New Bishop election

Sharpen up your quills, folks, if you want to be the Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of Albany, because here's the seventeen questions you will need to write about. Up to 9,100 words (total) may be used. Considering that there are eleven candidates, they could be writing more than 100,000 words! Care to see the list of questions?

See how California goes about finding a new bishop!
Link to the California webpage. Wow!

California's questions:

1. How do you deal with conflict? Give at least one specific illustrative example.
2. What pastoral situations make you most uncomfortable? Why?
3. What has been for you the most valuable learning experience in ministry outside of your current primary ministry?
4. Tell us about a difficult situation in your ministry which you felt you did not resolve very successfully. Inretrospect,what would you have done differently?
5. Based on your reading of the diocesan profile:
A. what do you see as your greatest challenge as the bishop of California?
B. what excites you most about the position?
6. What have you found most compelling in Christ’s call to you? How is this related to your interest in becoming the bishop of California?

Newark’s Seven Questions

1. What would you propose as an evangelism strategy for this diocese given our strengths and challenges? How have you attracted and increased the active participation of young people (ages 20-35) in your own ministry settings?
2. How do you define the ministry of presence and connection as a bishop as chief pastor? Please provide three examples of presence and connection from your own ministry.
3. Please give examples of your own spiritual growth and development. What have you done in the past to help the spiritual growth and development of others? What aspects of your own life and ministry do you think would make others think of you as a person of god? Have you taught or conveyed your faith to others in the past?
4. What is your theology of stewardship? Do you tithe? Why or why not? How do you articulate that theology in an economically or spiritually charged environment?
5. We are known for our full inclusion in the body of Christ of all sexual orientations. How would you help us continue this inclusion along with making progress in other areas such as race, class, ability economic justice and the plight of our cities?
6. Please list and explain two major characteristics of your own leadership style that you see as relevant to the ministry of the next bishop of Newark.
7. Given the climate of our time and what you know about the history of action in the Diocese of Newark, how would you inspire and lead our diocesan congregations top respond to the issues and concerns of the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion and the world?

Invitation to the candidate's forum. A chance to meet the candidates!
March 24, at the SLC. Reservations needed. Special convention March 25th to elect the new Bishop Coadjutor. At the Cathedral in Albany.

Two weeks from the Special Convention to elect a Bishop Coadjutor, we on the AVM Board of Directors know a lot about the 11 candidates. We have studied their resumes and other background materials, compared notes on those with whom we have worked, and consulted trusted friends about others who are – or were – strangers to us. Finally, several of us met all 11 candidates, at the March 4 forum.

We are ready, as individuals, to make informed choices on March 24 and 25. We are not prepared, as a Board, to impose our preferences on anyone else. What we will do, gladly, is tell you what attributes we have sought while evaluating the candidates. You can take it from there.

We hope our new Coadjutor/Diocesan will be well and broadly educated, widely experienced in both parish ministry and administration, able to speak well and eager to listen. If possible, we would like him to be known and well regarded beyond this diocese and outside this denomination.

Our new leader will face big challenges. He will inherit a diocese with falling Sunday attendance and membership, and one whose financial condition is in question. He will need imagination and energy to reverse Albany’s decline and help the diocese grow, financial insight and courage to see us through what may be very hard fiscal times.

We do not expect our new Coadjutor to be liberal, nor should you: Every candidate was able to give locally acceptable, orthodox answers to all of the diocese’s 17 questions! We do hope he will be a reconciler, one who will strive to bring left and right, high church and low, together in one many-faceted but solid Diocese of Albany.

That’s our view of the upcoming election. The rest of the job is up to you and your delegates.

Dear Editor,

Thank you for encouraging people to participate in the Bishop
Coadjutor Candidate Forums on March 4 and 24; both take place at
Christ the King Spiritual Life Center, which differs from some
information on your web site.

Also, added today to the Election Website's Special Convention page
(http://albanycoadjutorelection.info/16.html) are the Guidelines for
Participation in the Forum Q&A Sessions. I thought these may be
helpful to your readership as they prepare for the Candidate Forums.

Faithfully,

Patti Gibbons

On Saturday, March 4, between 9 AM and 5 PM, the candidates for Bishop Coadjutor will be at the Spiritual Life Center to meet delegates to the March 25 Special Convention. A second forum will be held at St. George’s Clifton Park (Editor: this is at the SLC, as is the previous meeting; see the letter above) on Friday, March 24, for those who miss the March 4 meeting. These will be our only opportunities to meet the candidates during this abbreviated election process.

In our view, the 17 essays that the Diocese of Albany requires of each candidate are a good test of orthodoxy, but they leave it unclear how he would perform as Bishop Coadjutor and, eventually, Diocesan. Here are some questions that you or your parish’s deputies might ask during the forums to get a fuller picture of each candidate:

1. Although this Diocese is largely conservative, it includes many progressive to moderate parishes. What would you do to draw these parishes into diocesan activities

2. It has been proposed that the diocesan offices in Albany be sold and that said offices be moved to the Spiritual Life Center in Greenwich. What do you see as the pros and cons of shifting the diocese’s focus so far from its urban center of population?

3. Should steps be taken to increase Albany’s interaction with other denominations and adjacent Episcopal dioceses and provinces? If so, what steps might they be?

4. Should bishops encourage discussion, e.g. at the Diocesan Convention, of such social issues as poverty, justice, abortion, the end of life, peace, torture, and the death penalty? On which of these, if any, should the Diocese of Albany take a stand?

5. Is it ever appropriate for a diocesan bishop to intervene in the affairs of another Episcopal diocese or Anglican province? If so, under what circumstances?

6. Under what circumstances, if any, would you lead the Diocese of Albany to distance itself from, or indeed separate from, ECUSA?

7. You and the other 10 candidates for Coadjutor vary widely in education and types and amounts of experience. What do you feel makes you particularly qualified to become Albany’s Bishop Coadjutor and eventual Diocesan?

8. To what factor or factors do you attribute the decline of attendance and membership that the Diocese of Albany has experienced over the last few years? What steps would you take to reverse this trend?

In preparation for the election of a Bishop Coadjutor for the Diocese of Albany, the Standing Committee has arranged for those Canonically Resident Clergy, Lay Deputies & Alternates, and interested members of the Diocese to have an opportunity to meet and hear from the nominees for that office at two Candidate Forums.

1. Candidate Forum #1 will be held Saturday, March 4, 2006 from 9 AM to 5 PM at Christ the King Spiritual Life Center, Greenwich, NY. Attendees should plan to arrive early (between 8 and 8:30 AM) to check-in and receive further instructions. Additionally, Candidate Forum #2 will be conducted Friday, March 24, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM for those clerics and lay deputies who are unable to attend the March 4 session.

2. Both Candidate Forums will begin with a brief introductory gathering in Christ the King Chapel. Following, attendees will be assigned to 11 venues where they will remain the balance of the Forum. The nominees will rotate through the 11 venues. Each rotation will last about 35 minutes, providing 25 minutes for statements, questions and responses and a short break before the next rotation. A moderator will be assigned to each venue to insure that all attendees are able to participate in the exchange of information.

3. Reservations will be necessary in order to attend the Candidate Forums. Box lunches will be available for $5.00. Beverages will be provided at no cost. In order to make a reservation, go to the Election Website at www.albanycoadjutorelection.info and click on Special Convention. There is a section at that site describing each Candidate Forum and providing a link to the registration form for each Forum date.

4. You are encouraged to bring your Special Convention Booklet with you to the Candidate Forum.

As the Diocese of Albany prepared for the election of a Bishop Coadjutor in 1983, it launched an educational program that was based on the Forward Movement Booklet: An Apostle in our Midst: The Office of Bishop, by David B. Joslin. The program of study consisted of five sessions:

3. The Bishop as teacher, unifier, authority, chief priest, ordainer, central among those in Holy Orders, pastor, ecumenist, and extender of the Episcopate. This session invited people to consider other possible roles of a Bishop.

4. Because the Bishop is a frail human instrument, he needs the support of his people, and so the participants were asked to describe the support a Bishop would need.

5. This session requested that people pray for the Bishop, for God’s guidance, and for each other.

Using the above program, the people of the Diocese were asked to develop their own notions of what to seek in candidates for Bishop. “The goal of this study has been to help each group discover the qualities and abilities we need in our next Bishop. Your insights and conclusions are for your own use, since there is no formal plan to seek feedback from parishes.” It is important to note that the group charged with the search for a Bishop Coadjutor was the Diocesan Council (an elected body fully representational of the various and scattered deaneries of the Diocese).

When the Diocese of Albany approached the election of its next Bishop Coadjutor, it undertook a self-study which developed “A Profile of the Diocese and information to assist in the Search for a Bishop Coadjutor”, July 1996. In this guide, a list of “Qualities desired in our Bishop” emerged from the input received from throughout the Diocese:

Concern was expressed about issues that should be addressed by the new bishop. These issues were identified as: homosexuality in the church, the raising up of local priests, and abortion. In light of these issues, it was expressed that the diocesan should be an inspiring leader, a visionary, one who is grounded in prayer, strong faith and faithfulness, one who is energetic enough to deal with our large diocese, one who can relate to young people, and a good shepherd who is pastorally sensitive to the needs of the clergy. Note that the search committee was composed of persons elected by the deaneries specifically for this work, plus at-large members.

Bishop Herzog has already started the fast track process to elect a Bishop Coadjutor for the Diocese of Albany. What is this process? Where are we in it? Why does AVM consider using it to be very ill-advised?

1. According to the Rules of Order (1B), the Bishop Diocesan first announces an election, not less than ninety days prior to it. (Bp. Herzog has done this. He hopes to have consent from other bishops for a search by 1 November.)

2. Eligible persons (canonically resident clergy and Lay Deputies to the electing Convention) nominate candidates, submitting their nominations to the Secretary of the Diocese not less than 60 days before the election. (Eligible electors – delegates to the 2005 Convention --should receive nomination forms shortly.)

3. If the Secretary judges a nomination to be valid, he passes it on to the Standing Committee “expeditiously.” If not, he turns it back..

4. The Standing Committee makes “such inquiries as it shall deem appropriate” concerning each candidate. If it judges a candidate to be eligible (ordained and of acceptable age), it passes copies of his/her nomination and biographical data to the Lay Deputies and canonically resident clergy. Additional nominations may be made and seconded from the floor at the Convention

5. Convention delegates vote for candidates by orders. A majority of each order is required to elect a Bishop Suffragan (or, now, a Coadjutor). (Bp. Herzog anticipates that the election will take place on 25 March 2006.)

In his Convention 2005 address, Bishop Herzog claimed that using this abbreviated process puts “the power directly in the hands of the clergy and people.” In fact, it does just the opposite: It severely limits the roles of the clergy and laity. Consider:

1. Under the old procedure for choosing a Coadjutor (Rules of Order 1A), a representative Profile and Search Committee (16 deanery representatives; 6 members-at-large) was set up to identify and screen potential candidates. This promoted a wide and careful search for the best candidates.

2. The P&S Committee prepared and published a Diocesan Profile and Self-Study. This forced the diocese to take stock whenever it chose a new leader – a very important step for any organization that is about to change leaders.

3. No less than 45 days before the election, the Committee prepared and published an Election Booklet, which contained detailed information about candidates. Thus, members of the diocese had at least 1 ½ months to consider the candidates and discuss them with their parishes before voting.

4. Most important, after the Election Booklet was distributed, delegates to the electing Convention were given one or more opportunities to meet the candidates face to face. The “episcopal fast track” leaves no time for this step.

Choosing Albany’s next Bishop Coadjutor on the quick and cheap has just one objective: to elect one who can be pushed through next summer’s General Convention, where, as Bishop Herzog puts it, “A lot of nominees will be piled up.” Herzog admits that the needed consent of moderate and progressive bishops may be harder to come by after what is likely to be a bruising Convention.

I find Bp. Herzog’s argument for haste embarrassing. Must the Diocese of Albany slip its chosen Bishop Coadjutor through in a crowd, like a teenager sneaking into an adult movie? What sort of candidate would want to be the teenager?

Fully 40% of parish delegations voted against affiliation with the Anglican Communion Network at the 2004 Diocesan Convention. My guess is that more parishes would have said “no” had our bishops not advertised ACN as the way to save the Episcopal Church. Obviously, the Diocese of Albany is conservative, but it includes a large and vocal minority of progressive and moderate Episcopalians.

A candidate for Bishop Coadjutor who will listen to and serve people from every part of the wide Episcopal highway – the via media – will deserve and receive the support of left, right, and center. If we are to ride out the present turmoil in the wider Church, we must not choose someone who hears with just one ear.

Despite our strong reservations about the “fast track,” we of Albany Via Media will do everything we can to see that this crucial election is free, fair, and transparent. And we will, of course, keep you posted as the process moves along.

Word now comes to us from the Diocesan Office that The Rev. Dr. Tory Baucum has now been suggested as a candidate for Bishop Coadjutor. According to the information on the website , Dr. Baucum is canonically resident in the Diocese of London and his "parish" is listed as Holy Trinity in Brompton, known world-wide as for its growth due to the Alpha program.

I am curious as to why we need to cross the ocean (not the Dr Baucum is a resident of England) to find a Bishop and in addition why we see no candidates who are of a more moderate, Episcopal positioning.

Certainly, we may possibly know the answer to these questions. The Diocese just can't seem to find someone in the " Episcopal" Church that suits them. Why not get Pat Robertson on the list also? ( just joking but the way we are going who knows.)

Sincerely,
Richard Angelo
Albany, NY

Perhaps the most intense discussion centered around a rule change for the election of a Bishop Coadjutor. The rules had previously been the same for a Coadjutor as for a Diocesan Bishop (which makes sense to me since electing a Coadjutor means electing someone to become the Diocesan Bishop later.) The change makes the rules for electing a Coadjutor the same as for a Suffragan Bishop. As I understand the difference, the old process would include a more involved search process, would involve the parishes more; and would take longer to complete. The new process will be more in the hands of the Standing Committee of the Diocese, and it will be quicker. The stated intent of those proposing this change was to allow the diocese to elect a Coadjutor in the period ninety days prior to the 2006 General Convention. That GC would then be the body to confirm this bishop's election rather than the other bishops or diocesan Standing Committees. I believe it was stated that it was thought that there would be a spirit of cooperation to avoid a split in the GC and that this would make it likely that whoever we elected would be approved.

There was lively discussion on this change with people speaking both pro and con. Since the rule change had been proposed by Bishop David Bena and supported by the Bishops, it was not surprising that it passed.

Pastoral_Letter

Pastoral Letter to be read in Churches

October 7, 2005

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This letter is about two significant matters in the life and future of our Diocese.

The first is the election of a Bishop Coadjutor. Under the Canons of the Episcopal Church a diocese needs the consent of a majority of the bishops diocesan, and a majority of the Standing Committees to hold an election. At the present time the bishops are being canvassed from the national church office in New York. The standing committees of the several dioceses are likewise being canvassed. We should have these responses before the end of this month.

Once the approvals are received, and the Standing Committee of our own Diocese has put in place the procedures following our own Canons, I will set a date for the election. Our election will take place at the Cathedral. It will be within 90 days of the beginning of the General Convention so that the bishop-elect can be proposed for consent by the bishops and deputies gathered at Columbus, Ohio. General Convention opens June 13, 2006. I anticipate selecting Saturday, March 25, the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for the election.

Under the Canons, every cleric, and every lay person who was an elected delegate to the June, 2005 meeting of the Convention is eligible to vote. Each of these individuals, clerical and lay may nominate a priest for the office of Bishop Coadjutor. The clergy will vote in one group, with each priest and deacon having one vote. The laity will vote in a second group, with each parish having one vote. As soon as a priest has a majority among the clergy and laity in the same ballot, that priest is elected.

The Office of the Presiding Bishop sets the date for the consecration of the bishop-elect. Under the national canons, the current bishop can remain in office for up to 36 months from the consecration of the new bishop and then must resign.

The second matter for the life and future of our Diocese is Christ the King Spiritual Life Center. We have completed Phase One with a fully functioning new Beaver Cross for our young people. The Chapel of Christ the King, the Healing Center, and the Great Hall are all completed as is the new Welcome Center with its bookstore and dining facilities. The beach at the lake is completed as is the ropes course and Zip Line for adults and kids. We have the finest Episcopal facility in the northeast

Our task now is to fully fund the facility and to build the one remaining necessity, lodging for adults. At present, we turn away on average 1 group per day because of limited bed capacity. The addition of 60 beds would in fact enable us to break even each year.

On behalf of the clergy and lay leaders of the diocese and Bishop Dave and myself, I am asking every household to become an active contributor to the Spiritual Life Center. The Diocese of Albany now has a top-flight facility that can cater to our parishes, support such lay ministries as altar guilds, Cursillo, Daughters of the King, youth groups, Alpha and vestries. A weekly sacrifice equal to a medium pizza or 2 packs of cigarettes would enable each household over 5 years to pledge $3,000. Many gifts from many households add up. This is the time to stand up and stand out for the work of Christ. Some can give much more. All of us can give something. I commend the clergy and lay leaders who have already commenced their sacrificial gifts.

Christ the King will be built by ordinary households, by men and women who have a glimpse of the Lord’s vision for our Diocese, and who will return to the Lord a portion of all He has given them.

I ask your daily prayers for both of these important matters, for our future which the Lord has in store for us, for a hope that will not disappoint.

With every wish for your fruitfulness in the Christian Life, I remain, your brother.

In Christ Jesus,

+ Daniel W. Herzog

Bishop of Albany

The Episcopal Diocese of Albany
Disciples Making Disciples

The Call to A Special Convention

NOMINEE QUESTIONS

Instructions: Please respond to the following questions as briefly as possible, but not surpassing the word count specified at the end of each query. Should you choose not to answer any question, please respond to it by writing, "I decline to answer this question." In your response document, include the number and the question prior to your response; skip two spaces between end of a question and the beginning of the next.

1. As stated in The Examination of a bishop-elect on page 517 of the Book of Common Prayer, a bishop is to proclaim Christ's resurrection, interpret the Gospel, and testify to Christ's sovereignty as Lord of lords and King of kings. In addition, a bishop is to guard the faith, unity and discipline of the Church; to celebrate and provide for the administration of the sacraments of the New Covenant; to ordain priests and deacons and to join in ordaining bishops; and to be in all things a faithful pastor and wholesome example for the entire flock of Christ. Please elaborate on your understanding of each of these different roles and responsibilities of a bishop, and how you would attempt to live them out if elected bishop. (Use 1,500 words or less)

2. Why do you want to be a bishop in the Diocese of Albany, especially considering the current climate in the Episcopal Church in the United States? (Use 250 words or less)

3. Using the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, find what you would consider the clearest expression of the doctrine of the Trinity and identify it. Does this coincide with your own personal belief and practice? (Use 500 words or less)

4. Are there any articles of the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds with which you are in anything but full personal and theological agreement? If so, which and why? In your response, please address the following questions: Was Jesus raised bodily from the dead, such that the tomb was empty of his physical being, and in his body he appeared unto his disciples until his Ascension into heaven? Do you believe Jesus was virginally conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary? Do you agree that the Persons of the Trinity are only the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and no other expression or naming may be substituted? For example, do you believe that a person baptized in the name of "Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier" is validly baptized? (Use 500 words or less)

5. If you were asked by a teenager what is meant by the phrase "the Gospel of Jesus Christ," what would you include in your answer? (Use 500 words or less)

6. Under what circumstances would you authorize the use of rites for or any practice of same-sex blessing, union, or marriage in this diocese or support such rites or practices anywhere in the Church? Under what circumstances would you permit or approve the ordination or licensing of a person who is sexually active outside the bonds of marriage between a man and a woman? (Use 500 words or less)

7. In John 14:6, Jesus stated, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (NIV) What is your understanding of this passage, and what does it say about Christianity's relationship with other world religions? (Use 500 words or less)

8. Given the diversity of worship styles in the Diocese of Albany, how would you as "Chief Liturgical Officer" set the tone for the liturgical culture in the diocese? (Use 500 words or less)

9. As a Bible is presented to the newly consecrated bishop, these words are spoken, "receive the Holy Scriptures. Feed the flock of Christ committed to your charge, guard and defend them in his truth, and be a faithful steward of his holy Word and Sacraments." Do you believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the Word of God, and to contain all things necessary for salvation, and to act as the rule and ultimate standard of faith? Please explain. (Use 650 words or less)

10. What Scripture passage best describes your vision for ministry? (Use 100 words or less)

11. Describe your personal devotional life. To whom are you accountable and how do you live this out? (Use 500 words or less)

12. Detail your commitment to Lambeth Conference Resolution 1.10 Human Sexuality, Section 3, below and your sense of its call to the Diocese of Albany: "This Conference: 3. recognizes that there are among us persons who experience themselves as having a homosexual orientation. Many of these are members of the Church and are seeking the pastoral care, moral direction of the Church, and God's transforming power for the living of their lives and the ordering of relationships. We commit ourselves to listen to the experience of homosexual persons and we wish to assure them that they are loved by God and that all baptized, believing and faithful persons, regardless of sexual orientation, are full members of the Body of Christ." (Use 500 words or less)

13. Describe your leadership style. In answering, please include two personal strengths and two personal weaknesses and how they impact your ministry. (Use 600 words or less)

14. The mission statement for this diocese is currently "Disciples Making Disciples." What is a disciple? Describe how your vision for Albany fits or does not fit with this mission statement. (Use 500 words or less)

15. Identify three characteristics of the diocese that you would seek to maintain and three that you would seek to change. (Use 500 words or less)

17. Have you had the opportunity personally to lead someone to faith in Jesus Christ? Explain. (Use 500 words or less)

Submission of Responses: Your signed, typewritten and single-spaced document must be received by mail, fax or personal delivery not later than February 8, 2006, 5:00 PM by:

(please make a copy of the completed nomination documents for your own records, in case questions arise at a later date).

Seeking a Shepherd: Finding Our Bishop in the 21st Century-- A Curriculum for the Diocese of California in Discernment of a New Bishop This curriculum, prepared by the Diocese's Department of Faith Formation, is intended to equip electors, and those who will elect them, to make wise and informed decisions. It highlights the role of the bishop: from historical and modern perspectives, from the perspective of a particular church in the world-wide Anglican Communion, and from the perspective of a particular diocese within the American Episcopal Church. It is an invitation to study, learn and pray together about what we desire in a bishop, and to consider what issues might engage us and our new bishop in the future.

The Rev. Shaw Mudge

Fr. Shaw Mudge is Rector of Christ's Church (Duanesburg), Secretary of the Diocese, and Vice President of the Metropolitan Deanery. He is Chair of our deputation to General Convention, represents us in the Anglican Communion Network, and serves on the General Convention House of Deputies' State of the Church Committee. He serves on diocesan committees, is chief architect of the Deacon Formation Program curriculum, and has an extensive business resume. Married to the Rev'd Julia Mudge, they are the proud parents of Ruth (college graduate), Hannah (applying to seminary), and Lydia (homeschooling student, who will be a teenager in 2006).

Website: Christ's Church Duanesburg

The Rev. Robert Witt

Fr. Robert Witt was raised in NJ. Attended Alfred University where I met my wife. Commissioned as officer in US Army serving five years, including Korea and Vietnam. Resigned commission and attended General Seminary, graduating May, 1978. Vicar of yoked mission in Milo and Brownville Junction, ME. In 1981 called as Rector, Zion and Christ Church, Morris and Gilbertsville where I served until invited to be Chaplain of Saint Margaret’s House, New Hartford, NY in 1987. Awarded degree as Master of Sacred Theology in May, 1989. In August 2003 began as Rector, Zion Church, Morris.

Website: Zion Church in Morris, NY

The Rev. Tory Baucum

Fr. Tory Baucum teaches at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, KY in the Beeson International Center and serves Alpha International as an Associate Missioner. His teaching and research focuses on the historical and cultural contexts of the Christian mission as well as the spirituality of mission. Fr. Baucum has served churches in the dioceses of Arkansas, West Missouri and Lexington. He was educated at Criswell College (B.A.), Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry (M.A., M. Div.) and Asbury Theological Seminary (PhD.). He is married to Elizabeth Tyndall, Esq., and they have three daughters: Isabelle, Amelia and Bridget.

Website: Asbury Theological Seminary

The Rev. William Hinrichs

Fr. William Hinrichs is Rector of St. George's, Clifton Park. Since 1987, I have served the Diocese in a variety of capacities, including the Commission on Ministry, Dean of the St. Lawrence Deanery, Chair Clergy Wellness Committee, Beaver Cross, Happening, Strategic Planning Committee, Diocesan Education Committee, Cathedral Chapter and Deputy to General Convention. I teach Anglican Polity for St. Bernard's Institute. I served as Spiritual Director for Episcopal Engaged Encounter and as Chaplain to the Community of Saint Mary. My wife, Barbara, and I have been married for twenty-seven years and have two grown children.

Website: St. George's Church, Clifton Park, NY

The Rev. Marshall Vang

Fr. Marshall Vang, a priest of the Diocese of Albany for nineteen years, has served as Dean of the Cathedral of All Saints and Dean of the Albany churches of the Metropolitan Deanery since 1998. His ministry has included serving as diocesan liturgical consultant, Standing Committee member, Deputy to General Convention, examining chaplain, Deacons' School presenter, Diocesan Convention steering committee, and Trustee. He now begins his tenth year as a Trustee of Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin. Dean Vang is a Priest Associate of the Community of Saint Mary in Greenwich, New York.

Webpage: All Saints Cathedral

The Rev. Dr. Michael Tessman

Fr. Michael Tessman, a priest of the Diocese of Connecticut for nearly 30 years, presently serves as Interim Rector of St. Monica’s, Hartford. Having served a variety of parishes, urban and suburban, he was a professor of parish ministry at Nashotah House for six years. A native of St. Paul, MN, educated at the University of Chicago and Yale Divinity School, he earned the D.Min. in 1997, with extensive experience in spiritual renewal, congregational systems, and the ministries of healing and reconciliation. Married to Carol for 31 years, they have two children, Clare, age 27, and Aaron, 20.

Couldn't find the St. Monica's website.

The Very Rev. Canon William H. Love

Fr. Bill Love is Rector of St. Mary's, Lake Luzerne, where he has served since 1992. Prior to that, we was the Dean's Vicar at the Cathedral, and an Air Intelligence Officer in the Air Force. He is the Dean of the Southern Adirondack Deanery, member of the Standing Committee, Diocesan Council, Healing Ministry Team at the SLC, and Priest Associate of the Community of St. Mary in Greenwich. Past Ministries include Happening Spiritual Director and Deputy to General Convention. He and his wife, Karen, have been married 22 years and have two teenage kids, Chris and Catie.

Couldn't find a website for St. Mary's

The Rev. Scott M. Harding

Fr. Scott Harding is the rector of The Church of the Messiah in Glens Falls. He has been involved in the leadership of the diocese in a variety of roles including his present service on the Standing Committee and the Diocesan Council. He is a graduate of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry (M.Div.) and a student in the Doctor of Ministry program at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Kim, have been married for nearly 16 years and have four children: Jonathan, C.C., Spencer, and Mary Brigid.

Website: Church of the Messiah

The Rev. Dr. Canon Stephen Holmgren

Fr. Stephen Holmgren has been rector of two parishes in Tennessee and Louisiana, a seminary professor at Nashotah House, and a college chaplain at Oxford University where he did seminary and doctoral studies. Presently he is Rector of Grace Church of West Feliciana Parish and Canon Theologian for the Diocese of Louisiana, a GC Deputy and on Standing Committee. He and Martha have three sons: Per, aged 24; Anders, 21; and Hans, 18. Also: raised in Japan; extensive speaking experience teaching parishes and clergy; spirituality faculty member for CREDO; author of the New Church’s Teaching Series book, Ethics After Easter.

Website: Grace church

The Rev. Dr. Canon Christopher A. Brown

Fr. Christopher Brown is Rector of Trinity Church, Potsdam. He studied Asian religions at Amherst College before coming to faith in Christ in his early twenties. He received his M. Div. from General Theological Seminary and a PhD. in Systematic Theology from Union Theological Seminary. He has served parishes in Manhattan and in Westchester and Ulster Counties. He is Provincial Chaplain for the Community of St. Mary, diocesan Canon Theologian, head of the northern Deacon School faculty, author of this year's diocesan canonical exams—and a jazz guitarist. He and his wife, Starr, have two children, Nathaniel and Amelia.

Website: Trinity Church

The Rev. Walcott W. Hunter

Fr. Walcott Hunter, a lifelong Episcopalian, has lived in four dioceses, raised in the Diocese of Rochester, and earned an M.Div. from Nashotah House. He served a two year Curacy in Medina, Washington. Ten years as Vicar in northern Wisconsin, serving on the Commission on Evangelism and Renewal, sub-chair on the Commission to Revise Diocesan Constitution and Canons, Commission on Aging, Executive Board and Dean of the Northwoods Deanery. In June 1998, he became Rector of St. Paul’s, Kinderhook. While in Kinderhook, he has served the Diocese of Albany on Diocesan Council, Examining Chaplains, and the Commission on Theology.

Website: St. Paul's Kinderhook

Bishop Coadjutor Election for the Diocese of Albany March 24: walk-about. March 25: election

Bishop Coadjutor Election for the Diocese of Albany
March 24: walk-about. March 25: election