When Andrew Hunt casts his votes today for a new bishop to lead Utah's Episcopalian congregations, he'll be thinking of what's best for the church. He'll also have a very distinct constituency in mind: kids like himself.
At 16, Hunt is the youngest delegate participating in the special convention to select a new bishop. But he had a pretty good role model to follow.His older brother James was a convention delegate last year.
Hunt, a junior at West High School, is one of 11 delegates representing St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City. He ran for the spot to make sure teens had a voice in church decisions.
"There are numerous youth issues, and I wanted to have a vote on them," Hunt said. He hoped, for instance, to push for money to renovate Camp Tuttle, the church youth camp near Brighton. The project never came up in May's general convention, though.
Hunt didn't anticipate he'd help choose a new leader for the Utah church.
"The new bishop could have a drastic (effect) on how the diocese works with youth," Hunt said. "I want to make sure we get one who is good working on youth issues and can do a very good job with other parts of the church."
Those other "parts" include working with the church's diverse membership, particularly its American Indian members, Hunt said.
The person will have to be "good all over and have lots of energy," he said.
Friday night, Hunt said he was both excited and on edge about the convention. He really wants the candidate he's chosen to win the election - or at least for one of his two alternatives to pull through. Hunt clearly wasn't taking his responsibility lightly.
"I'm scared," he admitted. "I hope I've made the right choice."