Paul E. Lambert was elected the seventh Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of Dallas on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at The Cathedral of St. Matthew’s, in Dallas.  For the previous six years he had served as Canon to the Ordinary in Dallas under Bishop James M Stanton. For fifteen years prior to his becoming Canon to the Ordinary he served as Rector of St. James Episcopal Church, in Texarkana.

Lambert was born in Reno, Nevada on May 19, 1950 and spent the first 10 years of his life in Reno and Fallon, Nevada. For two years his family lived in the Lake Tahoe, California area before moving to Oxnard, California where he graduated from high school. He then attended Ventura Community College for one year before transferring to the College of Sequoias in Visalia, California. Upon completing his studies he transferred to California State University, San Francisco where he graduated with a Bachelor’s of Arts.

Lambert then attended Nashotah House Theological Seminary, where he graduated with a Master of Divinity. Two days later he married Sally Lynne Nicholls before moving to his first Cure at St. Paul’s in Modesto, California and St. Matthias in Oakdale, California. Their twin daughters, Claire Marie and Rebecca Anne were born in 1976. The family then moved to Taft, California, where Lambert served as Vicar of St. Andrews. Two years later, he was called as a Curate at the Church of the Transfiguration in Dallas, Texas.

In 1978, Lambert was called as Rector of St. John’s, Great Bend, Kansas and later yoked St. Mark’s, Lyons, Kansas. After three years, he was called as an Assistant for Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, Plano, Texas. It was from there he was called as Rector of St. James, Texarkana, Texas, in 1987, serving until 2002, when Bishop Stanton called him to serve as Canon to the Ordinary.

Lambert has served the Diocese of Dallas as a member of the Standing Committee for two terms including as President; Member of the Executive Council; President of the Ecclesiastical Authority; Member of Committee for the Nomination of a Bishop; Strategic Planning Committee; Cursillo Spiritual Director; and other commissions in the diocese. In addition to these, he has served as a deputy to General Convention and as Chair of the Deputation. He also served on the Interim Committee on the State of the Church for the House of Deputies, and as a member of the Committee on Social and Urban Affairs for the House of Deputies.

Paul and Sally have three children: Claire Marie, Rebecca Anne and Megan Elizabeth. They have five grandchildren, two boys and three girls.

Bishop Lambert will visit the following parishes while Bishop Wright is on sabbatical:
Sunday, June 24: St. John’s, College Park
Sunday, August 12: St. Mary’s, Montezuma
Sunday, August 26: St. Barnabas, Trion
Sunday, September 9: St. James, Cedartown
Sunday, September 16: St. Luke’s, Fort Valley
Sunday, October 14: St. Alban’s, Monroe
Sunday, October 21: Mediator, Washington