The Equality Champion
Reverend Betsy Walker
Priest of St. Thomas Episcopal Church in white sulphur springs and Church of the incarnation in Ronceverte
HER CALLING
“After receiving my bachelor’s in education at Concord University, I taught art in Raleigh County for five years. I loved teaching, but I felt a calling to ordained ministry and became a Postulant for Holy Orders from the Diocese of West Virginia. I attended Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. We can do a lot as lay people, but the sacramental ministry of priesthood—it’s traveling with people throughout their lives. I felt called to be part of those sacred and holy times.”
A LATE BLOOMER
“Looking back on it, I’ve been gay all my life. I didn’t come to terms with my sexuality until I was in seminary. I realized I am a beloved child of God and that means every bit of me. I met my first long-term partner, Pat, in 1988 and we were married in D.C. in 2010. We were together until her death in 2015.”
LOVE IS LOVE
In the early 2000s, the Episcopal Church realized that no sacrament, including marriage and ordination, could be denied to anyone. My bishop now permits us to perform same-gender weddings as well as heterosexual weddings. It’s a blessing to be totally who I am. I even found someone to love again in 2018. Many people think the word ‘Christian’ means you’re anti-gay or conservative. That’s not always the case, especially in my church. I spoke at the first Pride festival in Lewisburg and said, ‘Don’t paint us with that broad brush.’ There are churches that love you, honor you, and cherish you. We welcome you and we really mean it.”
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Since 2014 WV Living magazine has been honoring West Virginia Wonder Women, amazing women who are raising the bar in their communities, serving as beacons of light in their industries, and forcing change for the greater good. WV Living is proud to celebrate these Appalachian mothers, millennials, and mavens proving that in a time full of uncertainty, divisiveness, and hate, love for one another is all we really need. No need for bulletproof bracelets or a golden lasso of truth—these women are creating a better West Virginia with their can-do attitudes and Mountain State spirit.
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