Planting Churches

The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

Luke 10:8

Planting Churches and Forming Campus Ministries

The Diocese of Texas has planted 14 churches during this episcopacy, including four since the last Diocesan Council. Five are at mission status: St. Julian of Norwich, Round Rock; St. Mary Magdalene, Manor; Church of the Cross, Lake Travis; SoCo Episcopal, Austin; and St. Isidore, Spring. St. Julian is searching for property to build a new space as they have outgrown their current space. Church of the Cross dedicated the land for their future home last summer. St. Isidore moved into new permanent space this fall. Over the last four years we have seated three new fellowships: San Romero, Houston; St. Philip the Evangelist, Houston; and Good Shepherd, Stafford. They are joined by four new fellowships at this Diocesan Council, bringing us to a total of seven. Four congregations will get to ring the Great Commission Bell: Holy Family, Humble; Incarnation, Austin; St. Joan of Arc, Pflugerville; and Holy Family, East Downtown Houston. Four more planters are working in the fields, learning their neighborhoods and gathering worship communities. The Rev. Carissa Baldwin-McGinnis and Northside Episcopal are thriving in their own space in Northeast Houston. Joseph Yoo is building a community called Mosaic, in West Pearland, growing in the soil tilled by St. Andrew’s, Pearland. The Rev. Oscar Huerta-Garcia has been charged with planting a Hispanic church in Waco, hosted by St. Alban’s, Waco. Lay planter Maria Bautista began exploring additional areas of northeast Houston outside Beltway 8 last month. Two more planters will be deployed in 2020. The Diocese has over 90 missional communities connected to 44 congregations, reaching 1400 individuals that would not otherwise be connected to the Episcopal Church on a regular basis. Planting Churches

Forming Campus Ministries Four of our five full-time campus missioners were new in the fall semester of 2019. We have one additional part-time campus missioner in the northeast convocation, based in Tyler. Combined with all the volunteer missioners and clergy, we are reaching out to 26 different campuses. There are 80 higher education campuses across the Diocese, and we intend to partner with congregations to reach students at all of them.

Church Planter Goes Viral

The Rev. David W. Peters isn’t just planting a church in Pflugerville; he is reaching out to millions of fans on the internet’s fastest-growing app, TikTok. Especially popular among young people, TikTok is a platform that makes it easy for users to create and share short videos. Peters’ videos adapt viral meme formats to his own experience as a priest. The witty, joyful clips invite viewers to think about church as a relevant and accessible space. Video media is the fastest-growing content young people engage with on social media, and Peters encourages other evangelists to get involved however they can. “I’m going where the people are,” said Peters, in an interview with The Guardian.

PLANTS Incarnation, Austin: led by the Rev. Brin Bon Mosaic, West Pearland: led by Joseph Yoo Northside Episcopal, Houston: led by the Rev. Carissa Baldwin-McGinnis Waco Latino plant is unnamed: led by the Rev. Oscar Huerta-Garcia Northshore Houston plant is unnamed: led by Maria Bautista

FELLOWSHIPS Good Shepherd, Stafford: led by the Rev. Roy Varghese Holy Family, Humble (formerly Generation Park): led by the Rev. John Soard Holy Family, East Downtown Houston: led by Jacob Breeze St. Joan of Arc, Pflugerville: led by the Rev. David Peters St. Philip the Evangelist, Houston: led by the Rev. Agook Kuol

MISSIONS Church of the Cross, Lake Travis: led by the Rev. Paul Johnson San Romero, Houston: led by the Rev. Uriel Lopez SoCo Episcopal, Austin: led by the Rev. Paul Skeith St. Isidore, Spring: led by the Rev. Sean Steele St. Julian of Norwich, Round Rock: led by the Rev. Miles Brandon St. Mary Magdalene, Manor: led by the Rev. Alex Montes-Vela

CAMPUS MISSIONS Austin Canterbury (UT ATX): led by the Rev. Travis Helms Central Canterbury (TAMU): led by the Rev. Rich Nelson The Episcopal Church at Rice: led by the Rev. Sarah Condon The Episcopal Church at SFA: led by the Rev. Ashley Cook Houston Canterbury (UH, TSU): led by the Rev. Charles Graves Northeast Canterbury (UT Tyler): led by Grace Vierling Northwest Canterbury (Baylor): led by the Rev. Keith Pozzuto