141st Convention Recap | Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina

Welcome to the recap page for our 141st Annual Convention! Here you will find all the materials related to this convention that occurred February 9-10, 2024 organized by date.

We're sorry to report that due to a medical emergency had by a member of the AV team, we do not have video recordings of this convention. We do have audio recordings from Saturday's legislative session, which we have shared for the five presentations and the bishop's address. We thank you for your understanding.

To view the photo gallery from convention, with thanks to our photographer Emerson Crawford (St. Paul's, Greenville), click the button below:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CONVENTION PHOTO GALLERY

Friday, February 9

Workshops at Convention

On Friday afternoon, four workshops were offered at two time slots, centered around storytelling and developments with our Mission Priorities. Click the link below to explore the brief synopsis of and materials from each workshop. We thank our workshop leaders for their work and for conducting these workshops!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE WORKSHOP SUMMARIES AND MATERIALS

Opening Worship

We apologize, but due to a medical emergency on the part of a member of the AV team, we are unable to share a video recording of Friday's worship service. Please enjoy this worship and sermon recap in lieu of a recording.

Our opening worship service was held at the Convention Center, as we sanctified the space in which we were to work. We embraced our surroundings and had a worship experience that highlighted and lifted up both the joy of gathering as a diocese and the work that lay before us. We thank the worship team, Pamlico Deanery, service leaders, musician Peter Woodruff, our volunteer choir members, our communion teams, bread baker, and all of the people who made this time of worship possible. Click the link below to see the service bulletin:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE SERVICE BULLETIN FROM FRIDAY'S OPENING WORSHIP

Canon for Leadership Development, Stephanie Allen, served as preacher for our opening worship service. Her sermon, “Just Scholastica,” opened with a discussion of the feast day we celebrate for Scholastica, sister of St. Benedict of the benedictine monks (learn more about Scholastica from Gregory’s Dialogues here: http://www.episcopalnet.org/Saints/Feb10Scholastica.html). Scholastica’s legacy is one that looks less impressive when compared to other saints who led more exciting lives, and, yet, we as a body in The Episcopal Church included Scholastica’s day in the 2018 edition of Lesser Feasts and Fasts, recognizing that there was something necessary and exemplary about the way she followed Jesus. Stephanie declared she is Team Scholastica, because she believes Scholastica has something to say to us right now in the Diocese of East Carolina as we figure out how to be the church in this day and in this time.

After an exegesis of the readings for the day (included in the service bulletin linked below), Stephanie concluded that perhaps what we are asked to do in this present time is to let go of the performance of this world that says we need to have it all together…perhaps what we should be offering to our communities is something they can’t get anywhere else–a place to belong, a place where it can all fall apart, a place of forgiveness, a place of grace, a place where we know something much, much bigger than ourselves is at work (something that each one of us needs as well): a place where with God, nothing is wasted, and where anything can be redeemed and transformed.

Stephanie ended with the observation that Scholastica was a woman in a time when there really wasn’t much that she could do (there was no way for her to perform and be seen and receive accolades), but what she could do was devote her life to God. Scholastica prayed, encouraged her brother Benedict, developed a rule of life that acknowledges that messy human beings (including siblings who need a good reminder that they are not in charge) need “a balance of discipline with love and rules with compassion.” Team Scholastica all the way! She might just be just the saint we need.

Stephanie’s sermon left an impact, as attendees shared these takeaways:

A recognition that our churches need to shift our attention to discerning the needs of the communities we are in now rather than trying to go back to meeting the needs of the community we were in the past.
The importance of traveling light, thinking about the things we can let go of, and reimagining ministry.
Today's world is complicated and full of swift, life-altering changes and challenges, which is no different from the world in which Scholastica lived. Each of us needs the comfort of belonging to someone or something; loneliness can kill the soul. Society seems to claim that we strive for perfect lives; lives in which our homes, our children, and our careers are perfectly formed. Sister Scholastica seems to reach out from her time on this earth to remind us that perfection is not what is most important. Love, grace, peace, and forgiveness all enrich our lives much more than perfection. God offers us compassion. It is up to us to let that compassion transform our lives so that we, too, are compassionate with one another. It is up to us to be still and know that God is with us, and with that knowledge, we can walk the walk of Jesus in our lives.

Saturday, February 10

Our Saturday morning legislative session opened with a time of devotion and worship, led by Matthew Overturf, The Rev. Skip Walker, and Bernice Motley. After our session was called to order, we welcomed clergy who are newly appointed to ministries in the diocese, and we introduced our postulants and candidates (We currently have 15 postulants and candidates preparing for ordained ministry!). The sections that follow share the highlights and key moments from Saturday's legislative meeting: presentations, Bishop Skirving's address, budget materials, and elections results.

Throughout the day, 23 ministry exhibits were easily accessible to attendees (click here to see the list of exhibitors), and there were great conversations, opportunities for networking and supporting the work of ministry, and a wonderful sharing of ideas among the exhibits showcased. Breakfast and lunch at Convention was a time of good food and fellowship, as attendees intermixed and shared tables with those in different congregations. Our afternoon prayers, held after lunch before we resumed business, were led by Jon Sargeant, Lourdes Martínez, Shurley Ray Weddle.

Presentations at Convention

Five presentations were offered at convention from: Youth; Church of the Servant, Wilmington; Deacons; the Leadership Development Team; and the Deans of the diocese. Click the link below to access the synopses and audio recordings of the presentations:

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE PRESENTATIONS SYNOPSES AND RECORDINGS

Bishop's Address

Bishop Skirving delivered his address to Convention, and below you will find the English and Spanish transcripts of his address, as well as a link to listen to his address. To listen to Bishop Skirving's address, select the audio track "Bishop Skirving's Address to the 141st Convention (2024)" from the menu of recordings.

CLICK HERE FOR THE BISHOP'S ADDRESS TRANSCRIPT

OPRIMA AQUÍ PARA EL DISCURSO DEL OBISPO

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO BISHOP SKIRVING'S ADDRESS

Elections

Elections were completed through votes of acclamation and confirmation this year, as we did not have any contested elections. You can see all of the newly-elected members of diocesan positions by clicking the link below.

VIEW THOSE ELECTED TO DIOCESAN POSITIONS

Budget

Treasurer Tess Judge presented her report for 2023 to Convention, which you can view below along with the 2024 budget narrative and pledges:

Below you can view the 2024 Budget that was adopted at Convention:

VIEW THE ADOPTED 2024 BUDGET

Certified Resolutions Passed at Convention

Four resolutions were presented and passed at Convention, and one special order of business was adopted. Below you will find each of the certified resolutions passed at our 141st Convention:

The 142nd Convention will take place in November 2025, dates and location TBD. A Special Convention will be held in November of 2024 to approve the budget for 2025, with a date and plan to be determined. Information for both will be announced as soon as possible.

Share this page: 141st Convention Recap