The Reverend Amy P. Haynie
I was born at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, New Mexico and grew up in Archer City and Odessa, Texas. I am very familiar with the people and cultures of North, West, and Northwest Texas. Bishop Mayer knew that about me when he asked me to pray about the possibility of being called to serve in the Diocese of Northwest Texas, specifically at Saint Nicholas' Episcopal Church in Midland. I love the wide, open spaces and friendly, practical people that choose to live in this part of our world. I see God hard at work in the stark, fierce landscapes and multi-cultural gatherings across our diocese.
Initially, I did not consider whether or not God might be calling me to this discernment work in the bishop transition of Northwest Texas. After several colleagues, lay and ordained, asked me to consider the possibility, I agreed to pray and discern. I have been doing that discernment work with my therapist, my spiritual director, and a very few trusted mature spiritual friends.
Only after I started this discernment work, I considered how formational the past bishops of this diocese have been for me. Bishop Sam Hulsey offered me a blessing the day he confirmed our older son and the day before I began my Clinical Pastoral Education module. He was a trusted confidant and beloved friend for many years as I served in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. After his death, when I announced my call to be the next rector of Saint Nicholas' Episcopal Church in Midland, his family sent me to Midland with the diocesan shield from his tippet and I treasure their thoughtfulness.
Bishop Wallis Ohl ordained me to the diaconate and priesthood in the Episcopal Church. I worked on his diocesan staff for almost three years. He and I attended two General Conventions and two Episcopal Youth Events in his years as the provisional bishop of Fort Worth, so I got to see his style of leadership in several situations.
I was a member of the standing committee of the diocese of Fort Worth for the Abilene Summitt, when the standing committees of Fort Worth and Northwest Texas met with Bishop Mayer to discuss the possibility and logistics of Bishop Mayer becoming the provisional bishop of Northwest Texas, while still being the elected bishop of Northwest Texas. After that union, I thoroughly enjoyed every interaction with the deputies of Northwest Texas at General Conventions. I prayed every day for Bishop Scott and Kathy as he took on those added responsibilities (I continue to pray for them). Personally, I will be forever grateful to the Diocese of Northwest Texas for sharing Bishop Mayer's time and talents with the Diocese of Fort Worth. I loved this diocese before I was called to it.
The God I believe in and worship has a great sense of humor. As the standing committee president, I talked with other excellent priests and tried to recruit them to submit their information and discern with the bishop search committee. God continually showed me all the ways I could also successfully discern. These are trusted colleagues and friends, and all of them asked me if I was going to be discerning also which I interpreted as God continually calling to me through other people. My goal throughout all of this has been that the Diocese of Northwest Texas will have an excellent, strong slate on which to vote next January.
At our diocesan presbyter's conference in April, Bishop Mayer invited all of the clergy gathered to re-examine our ordination vows and then to also examine the ordination vows of a bishop. In that exercise and ensuing discussion, God clearly showed me that I am capable of fully living into those vows, should I be asked to make them. It was during that exercise that I became fully convinced that I am called to discern with the bishop search committee about the possibility of becoming the next bishop of Northwest Texas.
When Bishop Mayer approached me in April of 2022 about beginning to pray and discern whether I might be called to be the next rector of Saint Nicholas' in Midland, he remembered that I had spent seven years of my youth in Odessa and that I had fond memories of living there. I love being back in the Midland-Odessa area again. I would gladly spend the rest of my professional life at Saint Nicholas' and, God willing, maybe even retire from there. Saint Nicholas has some exciting strategic goals to work toward that the vestry and I have formulated together. I love the life that David and I live in Midland; however, I have come to accept that God may be calling me in another way now and I look forward to whatever the next steps may be.
