LARCUM 2025

LARCUM 2025 will be held 12-14 May 2025 at Saint John XXIII Pastoral Center, Charleston, WV, with the focus being the Council of Nicæa at 1700 years. The gathering asked that this not be merely a review of history but rather an exploration of the meaning of Nicæa for today and the future. More information to come by the fall, but, in the meantime, mark your calendars.

LARCUM 2024

LARCUM 2024 is a wrap. With 50 in attendance, it is the largest LARCUM we've held (and maybe the largest LARC and ARC).

Gathering at Saint John XXIII Pastoral Center, Charleston, WV, 20-22 May 2024, under the theme Holy Communion: Contemporary Questions attendees hear from presenters from all four traditions (Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic, and United Methodist). Intentionally not a rehash of past conversations, matters related to digital/virtual communion, first communion education, the communing of those not baptized, and more were taken up.

Agenda

Although subject to change, the general outline is as follows:

• We convene with opening devotions at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, 20 May 2024, at St. John XXIII Pastoral Center, Charleston, WV.
• The registration/welcome desk should be open at 1:00 p.m. (one hour before opening devotions).
• Over the course of our three days together, four presenters (one from each tradition) will each give three one-hour presentations.
• Meals and socials:
• Monday: happy hour, dinner, evening social
• Tuesday: breakfast, lunch, happy hour, dinner, evening social
• Wednesday: breakfast, lunch
• We wrap up with lunch on Wednesday (served at 12:00 noon).
• An extended break will follow Tuesday's lunch until 2:30 p.m.
• Evening social commences each night at 9:00 p.m., marking the close of the sessions for the day.

• a graphical version of the agenda (pdf)
• a textual version of the agenda (pdf)

Presenters

United Methodist: Bishop LaTrelle Easterling

Bishop LaTrelle Miller Easterling is the episcopal leader of the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Conferences of The United Methodist Church. She is a noted advocate for social justice, a witness to the power of ecumenism, and a vibrant and prophetic teacher and preacher.

Bishop Easterling was consecrated as a bishop in 2016 and was appointed as the first woman to lead the 240-year-old Baltimore-Washington Conference. She entered the ministry in 1997 and served as a pastor and a district superintendent in Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to entering the ministry, she was an attorney. Currently, she serves as chair of the United Methodist Council of Bishop’s Anti-racism Leadership Team, president of the denomination’s National Plan for Hispanic and Latino Ministries, and on a number of other committees and boards.

A strong proponent of education, Easterling received a bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications and Political Science from Indiana University and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Indiana University School of Law. She graduated summa cum laude in 2004 with a Master of Divinity from Boston University School of Theology. In 2020, she was named a Distinguished Alumna of that school for her work in justice and advocacy, as well as her leadership within The United Methodist Church.

Prior to entering full-time ministry, Bishop Easterling served as an associate attorney in a leading law firm, as a prosecuting attorney for a municipality and as a human resources executive.

She is married to the Rev. Marion Easterling and they have two grown sons, Garrett and Miles.

Click here to visit the Baltimore-Washington Conference's Bishop's Page to learn more about Bishop Easterling.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, Bishop Easterling will not be able to be with us. Fortunately, The Rev. Eliazer Valentine-Castanon will be presenting for the United Methodist tradition. We hope to have up his profile on Monday (but no guarantees).

Roman Catholic: The Most Rev. Mark E. Brennan & Fr. Thomas Sebastian, CST

A native of Boston, Bishop Brennan is the son of the late Edward Charles Brennan and Regina Claire Lonsway. He attended public schools in Massachusetts and Maryland before entering St. Anthony High School in Washington, D.C. Bishop Brennan graduated from Brown University in 1969 with a degree in history, and then entered Christ the King Seminary in Alleghany, New York for a year of philosophy before attending the Pontifical North American College in Rome for his theological studies.

A parish priest for nearly his entire career, Bishop Brennan was assigned to Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Potomac, MD, from 1976-81; St. Pius X Parish in Bowie, MD, from 1981-85; St. Bartholomew Parish in Bethesda, MD, from 1986-88; St. Thomas Apostle Parish in Washington, D.C., from 1998-2003; St. Martin of Tours Parish in Gaithersburg, MD from 2003-16. Bishop Brennan attended Spanish Language courses and Hispanic cultural studies in the Dominican Republic and in Colombia from 1985-86. From 1988 to 1998, Bishop Brennan was the Director of Priestly Vocations in the Archdiocese of Washington. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Baltimore on Dec. 5, 2016, and ordained on Jan. 19, 2017.

On July 23, 2019, Bishop Brennan was appointed ninth bishop of Wheeling-Charleston by Pope Francis and was installed on August 22, 2019. During his episcopacy, Bishop Brennan has taken a number of steps to increase accountability and transparency in the Church in West Virginia. He has expanded the Diocese’s Safe Environment Program to include strengthened background checks and fingerprinting. Additionally, Bishop Brennan has committed to ongoing financial transparency through the yearly public distribution of the audited financial statements of the Diocese. Most importantly, Bishop Brennan has remained steadfast in continuing the Diocese’s commitment to the service of those in need through the work of Catholic Charities West Virginia.

Click here to learn more about Bishop Brennan on the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston website.

Fr. Thomas Anatharackal Sebastian, CST, is co-presenting with Bishop Brennan. Fr. Sebastian holds doctorate in theology from the University of Louvain in Belgium.

He entered religious life in the Congregation of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux in 1983, making perpetual profession in 1988. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1991. He currently serves as the parish priest of Assumption Roman Catholic Church, Keyser, WV.

During out LARCUM, he will tie in the Eucharist to the Incarnation of the Son of God.

Anglican: The Rev. Canon Dr. Lizette Larson-Miller

Dr. Lizette Larson-Miller is Professor of Liturgy and Sacramental Theology at Bexley-Seabury. She is also canon precentor for the Diocese of Huron (Anglican Church of Canada) and the former Huron-Lawson Chair of Liturgical Studies at Huron University College (concluding on June 30, 2023). Her first degrees were in music (conducting and church music from the University of Southern California). She then earned an additional M.A. in liturgical studies (St. John’s, Collegeville), and a Ph.D. in liturgical history and sacramental theology (GTU, Berkeley). She is the author of four books and numerous articles, including Sacramentality Renewed (2016), and past president of both Societas Liturgica and IALC (International Anglican Liturgical Consultation, a network of the Anglican Communion). She has written extensively on rites with the sick, dying, and dead, as well as on sacred space, popular religiosity, and contemporary ritual issues. She states, "My teaching aim is to introduce, broaden, and enrich students' knowledge of Christian liturgical studies. Liturgy encompasses many different disciplines in addition to engaging students in both academic research and pastoral application." She was ordained in the Diocese of Los Angeles in 2003 and has served in a number of Episcopal and Anglican (Canadian) parishes in addition to teaching at Loyola Marymount University, University of Notre Dame, CDSP, and Huron.

Luther: The Rt. Rev. Matthew Lynn Riegel

Bishop Riegel was elected 6 June 2015 by the Synod Assembly and assumed office on 1 September 2015 as the third bishop of the WV-WMD Synod, succeeding The Most Rev. Dr. Ralph Dunkin.

Riegel served as the Chaplain of the Lutheran Campus Ministry at WVU since August 2000. Prior to that, he served six years as the pastor of Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Westernport, MD, and Trinity Memorial Ev. Lutheran Church, Keyser, WV. He also served interim pastorates for St. Paul Lutheran Church, Morgantown, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Clarksburg, and St. Johannes Lutheran Church, St. Clara Community.

Riegel earned an M.Div. with honors in both Systematic Theology and Church History from the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, in 1994, and an S.T.M. from the same institution in 2011. His S.T.M. thesis explored the doctrine of sanctification as articulated in classical Lutheranism. His primary research interest is the sanctification of ecclesiastical politics, synthesizing theological anthropology, ecclesiology, and sanctification. He majored in History at Gettysburg College, earning his B.A. in 1987.

Riegel serves on the ELCA's Civic Life and Faith Task Force that is tasked with the development of a social statement on government, civic engagement, and the relationship of church and state. He also serves on the Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church. He is the current president of the Lutheran Historical Society of the Mid-Atlantic and also serves on the Board of Directors of Mountainside Baroque.

Click here to learn more about Bishop Riegel on the West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod website.

Directory

In pre-pandemic LARCUMs, we published a directory of attendees. As part of our introductory portion of the conference, we'll ask you whether you want a directory. If the group says, "Yes," we'll publish one. It will only be given to attendees (and probably after the conference is over). As we didn't think to ask all the questions we should have in the registration process to publish a proper directory, we'll be tracking you down at the conference to verify your contact information and determine what you prefer to have published and how you prefer it to appear in the directory. As with a typical conference directory, we'll publish

• name (with preferred honorifics),
• preferred mailing address,
• preferred phone number, and
• preferred email address.

You have he right not to publish any one or all of the details. If you don't want something published, simply cross it out on the form that your tradition's team leader will circulate.

Please also correct any incorrect information.

C.E.U.s

Certificates of continuing education will be handed out during the Next Steps session.

Registration

What Is LARCUM WV?

LARCUM WV is a four-partner conference held annually (except when there is a pandemic) in WV. The partners are

• Lutheran — West Virginia-Western Maryland Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
• Anglican — The Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia, The Episcopal Church
• Roman Catholic — The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, Roman Catholic Church
• United Methodist — The West Virginia Conference, United Methodist Church

LARCUM WV began as ARC (Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue) more than forty years ago. After several years, the Lutherans were invited to join, and the dialogue was renamed LARC. LARC WV. meeting for three decades, was the longest running LARC in the USA. Roughly ten years ago, the United Methodist were invited to join, and we changed our name to LARCUM.

LARCUM planning is a joint activity of the four traditions. The topic for each LARCUM Conference is selected by the participants of the preceding LARCUM Conference.

Method

Most of the time—well, almost always—each tradition brings its own presenter, and each presenter is then given two-three hours in formal session. Outside of formal sessions, there are meals, social hours, and free time, providing plenty of opportunity for informal conversation among participants. One can also use free time for private prayer, refreshment, study, etc.). There is also worship, with each tradition taking its turn leading services, allowing participants to enjoy what each tradition has to offer.

Who Can Attend LARCUM?

One does not need to be a member of the participating judicatories to attend. If you are interested in the topic or want to enjoy conversation with folk from different traditions, you are most welcome. LARCUM is open to laity and clergy. LARCUM is also open to folks from beyond the borders of WV.

LARCUM and Social Media

Yes, we do have a social media presence. Check out "WV LARCUM" Facebook page—follow and/or like us while you are there. Lutherans can even join Team Wittenberg, a subgoup attached to the page—if you are jealous, convince your tradition's planner to set up a tradition-specific group. We also create Facebook events for specific conferences, e.g., "LARCUM 2023." Since we have a social media presence, don't be shy about sharing.

LARCUM 2023

LARCUM 2023 was held under the title, "Evangelism?" 8-10 May 2023, at Saint John XXIII Pastoral Center, Charleston, WV. We moved the news about LARCUM 2023 to our LARCUM Archive. Click here to learn about the topic in detail—it might not be exactly what you think it is—and learn about our presenters.

Questions?

If you have any questions or would like to speak to someone about LARCUM, call West Virginia-Western Maryland HQ at 304-363-4030 or email Bishop@WV-WMD.org.