Nominees for the 14th Bishop of Maryland
The Rev. Canon Dr. Mark Gatza
Nominated by Petition
Nominator and Signatories
The Rev’d Canon Dr. Mark Gatza has served in the Diocese of Maryland as a lay person, deacon and priest since 1981. He has been Chaplain at St. Paul’s School, Associate Rector at St. Anne’s, Annapolis, Rector of Christ Church, Rock Spring, and Canon Missioner for Congregational Development and Clergy Deployment on the Bishops’ staff. He holds a BA from Hampshire College, an MDiv. from Yale Divinity School, an MA. Th. from the Ecumenical Institute of St. Mary’s Seminary and a DMin. in Congregational Development from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. He is married to the Rev’d Canon January Hamill, who serves the Cathedral of the Incarnation. They have two grown children: Meg, a graduate student at Boston University, and John, a management trainee for Radio Shack.
Greeting
It is an honor to be included as a candidate for the XIVth Bishop of Maryland, and I thank the many people whose feedback, counsel and encouragement I received during the petition process. The 21 signatures, each from a different congregation, represent the geographic diversity of our diocese as well as the many faces of our churches: downtown and rural, large and small, old and new, conservative and liberal, struggling and secure. The Holy Spirit is surely present in this place.
Maryland is indeed a healthy diocese but there is much work to be done to keep it that way. A recent survey of the Diocese identified “help for existing congregations” as a chief priority as we move forward in ministry. The urgency of this need is highlighted by the fact that 30 or more of our 117 congregations cannot afford full-time clergy leadership, with an additional handful only able to do so thanks to the assessment appeals process. For the last five years it has been my privilege to work closely with vestries and congregation members in many of these and in many other parishes around the diocese as they focus their mission priorities, prepare for growth, struggle with financial questions, introduce new liturgical options, understand changing demographic patterns and engage fully in the experience of transition from one clergy leader to another. I offer this experience to the election process and, with God’s help, I will continue to labor faithfully for the Diocese if called to this ministry.
Listen to interviews with the nominees
The Rev. Jane Soyster Gould
Nominated by Search Committee
As Rector of St. Stephen’s, Lynn, MA, Jane Gould, 51, leads a vibrant urban congregation that offers weekly worship in English and Kiswahili, responds to community needs, and gathers people across lines of color, class, culture, and generation. She provides leadership to Lynn through such boards as the community health center, the feeding program and the IAF organization. She serves her diocese through several committees, including Congregational Development and Council. Nationally, she has been a General Convention deputy since 2000 and been on the boards of the Urban Caucus and Episcopal Society for Ministry in Higher Education. She has been a Leadership Fellow of the WK Kellogg Foundation and has received a Lilly Foundation Clergy Renewal Grant. She and her husband, writer and teacher John Gould, have two adult sons.
Greeting
When Bishop Ihloff told our General Convention committee of his retirement, I thought, “Maryland might be a great place to be Bishop.” A few weeks later, Mary Glasspool gave my 17-year-old son a pin designating him an honorary member of the Diocese of Maryland. Mary, legislative aide to the Special Committee on the Anglican Communion, and Sam, the youth representative, had bonded through long, hard meetings. “Hmmm,” I wondered, “what might God be intending?”
Maryland seems a healthy diocese eager to live creatively into God’s mission. Having grown up in suburban Washington, I spent much of my youth exploring historic and scenic landmarks of Maryland, and playing and watching sports across the state. With church conferences, Camden Yards and my sister on Gibson Island, I’ve visited frequently in recent years. Now, with my husband retiring, we are open to moving.
I am drawn to the people, parishes and programs of the diocese. Having done urban, suburban, campus and youth ministry, I have learned to speak a variety of “languages” so that all might hear the Gospel. Having worked extensively with Africans, I bring distinctive insights and experience to the current difficulties in the Anglican Communion. Having served on our Congregational Development Committee and Urban and Immigrant Taskforce, I understand the challenges and opportunities facing us as we strive to be vital centers for mission grounded in Christ and connected with our communities.
We live in a world desperate for a moral vision rooted in hope and possibility; as your bishop, I would witness to the good news.
Listen to interviews with the nominees
The Rev. Dr. John C. N. Hall
Nominated by Search Committee
The Rev. Dr. John C. N. Hall, 49, is a native of New York, the youngest of five children, and a cradle Episcopalian. Since 1998, he has served as Rector of St. Matthew's, a diverse parish in suburban Phoenix, Arizona, after serving other congregations in Arizona, Kansas, and Florida. John earned his Bachelor of Arts in Communication from the University of Arizona, his Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary, and his Doctor of Ministry in Congregational Development from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary. He founded Matthew’s Crossing, a non-profit corporation providing a food bank and social services. He is married to Jean, his wife of 24 years. Together they have four sons, three of whom are currently in college. John enjoys sculpting and drawing, writing magazine articles, hiking and rock climbing.
Greeting
I am John Hall. Allow me to introduce myself. I pursue evangelism. Just ask Jim and Judy, now members of my parish, who were unchurched when I invited them to worship with me if they were ever in Arizona as we shared a lunch table in between planes in the DFW airport. I imagine the possibilities. Just ask Suzanne, who entrusted me with her $2-million donation, and watched it appreciate to $8 million for diocesan congregational development. I love my family. Just ask my wife, Jean, and my sons, Matthew, Andrew, Stephen, and Philip. I care for the marginalized. Just ask the 1,200 folks who, each month, visit the food bank I founded. I focus on children. Just ask five-year-old Jack, with whom I sat on the floor of the hospital hallway to tell him that his young mother, who had just died, would always love him. I work for unity in the Body of Christ in the diversity of its members. Just ask the White, Black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Republican, Democrat, liberal, conservative, gay, straight, single and married people in my congregation. I see young people as key to the life of the Church. Just ask the thousands of summer campers who met Jesus in a new way through a decade of my programs and teaching. I provide out-of-the-box, creative leadership, knowing I don’t have all the answers – just trusting that God does. I pray for Maryland, and thank God for the grace of Jesus Christ.
Listen to interviews with the nominees
The Rev. Lura M. Kaval
Nominated by Petition
Nominator and Signatories
The Rev. Lura M. Kaval, 45, rector of St. Christopher’s in Linthicum, has served the Diocese of Maryland for more than 20 years. She has led the life-giving transformation of family, pastoral, program, and corporate parishes and is the co-founder of the Katrina Episcopal Relief Maryland Impact Team (KERMIT).
Lura has served the national church as Province III Coordinator and regionally as President of The Patapsco Valley Regional Council. Internationally, she created communication tools for the Diocese of Haiti Partnership Program, served on medical missions in Honduras, and directed building projects in Mexico and Mississippi.
She is a trained Intentional Interim, adept at defusing conflict and creating opportunities for dialog and growth. She brings excitement, humor, and a compassionately keen pastoral presence to those whom she serves.
Lura and her husband David live in Laurel, Maryland.
Greeting
Greetings and Peace to you. As a lifelong Episcopalian, I believe that our questions about God and our faith are more important than the answers, and that our faith journeys are as important as our destinations.
Many of the qualities the Diocese is seeking, according to the profile, are gifts God has given me. As a Skillful manager of people and resources I look forward to the opportunity to work with the committees, the council, and the congregations in the diocese.
My previous successes are listed on the attached resume; more important is my vision for the future. It takes time to build relationships and trust. As a Reconciler and Healer of Division, my goal would be to know the strengths and challenges of every clergy and congregation in the diocese. This will aid in being an Effective Pastor to Clergy.
After thoughtful and prayerful examination of our past, we will be ready for the leadership of a Visionary Planner. I believe that by bringing together the talent and the treasure of the people in this diocese we can meet our Future Challenges.
I was the President of a Communication Company in Ellicott City, Maryland. My M.Div.is from Virginia Theological Seminary and my BS is in Interpersonal Communication from Ohio University. As Province III coordinator, I built bridges between dioceses and strengthened ministry cooperation. I look forward to continuing to serve God and the opportunity to serve the diocese as your bishop.
Listen to interviews with the nominees
The Rev. Canon Eugene Taylor Sutton
Nominated by Search Committee
The Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton, 54, is Canon Pastor of Washington National Cathedral, and Director of the Center for Prayer and Pilgrimage. A frequent leader of retreats and conferences on prayer, preaching, spirituality and mission, he directs the cathedral’s national and local programs in building spiritual community through pilgrimages, gatherings and courses.
In addition to his ministry in parishes, he has taught homiletics and liturgics at Vanderbilt University Divinity School, New Brunswick Theological Seminary, and General Theological Seminary. He’s also served as Assistant to the Bishop in the Diocese of New Jersey. The author of several articles on spirituality and preaching, he is a contributor to the book The Diversity of Centering Prayer.
Married to Sonya Subbayya Sutton, their family includes four children and stepchildren.
Greeting
The Diocese of Maryland has been given an exciting and challenging mission: it is the gospel imperative to proclaim by word and deed that God in Jesus Christ is reconciling all things into God’s very being. By background and calling, I believe my life has characterized the marvelous ability of God to accomplish this work.
Born in 1954 in segregated Washington, DC, I experienced firsthand many of society’s fractures: divisions between black and white, rich and poor, the highly educated and the poorly educated, the haves and the have nots. Having spanned the dividing lines of race and class in my own life by the grace of God, I believe that I can lead this wonderful Diocese into a fuller vision of the kingdom of God that transcends all walls of separation.
These are difficult times for the Anglican Communion, and we need strong but gentle spiritual leaders to guide it through the present brokenness. My vision for the Diocese of Maryland is for it to be a model for how Christians can be unified in prayer and mission in the midst of theological diversity. I want to lead the diocese into a new era of growth through effective evangelism, and support ministries of justice, mercy and compassion. I want to grace the diocese with a spirituality of reconciliation in all that it does. And if elected as your bishop, I would work hard to earn the high honor and trust you’ve placed in me. To God be the glory!
Listen to interviews with the nominees
The Very Rev. Peter Eaton
Nominated by Search Committee
Withdrew from Slate March 11, 2008
Read a message from the President of the Standing Committee
