Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Spring 2012 Issue | Page 4

A Closer Look Candidates for bishop suffragan On Saturday, April 21, a special Electing Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia will convene at St. George’s, Fredericksburg to elect a bishop suffragan. In February, the Nominating Committee presented a slate of six nominees for consideration. In March, those nominees participated in a series of walkabouts across central and northern Virginia, giving members of the Diocese a chance to learn more about these candidates. Here, we invited the candidates to respond to several questions to give you a deeper sense of the spiritual lives of these six men and women. 1.  ow have you balanced the roles of pastor and prophet? How do H you envision this being the same and/or different if you become our bishop suffragan? 2.  ell us about one of your spiritual heroes or heroines. T 3. Pick a sentence or phrase from the Baptismal Covenant that has  particular meaning for you. Tell us how this part of the Covenant has influenced your life and ministry. Visit thediocese.net/BishopSuffraganSearchProcess for more information on the candidates. Special Electing Council: The Details THE REV. DEACON BARBARA AMBROSE Saturday, April 21 will be a milestone in the life and future of our Diocese. Lay delegates and clergy will gather at St. George’s Church in Fredericksburg to elect a bishop suffragan from among the six nominees announced in February. •  egistration will begin at 7 a.m. in Sydnor Hall and participants will R move to the sanctuary to celebrate Eucharist at 9 a.m. •  oting members will remain in the sanctuary where the Council will V be convened immediately following worship. •  here will be space available in Sydnor Hall for approximately 50 T guests to observe the proceedings remotely. The election of a bishop suffragan requires that a majority of both lay delegate votes and clergy votes be cast on the same ballot. We anticipate multiple ballots will be necessary before this dual majority is attained. Prayers and meditations will be offered between ballots and lunch will be served around 12 p.m. Results will be reported promptly online. 2 VIRGINIA EPISCOPALIAN / Spring 2012 All lay delegates and clergy must register for the Electing Council by April 15. There is a $10 fee due at registration to cover lunch at the Council. Those still needing to register can go to the diocesan Web site at thediocese.net and click on the Bishop Suffragan link to register online or print a mail-in form. Questions? Contact Anna Moncure at [email protected] or call 800-DIOCESE x1025. How Many Ballots? Here are the number of ballots that were required to elect a bishop in previous elections: The Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee: 11 ballots The Rt. Rev. F. Clayton Matthews: 3 ballots The Rt. Rev. David C. Jones: 3 ballots The Rt. Rev. M