Vol. 2, No. 5, June 2007

Finding our Core

Vestry and bishop's committee members, lay leaders, and clergy will have the opportunity this fall to help discern the core values that will guide the Diocese of West Texas for the next several years.

In his column in the May/June issue of The Church News (due out this week), Bishop Gary Lillibridge writes: "I want us to begin to think about a strong, core foundation that will guide the vision, purpose, mission, and ministry of our diocese in the years ahead."

At their Clergy Day in April, the clergy of the diocese began a conversation about core values; in August the diocesan Executive Board and Standing Committee will meet jointly to explore the meaning of "core values" and what those might look like for this diocese. Then, on October 27, six gatherings will be held around the diocese to which vestry/bishop's committee members and congregational leadership are invited. (These meetings were originally announced as being on October 20.)

"We are blessed with a faith and an Anglican identity rich in history and deep in theological reflection," said Lillibridge in The Church News, "so we need not create these core values from scratch. We will center our conversation in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ as reflected in the gospel."

Core values, according to authors James Collins and Jerry Porras writing in Harvard Business Review, are "the handful of guiding principles by which a business [or organization] navigates." Core values are part of an organization's core ideology -- that thing that defines a company's "timeless character." An organization's core ideology never changes; it is "the glue that holds the enterprise together even when everything else is up for grabs." Core ideology, says Collins, is "something you discover -- by looking inside. It is not something you can invent."

More details about the October 27 gatherings will be forthcoming in the next few months.

Small business, big gains

How do you turn a small business into a mission venture? The 2007 diocesan World Mission Symposium will tackle that question on July 28. "Business as Mission" will bring together several speakers to describe and discuss their experiences with micro-businesses in emerging countries.

"This is practical ministry," says Marthe Curry of the World Mission Department. "It is an important and effective way to do mission work." As an example of micro-business mission work, Curry cites a bakery in the Diocese of Southeast Mexico run by the women of La Divina Providencia Church in El Camalotal, Oaxaca.

Launched about a year ago, the bakery produces and sells bread, cakes, rolls, and tortillas, providing income for women in the community, so that they can support their families. Seed money from the Diocese of West Texas made the bakery possible; a second one will open in Nuevo Progreso this summer.

Participants in the symposium will also hear from Dr. David Vequist, whose MBA students at the University of the Incarnate Word are analyzing one of our mission settings to determine what micro-enterprise is most appropriate for that location.

The symposium will be held at the Bishop Jones Center, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Registration details will be forthcoming.

Coming soon: The Bailey Center at ETSSW

The life and work of Bishop Scott Field Bailey, sixth bishop of West Texas, will be recognized by the Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest in its renovation of a legendary campus building.

Rather House, once the center of community life at the seminary, will be renamed the Scott Field Bailey Center at Rather House in honor of the late Bishop Bailey whose relationship with the seminary spanned five decades. He assisted the seminary greatly in its first years and then was a long-time, active trustee of the seminary. Bailey also was chaplain to seminarians in his retirement years. The seminary awarded him an honorary degree in 1987.

Then rector of All Saints' Church, Austin, in the early 1950s when the seminary was founded, Bishop Bailey opened its sanctuary for worship to the fledgling Seminary of the Southwest community. His close relationship with the seminary continued through his years as bishop suffragan of the Diocese of Texas and then Bishop of the Diocese of West Texas.

Renovating Rather House will not only allow for much-needed centralized office space but also provide a welcoming entryway onto the seminary campus. The distinctive architectural features of the 100-year-old house that sits atop the seminary's five-acre campus will be preserved and restored.

Rather House was built by the C.T. Rather family of Gonzales, Texas, when daughters Ethel and Alma enrolled at the nearby University of Texas in 1911. The daughters each married university professors after graduation and continued to live in Rather House for decades. They donated the five acres around their home so the Seminary of the Southwest could be built in the early 1950s. Rather House remained their home until the last family member died and the seminary assumed care of the house.

Back to camp for the bishops

Bishops Gary Lillibridge and David Reed will each spend a week at Camp Capers this summer, serving as chaplains for two camp sessions. Lillibridge will assist the dean (the Rev. James Murguia) and the chaplain (the Rev. Jay George) at the Servant Leadership Camp, June 4-10. Reed will assist the dean (the Rev. Cristopher Robinson) and the chaplain (the Rev. Dori Zubizaretta) for the Senior High Camp, June 12-18. Servant Leadership Camp is for young people ages 16 through 2007 high school graduates; Senior High Camp is for ages 15 through 2007 high school graduates.

"Bishop Jones used to attend camp with high schoolers," said Bishop Lillibridge. "It was very meaningful for many of us, and I want to reinstitute that practice. Our teenagers need to know how important they are, especially at this crucial time in their lives."

About that new website

The revamping of the diocesan website is proceeding, with roll-out projected for late in June. The new site, with a new address of www.dwtx.org, will include more pages, better organization, and improved navigation. Once it is up, ministry heads will be able to update their own pages. If you chair a diocesan committee, commission, department, division, or ministry and do not currently have information on the diocesan website, e-mail Marjorie George at marjorie.george@dwtx.org. Those who do currently have information on the site will be contacted about updating their information later this summer.

From Our Churches

The school children of St. Matthew's Episcopal School in Edinburg learned their lessons well this past Lent. When the diocesan department of World Mission created a Lenten calendar of ways to "count your blessings" and provided small boxes -- think the original mite boxes -- in which children could put their coins, the rector and the headmistress of St. Matthew's School passed them out to each child.

"Each day in class and at home, teachers and parents talked with the children about counting their blessings," reports the Rev. Earl Mahan, rector of St. Matthew's Church. As they journeyed through Lent, says Mahan, the collection of clothing and blankets and shoes continued to grow -- and the kids began to realize that they have much more in the way of material possessions than many other people in the world.

"Finally, during Holy Week, the children were invited to begin returning their coin boxes, adding the proceeds to the coin jar of offerings the children had brought throughout the school year on their birthdays (a coin for each year)," says Mahan. "The results were amazing, and the children truly did learn how to count their blessings." The160 children of the school collected $275, which they contributed to diocesan World Mission efforts.

The Rev. Fred Brown of St. Elizabeth's, Buda, presented a confirmation class of six to Bishop Earl McArthur in May.

Pictured, from left to right (front row) -- David Greenlee was reaffirmed; Jackye Greenlee was received from the Methodist Church; Tara Hanson, Sarah Bowman, Zachary Giberson, Bailey Ramage and James Corbett were confirmed. (Back row, L to R) Bishop Earl McArthur and the Rev. Fred Brown.

Grace Church, Cuero, dedicated their refurbished organ chamber and new console on May 6 at a special event. An open concert with as many of their organists as were available, regular and substitute, present and past, performed.

St. Philip's, Uvalde, began a new ministry in the Uvalde Food Pantry. They have been approved as a partner agency with the San Antonio Food Bank following completion of their training. They will work in partnership with other agencies in the area and have applied for a grant from the United Thank Offering.

Sunday, May 20, was the kickoff for a special day in the diocese as Christ Church, San Antonio, began their Centennial Celebration activities. This long-awaited day began with a chuck wagon lunch including barbeque, bluegrass music and fun activities, and will be followed up with various special events which will run until February 2008.

On Mother's Day the men of All Saints', San Benito, pulled out all the stops, preparing and serving a five-course dinner to the ladies. Live music from the 50's, 60's and 70's was provided by Phyllis Vittatoe, church musician, and her husband, Vit. Over 40 women, young and old, received the five-star treatment in an event which will become an annual event. All Saints is also preparing for a year of celebration in 2008 when the little red brick church will celebrate its centennial. The inside and outside of the church have been restored to look as they did in the early 1900s, and plans are underway for special guests and events throughout the year. The celebration will kick off with Bishop Lillibridge's visit in December this year.

Church of Reconciliation, San Antonio, will host a Jazz Mass on Sunday, June 3, 10:30 a.m. Music will include favorite hymns in the New Orleans tradition for singing, with a six-piece ensemble of talented local professional and amateur jazz musicians, directed by Geoffrey Waite. A shrimp Creole lunch follows. For more info, call the church at (210) 655-2731.

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