DIOCESE ELECTS BISHOP COADJUTOR

The Diocese Elects a Bishop

Coadjutor

At the first in-person gathering for members of the Convention since 2019, more than 320 delegates, clergy, and lay leaders convened at The Cathedral Church of St. Peter in St. Petersburg Florida to elect a Bishop Coadjutor. The election was determined on the third ballot.

"On the third ballot the Very Rev. Douglas Scharf received 62 votes in the clergy order and 127 votes in the lay order." said the Rt. Rev. Dabney T. Smith. "56 in the clergy order and 104 in lay order are needed for an election."

Applause and words of joy echoed across the nave of the Cathedral as Bishop Dabney Smith called the Very Rev. Dr. Douglas Scharf to confirm that he accepted the election.

“Doug, this is Bishop Smith, before I put you on speaker, I need to ask you, in the third ballot you were elected, and do you accept this election? Okay, I’m going to put you on speakerphone so you can say ‘hi’ to all your new friends,” said Bishop Dabney Smith before putting Fr. Scharf to the mic to speak with the diocese.

“There are few moments when a priest is speechless, but this is one of them. I have been so humbled and honored to have been a part of this journey with you all and to be elected, I am truly overwhelmed. I feel the presence of God’s grace in this moment,” said the Very Rev. Dr. Scharf.

Fr. Scharf was one of four candidates selected by the Bishop Coadjutor Search Committee and the Standing Committee as nominees for the election. The other candidates included: • The Rev. Thomas P. Reeder, Rector, Christ Episcopal

Church, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL • The Rev. Timothy E. Schenck, Rector, Episcopal

Parish of St. John the Evangelist, Hingham, MA • The Rev. Canon C. John Thompson-Quartey,

Canon for Ministry Development & Congregational

Vitality, Diocese of Atlanta.

Video conferencing, face-to-face interviews, and a three-day diocesan wide meet and greet tour that took place March 24 to 26 provided the opportunity for convention delegates and members of the diocese to get to know the candidates.

THE BISHOP

A cradle Episcopalian, the Very Rev. Dr. Douglas F. Scharf grew up in the Diocese of Southwest Florida. His father, the Rev. Frederick E. Scharf, Jr., retired from St. Andrew’s, Spring Hill close to 20 years ago.

Fr. Scharf was ordained in 2004 at age 24, the minimum canonical age, and served the Diocese of Southwest Florida for more than a decade as Associate Rector at Holy Spirit, Osprey and Rector at Holy Innocent’s, Valrico before being called to serve as Rector at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church and School in Tequesta, FL in 2017.

Fr. Scharf holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Florida Gulf Coast University, a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Ministry from Candler School of Theology at Emory University, with a concentration in Biblical Interpretation and Proclamation.

Fr. Scharf and his wife, Shannon, have been married for 22 years and have three sons, Clayton, Parker, and Grady. In his spare time, h e enjoys reading, music, hiking, kayaking, and spending time in the beauty of God’s creation.

COADJUTOR

18 c

THE SLATE OF CANDIDATES

The Rev. Thomas Reeder is the Rector of Christ Episcopal Church and School in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. Christ Church is a parish of approximately 5,000 people where the Rev. Reeder leads a clergy team of nine priests and deacons and a lay staff across the church and school of more than 100 people. Before that, the Rev. Reeder served as the Rector of Christ Church, Williamsport, and as an Associate Rector at St. Mark’s, in Jacksonville, FL. He spent nearly nine years on active duty in the U.S. Navy before his call to ordained ministry. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies (Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of California at Davis (2000) and a Master of Divinity from the School of Theology at the University of the South (2003) in Sewanee, TN. Over the course of his ordained career, the Rev. Reeder served the church in various leadership positions, including as the Vice Chair of the Standing Committee in the Diocese of Central Pennsylvania and as a member of the Diocesan Council in the Diocese of Florida. He has led 15 short-term foreign development missions to South Sudan, Uganda, and Cuba, and has served on the Board of Directors/Trustees of several nonprofit organizations. The Rev. Reeder and his wife of 31 years, DeeAnn have three adult children.

The Rev. Tim Schenck serves as Rector of the Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist in Hingham, MA, on Boston’s South Shore. A parish priest for 21 years, he has also served parishes in Maryland and New York. Along with a monthly syndicated

column, the Rev. Schenck is the author of five books. Most recently, he wrote a free resource guide for Episcopal Church Foundation titled Hybrid Church: A Way Forward for Church Leaders. Active on social media, the Rec. Schenck is the creator of the wildly popular online devotion Lent Madness. The Rev. Schenck graduated from Tufts University in Medford, MA, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1991, where he also enrolled in Army ROTC. Trained as a tank platoon leader and paratrooper, the Rev. Schenck served in the Army Reserve prior to attending seminary. He received a Master of Divinity from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, IL, in 2000. The Rev. Tim Schenck and his wife, Bryna, have been married for 27 years have two adult sons, Ben and Zak, and rescue dogs, Cooper and Daisy Duke.

The Rev. Canon C. John ThompsonQuartey is Canon for Ministry Development and Congregational Vitality in the Diocese of Atlanta. As Canon for Ministry Development, he is responsible for inspiring vitality in congregations through parish stewardship support and vestry coaching, vocational discernment and seminarian support, clergy events programming and planning, clergy continuing education support, serving as a resource person for the community of Deacons, and supervision of Campus Ministries and Youth Ministries. Prior to arriving in Atlanta, he served as Rector of St. Mary’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ for nine years. Before St. Mary’s, he was Chaplain for Pastoral Care and Director of the Community Outreach Program at St. Paul’s School in Concord, NH from 1999 to 2005. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University, NJ and a Master of Divinity from the General Theological Seminary, New York. He and his wife, Jerlyn, have three adult daughters. The Special Meeting of the Convention of the Diocese of Southwest Florida to elect a Bishop Coadjutor was live-streamed to all, with more than 3,000 people viewing the election announcement. The meeting opened by celebrating the Holy Eucharist. The business meeting was called to order shortly following the Eucharist, with a short address from Bishop Smith. The first ballot was opened for voting on the LUMI Global platform around 11:30 a.m. Following the first ballot, the Rev. Thomas Reeder withdrew from the election. The second ballot, including the Very Rev. Dr. Douglas Scharf, the Rev. Timothy Schenck, and the Rev. Canon C. John Thompson-Quartey opened for voting on the LUMI Global platform around noon. Following the vote on the second ballot, the Convention broke for lunch. Upon returning from lunch, the results from the second ballot were announced and the Rev. Canon C. John Thompson-Quartey withdrew from the election. The third ballot that included the final candidates the Very Rev. Dr. Douglas Scharf and the Rev. Timothy Schenck was opened on the LUMI Global platform around 1:20 p.m. and resulted in the election of the Very Rev. Dr. Douglas Scharf.

THE SLATE OF CANDIDATES

c

ELECTION DAY

Clockwise from top left: The candidates at Trinity-by-the-Cove, Naples, and Epiphany, Cape Coral; the candidates gather with Bishop Dabney Smith and his wife Mary at Diocesan House. Left to right: the Reverend Thomas Reeder and his wife DeeAnn, the Reverend Tim Schenck and his wife Bryna, Bishop Dabney Smith and his wife Mary, the Very Reverend Dr. Doug Scharf and his wife Shannon, the Reverend Canon C. John Thompson-Quartey and his wife Jeri.

BISHOP COADJUTOR CANDIDATES & SPOUSES TOUR THE DIOCESE OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

The four Bishop Coadjutor candidates and their spouses were joined by members of the Transition Committee and those assigned to shepherd the candidates on the three-day tour of the Diocese of Southwest Florida. From March 22 through March 24, the tour visited 11 churches, Diocesan House, and DaySpring Episcopal Conference Center ending each evening with a Meet & Greet event at three central locations in the northern, middle, and southern parts of the diocese. Beginning on March 22, the candidates headed north to visit the Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg deaneries. Starting the day at St. James House of Prayer, Tampa, the bus traveled to Calvary, Indian Rocks Beach, and St. Thomas', St. Petersburg, before concluding the tour at The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, St. Petersburg where they were met by a full house of convention delegates and clergy who participated in the Q&A sessions. The candidates were asked questions about declining church attendance, honoring the diversity of our diocese, and developing a beloved community. On March 23, the candidate tour visited the Manasota Deanery with its first stop at Diocesan House followed by lunch hosted at DaySpring Episcopal Conference Center. The candidates traveled west to visit St. Mary’s, Palmetto, and then toured St. Margaret of Scotland, Sarasota before concluding their travels at Redeemer, Sarasota. The evening’s Meet & Greet event was full of convention delegates and clergy who participated in the Q&A sessions. The candidates were asked questions about their understanding of discipleship, youth ministry, and social justice concerns. Finally, on March 24, the candidates traveled south to visit churches in the Venice, Ft. Myers, and Naples Deaneries. Beginning with a tour at Good Shepherd, Venice, the candidates then visited Epiphany, Cape Coral, followed by Trinity-by-the-Cove, Naples. The tour concluded at St. Mary’s, Bonita Springs, where the candidates spoke to delegates and clergy participating in the Q&A sessions. The candidates were asked questions about new approaches to ministry, facilitating collaboration across the diocese, and supporting the diversity of the diocesan congregations while maintaining compliance with the episcopate. The Bishop Coadjutor Transition Committee, along with the Standing Committee, was responsible for the planning of the Meet and Greet tour and events.