The Church News March/April 2018 by Episcopal Diocese of West Texas

the

Church

News

March / April 2018 The newspaper of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas

Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry kneels and smiles with the children of Trinity Episcopal Day School in Port Aransas during his visit to the diocese in February. See story on page 12.

Inside this issue

Bishops Folts, Brooke-Davidson, and Reed stand with visiting bishops and new clergy to the diocese during the Eucharist service at Diocesan Council. Full coverage begins on page 7.

4 2 A summary of Bishop Reedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Address to Council

Magdalene House Kerrville opens

6 13

Kingdom Builders: Andrea Rudnik

World Mission: Oasis of Hope in Kenya

The

News

News and Features 2 A Summary of Bishop Reed’s Address 4 Magdalene House Kerrville opens 6 Kingdom Builders: Andrea Rudnik 7 Special Section: Diocesan Council 2018 12 Presiding Bishop Curry visits Harvey

affected DWTX

13 World Mission: Oasis of Hope In Every

Issue

14 Around the Circuit 16 Calendar Cover photos by John Gaskins.

the Church News is published four times a year by the Dept. of Communication, Diocese of West Texas of the Protestant Episcopal Church P. O. Box 6885 San Antonio, Texas 78209 Editor: Laura Shaver Laura.Shaver@dwtx.org Periodicals Postage paid at San Antonio, TX and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Church News P.O. Box 6885 San Antonio, TX 78209 Volume 75 Number 2 March/April 2018 USPS 661-790

The Diocese of West TX is a family of 26,000+ members in 86 congregations across 60 counties and 69,000 square miles in South Central Texas. Bishop of West Texas: The Rt. Rev. David M. Reed Bishop Suffragan The Rt. Rev. Jennifer BrookeDavidson The Bishop Jones Center 111 Torcido Dr. San Antonio, Texas 78209 Telephone: 210/888-8245387. FAX: 210-824-2164 general.mail@dwtx.org www.dwtx.org

Communication Department Staff: Marjorie George: editor, Reflections Magazine and ReflectionsOnline Laura Shaver: communications officer

www.dwtx.org

On the Bishop’s Mind the Rt. Rev. David M. Reed Bishop of the Diocese

The Word enlivens us

n his first address to Diocesan Council as Bishop of the Diocese, the Rt. Rev. David Reed, after extending words of hospitality and gratefulness, introduced the diocesan theme for the year, “The Word is very near to you,” from Deuteronomy 30. “My hope is that this passage will provide us – in our congregations and as a diocese – with a lens through which we might see more clearly the life and mission to which we are called as followers of Jesus,” said Reed. Reed asked the diocese to read the Bible in its entirety this year, and he said throughout the 66 books in the Bible, there is a “consistent and insistent story, beating like a heartbeat. “It is first and foremost the story of God. It is about God, but it is also the story God chooses to tell, so that we not only hear Holy Scriptures, but hear through them to encounter the Word of God, living and active, still speaking to his people.” Two resources for reading the Bible as a group were presented at Diocesan Council, one being The Story – passages from the New International Version – and the other The Path – passages from the New Revised Standard Version, both abridged chronological Bibles that read like novels. Resources from congregations who have already read together The Story are available on the diocesan website at www.dwtx.org under the Spiritual Formation tab. Speaking of the Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts, Reed recounted the details of the storm saying 19 of the 60 counties in the Diocese of West Texas have been declared disaster areas, and 10 of our churches and the Mustang Island Conference Center sustained at least some damage. “The hurricane was heart-breaking, but the response has been and continues to be heroic and generous. Episcopal Relief and Development has been giving vital support and guidance since before the storm hit,” said Reed. Moving to the IONA Collaborative, a theological education program to prepare candidates for ordination to serve as bi-vocational priests, Reed said, “This is the first time we have organized to prepare these priests within the diocese, which gives us the opportunity to align their formation more closely with the needs of the diocese.” The current class consists of six students, who come from Del Rio, Beeville, San Antonio, Wimberley, Devine, and Cypress Mill. Regarding one of his initiatives set forth during his time as Bishop Coadjutor, Reed shared that the Church Planting Task Force was ready to ask the diocese to actively begin searching for a church planter, and that they’ve identified the three areas the diocese should consider first for a new church: Northwest San Antonio, along the IH 35 N corridor, and in South San Antonio.

He shared the founding history of St. Margaret’s, San Antonio; St. Andrew’s, Seguin; and Resurrection, Windcrest, the three host churches of Council. “All three of these churches were started by people who had good reasons for not starting them. And yet, they were formed, and fed and empowered by a vision of the Kingdom that has come into the world, and by the Gospel that sends the Church outside itself, for love of the Lord and his world,” said Reed.

“I’ve said before that in the uncivil times in which we live, and in which the Church is called to bear witness to Christ, one of the charisms we’re called to manifest is simply friendship...real friendship that is characterized by mutual forbearance and love, humility and patience in the face of disagreement, and a stubborn refusal to ever give up on each other.” Reed then moved to the work of the Budget Task Force, which came together after Council in February 2017 and his recommendation that all aspects of the diocesan budget be examined. The task force’s work included Resolution DO13, passed at the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in 2015. This resoultion reduced the percentage dioceses are asked to provide support of the Episcopal Church from 18 to 15 percent, but also changed it from a “voluntary asking” to a “mandatory assessment” by 2019. The task force also considered lines 1A and 1B of the diocesan budget in which churches can designate a percentage of their apportionment funds to go the Episcopal Church or to missionary giving outside the Diocese of West Texas. Reed provided historical content for consideration, and, in referencing Paul in First Corinthians who wrote “Knowledge puffs up, love builds up.” Reed said, “I say these things to us, as this diocesan family, about how we ought to act toward and with one another. But I also say them mindful that they apply as well to how we regard our relationship, as a diocese, to our Church, The Episcopal Church.” Other work included calling for a renewed emphasis on stewardship education, communication, and practices. You can hear both reports given by the Budget Task Force and the four resolutions presented and passed at council-dwtx.org. Reed said, “Our faithful and grateful response to the Lord of all creation who gives abundantly--our practicing stewardship as a spiritual discipline--changes us, enlarges and deepens our capacity to receive grace and become more gracious. By such practice, God can move us from fear to freedom, from Scrooginess to joy. “I hope you will remember that the living and enlivening Word of God, Jesus Christ, is very near you, on your lips and in your heart. And remembering, then rejoice that, together, we can go where the Word leads, and do those things the Word calls us to do.”

Watch Bishop Reed’s Address on the Council website. Follow the link at the top of the page: http://council-dwtx.org.

From the editor Laura Shaver

Joy. Peace.

uring the Presiding Bishop’s tour around the Coastal Bend to see the Hurricane Harveyaffected areas in the Diocese of West Texas, I sat next to the Rev. James Derkits, rector of Trinity by the Sea, Port Aransas, on the tour bus. “I don’t think I’ve told you this before, but you and Laura (James’ wife) helped our family pull through the night Harvey hit,” I told him. We had evacuated the day before and were staying with family in San Antonio. The evening that Harvey was getting ready to forcefully and dramatically come ashore, I was cleaning up the dinner dishes and just started crying. I was sobbing. We had been tuned into the Weather Channel all day, and it was just all too much. Hope was shrinking, and I was almost sure we were going to lose our house in Portland - the only place my family of five dwelled in our love for each other in a town that was so hard to try and call “home.” My three young sons saw my tears and immediately became aware of the intensity of the situation. So that evening, sitting on my sister-in-law’s coffee table with candles lit around the living room, we tuned into James and Laura’s evening service of prayers, which they streamed live on Facebook. We did not have a Book of Common Prayer in front of us, so we listened to the prayers they recited and the Scriptures they read, and I focused on their faces, as they spread God’s message of comfort and hope. If there was fear in their hearts, it did not show in their eyes.

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Upon recognizing the closing prayer, we all joined in, “Guide us waking, O Lord, and guard us sleeping. That awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.” God’s Word was brought near, and my own heart was consoled. I remember years ago when I was first introduced to centering prayer, a friend told me to think of two words. I was to say one of the words as I inhaled for four counts and the other word as I exhaled for four counts. This was to help keep my mind free of its anxious thoughts and allow me to at least try to enter a meditative state. I chose “joy” and “peace.” So I would breathe in: joy, joy, joy, joy, and I would breathe out: peace, peace, peace, peace. Though I don’t practice centering prayer regularly, this breathing process comes back to me often. And I think through the deep breaths, in hearing or contemplating the words “joy” and “peace,” God’s Word, his presence, Jesus’ purpose settles in all around me. During his visit, the Presiding Bishop said, “I hear your bishop has asked you to read the Bible this year. Let me tell you what the whole point of the Bible is: God’s urgent desire to reconcile us to him. That is the point of Jesus, to show us how to be reconciled to God and to our neighbor.” To stand up, to help out, to care, and to comfort, and “we will see a different kind of world,” he said. Joy. Peace.

March / April 2018

Featured News

Kingdom Builders: Andrea Rudnik by Mike Patterson

This feature article is the second in a series entitled Kingdom Builders, which profiles members of the Diocese of West Texas working to further the work of the Kingdom in a unique way or with a unique story. If you know of someone we should consider for a featured profile, please send your suggestion to Laura Shaver at laura.shaver@dwtx.org.

s she neared graduation from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York, Andrea Rudnik decided she needed a “good, solid plan” as to what she was going to do after receiving her diploma. A religious studies major, she felt a call “to go into the priesthood, to become a spiritual leader.” But before she decided for sure, a counselor suggested she work as a missionary to get her bearings on the future direction of her life. She applied to an Episcopal missionary program and soon got a letter from Honduras. They asked if she would like to come and teach. “I said, ‘Sure, but where’s Honduras?’ I don’t think I really knew, though it sounds ridiculous now.” In her mind, she felt that a couple of years in Honduras helping the poor would prepare her for the ministry by “getting out there in the world, getting beyond my boundaries, seeing what the needs were.

Photo by Mike Patterson.

“But things didn’t turn out as I had predicted.” Rather than helping the neediest families, she found herself teaching English at a school where the wealthiest families in one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere sent their children. “I think if I had really known what kind of school it was and what the primary mission was there, I would have been more hesitant to go,” she said. Her real desire was to help the poor. On several days off, though, she and a friend from Volunteers for Mission visited a Save Our Children hospital and eating center “where they took in kids who were most severely malnourished. It was quite startling to see those children, some on death’s door.” 6

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There in the mountains, mothers raised their children in houses with dirt floors, thatched roofs, and no electricity. Fathers were day laborers in the coffee fields and anywhere else they could find work. “If they didn’t have jobs, they didn’t have money. If they didn’t have money to buy pinto beans or rice, the kids were literally starving to death,” she said. “I was very moved by that. I had never really seen kids in that situation before.” Some parents left their children at the hospital and nutrition center, never to return for them. “They didn’t have the means to raise a child,” she said. “Once the child was in the nutrition center, it was that much easier for their parents because they had one less mouth to feed.” Andrea Rudnik is a candidate for the Iona initiative, a diocesan These children were either sent program that provides a theological education for the formation of to an orphanage or adopted. bi-vocational priests and deacons. “I began to think that I could adopt a child, though I wasn’t “And now I’m 57 and I understand why they quite sure how I was going to were saying that to me because I was 22,” pull that off,” she said. “But as it happens, a she said. “There were things I couldn’t do plan didn’t really matter.” once I had her. I had added responsibilities, I wasn’t as free to do whatever.” As Rudnik was teaching one day, a woman walked into her classroom and thrust an She named her new daughter Rebecca, infant into her arms and said, “Here’s your completed the paperwork to legalize the baby.” adoption, and eventually returned to the United States in December 1984 with two “I said, ‘What are you talking about, my more family members, a new husband Paul, baby?’” “You wanted a baby, so here’s your and their infant daughter, Sarah. baby,” the woman said, while giving her the six-month-old girl. “By the time Paul showed up, I already had Rebecca with me,” she said. “We were kind “I didn’t really feel like I could say ‘no,’” of a package deal.” Rudnik said. “Other people said to me that this was not good, you shouldn’t be doing They moved in with her husband’s parents in this, you have other things you need to Minneapolis, Minnesota. be doing, and if you take this child you’re cutting yourself off, you’re making it so you won’t be able to do other things. People that Continued on page 11. I respected, people that I cared about said that to me.

Special Section: 114th Diocesan Council “A Bad Idea”

February 22-24, 2018 San Marcos, Texas

Bishop Suffragan Brooke-Davidson’s Council Eucharist sermon “Bishop Reed has asked us to read the whole Bible this year, and he thinks that’s a good idea. Now I will tell you why it is a bad idea,” said the Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson, bishop suffragan of the diocese, in the opening of her Council Eucharist sermon. Considering that the typical American reads four books per year, Brooke-Davidson suggested that we, as a 20,000-plus member diocese, could “run the risk of single-handedly messing up American reading averages,” as we embark on a mission to each read the 66 books in the Bible this year. “It might also be a bad idea to commit to all of this reading if the struggle with the actual reading of books is real – dyslexia, a houseful of small children, or macular degeneration,” she said. But Brooke-Davidson wanted to meet this challenge and to complete it before Council. So for the past two and a half months, she has listened to an audio version of the New International Version of the Bible, read by Max McLean, as she commuted to church visits across the diocese. “Another problem came along,” she said. “If you listen to the Bible, the books fly by. You see patterns in the language and the stories you never saw before. You find that the Bible is not dull at all; it just raises your defenses sometimes, and scares you sometimes, and reassures you sometimes, and makes you laugh out loud a surprising number of times, not always at appropriate moments.”

Linda Hillin, Honored Woman from St. Francis by the Lake, Canyon Lake, was chosen among all of the Honored Women to represent the Diocese of West Texas at the Episcopal Church Women Triennial meeting this summer in Austin.

Brooke-Davidson said that all this is really about mechanics, that the real risk in reading the whole Bible becomes apparent in Chapter 4 of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus is in the wilderness being tempted by the devil. The Bible also says, “Treat your slaves well,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and “Let the one among you who is without sin cast the first stone.” “You get the idea,” the bishop said.

“The power of the Bible is the power of God to speak to us, and through us, in God’s project, to reclaim and remake all of creation. The power of the Bible is the power of courage to claim the promises of God to scattered and powerless people – the promises of Jesus,” she said.

Patty Brooke (St. David’s, San Antonio) gave the keynote speech during the Honored Women’s Luncheon before Council convened on Thursday, February 22. You can read her speech on the Council website. Search for “honored women.” http://council-dwtx.org.

“At some point, after I needed more than “Jesus loves me this I know,” I needed to hear about: the Lord God walking in the garden; the command to rest and celebrate; that all debts are canceled; the six-winged seraphs; David dancing with all of his might; Ezra reading the Law of God; the New Jerusalem; the tree of life. “I could go on all night,” she said. “And I will go on for the rest of my life.” “I don’t know about this Bible-reading enterprise. You probably shouldn’t do it,” BrookeDavidson said. “It might set the whole Diocese of West Texas on fire for the Lord. What will the neighbors say when we invite them into the cataclysmic joy of God’s Kingdom? “Reading the whole Bible like that –the Lord may find a way to actually speak to you, personally. It may very well turn your whole life inside out and upside down irretrievably. Forever. I wonder if you dare?” Watch Bishop Suffragan Jennifer Brooke-Davidson’s sermon on the Council website. Follow the link at the top of the page: http://council-dwtx.org.

Council hosts included St. Margaret’s, San Antonio; St. Andrew’s, Seguin; and Resurrection, Windcrest.

the Church News

March / April 2018

Photo by John Gaskins. Women’s photos submitted by Pam Currier.

“Yes it takes effort to read 1,000 pages in a culture that has forgotten how to read. The Bible, the whole Bible, the great sweep of the story of God and God’s people has power.

T he 1 1 4 th A n n ual C o un c i l o f t h e Di o c e se o f We st Texas counc il-dwtx .org

All reports continue & many more can be found online at http://council-dwtx.org.

Deacon Elaine Clements, diocesan disaster coordinator for the Diocese of Louisiana, reported to Diocesan Council on behalf of the Domestic Disaster Program of Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD). Clements has been working closely with our diocese after Hurricane Harvey devastated a number of our communities and churches on August 25, 2017. On September 2, because of the “great leadership” of this diocese, ERD was able to make the first grant for emergency funding for the diocese. Less than a week later, Clements and Katie Mears with ERD were in San Antonio meeting with Bishop Reed about the next steps, and ERD was ready to give the funds needed to hire a Deputy for Disaster Recovery - Jennifer Wickham of All Saints, Corpus Christi. Wickham was an “inspired suggestion. She’s a huge gift to your diocese,” said Clements. Wickham continued with the Hurricane Harvey relief report, saying, 41 counties were declared federal disaster areas, and 15 of those are in our diocese. The diocese is responding primarily to six areas: Aransas Pass, Corpus Christi, Port Aransas, Refugio, Rockport, and Victoria, and is also assisting the community of Berclair with which St. Philip’s, Beeville, works closely. “Your bishops have leaned into the murkiness of this. They have chosen to continue to fork into the unknown, into this metaphorical Good Friday, and reach and help all of these people affected and will see them through to Easter Sunday. It’s a lovely thing to enter into this discernment together and find who the church is supposed to be.” See story on page 12 about Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s visit to diocesan Harveyaffected areas.

Camps & Conferences Good news, indeed “At camp we are constantly reminded that the Word is near – through our encounters with the natural world or listening to the rapturous singing of 200 campers and staff at a Camp Capers closing, we are drawn into conversations with God,” said Rob Watson, executive director of Camps and Conferences. “One of the core principles of our camping ministry is to offer the opportunity of transformative experiences at all of our sites to everyone – regardless of their financial circumstances. “In 2017, almost $300,000 was given to children and families. 432 children received full or partial scholarships, including 192 children from Good Samaritan Community Services, 20 from St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, and four children of Wounded Warriors,” said Watson. Also, 39 families who attended Family Camp at MICC received scholarships; and 31 people who attended Duncan Park received scholarships, plus 27 Wounded Warriors, spouses, and their children who attended the Wounded Warrior Program Camp at Duncan Park. “Nineteen Wounded Warriors and their families or children were able to attend programs at all of our sites, and MICC Family Camp welcomed four families from Magdalena House in San Antonio, at no cost to them,” said Watson. All the new buildings have allowed Camp Capers to extend its mission to all ages of groups. Improvements are underway on the 108-acre Brinsmade Sanctuary, and this spring, Camp Capers will break ground on a new girls’ cabin that will accommodate 16 people in two sides with common meeting and gathering space.

Inspiration for Christian Formation Sarah Kates, the chair of the Christian Formation Committee, said the whole committee is building an online resource library – with curricula that others have used and have approved. Lists of extra supplies are available referenced by the season in the church,” said Kates. Visit www.dwtx.org and hover over the Spiritual Formation tab and find: Adult formation: christianformation-dwtx.org Children formation: christianandyouthformation-dwtx.org

Vital University Missions Allie Melancon, assistant director of College Missions, who, after giving a personal testimony, said, “My story is not unique. It is written over and over again. We meet college students where they are, and encourage them to become who Jesus is calling them to be. They wrestle daily with many reflective questions.” Greg Richards, director, said Melancon and he are joined by Sam Regonini at Texas State; Chelsea Mueller in the Rio Grande Valley – about 100,000 of diocesan-area college students are in the Valley – and Kevin Frei in San Antonio. After sharing concerning statistics about college students today – fewer personal relationships and growing suicide rates – Richards said, “The Church is called to come alongside them in this fragile time of life. These kids are wanting nothing more than to get out of their own spaces and hang out with their friends. They need relationships.”

During 2017 at Duncan Park friends and professionals alike created sacred spaces at our home in the mountains, including a labyrinth built by Trinity by the Sea, Port Aransas. A series of stone steps were added, as well as private baths for summer staff.

Photos by John Gaskins.

T he 1 1 4 th A n n ua l C ou ncil of th e Dioc e s e o f We st Tex as c o un c i l -dwtx .org

Report on Disaster Recovery

Jennifer Wickham, Bishop’s Deputy for Disaster Recovery

www.dwtx.org

“MICC desperately needs more bedrooms and meeting space,” he said. The new master plan is still in place, which calls for this and a beautiful chapel. “Stay tuned; soon the plan will be put into action.”

Council was treated to a stunning performance by VocaLibre, a musical group from Texas State University.

All reports continue & many more can be found online at http://council-dwtx.org.

Resolutions

Bishop David Bailey, bishop of the Episcopal Mission of Navajoland, joined Dr. Marthe Curry, director of World Mission, at Council. “He has invited us to come and see and meet our new friends west of us and begin a new partnership,” said Curry. In April 2018 the first exploratory visit to Navajoland will take place.

After careful work over the past year, the Budget Task Force presented Council with four resolutions regarding the diocesan budget, line items 1A and 1B, response to General Convention DO13, and stewardship, all of which passed.

Navajoland, in the Four Corners of the United States, covers 27,000 square miles. In the 1950s there were about 5,000 Episcopalians in Navajoland; “now we are down to about 600,” said Bailey. He shared a bit of the Navajo’s history. “It’s important to get in to context why there might be some mistrust on the side of the Navajo people.”

You can read all six Council resolutions on the Go Green page of the diocesan website: https://council-dwtx.org/go-green-2018/

In 1894 the Episcopal Church built its first hospital, followed by a second in 1924, and a third health clinic in the late 1940s. When the Dioceses of Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico were formed, each received a portion of the Navajo reservation. In 1978 the Episcopal Church formed the Episcopal Church in Navajoland, an indigenous diocese. “Becoming a diocese has never happened, due to economics, skill sets, and other reasons,” said Bailey.

The other two resolutions included admitting Grace Church, San Antonio, as a parish, and the submission of a resolution to General Convention this summer to include a hymn in honor of Dr. Artemisia Bowden.

Bailey, when elected bishop in 2010, asked the people, “Do you want to be a church?” He left them to deliberate, and unanimously they said, “We are part of the Episcopal Church, we want to be there, and we need to find ways to make that happen.” “We started to learn how to make this all happen so our sustainability is our own. We began a soap business using herbs and scents from the reservation; we began a corn meal business with our blue corn. We petitioned the United Thank Offering (UTO). If it were not for UTO, Navajoland would not exist,” said Bailey, as the UTO has given grants to Navajoland since 1919. “We operate from a system of inviting people to come see us and see what we need; coming back and showing us how to do it; the third year coming back and seeing us do it; and the fourth year taking on a new project,” he said.

Bishop Reed installs new officers into the Artemisia Bowden diocesan chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians.

“We are really looking forward to this relationships with your diocese. With your sense of mission, the gifts of your journey with us will enhance our journey and help us to be what we hope to become.”

Welcomed in with a loud celebration and a standing ovation, members of Grace Church, San Antonio, walked around the floor of Diocesan Council and made their way to the front, as they became as the newest parish in the Diocese of West Texas. What began in the Rev. Jay and Jamie George’s living room in 2009 – a dream of a new kind of Episcopal church with their family of five – grew to 20 people, to 40, and continued to grow.

The youth, gathered for the ninth year of Youth in Action, hosted by St. Mark’s, San Marcos, were commissioned Saturday morning to go out and help clean up a couple of HeadStart daycare campuses and install free little libraries on each campus.

Grace Church, which became a mission of the diocese in 2011, now has over 220 members and an average Sunday attendance of 97. Over 85 percent of its members are under the age of 55. “You planted this church, with your prayers and support, and we are most grateful. Thank you, thank you,” said the Rev. Jay George, vicar and to-be rector of Grace Church. See a video of the celebration and George’s address at http://council-dwtx.org. Search “grace.” the Church News

March / April 2018

Photos by John Gaskins. YIA photos by Mike Woods.

Grace Church, San Antonio, receives parish status

T he 1 1 4 th A n n ual C o un c i l o f t h e Di o c e se o f We st Texas counc il-dwtx .org

Bishop Bailey welcomes new mission partnership

Bishop Suffragan’s Report to Council

Richard Mosty, standing in for Dan Butt, executive director of the Episcopal Church Foundation in West Texas, reported that the foundation’s investment gains of 155 percent in 2017 totaled $9.3 million, almost four times as much as in 2016. The foundation manages $68.7 million in total assets, the highest amount ever, in 214 accounts. Churches account for 75 percent of the accounts.

“We cover a lot of ground, don’t we? We are 86 churches who are ambassadors of God’s love and mercy to all the people who inhabit the 69,000 square miles that are the Diocese of West Texas,” said the Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson during the Bishop Suffragan’s report to Diocesan Council on Saturday, February 24. This year, she said, “we will get refocused on the mission of God through the study of Scripture,” referencing Bishop Reed’s asking of the diocese to read the Bible in its entirety in 2018. We will “bring more workers into the harvest through the work of existing congregations and through the creation of new congregations; and implement new ways of engaging a rapidly changing culture with the eternal message of God’s love and saving mercy, to offer a vision of wholeness, health, and peace.” But challenges exist, said Brooke-Davidson. “Insider church challenges – what are we going to do about the fact that many of our congregations just can’t afford a full-time seminary-trained priest and that some of them are not young and married with adorable small children? “Let me tell you about St. Luke’s, San Saba,” said Brooke-Davidson. And she told of pastor Bill Grusendorf, a bi-vocational priest since 1974, a community-oriented guy in a small town. Since becoming Vicar of St. Luke’s, the church has added a parish hall, a library, and a restroom, and Grusendorf has purchased two computers to help local kids, whose families cannot afford one, complete their school homework. What about churches without even a part-time priest? “Well, there’s St. Matthias, in Devine,” she said, “and they haven’t had more than a supply priest in years.” But they do have the Lesieurs, “folks with energy, and they love the Lord.” St. Matthias is now involved in eight community projects through the town’s Ministerial Alliance; they were one of the first churches to drop off a car load of supplies for hurricane relief; and with no organist, they “sing up a storm” each Sunday with Synthia, a recorded hymn software, and a used karaoke machine.

Sam Carter Gilliam, actor (Reconciliation, San Antonio), delivered the “Bible brought to life” in a dramatic presentation in which she portrayed the Samaritan Woman at the Well. Her moving performance showed how very near to us the Word of God constantly is, as Council came to a close on Saturday, February 24. www.SamCarterGilliam.com Watch her performance on the Council website, follow the link at the top of the page. http://council-dwtx.org

Moving to Congregational Development, she reported on the new support for churches rolling out this year. First, an assessment process from a company named Holy Cow! to adapt and adopt new strategies on areas of focus. Second, a multifaceted approach to church growth in vitality and impact including: basic training in lay ministry; a sequenced leadership development program called the College for Congregational Development (developed in the Diocese of Olympia). Also, an on-site analysis of the demographic context of each congregation; and a web-based platform called Basecamp to capture information, connect churches with communication technologies (webinars, virtual meetings), and to allow for easy document sharing. The Basecamp platform is already set up and contains resources for any congregation using “The Story” this year as the year-long Bible study. Find it under Spiritual Formation on the diocesan website: www.dwtx.org. Listen to Brooke-Davidson’s full address at http://council-dwtx.org.

Episcopal Migration Ministries

Photos by John Gaskins.

The 1 1 4 th A nnu al Co un cil of t he Dio ce s e o f We st Tex as c o un c i l -dwtx .org

Episcopal Church Foundation

The Rev. Canon Mark Stevenson, director of Episcopal Migration Ministries, served as the keynote speaker during the Bishop’s Luncheon on Friday, February 23. He said, “This is an interesting time to be a director of a national resettlement ministry.” Stevenson continued, sharing facts and statistics about refugees, some personal stories, and the heart of why he is involved in such a ministry.

The Rev. Canon Mark Stevenson accepts a gift from Bishop Reed after the Bishop’s Luncheon on Friday.

www.dwtx.org

The Episcopal Church has been involved in refugee resettlement ministry since 1938, and in 1988, Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) was formed. Today, there are nine agencies who resettle refugees in the United States; the Episcopal Church is one. Through the work of the nine agencies, just under 85,000 refugees were resettled in 2016 and just under 54,000 in 2017. Read the full story at http://council-dwtx.org, search for “Stevenson.”

Kingdom Builders: Andrea Rudnik, continued “We had no money and two kids,” she said. “We knew we had to get jobs.” He taught science and she special education but “it was almost impossible to get teaching jobs in Minnesota. “Then we saw an ad from the Brownsville, Texas, school district that said, ‘Like the beach? Come and teach.’” In the summer of 1986, they visited Brownsville, located near South Padre Island on the Texas Gulf Coast, “just to check it out. We weren’t expecting to be offered jobs on the spot. But that’s exactly what happened. You’re a science teacher, you’re a special education teacher, you’re hired.”

in Honduras and several more of her own. Yet the call of the ministry never went away. “I still had that nagging thing,” she said. “I am a teacher, I am a mother, but I just felt that pull, that call.” Now retired from teaching, she is embarked on the journey that started when she was in college. She is taking the first steps toward ordination as an Episcopal priest, with hopes of eventually ministering to the many impoverished and Spanish-speaking people in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

“I am a teacher, I am a mother, but I just felt that pull, that call.”

“We bought a van and moved to Brownsville and I thought, ‘Where are we?’ It was much more desolate than it is now.” At the time, the Rio Grande Valley faced a teacher shortage. “They were recruiting very heavily from the Midwest,” she said. “We knew a lot of people who had come down. Most of those people left after two or three years at the most. They felt like it was cultural shock. They didn’t adapt well to the school system. But we had lived in Honduras, so we just didn’t think it was that different. So we stayed and we stayed and had a couple of more kids.” Rudnik taught special education for two decades, working with young children with moderate to profound disabilities whose “behavior is not always predictable. They would sometimes dive under the table, take off down the hall, grab onto your arm and do a little twist around.” Due to severe back problems, she concluded that the children presented “any number of things that were not going to be very good in the situation I was in. I felt like I needed a job where I didn’t have to be down on the floor all the time.” She obtained a graduate certificate from Texas Tech University in teaching students who are blind or visually impaired and then spent another decade working exclusively with children from birth to adults age 22 who had visual impairments. Although her youthful plans didn’t turn out the way she expected, “I did receive a child”

She is part of a diocesan effort to develop bi-vocational priests who are willing to serve smaller churches, often in remote locales, and perhaps as a second career. She has discussed her calling with Bishop David Reed, who told her she is the “poster child” for the Iona Initiative. The initiative is modeled after the Diocese of Texas’ Iona School for Ministry. It has morphed into a collaborative effort to provide theological education for the formation of bi-vocational priests and deacons in an effort to foster a new generation of clergy leaders. She’ll go through a discernment process, and, if accepted, enter the three-year initiative. The curriculum is designed around monthly meetings with others in the program, so they can avoid being away from home for long stretches at a time attending a residential seminary. “I would have attended seminary if I had to do it, but it’s a lot more difficult at this point in your life than when you are 22 and you don’t have a house and all these responsibilities for different things and different people,” she said. If she completes the program and is ordained, she would like to remain in the Rio Grande Valley. “I’m bilingual, I’m comfortable in a Spanish-speaking congregation, mixed congregation,

The Rev. Laurie McKim stands with Rudnik at Diocesan Council in February.

whatever,” she said. “I would have no problem serving a church in the Valley, while a lot of people might. Unless you’ve been here, it’s not the first choice for a lot of people.” Since their arrival in Brownsville, the Rudniks have attended the Episcopal Church of the Advent, where the Rev. Laurie McKim currently serves as rector. Rudnik said she has enjoyed seeing the difference that having a female priest makes in a parish. “Not that I’m opposed to men, I’m certainly not, but I think it brings a whole new aspect to the congregation.” “Many people have never experienced having a woman priest before. I think it brings that mothering and nurturing aspect of who is God to you, what does God mean to you, what is the relationship with God mean to you. A woman priest, a woman celebrating Eucharist, there’s maybe things you’ve never really thought about how God comes into our lives and that female side is present, too.” “I think we missed out for a long time” by not having women clergy, she said. “But those brave women who first entered the ministry came forth and were called. They really stepped out in faith.” Her hope is that one day she’ll join those ranks. And what about Rebecca? She served ten years in the U.S. Navy, obtained a college degree, and now lives in Tucson, Arizona. Mike Patterson is a freelance writer and photographer, a frequent contributor to the Church News, and a member of St. Michael and All Angels, Blanco.

the Church News

March / April 2018

Photo by Mike Patterson.

Continued from page 6.

Featured News

Presiding Bishop Curry visits Harvey-affected DWTX by Laura Shaver

residing Bishop Michael. B. Curry entered Trinity by the Sea, Port Aransas, to applause and handshakes and bright smiles and a standing ovation, as well as voices of little children giggling and whispering in the front of the church. It was weekly chapel time for Trinity Day School on Wednesday, February 28. Rector of Trinity by the Sea, the Rev. James Derkits, asked the children to raise their hands if they lived in Port Aransas when Hurricane Harvey hit last August. All of their little arms shot up into the air, and one small boy said to Derkits, “I was! He destroyed my house, and yours!” After speaking to the children about following Jesus, Curry asked, “Who knows ‘Jesus loves me?’ Do I see some ukuleles? Come on up, let’s sing,” shouted Curry. And with the music from four ukuleles, everyone gathered joined in singing the beloved song. This beautiful and moving moment provided such joy during the Presiding Bishop’s visit to the Diocese of West Texas to tour the Hurricane Harvey-affected areas in the Southern and Eastern Convocations on February 27-28. Curry was joined by Sharon Jones, his executive assistant; the Rev. Deacon Geoffrey Smith, chief operating officer of the Episcopal Church; Josephine Hicks, vice president of Episcopal Church Programs for Episcopal Relief and Development; and Neel Lane, chair of the Board for Episcopal Relief and Development and member of St. Paul’s, San Antonio.

Photos by John Gaskins.

Thirteen area clergy participated in the tour, as well as Bishop David Reed, Bishop Suffragan Jennifer Brooke-Davidson, and Canon to the Ordinary Kirk Mason. Jennifer Wickham, the bishop’s deputy for disaster recovery, organized the visit, as well as the events that took place along the tour of the Coastal Bend. Curry and his team were welcomed for dinner at Calvary First Baptist Church in Corpus Christi on Tuesday, February 27. Calvary Church is located in the zip code 78405, where over the past year, the Rev. Bruce Wilson, head of the Coalition of Corpus Christi Churches, has been building relationships in the under-served area of the city. 12

www.dwtx.org

Around 50 residents of the “New Addition” in 78405 were present for the dinner, which incorporated a workshop and a survey for them to complete on the next steps in bringing life back to their neighborhood. This ABCD – Asset-Based Community Development – approach brings awareness to the assets in place to help address challenges. Violet Russell, who was born and raised in the neighborhood, said “We always went to church and we always prayed, and finally, the Lord sent Father Bruce.”

“We knew Trinity would have the support we needed, and we would be ready to hit the ground running,” said Derkits. And that they did by opening up the soggy Parish Hall to household supplies and opening up the church each and every day beginning on August 29, four days after Harvey made landfall, for morning devotions at 8:00 a.m. Jennifer and the Rev. Jonathan Wickham (rector, All Saints, Corpus Christi) were in Port Aransas two days after the storm and set in place the community’s recovery efforts.

During this time of strengthening the community, Hurricane Harvey hit and caused damage to fragile homes and left a big mess. Bishop Charles Richardson, Sr., pastor of Calvary Church, said, “I saw people helping people who had no relationship; God truly uses his own assets.”

The team heard from Walter Sohl, who was the creative mind behind Homes for Displaced Marlins, a program that ended up raising close to $1 million to purchase 43 RVs to bring home displaced families. After his presentation, Reed said, “You just showed your passion and energy and love with the same emotion as the day I first met you with this idea in August. Thank you for your ongoing commitment.”

“It’s been grace upon grace upon grace, and that is so much more powerful than the storm itself.” The Rev. James Derkits.

Curry told the residents, “Thank you for what you’re doing. I, too, have done ministry in a forgotten place, and you can’t do it alone. Together, you can keep on going.” On the tour bus, following a brief stop at Mustang Island Conference Center, the participating clergy and Wickham took turns informing Curry and the team from Episcopal Relief and Development about each local situation post-Harvey, as well their personal experiences when the storm hit.

Plans for the rebuilding effort include a new building for the day school and a new outreach building on the church campus as part of the church’s “Cast wide the Net” capital campaign that was supposed to begin the week after Harvey. “Our net has been cast so much wider, we’ve integrated deeper into this community,” said Derkits. As the group headed for Rockport, the Rev. Beverly Patterson, canon missioner for the Coastal Bend Partners in Ministry (Our Savior, Aransas Pass; St. Andrew’s, Corpus Christi; and St. Christopher’s, Portland) said of the three churches she serves, Aransas Pass was hit the hardest. “Between the church and the rectory that is used as a rental property, we had over $55,000 in damage.

“From day one, being part of a larger body was the best connection,” said the Rev. Sean Maloney, rector of St. Bartholomew’s, Corpus Christi. The Rev. Stephen Carson, rector of St. Francis, Victoria, said the main problem post Harvey in the Eastern Convocation was figuring out where everyone was. Members and residents were displaced across the state. Derkits said when he and his wife, Laura, first returned to Port Aransas after Harvey, Laura said, “Port Aransas is about to see what the Episcopal Church is all about.”

Presiding Bishop Curry receives a tour of Mustang Island Conference Center on February 28.

“When we live as sisters and brothers and we take care of one another, we will be in a different kind of world,” said Curry. During the service, Curry presented a beautiful handmade quilt that was made by a group of ladies at St. Columba Episcopal Church in Marathon, Florida, in the Diocese of Southeast Florida, especially for West Texas during the shared recovery from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

We are still knee-deep in repairs – the church and the town – with roof repairs, flooring replacement, and other construction.” The Rev. Gina Frnka, canon missioner for the Eastern Partnership in Ministry (six churches), said, “Refugio was obviously the most damaged, as was the community and those of Bayside and Woodsboro.” She was grateful for the immediate help of St. David’s, San Antonio, and a church in Dallas, but she said the congregation is “still trying to raise the funds to pay our insurance deductible so we can have a contractor start on our large repairs.” A Community Eucharist was held at St. Peter’s, Rockport, where 250 folks gathered to hear Curry preach. “I am here today to assure you of the prayers and the long-term commitment of the whole Episcopal Church to help you re-build. We are with you for the long haul,” Curry said. Referencing the reading from 2 Corinthians, Curry said, “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, and he has given us the ministry of reconciliation. We are a family, like it or not. That is what God made us for, that is who we are, that is what Jesus of Nazareth came to show us and teach us.

Following the service, two members of the Rockport Chamber of Commerce joined the team on the tour bus and narrated the drive around the community, where Harvey produced a 13-hour hurricane-force wind event with sustained winds of 130 mph and gusts up to 180. “We are still in need of an influx of cash. We need to re-vitalize the community by supporting our small businesses, which are starting to re-open one by one.” Over three million cubic yards of debris have been removed from Rockport, and that does not include destroyed houses. Back at Good Shepherd, Corpus Christi, gratefulness was shown for Episcopal Relief and Development, for the immediate communication, visits, and grants for recovery, as well as for additional grants and more to come. “I keep having experiences through all this recovery that has increased the knowledge of God’s presence in our community and in my life,” said Derkits. “It’s been grace upon grace upon grace, and that is so much more powerful than the storm itself.” View many more pictures online at https://www.flickr.com/photos/dwtx/albums

Submitted by Dr. Marthe Curry, director of World Mission

e drove down the dusty lanes of the bustling village and reached our destination: a tall green enclosure of nondescript shrubs that effectively shut out the world but not its ravages. Through an opening between the bushes, we saw desolation, despair, grief. This was our introduction to the first stage of development and evangelism in a compound in the heart of a Kenyan slum. Women sat on blankets on the ground with their children. They were waiting. Every day a native missioner, a woman who had once existed in that same hopelessness, came with food, medicines, a caring heart, and listening ears. And as they came to know each other, Jesus was shared, and microenterprise was initiated. All of these ladies were throw-aways. They had been abandoned by someone, and most of them found their work at night doing the only thing they could do to support themselves and their children. Many of them had diseases; one was visibly ill and suffering; another had lost her eyes when a “client” pulled them from her. The leader sat in a chair cutting up camel livers and stuffing the pieces into Ziploc bags for market. It was the most forlorn scene I have ever witnessed. Awkwardly, but as gently as we could, we visited and tried to express Christ’s love. The missioners attended to the immediate needs, and then it was time to leave. Driving out of the shabby compound, we were cautioned to sanitize our hands. Continued on page 15.

“Jesus came to show us how to love one another and become the human family of God,” said Curry in his passionate preaching style. “When was it, Lord, that we gave you something to drink, something to eat, that we visited you in prison,” said Curry referencing the Gospel reading of Matthew 25:31-40, “when my house was destroyed in a storm named Harvey and you gave me a RV? When Lord?

Presiding Bishop Curry holds up a baby girl after the Eucharist service at St. Peter’s, Rockport, as her adoring mother looks on.

the Church News

The “waiting” women in Kenya.

March / April 2018

Photo submitted by Marthe Curry.

The Presiding Bishop looks around Our Savior, Aransas Pass, which is still “knee deep in repairs.”

World Mission: Oasis of Hope in Kenya

Around the circuit

Abide in Me Living Stewardship June 9, 2018 | TMI Episcopal in San Antonio Christian stewardship involves giving back to God from all that God has given us - giving from our time, our talents, and our treasure This conference will help us identify the resources of our lives that God has lavished on each one of us - as individuals and as congregations - and present ways we can commit those resources to God. Keynote speaker is the Rt. Rev. Greg Rickel, bishop of the Diocese of Olympia, Washington. See more information and a list of planned workshops at

www.dwtx.org/abideinme

“This Way” podcast with the bishops of West Texas Have you checked out our podcast, “This Way: Kingdom Wondering and Kingdom Pondering” with Bishops Reed and Brooke-Davidson? Each episode is a causal conversation with one of the bishops, facilitated by Greg Richards. Tune in, subscribe, and rate us, and let us know what you think. If you have topic ideas, questions for the bishops, or any thoughts, email to Greg Richards at greg.richards@ dwtx.org. Visit http://dwtxpodcast.org. Or find it on iTunes and Google Play.

View the new Camps and Conferences promotional video at www.dwtx.org/camps and sign up for summer at Camp Capers, Family Camp on Mustang Island, and at Duncan Park in Colorado.

www.dwtx.org

Around the circuit

Diocese of West Texas Summary of Apportionments * through February 28, 2018

Recent Clergy Changes in the Diocese of West Texas The Rev. Dick Elwood is serving as Interim Rector of St. Christopher’s, Bandera. His first Sunday was February 4. This May, pending completion of each individual’s studies and graduation from seminary, as well as the approval of the Standing Committee, we will have three curates placed in the Diocese of West Texas: William Campbell, who is currently a senior at Virginia Theological Seminary, from St. Luke’s, San Antonio, will be placed to serve at Good Shepherd, Corpus Christi, this summer. He will be joined by his wife, Claire. Andrew Green, who is currently a senior at Seminary of the Southwest, from Saint Elizabeth’s, Buda, will be placed to serve at the Church of the Holy Spirit, San Antonio, this summer. Josh Woods, who is currently a senior at Seminary of the Southwest, from the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, will be placed to serve at St. David’s, San Antonio, where he is currently completing his field work. He will be joined by his wife, Laura.

World Mission: Oasis of Hope Continued from page 13. Barely on the road again, two other ladies stopped us. The contrast was striking: they had glowing faces and were eager to talk. These ladies were also part of the women’s groups but had moved from absolute wretchedness to a new life through their faith in Christ. They had left the old darkness and had moved into light. They radiated hope, and they had literally walked out into the world demonstrating their freedom from the old bondage.

the Church News

Summary of apportionments through February 28, 2018.

The work continues to grow as women reach out to women and are changed through God’s love. They are taught skills and given seed money to start small businesses. They are counseled and mentored and loved. And the Diocese of West Texas has the privilege of supporting and encouraging them. Pray with us that God will bless the ministries of Oasis of Hope, our partner in the Gospel in Kenya.

March / April 2018

Episcopal Diocese of West Texas P. O. Box 6885 San Antonio, TX 78209 www.dwtx.org Send address changes to The Church News, P.O. Box 6885, San Antonio, TX 78209

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Church News

calendar of events

Diocesan events March Cursillo #278 Cursillo #278 will be held at Camp Capers Thursday-Sunday, March 15-18. The Rectora for the weekend is Rosine Carter from Annunciation, Luling, and the Spiritual Director is the Rev. Bur Dobbins from St. Barnabas, Fredericksburg.

April Coffee & Compline Join other young adults, ages 21 to 45, for an evening of worship, coffee, and Evening Compline on Tuesday, April 10, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at St. George (6900 West Ave., San Antonio, TX 78213). Coffee and fellowship start at 7:00 p.m. and worship/compline takes place from 7:30 until about 8:15. New Beginnings Retreat The fourth New Beginnings retreat for middle school youth (6th-8th grades) will be held Friday-Sunday, April 13-15, at Trinity Episcopal Church in Victoria. This unique weekend addresses the issues, concerns, and needs of young people in 6th to 8th grade, with the goal of helping participants grow in their love of the Lord Jesus Christ, and subsequently, themselves. The cost for the weekend is $50. Scholarships are available. Register online at www.dwtx.org/events. The Good, the True, the Beautiful Retreat Focused on creativity, the arts, and a life in the Spirit, The Good, the True, the Beautiful retreat will welcome the Rev. Becca Stevens back to the diocese, as well as her husband, Marcus Hummon, to Camp Capers, Friday-Sunday, April 13-15. All are invited to retreat for a weekend of creative activities that will lead to the culmination of worship centered on the Walk to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-53) and being in

the presence of Christ. There will be time for rest and reflection and guided time together for nature walks, star gazing, and a bonfire. Register online at www.dwtx.org/events. Bishop Elliott Society Spring Lecture The Bishop Elliott Society presents the Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson, bishop suffragan of the diocese, for its spring lecture series on Saturday, April 21, at Good Shepherd, Corpus Christi. The morning begins with a continental breakfast at 8:30 and will adjourn after Noonday prayers. This event is free to BES members and $30 for non-members. Register online at www.dwtx.org/events. Nails and Prayers Men’s Retreat The annual Nails and Prayers Men’s Retreat will be held at Camp Capers April 20-22. Gather for worship, fellowship, teaching, and the opportunity to give back to camp as we prepare for the summer season. There will be a variety of projects involving different levels of physical labor and construction expertise. Bring your work gloves, any tools you may want, and a servant’s heart. Contact Jamie Read, Camp Capers’ Office Manager for more information at camp.capers@dwtx.org.

Bishop’s Valley Golf Classic Returning for a 2nd year, on Saturday, April 28, this fundraiser benefits the diocesan Vital University Missions program on Rio Grande Valley campuses. The tournament fee is $150 per golfer, with several sponsorship levels too. Find a printable registration form and flyer and online registration at www.dwtx.org/events. [9:30 - Check In, Practice Rounds, Box Lunch; 12:00 PM Shotgun start; 5:00 PM Awards Reception] Diocesan events: www.dwtx.org/events Church events: www.dwtx.org/church-events

The Diocese of West Texas Online

www.dwtx.org/blog

Read ministry stories from our churches in between issues of The Church News. The blog also features current news, national news, and diocesan ministry updates.

Reflections-DWTX.org Spring Women’s Gathering The Commission for Women’s Ministry presents the Spring Women’s Gathering at Camp Capers Friday-Sunday, April 27-29, this year entitled “Finding Joy as Spiritual Practice.” Leaders for the weekend are the women of Church of the Holy Spirit, Dripping Springs. The cost includes all meals and materials and is $165 for the weekend in a cabin or $245 for the weekend in the lodge, double occupancy. Follow the link above to register online; and scholarships are available. With questions, contact Marjorie George at marjorie.george@ dwtx.org.

ReflectionsOnline is the online edition of Reflections magazine. Adult Christian Formation offers studies for individuals and congregations. www.christianformation-dwtx.org. “Episcopal Diocese of West Texas Bishop Jones Center” @DioceseWestTX @DioceseWestTX