About

About
the Bishop

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.

Our Bishops

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

Diocesan Clergy

The Rev. Joyce Atchley

Deacon

St. Thomas, Canyon City

The Rev. Christine Close Erskine (Licensed)

Priest

The Rev. Amy Jayne (Convenant)

Pastor

Ascension School Camp and Conference Center

The Rev. Charles Barnes

Priest

St. John’s, Hermiston

The Rev. Jack Erskine

Priest 

Non-Parochial

The Rev. Matthew Littau

St. Andrew’s Episcopal/Peace Lutheran/
Church of the Living Waters, Burns

The Rev. Anne Bartlett (Licensed)

Priest

Supply

The Rev. Joseph Farber

Priest

Church of the Transfiguration, Sisters

The Rev. Mary R. Lujan

Priest

Non-parochial

The Rev. P. Kelly Mahon

Priest

St. Mark’s, Hood River

The Rt. Rev. Patrick Bell

Bishop of the Diocese of Eastern Oregon

The Rev. Mary Anne Gard

Priest

Non-Parochial

The Rev. Katherine Nesbitt

Priest

St. Patrick’s, Enterprise

The Rev. Aletha Bonebrake

Vicar

St. Stephen’s, Baker City

The Rev. Johathan Galles

Priest

St. Paul’s, The Dalles

The Rev. Sean Rogers

Transitional Clergy

St. Matthew’s, Ontario

The Rev. Jeffery Bullock (licensed)

Priest

Supply

The Rev. Canon Nancy Sargent Green

Rector/Senior Pastor

All Saints of the Cascades/Sunriver Christian Fellowship

The Rev. Marilyn Roth

Priest – Nonparochial

St. Paul’s, The Dalles

The Rev. Celine Burke (licensed)

Priest

Chaplain to the Retired ClergySt. Thomas, Canyon City

The Rev. Jed Holdorph

Rector

Trinity, Bend

The Rev. Ray Jeff Spreier

Priest

St. Andrew’s, Prineville

The Rev. Susan Church (licensed)

Priest

Supply

The Rev. Roy Green

Priest

Non-Parochial

The Rev. Charlotte Wells

Rector

Church of the Redeemer, Pendleton

The Rev. Taylor Clark

Deacon

St. Stephen’s, Baker City

The Rev. Linda Hale

Deacon

St. Peter’s, La Grande

The Rev. Keehna Sture

Deacon

St. Alban’s, Redmond

The Rev. John Collins

Assisting Priest

Church of the Transfiguration, Sisters

The Rev. Ann Marie Hardin

Priest in Charge

St. James’, Milton Freewater

The Rev. Janet Warner

Deacon

Non-Parochial

The Rev. Jean Cupp

Deacon

Church of the Redeemer, Pendleton

Diocesan Staff

Diocese Staff

The Rt. Rev. Patrick Bell

Bishop

P.O. Box 236
Cove, OR 97824

Lisa Boquist

Diocesan Administrator and Executive Assistant to the Bishop

Ascension School Camp & Conference Center

Amy Jayne

Executive Director

Katie Sanchez

Operations Manager

Roman Heidrich

Program Director

Diocesan Council

Adrienne Brown (2022)

Church of the Transfiguration, Sisters

Ellen Nesbitt (2022)

St, Patrick’s, Enterprise

The Rev. Charlotte Wells (2022)

Church of the Redeemer, Pendleton

Barbara Reynolds (2023)

Trinity, Bend

Beth Spell (2023)

St. Thomas, Canyon City

The Rev. Joseph Farber (2023)

Church of the Transfiguration, Sisters

Betty Palmer (2024)

St. Stephen’s, Baker City

Angela Pursel (2024)

St. John’s, Hermiston

The Rev. Jay Spreier (2024)

St. Andrew’s, Prineville

Patty Olson-Lindsey

Treasurer

The Rev. Charlotte Wells

Secretary of Convention

Minutes of Diocesan Council Meetings

January 2011

Diocesan Council Minutes

March 2011

Diocesan Council Minutes

May 2011

Diocesan Council Minutes

August 2011

Diocesan Council Minutes

November 11-13, 2011

Retreat – Word from Council

January 2012

Diocesan Council Meeting

February 2012

Diocesan Council Meeting

March 2012

Diocesan Council Meeting

August 2012

Diocesan Council Meeting – Addendum

August 2012

Diocesan Council Meeting

January 2013

Retreat – Diocesan Council Minutes

Standing Committee

The Rev. Kelly Mahon, President (2022)

St. Mark’s, Hood River

Steve Winkle (2022)

St. Mark’s, Hood River

Karly Nash (2023)

Trinity, Bend

The Rev. Ann Marie Hardin (2023)

Church of the Redeemer, Pendleton

The Rev. Aletha Bonebrake (2024)

St. Stephen’s, Baker City

Terry Rahmsdorff (2024)

Trinity, Bend

Finance Committee

The Rt. Rev.Patrick Bell

Bishop

Dianne Barnes

Church of the Redeemer, Pendleton

Alexis McCarthy

St. John’s, Hermiston

Jerry Frazier

St. Paul’s, The Dalles

Patty Olson-Lindsey

Diocesan Treasurer

COM

P.O. Box 236
Cove, OR 97824

The Rev. Jan Kozak (2021)

Madras

The Rev. John Collins (2021)

Transfiguration, Sisters

Diane Adams (2021)

St. Paul’s, The Dalles

The Rev. Aletha Bonebrake (2022)

St. Stephen’s, Baker City

Marty Nyman (2022)

St. James’, Milton Freewater

David Silva (2022)

Church of the Redeemer, Pendleton

The Rev. Marilyn Roth (2023)

St. Paul’s, The Dalles

Prudi Sherman (2023)

St. Matthew’s, Ontario

Helen Keefe (2023)

St. Andrews, Prineville

The Rev. Joyce Atchley (2023)

St. Thomas, Canyon City

Ascension School Advisory Board

The Rt. Rev. Patrick Bell

Bishop

Makenzie Dyer

Baker City, OR

Cindy Feibert

Ontario, OR

Charlie Hammerich

Pullman, WA

Sean Kimsey

The Dalles, OR

The Rev. Kelly Mahon

Hood River, OR

George Nairns

Heppner, OR

Terry Rahmsdorff

Bend, OR

Aaron Tensen

Florence, OR

Amy Tensen

Florence, OR

Karly Witten

Cove, OR

Certified Spiritual Advisors

The Rev. Celine Burke

The Rev. Janet Warner

The Rev. Marilyn Roth

Peggy Ziegler

Helen Keefe

St. Gertrude’s Monastery

Cottonwood, ID

The Eastern
Oregon Episcopal 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.”

Foundation Trustees

The Rt. Rev. Patrick Bell, Bishop

P.O. Box 236
Cove, OR 97824

Jerry Frazier (Treasurer)

St. Paul’s, The Dalles

Patti Knollman (2023)

Sunriver Christian Fellowship, Sunriver

Dave Keeler (2022)

Church of the Redeemer, Pendleton

Gretchen Kimsey (2022)

St. Paul’s, The Dalles

Julie Reynolds (2022)

St. Thomas’, Canyon City

Joel Bigelow (2024)

St. Stephen’s, Baker City

Pat Brim-Williams (2024)

St. Paul’s, The Dalles

Laurance Kerr (2024)

St. Paul’s, The Dalles