On Thursday, June 17, 2021 at the Billy Graham Training Center in Asheville, North Carolina, the College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America consented to the election of the Rev. Cn. Alan Hawkins as Bishop Coadjutor of the Anglican Diocese of Christ Our Hope. He will serve alongside the Rt. Rev. Steve Breedlove, the Diocesan Bishop, until Breedlove transitions out of episcopal ministry and he takes over as Diocesan.
“Today was a very special moment in my life,” Hawkins said. “I sat in the Chapel where Billy Graham has preached and ministered for many years. I was so honored to go through this discernment process in this very space.” He went on to explain the rigor of the College’s discernment process and the impression it left on him. He explained, “Now, my hopes are to find the place where I can best be and serve as a valuable friend and member of this College. There is much to do in the Anglican Church in North America, and it is a great honor to serve alongside them.”
Hawkins is currently the Chief Operating Officer for the Anglican Church in North America and has served in that position since 2018. Before this, he served four years as both the Provincial Canon for Development and a member of the Finance Team. He also served as the Provincial Director for Church Planting. He and his family have helped plant and lead the Church of the Redeemer, a thriving congregation in the center of Greensboro, North Carolina. He will remain in Greensboro and will continue in his role as COO of the Province until the end of Archbishop Foley Beach’s term as archbishop in 2024. His consecration as Bishop Coadjutor will take place on November 5, 2021 as part of the diocese’s annual Convocation & Synod.
The College of Bishops also welcomed the Rt. Rev. William Love, former bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany, into their ranks. Love was ordained to the priesthood in 1992 and, beginning in 2006, faithfully served Albany for 15 years until his resignation from his position as Diocesan Bishop on February 1, 2021.
After years of theological struggle over biblical orthodoxy, Bishop Love finds himself right at home in the Anglican Church in North America’s College of Bishops. “I give thanks to God for this new opportunity to continue to serve Him and His Church,” he said. “Obviously the last few years have had their frustrations, but the Lord is good and has been with us on our journey. Given all that has happened, I’m thankful to be released from my former position and received into the Anglican Church in North America. My wife and I are absolutely thrilled to now be a part of this wonderful part of the body of Christ.”
Bishop Love and his wife, Karen, are parents to two children and proud grandparents of five and make their home in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York. Bishop Love prayerfully accepted the invitation from the Rt. Rev. Julian Dobbs, Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word, to serve as an assisting bishop in the diocese. In that role, he will support Dobbs in providing episcopal ministry to the congregations, church plants, and ministries of the diocese.
The Most Rev. Dr. Foley Beach, Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in North America, shared the sentiment of the College: “The College and I are very excited to welcome Bishop-elect Hawkins and Bishop Love. Alan is a proven leader and respected by so many in our Province. Bishop Bill has stood faithfully against pressure to compromise the orthodox faith. Both are godly men and will be wonderful additions to the College.”
