Frank Neff Powell (born December 28, 1947) was the fifth bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America located in the southwest area of Virginia. It is in Province III (for the Middle Atlantic The Mid-Atlantic is a region of the Uni ...

from 1996 till 2013.

Early life and education

Powell was born on December 28, 1947, in

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, w ...

. He was baptized at Saint Paul's Church in

on November 28, 1948. Powell studied at Claremont Men's College from where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in history in 1970. After this, he commenced studies at the

Episcopal Divinity School The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is an unaccredited theological school in New York City. Established to train people for ordination in the American Episcopal Church, the seminary eventually began training students from other denominations. T ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

, and graduated in 1973. He married Dorothy Ruth Houck in 1970.

Ordained ministry

Powell was ordained deacon in 1973 and priest in 1974. He served as curate at Trinity Church in

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

from 1973 till 1975, and later vicar of St Bede's Church in

Forest Grove, Oregon Forest Grove is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, west of Portland, Oregon, Portland. Originally a small farm town, it is now primarily a commuter town in the Portland metro area . Settled in the 1840s, the town was platted in ...

from 1975 until 1983. In 1983 he became archdeacon of North Carolina and director for program in the Diocese of North Carolina. In 1990 he was then appointed as executive assistant to the Bishop of Oregon.

Episcopacy

On June 22, 1996, Powell was elected the fifth Bishop of Southwestern Virginia on the fifth ballot. He was consecrated on October 26, 1996, by Presiding Bishop Edmond L. Browning. He retired in July 2013 after nearly seventeen years of ministry leading the Diocese.

References

External links

Episcopal Church website biography
* http://m.roanoke.com/webmin/news/powell-announces-retirement-from-episcopal-diocese/article_afa94726-232c-5934-9576-bc0d5eaa41cc.html?mode=jqm Living people 1947 births Religious leaders from Oregon Episcopal bishops of Southwestern Virginia {{US-Anglican-bishop-stub