Reports from The 146th Diocesan Convention
Seek. Love. Serve.: 146th Diocesan Convention
- Beth Marquart, Convention Delegate
The 146th Convention in Martinsburg, after an action packed, prayerful and playful 2.5 days, included a confirmation at the historic Morgan Chapel and wrapped with the ordination of 8 Deacons, thanks be to God!
The overarching theme of convention, and the next 10 years according to +Matthew’s address, is Grow in Christ with the goal of doubling the number of Episcopalians in our diocese over the next 10 years. Challenging? You bet. Doable? With God’s help, it is!
According to the church canons, the purpose of a diocesan convention is to do the work of the church. It’s also a family reunion filled with worship and prayer, and we accomplished all of these. A balanced budget was presented and passed (from the convention journal: “A budget is a moral document; it is a statement of priorities, hopes, and faith.”).
Reports of the work, refreshment, and reimagining of Peterkin Camp and Conference Center and HEP (Highland Education Project) and the peace, the “thin place” that is Sandscrest Conference Center were reported by the directors of each ministry.
Resolutions were passed. The first forms a task force to study our Deanery structure and make recommendations to the 2024 Diocesan Convention. The second urges our member Episcopalians to “...work and pray for a peaceful resolution to the current conflict in the Middle East which directly affects the safety of innocent Israelis and Palestinians”. The third resolution also urged prayer, “…for all victims of gun violence, including those in Lewiston, Maine, and those to come”.
Our delegates Beth Marquart, Maggie McCabe and Kris Morris were joined by Senior Warden Mary Fitzgerald and Donna Hamra. We prayed, we worked, we laughed (a lot!) and we were reunited and learned from the Body of Christ known as the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia.
Many thanks to convention hosts, the people of Trinity Episcopal Church of Martinsburg. Much gratitude to the Archbishop of South Africa, Thabo Makgoba, and his wife, Lungelwa Makgoba for words of hope and witness with us.
And thank you to +Matthew Cowden, Canons Chad Slater, Catherine Saxe and Jordon Trumble, and the rest of the diocesan staff, for a fine convention and your extraordinary leadership. We are blessed to be led by you. Thanks be to God!
Reflection on the 146th Diocesan Convention
- Maggie McCabe, Convention Delegate
The 146th Convention was held in Martinsburg, which is another wonderful part ofthe state. The Holiday Inn was great, but Trinity Martinsburg and Morgan’s Chapelwere even better! The music was wonderful at both locations.
As part of the business of the church, I attended the evening budget discussion. Thediocesan staff have spent the last year working on the budget to create a balancedbudget with clear transparency. After the discussion, a woman sitting beside mecomplimented on my work at St. Johns and other areas. Low and behold, it was Linda Vinson, Donald’s wife! We immediately hugged and were teary eyed! Linda shared how important all of us were to Donald, likewise, he was to us! Gracie died at Christmas. Her ashes are in the urn with Donald.
In learning more about Peterkin, Highland Education Project (HEP), and Sandscrest,each represent pilgrimage, mission and retreat. I am looking forward to exploringthese areas more in the coming year.
Thanks for selecting me as a lay
