Diocesan Digest: Spring 2025

DIOCESAN DIGEST DIOCESE OF EAST CAROLINA

SPRING 2025

The Diocese of East Carolina 705 Doctors Drive Kinston, NC 28501 Phone: (252) 522-0885 Website: www.diocese-eastcarolina.org Bishop The Rt. Rev. Robert Skirving Editorial Director Sara Tavela, Coordinator of Communications Contributors in this Issue Bishop Rob Skirving; the Maxwell Center; Goldsboro Tourism Resource Library; Bishop Search Committee; St. Paul’s, Wilmington Communications Team; Deacon Cheryl Wagoner; Danielle Reaves; Church of the Servant, Wilmington; St. Paul’s, Edenton; St. Thomas, Ahoskie; St. Thomas, Windsor; the Clark family; John Koch; Mary Beth Bradberry; Mindy Furrer; Emily Gowdy Canady; Juniper LaNunziata; Vicar Rahim Brown; La Sagrada Familia, Newton Grove; and Sara Tavela Submissions All submission ideas are welcome and considered for publication. Visit www.diocese-eastcarolina.org/ communication-submissions/ to submit your idea.

DIOCESAN DIGEST Spring 2025

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Letters to the Editor Send letters to the Editor to communications@dioceseeastcarolina.org SHARING OUR STORIES, SHARING OUR LIFE IN CHRIST

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Blessings to you, and welcome to our spring issue of the Digest!

This issue of the Diocesan Digest centers on the many ways our diocese is stepping into new seasons of ministry, leadership, and purpose. From ordinations and celebrations of new ministry, to our bishop search, to a new gathering place for convention, to major gifts and new leadership that open fresh opportunities for mission, the stories here all reflect a church in motion — discerning, responding, and being renewed.

I hope you enjoy this edition of the Digest, and may the Spirit continue to guide us in our shared life as the Diocese of East Carolina. Happy reading!

In Christ, Sara

Sharing our stories, Sharing our life in Christ.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Get Ready for Convention We’re gathering this fall in a brand-new location

Diocesan Profile Out Now Explore the newly released snapshot of our diocesan life and ministries as we search for our next bishop

Celebrating Ordinations & New Ministries Welcoming new leaders and honoring sacred callings across the diocese

Trinity Center Celebrates $1 Million Gift in Soundings A major, celebrated moment of gratitude for Trinity Center

A Year of Grace and Growth with The Well Reflecting on a year of spiritual formation, connection, and transformation

G E T

R E A D Y

F O R

CONVENTION

Mark your calendars—our annual convention will be held on Friday and Saturday, November 14– 15, 2025. We’re especially excited to announce, for the first time publicly, that this year’s Convention will take place at The Maxwell Center in Goldsboro. This beautiful and modern venue offers a wonderful and functional setting for our time together, and we’re looking forward to all that this new location will make possible (including delicious local BBQ!).

As a friendly reminder to congregations, if your congregation has not yet submitted its Certificate of Delegate Election, please do so as soon as possible. This information is essential for ensuring that all elected delegates are properly registered and represented.

As additional details come together for convention, they will be shared directly with all canonically resident clergy and elected delegates. We’re looking forward to a meaningful and spirit-filled gathering this November.

DIOCESAN PROFILE OUT NOW Thank you for taking the time to read our profile and for your interest in the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina! We are truly grateful for your discernment and curiosity about our vibrant and faithful community.

Our profile was prepared by the Search Committee — a dedicated team of clergy and lay leaders from across our diocese, selected by the Standing Committee. Together, we listened carefully to the voices of our people, gathering hopes, dreams, and honest reflections to present a clear and prayerful picture of who we are and who we feel called to become.

To create this profile, we traveled across the diocese for in-person conversations, hosted Zoom gatherings, and invited everyone to participate in focus groups. We also offered an online survey in both English and Spanish, and the faithful responded. We pray that these pages will be a helpful guide as you — or perhaps someone you know — consider whether you are being called to serve as the Ninth Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina.

As you explore the profile, you’ll see that our diocese is geographically expansive, beautifully diverse, and rich in history, culture, and natural beauty. We’ve included insights into our story, our current demographics, and a transparent look at our financial health. We’ve also gathered the hopes and dreams of our community — those areas where we are eager for our new bishop to lead us with energy, wisdom, and love.

In the section titled “The Leader We Seek,” we share the qualities we pray for in our next bishop: a servant leader, a faithful follower of Jesus, and a compassionate guide who will help us grow as a cohesive diocese. We are excited to find someone who will walk with us into the future God is calling us toward — a future rooted in justice, equality, and shared mission.

This profile is the result of heartfelt listening, deep reflection, and much prayer. We hope it will encourage you to dream with us — to imagine yourself in this calling, or to pass along this profile to someone you believe would be a beautiful fit for this holy work.

We ask that you continue to pray for our diocese and for the candidates that will apply. Our complete profile can be accessed on our website, both via Issuu and a downloadable PDF, by clicking the cover image on the next page.

A Prayer for Discernment Gracious and loving God, guide the hearts and minds of those among us who will search for a new bishop to lead the Diocese of East Carolina, that we may listen carefully to discern your will and call a bishop who will love and serve your people in all the communities of this diocese and lead us forward in new ways in our ministries and service to you, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CELEBRATING ORDINATIONS & NEW MINISTRIES

ORDINATION TO THE DIACONATE

The Rev. Deacon Cheryl Wagoner MAY 2025 ST. PAUL’S, WILMINGTON

ORDINATION TO THE DIACONATE

The Rev. Deacon James Green MAY 2025 ST. PAUL’S, WILMINGTON

CELEBRATION OF NEW MINISTRY

The Rev. Melody Perdue JANUARY 2025 ST. PAUL’S, EDENTON

CELEBRATION OF NEW MINISTRY

The Rev. Samson Mamour APRIL 2025 ST. THOMAS, AHOSKIE ST. THOMAS, WNDSORN

TRINITY CENTER CELEBRATES $1 MILLION GIFT IN SOUNDINGS

The spring 2025 special edition of Soundings is a celebration of legacy, mission, and momentum at Trinity Center. At the heart of this issue is a transformational $1 million legacy gift from the estate of Dr. Richard Clark—an act of profound generosity that reflects a lifelong love of nature, family, and community. This extraordinary gift not only honors Dr. Clark’s memory but also ensures that others may find peace, inspiration, and connection at Trinity Center for years to come.

This special issue dives into Dr. Clark’s remarkable life story—from his early love of geology and outdoor adventure to a distinguished career in medicine and his deep ties to the North Carolina coast. Through heartfelt words, readers are invited to learn more about the man whose legacy helps shape the future of Trinity Center.

A centerpiece article explores how Dr. Clark’s gift is already at work through the construction of a new staff bungalow for the Sound to Sea Environmental Education Program. Built on the site of a beloved but aging structure, this new facility reflects Trinity’s ongoing commitment to hospitality and community—providing welcoming, year-round housing for the dedicated educators who serve thousands of students each year.

In “Living Out Our Mission at Trinity Center,” voices from board members, staff, parents, and campers alike reflect on how Trinity Center remains a sacred space of growth, service, and transformation. The issue also introduces readers to the remarkable Sound to Sea instructors—who they are, what they do, and how they embody the Center’s mission of hands-on, nature-based learning.

Through each story, Soundings highlights how strategic planning, donor support, and faithful stewardship are converging to sustain and expand Trinity’s ministry.

It’s a hopeful, inspiring look at a place that continues to welcome all to experience the beauty of creation and the warmth of Christian community.

To read the full edition and be excited by what’s happening at Trinity Center, click on the cover found on the next page or visit their website: www.trinityctr.org.

By Juniper LaNunziata and Vicar Rahim Brown

This year, we embraced a new chapter as The Well’s leadership passed to co-ministers Vicar Rahim Brown and Juniper LaNunziata. It’s been a journey of patience, experimentation, and faith—especially when, at our first meeting, only Rahim and Juniper showed up.

Gone are the days of drawing students to a church building for meals and programs. Instead, Juniper and Rahim brought our ministry to campus, setting up "office hours" in ECU’s Main Campus Student Center—offering counsel with no strings attached. Students began stopping by, some staying for hours, wrestling with faith, life, and belonging. Some students decided to join us for meetings; others didn’t. Either way, every moment together has been fruitful!

To deepen our presence, the Well moved meetings to the Jesse R. Peel LGBTQ+ Center’s conference room—a deliberate choice reflecting our commitment to inclusion. The impact was immediate: from zero students at our first gathering to 14 at our last official meeting this semester, with many more in our group chat sending regrets for having to miss the meeting. Overall, hundreds of students, faculty, and staff now connect with The Well at varying levels of affinity and commitment.

Our gatherings have been as diverse as our students—board game nights, craft sessions, readings from the Social Justice Bible Challenge, and more. We’ve painted rocks with encouraging messages to leave around campus, rolled beeswax candles for Candlemas, decorated tote bags, and tried countless ways to welcome students in. And it’s worked— many who came only for a particular craft or game have stayed. We’ve also woven in leaders from our sponsoring parishes, sharing meals from all three churches and hosting programs led by clergy and laypeople alike. Together, we’re imagining new ways to connect students to these faith communities.

This year, we saw a community blossom. Six of us went on retreat with UNCW’s ECCO campus ministry. One student was baptized on Easter Sunday, with Juniper serving as baptismal sponsor. Three students graduated, celebrated with cheers by all of us. We elected a new President and Vice President, who will serve as our delegate and alternate at diocesan convention. And, since so much of first impressions these days occur online, we created a new logo and launched a fresh web presence—a new website (www.thewellecu.com) and a revitalized social media presence (@thewellecu on Instagram and Facebook). Check it out and follow us!

Through many methods, word is spreading. The Well has become a known safe space for students exploring faith from the margins— students of color, LGBTQ+ students, neurodiverse students—all explicitly welcomed. Again and again, we’ve been surprised by who finds a home here, by the openness of the students, and by the gift of presence they share.

Only a handful of them were already connected to the Episcopal or Lutheran traditions; many more are Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, or have no religious background. By honoring the complexity of religious affiliation in the 21st century, we’ve made space for students to find their own way to be a member of the Well. Believers, skeptics, and unbelievers alike are welcome here—a non-judgmental community for the exploration of Christian faith.

We’re always finding new ways to serve the larger ECU community.

Beyond our longstanding presence of Ashes to Go on Ash Wednesday, we’ve introduced a “take a prayer, leave a prayer” board, where students, staff, and faculty share deeply personal hopes and struggles. And at semester’s end, our students make hundreds of “exam survival kits”—small tangible reminders to their peers of God’s love and acceptance even as academia grinds on.

This year has been full of surprises, grace, and growth. We can’t wait to see what’s next.

UPCOMING DIOCESAN EVENTS

HTTPS://WWW.DIOCESE-EASTCAROLINA.ORG/EVENTS/

SHARING OUR STORIES, SHARING OUR LIFE IN CHRIST.

Diocese of East Carolina 705 Doctors Drive, Kinston, NC 28503 Phone: (252) 522-0885 Email: communications@diocese-eastcarolina.org www.diocese-eastcarolina.org