Virginia Episcopalian Magazine Winter 2012 Issue | Page 8

continued from page 5

as a church school. Being an Episcopal school is essential to
our identity. Therefore, Kay’s deep commitment to us being a
church school has helped us to evolve and become the strong
church school that we are today. Beneath Kay’s gracious and
warm spirit lies a competitive nature. I have always felt that Kay
has wanted our school to be the best that it can be, and she has
always been willing to give 100 percent to make sure that we
are the best.
–Joan Holden
Ten years ago, I was at a Standing Committee meeting where
Bishop Jones joined us. We gave him a carpenter’s apron we
all had signed. He smiled and taught us that the keys to church
planting are not buildings but visionary people taking risks for
the Gospel. He taught that “vision precedes provision,” and
that “it takes an eight-figure vision to obtain a seven-figure
gift.” More recently, the American Friends of the Episcopal
Church of Sudan (AFRECS) invited him to be its president, and
to our surprised delight, he accepted. He has just returned
(again) from Sudan, where his work with Archbishop Daniel
and the Episcopal Church of Sudan is planting a strong, vibrant
province of the Anglican Communion. Characteristically, that
work began 15 years ago at Virginia Theological Seminary when
he befriended then-Bishop Daniel as a brother bishop far from
home, planting the church with seeds of encouragement.
–Russ Randle

I have known and admired David and Kay Jones since we
were at Virginia Seminary together more than 45 years
ago. David and Kay followed Kristy and me in a summer
internship at the American Church in Nice, France, in
the late 1960s. When I arrived in Virginia as bishop in
1984, David was a senior rector, always supportive of
our diocesan life, and a wise counselor and friend. When
he was consecrated bishop suffragan, he was a loyal,
engaging, imaginative colleague, with a special talent
for helping clergy and lay people identify and use the
gifts God had given them for upbuilding Christ’s church.

He supervised and supported the planting of new
churches. He was the sustaining bishop who supported
mission churches, especially those serving rural and
ethnic populations. I’ll never forget the joy of jointly
dedicating with David Santa Maria Church in Fairfax
County, our first stand-alone Latino congregation.

David was the primary diocesan leader in
ecumenical relations and was present among
ecumenical leaders who greeted Pope Benedict XVI on
his visit to the Washington area.

Friend, colleague, fellow bishop and servant of the
servants of God, David Jones has served the Diocese of
Virginia with joy, integrity and grace.
–The Rt. Rev. Peter James Lee
continued on page 8

Bishop Jones consults with Bishop Lewis, Bishop Lee and the
Rev. Rosemary Sullivan at the 1994 General Convention, the year
before his election.
Photo: Patrick Getlein

6

VIRGINIA EPISCOPALIAN / Winter 2012