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John H. Smith (bishop)

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The Right Reverend
John H. Smith
VI Bishop of West Virginia
ChurchEpiscopal Church
DioceseWest Virginia
In office1989–1999
PredecessorRobert P. Atkinson
SuccessorW. Michie Klusmeyer
Orders
Ordination1965
Consecration1989
by Edmond L. Browning
Personal details
Born(1939-09-11)September 11, 1939
Panama Canal Zone
DiedJune 2, 2012(2012-06-02) (aged 72)
Brunswick, Maine, United States
NationalityAmerican
DenominationAnglican
SpouseVictoria Dawley Smith
Children3

John Henry Smith (September 11, 1939 – June 2, 2012) was the sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia.

Early life and education

Born and raised in the Panama Canal Zone, Smith graduated from Balboa High School and later Cornell University. In 1964, he graduated from the General Theological Seminary, and he married his wife, the former Victoria Dawley. Rev. Smith also earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Hartford Seminary in 1980, and received honorary degrees from his GTS alma mater as well as from the Virginia Theological Seminary. The Smiths owned a summer camp in North Waterford, Maine from 1970 until his death.

Ministry

Ordained in 1965, Rev. Smith served parishes in Falmouth, Skowhegan and Palmyra, Maine, and became a champion of joint ministries for small parishes. He then taught and served as chaplain at the National Cathedral School in Washington, D.C.

When elected bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia in 1989, Rev. Smith had been serving for a decade in Vermont, in Middlebury and at Trinity Episcopal Church in Rutland. Presiding bishop Edmund L. Browning led the consecration service for the 841st bishop of the Episcopal Church, assisted by bishop William G. Weinhauer of Western North Carolina and James R. Moodey of Ohio.

In 1996, Smith wrote Cluster Ministry: A faithful response, a fourth edition of which the Diocese of West Virginia published in 2000. Rt.Rev. Smith retired from the diocese of West Virginia upon reaching age 60 in 1999. At the time of his retirement, the diocese had 78 parishes organized in 11 clusters.

He moved with his wife to Brunswick, Maine in 2003. From 2006 to 2010, Smith served as priest-in-charge at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Bridgton, Maine, which he helped build.

References

  1. "Former Diocese of West Virginia Bishop John Smith dies at 72". Episcopaldigitalnetwork.com. 2012-06-04. Archived from the original on 2016-12-27. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  2. John H. Smith (January 2000). Cluster Ministry: A faithful response to change (4th ed.).
  3. "e-WV | Episcopal Church". Wvencyclopedia.org. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
  4. "Former Episcopal bishop of West Virginia dies in Maine; funeral planned in Bridgton — Bangor Daily News — BDN Maine". Bangordailynews.com. 2012-06-06. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
Episcopal Church (USA) titles
Preceded byRobert P. Atkinson 6th Bishop of West Virginia
1989 – 1999 		Succeeded byW. Michie Klusmeyer
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