Welcome to the official site for The Right Reverend Matthew Davis Cowden, Bishop of West Virginia. Here you’ll find out a little more about me. Some personal, biographical, some of my favorite links, hobbies, and my trivial pursuits. I’ve had this page since the 1990’s and it’s gone through various iterations. In the early days of nascent website culture, it seemed like everyone was going to have a personal site in the future, as in the way we each have our own pocket cell phones with a personal number as well as a Facebook page or direct way of sharing our lives with some version of the public. A personal site like this one of my own name is as much a hub for contact, further information about me, reading some my materials that usually end up further down a news feed on social media, and pictures. Welcome to my little bit of real estate on the internet. +mdc
Congratulations, Canon Jordan! This week, Canon Jordan Trumble participated in the annual Episcopal Communicators Conference, where she received a Polly Bond Award for Excellence in Communications for an article she wrote last fall about the reinstatement of the Rev. Harry Stock. Her article was picked up and published by Episcopal News Service and then later noted as one of the most read articles of 2024. This is an important honor both for Canon Jordan and for the Diocese of West Virginia. Her contribution is a great support as we grow in our capacity to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, tell our faith stories, and participate fully in the life of the broader Episcopal Church.As with Diocesan Clergy, our Diocesan staff are regularly encouraged to participate in continuing education and professional development to help them grow in their ministries, to bring learnings back to our Diocese and Congregations, and to build connections and support networks around The Episcopal Church. Thank you, Canon Jordan, for your excellence in evangelism and in our connections with the wider Church.-Bishop Matthew … See MoreSee Less
This past Friday, WVU Reynolds Memorial Hospital in Glen Dale, West Virginia, celebrated the grand opening of their renovated surgical suites. Along with the WVU Pride of West Virginia Marching Band, hospital officials, and local dignitaries, the Rev. Cn. Chad Slater, Canon to the Ordinary, and the Very Rev. Tommy Sheppard of Trinity, Moundsville, who also serves as chaplain for the facility, were on hand and shared photos from the event. Canon Slater opened the day with prayer and blessed the newly updated facilities. Reynolds Memorial has a long history of association with the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia—a relationship that both the Diocese and hospital administration value and will continue to nurture. … See MoreSee Less
The Fourth Sunday of Easter is often called “Good Shepherd Sunday” because the collect and readings point to Jesus as the Good Shepherd. This week in our Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we pray for Good Shepherd, Hansford, and Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd in Parkersburg. … See MoreSee Less
We offer hope-filled prayers for our Roman Catholic siblings on the occasion of the election of the new pope. May God bless Pope Leo XIV in his ministry and make him an effective example of God's love to all the world. … See MoreSee Less
This past Saturday, we completed our final Grow Church weekend of the academic year and also graduated our first class of participants. Seventeen people from the Diocese completed this two year program and nineteen others finished their first year.Grow Church offers spiritual formation and development as a catalyst for renewal and change not only for the individual participants but for their congregations and the Diocese as a whole. If you're interested in learning more about the program, contact Canon Jordan Trumble. Next year's registration is also now open:forms.gle/ZtFy3eUeTXFQzSHG7… See MoreSee Less
