Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Winter 2012 Issue | Page 5

City Park in Parkersburg, WVa.,
when he climbed out of the back
of a Volkswagen, interrupted a
conversation she was having and asked
to be introduced to the “good looking
friend” – was also an Episcopalian. The
two entered West Virginia University
together, and Jones was confirmed into
the Episcopal Church.

During college, Jones changed
his major five times, finally settling
on history. “I had a sense, as I kept
changing my major, that I was headed
to seminary,” he said. And so, after
graduating in 1965, Jones took two
logical steps: first, marrying Kay, and
then entering Virginia Theological
Seminary in the fall, where he served
as a seminarian at Truro Church, Fairfax
and worked on an ecumenical project
at Redeemer United Methodist Church
in Reston. Kay, meanwhile, taught
French and put her husband through
seminary. She would continue her
passion of teaching French throughout
their marriage, and only just retired
from St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School in
Alexandria in 2011.

After being ordained by the Rt. Rev.
Wilburn C. Campbell, Jones served two
different parishes in his home diocese of
West Virginia: St. James’, Lewisburg and
St. Stephen’s, Beckley. In the summer of
1977, he received a call to serve as rector
of Church of the Good Shepherd, Burke.
“It took three maps to find Burke,”
noted Jones. He and his family – by
then a group of four with son David C.
“Tee” Jones Jr. and daughter Elizabeth –
relocated to northern Virginia.

In 1977, the area was a bit different:
a field with horses occupied the space
across from the rector’s office, where
a housing development now sits. The
congregation was home to a large
military population, a “cracker jack
staff” and a top-notch music program.
Good Shepherd was the first large parish
in the Diocese to call a woman to serve:
Jane Holmes Dixon, now a retired bishop
suffragan herself, of the Diocese of
Washington. “I found it an exciting place
to be,” said Jones.

It was while serving at Good
Shepherd that Jones was asked to be
a nominee in the election of a new
bishop suffragan. He did not accept
the nomination. His daughter, Liz, was

diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease in her
first year at the University of Virginia,
and had a recurrence a few years later –
as the search for bishop suffragan was
underway. Jones declined because Liz
was going through chemotherapy.

But at the December 1994 meeting
of the Executive Board, deans and
presidents, a group of people sought
to add Jones to the slate by petition.
He got the call and news of the petition
the next day, as he and his family were
decorating the Christmas tree. “Liz said,
‘Dad, you go on with your life and I’ll go
on with my life.’ She encouraged me
to put my name forward,” said Jones.
Six weeks later, he was elected bishop
suffragan on the third ballot, after
leading all three ballots.

As bishop suffragan in Virginia,
Jones has oversight over church planting
and has a strong passion for supporting
small churches – an area in which he has
plenty of experience. During his time
in West Virginia, he was also in charge
of several area mission congregations.
While rector at Good Shepherd, he
was a member of the Committee on
Mission Outreach and Churches Under
Supervision of the Bishop (MOCUS)
and later chair when the organization
was renamed the Committee on
Congregational Missions. And Good
Shepherd, under the leadership of
Jones, helped plant the congregation of
St. Peter’s in the Woods, Fairfax Station,
as part of his doctorate of ministry
program at VTS. “I never dreamed when
I started it that I’d have the privilege
of breaking ground on that church
building,” said Jones.

Jones also played an integral role
in the founding of La Iglesia de Santa
Maria, now one of the largest Spanishspeaking congregations in the Diocese
of Virginia, in 2004. “The founding of a
free-standing Latino congregation was
a desire and dream of many northern
Virginia congregations when I began
my ministry as a bishop,” said Jones.
Contributions from every region of the
Diocese made possible the purchase
of the Boulevard Baptist Church in
Falls Church, and the Rev. Jesus Reyes
was selected as vicar. “I asked Jesus to
arrange for me to celebrate the Holy
Eucharist in the new building,” said
Jones. “I wanted to claim it that day as

an Episcopal Church. I also asked Jesus
to invite some of his parishioners to join
in the celebration. Following a glorious
evening service and dinner, a man
offered to help me carry my vestments
to my car. As we walked out the door of
the church, the man paused and said, ‘I
learned to speak English in this church.
I live over there, across the street. But
this is the first time that I have ever been
invited to worship here.’ He had tears in
his eyes. Being invited to attend worship
had meant everything to him. I didn’t
know until later that he had been told
‘The bishop wants you to come!’”

Since 2004, Santa Maria has
experienced continuous growth, and
today tops 800 in attendance in three
Sunday services. “The generosity
of our congregations and dozens of
individuals made this venture possible
and successful. For me, it has been a
source of deep satisfaction,” said Jones.
“In my heart, I’m an evangelical. There’s
nothing that brings me more joy than
seeing a person come to faith.”

It’s that same joy that’s behind
Jones’ extensive ministry with youth
and young adults. A frequent presence
at Shrine Mont camps, Jones has been
known to