|
|
||
The Very Rev. M. Elizabeth Morgan
“We are fortunate to get someone of her caliber,” said Don
Williams, senior warden and search committee chairman. Williams directed the
four-month search that ended with the selection of Elizabeth from three candidates drawn from a pool of nearly 20. The search process with Elizabeth began April 23 with her first contact
with Williams and took just four and a half weeks. “It seems to me that the Holy Spirit usually works in swift and
surprising ways,” Morgan told Williams, "and I am looking forward to all
that the Holy Spirit has in store for the family of Christ Episcopal Church as
we move forward together.” Morgan
told Williams that she and her husband fell in love with Bluefield, the
mountains, and our congregation during their May 19-21 visit. They have always liked
the mountains and enjoy hiking and water aerobics. Elizabeth said from her South Carolina home prior to her arrival, “We are excited and happy to be called to be a part of God’s kingdom in Bluefield. I am so thankful also for the interest shown in Harold, who is the love of my life and a gifted priest. We both felt accepted and embraced.” Mrs. Morgan was interim rector of St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church in Aiken, South Carolina prior to coming to Bluefield. She provided stable leadership for that parish during the search process. Her responsibilities included supervision of staff, pastoral care, and liturgical leadership for a program-sized town church of more than 800 communicants and Mead Hall, a parish day school of more than 90 students. A native of Greenville, South Carolina, she graduated Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina in 1974 with a BA in Anthropology and Sociology. She earned her Master of Divinity in 1979 at the School of Theology at Sewanee, Tennessee, where she was awarded the Wood Leadership Award for “outstanding scholastic achievement and leadership skills.” She is trained
as a professional interim and in advanced clinical pastoral education.
She is a traditional liturgist and biblical preacher. The Very Reverend Mrs. Morgan served as the Dean of the New Southern Deanery in the Diocese of West Virginia at the time of her resignation.
Download her 1980 ordination article in PDF format The Rt. Rev. Bob G. Jones, Bishop of Wyoming, ordained Mrs. Morgan to the diaconate on All Saints' Day 1980 at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church in Cokeville, Wyoming. She was the second woman in the Diocese of Wyoming to be ordained and the fourth in Wyoming. She was ordained to the priesthood in 1981. The Morgans were in Wyoming for five years. She
has served as a vicar in Spartanburg, long-term interim rector in Winnsboro,
executive director of Project Care in Greenville, and assistant to the rector
in Greenville (part-time), all in South Carolina. The
Rev. Mrs. Morgan was
also employed in counseling positions, including clinical chaplain for the
South Carolina Department of Health, and she directed domestic violence
shelters and programs in South Carolina and Wyoming. Morgan’s husband, The Reverend Harold E. Morgan, III, born September 2, 1948, is also an Episcopal priest. He moved to Bluefield after a two-year term as interim rector of the Church of the Resurrection in Greenwood, S.C.
The Morgans reside at 1313 Lebanon Street in Bluefield. The Celebration of a New Ministry at Christ Church for Mrs. Morgan was held at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday evening, October 25, 2000, with the Rt. Rev. C. Charles Vaché as celebrant and The Rev. Christopher Clement as preacher. Her last Sunday and resignation ceremony took place on Sunday, August 28, 2005. |
||
|
||
 |
The
Very Reverend M. Elizabeth Morgan
