The Episcopal Church in the Commonwealth of Virginia is divided into three Dioceses: Virginia, Southwestern Virginia, and Southern Virginia. Emmanuel Church is located in the Diocese of Southern Virginia which is bounded by the York and James Rivers to the north, Danville to the west, the North Carolina State line to the south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The Diocesan Center, "Talbot Hall", is located in Norfolk about 30 minutes away. The Diocese celebrated its Centennial in 1991.

The Rt. Rev. John Clark Buchanan, retired Bishop of West Missouri, serves as is the Interim Bishop of the Diocese. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina (B.A., 1958 and J.D., 1960), the General Theological Seminary in New York (M.Div., 1969 and D.D., 1989), and the McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago (D.Min. 1975). Prior to his ordained ministry, he was an attorney in private practice and in the insurance industry.

Currently, Bishop Buchanan serves as the parliamentarian for the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church. He and his wife Peggy have two daughters and two grandchildren.

The Diocese is made up of 122 congregations divided into nine convocations. Emmanuel is in Convocation V, the Jamestown Convocation.

To learn more about our Diocese, visit its Web site at http://www.diosova.org