The Rev. Gavin Shumate
Home Congregation: St. John’s, Toledo
Number of General Conventions attended: 1
Legislative Committee: Sexual Harassment, Sexual Exploitation, & Safeguarding
Why is General Convention important to you?
General Convention is important to me because it is our opportunity to come together and discern God’s call for the greater Church, celebrate our common faith together, and build the community of the Body of Christ within and beyond our Church.
What are you looking forward to the most for this year’s General Convention?
I am looking forward to exploring how the Church can navigate this new world of Covid, balancing the wisdom of medical science, the need for being together in community, and the importance of keeping each other safe and healthy.
What is one thing you want people in Oregon to know about General Convention?
General Convention is about building the Body of Christ within and beyond the “walls” of our Church. It is also about discerning as a Body where God is calling The Episcopal Church to lead in witness to God’s all-encompassing love for the world.
What is something about yourself that you’d like the diocese to know?
I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to serve our Diocese in this way, representing the beautiful diversity that exists in Oregon.
Antonia (Toni) Cantu Phipps
Home Congregation: St. Paul’s, Salem
Number of General Conventions attended: This will be the first!
Legislative Committee: Prayer Book, Liturgy, and Music
Why is General Convention important to you?
It’s an opportunity to understand the infrastructure of the church, to meet others who are just as invested in praising God and working to make God’s word known to others, and to explore ideas and improve ways to make the church more inclusive and representative of the new world we live in.
What are you looking forward to the most for this year’s General Convention?
I’m keeping an open mind to absorb all the energy and ideas that will improve my understanding of how the church functions. I’m very interested in learning how different cultures have embraced Episcopal teachings and made them their own.
What is one thing you want people in Oregon to know about General Convention?
I anticipate that convention will provide a wealth of opportunities to learn from each other that regardless of background, teachings, or languages we have one common love for God and belief that Christ is the Savior.
What is something about yourself that you’d like the diocese to know?
I was baptized and raised in the Catholic tradition. So, I feel comfortable worshiping in the Episcopal Church. I am very involved with my home parish of St. Paul’s, have served on the Diocesan Council, and am currently wrapping up my fourth year on Standing Committee. I continue my work with the Commission for Emerging Communities.
I am Hispanic, born and raised in Texas, and traveled with my family to work the fields as a migrant worker. I inherited a strong work ethic from my parents and extended family. At an early age, I learned that personal integrity and a love of God were the rocks on which to live by. I’ve strived to do both all my life.