Vol. 6, No. 3, May 2011

Memorial Day Offering

The Rt. Rev. Gary Lillibridge, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas, respectfully requests that the loose plate offering on May 29, 2011, support the diocese's Wounded Warrior Ministry. This ministry helps fund three annual three-day retreats for wounded warriors on Mustang Island and will also assist wounded warrior families attending Family Camp on Mustang Island.

This ministry is a partnership with the Wounded Warrior Project, a national non-profit organization with offices in San Antonio. The retreats funded by the diocese will be offered to local and surrounding area wounded warriors who are post 9-11 veterans and have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The diocese proudly sponsors these retreats in keeping with our core value of mission. We reach beyond ourselves to serve all people in our communities and throughout the world. It is a privilege to give back to those who have so graciously and selflessly given for us. To participate in this Memorial Day Offering with the pew sheet, click here.

 
Restoring Souls on Mustang Island

Conversation would thrive and then stall, but the ladies I was visiting with at the beach encouraged more communication and for me to move forward in my interviewing. I sat with four wounded warriors during their three-day retreat at the Mustang Island Conference Center, and I didn’t want them to feel pressured to share everything. But the women were relaxed and willing to share what brought them to Mustang Island and how the retreat center had aided in their healing.

The Wounded Warrior Project, a national non-profit organization, developed the Combat Stress Recovery Program to address the mental health and cognitive needs of service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan through short retreats that provide therapeutic opportunities. The four wounded warriors I met during the April retreat deal with implications from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).  By retreating to the center on Mustang Island, they were removed from daily stresses and were given time to rest. They all emphasized the benefit of leaving cell phones and televisions behind and having time to share stories and help each other heal.

Upon returning from their oversea tours, these four women, three of them mothers, were thrown back into daily life, working or volunteering, raising children and caring for families, with no time to process what they had experienced and seen. “It’s easier to bottle up your feelings and go on,” said one wounded warrior. Away from it all, they found peace. “This is a good environment to open up, and the beach provides tranquility, stillness.” While the women do participate in therapy sessions at home, they rarely have a chance to sit with others who have experienced the same things.

While I sat and listened, the conversation explored the horseback riding they had done on the beach. “Their hooves were in the water, like we were riding on the water.” Laughter ensued when they recalled the petting zoo they visited. “It was like a comedy show, the pony was chasing everything else.” I asked if they were enjoying the meals prepared by Kathy and Sandra. “On my gosh, you never go hungry here. It’s delicious, and I’m so glad there are no weigh-ins like in the service.” They shared about missed children’s birthday parties and the patience they must possess awaiting the child’s understanding. “I can’t just fly home to attend.”

In the midst of their gratefulness for this opportunity, the women were quick to see others as more deserving. “It’s hard to accept payments or gifts and the training and all the programs from the Wounded Warrior Project.” One added, “I think about the caregivers, and children, and the widows, what about them? Do they have a chance for a retreat?” Their intentions were still to give, selflessly. However, the time for healing, restoration, and rest is available to them. “Sometimes it’s hard to participate in therapy. I have a social phobia. But here, in the quiet, we can just talk to each other.”

The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas has implemented a Memorial Day Offering and respectfully requests that the loose plate offering on Sunday, May 29, go to support the funding of three annual three-day retreats on Mustang Island for wounded warriors through the Wounded Warrior Project. If your church is interested in participating, click here for the pew sheet.

- Laura Shaver

Douglass Foundation Scholarships

Each year through the generosity of the Douglass Foundation, scholarships are awarded to graduate and post-graduate students seeking a master or doctorate degree in theology, business, or psychology. Last year six students were awarded Douglass Foundation scholarships, including seminarians Tim True and Andy Lobban.

For True, the challenge of juggling school and a large family seemed out of reach, but scholarship support has enabled him to pursue his education full-time at the University of the South (Sewanee).

“As a father of five, I thought enrolling in a residential seminary program full-time would prove impossible. However, with help from the Douglass Foundation and other scholarships, my desire to attend seminary has become a reality. My family and I are loving our Sewanee experience,” said True.

Lobban completed his studies at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin last month and will be awarded a master of divinity on May 10. He will be ordained to the diaconate on June 29 at St. Andrew’s in San Antonio and offered insight into his journey to becoming an Episcopal priest.

“I have felt drawn to ministry among the marginalized since before I even discerned a call to ordained ministry. My formation at the Seminary of the Southwest has served to both affirm and refine this call from God. I have received an excellent preparation both in terms of the raw information needed for ministry and the formation of a heart that feels the peace of God no matter how good or bad outward circumstances may appear. It is with great joy that I go forth from this place to serve God and his Church as a Deacon and Priest ministering to the marginalized in the Diocese of West Texas. I am extremely grateful to the Douglass Foundation for generous support throughout this process,” said Lobban.

Qualified graduate and post-graduate students may apply for a Douglass Foundation scholarship by downloading an application form for the 2011-2012 academic year at http://www.dwtx.org/ >Diocese>Financial Services>Scholarships OR by clicking here.

The deadline for submitting the application and all required support is Friday, June 17, 2011.

A Record-Setting Vocare

Young adults in the Diocese of West Texas are ready, ready to be in the church, engaged in ministry. “They are on fire right now, and have so much to offer,” said Stacy Dowdy, youth and young adult ministry officer. “There is so much excitement and spiritual depth with our young people.”

Dowdy’s comments followed the successful Vocare #27, which was held at Camp Capers April 1-3. Led by rector and assistant rector, Brian and Sarah Kates, this Vocare was the largest ever held in the nation with 39 candidates. Vocare was first held in the Diocese of West Texas as a College Happening in 1979, a spiritual retreat weekend for young adults ages 18-24. Soon Vocare was formed in a similar format as Happening for high school students and Cursillo for adults. The focus of Vocare is different, with talks that serve as conversation starters. Participants are ready to claim their faith as their own, no longer under the umbrella of their parents.

Vocare yields a relaxed atmosphere with time for reflection. It is a serious time for searching, which meets the needs of young adults who relish in deep conversations, hungry for direction in their spiritual lives. Small groups are formed, and candidates are encouraged to step outside their groups to connect with others as well; they learn that strengthening their walks with Christ cannot be done alone.

With the assistance of the spiritual directors for Vocare #27, the Rt. Rev. David Reed, the Rev. Matt Wise, and the Rev. Lisa Mason, Brian Kates introduced a talk on death and dying to the Vocare movement, which he hopes will expand nationally. “We realized there is a lot of loss at this age, not just in death, but also in experiencing the loss of a childhood friend or a significant other who moved away to go to another college. There is also the loss of a church family when you move away. You go to college and no one knows who you are,” said Kates. The new talk touched on three different areas: the loss of a parent through death, the loss of ending a long-term relationship, and the loss of health. Candidates were encouraged to talk at will in their small groups following this talk.

Considering the large number of candidates at Vocare #27, Kates gave tribute to the building of Vocare in the diocese, especially since 2008. Vocare #24 in the spring of 2008 was the first in five years. With the contacts made since then and through other contacts from Camp Capers and Happening movements, Kates was able to get the message out that “Vocare is back,” and he sent out 125 personal invitations to Vocare #27. The difference between a blanket announcement and a personal invite was huge, and the candidates represented a wide range of backgrounds, ages 18 to 29.

“Vocare is for those stepping out on their own for the first time, facing life and asking what am I doing?” said Dowdy. It is the outgrowth of Happening and Cursillo. Dowdy hopes each individual church will help facilitate ongoing relationships with its young adults after they move from home. “An adult can adopt a college kid and call once a month, take him to dinner when he’s in town, send a note, all so the young person knows he’s not forgotten.” These young adults are the future of our church, and the young adult ministry in the Diocese of West Texas is turning a corner, full speed ahead.

- Laura Shaver

Re-Connect
For young adults who have attended Vocare
October 28-30 at the Bishop Jones Center
Come together to remember, share, and continue
More details to come

Chain of Love Receives Reward

It was a slam dunk – St. George Episcopal School in San Antonio was awarded one of five $20,000 prizes by the Silver and Black Give Back (formerly the Spurs Foundation). The San Antonio Spurs created the Team Up Challenge as a way to encourage students to improve their communities through activities that can be tied to their classroom curriculum. St. George’s prize money was given to assist them in marketing and developing their highly successful Chain of Love program to help other schools and organizations support charities of their choice. Jennifer Wickham, the originator of the Chain of Love program, learned of and applied for the Team Up Challenge in October and was required to keep the organization posted with benchmark goals as they were created and how they were or were not being met. Wickham said that the prize money is being used strictly as a fund for marketing the program. She has created a website, a manual, a video, and start-up kits for schools and organizations around the country who are interested in learning about this easy and effective program; several are now using it with great success. For a list of 20 participating schools and organizations in our area that competed for the prize money, click here. 

Chain of Love, for those unfamiliar with the name, is a program that St. George School began six years ago, under the direction of teacher Jennifer Wickham, as a project for the students to learn how they can help others in need with little or no money. Students sell dominoes for $1.00 each, and at the end of the sales period, a domino chain is created, one domino for each dollar raised. Students and guests are called together in the gymnasium to witness the spectacular destruction of the chain. “The students are involved in every step of the program,” said Wickham. “Besides the sales, I have groups that construct (place the dominoes in separate patterns she has given them) and behind-the-scenes people who help with other tasks.” 

The 2011 fundraising campaign ended on April 17 with the toppling of 20,000 dominoes, according to Wickham. “We didn’t quite reach our goal of beating last year,” she said, “but we are still accepting donations now. We’ve gotten in another $500 for a total to date of $20,500.” For more detailed information on how St. George School has worked on this program over time, click here.  Be sure to click on the two-minute video. You will see students whose hearts have been changed by learning they can make a difference in the lives of people all over the world one domino at a time.

- Barbara Duffield

CHCS Director Jeanie Paradise

St. Francis' Mental Health Training

Mental Health First Aid Training
Our diocesan Mental Health Ministries Commission (part of Christian Faith in Action), led by Jerry Fulenwider, has been working to increase awareness of mental health programs available, and St. Francis’, San Antonio, is a prime example of recognizing a need and answering the call for mental health training.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training was offered at St. Francis’ this spring, led by the only certified MHFA trainer in San Antonio, Jeanie Paradise. Paradise is the director of the Crisis Center for Healthcare Services (CHCS). She led training over three Saturdays in April, then certified 16 people for three years, including the rector of St. Francis’, the Rev. Patrick Ormos, and two parishioners from St. George, San Antonio. The MHFA training teaches individuals how to help others who are developing a mental health problem or are in a mental health crisis through video and textbook. The training is described as being “comparable to CPR for health providers.”

Ministry leaders around the diocese, particularly pastoral care ministers, are encouraged to learn more about this training. Contact Dorothy Long Parma at dalparma@gmail.com for additional information about the St. Francis’ program, or visit the MHFA website at http://www.mhfa.com.au/cms/. For additional information about the Mental Health Ministries Commission, contact Fulenwider at fulenwiderj@yahoo.com.

- Barbara Duffield

Christian Education Contact

Our new diocesan Christian Education Coordinators, Ann Allen and Cathy Villani, are seeking names and contact information for the person(s) in charge of Christian Education in your church. If you do not have such a person, will you please ask a member of your clergy, a lay volunteer, or Vestry member to serve as the contact person? That information can be sent to Jean Beere at the diocesan office, jean.beere@dwtx.org. The names submitted will be added to a Listbox email group to build a network to share resources and ideas. You may contact Ann ann@stlukes-sa.net or Cathy cvillani@tom1604.org with any questions, comments, or suggestions.

Eat Lunch at ORDERUP and donate to World Missions

May 1 - September 1 ORDERUP in San Antonio (Stone Ridge, Lincoln Heights, Colonnade) will donate 15 percent of the pre-tax total from all receipts to our diocesan world missions department. All you have to do is mark the back of your receipt with "DWTX World Missions" and place it in the "Speak Up" box in the restaurant. It is located near the "Listen Up" sign. Remember to invite your friends and co-workers, and go eat at ORDERUP. Visit their website for more information and to view their menu: http://www.orderup-sa.com.

Book of Remembrance 

The Book of Remembrance, a list of donations received by the diocese to honor and in remembrance of someone who has died, has been updated through March 2011 and is now available for you to view on the website. Simply go to www.dwtx.org / Prayer & Spiritual Formation or click here, and you can read the latest additions.

Special Events & Registration

Summer Camp: "It is almost time to put away our distractions, pack up our things and head to camp. Be it on the beach or the Colorado Rocky Mountains or the banks of the Guadalupe River, camp is a place where we can come together in community and intentionally focus on living out our faith in real and tangible ways." - Rob Watson, Director of Camps and Conferences 

Visit our Camps & Conferences page to choose which location and program interests you, and find the summer camp schedule.

The spring 2011 Spiritual Retreat for recovering alcoholics, Al-Anons, and adult children of alcoholics
will be at Camp Capers from May 6-8. The spiritual directors are the Rev. Lisa Mason and the Rev. Robert DeWolfe. To view flyer and register, click here.

The diocesan communicators will gather for their monthly brown bag lunch on Wednesday, May 11, at noon and will discuss audio and video recording of sermons. Terry May, Director of Communications at St. Matthew's, will show us how he sets up each week and posts the videos of the sermons on the church website. We will meet at St. Matthew's, Universal City, 810 Kitty Hawk, 78148.

Cursillo Weekend #253 will be at the Mustang Island Conference Center, May 12-15, and there are still openings. Rector is Kirk Mason and Spiritual Director is the Rev. Lisa Mason. Assistant Spiritual Directors are the Revs. Philip Cunningham and Don Lee. To register online, click here.

All artists of the diocese are invited to gather on Friday, May 13 at 11:30 a.m. at the Bishop Jones Center to discuss ways to connect and contribute to the life of the Diocese of West Texas. We will discuss having art online, in Reflections magazine, physically at the Bishop Jones Center, and various networking ideas. Please bring your lunch; drinks will be provided. Please let Marjorie George know if you are attending at marjorie.george@dwtx.org.

The 2011 Men's Nails and Prayers Retreat will be held at Camp Capers, May 13-15, with the Rev. Jeff Hammond as chaplain. All men ages 18 and over are invited. Cost is $45.00 per person. To view the flyer, click here. To register online, click here.

St. Boniface Episcopal School in Comfort will present An Evening Under the Stars on May 15 at Riven Rock Ranch, 390 Hermann Sons Rd. in Comfort, beginning with a concert at 5:30 p.m. Tickets for the evening are $50 each and are available at the Singing Water Winery or High's Café in Comfort. All proceeds will benefit St. Boniface Episcopal School, and the concert is underwritten by Singing Water Vineyards. For reservations or information call 830-995-5708 or 830-995-2246.

The 2011 Stewardship Conference, "Inspiring Generations in Generosity," will be held June 3-4 at Camp Allen, sponsored by The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS). The Diocese of West Texas is a sponsoring diocese. This conference is for clergy, parish, and lay leaders; diocesan stewardship staff; and seminary students. For more information, contact Nancy Stinson at 888/210-824-5387 or nancy.stinson@dwtx.org.

The diocesan communicators will gather for their monthly brown bag lunch on Wednesday, June 8, at noon and will discuss church branding and consistency throughout the ministries with logo use, etc. We will meet at the Bishop Jones Center in San Antonio, 111 Torcido, 78209.

Episcopal Night at Wolff Stadium in San Antonio is scheduled for Thursday, June 16; the San Antonio Missions vs. the Midland Rockhounds. A picnic supper of hotdogs, burgers, chips, and an ice cream cup will be available from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m; the game begins at 7:05 p.m. Ticket prices are: adult picnic/game tickets, $17.50; kids ages 3-12, $15.00; or game only $7.00. Tickets are available through Leigh Saunders at the Bishop Jones Center. Get your registration form online by clicking here, then mail payment to DWTX, PO Box 6885, San Antonio, TX, 78209, Attn: Leigh Saunders. Deadline for registration is June 2. For more information contact Leigh at leigh.saunders@dwtx.org or 888/210-824-5387.

Episcopal Night at Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi will be held Monday, June 20, at 7:05 p.m. The Corpus Christi Hooks will play the San Antonio Missions. Tickets will be available through the local churches or by calling Wayne Sykora at 361-877-6983. Purchase of a ticket will include a reserved seat and a t-shirt; price information will be available soon. Just mark your calendar now for the game.

The Episcopal Youth Event 2011 (EYE) will be held at Bethel University, in St. Paul, Minnesota, this year, June 22 to 26. High school youth or adults interested in attending may go to the Youth and Young Adult page on the diocesan website, www.dwtx.org, or just click here for information or to register. Although the deadline has passed, registrations are still being accepted; for information or questions contact Stacy Dowdy at stacy.dowdy@dwtx.org.

The 61st Annual Sewanee Church Music Conference will be held at the University of the South and the Dubose Conference Center July 11-17, 2011. This annual event will feature 150 musicians from around the country for the conference. Guest speaker and Episcopal priest Barbara Cawthorne Crafton will serve as the 2011 chaplain. For registration and additional information click here.

A Women's Retreat will be held at Laity Lodge, July 28-31, led by the Rev. Mary Earle (retired, DWTX) and Jackie Roese (Team Teacher for the Irving Bible Church Women's Ministry). The retreat will focus on women who appear throughout the Bible and particularly during Jesus' ministry. As always, there will be ample opportunity for time in nature, in the art studios, and in rest. Visit the Laity Lodge website for more information.

Clergy News

The Service of Ordination to the Diaconate for Andrew Lobban will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 29, at St. Andrew's, San Antonio. Clergy, red stoles, please. For information contact Laura Woodall at laura.woodall@dwtx.org or 888/210-824-5387.