Bishop Jones was elected Bishop Coadjutor of Indianapolis in 1977 and was consecrated as diocesan bishop in September that year. He served on the Theology Committee of the House of Bishops, which presented the case for the ordination of women to the episcopate at the 1988 Lambeth Conference. He also served for a number of years as the presiding judge on the Court of Trial of a Bishop. Among the cases at which he presided was the hearing for the Rt. Rev. Walter Righter, retired Bishop of Iowa, who was exonerated in 1996 of charges that he had violated the doctrine of the church and his ordination vows in ordaining as a deacon the Rev. Barry Stopfel, who was engaged in a long-term homosexual relationship.
Bishop Jones was serving as rector of St. James’ Church, Lancaster, Pa., when he was elected bishop. He began his ordained ministry in 1954 as an assistant at Grace Church, Sandusky, Ohio. In 1957, he accepted a call to be rector of Christ Church, Oberlin, and Episcopal chaplain to Oberlin College. He was assistant to the Bishop of Ohio from 1968 to 1971, at which time he began a six-year tenure at St. James’. He attended Union Theological Seminary in New York City and graduated from Virginia Theological Seminary.
I actually knew Anne better than Ed, as she was employed at Christian Theological Seminary (Disciples of Christ) in Indianapolis while i was a student there; a counselor and fellow worshiper with the small early morning prayer and communion service, a woman of few words but those always gracious and helpful and encouraging. May Christ’s Light shine in this passing darkness to light their way.