Advent is a season of waiting, one in which Christians throughout the world anticipate the celebration of the birth of Christ. But in the case of the Diocese of Central Florida, Advent 2022 is also a season of waiting for the election of its fifth bishop. The Search Committee has selected the three candidates, and thanks to the work of the Transition Committee, clergy and laity have now had the opportunity to get to know them through the Diocesan Tour and other information posted at dcfsearch.org. The diocese has now entered a time of prayerful reflection and final preparation for the Special Electing Convention, scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at Trinity Preparatory School, Winter Park.

Three candidates will appear on the ballot: The Very Rev. Charles “Roy” Allison II, rector, St. James, Ormond Beach, and dean of the Northeast Deanery; The Rev. Canon Dr. Justin S. Holcomb, canon for vocations, Diocese of Central Florida; and The Rev. Dr. Stacey “Stace” Timothy Tafoya, rector, Church of the Epiphany, Denver.

Clergy eligible to serve as electors include those who are canonically resident in the diocese, actively licensed and serving, said The Rev. Tim Nunez, rector of Good Shepherd, Lake Wales, who has led the Transition Committee’s election planning. He urges those priests and deacons who may have let their licenses lapse, particularly retired clergy who remain active in service, to make sure to correct this issue “as soon as possible.”

Eligible lay electors are “generally those who served as delegates for the last Diocesan Convention in 2022,” per Nunez. Churches that need to replace electors must elect them quickly, in accordance with Canon III. Certifications of replacements must be submitted to Marilyn Lang in the diocesan office as soon as possible but no later than 10 days before the election, or Jan. 4, 2023.

Just as with the previous two Diocesan Conventions, elections will be conducted using the VPOLL platform, Nunez said. However, in contrast to those two Conventions, which were conducted virtually, all delegates must be present in person to vote in the 2023 Special Electing Convention. No voting will be conducted remotely.

“Delegates will need a smartphone, tablet or other electronic device capable of accessing the internet to access VPOLL,” Nunez explained. “They will need to show a photo ID at registration (valid state ID, driver’s license or passport). Only those present will be able to use the VPOLL system, and technical assistants will be on hand to help delegates register and use VPOLL as needed.”

The Transition Committee has scheduled a VPOLL practice vote session (for delegates and alternates only) via a Zoom webinar on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, at 7 p.m. “Delegates should watch for an email containing the Zoom link, which will be coming soon,” Nunez said. “It is the duty of all clergy and lay delegates to participate in this official pre-Convention meeting.” A video demo of the VPOLL voting process will be sent to all delegates and is available at this link.

In the unlikely case of failure of the digital system, the election will be conducted via roll call. No votes will be received from anyone other than certified delegates present in-person at the Special Electing Convention. A special viewing area will be open to interested parties who are not certified delegates. In the case of an unforeseen incident that renders an in-person Special Electing Convention impossible on Jan. 14, the Standing Committee has ordered that the election be rescheduled; there will be no virtual election.

“I continue to ask everyone in the diocese to be in prayer about this decision,” said The Rev. Becky Chapman, deacon at St. Francis, Bushnell, and chair of the Transition Committee. “Even if you are not a delegate, you can be praying for the delegates and the candidates. This is an important decision in the life of our diocese; we don’t change bishops very often—this will be our fifth bishop in just over 50 years.

“Also, I encourage everyone to watch the videos of the candidates recorded during the Diocesan Tour,” she added. “Even if you are not a delegate, this is a good way to get to know our next bishop, because one of the three candidates will be selected.

“My encouragement for the delegates, both lay and clergy, who will be coming to the Special Electing Convention is this: Come prayerfully prepared to vote, and come with a heart that is open to the movement of the Holy Spirit,” Chapman said.

“The Transition Committee has picked up right where the Search Committee left off and is doing as stellar a job as the Search Committee did,” said the Rev. Tom Rutherford, rector, Church of the Messiah, Winter Garden, and president of the Standing Committee. “The Standing Committee has every confidence that the Transition Committee will conduct our Special Electing Convention with grace, integrity, efficiency and good humor – and without a hitch!

“The Lord of the harvest has raised up three qualified and strong candidates, and, with all the prayer our diocese has invested in this process, we trust the Holy Spirit will work through our election to reveal the Father’s choice for our next bishop,” he added.

For additional details about the Special Electing Convention and the upcoming Diocesan Convention on Feb. 3-4, 2023, at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, Melbourne, please visit this link for “Convention Clarity.” For additional information on the bishop search process and specifics about each candidate, including video recordings of each Q&A session during the Diocesan Tour, visit dcfsearch.org.