhythms, Shared Vision

Dear Friends in Christ,

Yáʼátʼééh – greetings of peace and blessing to you and your loved ones.

This year has been a historic and spirit-filled time in the life of the Episcopal Church in Navajoland. In June 2025, we gathered for our first-ever Diocesan Convention as a Missionary Diocese, a sacred milestone in our shared journey of faith, leadership, and cultural witness.

Important Change:

We had initially planned to gather in Ft. Defiance in November 2025 for the 49th Convocation. After much prayer and discernment, the Council has made the decision to cancel the November 2025 Convocation and instead hold it during the summer of the following year.

This change ensures that more families can attend during summer break and reduces the logistical burden on our regions, having to host two events back-to-back.

Updated Schedule:

49th Convocation (In-Person)
New Date: June 12–13, 2026
New Location: Bluff, Utah
Diocesan Convention (Virtual)
Date: November 7, 2026
Location: Online via Zoom

This shift allows us to gather for our Celebratory Convocation during the summer months, a season when families are more able to travel, school is on break, and our communities are freer to come together in celebration.

The November 2026 Diocesan Convention will now be held virtually, focusing on the necessary work of governance, leadership, and vision, allowing us to steward our mission with care, without placing additional travel or hosting demands on our regions.

As we are in a time of change, we are still finding what works best for all of us. With each step, we are seeking to align our gatherings more closely with our cultural rhythms, our practical realities, and the mission of the Church. We appreciate your patience, prayers, and continued support as we walk this new path together.

We apologize for any inconvenience these changes may cause and sincerely appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we continue to grow into this new season together.

Through these gatherings, whether for sacred business or shared joy, we remain grounded in the spirit of hózhǫ́, walking in beauty, balance, and faith. We look forward to welcoming you to Bluff in 2026 for a Convocation filled with song, teaching, community, and thanksgiving.

In peace and hope,

Your friends in Navajoland

Navajoland Constitution Approved

cheiisdevshop — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 15:55:10 +0000

Navajoland is now a self-determining diocese of the Episcopal Church!

Today, the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church formally acceded to the Constitution of the Episcopal Church in Navajoland. This formal recognition of the Diocese reflects the long-standing relationship that has been lived out for many years. Members of Navajoland were able to join the Executive Council via Zoom this morning to watch the vote by acclamation. Below is a Partial Sermon (on Luke 1:47-80) to the Executive Council this morning by GJ Gordy.

“For decades, our elders, our mentors, our clergy, and lay leaders have dreamed of this moment—of Navajoland becoming a diocese in its own right. A Church grounded in the rhythms of our people, our language, our culture, our land. A Church that reflects both the Gospel and our sacred ways.

I think of our past leaders who prayed, worked, preached, and served on the land long before many of us arrived. They never stopped planting seeds. They believed in the voice of the Diné people. And they spoke that vision even when it was still far off.

They taught us that leadership is not about control, it’s about commitment. And they remained committed.

Many of them did not live to see the day Navajoland would be named a missionary diocese. But they carried the dream. They cleared the path. They prepared the way, just as John did.

And like Zechariah—who waited a lifetime to hold his son in his arms—these elders remind us that sometimes, even when we don’t live to see the promise fulfilled, the promise still comes.

Their voices are in ours.

Their prayers are in this moment.

Then, in 2024, when Navajoland was named a missionary diocese, I believe something in us opened. Not just structurally, but spiritually.

Our mouth was opened. And our voice was heard.

In Diné culture, voice is medicine. We pray for creation and balance. We sing healing into bodies. We speak peace into homes. We name the world not only as it is, but as it should be.

So this moment in our Church is more than a milestone. It’s a moment of return to Hózhó, the Beauty Way. A moment when we are not only recognized, but respected for the wisdom of our elders, our prayers, our rhythms, and our ways.

We are grateful for every bishop who came to serve us.

We are grateful for the journey that we are now on. And we are joyful not just for what has been, but for what is still to come. Because, like John, the child in this story, our voice isn’t just for ourselves. It is to prepare the way for healing, for peace, for the rising light of Christ.

If you remember just one thing, let it be this:

This is not just our celebration. It is the Church’s celebration.

Because when one part of the body finds its voice, the whole body is stronger.

So I invite you to celebrate with us, not as outsiders looking in, but as kin walking beside us. Remember the ones who waited, the elders in your life who dreamed and prayed before you could see it. Speak your truth – whatever voice God has given you, may it rise like Zechariah’s: with blessing.

Today, we invite you to continue walking in hózhó with us as we live our full lives as the Missionary Diocese of Navajoland.

Ahe’hee’ — thank you.”