Beloved Siblings in Christ –

Greetings from your Transitions Committee! While the focus of our diocesan prayer has been on our search process since our first gathering in May, the Transition Committee has been hard at work over the summer planning for the election and transition of our next Bishop. After careful consideration, we are pleased to make the following announcement.

The Ordination and Consecration of the 7th Bishop of the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia will take place at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Roanoke, Virginia, on June 13th, 2026 pending a successful election and consent process. This choice reflects Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe’s enthusiasm for holding consecrations in sacred spaces, and the committee’s desire to plan an ordination and consecration that celebrates who we are as a diocese. We are pleased that St. John’s will be able to accommodate a large number of attendees, so that we can welcome members from all over our diocese and our church to celebrate this historic occasion. More information will come in the new year, but we hope you will save the date now in your calendars.

Speaking of dates, we would like to remind you of several important dates in our timeline towards election and ordination.

• At Fall Mission Day (November 8), delegates will receive an update on the search and transition process as well as have training in our new voting software in preparation for Diocesan Convention & the Election.
• Candidates will visit our diocese between January 5-9, 2026 and we hope to announce the Meet and Greet details at Fall Mission Day.
• The election will take place during our 107th Annual Diocesan Convention January 30-February 1, 2026.

You will hear from us more in the coming weeks as the Transition Committee prepares to showcase our diocese to our candidates and the candidates to the diocese. Please continue to lift up the nominees, your Search, Transition, and Standing Committees, and our Diocese in your daily prayers.

Blessings,

The Rev. Ben Cowgill

Chair, Bishop Transition Committee

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Name	Church	Convocation
The Rev. Ben Cowgill (Chair)	St. John’s, Lynchburg	Lynchburg
The Rev. Joseph Butler	St. James, Roanoke	Roanoke
The Rev. AJ Heine	Trinity, Staunton	Augusta
The Rev. Gail Goldsmith	Trinity, Lynchburg	Lynchburg
Beth Marshall	St. Paul, St. Mark’s	Abingdon
Robert “Cham” Light	St. Paul’s, Lynchburg	Lynchburg
Billy Lyons	Stras Memorial, Tazewell	Abingdon
Laura Beth Weaver	Christ, Blacksburg	New River
Ryan Blevins	Christ, Big Stone Gap	Abingdon
The Rev. Nina Salmon (Chaplain)	St. Paul’s, Lynchburg	Lynchburg

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A Collect for the Election of Our Bishop

Creator God, whose Church lives beyond the walls of buildings and the boundaries of cities, we ask that you guide our work as the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia moves together through a transition of leadership. We pray for patience in dialogue and wisdom in discernment, that the richness of our diverse voices, from farmland to small town, mountain to downtown, will be valued and heard. We pray for the person who will be elected as our next Bishop, for all those who are in discernment, and for the people of this diocese, so that the work of spreading God’s love in southwestern Virginia and beyond will grow and flourish in the years to come. In the name of your incarnate son we pray. Amen.

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A Letter from the Transition Committee – Ordination Location Announcement