A North Carolina church has installed the first openly lesbian Bishop in the South. Sarah Fisher was installed as the ninth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina. She is in a same-sex union with another woman, Reverend Mandy Brady. Gay bishops are not a new thing for the Episcopal Church. Rev. Gene Robinson became the first openly gay bishop in the denomination in 2003. A spokesperson informed The Christian Post, “Bishop Fisher is the first openly lesbian Episcopal Church bishop for a diocese based in the South.” Fisher was elected to the position by the third ballot, with 36 votes from the clergy and 70 votes among laity.

“I’m rarely at a loss for words, so take this moment as the one time that I’ m at a loss for words. I was in awe that they elected me and delighted because I am already head over heels in love with this diocese,” she told The Living Church. “There is so much heart and soul in this place. Their spiritual depth is wonderful and deep and evident in the people and in the churches, and so evident in the ministries that I see them doing.”

In a list of essay questions Fisher submitted, she described her life of “awkwardness in adolescence” as she dealt with her parents’ divorce and falling away from God. She described her return to the church as a struggle she hoped to help others in. “The church welcomed me home, to the community, to God, to the truest version of myself,” she wrote. “I hope that in everything I do and say as a priest, yes, but also as friend, neighbor and even stranger, I make the same journey accessible to others.”

Her essay questions also focused on unity. “I serve a very purple congregation. We are not unanimous in politics, or in how much noise children should make in church, or what brand of coffee to serve,” she added. “We are united in our desire to see, know and serve the Risen Christ. Getting proximate to those who differ from us is vital to seeing the inherent dignity and divinity that dwells in every person. It is easy to hate an idea or a stereotype or a strongly held belief. It is harder to hate the neighbor you know, when you can recognize the light of Christ within them.” Prior to her election, Fisher served as rector of St. Catherine’s Church in Marietta, Georgia.

Fisher’s nomination earned some strong reactions online. One account noted how, despite Fisher’s focus on unity, the Episcopal Church’s decision to allow openly gay priests to serve caused a split within the denomination. “[Fisher’s] election reflects the continuing theological direction of The Episcopal Church, which has faced decades of division over sexuality and church doctrine. The controversy traces back to 2003, when Gene Robinson became the denomination’s first openly gay bishop, sparking a major conservative exodus from the church,” noted the account. “When a church ordains practicing homosexuals as bishops, it stops being Christian and becomes apostate,” warned conservative pastor Reverend Jordan Wells. “Pray for those deceived. Stand with orthodox Anglicanism. The Bible hasn’t changed — the Episcopal Church has.”