Vol. 3, No. 4, August 2008

Live from Lambeth Signs Off
Throughout the nearly three weeks of the Lambeth Conference, which ended on August 3, the diocesan website has posted frequent audio reports from our bishops and Catherine Lillibridge. Our Lambeth pages have also carried direct links to news reports and other reports from Lambeth. Our final posting is the Archbishop of Canterbury’s third and final address to the Lambeth Conference as well as a compilation from the Indaba reflection groups in which all the bishops participated during the conference. During the days ahead, Bishop Lillibridge will have a full report to present to the diocese. If you have not listened to the bishop’s audio reports, find them here.

Help, I’m the New Christian Ed Director
So you said, “Sure” last spring when the rector asked you to lead Christian formation in your parish this year, and now you’re wondering what you got yourself into. A favorite suggestion from diocesan Christian Formation Officer Lou Taylor to Christian ed directors is to organize the year around the Episcopal Church liturgical calendar. “We have a Christian Formation Planning Calendar on the diocesan website,” says Taylor, “that is a helpful tool in planning programs for congregations. The calendar is divided by church season which enables planners to see how many Sundays are available to pursue themes of the season.” Taylor suggests looking at the whole year and writing a few words on the calendar for each Sunday, then start getting teams together to help with the plans. “The major feast days are important but there are also days that apply only to your congregation. Confirmations, baptisms, school openings, parish picnic, special celebrations and guest Sundays are only a few examples,” says Taylor. Now is the time to get creative. November 23, for instance, is Christ the King Sunday, just before the start of Advent. “That’s not something we routinely celebrate,” says Taylor, “but there are all sorts of fun things to do around Jesus as a king.” Taylor believes it is possible to have most of the year planned and published by September 1 so members of your congregation will able to structure their lives around the seasons of the church year and the life of the church. The Christian Formation Planning Calendar, along with a list of suggestions of topics to plug into the calendar and a list of resources for Christian education lessons are on the diocesan website at http://www.dwtx.org/index.php/diocese/Christian%20Education, under Diocese>Departments.

Hurricane Season Swirls Around Us
As late as July 30, residents of South Padre Island remained without electric power in the wake of Hurricane Dolly as the diocese continued to assess damage and respond to the needs of parishioners in the 11 churches that were affected by the mid-July storm. Hardest hit was St. Andrew’s, Port Isabel, where the highest roof was blown off the church and the roof over the sacristy lifted off its walls. The Rev. Phil Taylor, rector of St. Andrew’s, has been told the insurance deductible on the roof may be as high as $28,000. Epiphany Church at Raymondville also suffered roof damage, although minimal water damage. “All 11 churches had some damage,” reported Bob Thompson, diocesan emergency relief coordinator, “with trees down, debris blocking roadways, roof damage to varying degrees, water to varying degrees.” Most of it won’t be covered by FEMA or will fall within people’s insurance deductibles, said Thompson. Even where insurance will cover damage, people need to start making repairs before waiting for insurance adjustors, he added. The diocesan World Mission Department has sent $5,000 to Harlingen, where rector of St. Alban’s, the Rev. Scott Brown, is using it for loans to parishioners in the interim. Another $5,000 was sent to Port Isabel for “drying in” repairs – temporary repairs to reduce further damage; and Epiphany, Raymondville, has received $2,000 for roof repairs. The hurricane gave the newly-formed diocesan disaster task force something of a “shake-down” cruise. “We are still recruiting and training local coordinators,” said Bob Thompson, “but this storm came anyway and we learned some things. One of those is that having a text feature on one’s cell phone is important. Text messages often go through when phone messages don’t, and texting uses less battery power.” So Thompson has added that as a requirement for task force members. The goal is to have at least one, preferably two, coordinators in every congregation and another one or two at the convocational level. Over the next few months, all coordinators will be trained. The diocesan World Mission Department has already written an in-depth disaster-relief plan that all coordinators will use.
It promises to be an active hurricane season: by Monday, Aug. 4, a new storm was brewing in the Gulf, and Thompson and his crew were already sending out awareness reports. To view our Disaster Relief page, click here.

Photo taken of Glenda McClendon, member of St. John's McAllen, and grand-daughter Abigail view fallen backyard fence after Hurricane Dolly on July 24.

Tell Us Where You’re Going
The diocesan office of College Ministry is creating a database to help the church stay in contact with young people who have just graduated from high school and those who are currently in college.  “This database will help us to get information out to the various college ministries closest to where students may be headed, and it will also give us a way to keep college students and other young adults informed about all the exciting things happening here in West Texas,” says Brad Eubanks, intern in the diocesan college ministries office. To submit information on a college student or young adult, go to the college ministries page on the diocesan website at http://dwtx.org/index.php/diocese/College_%26_Young_Adult_Ministries. For more information, contact Eubanks at college.ministry@dwtx.org or Stacy Dowdy at stacy.dowdy@dwtx.org.

The fall College Conference will be October 17-19 at Camp Capers. To get the latest information, log on to http://dwtx.org/index.php/diocese/College_%26_Young_Adult_Ministries.

Communicating with the communicators
Parish communicators have several opportunities this fall to broaden their own skills and learn new ways to effectively communicate within their congregations. In September, the eMinistry Network, an organization founded by an Episcopal priest that offers web seminars and teleclasses, will offer three classes on communications topics: “Developing a Communications Plan for Your Congregation” on September 4; “How to Write a Press Release” on September 15, and  “E-newsletters for Dummies” on September18. Cost of these teleclassses is $15 each. eMinistry classes are generally 60 to 90 minutes long, often in the evening. Classes are held by telephone conference calls. To register, visit www.eministrynetwork.org.
In addition, parish communicators in the San Antonio area will gather the second Wednesday of each month, beginning September 10, at the Bishop Jones Center for a brown-bag lunch and discussion on communications topics. For more information, contact Barbara Duffield at barbara.duffield@dwtx.org.

The Problem-Saturated Story
by Larry Peers of the Alban Institute.
 
One of the primary kinds of stories that takes hold in congregations and makes change difficult is what is known in narrative therapy as the “problem-saturated story,” or one in which the focus is on who or what is or has been wrong.
You can recognize the problem-saturated story when you’re in a group where someone offers an example of how difficult or awful something is in the congregation and before you know it the rest of us can’t help but chime in with more evidence for how truly bad and impossible the situation is. We can almost hear ourselves saying, even if the words aren’t verbalized, “You think that’s bad, let me tell you how it is even worse than that!”
A feature of the problem-saturated story within a congregation is that often there is a villain, a problem child, an unmensch.
There is usually a tendency to personalize what is going on in such a way that conveys the message that if only “so and so” would change, all would be well. In congregations, the tendency is to give this distinguished place of dishonor to the clergy or to a group of leaders, a group within the congregation, or even an individual. In my consulting work, I often hear the phrase “those people” used to refer to those considered the “problem children” in the congregation. From narrative training, we begin to see that the person is not the problem, the problem is the problem -- and, indeed, it is our relationship to the problem that is the problem.

Read the rest of this article and more resources for congregations at
http://www.alban.org/conversation.aspx?id=6170

Mothers Day Offerings Help Cancer Victims in Honduras

Briefs

The diocesan Texas Water Ministry is looking for missionaries to join the October 2008 water well drilling trip to Honduras. Five drillers and three persons to work in maintenance are needed. Interest must be expressed by August 24 and a final decision made by September 7.  If you are interested in joining this mission team, contact Don Lee by phone 830-460-4656 (home) or 210-219-8585 (cell) or by email at dleedio@aol.com

Church communicators, newsletter editors, webmasters, e-news designers and all other church communications leaders can plan and budget in advance for the 2009 Episcopal Communicators Conference on March 19-21, 2009. Next year’s annual conference will be held at Camp Allen in Navasota, Texas. This three-day gathering will feature communication speakers, workshops and a unique crowd of your peers to share and learn from. Our bishops would love to see many of our church communicators representing our diocese. To learn more about Episcopal Communicators, go to www.episcopalcommunicators.org For conference questions and budget details, contact Marjorie George at (888 or 210) 824-5387 or Marjorie.george@dwtx.org

The diocese will offer a Safeguarding God’s Children “Train the Trainer” course August 18 at the Bishop Jones Center. Cost for new trainers is $165; cost for recertification of existing trainers is $20. Candidates for training will be accepted only upon the recommendation and approval of the person’s rector or vicar. Candidates must have completed the three-hour Safeguarding God’s Children program and must have a current background check on file at their church or school. To register online, click here.

People

Dr. Thomas Kepczyk, member of Christ Church, San Antonio, has been elected to the national Board of Directors of Faith Alive, a Christ-focused lay-witnessing ministry serving churches in the U. S., Canada, and the Caribbean. Kepczyk has been active in numerous lay ministries in his parish and as an Alpha leader.

Andrew Lobban of St. Andrew's, San Antonio, will begin studies this fall as a postulant of the diocese. He will attend the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in Austin. 

Susan Johnson, parishioner of St. Alban’s, Harlingen, has been elected president of the Episcopal Woman’s History Project. Patty Brooke of St. David’s, San Antonio, was elected vice president. The Episcopal Women's History Project records and transcribes oral histories of noteworthy Episcopal women who have made a difference, and encourages research and publication of the lives and works of Episcopal women, past and present. To learn more, visit online at www.ewhp.org.

The Rev. Al Leveridge has retired as vicar of Trinity by the Sea, Port Aransas. New vicar at the church will be the Rev. Doug Schwert, retired director of St. Mary’s Retreat Center in Sewanee, TN.

The Rev. Frank Ambuhl died in San Antonio on July 25. His memorial service was held at Santa Fe, San Antonio, on July 31. Ambuhl had been serving as vicar at the church for several years. He was 83. In this diocese, Ambuhl served Holy Cross, San Antonio, St. Matthias, Devine, and St. Mark’s, San Antonio.

The Rev. Milton Black has accepted a call to be rector of Church of the Good Shepherd, Corpus Christi. He has been serving as the diocesan archdeacon since April 2007 and prior to that was rector of St. John’s, Sonora.

Help Wanted

 
St. Helena’s, Boerne, is seeking an intern to work with the youth ministry team in creating and strengthening a community of faith. Duties will include teaching lessons, leading games, and overseeing the youth group. For more information, contact Glenn Meschko at glenn@sthelenas-boerne.org

St. Mark’s, San Antonio, is currently looking for a parish administrator.  Basic qualifications needed are five years business management and accounting experience, great leadership skills, excellent communication skills, team oriented, an ability to work in a vision driven environment. Shelby software and non-profit accounting experience are a plus. Please send resumes for consideration to Ed Bardgett at bardgette@zachry.com. 

St. David’s Exceptional Adult Ministry in San Antonio is looking for a leader to take over the existing program beginning in September.  This will be a paid position at an hourly rate.  The group, with an average of 30 people each capable of participating, has met weekly for over 35 years for worship, fellowship and bowling. Responsibilities of the leader will be to schedule transportation from St. David’s to Ft. Sam Houston with a limousine service, organize the worship service, collect the money for the games, organize and set up the bowlers and most especially foster a loving fellowship.  For further information, please contact The Rev. James Murguia at St. David’s at (210) 824-2481. 

Calendar 

The diocesan Commission for Women’s Ministries presents a summer mini-gathering at St. Alban’s, Harlingen, Saturday, Aug. 9, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Presenters include the Rev. Scott Brown and Cary Atkins. Cost is $15. For more information, see the diocesan website www.dwtx.org and click on the special events tab.

Friday, August 8 and Saturday, August 9, All Saints’, Corpus Christi, will offer an introductory Godly Play Training event. Cost is $45. The trainer will be Jennifer Wickham. For more information contact the Rev. Sherridan Harrison at(361) 855-6294.

St. Mark’s, San Antonio will offer a Godly Play Accreditation Training September 4-6. St. Mark’s will also offer an introductory Godly Play Training event on Saturday, September 6. For more information call Elaine Enloe at 210- 226-2426.

TMI the Episcopal School of Texas will dedicate the newly-completed All Saints Chapel and the new Ewing Halsell Residence Hall on Sunday, Sept. 7, beginning at 4 p.m. The chapel dedication will begin with a service of Evensong at 5 p.m. and will be followed by a reception. For more information, visit the TMI website www.tmi-sa.org.

Coed volleyball season for Episcopal churches in San Antonio is September 7 through November 9.  Games will be played at St George (West Ave & NW Military Hwy) on Sundays between 1:00 and 5:0 p.m..  Churches planning to enter a team should contact Frank Cole at colefm@sbcglobal or (210) 655-5489.  There is no fee for a team.

September 10 – 12, the diocesan Episcopal Schools Commission will present “Whose School is it Anyway?” a conference for rectors and heads of school being held at Mustang Island Conference Center.  Cost is $300 per person and includes room, board and all meals.  Register on-line at www.dwtx.org and click on the Special Events tab.  For information contact Mary Katherine Duffy at mkduffy@stalbansharlingen.org or Dr. Jim Freeman at j.freeman@tmi-sa.org. 

The Community of Hope International 11-week course will begin at
Christ Episcopal Church, San Antonio, September 11 at 6:30 pm. It is open to all, including nonEpiscopalians. For details and registration contact Martha Macdonald at 210-490-5406, macmarty7@hotmail.com or Sherry O'Kelley (210) 828-0780, sok7830@sbcglobal.net

Education for Ministry (EfM) mentor training will be held at the Mustang Island Conference Center, September 12-14. Basic and formation training will be offered. For details and to register, contact Ada Sutherland, diocesan EfM coordinator, at (361) 572-4816, e-mail adasuth@suddenlink.net.

The Episcopal Church Women of Province VII will meet in Oklahoma City September 26-28 at the Sheraton Downtown.  This year’s gathering will overlap with the Provincial Synod so that some of the events will be held jointly.  Saturday workshops will include two presenters from this diocese: Patty Brooke on “Joyfully Celebrate the Woman You Are,” and Susan Johnson on “Julian Today.” This meeting, particularly the workshops, will be open to all interested people. Registration fee is $125 for the full meeting or $50 per day.  For more information, please contact Janet Farmer at janet.farmer@gmail.com.

The 92nd Spiritual Retreat for Recovering Alcoholics, Al-Anons, and Adult Children of Alcoholics will be October 3-5 at Camp Capers. Leaders will be the Revs. Ned Bowersox and Don Legge. Program includes four talks by retreat leaders, open and closed meetings, spiritual direction available, free time, and a healing service. Cost is $95. For a registration form, visit the diocesan website www.dwtx.org and click on the special events tab.

Philip and Ali Newell will be at the Bishop Jones Center on Monday, November 3 to present One: The Spirit, the Earth and the Human Soul: Reconciliation as a Way of Life.  The presentation is 9:30 am to noon. Participants may plan to have lunch on the grounds. There will be a second presentation from 7:00 to 8:30 in the evening. More details to come.

The Rev. Stephen Kinney will lead the annual diocesan Silent Retreat for Men and Women, November 13-16, at the Moye Center in Castroville. Kinney will lead meditations on “Partnering with Christ: Doing the Lord’s Prayer and Being the Lord’s Friend.” Cost is $170. For a registration form, visit the diocesan website www.dwtx.org and click on the special events tab.

Conversations with Phyllis Tickle: Faith in the 21st Century: the Emerging Landscape will be co-sponsored by The Diocese of West Texas Department of Christian Education, St. Mark’s San Antonio, The SOL Center and the San Antonio Community of Congregations November 14 and 15. St. Mark’s will host the event in its newly-renovated parish building. The cost will be $40. More details to come.

The Bishop's Annual Golf Classic will be played November 14 at Canyon Springs Golf Club in San Antonio. For details and online registration, www.dwtx.org and click on Special Events.

Mary’s Hope Workshops, a ministry of spiritual healing and recovery from child abuse, will present two workshops and a retreat at the Moye Center in Castroville, February 4-7, 2009. Topics will include “Overview of the Wounded Soul,” “Spiritual Healing and Recovery,” and “Journey into Healing Silent Retreat.” For details, visit online at www.maryshope.org.