The consecration of the Rev. Don Edward Johnson as the third Bishop of West Tennessee on June 30 at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis was an occasion of great beauty and joy.

The two-and-one-half-hour service will be long remembered by the 1,500 persons present as an example of liturgy at its finest. A diocesan choir with singers from many of the diocese's 36 congregations and a children's choir, accompanied by a brass ensemble and timpani, offered a wide variety of music. Twenty-five bishops, including Bishop Ronald Warren of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and scores of ecumenical and attending clergy participated in the consecration.

The new bishop chose John 15:1-11, as the gospel for the day and the verse "I am the vine and you are the branches" as the theme of his episcopacy. Visual images of the vine and branches are incorporated into the design of his ring, pectoral cross and pastoral staff.

The Rt. Rev. Bertram N. Herlong, Bishop of Tennessee, the preacher, repeated that theme throughout his sermon. "Faith, unity and discipline assure us of our connection to the true vine," he said and reminded the congregation that "our mission, restoring all to unity in Christ, is the fruit of the vine."

Chief consecrator was the Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop. Co-consecrators were the Rt. Rev. James M. Coleman, retiring Bishop of West Tennessee; the Rt. Rev. William E. Sanders, Bishop of East Tennessee, retired; the Rt. Rev. Charles von Rosenberg, Bishop of East Tennessee; and the Rt. Rev. Duncan Gray III, Bishop Coadjutor of Mississippi.

Bishop Coleman delivered the pastoral staff to his successor and Bishop Johnson was seated in his cathedra and installed as the third Bishop of West Tennessee. A trumpet fanfare sounded, and the congregation responded with loud and sustained applause.

Bishop Johnson has served his entire ministry in the state of Tennessee, serving churches in Memphis, Chattanooga, Johnson City and Franklin. Before his election at the diocesan convention in March, he was rector of the Church of the Resurrection in Franklin for five years.