As a little girl in Florida, Martha Alexander would watch crabs scurry across the sand, thinking, “It’s Sunday. The crabs must be going to church.” 

Faith was woven into her earliest memories. Martha remembers receiving a small “mite” box for world missions, decorated with faces from around the globe. She tucked away coins, not knowing yet how deeply God would call her into that wider world. 

Years later, Martha would serve on the World Mission Committee for The Episcopal Church and the Companion Diocese Committee for the Diocese of North Carolina, helping strengthen ties with companion dioceses in Costa Rica and Botswana. When raising funds for her first mission trip, a friend sent a modest gift and wrote, “I can’t go with you, but I want to be with you.” A reminder that the beauty of our shared work in the church is, “You can still be part of it even if you cannot necessarily go.”  

At 83, Martha took her third trip to Botswana, spending weeks cataloguing thousands of books in the seminary library. She celebrated her birthday there, was invited to preach, and even climbed through a cave. During those two months in Botswana, she met several women studying to be priests. This coming December, the Diocese of Botswana will ordain their first class of women priests.  The 13 women will receive stoles from Christ Church as a sign of their ordination to the priesthood.  Martha celebrates these women as change-makers and as friends. 

When asked what God has taught her through these experiences, “It’s all about relationship.”  She delights that she is an Episcopalian, proud to be part of a church that celebrates our world partners.  “The Episcopal Church welcomes all people. I want everybody and anybody to worship God in this place.” For Martha, the Church is home. 

Read more about our Diocese’s relationship with the Diocese of Botswana: https://www.episdionc.org/blog/disciple-when-companionship-becomes-relationship/