VGEC Board Nominations for October, 2014 Election

Great Grandmothers of various VGEC nominating committee members taking a break to pose for the VGEC photographer while campaigning for the 19th amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Nominating and Voting Process

At this year's Annual Meeting on Saturday, September 27th at 8:30am EDT in Burlington, Ontario during the VGEC Annual Conference (September 25th-28th), we will be electing 3 members to serve on the VGEC board. The nomination process has identified six candidates for these three positions. The nomination and election process has and will proceed according to the following rules set forth in the VGEC by-laws:

Article V – Board of Directors hereafter referred to in these bylaws as the “Board.”

The governing body of the Guild at times apart from the Annual Meeting of the entire Guild shall consist of a nine member Board of Directors. Members of the board shall be elected in sets of three annually in staggered terms at the Annual Meeting. Members may be reelected for a second three term. After completing two full terms, a member must observe at least a one year absence before additional board service. Each member of the board shall have one vote.

The Board of Directors shall elect from the its nine members a president, vice president, secretary and treasurer, for a one-year term, following the annual meeting.

Nominating Committee: The nominating Committee of the Guild shall be composed of five members appointed by the Board. A Chair shall be elected by the nominating committee. Not more than two members of the Nominating Committee shall be members of the existing Board. The Nominating Committee shall meet six months prior to the annual meeting of the Guild and shall recommend a slate of candidates. The slate shall be submitted to the membership thirty days in advance of the annual meeting. At any annual meeting, a nomination for the Board from the floor may be made by submitting the candidate’s name to the chair of the nominations committee no later than thirty minutes before the start of the meeting.

Nominations: At the annual meeting, the Board (if required) shall be elected by the members. Prior to the meeting, the names of those on the Nominating Committee shall be communicated to all members, who shall have the opportunity to suggest possible names for any officer or board position. A candidate shall be elected by a majority vote of those voting in person. If no one candidate has a majority of those present and voting, a runoff election shall be held and a candidate shall be elected by a majority vote.

Board Candidates - 2014

Candidates for election to the Board at the 2014 VGEC Conference in Burlington Ontario are (in alphabetic order):

Terrance William Hughes Parish Church of St. Luke Burlington, Ontario, Diocese of Niagara

One of five children, three sisters, one brother (Roman Catholic priest). I was raised Roman Catholic and attended St. John the Baptist Catholic School and church, served as an altar boy and attended Delta Secondary School. Father died in 1964 at the age of 51. I left high school with grade 10 education and went to work as a steelworker. I stopped attending church. In 1967 met my wife Chris. Her family were very devoted Anglicans and I began attending services with them. I was accepted into the Anglican Community and we were married in 1968 at St. Luke’s. We have three boys and six grandchildren. I joined the fire service in 1974 and went back to school (part time). I completed courses in residential architecture and fire safety and prevention. Worked fire, rescue until 1998, promoted to fire prevention. Retired in 2001, then worked on contract with City of Burlington, Traffic and Parking Services. Left in 2003 and joined Upper Canada Title as a freelance Title Searcher. Stilled employed part time.

At St. Luke’s, I served as a sides person for many years and served a term on Parish Council. I began as verger in training in 1998 and installed as verger in 1999. I also volunteered at The Carpenter Hospice for three years. I have been a member of the Vergers Guild since 2006.

Ann Davis McClain St Peters Episcopal Church - Paris, Kentucky, Diocese of Lexington

My name is Ann Davis McClain. I have a double first name, Davis being my middle name. People refer to me as Ann Davis. I am a cradle Episcopalian, having attended St. Peter's in Paris, Kentucky my entire life. I am a retired banker, wife, mother, and most importantly, a grandmother!

In my Diocese of Lexington, I am treasurer, secretary, Leadership Training member, deputy to General Convention in 2015, 2012 and 2009. I am a former elected member of our Executive Council for several terms.

At the Parish level, I am a former Senior warden (at a time when we had no rector), Junior warden, Clerk and Treasurer, having been on our vestry numerous times. Currently, I am a Lay Eucharistic Minister, Altar Guild Chairman, Backpack Program Chairman, communion bread maker, part-time volunteer in church office, and Verger since 2007.

I tend to be very organized and diligent about any work I might need to do. If elected, I will join the group with full force, ready to work.

R. Michael Sanchez Christ Episcopal Church Lake Oswego, Oregon, Diocese of Oregon

I am the Music Director at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Oregon City, Oregon. Prior to that, I was the Verger and Asst. to the Minister of Music at Christ Church Episcopal Parish in Lake Oswego, Oregon. This October would've marked my 3rd year as Verger at Christ Church (a ministry which I started). Although I am still new to St. Paul's, I am having ongoing discussions with the Rector regarding starting a Verger ministry, and so far he seems quite receptive to the idea.

I am a part of the Communications and Technology Committee for the VGEC, and I have enjoyed my work there tremendously. I have a love of technology and for working with people, so this was a natural way for me to help our beloved organization. Currently, I serve as webmaster and as "that guy who sends you weekly E-Mails from the VGEC."

As part of the VGEC Board, I would continue my work on the Communications and Technology Committee as well as faithfully executing other Board duties. The VGEC has been such a magnificent organization to be a part of, and I am looking forward to continuing my work in whatever capacity I am called.

Scott Austin Smith Christ Church Cathedral Nashville, Tennessee, Diocese of Tennessee

Born in 1964 in Memphis, Tennessee, I grew up near to grandparents who taught me that going to church was an important part of being actively involved with my community. My brother and sister and I attended St. Luke’s Methodist Church and at my grandfather’s request, I became an acolyte at age seven.

In 1981, I discovered my love for computers and technology at Memphis University School and started a career at age 17 in IT consulting which is what I continue to love and do today. God has blessed me with a career and hobby that I truly love doing.

I moved to Nashville at age 18 to attend Vanderbilt University, and I attended West End Methodist Church for a while. It was not until 1994 that I stumbled into Christ Church and fell in love with the antique nature of the room and space. On that first Sunday, an usher asked me to be one of the oblation bearers. I was hooked!

Through a strange series of events, I became an usher and eventually became head usher in about 1999. During that time, I always enjoyed watching and observing the liturgy from the background. In 2004 to 2005, the head verger, Roy Gottfried, began coming to the back of the nave and hanging out with me more and more. It turns out, he played pickup basketball with my older brother when he was at Vanderbilt. This proves how small a town Nashville really is! One Sunday in 2006, Roy asked me, “Why are you back here ushering when you can come be a sacristan and verger? That’s where the action is!” I agreed to serve one Sunday with him, and at the end of the liturgy I became, “Verger in Training!” I was hooked again! At some point, I joined the VGEC and started the Training Course with Bill Gleason as my course mentor. In 2008, I attended my first VGEC Annual Conference in Burlington, Vermont and I really loved the experience of being with so many like-minded people and I enjoyed getting to know many of you who I now call my friends.

Through the years, I have thoroughly enjoyed my volunteer work with the VGEC. The committees and VGEC board have done many exciting and wonderful things. We rebuilt the vergers.org web site. We have one of the best online Membership Management Systems of any organization our size. We have a growing following on social media and our Verger’s Voice Blog has become hugely popular. We launched the Guild Shop online store on Amazon and have been using those tools to grow and build the guild. We launched the “got vergers?” awareness campaign and have become a highly visible and respected organization in the Episcopal Church and throughout the Anglican Communion worldwide.

Last year, I was honored to be chair of the host committee for the 25th Annual Conference of the VGEC and I was appointed to a one year board seat created by the adoption of our new bylaws and vestry-like board structure. The board elected me president at our first board meeting in 2013. I now hope to be elected to my first 3-year board seat in 2014. We have a lot of exciting things to work on, and I hope to be able to help!

C. John Townsend Church of the Good Shepherd Nashua, New Hampshire, Diocese of New Hampshire

John is a cradle Episcopalian, born and raised in the Diocese of New Hampshire. He was baptized at Christ Church, Exeter and confirmed at St, Christopher’s Church, Hampstead, before moving away to boarding school as a youth. While at Mount Hermon School, in Northfield, Massachusetts, he served as Acolyte for the Episcopal chaplain of the school, as Deacon at the multi-denominational services, and as Chorister in three different choirs. Returning to New Hampshire to attend the University of New Hampshire, he received a B.S. in Hotel Administration, and a B.A. in Linguistics. During that time, he attended St. George’s Church in Durham, and St. Thomas’s Church in Dover, where he assisted with the Youth Group and played on the Interdenominational Softball team. He also served as an Ad Hoc member of the Seacoast Convocation’s Task Force for Christian Education. He then traveled to Valencia, Spain for a semester abroad, and returned to the United States more than four years later, having worked as a teacher of English, as well as in the Accounts Payable office of the newly opened factory of Ford Motor Company (Ford España, S.A.) in Almussafes, (Valencia), Spain.

Upon returning to the United States, John settled again in southern New Hampshire, returned to school to earn a degree in Nursing from Rivier College, and became a Registered Nurse, working in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua. He joined the Church of the Good Shepherd, in Nashua in 1986, quickly becoming involved in parish life. He became a member of the Fellowship Committee, a role he continues to this day. He served a three year term on the Vestry, serves as a Eucharistic Minister, a Eucharistic Visitor and as Acolyte Master of the Youth Acolyte Corps. He was appointed Verger in 2001, serving under then Head Verger, L. Paul Jauron. He completed the Vergers’ Training Course and received his verge in San Diego, in 2009. John has since worked with the Altar Guild, and the lead Eucharistic Minister to revamp and modernize the customaries of the Altar Guild, the Eucharistic Ministers, Eucharistic Visitors and the Acolyte Corps. He is also working with a new Verger, who is currently completing the Vergers’ Training Course. John also serves as a delegate to the Southern Convocation, where he recently presented a short program on the Vergers Ministry, and to the Diocesan Convention.

Cindy Ware Christ Church Cathedral Lexington, Kentucky, Diocese of Lexington

I grew up in Warsaw in northern Indiana. My family helped start St. Anne's Episcopal Church, which was begun as a small mission church and later achieved parish status. After college, I moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, and then Louisville, Kentucky. I presently live in Lexington, Kentucky, and have been an independent Long-Term Care Insurance Broker for 21 years. I have been married to Jim Ware for 28 years, and we have one son, Daniel, who is an architect in Lexington.

Jim and I have attended Christ Church Cathedral since our marriage in 1986. I have been a member of the Vestry (three year term), Director of the Altar Guild (three year term), and became a Verger in the fall of 2009. I became a Fellow of the Vergers' Guild at the conference in Cleveland in 2011, and later that year was named Head Verger of the Cathedral. My duties include training, supervising and scheduling of our nine-person Verger corps, and numerous lay readers and chalice bearers. I have formulated customaries for all services and work closely with the Dean of the Cathedral in planning and executing all services, including regular Sunday services, and special services: Holy Week, ordinations, weddings, and funerals.

I am honored to be considered a candidate for the Board of the VGEC. I believe I offer a love for the Episcopal Church, excellent organizational skills, the ability to work as part of a team, and a desire to learn even more about the joy of being a Verger.