Vol. 1, No. 2, Oct. 2006

Camp Allen meeting affirms Windsor Report

Twenty-one bishops who met for four days at Camp Allen, near Navasota, Texas, have sent a letter to the Episcopal Church House of Bishops (click here to read the full letter) saying the 2006 General Convention did not "adequately respond" to requests made of the Episcopal Church by the Windsor Report. Those requests include "explicit moratoria regarding church discipline and order," says the letter, dated September 22. The letter expresses "regret, on behalf of ourselves, for those actions with which the Windsor Report was concerned."

The bishops, who had gathered at Camp Allen at the invitation of Bishop Don Wimberly, Diocese of Texas, said they intend to work within the Episcopal Church and within the Anglican Communion.

The bishops, said Bishop Gary Lillibridge, had all arrived in agreement that the Windsor Report is the best way forward "as we navigate through these challenging days." They also arrived, said Lillibridge, "knowing that we were not going to 'fix' the challenges" before the church today. The purpose of the meeting was to bring together "a wide group of bishops under the Windsor 'umbrella' for conversation and common cause."

The group also sent a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury about their concerns and hopes. Two bishops from England attended the Camp Allen meeting with the knowledge of the Archbishop.

For a full statement from Bishop Lillibridge written on September 22, click here.

Reaching Out Budget clarification

At its most recent meeting on September 18, the diocesan Executive Board clarified designations to items 1a (The Episcopal Church) and 1b (Missionary Work Outside the Diocese) of the 2007 Reaching Out Budget.
Information given to churches previously stated that if a congregation does not designate 14.83 percent of its Reaching Out budget apportionment to either item 1a or 1b, that portion would go to The Episcopal Church. Instead, the Executive Board has determined that failure to designate will result in half of the 14.83 percent going to item 1a and half going to item 1b. Please note this as you make your Reaching Out budget deliberations, the results of which are due in the diocesan office by November 1.

PB investiture to be webcast

The investiture service of Presiding Bishop-Elect Katherine Jefferts Schori on November 4 will be available by webcast. The service will be carried live beginning at 11 a.m. (Eastern Time) and continuing through the liturgy's conclusion, expected around 1:15 p.m. The webcast will have a direct link on the Episcopal Church website homepage, http://www.episcopalchurch.org, that will go live shortly before the service begins. It is being produced by the Episcopal Church's Office of Communication in collaboration with the Washington National Cathedral.

"Our plan has been to make the investiture as widely accessible as possible," said Michael Collins, the church's director of broadcast and multimedia communication. "By presenting the event as a webcast we can insure that the service is readily available to anyone with an Internet connection."

The webcast will be available in Windows Media Player and Real Player formats in both high bandwidth and low bandwidth options as well as an audio only version. Interested parties with a tuneable satellite receiver will also be able to watch the service in this way. Coordinates will be announced when they become available.

From our churches

Kirkpatrick honored
The Episcopal Day School in Brownsville dedicated the Lee Kirkpatrick Field House on August 25 in honor of a man well known both to the school and Church of the Advent. Walter Lee Kirkpatrick (1942-2003) had a long relationship with both the church and school having served on the Day School Board and as senior warden at the church. His children are graduates of EDS and his widow, Geralyn, serves currently as treasurer for the School Board.

Young boy's legacy
St. George School and church community, San Antonio, gathered September 8 to dedicate their new playing field in the name of a former parishioner. The Steven Trapp Field was named in honor of Steven Trapp, a young boy who died from a rare form of leukemia. Parents David and Lisa Trapp attended the service and spoke of their son; Steven's two older sisters, Emma and Meredith, students at the school, kicked the first two goals into the new soccer goals.

People

The Revs. Doug and Mary Earle have established the Bryan Earle Memorial Fund for the Texas Music Project. Schools may apply to the fund to buy music, instruments, or other items. The introduction to Bryan's page, written by his brother, Jason, describes Bryan as "a Texan and a lover of Texan music" who "savored every kind of music this state can produce."
"It makes us smile to imagine lots of young musicians getting to make music because of Bryan's life and spirit," writes the Rev. Mary Earle. Bryan Earle died on December 26, 2005, at the age of 31.

The Rev. John Lewis has been elected president of the Coalition for Ministry in Daily Life (CMDL), and the Rev. Jane Patterson (both are from St. Mark's, San Antonio and The Work+shop) has been elected to the board of directors. CMDL is an inter-denominational group of church leaders, para-church organizations, independent individuals, seminarians and seminary professors who gather yearly to foster connections between faith and the workplace. For more information on CMDL, visit www.DailyLifeMinistry.org.

Owen Duggan, Minister of Music at Christ Church, San Antonio, is the recipient of a gold award in the 2006 children's resources (infant/toddler) division of National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA), to be announced November 1, for his new CD, An Elephant Never Forgets. Listen to a clip at Duggan's website, www.OwenDuggan.com

The Rev. Ben Wright has accepted a call as rector of St. James' Episcopal Church in Clovis, New Mexico, effective November 1. He will also have responsibility for the High Plains Team Ministry, mentoring three congregations and their priests in Portales, Fort Sumner, and Tucumcari, New Mexico.
Wright has been serving as the canon missioner for the Southern Partnership in Ministry since 2001. In going to New Mexico, Wright says he is returning to a diocese where he was born, baptized, and confirmed.

The Rev. Jonathan Wickham has accepted a call to ministry at St. Mark's, San Antonio, effective in late November. He has been serving as the diocesan Officer for Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the past two years, and, prior to that, was assistant rector at St. George, San Antonio.

Worth Noting

Spiritual Impact of 9/11 has quickly waned
Although church attendance on the Sunday following September 11, 2001, spiked dramatically, a new study by The Barna Group shows that the faith of Americans is virtually indistinguishable today compared to pre-attack conditions. Church attendance was back to pre-attack levels by January 2002 and has remained consistent in the five years since. To read the full report, go to: www.barna.org.

More Notes

Go, see, do