Vol. 2, No. 4, May 2007

Direct Line Audio

In the Bishop's Words: Bishop Lillibridge reflects on the recent Clergy Day and talks about creating diocean core values. Click here to listen.

Disaster kits heading to Eagle Pass

As individuals and teams from around the diocese respond to the disaster in Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, the disaster kits organized at Council this past February are being put to good use. Dozens of large, zip-lock bags filled with soap, toothpaste, and other personal hygiene items were delivered to Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras on May 5. The kits were packed by volunteers during the Annual Diocesan Council in Corpus Christi as part of "Council in Action."

Churches of the diocese began responding to the disaster within days of the tornadoes hitting on April 24. St. Helena's, Boerne, has been building homes in Piedras Negras for the past 10 years, and a team from the Boerne Church went to the border area the weekend after the tornado to aid in home repairs and recovery.

Within two days of the tornadoes hitting, a team from St. Luke's, San Antonio, delivered $700 worth of food and water to Piedras Negras. Parishioners at St. Luke's have collected more than $2,000 to assist in recovery efforts. It was a St. Luke's parishioner, Bobby Hausser, who delivered the disaster kits in early May. "When we drove into the neighborhoods, people recognized us as being from El Buen Pastor and they flocked to our truck," reported Hausser. "They were so grateful for these kits, they accepted them with tears streaming down their faces."

In addition, seniors at the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in Austin voted to donate the collection at their commencement ceremony to diocesan work in Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras.

El Buen Pastor church in Piedras Negras, directly across the border from Eagle Pass, has been a focal point in recovery relief and has been named as a disaster shelter. They often house 300 people a night. The Rev. Miguel Cristerna, vicar of the church, and his parishioners have also gone into the devastated areas to set up food stations for the hundreds of people who were affected by the tornadoes.

The diocesan effort is working with Cristerna and Church of the Redeemer, Eagle Pass, to identify one or two specific projects that diocesan money and volunteers can support.

Send donations for recovery and relief efforts to Diocese of West Texas, P O Box 6885, San Antonio TX 78209, Attn: Betty Chumney

Executive Board commits to outreach tithe

At its April meeting, the diocesan Executive Board committed to move toward spending 10 percent of the diocese's apportionment income on work outside the diocese. There are currently two line items for this work: giving to work of the national Episcopal Church (line item 1a) and giving for missionary work outside the diocese (line item 1b). In the 2007 budget, these two items amount to $167,178 or 5.07 percent of apportionment income. Prior to 2003, all of the money in line item 1 went to The Episcopal Church, representing the "asking" by the national church. In recent years, however, congregations have been able to designate whether they want a percent of their apportionment dollars to go to The Episcopal Church or to mission work outside the diocese.

In addition, in recent years, apportionment income has been reduced due to a change in the apportionment formula -- from $3.5 million in 2003 to $3.3 million in 2007. In the 1990's, apportionment as a percent of a congregation's income was reduced from a range of 16 to 28 percent to a range of 12 to 22 percent. In 2005, the apportionment formula was further reduced to a range of 10 to 18 percent.

"Frankly," Bishop Gary Lillibridge told the Executive Board, "we have been balancing the diocesan budget on the back of line item 1, by earmarking fewer and fewer dollars to it."

"At some point," said Lillibridge, "we have to do something proactively -- we need to not keep chipping away at this line item."

Executive Board did not set a definite time limit or a definite giving level, but did resolve to increase the percent of apportionment income that goes to work outside the diocese (line items 1a and 1b) every year until we reach at least 10 percent.

In other business, Executive Board elected Bill Pettus of Church of the Good Shepherd, Corpus Christi, to fill an unexpired term. The board also approved the nominating committee for elections at diocesan council, chaired by the Rev. Ram Lopez.

60 years of Camp Capers If you've been part of Camp Capers as a camper, counselor, visitor, on a parish retreat, at a meeting, or at a conference, you're invited to the Camp Capers 60th Reunion, September 15-16, at Camp Capers. Been to camp in the past 60 years? You're invited. The agenda includes songs, arts and crafts (make a nametag!), swimming, horse shoes, a dance and a bonfire. You can come for the day or spend the night (boys in boys' cabins, girls in girls' cabins). Meals -- Saturday lunch and dinner, Sunday breakfast -- and worship on Saturday evening and Sunday morning are included. Cost is $65/person for Saturday only or $95/person for overnight; $10 more after August 1. Registration forms will soon be available on the diocesan website and the Camp Capers website -- www.episcopal-dwtx.org and www.campcapers.org. Also watch for registration forms at your church. If you have questions, e-mail to capers.60@dwtx.org

News HOT Stuff HOT (Hands-On Training) Stuff for clergy and their key lay leaders takes place at the Jones Center on Thursday, May 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The format is an informal discussion of ways to take the Church out of the church building and into the mission field -- the grocery store, the golf course, the local Taco Cabana. Please make a reservation to attend so the lunch count is accurate; contact Barbara Duffield at barbara.duffield@dwtx.org or phone 210 or 888 824-5387. Take me out to the . . . Episcopalians in San Antonio and surrounding areas are going out to the ball park on Monday, July 9, for Episcopal Night at the San Antonio Missions Baseball Game. Gates open at 6 p.m. for an all-you-can-eat picnic, and the game starts at 7:05 p.m. Cost is $15 per person including the picnic, $6 for ball game tickets only. Children two and under are free. Each church office will collect the money from their own parishioners, then order tickets in a block from Faith Miller at the diocesan office. Ticket orders must be received by June 20. For more information, contact Faith Miller at faith.miller@dwtx.org or by phone at 210 or 888 824-5387. Honor your father The diocesan Habitat for Humanity Task Force suggests we all remember or honor our fathers or other significant men in our lives on Father's Day, June 17, with a donation to Habitat. The Task Force has cards to send to those honored as well as cards that acknowledge the gift. For supplies for your congregation, contact Jane Monroe at 210 495-2132, e-mail jkamonroe@aol.com or the Rev. Bob Creasy at 210 658-2212, e-mail recjc1@juno.com. Now Registering for Family Camp Wondering where to take the family this summer? For $525 your entire family can enjoy four days and three nights on Mustang Island, all costs included, at Family Camp. Diocesan Family Camps are gatherings of families from all over the diocese to play, worship, and learn together. Twelve family camps will be held this summer, all from Thursday through Sunday. For dates, details, and to register, log on to www.mustangisland.org. For Women Only Laywomen Patty Brooke and Carla Pineda will lead the Women's Mini Gathering at Mustang Island, August 24-25. The Friday evening and Saturday retreat will invite participants to use creative new ways to look at their lives through words and art. Cost is $30 to $110 depending on accommodations. Deadline for registration is August 13. Brooke is a certified spiritual director who leads retreats and workshops; Pineda is also a certified spiritual director and retreat leader and is interim administrator for Woman at the Well House, a residential community for formerly incarcerated women. Flyers are being sent to all churches, or contact Faith Miller at faith.miller@dwtx.org.

From Our Churches

For the second year in a row, St. George Episcopal School celebrated a huge "Chain of Love" domino-toppling event in the gymnasium to raise funds for and awareness of important global issues. This year, an intricate design utilizing over 7200 dominos was toppled when Bishop Gary Lillibridge tipped the first domino during an all-school chapel on Monday, April 30.

Funds raised will benefit organizations participating in the ONE Campaign, an international effort to reduce worldwide poverty and disease. The ONE Campaign is perhaps best known for its spokesperson, Bono, of the rock group U2.

Once started, the toppling traveled across the gymnasium for well over three minutes, ending with a flourish as the last six dominoes traveled down hidden wires to pop six colorful balloons. Each domino in the chain represented one dollar raised by the students at St. George to fight extreme poverty and hunger in the world.

Briefly

Good Samaritan Community Services (formerly known as The Good Samaritan Center) has been selected to receive the San Antonio Ethics in Business Award from the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health. Good Samaritan Community Services was selected for this award through careful review of their practices with their clients, in fundraising and their impact on the surrounding community.

The San Antonio Ethics in Business Award is an educational outreach by the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health in partnership with the University of Texas at San Antonio. By engaging students, business leaders and the community together in this initiative, the Ecumenical Center intends to foster a climate of ethical integrity in San Antonio.

Church Publishing, Inc., the official publisher of worship materials for The Episcopal Church, has released a new book -- School Chapel Services and Prayers, based on the prayer book of St. Paul's Episcopal School in Concord, New Hampshire. The breadth of prayers and graces are designed to cover all aspects of school and student life, including prayers for parents, families, and teachers, scholarship and wisdom, truth, honesty, faith, hope, generosity, and sacrifice.

Endorsed by the National Association of Episcopal Schools, School Chapel Services & Prayers is available for $18 from bookstores or directly from Church Publishing 800 242-1918 or online from www.churchpublishing.org).

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