John Guernsey

John A. M. Guernsey (born 1953) is an American bishop in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). Previously an Episcopalian priest, he was consecrated as a bishop of the Church of Uganda in September 2007 as part of the Anglican realignment, and transferred to the newly formed ACNA in 2009. In 2011, Guernsey was invested as the first bishop of ACNA's Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic.

The Right Reverend John A. M. Guernsey
Bishop of the Mid-Atlantic
Church	Anglican
Diocese	Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic
In office	2011-present
Predecessor	See created
Other posts	Bishop for Congregations in America, Church of Uganda; Bishop of the Diocese of the Holy Spirit (transitional)
Orders
Consecration	2007 by Henry Luke Orombi
Personal details
Born	1953

Education and early career

Guernsey was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He received a B.A. from Yale University and an M.Div. from the Episcopal Divinity School.[1] During seminary, he met his wife, Meg Phillips, whom he married in 1979. He and his wife were both ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church.[2] From 1978 to 1981, Guernsey was associate rector of Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia. In 1981, he was called as rector of All Saints Church in Dale City, Virginia, which he led for 29 years.[1]

Guernsey was nominated, along with Martyn Minns and Robert Duncan, to serve as Bishop of Colorado in 1990. He was not elected, and decided after that to focus on his parish ministry.[2] In 1989, Guernsey went on the first of several mission trips to Uganda. In the aftermath of the consecration of V. Gene Robinson in 2003, Guernsey's parish left the Episcopal Church and became affiliated with the Anglican Church of Uganda. The choice of Uganda was in part because the Anglican Church there ordains women to the priesthood, unlike some other African Anglican provinces. As part of its departure, All Saints surrendered its property to the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia and built a new facility in nearby Woodbridge, Virginia.[3]

Episcopacy

In December 2006, the bishops of the Church of Uganda elected Guernsey to serve the 33 Ugandan-affiliated Anglican parishes in the United States. He was notified of the election in June 2007 and consecrated in Mbarara on September 2, 2007 by Ugandan Archbishop Henry Luke Orombi.[4]

In 2009, the Church of Uganda transferred all its North American congregations to the newly formed Anglican Church in North America as the transitional Diocese of the Holy Spirit. By 2011, these congregations had been dismissed to in-formation regional dioceses, and Guernsey was elected to the serve as the first bishop of the newly created Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic. He was invested by Archbishop Robert Duncan on September 10, 2011.[1]

References

1. "Bishop's Biography" (PDF).
2. "John Guernsey elected to lead new Anglican Diocese - The Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic in the ACNA". Retrieved 14 September 2012.
3. "INTERVIEW Bishop John Guernsey". Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. September 21, 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
4. "Dale City priest to head 26 ex-Episcopal congregations". Washington Times. June 23, 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2012.