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Vol. 5, No. 4, August 2010
The Bishop's Monthly Video Reflection
Bishop Gary Lillibridge is on vacation. His video message will return with the next Direct Line in early September. You can see previous video messages by clicking here.
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In this Issue
(scroll down to read all the news)
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Back to school
After you pick out the clothes, pack the lunches, and drop the kiddos at the school house door this month, what are you gonna do with you? Opportunities for adult education – practical and spiritual -- abound in the Diocese of West Texas, starting with three special conferences in August and September. Get out your Crayolas and mark these on your calendar. (Details and online registration for all three are on our website Special Events page.)
World Mission Symposium, Aug 14 at the Bishop Jones Center in San Antonio. Learn how to change your mission focus from “let me help you” to “let me show you how to help yourself.” Speaker is Glenn Schwartz, whose book When Charity Destroys Dignity makes the point that sometimes well-intentioned organizations leave third-world countries worse off. This conference is for anyone who has ever been on or who wants to be on a short-term mission.
Stewardship Conference, Aug 21 at Good Shepherd, Corpus Christi, and Aug 28 at St. Mark’s, San Antonio. Stewardship is a “faith-raising” not a “fund-raising” venture. Our spiritual health demands that we see stewardship as returning to God a portion of all that God has given us. Our bishops will lead plenary sessions, and workshops will cover Annual Giving, Capital Giving, Telling your Stewardship Story, Writing a Narrative Budget, Christian Financial Planning, the New Consecration Sunday Stewardship plan, Legacy Giving, and Generational Giving Patterns. This is a chance to ask questions and get answers before your fall stewardship campaign. Especially for stewardship chairs and committees, vestry and bishop’s committee members, lay leaders and clergy.
Blessing without Borders, Sept 9-11, San Antonio (location TBD). At our recent Abide in Me II conference, we learned about taking God’s blessings into our communities. But how do we love and serve our neighbors who differ from us culturally, ethnically, economically, and racially? The conference is sponsored by the diocesan Reconciliation Commission and will be led by Eric Law, one of the foremost experts on multiculturalism in the church today. Details are still being worked out, but the date is certain; online registration coming soon.
Details on these events can be found on our Special Events page or Church and Other Events page.
Education for Ministry, at a local church near you, beginning in September. EFM is a four-year study of the Old and New Testaments with a cohort group and a trained mentor. Personal reflection is a part of the course. See the website to learn more and find out where classes meet.
Communicators’ Brown Bag Lunches, Sept 8 and every third Wed of the month, noon to 1 p.m., at the Bishop Jones Center in San Antonio. Parish and diocesan communicators gather for informal discussion and networking.
Whose School is it Anyway? Sept 22-24 at Mustang Island Conference Center. A gathering of school heads and rectors who have schools affiliated with their parishes to talk about that unique relationship. Presented by the diocesan Schools Commission.
Centering Prayer Workshop, Sept 11, St. Boniface, Comfort. Presenters are Myrna Toohey and Bill Walker of Contemplative Outreach San Antonio.
A Benedictine Quiet Morning, Sept 18, St. Boniface, Comfort. Led by the Rev. Beth Fain, rector of St. Mary’s Church in Cypress TX.
Spiritual Retreat for Recovering Alcoholics, Al Anons and Adult Children of Alcoholics, Oct 1-3 at Camp Capers. A weekend of fellowship and personal growth.
Holy Ground, Oct 2, St. Mark’s, San Antonio. A day of reflection on environmental stewardship led by the Rev. Canon Sally Bingham, founder and co-director of The Regeneration Project, a nonprofit ministry responding to global climate change. For more info: www.stmarks-sa.org/environmental.kt.
“The Church of the Future” seminar with Phyllis Tickle, Oct 8-9 at St. Luke’s, San Antonio. Tickle is an acknowledged authority on church trends and transformation.
Soul at Work: Discerning God’s Will in Daily Life, Oct 8-10 at the Mustang Island Conference Center, with Margaret Benefiel, leader. A weekend of guided meditations aimed to help you hear God’s voice in your daily life.
Christ-Centered Prayer Retreat, Oct 17-22, Mustang Island Conference Center. An intensive six-day retreat that focuses on the Christ-centered prayer method. Leader is the Rev. Sandra Casey-Martus, rector of All Saints, Corpus Christi.
Fall Gathering for Women, Oct 22-24, Camp Capers. The Rev. Suzanne Guthrie will present “Entering the Dwelling Places of the Soul.”
Food for the Soul, Oct 22-24, Mustang Island Conference Center (MICC). A weekend of tasting, learning, laughing, singing, and relaxing. MICC cooks will lead with chaplains the Revs. Lisa Mason and Ed Dohoney.
World Mission Arts Festival, Oct 23, on the grounds of the Bishop Jones Center, San Antonio. Art in various media for viewing and purchasing, plus an extensive children’s area, food and drink, and a late afternoon reception.
Diocesan Silent Retreat, Nov 11-14, at the Moye Center in Castroville. The Rev. Doug Earle will lead the theme of “The Heavenly Banquet.”
National Alliance on Mental Illness training event, Nov 13, St. George, San Antonio. For clergy and lay pastoral care ministers who deal with families affected by mental illness of any sort.
Looking for a way to revive or strengthen your faith walk? Below are opportunities for young people and adults to learn and grow:
Happening: A three-day, multi-denominational spiritual retreat for high school youth in grades 10 to 12. The weekends are held three times a year around the diocese and are intended to help young people learn about how Christ fits into their daily lives. To learn more about Happening, speak with church’s rector, youth minister or contact the diocesan Spiritual Director, the Rev. Stockton Williams, at 830-257-8162.
Upcoming Happening dates are:
Aug 6-8, weekend #116, at St. Alban’s, Harlingen. (This event is full; please keep the youth and team in your prayers.)
#117, Nov 19-21, at St. Helena’s, Boerne.
#118, Mar 4-6, 2011, in San Antonio, location TBD
#119, Aug 5-7, 2011, location TBD
Vocare: A spiritual formation and renewal weekend focused on discerning spiritual vocation for college age through young adults, usually ages 18-30. Weekends usually take place at Camp Capers or Mustang Island Conference Center. A Vocare weekend provides spiritual guidance from a priest, peers and young leaders, and participants are encouraged to examine their own callings through a series of talks, reflection, discussions, fellowship and worship. To learn more about Vocare visit the national website at www.vocare.org or email Stacy Dowdy at stacy.dowdy@dwtx.org.
The next Vocare weekend in the diocese is April 1-3, 2011 at Camp Capers.
Cursillo: A three-day weekend for adults that focuses on calling church leaders into service and offering tools for taking one’s faith into his or her environment. Weekends begin on Thursday evenings and end late Sunday afternoon, and are usually held at Camp Capers or Mustang Island Conference Center. To attend Cursillo, each person must have both a signature from their parish rector and a sponsor who has attended and continues involvement in the Cursillo method. To learn more about Cursillo contact the rector of your church or the diocesan registrar Leigh Saunders at leigh.saunders@dwtx.org.
Upcoming Cursillo dates are:
August 7, Annual Family Reunion, 9 am to 3 pm at St. Helena’s, Boerne, with a pot luck lunch. Contact church office for childcare or information at 830-249-3228.
Cursillo #250, Oct 14-17 at Mustang Island Conference Center.
#251, Nov 11-14 at Camp Capers.
#252 – Mar 3-6, 2011 at Camp Capers
#253, May 12-15, 2011 at Mustang Island Conference Center
#254, Oct 13-16, 2011 at Mustang Island Conference Center
#255, Nov 10-13, 201, at Camp Capers
To find upcoming weekends and other events for these faith renewal opportunities, go to the diocesan website at www.dwtx.org and select the Special Events link at the bottom of the home page.
One Small Church’s Big Ministry
Kaitlin Reed, a rising sophomore at Southwestern University in Georgetown, is doing an internship with the Department of Communications this summer. She filed this story on the ministry of Grace Church, Port Lavaca, to Karen refugees in their community.
When we hear the term bilingual, at least here in Texas, we automatically think of English and Spanish. But at Grace Church in Port Lavaca, English is heard side by side with a language that most of the congregation was unfamiliar with until two years ago. Members of an ethnic minority called Karen (pronounced kuh ren), originally from Myanmar, were relocated to Port Lavaca by a U.S. government refugee program. Their relationship with Grace Church began when the canon missioner of the church, the Rev. John Padgett, received a call from the rector at an Episcopal church in San Diego telling him that some Karen refugees from Myanmar had recently moved to Port Lavaca. This small town church soon found itself part of a much bigger story.
In one of the longest civil wars in history which continues even now, the Karen people were forced to leave their country by the military dictatorship that took over Myanmar after Great Britain left following World War II. Myanmar was previously known as Burma, the name the Karen continue to use for their homeland. They were hunted down and killed by the military because they were still so active in the Church of England even after Great Britain was no longer a presence. Many of them escaped to Thailand where they stayed for many years, often in refugee camps. Through U.S. Government sponsorship, many of the Karen who had been living in Thailand were brought to the United States. They are officially here as refugees and many are currently working toward obtaining American citizenship.
Once Padgett got word that the Karen had arrived in this Gulf Coast town, he brought Sharon Wood, the church’s senior warden at the time, and Jim Munro, current senior warden, to visit some of the refugees. They talked to the refugees about their needs and issues related to settling into a brand new culture. Discovering that most Karen are Christian and many of them are Anglican, the three invited them to come to church.
Now the Karen refugees have been in Port Lavaca for two years and Grace Church has developed a strong relationship with some of the families who have joined the church. In fact, every Sunday the Gospel is read in English as well as Karen by a member of a Karen family. The Karen population in Grace Church has been steadily growing so that now Karen children attending Sunday school outnumber the number of native-born Americans. The church has also celebrated baptisms and confirmations of the Karen people.
In addition to welcoming the refugees into both the community in Port Lavaca and the Episcopal community, the people of Grace Church have made it their ministry to assist the Karen in learning English and understanding American culture. Many parishioners continue to reach out to the Karen community by visiting them frequently and helping them navigate through this new culture and in their new life. According to Munro, “members of the church have assisted Karen refugees in acquiring driver’s licenses and cars.” The church has also helped to purchase bicycles for the kids.
Various members of the church have also taken it upon themselves to provide English as a Second Language classes to refugees. Sharon Wood was the initial ESL teacher and stepping in to help is Beth Heard, the current lead ESL teacher. She is assisted by Kathy Leabo and Frances Hartzog. All have been instrumental in teaching English to the refugees and helping them become accustomed to the culture of South Texas and, as Padgett states, “to integrate them with the church.” Natacha Shotts, a member of St. Stephen’s, Goliad, served as the instructor of the first teaching group that came out of Grace Church. Thanks to these teachers, several members of the Karen community are becoming proficient in English. A significant challenge to expanding this outreach ministry is that Karen work at a company called Interplast with other Karen people, therefore providing little motivation for many to learn English. They are currently living in one large apartment complex which further isolates them from the larger English speaking community. But for the children growing up and attending schools in Port Lavaca, English comes more quickly and the language barrier disappears.
The Karen refugees are not content to simply accept the kindness of others. They have become involved in helping others in the Port Lavaca community and beyond. Several assisted other Episcopalians in the area in refurbishing Church of the Holy Communion in Yoakum. Others actively participate in Habitat for Humanity, a major ministry that the Diocese of West Texas supports.
As they have gotten to know the Karen, the people of Grace Church have become very understanding of the hardships that come with transitioning from one country to another, in this case moving from Thailand to South Texas. Coming to a country where almost no Thai is spoken and absolutely no one speaks Karen is obviously a huge challenge for the Karen community. This challenge should ease as Grace Church continues to reach out to the Karen people. With the help of the people of Grace Church, these refugees may finally find the home for which they have been searching.
News briefs
Wanted: A Few Good Episcopalians to Retire in Mexico
Thousands of retired US and Canadian citizens are enjoying a safe retirement in Mexico. While the majority have congregated around Guadalajara and San Miguel Allendeo, the Southeastern States are even more attractive (although less English is spoken).
The Anglican Diocese of Southeast Mexico is looking for a few good Episcopalians just now to join them in establishing a presence in the larger cities of the diocese as the diocese works to become financially independent.
If you have a basic knowledge of Spanish or experience with another foreign language, or if you are passionate about outreach and mission work, and if you would enjoy an international lifestyle, contact our long-term missionary in Southeast Mexico, Tony Price, at 210-767-3398. San Antonio TX number.
Or e-mail him at ajprice@van-norden.com.
Volleyball is back (but Frank is not)
After more years than anyone can count, Frank Cole of Church of Reconciliation, San Antonio, has retired as coordinator of the Diocese of West Texas sports leagues in San Antonio. Stepping in is Steve Rogers of St. Luke’s, San Antonio. Cole and Rogers think the sports league has been going on since the late 1980s; they remember playing volleyball at the TMI gym when it was located in Alamo Heights.
However many the years, volleyball season for Episcopal churches in San Antonio is starting up -- September 12 through November 14. Games will be played at St. George (West Ave & NW Military Hwy) on Sundays between 2 and 5 p.m.
“This is a low-pressure, fun way to spend an hour or so on a Sunday afternoon,” says Rogers. “It is a recreational league, so great athletes are not required. We make allowances for all skill levels, because of the variety of people who may show up during the season.” Kids are welcome if their parents play, too, but Rogers recommends that they be of at least middle school age and/or have experience playing in organized sports.
If you are interested in playing, as a team or an individual, contact Steve Rogers at dwtxsports@alamoministorage.com or 20-829-1168. There is no fee to play volleyball.
If your parish doesn't put together a team, your members are still welcome to play. Teams are often short a couple of players and would be happy for your members to fill in.
Keep up with the league at the Sports in DWTX page.
Closing the Coast Camp
Saying that the end of an era on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is at hand, Bishop Duncan Gray of the Diocese of Mississippi announced that on August 31, Lutheran Episcopal Services of Mississippi will be closing the Mission on the Bay in Bay St. Louis, and Camp Victor in Ocean Springs, the last of our Katrina rebuilding communities. “The closing will take place four days beyond the fifth anniversary of the opening of Camp Coast Care in the chaos that was the aftermath of Katrina,” said Gray. He added, “The reasons for the closing mostly relate to the end of federal grant monies and the dramatic decline of volunteers, the latter being accelerated by the oil spill now washing ashore.
The Rt. Rev. James Folts, bishop of the Diocese of West Texas from 1996 to 2006, will be the honoree at the 2010 edition of Stars Over TMI, the school’s annual gala, on September 18. Folts is a former chairman of the Board of Governors of TMI-The Episcopal School of Texas and was instrumental in leading the funding and building of TMI’s All Saints Chapel, which was completed in 2008. Tickets for the gala are $150 and may be purchased online at www.starsovertmi.com. Proceeds from the event benefit programs, facilities improvements, and student financial aid.
Birdwell Elected
Gary Birdwell, Parish Administrator at Christ Church, has been elected Vice President of the National Association of Episcopal Church Business Administrators (NAECBA) for the 2010-2011 term. This denominational group, along with the larger inter-denominational organization of NACBA (National Association of Church Business Administrators) is a professional Christian organization that exists to serve the church by promoting the highest levels of professional competence in individuals serving Christ through administration in local churches. They also serve as a resource for each other through networking, professional development, and service in their respective communities. Learn more about what NACBA offers at www.nacba.net or at www.nacbaalamo.org. And please mark your calendars for National Church Administration Day on October 21, 2010, as a day to recognize all those who work in church administration.
In the late spring of this year, clergy and stewardship chairs were asked by the Diocese of West Texas Stewardship Department to complete an online survey regarding their philosophies and practices in stewardship. Participation was excellent, with 69 of our 90 congregations responding. That included 67 percent of rectors/vicars and 46 percent of senior/bishop's wardens or stewardship representatives. From the information received, an interesting portrait of the diocese is emerging. The report is now being compiled and will be distributed in the online newsletter Notes to God's Stewards. If you are not receiving that newsletter and wish to, sign up by clicking here or send your email address to leslie.mixson@dwtx.org.
From our churches
The Noisy Offering
The children of Christ Church, San Antonio, crank up the volume each third Sunday of the month as they collect in tin cans all the spare pocket change the congregation gives. This “Noisy Offering” provides an opportunity for the children to learn more about the mission and outreach ministries the church supports during the children’s sermon. A representative from a different ministry educates the children (and adults, too) each time and encourages them to reach out and lend a helping hand. Following the lesson, to the tune of some upbeat jingle, the children spread out quickly and collect change in their tin cans for the specific ministry highlighted. It gets noisy as the change “clinks” and “clanks” and the children laugh and sing, but what an avenue it provides for them to learn about serving others.
Christ Church held their first Noisy Offering in October of 2009 and raised $700 for the Diocese of Bunyaro-Kitara, specifically Hoima, Uganda. The money was used to help buy snacks and craft materials for their children’s festival which is held on the first Saturday of the New Year. Pictures were sent back of the well-attended festival, indicating the appreciation of the children of Hoima. The Noisy Offering continues each month, collecting change for various mission and outreach ministries.
By: Laura Shaver, Director of Communications at Christ Episcopal Church in San Antonio
A Family Friendly Service
When St. Peter’s, Kerrville, decided to add a “family friendly” service on Sunday mornings, some worried that it would be too informal. But Junior Warden Ed Lynch was among those who discovered that informal can be inspiring, too. This is his report.
Normally we Episcopalians enter the church and receive a service bulletin with the entire liturgy, Scripture readings, and many of the hymns we will use during the Holy Eucharist Service. We also keep our Book of Common Prayer handy. When we approach our pew, we stop and reverence the cross by either bowing our head or kneeling on one knee (genuflecting), then we sit down, pull down the kneeler and kneel in private prayer. We may talk softly in greeting our neighbors.
The new Sunday 9:10 am service is definitely family friendly, without losing the feeling of reverent worship. Families are welcome to come in their flip-flops, shorts and favorite tee-shirt. By family I mean mom, dad, and all the children, toddlers included; for the service has something for all.
And the most amazing thing occurred during the opening hymn! Organist Becky Jons was ably accompanied by her rhythm section of drums, guitars, and harmonica. It was the singing that made everything special. Tucker Hall is a big, open space but the congregation’s voices filled that space grandly.
All the concern for the service being too informal vanished. This was a worshipful service in every way. The spirit was present, as was the energy in the responsive readings, adding to the unity and beauty of the service.
By the way, did I mention that members were encouraged to get a cup of coffee and a doughnut before they took their seat? St. Peter’s is onto something here, and as the summer progresses I believe more chairs will have to be put out.
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