Everyone calls him “Father Jeff” or just plain “Jeff.” He is The Venerable Jeffrey S. Johnson, the well-loved priest at the All Saints Anglican Church in Saluda, since being instituted as rector in 2014. In June of this year, he was elected to become a bishop in the Anglican Catholic Church.
The position of bishop was not a position he sought. Following that election he said, “If you had asked me if I would be the bishop elect even a few months ago, I would have said absolutely not! But we must be open to serving Christ whenever, wherever, and however He calls us. He called through the election, and I will serve Him and the diocese with everything I’ve got in me.”
Indeed, the parishioners of All Saints were emotionally torn between two possible outcomes with the election. On the one hand, they all knew Fr. Jeff’s strong leadership skills and gifts for spreading God’s word and knew he would be a wonderful asset to all the churches in the diocese. On the other hand, they were concerned about losing his presence as the shepherd of the All Saints flock.
Along with his wife of 44 years, Fr. Jeff made the decision to accept the selection and will be consecrated as bishop this Saturday, Oct. 12, at St. Alban’s Anglican Church, 4006 Hermitage Road, Richmond, Virginia at 10 a.m. All are welcome to attend.
When asked about his thoughts or vision for serving as bishop ordinary, Fr. Johnson replied, “We live in challenging times. Today more than ever it is imperative for us to stand firm on God’s Truth against the high winds of social change. I am looking forward to serving and working with all clergy and laity of DMAS (Dioceses of the Mid-Atlantic States) to protect our heritage of worshiping God while also looking for creative solutions to grow into the future, keeping our parishes as vibrant bastions of our beautiful traditional worship and loving fellowship in the Body of Christ.”
For information, call 804-262-6100.
