The West Virginia - Western Maryland Synod (8H) is a synod

Synod

A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...

 of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA officially came into existence on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three churches. As of December 31, 2009, it had 4,543,037 baptized members, with 2,527,941 of them...

 (ELCA). The synod consists of all ELCA congregations in West Virginia

West Virginia

West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

 and Garrett County, Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

. In addition, there are two churches from Washington County, Maryland

Washington County, Maryland

Washington County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering southern Pennsylvania to the north, northern Virginia to the south, and the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia to the south and west. As of the 2010 Census, its population is 147,430...

, one church from Allegany County, Maryland

Allegany County, Maryland

Allegany County is a county located in the northwestern part of the US state of Maryland. It is part of the Cumberland, MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 75,087. Its county seat is Cumberland...

, and one church from Frederick County, Virginia

Frederick County, Virginia

Frederick County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is included in the Winchester, Virginia-West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. For ten years it was the home of George Washington. As of 2010, the population was...

. The synod is headed by a bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

, currently Ralph W. Dunkin.

The synod is composed of 65 congregations with almost 16,000 baptized members.

Bishops

1. The Most Rev Dr. L. Alexander Black (1988 – 1997)
2. The Most Rev. Dr. Ralph W. Dunkin (1997 – present)

Conferences

The West Virginia - Western Maryland Synod is divided into four conferences, each headed by a dean appointed by the bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

.

• Upper Ohio Valley Conference (UOVC)
• Monongahela Valley - Mountain Conference (MVMC)
• Ohio-Kanawha Valley Conference (OKVC)
• Potomac Conference (PC)

Camps

The West Virginia - Western Maryland Synod assists three camps:

• Camp Luther -- located at Camp Caesar in Cowen, West Virginia
  Cowen, West Virginia
  Cowen is a town in Webster County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 513 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cowen is located at ....
  
   http://www.camplutherwv.com
• Caroline Furnace Lutheran Camp & Retreat Center -- in Fort Valley, Virginia
  Fort Valley, Virginia
  Fort Valley is a mountain valley in Shenandoah County, Virginia. The so-called "valley within a valley" lies between the two arms of the northern Massanutten Mountain range in the Shenandoah Valley. The valley is closed at both ends Fort Valley is a mountain valley in Shenandoah County, Virginia....
  
   http://www.carolinefurnace.org
• Camp Melancthon --located at New Germany State Park in Grantsville, Maryland
  Grantsville, Maryland
  Grantsville is a town in Garrett County, Maryland, United States. The population was 619 at the 2000 census.-History:Grantsville, 1/2 mile west of the Casselman River, began as a small Amish and Mennonite settlement, called Tomlinson's or Little Crossing, along Braddock rd., which wound westward...
  
  http://myweb.wvnet.edu/~ptb00529/campmel/