[Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs] The Rev. Canon Gregory S. Straub, who will retire as executive secretary of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church on Jan. 1 after nearly eight years and three General Conventions, was awarded the inaugural House of Deputies Medal Oct. 15.

The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, president of the Episcopal Church’s House of Deputies, presented the medal to Straub at a meeting of the church’s Executive Council in New Brunswick, New Jersey (Diocese of New Jersey).

In presenting the award, Jennings said Straub’s greatest gifts are “his love of the Episcopal Church, his integrity and strength of character, his ability to size up situations and make good decisions, his devotion to friends and colleagues, his perceptive mind and deep appreciation of history and tradition and his wickedly dry sense of humor.”

“I’m flattered to receive the first House of Deputies medal,” Straub commented. “It’s been an unalloyed joy being secretary of the House of Deputies. One of my favorite parts of my job has been my time on the podium at General Convention.”

Straub, who served as rector of Emmanuel Church in Chestertown, Maryland, (Diocese of Easton) for 30 years before becoming the executive officer of the Episcopal Church’s General Convention, is known for wearing colorfully patterned sports jackets when he sits on the dais during the triennial conventions. Slides of Straub in a variety of jackets were projected as Jennings presented the award.

Jennings, who was elected to her post in July, has established the medal to honor clergy and laypeople who have given distinguished service to the House of Deputies and the Episcopal Church.

The triennial General Convention is the governing body of the Episcopal Church and includes the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies. As executive officer, Straub oversees all aspects of church governance and heads the office of the General Convention that coordinates the work of the Episcopal Church’s committees, commissions, boards, and agencies. His successor will be appointed later this year by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and Jennings.