The Episcopal Diocese of Spokane is a

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...

of the Episcopal Church in

eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

and

northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Its office and cathedral seat are in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

. The current bishop is

Gretchen Rehberg Gretchen Mary Rehberg is the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Spokane. Early life and education Rehberg was born in Pullman, Washington on July 7, 1964. Her mother, Margaret Rehberg (nee: Boe) was a homemaker and her father, Wallace Rehb ...

, the first woman to lead the Diocese. The Diocese of Spokane started as a missionary district in the mid-1860s. One of the earliest missionary priests, Lemuel H. Wells, established twenty-three missions in the late 19th century and became the first

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of Spokane in 1892. The early part of the 20th century saw the growth of Christian education programs. This included the establishment of a summer camp for youth on

Lake Coeur d'Alene Lake Coeur d'Alene, officially Coeur d'Alene Lake ( ), is a natural dam-controlled lake in North Idaho, located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. At its northern end is the city of Coeur d'Alene. It spans in length and range ...

in northern Idaho. Named after Bishop Edward M. Cross, Camp Cross was one of the first camps in the area; it started out as a summer school in 1923 on

Lake Chelan Lake Chelan ( ) is a narrow, long lake in Chelan County, north-central Washington state, U.S. Before 1927, it was the largest natural lake in the state by any measure. Upon the completion of Lake Chelan Dam in 1927, the elevation of the lake was ...

before its current property on Lake Coeur d'Alene was donated by Bishop Page. Camp Cross has become a camp and retreat center serving the needs of young and old alike. By the mid 20th century, the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane was begun and completed. A striking example of American neo-gothic architecture, the Cathedral dominates the southern skyline of Spokane as it sits high upon a hill overlooking downtown. The late 20th century saw the establishment of a diocesan housing corporation to bring more housing for the elderly throughout the diocese, as well as the expansion and strengthening of local ministries. The territory of the Diocese of Spokane has thirty-eight congregations and encompasses all of

east of the Cascades and the northern

panhandle. Western Washington is within the Diocese of Olympia, and southern Idaho is in the Diocese of Idaho, seated at St. Michael's in

Boise Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown area's ...

Bishops

# Lemuel Henry Wells (1892–1913) # Herman Page (1915–1923) # Edward Makin Cross (1924–1954) # Russell Sturgis Hubbard (1954–1967) # John Wyatt (1967–1978) # Leigh A. Wallace, Jr. (1979–1990) # Frank Jeffrey Terry, Jr. (1990–1999) # James E. Waggoner, Jr. (2000–2017) #

(2017–Present)

External links

* *
Journal of the Annual Convocation of the Church in the District of Spokane
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Spokane

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...

Christianity in Idaho Protestantism in Idaho Christianity in Washington (state) Religious organizations established in 1892 Anglican dioceses established in the 19th century Province 8 of the Episcopal Church (United States) de:Bistum Spokane it:Diocesi di Spokane