Navajoland Area Mission

Navajoland Area Mission
Location
Ecclesiastical province	Province VIII
Statistics
Congregations	9
Members	754 (2014)
Information
Cathedral	None
Current leadership
Bishop	David Bailey
Map
Location of the Navajoland Area Mission
Website
navajoland.org

The Navajoland Area Mission, also known as the Episcopal Church in Navajoland, is an Area Mission of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. It is in Province 8 and its diocesan offices are located in Farmington, New Mexico.

Created by General Convention in 1978, the Navajoland Area Mission comprises portions of the Navajo Reservation as well as parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah (see map). Formally designated an "Area Mission" of the Episcopal Church, it functions much like a diocese but with more oversight from the Office of the Presiding Bishop and the House of Bishops. Prior to its creation, the Church's ministry to the Navajo people was overseen jointly by the three Episcopal dioceses of the Rio Grande, Arizona and Utah.

The first full-time appointment to Navajoland was the Right Rev Frederick W. "Fred" Putnam, Suffragan Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oklahoma since 1963. He commenced in January 1979 and served until his retirement in January 1983. Although 61 at the time of his appointment, came to the Mission with a strong sense of purpose and focus on the building up of indigenous ministry.

The Presiding Bishop then appointed the Right Rev Wesley Frensforff, Bishop of Nevada until January 1985 and subsequently Assisting Bishop in the Episcopal Diocese of Arizona, as Assisting Bishop. Bishop Frensdorff held the position in Navajoland concurrently with his other appointments. Following Bishop Frensforff’s death in a plane accident in May 1988, the Presiding Bishop appointed the Right Rev William "Dub" Wolfrum, Suffragan Bishop of Colorado, as interim bishop. He served until March 1990.

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Wikipedia