Nominations

Position: General Convention Deputy

Diocesan Staff, Diocese of Virginia

After three decades of service to the Diocese of Virginia (well, perhaps being a baby doesn’t count), I was grateful to serve as first Alternate to General Convention 2024, helping to bring the witness of Queer/LGBTQ folks and younger clergy, but especially those of us who want to work together for structural change in the Episcopal Church, that we might continue to witness to the Gospel, preserve our tradition, and be agile in planting new communities.

Born, raised, and ordained in the Diocese, I’ve witnessed at youth weekends at Shrine Mont, helped raise up the next generation of leaders through the Young Priest Initiative, and tried my best to make Communion run smoothly at diocesan events on the Worship & Music Committee. After serving for four years as Associate at St. George’s, Fredericksburg, I was called as Transition Minister on diocesan staff, where I help churches seeking new clergy and clergy seeking new calls.

It’s both of those experiences – the real work on the church level paired with the witness of every church with whom I work – that informs my desire to serve as a deputy to General Convention.

Coming to know as many of y’all as I have, as well as working with churches of all sizes, cultures, and characters, I hope that I could serve as a voice for many.

I strive to bring a heart for the Gospel, a listening ear, and an abundance of good humor to all my work, particularly General Convention, and hope to continue to serve the Diocese of Virginia in this way.

Position: General Convention Deputy

San José, Arlington
& Cristo Rey, Springfield

The Rev. Bryan Vélez García currently serves as Vicar of Iglesia Episcopal San José in Arlington and Iglesia Episcopal Cristo Rey in Springfield, Virginia. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico and a Master of Divinity from the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico.

He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Theology at the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico. Fr. Vélez García has served the wider Episcopal Church through elected and appointed positions at the diocesan, provincial, and churchwide levels. He has been elected four times as Deputy to General Convention, twice serving as Chair of the Deputation for the Diocese of Puerto Rico. He has also represented his diocese as Deputy to the Province II Synod. At the most recent General Convention, he was a member of the Legislative Committee on the Certification of the Election of the Presiding Bishop. He currently serves as a member of the General Convention Task Force for LGBTQI+ Inclusion and a member of the Board of Directors of The Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice.

His ministry in education and chaplaincy has been equally significant. He served as Director of Chaplaincy at the Inter-American Metro Academy of the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico and as Chaplain of The Episcopal Cathedral School in San Juan, where he helped re-envision Christian formation in academic settings. Since then, he has continued his vocation as a Chaplain in the Air National Guard of the United States Air Force, endorsed by the Bishop of the Armed Forces and Federal Ministries of The Episcopal Church.

In 2019, Fr. Vélez García helped organize the first all-Spanish-speaking Episcopal Youth Event for Province IX and Hispanic congregations in the United States, held at Ciudad del Saber in Panama. Earlier, in 2015, he served as a Young Adult Service Corps missionary in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Father Vélez García believes that his ministerial, academic, and personal experiences enable him to contribute to the Episcopal Church, as well as to our diocese, as it continues to grow into a representative, just, and faithful body of the Gospel. “I am willing to bring all my experiences and perspectives to bear so that our diocese is diversely represented in decision-making that takes into consideration the diverse opinions and realities we face both socially and in the life of our church”.

Position: General Convention Deputy

St. Paul’s, Ivy

Amanda currently serves as Vice Rector at St. Paul’s, Ivy, where her ministry focuses on evangelism, forming disciples, and nurturing Christian community. She has witnessed the power of relationship to deepen the faith of the faithful and create life-giving connections with seekers.

In the diocese, she serves on the Committee on Priesthood and the Committee on Constitution and Canons. She has also served on the Commission on Ministry and the Executive Board. Nationally, she was appointed Vice-Chair of the General Convention Task Force on the Opioid Epidemic (2018-2021), which embodied for her an integral part of the Church’s vocation: to bear witness by standing with those who suffer and bringing the hope of Christ into a deeply wounded world.

Amanda represented the Diocese of Virginia as a Clergy Deputy to the 2024 General Convention, where she was appointed to the Legislative Committee on Constitution and Canons. In that role, she discovered a passion for the work of reconciliation over divisions in the Church by prioritizing the formation of relationships among people who disagree about important issues.

She was able to draw on her own relationships with a wide network of clergy friends, colleagues, and seminary classmates to organize support for resolutions that fostered a stronger sense of unity within the Episcopal Church. At the next General Convention, she hopes to bring these two strands together: nurturing a church that models authentic relationships across divisions, while speaking the hope of Christ into a world that desperately needs it.

As someone who came into the Episcopal church as an adult, from a mostly unchurched background, she is passionate about welcoming others into Christian community and nurturing discipleship within the Church. She believes that the future of the Church requires us to form relationships across divisions now, so that together, we can move into the future with a shared focus on the mission Jesus has given us all: to go out into the world to preach the healing love of God in Christ and invite others into that love so that they can do the same.

General Convention Deputy

Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Woodstock
& Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Mount Jackson

The Very Reverend Kathleen Murray is Rector of Historic Beckford Parish (Emmanuel and Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Churches) in
Shenandoah County and Dean of the Southern Shenandoah Region. She has strengthened parish and community life through initiatives such as Emmanuel’s Table Food Pantry, serving dozens of families each month, and the Grandparents as Parents (GAP)
support group, offering vital resources for caregivers.

Within the Diocese of Virginia, she has served on the Commission on Ministry, as a member of the Diocesan Board of Examining Chaplains, on the Resourcing God’s Mission Task Force, and as chair of the Committee on Related Organizations. She has also served as an alternate deputy to GC81 in Louisville in 2024.

Before ordained ministry, she spent nearly three decades in city government, including senior leadership roles in governance, finance, and strategic administration. These skills in oversight, collaboration, and public accountability now strengthen her leadership in the Church. Her journey into the Episcopal Church began as a lay leader deeply engaged in parish life, where she discerned a call to ordained ministry rooted in the Episcopal Church’s tradition of common prayer and broad welcome. As a lay person, she served as Senior Warden, Junior Warden, and Vestry Secretary (Register).

She seeks election as a Deputy to General Convention to bring a strong voice for rural parishes, who often feel overlooked in the wider life of the Church, ensuring their gifts and challenges are heard and represented. She is grounded in both pastoral experience and proven administrative leadership and committed to the work of The Episcopal Church.

Standing Committee

St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Oak Grove

Father Rod Gordon has served St. Peter’s since 2015, first as supply priest, then as Priest-in-Charge, and elected Rector in September 2021. He was appointed Dean of the Northern Neck Region at the 227th Annual Convention of the Diocese of Virginia in November 2021. Ordained to the priesthood on December 12, 1992, Father Gordon has served parishes in both the Diocese of Southern Virginia and the Diocese of Virginia. Prior to ordination, he served parishes in the Diocese of Chicago and as a chaplain at Children’s Hospital and Grant Hospital in Chicago and Evanston Hospital, Evanston, Illinois.

After serving as the Director of Social Services for Essex County, Virginia since 2013, Father Gordon retired from secular work in 2021. His secular experience includes 22 years in the County of Henrico, Virginia Departments of Finance and Social Services.

While at Henrico County Social Services, Father Gordon also served as the Executive Director of Interfaith Services of Henrico (now HEARTH), a non-profit organization benefiting citizens of Henrico County.

Born and grew up on the Northern Neck of Virginia, Father Gordon is a graduate of Rappahannock High School of Warsaw, Virginia Commonwealth University of Richmond, Seabury-Western Theological Seminary of Chicago, and the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

For most of my ordained life, I have served as a bi-vocational priest, serving as a supply priest, part-time priest-in-charge, or part- time rector. I have been called to smaller parishes, who could no longer financially support a full-time clergy person, or the parish could not find clergy willing to serve them, especially a small rural congregation. It is time for systemic change in how we raise up and transition clergy into smaller rural parishes. As a member of the Standing Committee, I believe that I can offer my voice and experience in supporting the development and implementation of solutions for rural congregations in developing and sustaining team ministry concepts in their communities and encouraging seminarians and clergy to adapt and embrace this vital ministry opportunity.

Province III Deputy

Interim – between positions

I have served several parishes in various parts of Virginia and in Ohio over the past 20+ years. Recently returning to Virginia, I’m looking forward to engaging in the life of the Diocese. In Ohio I participated in the Province V Provincial Gatherings where we built intentional methods for parishes in neighboring dioceses to work together. We had an intentional group for resort community clergy which I was part of. Connecting parishes with one another is an opportunity for the Region as well as collaborating on educational programs. I would like to opportunity to help with similar collaboration here in Region III. There are opportunities to make connections and encourage one another. Prior to ordination I worked in satellite systems for the USAF and was active in my parish. I served on the search committee for the Suffragan Bishop of the Armed Forces in 2016. Serving as a Page in the House of Bishops for six of the past seven General Conventions has provided me with insight into many areas of the Episcopal Church.