ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, May 4, 1996 TAG: 9605060027
SECTION: RELIGION PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CODY LOWE STAFF WRITER
After a year-long search, five men have been selected as candidates to replace the Right Rev. A. Heath Light as bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia in a special election June 22.
A 15-member screening and nominating committee released the list this week. The candidates will visit the diocese May 17-19 for question-and-answer sessions in Abingdon, Salem and Staunton.
The co-chairmen of the committee, Frank Dunn and Robert K. Miller, reported in The Southwestern Episcopalian newspaper that more than 100 nominees were considered.
The nominees are:
The Rev. John Elson Lawrence, 50, assistant to the bishop of the Diocese of Southern Ohio. He is a graduate of George Washington University and General Theological Seminary. A New York native, he has served as rector of several churches in that state and Ohio.
The Rev. David West Pittman, 47, rector of Holy Trinity Church, Gainesville, Fla. Born in Greenville, S.C., he is a graduate of Virginia Military Institute and Virginia Theological Seminary. He served as assistant rector and rector of Trinity Church in Staunton between 1973 and 1986.
The Rev. Frank Neff Powell, 48, executive assistant to the bishop of the Diocese of Oregon. He served parishes in Oregon before serving as archdeacon and director of program for the Diocese of North Carolina. He is a graduate of Claremont (Calif.) McKenna College and Episcopal Divinity School.
The Rev. Hume Wixom "Skip" Reeves Jr., 57, rector of St. Mark's Church, Cheyenne, Wyo. Reeves was an accountant before his ordination to the priesthood in 1970. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University in his home state and Virginia Theological Seminary. He has served several parishes in Texas.
The Rev. Mark Campbell Sullivan, 46, canon for ministry development for the Diocese of Easton, Md. Sullivan served as dean of Trinity Cathedral in Easton for 10 years before assuming his current position. He also has served as rector of parishes in Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey. He is a graduate of Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, and Virginia Theological Seminary.
The committee wrote that, "We have tried neither to name nor to eliminate from consideration candidates who are identified as reflecting special interests or concerns. We have simply tried to hear each nominee fairly, and to ask the Holy Spirit to raise up among us those whom God would call to be our bishop."
Each of the finalists has completed what the nominating committee called "a rigorous background check through the Oxford Document Management Co." Those who plan to nominate a candidate from the floor of the June 22 election meeting must submit those names in advance so those persons can be similarly screened.
After the election, the person who is elected will go through further background and credentials checks and psychiatric evaluation before being consecrated in a ceremony in Blacksburg on Oct. 26.
In meetings open to all members of the diocese, the nominees will be at St. Thomas Church in Abingdon on May 17 at 7 p.m.; St. Paul's Church in Salem on May 18 at 2 p.m.; and Stuart Hall in Staunton on May 19 at 2 p.m.
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