Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon

As followers of Jesus, we are working toward the practice of unconditional love through the values of:

  • Human dignity
  • Creation care
  • Spiritual formation

About the Bishop

bishop patrick bell speaking at the two thousand seventeen diocesan convention

Patrick W. Bell was elected the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon on December 12, 2015 on the first ballot and was consecrated on April 16, 2016 in Bend, Oregon. Upon consecration Bell became the 1,092nd Bishop consecrated for the Episcopal Church. His primary residence will be in Coeur d’Alene, and he will commute to Oregon to work as the Bishop on a part-time basis.

Bell was born and raised in the northern Palouse region of Washington. Raised as an Episcopalian, Bell became a Pentecostal minister and professor before returning to the Episcopal Church. After completing additional seminary studies he was ordained to the priesthood in 1989 by Bishop Rustin Kimsey and began work at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Ontario, Oregon. In 2002 Bell was named the rector of St. Luke’s in Coeur d’Alene. Bell is married to TinaMarie Bell, and has five children and eight grandchildren.

The Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon

Follow the line of the Cascade mountain range in Oregon north to south, and you have the western boundary of the Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon. From there, the 69,000-square-mile diocese is bounded by Washington state to the north with a small detour to include Klickitat County, Washington, by Idaho to the east, and Nevada and California to the south.

Rugged and wide open, with mountains and rangeland, high desert and pine forests, fruit orchards and wheat ranches, eastern Oregon lends its own character to the people who live there. The total population of the 18 Oregon counties and one Washington county that compose the diocese is about 552,000. There are more than 2,600 Episcopalians in the diocese’s 22 parishes. Diocesan headquarters are located at Ascension School Camp and Conference Center, in Cove, Oregon – the heart of the diocese.

Created as a missionary district in 1907, EDEO became a diocese in 1980. But the Episcopal presence in eastern Oregon dates to the late 1800s. One circuit riding priest, the Rev. Reuben D. Nevius, especially left his mark. Nevius, also a botanist, worked in eastern Oregon from 1873 to 1879. He designed and built churches, small architectural gems that still serve congregations. Among them: Ascension Chapel, Cove; St. Stephen’s, Baker City; St. James, Milton-Freewater; St. Thomas, Canyon City; and the Diocesan Chapel in The Dalles.

The Rt. Rev. Patrick Bell, who was ordained Bishop Diocesan in April, 2016, is the diocese’s eighth bishop.

Diocesan Clergy

Bishops of the
Episcopal Diocese
of Eastern Oregon

Robert L. Paddock (1907-1922)
William P. Remington (1922-1945)
Lane W. Barton (1946-1968)
William B. Spofford (1969-1979)
Rustin R. Kimsey (1980-2000)
William O. Gregg (2000-2007)
Bavi E. (Nedi) Rivera (2009-2016)
Patrick W. Bell (2016-Present)

The Rev. Joyce Atchley
Deacon – St. Thomas, Canyon City
deaconatchley@gmail.com

The Rev. Charles Barnes
Priest – St. John’s, Hermiston
crbarnes@eotnet.net

The Rev. Paul Barthelemy (licensed)
Priest – Supply
barthelemypaul@gmail.com

The Rev. Anne Bartlett (licensed)
Priest – Supply
abartlett541@gmail.com

The Rt. Rev. Patrick Bell
Bishop of the Diocese of Eastern Oregon
pbell@episdioeo.org

The Rev. Aletha Bonebrake
Vicar – St. Stephen’s, Baker City
alethaboneb@msn.com

The Rev. Jeffery Bullock (licensed)
Priest – Supply
j.bullock@me.com

The Rev. Celine Burke (licensed)
Priest – Chaplain to the Retired Clergy
Celineburke46@gmail.com

The Rev. Susan Church (licensed)
Priest – Supply
Stmavis8@gmail.com

The Rev. Taylor Clark
Deacon – St. Stephen’s, Baker City
taylorbclark@gmail.com

The Rev. John Collins
Assisting Priest – Church of the Transfiguration, Sisters
jrcsisters@gmail.com

The Rev. Jean Cupp
Deacon – Church of the Redeemer, Pendleton
fwcupp@gmail.com

The Rev. Christine Close Erskine (licensed)
Priest
Jerskine15@msn.com

The Rev. Jack Erskine
Priest – Non-Parochial
Jerskine15@msn.com

The Rev. Roger Fairfield
Deacon – Church of the Transfiguration, Sisters
rfairfield@bendcable.com

The Rev. Joseph Farber
Priest – Church of the Transfiguration, Sisters
jwfarber@gmail.com

The Rev. Mary Anne Gard
Priest – Non-Parochial
Gardm27@gmail.com

The Rev. Johathan Galles
Priest
St. Paul’s, The Dalles
info@stpaulsthedalles.org

The Rev. Canon Nancy Sargent Green
Rector/Senior Pastor
All Saints of the Cascades/Sunriver Christian Fellowship
nsm523@aol.com

The Rev. Roy Green
Priest – Non-Parochial
spiritdancer118@gmail.com

The Rev. Linda Hale
Deacon – St. Peter’s, La Grande
l.hale6656@comcast.net

The Rev. Ann Marie Hardin
Priest in Charge – St. James’, Milton Freewater
annmarie45279@gmail.com

The Rev. Jed Holdorph
Rector – Trinity, Bend
jed@trinitybend.org

 

The Rev. Amy Jayne (Convenant)
Pastor – Ascension School Camp and Conference Center
amy@coveascenionschool.com

The Rev Matthew Littau
St. Andrew’s Episcopal/Peace Lutheran/
Church of the Living Waters, Burns
matthewlittau56@msn.com

The Rev. Mary R. Lujan
Priest – Non-parochial
oregonmary@gorge.net

The Rev. P. Kelly Mahon
Priest – St. Mark’s, Hood River
revmahon@gorge.net

The Rev. Katherine Nesbitt
Priest – St. Patrick’s, Enterprise
katynesbitt@hotmail.com

The Rev. Sean Rogers
Transitional Clergy
St. Matthew’s, Ontario
sean@seanrogers.org

The Rev. Marilyn Roth
Priest – Nonparochial
St. Paul’s, The Dalles
marilyn.roth60@gmail.com

The Rev. Ray Jeff Spreier
Priest – St. Andrew’s, Prineville
revrayjeff@icloud.com

The Rev. Keehna Sture
Deacon – St. Alban’s, Redmond
ksture5983@gmail.com

The Rev. Janet Warner
Deacon – Non-Parochial
Janetlawarner@gmail.com

The Rev. Charlotte Wells
Rector – Church of the Redeemer, Pendleton
rector.pendletonepiscopal@gmail.com

Retired Clergy

The Rev. Rich Attebury
rattebur@gmail.com

The Rev. Connie Boone
connieboone880@gmail.com

The Rev. Chuck Christopher
friarchuck@gmail.com

The Rev. Larry Fredrick

The Rev. Daniel Gardner
Dang1939@gmail.com

The Rev. John Gilsdorf
jkgilsdorf@centurylink.net

The Rev. Georgia Giacobbe
dngeorgia@gmail.com

The Rev. Willa Goodfellow
willagoodfellow@gmail.com

The Rev. Willie Hoffer

The Rev. Rebecca Hendricks
fruitvale@hughes.net

The Rev. Martha Hurlburt
marthahurlburt@gmail.com

The Rev. Canon Lee Kiefer
leekiefer@gmail.com

The Rev. Jan Kozak
Kozaks79@yahoo.com

The Rev. Rich Landrith
RSLandrith@gmail.com

The Rev. John Langfeldt
abunajn@gmail.com

The Rev. Gaye Lawson
glawson@bendcable.com

The Rev. Kathryn Macek
kemacek46@gmail.com

The Rev. Carol Jean McClelland
dandcmcclelland@hotmail.com

The Rev. Jim Mosier
mosierjim@gmail.com

The Rev. John Nesbitt
nesbittjr@frontier.com

The Rev. Carol Parker
jecapar@live.com

The Rev. Steve Schafroth
schafroth@embarqmail.com

The Rev. Janet Schiering
jcsalpha@gorge.net

The Rev. Anne Scissons
ascisns4@live.com

The Rev. Sarah Stanton
sstanton065@gmail.com

The Rev. Red Stevens
redstevensgsm@gmail.com

The Rev. Richard Thew
thewr@coveoregon.com

The Rev. Steve Uffelman
suffelman1@gmail.com

The Rev. Gary Young
garyyong.hoodriver@gmail.com

Diocesan Staff

Diocese Staff

Bishop
The Rt. Rev. Patrick Bell
P.O. Box 236
Cove, OR 97824
pbell@episdioeo.org

Diocesan Administrator and Executive Assistant to the Bishop
Lisa Boquist
lboquist@episdioeo.org

Chancellor
Vacancy

Ascension School Camp & Conference Center

Amy Jayne, Executive Director
amy@coveascensionschool.com

Katie Sanchez, Operations Manager
katie@coveascensionschool.com

Roman Heidrich, Program Director
roman@coveascensionschool.com

Diocesan Council

Adrienne Brown (2022)
Church of the Transfiguration, Sisters
anbviola@bendbroadband.com

Ellen Nesbitt (2022)
St, Patrick’s, Enterprise
ellenanesbitt@gmail.com

The Rev. Charlotte Wells (2022)
Church of the Redeemer, Pendleton
rector.pendletonepiscopal@gmail.com

Barbara Reynolds (2023)
Trinity, Bend
breynolds23@msn.com

Beth Spell (2023)
St. Thomas, Canyon City
jimandbethspell@gmail.com

The Rev. Joseph Farber (2023)
Church of the Transfiguration, Sisters
jwfarber@gmail.com

Betty Palmer (2024)
St. Stephen’s, Baker City
goodenb@gmail.com

Angela Pursel (2024)
St. John’s, Hermiston
apursel@westendradiogroup.com

The Rev. Jay Spreier (2024)
St. Andrew’s, Prineville
revrayjeff@icloud.com

Ex-Officio Members

Vacancy – Chancellor

Patty Olson-Lindsey, Treasurer
lindsey.patty@gmail.com

The Rev. Charlotte Wells, Secretary of Convention
rector.pendletonepiscopal@gmail.com

Minutes of Diocesan Council Meetings

See the Resources page for Council Responsibilities, Rules of Order, and travel reimbursement policies and forms.

Standing Committee

See the Resources page for Standing Committee Responsibilities, Rules of Order, and travel reimbursement policies and forms.

The Rev. Kelly Mahon, President (2022)
St. Mark’s, Hood River
revmahon@gorge.net

Steve Winkle (2022)
St. Mark’s, Hood River
ppbrowning2@gmail.com

Karly Nash (2023)
Trinity, Bend
karlynash66@gmail.com

The Rev. Ann Marie Hardin (2023)
Church of the Redeemer, Pendleton
annmarie45279@gmail.com

The Rev. Aletha Bonebrake (2024)
St. Stephen’s, Baker City
alethaboneb@msn.com

Terry Rahmsdorff (2024)
Trinity, Bend
trahmsdorff@aol.com

Finance Committee

The finance committee prepares the annual diocesan budget and presents it to Diocesan Council for approval.

The Rt. Rev.Patrick Bell, Bishop

Dianne Barnes
Church of the Redeemer, Pendleton
pendletonredeemertreasurer@gmail.com

Alexis McCarthy
St. John’s,  Hermiston
alexispmccarthy@gmail.com

Jerry Frazier
St. Paul’s, The Dalles
jerry1.frazier@gmail.com

Patty Olson-Lindsey, Diocesan Treasurer
lindsey.patty@gmail.com

Ascension School Advisory Board

The Ascension School Board operates in an advisory capacity.

Ascension Board members:

The Rt. Rev. Patrick Bell, Bishop

Makenzie Dyer
Baker City, OR
dyer.makenzie@gmail.com

Cindy Feibert
Ontario, OR
cfeibert@tvcc.cc

Charlie Hammerich
Pullman, WA
Charliechan55555@aol.com

Sean Kimsey
The Dalles, OR
seankimsey@msn.com

The Rev. Kelly Mahon
Hood River, OR
revmahon@gorge.net

George Nairns
Heppner, OR
Gn_arrived@live.com

Terry Rahmsdorff
Bend, OR
trahmsdorf@gmail.com

Aaron Tensen
Florence, OR
aatensen@gmail.com

Amy Tensen
Florence, OR
tensenalynn@gmail.com

Karly Witten
Cove, OR
kwitten@eou.edu

Certified Spiritual Advisors

The Rev. Celine Burke
celineburke46@gmail.com

Helen Keefe
helenkeefesisters@gmail.com

The Rev. Marilyn Roth
marilyn.roth60@gmail.com

The Rev. Janet Warner
janetlawrner@gmail.com

Peggy Ziegler
pjziegler@bendcable.com

St. Gertrude’s Monastery, Cottonwood, ID 

The Eastern Oregon Episcopal Foundation

About the Foundation

The Eastern Oregon Episcopal Foundation (EOEF), which oversees a permanent revolving loan fund, was created in 1952 by the 42nd annual Convocation of the Missionary District of Eastern Oregon. The Foundation’s investments presently total about $450,000. In addition, EOEF owns a farm in Athena, Oregon, whose earnings are shared equally by the Foundation, Ascension School, and the diocese. The Bishop is chair of the Foundation Committee and its Board of Trustees.

The Foundation’s purpose, as defined in its articles of incorporation, is “the general furtherance of The Episcopal Church and its mission in eastern Oregon” and the establishment of a permanent fund providing low-cost or interest-free loans of up to 10 years’ duration to finance building projects – building repairs or capital improvements – for parishes and congregations in the diocese.

The Foundation Committee, whose membership includes a member of the laity from each parish in the diocese, meets annually at Diocesan Convention. The Board of Trustees, elected from the Foundation Committee, reviews and administers requests for grants and loans. Grants are confined to projects “for the formation, education and training of the people of the diocese for mission and ministry and/or emergency building grants.”

Information about grants and loans, and application forms, are posted on the Resources page.

Foundation Trustees:

The Rt. Rev.Patrick Bell, Bishop

Jerry Frazier ( Treasurer)
St. Paul’s, The Dalles
Jerry1.frazier@gmail.com

Patti Knollman (2023)
Sunriver Christian Fellowship, Sunriver
pattiknollman@gmail.com

Dave Keeler (2022)
Church of the Redeemer, Pendleton
dkeeler62@gmail.com

Gretchen Kimsey (2022)
St. Paul’s, The Dalles
gretchenbk@gorge.net

Julie Reynolds (2022)
St. Thomas’, Canyon City
julieareynolds@centurytel.net

Joel Bigelow (2024)
St. Stephen’s, Baker City
bigelow@relianceconnects.com

Pat Brim-Williams (2024)
St. Paul’s, The Dalles
patbrimw@gmail.com

Laurance Kerr (2024)
St. Paul’s, The Dalles
lfk-asdk@gorge.net