Delegates from across the Diocese met in special convention in November 2013 to elect deputies and alternates to serve at the 2015 General Convention of The Episcopal Church. Those elected as deputies and first alternates will represent the Diocese of Georgia to the 78th General Convention which meets Thursday, June 25 to Friday, July 3 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City. Those elected are listed by the order in which each was elected:
Clergy Deputies
Frank Logue, Chair of Deputation
Ted Clarkson
Sierra Wilkinson Reyes
William Willoughby III
Clergy Alternates
Talmadge “Joe” Bowden
Jim Shumard
Walter Hobgood
Thomas Purdy
Lay Deputies
Mary Willoughby
Jody Grant
Molly Stevenson
A.L. Addington
Lay Alternates
Carolyn Baker
Bill Steinhauser
Kay Riggle
William Jones
Information provided by those elected as a part of the nomination process remains posted below in alphabetic order by order of ministry:
Bios for Lay Deputies and Alternates
A.L. Addington
I would like to serve in that I have the time and the experience that I think could be valuable in being completely engaged in the whole General Convention process. I have been a member of the Episcopal Church for over 50 years and a member of St. Peter’s Savannah for 16 years. At St. Peters I have been on the vestry and also served as a LEM, Lay reader,stewardship chair,outreach committee and adult education committee. One of my real joys was to serve as a teacher for the J to A group.
In the diocese, I have served as the deployment and congregational development officer. In addition I served as the chair of the Savannah Area Discernment Committee and recently served as chair of the MLK Savannah Parade Committee and have been involved in the development of an interfatih group in Savannah known as The Gathering.
My wife and I have been married for 49 years. We have two children and three grandchildren, all from Lake Wobegone. I spent my professional life in higher education, receiving a PhD from UT I was the founding dean of the College of Business at VSC. When I retired from an Ohio University in 1997, I was asked by Bishop Louttit to serve on his staff as the minister for ministry development and became the deployment officer for the diocese.
Carolyn Riley Baker
I have been an Episcopalian for 13 years and have attended St. Andrew’s in Darien for all of those years. At St. Andrew’s I have served on the Vestry for two terms, was the chair of Christian Education for 3 years, chair of the Food Pantry for 10 years and was president of St. Andrew’s/St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church Women for 2 years. I presently serve on the Altar Guild, as a Lay Eucharistic Minister, a member of the Two Saints chapter of the Daughters of the King, a member of a Pastoral Care team, a member of Ultreya and a Reunion Group.
In the Diocese I have attended 3 Diocesan Conventions as a delegate and 1 as an alternate. I am a graduate of CDI. I am President of the Episcopal Church Women in the Diocese of Georgia and serve as a nonvoting member on the Diocesan Council. I was the recipient of the 2013 Deacons’ Award, given by the deacons of the diocese in recognition for service to the community.”
Within the community I volunteer as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children. In the past I have served on the Board of the Glynn County Rape Crisis Center, the McIntosh County Family Connection and was a member of the McIntosh County Victim’s Assistance Program.
I served as an alternate deputy to the 2012 General Convention. If elected again, it would be my privilege to represent and serve the Diocese of Georgia as a deputy or alternate deputy to the 2015 General Convention.
Jody Grant
Jody Grant is a member of Our Savior,Martinez. He is a lifelong Episcopalian and at his previous church Jody was youth group advisor, Sunday School
teacher, Acolyte Master, Lay Eucharistic Minister, and Senior Warden. Currently, Jody is the Youth Minister at Our Savior and teaches 6th to 12th grade Sunday School.Jody serves the Diocese as the Diocesan Coordinator of Happening, served on the Transition committee for the 10th Bishop of Georgia, and was a delegate to the 2012 General Convention. At the national level, Jody served on the Happening National Committee and is currently the Vice-President/Secretary of Happening National Incorporated which is the executive committee of the Happening National Committee. He is an active team member in the local Relay for Life.
Professionally, Jody has been teaching high school science for 13 years, and is also the coach of the school swimming and diving team.Jody loves the Episcopal Church, and as a delegate to General Convention in 2012, learned a lot more about it. He wants represent the Diocese of Georgia and continue to be a part of the change that is occurring because of the restructuring of the church.
William Jones
I have extensive experience and leadership roles in large team based organizations within the government and private sectors. (Naval Air Systems Command and Exchange Club of North America).
I have been a Episcopal Church Member for 14 years in Virginia and Georgia and a member of St. Michael’s for 8 years. I have served as Treasurer of St. Michael’s, delegate to the Diocese of Georgia Convention, and President of my local Exchange Club for two years.
Kay Riggle
When I began my life as an Episcopalian 12 years ago at St. Barnabas in Valdosta, I knew nothing about the governance of the church. I just knew that the Episcopal church felt like home to me. After becoming involved at the parish and diocesan levels, I began to learn how things happened within our church. My background in working with state government gave me an understanding of how organizations function, how to work in groups and independently. I would like an opportunity to use the my skills in serving our diocese as a deputy to General Convention.
I have served in a number of elected or volunteer positions within St. Barnabas Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Georgia. My first elected position was serving as a vestry member. Later in that first term, I was elected Senior Warden. I have served on the vestry for two terms. I was Clerk for the vestry for 3 years. I also served as the ECW chairperson at St. Barnabas for 8 years and organized the Fall Festival beginning in 2006. With two other women at St. Barnabas, we started a Craft Day and auctioned off the quilt we made at the Fall Festival. On the diocesan level, I served on the ECW Board for one term as Communications Chair and a second term as Convocation Coordinator. As Convocation Coordinator, I coordinated the ECW Diocesan Annual Meeting during 2011. I was elected as Secretary of Integrity GA in 2009 and as Chairperson of Integrity GA in 2012.
My activities within my church and community are varied but tend to intertwined with the ministry to which I believe I am called. The following is a list of some of the activities I have spent significant time performing in the past 10 years: Volunteering for church activities such as cooking, helping with clean up of the church and grounds, gardening, serving as Lay Eucharistic Minister, a current CDI participant, visit parish members who are ill or in the hospital and serve as a patient advocate. Organizing events for church, i.e., ECW Pancake Supper, Fall Festival, etc. I enjoy quilting and reading.
Helped to found the local PFLAG group and currently serve on the board of PFLAG Valdosta Speak to university classes and community groups on issues of sexuality and gender. Recently, helped to develop and present a forum on Sexuality, Gender and Religion for my parish Volunteer at the South Georgia Medical Center as a Lay Chaplain
Bill Steinhauser
I have been the Alternate Deputy at General Convention 2006, and Deputy at General Convention 2009 and 2012. I feel this experience at General Convention will help guide me if elected for the 2015 General Convention.
I am a cradle Episcopalian and have been at St. Michael & All Angels for the last 30 years. I have been on the Vestry at St. Michaels several times and was the Senior Warden until January 2013 and have been active in just about every Parish activity . I have been on Diocesan Council numerous times as well as Executive Council.
Molly Greneker Stevenson
Molly is a Cradle Episcopalian, and has been a member of Christ Church, Valdosta and the Diocese of Georgia for the past 25 years. Her interest in and appreciation for the polity and processes of The Episcopal Church has been ongoing since childhood when her dad was a Deputy to General Convention from the Diocese of Springfield (Illinois). She has had the honor and privilege of serving as a Deputy to the 2006, 2009 and 2012 General Conventions and would like to serve again at the 2015 General Convention.
At the 2009 General Convention, Molly served during Convention on the World Mission Committee and following that Convention was appointed to a 6-year term on the Standing Commission on Mission and Evangelism. During the first triennium, she was a member of the sub committee that prepared one of the resolutions calling for restructuring General Convention, one of the “hottest topics” to come out of General Convention 2012. During this triennium, Molly is serving as Vice-chair of the commission, working on ways to bring together best practices of congregations.
Over the past ten years, Molly has served the diocese on the Standing Committee, and she currently serves on the Happening Steering Committee, the Honey Creek Commission and the Cursillo Commission. Molly was a member of the first CDI group. At Christ Church, she served on the Vestry and is a member of the St. Gregory Choir and the St. Nino Chapter of the DOK. In her community, Molly is Team Captain for Christ Church’s Relay for Life team and a member of the Sine Nomine Singers.
Mary Willoughy
I believe strongly that the democratic polity of our denomination is a great strength. Our General Convention process brings together the breadth of our church allowing our diversity to speak in unity. What I believe I can offer as a deputy is the perspective of an administrator called to manage and implement many of the systems by which we govern ourselves. At this time I am most particularly interested in the recommendations which may come forward to the body to free up resources we now spend on self management for the essential work of mission and ministry.
I have been an Episcopalian for thirty one years and a member in my parish, St. Paul’s Savannah, for twenty six of those years. As a Rector’s wife I do not take a role in the governance of the parish though have served as a Christian educator and Lay Reader for all 26 years. I served for six years on the Commission on Ministry and now am the Canon for Administration on the Bishop’s staff.
As a Savannah resident I have served as Girl Scout Council President, member of the Homeless Authority Board Treasurer and Secretary, AIDS Coalition, PTA, and a variety of community task forces.
Bios for Clergy Deputies and Alternates
Talmadge “Joe” Bowden
Attending the 77th General Convention in 2012 as one of your clergy deputies was a real “eye opener” for me! As a first time deputy there is a definite learning curve descerning the convention power and polity. I would like to return, so I could be more of a player than an observer as I was in Indianapolis. If elected to go to Salt Lake City in 2015 I’ll spend more time in caucus and committee than in debate.
I have been an Episcopalian for 38 years, and have been a priest for 12 years. All that time has been in the Augusta Convocation serving many roles as a lay person prior to ordination. As a priest I have served as assistant at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Chaplain at the Medical College of Georgia, Supply Priest, and interim rector at St. Augustine’s. Currently I am assisting priest at the Church of the Holy Comforter and bull pen priest at Good Shepherd. I regularly write articles for the Faith and Religion section of the Augusta Chronicle.
I continue to practice surgery and surgical education, and remain Chief of General Surgery at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center and Emiritus Professor of Surgery at the Medical College of Georgia. I remain active in a variety of surgical organizations and peer review for surgical journals.
Ted Clarkson
I would like to serve again as a deputy to General Convention because, as a lifelong Episcopalian (55 years),the Episcopal Church is precious to me. At the last General Convention, there was a strong sense of the need to reform the structures of our church to enable it to devote more of its resources and energy to its mission. I want to return to General Convention in order to do what I can to keep up that momentum for reform.
I have served as the rector of St. Andrew’s and vicar of St. Cyprian’s, Episcopal churches in Darien, Georgia for seven years and as Dean of the Southeast Convocation for three years. I currently serve on the Standing Committee of the diocese and on Diocesan Council (ex officio). In the past I have served the diocese as the chairman of the Honey Creek Commission, presiding judge of the Ecclesiastical Trial Court, and a member of the search committee for the 10th Bishop of Georgia. I have served the wider church as deputy to the 2012 General Convention and currently as a director of the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral in the United States.
Before entering seminary in 2003, I practiced law for 21 years with an emphasis on commercial litigation. I served the legal profession on the Disciplinary Rules Committee of the State Bar of Georgia and the Lawyers Advisory Committee of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. I served my hometown community of Augusta, Georgia as chairman of the Sacred Heart Cultural Center, president of the Summerville Neighborhood Association, co-chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee on Race Relations, and vice-president of the Boy Scout Council.
As a deputy to the 2012 General Convention, I attended all of the meetings in preparation for the convention, including both provincial meetings, and, if elected again, I will again participate fully in the responsibilities of the position.
Walter Hobgood
I am a lifelong Episcopalian. When we moved to Valdosta some 15 years ago, Gail and I joined Christ Church Valdosta. I served as Senior Warden for 3 years before entering into discernment to become a Priest. I was honored to serve on the Search Committee for our new Bishop, which was a life changing experience. After being ordained in September of 2011 I was appointed Priest-in-Charge of St. Margaret of Scotland in January 2012. More recently I have been involved in developing and implementing programs for Lay and Clergy Leadership in the Diocese, including CDI and Peer Coaching.
In 2004, I opened an employment agency in Valdosta. Little did I know at the time that this would become a ministry of providing hope and employment to those in need. This followed a 30 year career as a senior executive in global companies including international assignments in Singapore and Australia. My spiritual journey was enriched by active involvement in the Anglican churches in those countries and the opportunities to experience people in different cultures and religions around the world.
I now realize I was lead to Georgia, and specifically Christ Church Valdosta, to start a new journey with Christ using my God given talents to serve the Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Georgia. My journey has been rewarding, fulfilling and surprising. I want to continue my journey of service and would be honored to represent this Diocese at the General Convention.
Frank Logue
Having served at four previous General Conventions, I have both learned how the process works and have earned a position of some responsibility on the churchwide budget committee. I hope my previous experience will assist the Georgia Deputation in most effectively representing the concerns of our Diocese at the national level.
I have been an Episcopalian for nearly three decades and a priest in the Diocese of Georgia for 13 years. From 2000-2010, I served as the founding rector of King of Peace, Kingsland. Since then, I have worked in the diocesan office as the Canon to the Ordinary, meaning I am the Bishop’s assistant for clergy and congregations.
I have been actively involved in Cursillo, Happening, New Beginnings and other Youth Programs. I also worked with my wife, Victoria, to present nine spirituality retreats at Honey Creek. I served on the Commission on Ministry for 9 years and continue to work with that group as a staff member. I previously served on Dispatch of Business Committee (which functions like traffic control for the very busy meeting) at two General Conventions and now serve on Program, Budget and Finance.
Thomas Purdy
As a life-long Episcopalian I realize that I fell in love with the church before I fell in love with Jesus. I have a deep love of our Anglican traditions and our Episcopal Church. Like many, I grieve the decline in the Episcopal Church, but rather than simply watch it decline, I like to continue to be a part of reforming and revitalizing our common life. The Episcopal Church has a great deal to offer the world and we can build on our strengths in order to spread the Good News of God in Christ. While I am new to the Diocese of Georgia, I expect it will be my canonical home for some time, and I would like to help bridge the good renewal work going on in this diocese and the similar work going on at the international level. The diocese of Georgia is engaging in some exciting ministry initiatives that others in our Church might find helpful an inspiriting for their own settings. I have been active in leadership at the diocesan level as both a lay and ordained person in the two previous dioceses I served. I would count it as a great honor to be able to represent the Diocese of Georgia at General Convention in 2015. I have attended General Conventions on four other occasions in various roles, including as an alternate deputy in 2012 from the Diocese of Washington.
I have been an Episcopalian all my life, with active participation in three dioceses: my home diocese of Central Pennsylvania, my most recent diocese of Washington, and now the Diocese of Georgia. I am the Rector of Christ Church, Frederica, a ministry I began in May of 2013. Before that I served for five years as Rector of St. Peter’s, Poolesville, MD, and three years as Associate Rector of St. James, Lancaster, PA.
In the Diocese of Washington I served as: Member, Diocesan Council; Chair, Diocesan Human Resources Committee; Co-chair, DHP Implementation Task Force; Alternate Deputy, 2012 General Convention; Member, Bishop Transition Committee; Intern Trainer, Shaping the Parish (parish development program); Intern Trainer, CDI; Appointed, Bishop’s search committee for Diocesan Missioner for Congregational Vitality. In the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania I served as: Member, Diocesan Council; Member, Diocesan Council’s Executive Committee; Chair, Diocesan Youth Commission; Member, Diocesan Higher Education Committee; Member, Diocesan Communications Task Force; Convener, Lancaster Convocation; Board Member, United Campus Ministries, Millersville University. At the School of Theology at Sewanee I was a part of the 2004 Canterbury Scholars program at Canterbury Cathedral.
J. Sierra Wilkinson Reyes
I see our life together as the Episcopal Church in Georgia grounded in our shared Baptismal Covenant. Our baptismal covenant is the essential foundation of our churches, our diocese, and our denominational identity. It is because of our baptismal promises that I offer to serve as a clergy deputy to General Convention.
I have attended two General Conventions (2003 & 2006). In high school, I was the youth representative on the nominating committee for our last Presiding Bishop election. In college, I served as a Georgia lay deputy to General Convention. Since my ordination, I have been blessed with the joy of serving Christ Church, Savannah as their Assistant Rector.
Cynicism & wariness often surround our discussions of General Convention and church structures. As church leaders, we must work to improve our legislative body without discarding the gifts our tradition has given us. I truly believe that the Holy Spirit is in our midst when we come together, across lingual, regional, & diocesan lines, to listen & respond to the Body of Christ throughout our world. The Diocese of Georgia is a crucial part of these conversations. And I would be honored to offer my voice, Georgian in flavor, to these conversations as a deputy of our Diocese.
Jim Shumard
Reverend Shumard, a lifelong Episcopalian, has been Rector of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Waynesboro, Georgia since 2010 and has served full time in the Episcopal Church for 21 years, sixteen of them as an ordained minister of the Gospel. He has served in large, medium and small churches in Georgia during that time.
During that time, he has served at National, Provincial and Diocesan levels, mostly in Christian Formation, including as Chair of our Diocesan Commission on Christian Formation, and Chair of Province IV Committee on Christian Formation. He has also served as a General Convention Deputy, Alternate and Volunteer.He has served on Diocesan Standing Committee, Executive Council (Atlanta), Honey Creek Commission, Sewanee Board of Trustees, Bishop Transition Committee, and Bishop Search Committee (Atlanta). He has completed the Workshop on Emotional Intelligence and participated in Diocesan Workshops on Peer Coaching.
He has served on numerous non-profit boards such as Adult Literacy, Prevent Child Abuse,Advisory Board for Child Protective Services of Georgia, He writes a weekly column in the local paper, reads to children in Head Start, and is involved in creating a Hunger Education program in Waynesboro. He is the regular supply priest to the GSU ECM student program.
“I would like to serve at GC because of my passion for The Episcopal Church, my interest in Liturgy, which my first doctorate was in and for Life Long Learning.”
William Willoughby III
I bring the perspective of a priest who has served the Church for thirty years in parish work and education. I currently serve the Diocese in a variety of leadership roles while supporting community institutions and projects and engaging in the broader life of the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion.
As Rector of St. Paul’s, Savannah I have encouraged the leadership and members of the parish to address the needs of the community and the diocese. Together we have developed a strong witness of creative outreach and partnership with other organizations and parishes to address various needs. As Dean of the Savannah Convocation I have encouraged the use of our combined talents and have emphasized our need to support each other in the work we are called to do at its most fundamental level.
As a Deputy to General Convention I would support legislation which supports the making of Disciples of Jesus, especially that which enables the whole Body of Christ in its day to day pilgrimage. A lifelong Episcopalian, with a broad experience of the Church both at home and abroad, I have a strong commitment to creative solutions that enable lay and clerical leadership to use the gifts which are ours by grace for the building up of God’s Kingdom. As a Deputy I will work diligently with the Diocese of Georgia’s delegation to further the work of the Episcopal Church in the pursuit of God’s Mission.
