Vol. 5, No. 5, October 2010

Two Episcopal congregations on the northwest side of San Antonio have decided to combine their resources and their visions and enter into common mission together. Church of the Holy Spirit and St. Michael’s voted August 19 and August 29, respectively, to form one congregation.  This follows a discernment process that began after the first of the year and that was prayerfully and carefully considered from all perspectives.  The two congregations held their inaugural joint worship service on September 12.

  

In anticipation of the combining of the congregations, the Rev. Jason Roberts, vicar of Holy Spirit, reported that his congregation has reserved several places on their leadership teams to be assumed immediately by St. Michael’s congregants, including one place on the Holy Spirit bishop’s committee.

  

 “Additionally,” said Roberts, “our existing ministry teams are ready to incorporate members from St. Michael’s. From the Sacred Space Team to the Lay Eucharistic Ministers to the Episcopal Church Women, members of the Church of the Holy Spirit are ready to welcome the congregation of St. Michael’s and all of the gifts they have to offer. We are also very excited to incorporate the ministry strengths of St. Michael’s into our new common life together.”

  

Roberts plans to appoint a team of eight persons, for six months of service, to facilitate the joining together of the assets of the two congregations. Additionally, he has asked the bishop to appoint a diocesan representative, for a term of six months, to serve with this team to help coordinate communication between the diocese and the congregations as well as help facilitate the new relationship.

  

Church of the Holy Spirit was founded in 1981 with the Rev. Cliff Waller as its first vicar. The young congregation had been meeting since March of 1980 and was recognized as a mission of the diocese at the Annual Diocesan Council of 1981. Church buildings were created in 1982 with the purchase of five portable buildings from the North East Independent School District. These were remodeled into a church complex in 1982 on property near the University of Texas at San Antonio. The first church service at the new property was on November 24, 1982.

  

The mission became a parish in 1996 but reverted to mission status in 2000. In late 2009, Holy Spirit sold its property and buildings and is currently worshiping at Pedrotti’s Ranch in northwest San Antonio.

  

This past spring, Holy Spirit purchased approximately 10.5 acres on Bandera Road, close to the intersection of Loop 1604. A Sacred Space Team is currently interviewing architects to discern how the new property will be developed for the congregation.

  

St. Michael’s was founded in November, 1989, also in northwest San Antonio. In 1990, the congregation obtained land on Culebra Road including a 4,800-square-foot metal building that had housed a tractor dealership. The building was remodeled into spaces for worship, office, and parish hall, and the first vicar was the Rev. Richard McLean.

  

At the time, Culebra Road was in the process of being widened to five lanes, making it the only major east-west thoroughfare on the far west side of San Antonio between Loop 410 and Loop 1604. St. Michael’s was located near the new Sea World, several schools, and growing residential areas.  With Holy Spirit moving to the Bandera Road property, a combined congregation will now work together in ministry in the northwest side of San Antonio.

  

The congregation will retain the name The Church of the Holy Spirit.  However, it is important to acknowledge, said Bishop Gary Lillibridge, that St. Michael’s has been a place where people have truly experienced the grace of God in their lives, and the life and work of the congregation of St. Michaels will be reflected on the new campus by naming some part of the new structures after the Archangel Michael.

Dates for pre-council meetings for the 107th Annual Diocesan Council have been set. Council is February 17-19, 2011, at the Embassy Suites San Marcos Hotel, Spa, and Convention Center located on IH 35 in San Marcos.

  
The theme of the 2011 Council -- “A Sower Goes Out to Sow” – will be carried out in worship, Bible study, teachings by our bishops, and video Ministry Moments.

  
The Council website, www.council-dwtx.org, will carry regularly-updated information about the upcoming Council.

  
All clergy and Council delegates should plan to attend one of the pre-council meetings.
  
Eastern Convocation
Grace Church, Cuero
Tuesday, January 18, 2011, 6 p.m.
  
Western Convocation
St. Philip’s, Uvalde
Thursday, January 20, 2011, 6 p.m.
  
Valley Convocation
Harlingen, St. Alban’s
Sunday , January 23, 2011, 6 p.m.
  
Southern Convocation
St. Bartholomew’s, Corpus Christi
Sunday, January 23, 2011, 6 p.m.
   
Northeastern Convocation
St. John’s, New Braunfels.
Thursday, January 27, 2011, 6 p.m.
  
Northern Convocation
St. Peter’s, Kerrville,
Thursday, January 27, 2011, 6 p.m.
  
Central Convocation
Christ Church, San Antonio
Sunday, January 30, 2011, 6:15 p.m.

In the late 1800s, Mary Ann Drake Fargo saw a need – Bibles and prayer books for missionaries in the Dakotas and other parts of the newly-settled West.  She convinced her friends at Church of the Holy Communion in New York to join her, and they gathered books and periodicals. Mrs. Fargo could get them delivered, for she was the wife of one of the founders of Wells Fargo Stagecoach Line. The group adopted the name Church Periodical Club (CPC), and since 1888 it has been fulfilling its mission of sending books free to those who otherwise cannot obtain them. Today, this also includes magazines, tapes, videos, and computer programs.

  
The CPC operates through two primary granting funds.  The National Books Fund (NPF) responds to requests for books and related materials for adults around the world annually.  Requests primarily come from libraries, schools, individuals and parishes throughout the Anglican Communion.  The funds to meet these needs are collected through donations from individuals, parishes, dioceses and provinces.  The Miles of Pennies Fund (MOP) is exclusively used for the book needs of children, and grants are made year round.   This more recent initiative was established in 1988; its unusual name comes from an initial request for a parish to collect “a mile of pennies,” which equates to $844.80. 

  
New chair of the Diocese of West Texas CPC, Esther Reynosa, of Santa Fe, San Antonio, is determined to raise awareness of the program.  The annual ingathering for CPC is the first Sunday in May – in 2011 that is May 1.  Reynosa hopes to have a group of parishes around the diocese that can each make a contribution of their own mile of pennies.  If you would like more information about CPC, or would like to find suggestions about how to hold a CPC campaign, visit the website at www.episcopalchurch.org/cpc or contact Esther Reynosa at esthererchica@hotmail.com or  210-923-7952. 

Cutting the Budget Wisely

When Western Presbyterian Church faced a budget crisis at the beginning of last year, their session (read:vestry) knew they had to use both leadership and management skills. Read “What to Keep, What to Cut” in the September 6 edition of Alban Weekly here. http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=9208 For more resources from The Alban Institute, go to www.alban.org.

  
The Digital Vestry
The Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) has announced that Vestry Papers, the regular printed newsletter published by ECF for church leadership, will become a free website, ECF Vital Practices (www.ecfvp.org) on October 20.  Nancy Davidge, departing director of communications and marketing at Episcopal Divinity School has been named editor.
   
In addition to Vestry Papers articles, the site will include a lively blog where readers can share ideas and experiences, stories about real life congregational issues, and proven, practical tools and resources.  Other features will include live webchats with authors and peers. Between now and October 18, people can visit ECF Vital Practices (www.ecfvp.org) and sign up to receive more information via email.

   
Spirituality for Congregations
Congregational leaders, lay and clergy, have an opportunity to deepen the spiritual life of their churches through “Called Back to the Well,” a program that runs for 12 months in 2011 at Oblate Seminary in San Antonio. The program begins with a retreat focusing on spiritual vitality and spiritual leadership. The program begins with a retreat focusing on spiritual vitality and spiritual leadership. 

  

Each month participants gather for three hours on a Tuesday morning to focus on one aspect of congregational life (prayer, worship, discernment, etc.) as well as to learn spiritual practices.  Parish teams of clergy and lay leaders design their own homework to continue the learnings in the life of the congregation.  Each month, the teams from the participating congregations report on their progress and learn from one another.

Tuition is $1,200, covering up to 15 participants from each congregation for the entire course.  Scholarship aid is available.  CEUs are granted as well. The Rev. Mary Earle, a diocesan priest, is one of the program facilitators.

For an information flyer, click here http://www.dwtx.org/index.php/events/Church_and_Other_Events and scroll down to the date.

The Rev. Philip May is the new associate rector for Good Shepherd, Corpus Christi.  May received a MA in Philosophy in 1982 from the University of West Toronto and graduated with his MDiv from Trinity College in 1989 at the Toronto School of Theology. From 1990, he served as Assistant Curate at St. Matthew’s Anglican Church in Toronto; priest-in-charge for St. Richard of Chichister Anglican Church, Toronto; and as rector of St. Barnabas Anglican Church in Chester, Ontario, before moving to the Diocese of Texas and serving as assistant at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Austin and as supply clergy from 2009 until the present. 

  

The Rev. David Chalk has been called as rector of St. Francis by the Lake, Canyon Lake. Chalk is currently rector of St. James, Del Rio. He graduated from Bexley Hall in 1990 with his MDiv; served from 1990 to 2000 at congregations in Cleveland and Lakewood, Ohio.  He has served St. James since 2000.  He was ordained to the diaconate June 9, 1990; to the priesthood on March 9, 1991. Chalk’s first Sunday at Canyon Lake will be November 28.

  

The Rev. Bruce Wilson has resigned as rector of St. Mark’s, San Marcos.  His last Sunday at St. Mark’s will be October 10. Wilson received his BS from Agape Seminary of Jesus Christ in 1975; his MA from the University of Texas in 1980; his MDiv from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1986.  He was ordained to the diaconate on June 15, 1986 and to the priesthood on January 1, 1987.  He has served at Good Shepherd, Corpus Christi; Grace Church, Cuero; St. John’s, McAllen, and since 1989 at St. Mark’s, San Marcos.

  

Due to the illness of his wife, Jane, the Rev. Russ Matthews has had to cut short his time as interim rector of St. Christopher’s, Bandera. His last Sunday was September 26. Jane Matthews has had a series of small strokes over the past two or three years and is now having mild seizures. The Rev. Fred Brown will serve as interim rector at St. Christopher’s, beginning October 10.

  

Retirements:

  
The Rev. Phil Taylor retired as rector of St. Andrew’s, Port Isabel, on August 29. Taylor received his BS from Parsons School of Design in 1967 and his MDiv from Philadelphia Divinity School in 1972.  He was ordained to the diaconate June 6, 1970 and to the priesthood on June 23, 1971.  Taylor served as a chaplain in Lincoln, NE; moved to the Diocese of West Texas serving churches throughout the diocese, including Calvary, Menard; Trinity, Junction; All Saints’, Pleasanton; St. Mathias, Devine; St. David’s, San Antonio; Our Savior, Aransas Pass; Trinity by the Sea, Pt. Aransas; and St. Luke’s, San Antonio.
 
The Rev. Mary Margaret Mueller retired as rector of Grace Church, Llano, at the end of September. Mueller received her BA from Trinity College, San Antonio, in 1967; her MDiv from the School of Theology, University of the South.  She was ordained to the diaconate June 24, 1982, and to the priesthood on January 6, 1983.  She has served at St. Mark’s, San Antonio; as Director of Pastoral Care for Hospice, San Antonio; Christ Church, San Antonio; and since 2003, at Grace Church, Llano. Interim rector will be the Rev. Phil Mason, a retired priest from the Diocese of Colorado. Mason is a Texan by birth and graduated from Seminary of the Southwest in 1996.
 
Service of Institution:

  
The Service of Institution for the Rev. Bill Allport was held at St. Helena’s, Boerne, on August 18. Allport came to the diocese from the Diocese of Hawaii where he served from 2004 to the current call to Boerne.  He received a BA from Dickinson College in 1998 and his MDiv from Virginia Theological Seminary in 2002.  He was ordained to the diaconate June 8, 2002 and to the priesthood on February 1, 2003.  He served as Assistant Rector of St. Thomas, Lancaster, PA, prior to his call to Hawaii.

  

The Service of Institution for the Rev. Clayton Elder was held at St. Philip’s, Beeville, on August 25. Elder received a BA from Southern Methodist University in 1995; an MA from Webster University in 1998; and his MDiv from Perkins Theological School in 2008.  He was ordained to the diaconate on October 18, 2008; to the priesthood on April 18, 2009. 

  

Service of Ordination to the Priesthood:

Monday, October 11, at 6:30 pm, the Rev. John Rayls will be ordained to the priesthood at St. Boniface, Comfort.  Clergy, red stoles, please. Rayls will serve as part-time vicar for St. Boniface and continue his work as Canon Missioner for Strategic Development for the diocese also part-time. 
  
Friday, December 10, at 6:30 pm, the Rev. Stephen Carson will be ordained to the priesthood at St. Luke’s, San Antonio.  Clergy, red stoles, please.

  

Sunday, December 12, at 5 pm, the Revs. Virginia Frnka and Richard McLeon will be ordained to the priesthood at Grace Church, Port Lavaca.  Clergy, red stoles, please.

   
Sunday, December 19, at 5 pm, the Rev. Chris Caddell will be ordained to the priesthood at St. Alban’s, Harlingen.  Clergy, red stoles, please.

  

Death:

  
The Rev. John Worrell, of recent days residing in the Diocese of Texas, and formerly active in churches in Beeville, Refugio and San Antonio, died on July 24 due to complications from a fall earlier that month.  

  

San Antonio’s Haven for Hope facility opened its doors earlier this summer and is still in need of volunteers, especially at meal time. Haven for Hope provides housing, health care, education, and job skills training for the homeless. The facility serves three meals a day to more than 300 persons and is always looking for teams or individuals to assist on the serving line and in the cafeteria. To sign up, contact Lia Payne at the San Antonio Food Bank (the organization that oversees hot meals) at lpayne@safoodbank.org.  If you do not receive a response, contact Marjorie George at Marjorie.george@dwtx.org for an alternate contact. The diocesan staff serves lunch at Haven for Hope once a month.

  

The Sunday sermons from two diocesan churches are available in video format on the diocesan interactive website pages. St. Matthew’s, Universal City, and St. Andrew’s, San Antonio are both video-recording their Sunday sermons and posting them on their websites. You can pick up the link at http://dwtx.org/blog/e-center-for-spiritual-life/ or visit the churches direct at http://www.stmattuc.org/videoplay.html (for St. Matthew’s) and http://standrewsep.squarespace.com/recent-sermons/ (for St. Andrew’s). Sermons that are audio recordings are also on the diocesan web page.

If you are video or audio-recording your Sunday sermons, please tell the diocesan Communications Department by emailing Marjorie.george@dwtx.org.

Children in grades three through eight from around the diocese are invited to join a diocesan Choir Festival November 20 and 21 and sing with the Les Petits Chanteurs Boys’ Choir from Holy Trinity Cathedral School from Haiti. The Boys’ Choir will be in San Antonio as part of the biennial conference for the National Association of Episcopal Schools, November 18 to 20.

  

Children will practice with the Boys’ Choir on Saturday, Nov. 20 from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 21, beginning at 2:30 p.m. The combined choirs will present a closing choral worship service beginning at 4:30 p.m.

  

All events take place at St. Luke’s, San Antonio; the $25 per singer fee includes a festival t-shirt, a music and rehearsal CD, and Saturday lunch.

  

Registration deadline is October 29. The registration form is available at www.dwtx.org on the Special Events page. The festival is sponsored by the diocesan Liturgy and Music Commission.

  

October 4-10 is Mental Illness Awareness Week, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has resources congregations can use to support ministry to the mentally ill. At www.nami.org/faithnet, congregations will find prayers, worship suggestions, and activities to raise awareness about mental illness.

  
In November, NAMI will present a six-hour training on Saturday, Nov. 13 at St. George, San Antonio, for clergy and lay people involved in pastoral care ministries.

  
Coordinated by the diocesan Faith-Based Mental Illness Ministries Initiative, the day will cover recognizing mental illness, starting a parish ministry, and meshing faith with mental illness. Presenters will include psychiatrists, psychologists, and NAMI volunteers who have vast experience in the field as well as personal stories to share. The day runs from 9 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. and will include how to start a mental health ministry at your church.

  
Registration is available online at www.dwtx.org (click on Calendar, then Special Events). For more information, contact Leigh Saunders at leigh.saunders@dwtx.org or 210/888 824-5387.

  

The fourth annual Arts Festival and Market Place will bring together some 30 diocesan artists on the grounds of the Bishop Jones Center in San Antonio on Saturday, October 23, with proceeds supporting the work of the diocesan World Mission Department.
A variety of arts will be presented for sale and viewing, including jewelry, paintings, enamels, prints, ceramics, watercolors, weavings, glassworks, sculpture, photography, and more.

  

The day, running from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., will also include children’s activities, food booths, entertainment, and a fundraiser raffle. Admission is free. The day concludes with a closing reception from 4 to 6 p.m.

  

A full list of artists and their media is on the diocesan website at www.dwtx.org under the Special Events page, along with full details on the day.

  

Christ Episcopal Church Pastoral Care Ministry and Porter Loring Family Care Services will sponsor a two-hour program on “Coping With Grief During the Holidays” on November 16. Celeste Miller, Bereavement Associate with Porter Loring, will lead the session. The program is especially helpful for those who have lost loved ones. It begins at 12:30 in the Conference Room at Christ Church, 510 Belknap, San Antonio 78212. For more information about the class, call Carol Miller, Pastoral Care Administrator at Christ Church, (210) 736-1312.

The McDonough Pipe Organ, installed this past summer in All Saints’ Chapel at TMI-The Episcopal School of Texas, will be dedicated on November 7 at 4:30 p.m. Custom-built at the factory, the organ was reassembled and fine-tuned on site as it was fitted into a purpose-built space by the staff of its makers, Schoenstein & Co. Organ Builders of Benicia, Calif.

The organ, designed to fit the acoustics of the 500-seat chapel, has 1,232 pipes and 18 voices, and 20 ranks (sets of pipes in a particular timbre) controlled by two manual keyboards and pedals.

  

Principal donors of the organ are Myriam and Jim McDonough, parents of TMI alumni James ’05, Matthew ’07 and Sarah ’09.

  

Dr. Tom Lee, organist at TMI and St. Paul’s, San Antonio, will be soloist at the dedication Evensong.

  

After 12 years of dedicated and loyal service as Food Service Director of Camp Capers, James “Papa Bear” Barrett has announced his retirement, effective December 31, due to his on-going battle with rheumatoid arthritis. James has faithfully touched the lives of thousands of children, youth and adults through his ministry of feeding all who have come to camp. We will miss him and wish him well in the future.

  
Consequently, Camp Capers is now seeking a Food Service Director. The position is a year round, salaried job with excellent benefits. Interested candidates please contact Rob Watson, Director of Camps and Conferences at rob.watson@dwtx.org

  
For more “Help Wanted” postings, check the diocesan website at http://www.dwtx.org/index.php/diocese/Help_Wanted.

  
St. Michael and All Angels, Blanco, is in need of a teacher, on either a temporary or permanent basis, for Godly Play.  Anyone interested in learning more about the position is invited to contact the church at 830-833-4816 or mpatterson@arthritis.org. 
  

This past July 11-17, the St. Thomas Episcopal Youth Program participated in GROUP Workcamp's "Week of Hope" in Puerto Rico. The group of 12 lived, worshiped and worked with 70 youth from across the United States for a week. The simple lodging was Casa Santa Maria, located in the rain forest south of San Juan. During the week, mixed work crews were spread throughout the region doing small home repairs, helping at low-income nursing homes, and doing exterior improvements at a local Catholic cathedral.
   
The week's theme was “Undeserved: the story of the Prodigal Son.” Each day the staff used videos, youth-led songs and creative worship time to teach the story. While in Puerto Rico, the St. Thomas group also took time to get to know the local culture, beautiful beaches, great food and visited Old San Juan.
  
Several of the St. Thomas youth had never been on a mission trip before, so the work, daily devotions and worship had an impact on their lives. Overall, between the work sites, the beautiful rain forest and awesome worship, the "Week of Hope" kindled a hope in each young person and sponsor that will never burn out, says Spencer Stocker, youth minister at St. Thomas.

    

Visit the Special Events page or Church and Other Events page on the diocesan website for workshop, seminars, retreats, gatherings, and more.

Visit the diocesan calendar for meetings and other events.