Nominees at town hall meetings

Anglicans in the diocese will have an opportunity in May to meet the nominees in the upcoming election for a coadjutor bishop.

Town hall meetings will be held across the diocese May 14-17 so that Anglicans can meet the nominees in person and listen to their viewpoints. There will also be a special gathering for youth and young adults.

Here are the dates and locations of the meetings:

• May 14 – Meet the Nominees Town Hall at St. John the Baptist, Dixie, 719 Dundas St. E., Mississauga, at 7 p.m.
• May 15 – Meet the Nominees Town Hall at St. George, Allandale, 24 Burton Ave., Barrie, at 7 p.m.
• May 16 – Meet the Nominees Town Hall at St. Paul, Lindsay, 45 Russell St., W., at 7 p.m.
• May 17 – Meet the Nominees Town Hall at St. James Cathedral (in Snell Hall), 65 Church St., Toronto, at 7 p.m.

Initial planning had set aside time for a town hall meeting dedicated to youth and young adult members of Synod. Based on feedback received, this separate town hall meeting has been cancelled. Interested youth and young adult members are encouraged to contact Jillian Ruch, chair of the Archbishop’s Youth Ministry Team, by email at [email protected] to confirm attendance at one of the other four gatherings.

In addition to the town hall meetings, video interviews of the nominees will be posted on the diocese’s website on May 7. Profiles of the nominees are available here.

The election of a coadjutor bishop will take place at an Electoral Synod on June 9 at St. James Cathedral beginning at 9:30 a.m. The coadjutor bishop would automatically succeed to the See as the 12^th Bishop of Toronto on Jan. 1, 2019. Archbishop Colin Johnson, who is the current Bishop of Toronto, plans to retire at the end of December.

The Bishop of Toronto or diocesan bishop is the chief pastor of the Diocese of Toronto, the most populace diocese in the Anglican Church of Canada. The diocese stretches from Mississauga to Brighton and north to Haliburton. It has about 229 congregations and ministries in 183 parishes.

To further help Synod members and Anglicans in general learn about the election process, a page has been created on the diocese’s website that contains information and a number of resources. They include:

• The Convening Circular, a publication that contains the notice of meeting, agenda, registration information, and biographical information on each of the nominees who had put forward their names by April 13. (Nominations received after April 13 will be included in a Supplementary Convening Circular.)
• Episcopal Ministry, a document that outlines the responsibilities and gifts required for the ministry of the Bishop of Toronto.
• Video interviews with Archbishop Johnson that highlight the various aspects of being the Bishop of Toronto.

The webpage also includes a list of the nominees that is updated as needed every Thursday. Visit www.toronto.anglican.ca/upcomingsynod.