The time has come for the Diocese of East Carolina to elect its deputies and alternate deputies for The 82nd General Convention, to take place in Phoenix, Arizona in the summer of 2027. The Canons of our Diocese provide for this election to take place at our Annual Convention in the year before General Convention, which would be this coming November. However General Convention has rules requiring deputies and alternates to have been elected no later than one year before the start of General Convention, which means we cannot wait that long! Our thanks to the Rev. Paul Canady for having brought this discrepancy to our attention.

The election of deputies and alternates will therefore need to be completed by members of our Executive Council, who have the authority to do so between meetings of our Diocesan Convention. We are, therefore, soliciting nominations from across the Diocese of East Carolina, to be submitted by midnight on Monday, April 13, 2026. The election will take place during the meeting of the Executive Council on Thursday, April 16th, during our annual retreat at Trinity Center.

We will elect four clerical deputies, who must be priests or deacons canonically resident in the Diocese of East Carolina, and four lay deputies, who shall be confirmed communicants in good standing and “having domicile” in the Diocese of East Carolina. Additionally, we are entitled to elect four alternate clerical deputies and four alternate lay deputies, subject to the same qualifications. In each group, the four individuals receiving the most votes will be elected as the deputies and the next four highest will be elected as the alternate deputies. An announcement of the election results will be shared with the nominees first, and then shared publicly with members of the diocese.

Any member of the Diocese of East Carolina is welcome to nominate a qualified individual for election as deputy. Alternatively, qualified individuals are welcome to nominate themselves for election. The form which follows should be used to submit nominations before midnight on Monday, April 13th.

As nominations are received, they will be posted on this page.

Those who are interested in learning more about General Convention and considering the possibility of nomination for election as a deputy, are invited to visit the House of Deputies Website for more information. Those to be nominated must be able to be in Phoenix for orientation and preparation on July 1st and 2nd, and for General Convention itself which will begin on July 3rd and end on July 8th. Travel and accommodation will be provided at the expense of the Diocese of East Carolina.

Questions should be directed by email to the Office of the Bishop.

Tyrone Francis Sr.
St. Joseph’s, Fayetteville

“I am honored to nominate Tyrone Francis Sr. as a Delegate to the Convention. A dedicated leader at St. Joseph Episcopal Church, Tyrone has served as Senior Warden for nine years, providing steady lay leadership and partnering closely with clergy to navigate the parish’s mission and operations. His commitment to the wider church is evidenced by his eight years of service on the Racial Healing Commission, where he has been a consistent voice for equity, reconciliation, and the pursuit of the Beloved Community. Tyrone’s deep institutional knowledge and his long-term dedication to justice make him an invaluable representative for our community at the diocesan level.”

Parish Positions Held: Senior Warden
Diocesan Positions Held: Chair Person of Racial Healing Commission

Hannah Hutchens
Christ Church, New Bern

“Being called to ministry means finding ways to include and make room for all people. Going to General Convention in 2024 opened me to the breadth of work that the Episcopal Church is doing on the National level. I was able to be apart of conversations about what we are doing as the Episcopal Church to uphold our baptismal covenant. General Convention highlights the joy of the church meeting governance and is amazing to witness. I feel called to uphold the voices of all God’s people, especially youth voices, and hope to do this at General Convention.

I grew up in the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina. Throughout college and after graduation I worked at Camp Trinity and continue to volunteer and coordinate some diocesan youth events. Coordinating diocesan youth events and helping cultivate leadership in our youth is truly such a joy. Working at Christ Church in New Bern has been a huge blessing in my life. The work and ministry I get to do here inspires me to continue to do the work of the church. If selected as a lay deputy I would, with God’s help, hold this responsibility with prayer and an open heart.”

Parish Positions Held: Director of Christian Formation 2024-Current (Christ Church, New Bern), Director of Youth Formation 2022- 2024 (St. Paul’s, Greenville), Director of Youth and Community Engagement 2018-2021 (Memorial, Baltimore)
Diocesan Positions Held: Commission on Ministry Lay Member 2023-Current, Fall Conference Coordinator 2021-Current, East Carolina Youth Council Adult Volunteer 2014-2017, 2023-Current, Provence IV Network Meeting Adult 2022- Current, Winter Retreat Co-Coordinator 2023-2025, Camp Trinity Assistant Director 2017,2022-2024, Interim Campus Minister 2023-2024, Interim Youth Missioner Diocese of Maryland 2020-2021, Episcopal Service Corps, Baltimore 2017-2018, New Beginnings Co-Coordinator 2014-2017
National Positions Held: General Convention Lay Deputy 2024

Juniper LaNunziata
St. Paul’s, Greenville

For the last decade, Juniper’s ministry has largely been defined by Christian formation – first as Director of Christian Formation at St. Paul’s Greenville, and now as Campus Minister for The Well, as well as through various local and national projects. They love our peculiar Church and our connection to the ancient roots of our faith, made new and relevant in every generation.

While describing their understanding of church governance, they wrote, “The governance of the national church is an interesting example of our baptismal theology lived out. Our unique polity binds us to one another, neither hierarchical or congregational, but in balance. I’m a seminarian at CDSP, and this semester as we read the Constitution and Canons together, I found the experience to be a fascinating exploration of how we live out the commitments we make to God and one another.”

As deputy, they will seek to represent the needs of our diocese and of the wider world. They will undoubtedly prioritize the concerns of children and youth, who do not get to vote for the things that they need. They are eager to be an active participant in shaping the future of our Church, contributing to the hard work of legislation, listening to the voices of the wider church, and bringing a renewed vision of the future home to our Diocese.

Parish Positions Held: Director of Christian Formation, Director of Communications, various and sundry committees
Diocesan Positions Held: Campus Minister–The Well Campus Ministries; Postulant for Holy Orders
National Positions Held: Consulted for and led classes/workshops for Forma, the Network for Christian Formation, center for Lifelong Christian Formation at Virginia Theological Seminary