July/August 2012 Church News

The newspaper of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas

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

July/August 2012

Inside: ● St. Michael & All Angels Enlisted in Wildfire Battle, page 4.

The

Church News

● Mother’s Day Offering, page 10 ● St. Francis’ Outreach to the Refugee Community, page 14 In Every Issue: ● Around the Circuit, page 15 ● Calendar of Events, page 16

● The 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, page 6 Nature Conservancy firefighters watch as smoke billows from wildfire in basin below.

“I don’t think the good Lord put these forces here to harm us. I look at fire as a beneficial thing, not a destructive force.” See story on page 4.

On the Bishop’s Mind

The

Church News

In the News

The Rt. Rev. Gary Lillibridge Bishop of the Diocese

News and Features

2 On the Bishop’s Mind: An Overview of General Convention

4 St. Michael and All Angels Enlisted in Wildfire Battle

6 About General Convention 2012 10 Mother’s Day Offering 2012 14 St. Francis’ Outreach to the Refugee Community 16 Diocese to Reduce Withdrawals from its Endowments to Four Percent

In Every Issue

Cover photo courtesy of Dan Snodgrass.

is published six times a year by the Dept. of Communication Episcopal Diocese of West Texas P. O. Box 6885 San Antonio, Texas 78209

Volume 69 Number 4 July / August 2012 USPS 661-790 The Diocese of West Texas is a family of 26,000+ members in 90 congregations across 60 counties and 69,000 square miles in South Central Texas.

Editor: Laura Shaver Laura.Shaver@dwtx.org

Bishop of West Texas: The Rt. Rev. Gary R. Lillibridge

Deadline for news and advertising is the 15th of the month preceding publication.

Bishop Suffragan: The Rt. Rev. David M. Reed

Church News

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

The Bishop Jones Center 111 Torcido Dr. San Antonio, Texas 78209 Telephone: 210/888-824-5387 FAX: 210-824-2164 email: general.mail@dwtx.org website: www.dwtx.org

Communication Department Staff: Barbara Duffield: writer and departmental assistant Marjorie George: editor, Reflections Magazine and ReflectionsOnline Laura Shaver: communications officer

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The Church News recently sat down with the Rt. Rev. Gary Lillibridge, bishop of the diocese, to discuss the upcoming 77th General Convention of The Episcopal Church, which will meet in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 5-12. This will be the bishop’s fourth General Convention, his third in the House of Bishops. Before his election in 2003, he represented the diocese in the House of Deputies.

For detailed information on General Convention and the issues to be discussed this year, please see pages 6-9 in this edition. Receive audio reports from both of our bishops, communication from our deputation, and reports from the diocesan communications team during General Convention by logging onto http://gencon12-dwtx.org and signing up to receive all postings in your email inbox.

CN: What are a few things you are looking forward to at this year’s General Convention?

3 From the Editor 15 Around the Circuit 16 Calendar

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An Overview of General Convention

GL: The breadth of the Church is quite visible as over 2,000 members are expected to gather at General Convention. The daily Eucharists offer the opportunity to experience worship in comprehensive and cultural expressions, including Episcopalians who are Native American, Puerto Rican, Haitian, Honduran, and many others. I also look forward to reconnecting with laity, clergy, and bishops around the Church who have been friends and partners in ministry throughout my years of service.

This year, specifically, I am looking forward to the discussion on the structure of the Church and how it might begin to be reshaped as we move forward. I do not expect specific changes to come forth after this General Convention, but I very much hope that we will come to a commitment to fully look at how we operate so that we might strengthen our ministries. I also believe that this restructuring conversation begins around a few shared mission imperatives (ie, core values, core purpose) that will help shape our identity as a Church.

CN: What are your thoughts on the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies and their ability to work together?

GL: I believe it is critical that both the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies find life-giving ways to work together for the mission and ministry of our Church. I know that this is a desire of the House of Bishops coming out of our March meeting, and I hope that the deputies desire the same partnership and collegiality. We need to get past the idea that change is simply related to “turf wars” and build a level of trust for the common good. This begins with a posture of goodwill toward one another.

CN: The Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) is proposing a resolution for a trial use liturgy for same-gender blessings.

What would you like to say to our diocese about how the DWTX will respond if this resolution passes?

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On the Bishop’s Mind GL: Each household in the diocese should have recently received a letter from me on this subject. The letter was mailed to the entire Church News mailing list. I want to reiterate that our diocese has deeply faithful persons in leadership roles on all levels that will assist in our plan of action if this resolution passes.

I recently brought together a focus group to begin a conversation and to carefully and prayerfully discern possible responses in West Texas should this resolution pass, which I fully expect to happen. This focus group of nearly 50 people came together for the first time on June 8. Appointments to this group were made from representatives of the elected leadership of the diocese, including the Standing Committee, the Executive Board, The Trustees of the Church Corporation, the General Convention Deputation, and Diocesan Council delegates. Additional representatives came from congregational leadership, diocesan ministries, and the Commission on Ministry. The group will gather again in late August.

Since no one knows the exact content of the final version that General Convention might pass on trial use rites for same-gender blessings, I cannot say at this time what impact it may have on the Diocese of West Texas.

However, I do want to say that I am fully confident that the fabric of our diocese will, in fact, hold together because we have repeatedly proven to be people of goodwill, who share a deep concern and commitment for our common life as a diocesan family. This family includes dedicated and passionate members who hold different views on this subject, and we will move forward by working together.

CN: We recently gathered for our fourth Abide in Me conference and offered workshops for clergy and laity led by leaders from within our diocesan family and a few from outside the diocese. Over 350 persons attended. In reflecting on the success of Abide in Me, what do you think the diocesan model can offer the national church?

GL: Our recent Abide in Me conference offered 21 workshops that covered a broad spectrum of ministry. Compare that to General Convention. The intense focus of the legislative process at General Convention is open to pressures from special interest groups and those with the most strident voices. The current method does not always allow for deep engagement of theological dialogue, because the committee system and the legislative process dominate the proceedings. This inevitably

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The

Church News From the Editor

Today’s Glory “I see the glory in today, and I let tomor-

row worry about itself.” Recently I heard this statement from a friend, and my heart felt lighter. I think a small smile even spread across my face, and perhaps an audible sigh escaped.

I’ve been relating to Noah lately, mostly to tell myself I have it easy. I have two little boys. Noah had two times a bajillion animals and a family for whom to care. I have loved ones, roads to travel, necessities in hand.

Noah had an endless sea to look upon.

Life is different in our home with our newest addition, Caleb Scott. One more child is much more than one more child. There is laughter, and there are tears. But beneath me are two precious gifts from God, and I try to not forget that for a second. I see His glory

leads to a win/lose posture on many important theological issues that, in my opinion, would best be dealt with in a deeper way.

One of my hopes for General Convention is somehow and someday it will be restructured from the current Byzantine legislative process in which we can engage each other deeply in our common mission, as well as learn from the best practices of our brothers and sisters.

As I stated earlier, if this Church could coalesce around a few clear and coherent core values, real change would become more likely.

CN: Any closing thoughts?

GL: Over the last decade, the Church has spent large amounts of time and energy focused on important matters pertaining to human sexuality. While this conversation is very important in the Church as well as the culture, it would be a great loss if this issue continues to divide and define the Church. There are so many needs in our world—and human sexuality is certainly one of them—that we as a Church need to continually address in living into Jesus’ command to love God and to love one another.

in my everyday, and I know I am fortunate to behold it.

Stuff will get done around the house.

We will have clean clothes. The boys will eat and grow and learn to engage their brotherly relationship. Tomorrow will come and God’s glory will be revealed yet again. I have their big blue eyes and their hearts of gold.

Noah had his dove with the tree branch. I am grateful.

Laura Shaver

way. Focusing on God’s will for our lives, and for the world, begins with serious, nonreactive responses that are based in prayer and in deep theological reflection. Theological reflection is historically defined as “faith seeking understanding,” and begins in a place of humility, at the foot of the cross.

At the foot of the cross, we are called to actively remember, on a daily basis, to seek “the mind of Christ” and to pattern our lives on the example Jesus set in the Gospel narrative. I encourage all of us, wherever we are on the various issues, to have this as our beginning point.

I want to encourage everyone in our diocesan family to visit http://gencon12-dwtx.org for the daily reports from Bishop Reed, myself, and our deputies during General Convention, July 5-12.

I love this Church and I care about its future.

I hope those of you reading this feel the same

July/August 2012

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Features

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St. Michael and All Angels Enlisted in Wildfire Battle ond year as bishop’s warden at St. Michael.

The Texas Forest Service calls Wistrand when a fire gets big enough to require extensive mobilization.

A wildland fire fighting operation is akin to a military campaign, complete with strict rules of engagement and a top to bottom command structure. At the top of the Davis Mountains command structure was Paul Hanneman, who himself has a link to St. Michael. His mother-in-law is Janet Smith, a long-time member of St. Michael.

Wistrand was assigned the job of operations section chief, which gave him the responsibility of making day-to-day fire fighting assignments. Based on his recommendations, the fire fighting resources were doubled.

By Mike Patterson

It began when a clap of dry lightning exploded on the parched “sky island” high in the Davis Mountains of West Texas. With no rain to douse the sparks, the wind-fanned smoldering embers quickly grew into a runaway wildfire, feeding on the tinderbox of dried grasses, piñon pines and juniper.

Photos courtesy of Dan Snodgrass.

Volunteer firefighters from the Fort Davis area battled the blaze before calling for reinforcements from the Texas Forest Service. Among the hundreds of responders were two from St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church (St. Michael) in Blanco, a vibrant mission in the heart of the Texas Hill Country.

Neither knew the other was there, much less that they were both wildland firefighters.

As associate director of land conservation for The Nature Conservancy, Dan Snodgrass oversees all 37 Nature Conservancy properties in Texas. When that bolt of lightning struck on April 24, 2012, he took a special interest in it. The fire was on the Davis Mountains Preserve -- one of his preserves.

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The Davis Mountains Preserve is among the most unique and majestic areas of Texas.

With elevations from 5,000 feet to the 8,378-foot summit of Mount Livermore, the preserve is an isolated “sky island” of diverse plant and animal life surrounded by the expansive Chihuahuan Desert.

Since 1997, The Nature Conservancy has managed to cobble together a 32,000-acre tract carved out of the U Up U Down Ranch and other properties. Another 70,000 acres are protected in conservation easements adjacent to the preserve.

Snodgrass, like many Nature Conservancy employees, has undergone the same rigorous wildland fire fighting training and certification that professional firefighters undertake.

“We slip right in with them,” he said.

So when he received word that the fire was burning his preserve, he grabbed his Nomax protective clothing, hardhat and headed to the fire from his home in Johnson City, Texas.

As Snodgrass rushed to the fire, a call went out to Hunter Wistrand, a retired U.S. Forest Service ranger and firefighter now in his sec-

Aircraft ranging from large tankers to singleengine planes and helicopters were brought in to drop water and retardants on the fire.

Hot shots – those 20-person crews that cut fire lines by hand – arrived from as far away as Virginia and started scratching out a sixmile fire break to keep the blaze from spreading. A professional caterer was even called in to feed hundreds of empty stomachs.

On this fire, Snodgrass and other Nature Conservancy employees supported the operation by providing water, housing and strategic advice about how to fight the fire on preserve property.

The biggest threat was to the isolated Davis Mountains Resort, an eclectic subdivision of 250 permanent residents and 400 absentee landowners adjacent to the Nature Conservancy and downwind from the fire.

One morning, as Snodgrass reviewed the action plan for that day’s fire fighting, he noticed Wistrand’s name. “I saw his name there and thought, ‘I know that name,’ but couldn’t place it. Then at the morning briefing I saw Hunter,” Snodgrass said.

“I looked out in the crowd and saw Dan,” Wistrand said. “I shook his hand and asked

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Features him what he was doing there.” Snodgrass asked Wistrand what he was doing there.

“He didn’t know I worked for the Texas Forest Service and I didn’t know he worked for The Nature Conservancy,” Wistrand said.

“Wildland fire fighting is a small world,” Snodgrass said. “Here you are out in the middle of nowhere and you have three people – me, Hunter and Paul Hanneman – all associated with one little Episcopal church.”

When the Livermore Ranch Complex fire was finally out, it left 13,665 acres burned in and around the Davis Mountains Preserve and another 10,576 acres charred around nearby Spring Mountain. No structure was lost or damaged at the Davis Mountains Resort.

Although fire is “mostly a good thing” for the environment, Snodgrass said the preserve “lost quite a few ponderosa pines we’d rather not have lost.” But the land’s generational recovery will present huge opportunities for researchers to study its rebound, he said.

The son of lifelong Episcopalians, Snodgrass grew up in Brownfield, Texas; attended Texas Tech University; majored in wildlife management; and has been at the Conservancy for some 15 years. Johnson City doesn’t have an Episcopal Church, so he, his wife Aylin, two children, mother, and brother drive 15 miles south to church in Blanco at St. Michael.

Wistrand, also a lifelong Episcopalian, grew up in Colorado City in the rolling grass and scrub brush of West Texas where there wasn’t a forest and barely a tree in sight.

How did he end up fighting forest fires?

“When I was in 9th grade, they gave us an aptitude test. Mine showed that I had an aptitude for either a forester, game warden or dentist,” he said. “I knew I didn’t want to spend my career looking down somebody’s throat. So I went into forestry.”

After graduating from Stephen F. Austin State University in the Piney Woods of East Texas, he went to work for the U.S. Forest Service. His first assignment was spraying Southern pine beetles with insecticide. “I’d come home drenched in insecticide,” he said.

“I’m lucky I don’t have cancer.”

His next job was hauling trash and cleaning restrooms. “That was a step up from spraying pine beetles,” he said.

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The

Church News The year he got out of college, he went on his first fire in the Santa Fe National Forest, doing the grueling work of cutting fire lines by hand. “When you’re 22, you don’t even think about how hard it is,” he said.

As he advanced in his career, he had a variety of forest service assignments that took him from Texas to Florida to New Mexico before ending up in Flagstaff, Arizona, where his entire job was centered on fire fighting.

After a 29-year career, he retired in 2001 and moved with his wife Virginia to Spring Branch, south of Blanco, to be near family. His daughter Laura has taught Sunday School at St. Michael for two years, and Virginia serves on the altar guild and as an acolyte. The Wistrands bring a passel of grandkids to church with them.

In addition to responding to calls from the Texas Forest Service, Wistrand teaches fire training courses across the nation. He finds life as a semi-retired fire fighter enjoyable.

“There’s no conference calls, no budget meetings, no staff meetings. No meetings of any kind,” he said with a smile.

“[While] sitting on a peak at night time, there is nothing prettier than watching the sparkle of a wildfire burning on a hillside with the stars above.”

said. “Usually it’s a two-week detail, all day, every day. It’s all about fire.”

In the quietness of an evening, though, Wistrand does take a moment or two to ponder the immensity of nature around him. “I make the connection with God by sitting on a mountain,” he said. “This may sound odd, but sitting on a peak at night time there is nothing prettier than watching the sparkle of a wildfire burning on a hillside with the stars above.”

“Fire is a natural force like tornadoes, hurricanes, and volcanos,” he said. “I don’t think the good Lord put these forces here to harm us. I look at fire as a beneficial thing, not a destructive force.”

When he looks at the power of a fire burning through the lands, “that kind of scenery really puts things in perspective about how little influence we have as a single person and who’s really running things here.”

In his reflections, Snodgrass thinks about environmental stewardship. “I love the outdoors. The church makes me think about that. It’s a way to fulfill both my personal and church missions,” he said.

Mike Patterson is a freelance writer and member of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Blanco.

Despite the rigorous work, fighting fires “is a lot of fun actually,” Snodgrass said. “Most everybody who does it enjoys it.

It’s hard work. It’s exciting. It’s a real sense of accomplishment. It’s a finished product, if you will.”

Although devout Episcopalians, neither has much time to think about spiritual matters while on a fire.

“There’s no opportunity for church or prayer,” Snodgrass

July/August 2012

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Church News

Follow DWTX communication from General Convention at http://gencon12-dwtx.org/

The Episcopal Church General Convention 2012 July 5-12

Bringing the actions of General Convention to you...

Follow DWTX communication from General Convention at http://gencon12-dwtx.org/ agreed on its form of governance and its pattern of worship, both of which endure to this day.

All bishops of The Episcopal Church, active and retired, are entitled to seat, voice, and vote in the House of Bishops (except for consent to elections of bishops, upon which only diocesan bishops may vote). Each of The Episcopal Church’s domestic and overseas dioceses—as well as the Convocation of Churches in Europe—is entitled to elect eight deputies (four lay persons and four priests and/or deacons) to the House of Deputies.

Read more about the bicameral legislature at http://gencon12-dwtx.org.

The Church Gathered: An Introduction to General Convention

For the 77th time since its founding, the en-

tire Episcopal Church will gather in General Convention in July. Some 800-plus deputies, nearly 300 bishops, 500 volunteers, and hundreds more exhibitors and visitors will gather for eight days in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 5-12, following the structure established by the first convention of The Episcopal Church in Philadelphia in 1785.

House of Bishops & House of Deputies Uniquely for its time, the first General Convention settled on a bicameral house in which elected (rather than royally appointed) bishops would make up one house and lay and ordained deputies (equally represented) would make up the other house. That convention began work on a constitution and a revision of The Book of Common Prayer.

Within ten years the General Convention had

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Much of the work of convention is carried out by legislative committees. Committees hold hearings at which bishops, deputies, alternate deputies, and registered visitors can speak. Before sending a resolution on to the floor of Convention, a committee can take one of several actions: recommend acceptance as is, ask to be discharged from considering it, amend it, combine like resolutions, or recommend non-acceptance. Each resolution is sent to one of the two Houses (Bishops or Deputies) which can then amend it before sending it on or pass it and send it to the other house. Every resolution must pass both houses in the exact same language. Non-controversial resolutions are put on the “daily consent calendar” and acted on by voice vote en masse. Resolutions that are not addressed before adjournment, this year July 12, die.

The committees, commissions, agencies and boards (CCABs), that work between general conventions, submit their reports in the “Blue Book,” a tome of over 750 pages. It is available electronically this year and can be downloaded from http://www.generalconvention.org/gc/prepare.

The House of Bishops and House of Deputies meet, deliberate, and vote—separately—on resolutions that come before each body. To be

enacted, resolutions must pass both houses in the same language. Both houses have the right to amend legislation, but any amendment must be accepted by the other house.

Read more about the path of a resolution at http://gencon12-dwtx.org.

Also see graphic on the path of a resolution, next page.

The House of Bishops is chaired by the Primate of the Episcopal Church, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. The House of Deputies is chaired by the President of the House, Bonnie Anderson.

Read about the election of a new president of the House of Deputies at General Convention this year at http://gencon12-dwtx.org.

Rules of Order Debate on the floor is governed by the Constitution and Canons of the Church, Rules of Order for each house, Joint Rules of Order (that apply to both houses), and Roberts’ Rules of Order. Deputies are expected to listen respectfully to the views of others and to adhere to the rules, which require, for example, that persons of different points of view alternate at microphones.

Spirituality General Convention meets prayerfully. Each morning bishops, deputies, registered alternates and delegates to the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) Triennial Meeting, and visitors gather for Bible study and Holy Eucharist. Both the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops have chaplains who lead their houses in regular prayer at the beginning and end of sessions and daily at noon.

Chaplains are also asked to pray before the enactment of important legislation. Organizations within the Church sponsor additional worship services, while volunteers staff a prayer room in which there is continual intercession for the work of convention.

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You Are Represented

May be introduced by

Standing Commissions of the Church

Bishops

Deputies

Diocesan councils or conventions

It may seem like a long way from your church pew to Indianapolis – literally and figuratively – but every Episcopalian is actually represented at General Convention.

Each parish elects some of its members to manage its finances and property – the vestry. Those members choose a rector to lead them in worship, teach them about the Christian life, help them minister in Christ’s name to the world and counsel them in times of need. (In a mission congregation, like components are the bishop’s committee and the vicar, both of which are appointed by the diocesan bishop.)

A geographic cluster of congregations is formed into a diocese, and each congregation supports and is involved in the life of the diocese. The people and clergy of a diocese elect a bishop, chosen from among the clergy, to lead their diocese. The bishop, in consultation with the laity and clergy, chooses people to serve as priests and deacons.

Annually, the clergy of the diocese and lay representatives of each congregation gather in a diocesan council or convention. Councils elect diocesan leaders, set diocesan policy, approve a diocesan budget, and elect representatives every three years to represent the diocese at General Convention.

The bishops of the Church and representatives of each of the Church’s 110 dioceses then gather every three years in the Church’s General Convention. Together the deputies and bishops agree on the canons that set broad boundaries and hold the clergy and members of the church accountable to each other. Together the entire Episcopal Church accomplishes ministry that can be carried out more effectively with shared resources.

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They are initially received by the presiding officer of one house or the other (The Presiding Bishop in the House of Bishops and the President in the House of Deputies)

There they are debated and can be amended and sent back to the originating house

The originating house votes on the resolution and, if passed, refers it to the other house.

or accepted and sent back to the originating house

The second house then debates it concur and can

and are sent to a legislative committee.

The committee can also recommend non-concurrence or ask to be discharged from any responsibility.

Usually similar resolutions on a subject are blended into one.

not concur

amend it and send it back to the originating house where it is further debated and voted upon.

All resolutions must be passed by both houses to be adopted.

Resolutions at General Convention 2012 The Diocesan Communications Team will report on amendments to and final decisions on significant resolutions on our blogsite at http://gencon12-dwtx.org. You may also follow the status of each resolution at General Convention here: http://www.generalconvention.org/gc/ resolutions.

July/August 2012

Follow DWTX communication from General Convention at http://gencon12-dwtx.org/

• audio reports from our bishops • communication from deputies • articles from communications team

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Follow DWTX communication from General Convention at http://gencon12-dwtx.org/

The Issues General Convention 2012 To read more about the following significant issues and proposed resolutions, please visit our blogsite at http://gencon12-dwtx.org.

Trial Use of Same-Gender Blessings

The Episcopal Church Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) will ask General Convention for a three-year trial use of a liturgy for same-gender blessings beginning this Advent.

During that same time period the church also will reflect on its understanding of marriage in light of changes in both societal norms and civil law, according to the Rev. Ruth Meyers, SCLM chair.

The question Lillibridge put to the group was, “Honoring the diversity of perspectives regarding the possible actions of General Convention, how can we engage one another in sensitive, sincere, and spiritually-grounded exploration of the implications” of General Convention’s actions.

The SCLM’s decisions are the outcome of 18 months of work in response to the 2009 General Convention’s Resolution C056 that it work with the House of Bishops to collect and develop theological resources and liturgies for blessing same-gender relationships and report to the 77th General Convention in 2012.

Responses from participants, who met in small groups, throughout the day indicated the importance of establishing and maintaining relationships rather than focusing simply on “issues.”

The resolution also will ask for the continuation of a “generous pastoral response to meet the needs of members of this church,” called for in C056, Meyers said, including allowing for adaptation of the rite for local use. The resolution asks the commission to report to the 2015 meeting of convention.

In anticipation of the passage of the resolution, Bishop Gary Lillibridge, on June 8, called together a focus group of about 50 clergy and lay leaders from across the diocese. He told the group that it is his expectation that General Convention, in some form or fashion,

Open Communion

A proposal from the Diocese of Eastern Oregon to allow the Episcopal Church congregations to “invite all, regardless of age, denomination, or baptism to the altar for Holy Communion” would pave the way for the elimination of Canon 1.17.7, which says “no unbaptized person shall be eligible to receive Holy Communion in this Church.”

Eastern Oregon’s Resolution C040 is one of two resolutions on this topic the convention will consider when it meets July 5-12 in Indianapolis. The Diocese of North Carolina has proposed a longer-term look at the issue. Resolution C029 calls for a special commission to conduct “a study of the theology underlying access to Holy Baptism and Holy Communion” and recommend to the 78th General Convention any amendment to Canon 1.17.7 it believes is needed.

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will authorize -- but likely not mandate – the trial-use liturgies. In calling together the focus group, Lillibridge said he wants the diocese “to be prepared for a prayerful, reflective, and theologically meaningful discussion of the actions of General Convention.”

“We discovered that our values are deeper than our emotions,” said one group. “We looked at how we can get our emotions out of the way so we can connect at the values level.”

There was recognition that the people of this diocese have repeatedly chosen to focus on mission above differences. “Our polarizing issues have been mitigated when we focus on mission,” said another group. Participants agreed that they hope decisions of the diocese will be made based on faith, not fear.

Lillibridge said he plans to call the group back together following General Convention, saying, “We have important work ahead of us.”

The texts of both resolutions are available at http://www.generalconvention.org/gc/resolutions. Eastern Oregon’s is accompanied by a diocesan statement explaining its stance.

This will be the second time in recent years that what is variously called open communion, open table, and communion of the nonor unbaptized has come to convention. In 2006, the General Convention affirmed Canon 1.17.7 (via Resolution D084) and asked for the House of Bishops Committee on Theology and the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music to provide to the 2009 meeting of convention “a pastoral and theological understanding of the relationship between Holy Baptism and eucharistic practice.”

The bishops reported that a study was “on-going” in 2009. This year, the bishops’ theology committee reported in the Blue Book that it is “undertaking a renewed engagement with the theology of the Eucharist.”

Episcopal News Service contributed to this report.

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Church News Anglican Covenant

The Anglican Covenant first was proposed in the 2004 Windsor Report as a way that the communion and its 38 autonomous provinces might maintain unity despite differences, especially relating to biblical interpretation and human sexuality issues. The report came in the wake of the 2003 election of Gene Robinson, an openly gay priest, as bishop of New Hampshire, a development that caused some provinces to declare broken or impaired communion with the Episcopal Church. Following five years of discussion and several draft versions, the final text of the covenant was sent in December 2009 to the communion’s provinces for formal consideration.

The Episcopal Church’s Executive Council announced last October that it would submit a resolution to Convention that would have the church say it is “unable to adopt the Anglican Covenant in its present form.”

Two additional resolutions—from different groups of bishops—have been submitted to Convention.

One resolution proposed by Bishop John Bauerschmidt of Tennessee and endorsed by ten other bishops would commit the church to affirming and adopting the covenant.

Another, proposed by Bishop Ian Douglas of Connecticut and backed by two other bishops,

Change in Structure

The administrative and governance struc-

ture of the Episcopal Church needs to change.

That is the message being sent by at least nine of the church’s CCABs (committees, commissions, agencies, and boards that operate between conventions) and at least 29 of the church’s 110 dioceses, including West Texas.

Some 47 percent of the churchwide budget is now being spent on administration, which, say many, hinders rather than helps the mission of the church.

Many of those diocesan resolutions are based on a model resolution suggested to the House of Bishops in September by Bishop Stacy Sauls, a member of the house who is also the The Episcopal Church’s chief operating of-

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The document’s fourth section, which outlines a disciplinary method for resolving disputes in the communion, has largely been the covenant’s sticking point.

General Convention may decide in July whether to pass, amend and pass, or reject any resolutions it considers.

Some Episcopalians and Anglicans, including the church’s Executive Council, have raised concerns about the covenant being used as an instrument of control, questioning in particular the fourth section and its dispute-resolution process. Some critics have warned that adopting the covenant could result in a two-tier communion.

Many conservative Anglicans also have rejected the covenant, saying that it does not go far enough to bring into line provinces that have taken steps towards the full inclusion of gays and lesbians in the life of the church.

Denominational Health Plan

General Convention will re-visit decisions made at its 2009 Convention regarding health insurance for Episcopal Church employees. Resolution A177, passed in 2009, established the Denominational Health Plan (DHP) which mandated that clergy and lay employees of dioceses, parishes, missions, and church institutions working more than 30 hours a week be provided equal access to health insurance coverage. The plan is to be implemented no later than January 1, 2013.

Since 2009, however, the reality of the financial costs of the plan has become evident, with many churches and other diocesan institutions saying the plan is not financially feasible. While few are against the rightness of providing equal benefits for lay employees and clergy, many churches say they will have to reduce current full-time lay employees to part-time status to avoid covering insurance costs.

At least two resolutions will come before General Convention 2012 asking that the DHP be delayed or suspended. Other resolutions are expected to be submitted before the deadline of 5:00 p.m. July 5.

While Bishop Gary Lillibridge has been a supporter of the covenant, he said he now believes it “has lost its initial momentum” and will likely not be affirmed by the 77th General Convention.

Episcopal News Service contributed to this report. ficer. The model resolution, which the Diocese of West Texas accepted and passed at its Diocesan Council in February 2012, would have Convention call for a special commission to present “a plan to the church for reforming its structures, governance, administration, and staff to facilitate this church’s faithful engagement in Christ’s mission . . .”

Sauls told the church’s Executive Council at its April meeting that he wants to talk “about putting everything on the table and rebuilding the church for a new time that has no precise historical precedent.” He added that he wants to concentrate “not about the panic of our declining numbers but about how we strengthen what is working best out there and make what is strong stronger so that the strong can serve the less-than-strong.”

Representing the Diocese of West Texas at General Convention The Rt. Rev. Gary Lillibridge The Rt. Rev. David Reed Clergy Deputies: David Read Paul Frey Don Lee Lisa Mason

Clergy Alternates: Matt Wise David Chalk Stockton Williams Chuck Woehler

Lay Deputies: Drew Cauthorn Marthe Curry Susan Hardaway Richard Mosty

Lay Alternates: Carrie Guerra John Warren Kelley Kimble Elizabeth Cauthorn

July/August 2012

Follow DWTX communication from General Convention at http://gencon12-dwtx.org/

Three resolutions, each calling for partially different responses to the proposed Anglican Covenant, will come before the 77th General Convention when it meets July 5-12 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

would encourage a more via media approach, “embracing” the preamble and first three sections of the four-section document, urging continued study, and committing the church to ongoing participation in the covenant process.

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Mother’s Day Offering 2012

Church News Last name

First Name

Honoree

Advent, Alice

Good Shepherd, George West

Grace, Llano Advent, Brownsville Grace Church, San Antonio

All Saints, Pleasanton

All Saints, San Benito

Grace, Weslaco

Grace, Cuero

Messiah, Gonzales Annunciation, Luling

Ascension, Montell

Christ Church, San Antonio

“Lived to 95. Loved jewelry, golf, her grandkids, and her great-grandkids. We all miss her so much.” Glynda Christian on mother Mona Storey No Church Specified

Emmanuel, Lockhart

Other

Epiphany, Raymondville

As provided by the Department of World Mission.

10 July/August 2012

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...benefitting World Mission Our Savior, Aransas Pass

Reconciliation, San Antonio

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St. Christopher’s, Bandera

St. Christopher’s by the Sea, Portland

St. David’s, San Antonio Redeemer, Eagle Pass

I honor my “girls” – daughter and daughter-in-law – for they bear the heart of our family’s love.”

Marjorie George on mothers Jennifer and Jamie Resurrection, San Antonio

St. Alban’s, Harlingen

St. Elizabeth’s, Buda

St. Andrew’s, Corpus Christi

St. Francis, Canyon Lake

St. Andrew’s, Port Isabel

St. Barnabas, Fredericksburg

“She gets me to school and is always there when I get home. She makes the best popcorn and brocolli divan. I’m going to beat her in chess one day!” James Heeg on mother Alice

St. Bartholomew’s, Corpus Christi

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July/August 2012

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Mother’s Day Offering 2012

St. Francis, San Antonio

St. Mark’s, San Antonio

St. Francis, Victoria St. Mark’s, San Marcos

St. George, San Antonio St. Matthew’s, Edinburg

St. Matthew’s, Universal City St. Helena’s, Boerne St. James, Del Rio

St. Matthias’, Devine St. John’s, McAllen

“She turned 100 on May 16th. She is still mentally sharp and has spread the Gospel her entire life no matter where she is.”

Larry and Ellen Stone on mother Ruth Stone St. Paul’s, Brady St. John’s, New Braunfels

St. Margaret’s, San Antonio

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St. Paul’s, San Antonio

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...benefitting World Mission St. Peter’s, Rockport

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St. Thomas, San Antonio

St. Philip’s, San Antonio

St. Philip’s, Uvalde

“She was a great mother, housewife, neighborhood mother, and the best friend you could ever ask for.”

Barbara Watson on mother Shirley Sts. Peter and Paul, Mission

St. Philip’s, Beeville

St. Stephen’s, San Antonio

Trinity, Pharr

Undisclosed

St. Thomas, San Antonio

“My mother was rather sickly and had to repeat several grades of school. Eventually, she dropped out. Mom taught herself a lot through Reader’s Digest’s ‘It pays to increase your word power.’

She graduated high school in her 60s. Mom is now in her 80s and I am very proud to be her daughter.” Jo Ann Dalgard on mother Zulema Chavez Baugh Mother’s Day Offering donations received after the deadline for this issue of The Church News will be acknowledged in the September/ October issue.

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July/August 2012

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Features

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Church News

St. Francis’ Outreach to the Refugee Community

By Scott Huddleston

St. Francis, San Antonio, is harnessing an

amazing level of support from nonprofits, volunteer groups, and other faith communities in improving the lives of international refugees that live near the church campus.

The latest outpouring of compassion came in the form of a new playing field, installed in recognition of the St. Francis’ welcoming seven-acre campus and programs created in the spirit of the parish mission: Celebrating God’s Love with Everyone.

Refugee children and other youths from the neighborhood have spent many hours playing soccer and other sports in a field by a grove of oaks at St. Francis. But the recent drought left the ground bare – a dusty dirt field when it was dry, a mud pit when it rained.

When a Center for Refugee Services (CRS), a nonprofit that operates near the church and South Texas Medical Center, board member told fellow members of Oak Hills Church in San Antonio of the problem, Oak Hills bought a huge expanse of grass sod. Teenagers from Oak Hills and a group of high school student volunteers laid the turf during spring break.

Photo submitted by Scott Huddleston.

“The kids really are the future.”

“I’ve met kids who spent their whole lives in refugee camps, where poor living conditions are prevalent,” said Joyce Baker, a St. Francis parishioner and board member of the CRS. But among the refugee children who escaped violence and poverty through relocation by the United Nations and Catholic Charities, dozens will graduate from high school this spring, Baker said. As with the children of Vietnamese refugees who sought asylum in America after the Vietnam War, many will become successful professionals, she added.

“They’re just so bright,” Baker said. “And they learn so quickly. The kids really are the future.”

The congregation of St. Francis, currently with an average Sunday attendance of less than 200, has come to embrace community outreach. The church’s mission statement, “Celebrating God’s Love,” was lengthened in

14 July/August 2012

St. Francis held a school supplies drive and distributed items to about 100 children at an apartment complex near the church. Many of the children were refugees. recent years to include “with Others,” and then, “with Everyone,” to denote a commitment to making boundless connections outside the parish.

The surrounding northwest side neighborhood of San Antonio has become the home to an estimated 5,000 refugees. Many live within walking distance of St. Francis.

The neighborhood, like those in many other U.S. cities and communities in Canada, Australia, and developed nations of Europe, has been transformed by the arrival of immigrant refugee families. Some are Christian, and some are followers of Muslim, Hindu, or other religions.

St. Francis also has hosted a summer camp provided by the city of San Antonio and Family Service Association for 300 children ages 6-14. Many of them are refugees. Parishioners have raised scholarship funds for the summer enrichment program, which is provided on a sliding fee scale.

refugees grow their own fresh vegetables. St. Francis parishioners purchased and handed out school supplies last August for about 100 children, many of them refugees, and collected roughly 1,000 coats, sweatshirts, and other winter outerwear for distribution last December.

The church also has worked with the San Antonio Food Bank and UT Health Science Center to offer food and medical clinics to the refugees and others in need.

The end game, said Baker, is to help refugees attain self-sufficiency and live the American dream. They no longer will be called refugees.

“They will make major contributions to our society,” Baker said.

Scott Huddleston is a former vestry member and 2011 outreach chairman at St. Francis.

A year ago, St. Francis joined University United Methodist Church, First Baptist Church, and Catholic Charities to create its International Community Garden, where

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Around the Circuit

From the Rt. Rev. Andrew C. Doyle, Bishop of the Diocese of Texas Accept my gratitude to the “people of the Diocese of West Texas for their donation to the victims of the Bastrop fire. As you have probably heard, one of the homes that was destroyed in that fire was that of the rector of Calvary Church, the Rev. Lisa Hines, and her husband, the Rev. Chris Hines.

“I know I speak for the members of this diocese when I say that we are grateful for the love and affection shown between our two dioceses in the past. This gift is testimony to the strength of that feeling.”

Church News Happy 90 and Beyond St. David’s, San Antonio, celebrated their second annual 90s Birthday Party on Pentecost Sunday. St. David’s is blessed to have 17 parishioners, ages 90 and above. At the celebration, they gave thanks for the many ways the parishioners have given of themselves to the community and beyond. They sang favorite hymns and broke bread (okay, cake) together. The hope and steadfast faithfulness the honorees have offered has provided St. David’s the foundation upon which they continue to grow. “Their witness empowers us to be and continue to become who God is calling us to be as a people and a place in which Christ is encountered,” said the Rev. Lisa Mason, rector of St. David’s.

In Memory of Kolda The congregation of St. Bartholomew’s, Corpus Christi, recently presented Josie Alvarez, principal of the new Zachary Kolda Elementary school, with a check for $1,200. Zachary Kolda was an acolyte at St. Bartholomew’s and very involved in the Episcopal Youth Community (EYC). Kolda was killed in action in Iraq on December 1, 2004. The money will be used to purchase a bench with a plaque and placed outside the school. It will also be used to begin a special section in the library dedicated to Kolda.

The mascot of the new school is a Kolda Cadet: “Marching a Noble Path of Excellence.”

NAMI’s Family to Family Proves Beneficial

NAMI Walks for the Mind of America

A study funded by the National Institute of Mental Health recently found that the Family-to-Family (F2F) program sponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) can “specifically improve a family’s ability to cope with an ill relative’s mental disorder.” This study was published in June 2011 in Psychiatric Services, a Journal of the American Psychiatric Association.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) will have its annual NAMI Walks for the Mind of America Saturday, October 6, 2012, in Brackenridge Park, Koehler Pavillion, begining at 7:30 a.m. with registration and the walk at 9:00. All funds collected by walkers will be used to fund NAMI’s programs in San Antonio and surrounding areas. These include support, education, and advocacy for people living with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, and other serious mental illnesses. Many of these people are poor or indigent. Mental illness strikes one person in four in America today. It is a major health care crisis.

Please join us to show your support of our efforts to reduce stigma and discrimination. If you would like to donate to the walk you may go online to http://namiwalks.nami.org/FAITHINMENTALHEALTH. The Mental Health Ministries of St. Francis and St. George, San Antonio, are combining their efforts with the Faith in Mental Health Team, which you may designate to online, or if you prefer, by referring to Jerry Fulenwider on the memo line of your check to NAMI San Antonio, Christ Episcopal Church, 510 Belknap Place Rm 242, San Antonio, TX. 78212, 210-734-3349. Your contribution is tax deductible.

The F2F educational and support program is a free 12-week course offered by NAMI to family members of a mentally ill relative. NAMI has an office in San Antonio, as well as surrounding areas within our diocese.

In the study conducted, half of the participants began the F2F program immediately and half were waitlisted for at least three months.

“Compared to the waitlisted group, F2F participants showed significantly greater improvements in coping with their ill relative’s condition by learning more about the illness and gaining a sense of empowerment in the family, service system, and community.”

If your church would like more information on the Family-toFamily program through NAMI or information on how you can host a group, please contact Jerry Fulenwider, leader of the mental health ministry within the diocesan Christian Faith in Action department at fulenwiderj@gmail.com.

Reference: Dix LB, Lucksted A, Medorff DR, Burland J, Stewart B, Lehman AF, Fang LJ, Sturm V, Brown C, Murray-Swank A. Outcomes of a randomized study of peertaught family-to-family education program for mental illness. Psychiatric Services.

2011 June 62(591-597).

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July/August 2012

Photos submitted by respective churches.

Thank you

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FYI - Seminars, Conferences, Workshops, Retreats For details and online registration (when available) for these events, visit the diocesan website at www.dwtx.org and click on “Special Events” or “Church and Other Events” located under the “Events and Calendar” tab, unless noted otherwise.

July

August

September

Episcopal Night at the Ballpark, July 25 The annual night at Nelson Wolff Baseball Stadium in San Antonio will be on July 25. A picnic on the grounds will be available from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.; the game will start at 7:05. The San Antonio Missions will play the Corpus Christi Hooks. For ticket information, contact Leigh Saunders at leigh.saunders@dwtx. org or 210-824-5387.

Happening #122 August 3-5 Happening #122 will be held FridaySunday, August 3-5 at St. Luke’s, San Antonio. Start time is 7:00 p.m. on Friday, and the retreat will end by 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. For questions regarding Happening contact Beki Treadway at btreadway@austin.rr.com; for questions regarding registration contact Jean Beere at jean.beere@dwtx.org.

Father-Son Retreat September 7-9 The annual Father Son Retreat will take place Friday-Sunday, September 7-9, at Camp Capers, a weekend of play, rest, laughter, and love. Boys ages six through 18 are welcome along with their fathers or other male figures in their lives. Cost is $80.00 per son and $120.00 per father.

Online registration is available at www. dwtx.org.

Episcopal Night at the Ballpark in Corpus Christi, July 31 The annual night at Whataburger Field in Corpus will feature the Corpus Christi Hooks vs. the San Antonio Missions on Tuesday, July 31; game start time is 7:05 p.m. To purchase a ticket contact Wayne Sykora at 361-877-6983 or St. Bartholomew’s church office in Corpus Christi at 361-991-2954.

HIS Love #122 August 4-5 HIS Love #122 will be held Saturday and Sunday, August 4-5 at St. Mark’s, San Antonio. Start time is 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and the retreat will end at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. For questions regarding HIS Love, please contact Judy Quisenberry at 956-357-3207. If you need help with registration, contact Jean Beere at jean. beere@dwtx.org.

Mother-Daughter Retreat September 14-15 The annual Mother Daughter Retreat will be held Friday-Sunday, September 14-16, at Camp Capers. The retreat is for girls ages six to 18 and their mothers or other women figures in their lives with arts and crafts, swimming, kayaking, worshiping and praying together. Cost is $80.00 per daughter and $120.00 per mom. Online registration is available at www.dwtx.org.

Diocese to Reduce Withdrawals from its Endowments to Four Percent

The Trustees of the Episcopal Church Corporation in West Texas (Trustees) have decided to reduce annual withdrawals from diocesan endowment accounts beginning in 2013. These withdrawals are used in the diocesan operating budget to help fund our Mission and Ministry. For the past 12 years, annual withdrawals have been five percent of the average balances of the endowment accounts for the trailing three-year period.

The decision of the trustees will reduce this withdrawal rate gradually over four years so that by 2016 the rate will be four percent.

The decision was made based upon the recommendation of the Directors of the

16 July/August 2012

Episcopal Church Foundation in West Texas (Foundation). The Foundation is responsible for investing and managing diocesan funds. The five percent historic withdrawal rate was based upon assumptions about investment gains and the inflation rate and provided for account growth over time.

While the Foundation’s investment results since 2000 have been very good—better than most other investment managers— stock markets have not measured up to their historical long-term averages. Consequently, investment gains in the endowment accounts have been less than expected.

After much discussion and deliberation, the Foundation Directors concluded that in order to be good stewards of the endowments, a change in the amount of annual withdrawals was needed. The trustees ac-

cepted the director’s suggested reduction schedule of 4.7 percent in 2013, 4.4 percent in 2014, 4.2 percent in 2015, and 4 percent in 2016. Making this change over four years will lessen the impact on the diocesan budget. Even with the reduced withdrawal rate, authorized withdrawals from the accounts in 2013 will be greater than the authorized withdrawals this year—this is due to the effect of the three-year averaging process.

The trustees felt it important to communicate this change to all churches so that churches could evaluate their own endowment spending levels in light of their individual investment results. For more information or to discuss your congregation’s investment results, please contact Dan E. Butt at DEButt@aol.com.

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