Bishop Rayford B. High, Jr., has begun holding a series of town hall meetings with the deaneries of the diocese. All of these meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend. Bishop High is particularly interested in “how each deanery can be more active in ministry and outreach and how the diocese can support and strengthen them.” He will be seeking input from attendees and answering questions.
The first town hall was Wednesday, February 4, with the Northern Deanery in Wichita Falls. At that meeting, among other things, a letter from the Standing Committee was read. It will be shared at all the deanery meetings.
The letter says, in part, “As a Standing Committee, in consultation with the Right Reverend Rayford B. High, Jr., we are convinced that the election of a bishop at this time is not in our best interest as a diocese still in transition and made up of fifteen churches. We are also convinced that we need a longer-term option to fulfill the role of Provisional Bishop in Fort Worth. To that end, we are evaluating different models of ministry for the episcopacy. We feel encouraged by the TREC report from the Reimagining the Episcopal Church working group. We are excited about the different options being weighed to secure Episcopal oversight for the next several years.
“We do not yet know exactly what the end result will be. However, please be assured that our end goal is to secure oversight that will be consistent at least through the conclusion of the lawsuit and all subsequent actions pertaining to that. We are concerned with maintaining the integrity and independence of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. We are convinced that further exploration of our options will prove to be better long-term stewardship of the resources of our diocese without sacrificing the care we feel is needed from a bishop.”
Standing Committee Letter to Deaneries PDF
The town hall with Fort Worth South Deanery will be Tuesday, February 10, 5:30 – 6:30 pm at St Christopher Episcopal Church, 3550 Southwest Loop 820, Fort Worth, TX, 76133. While all deanery meetings are open, members of St. Andrew’s, Fort Worth; St. Christopher & St. Simon of Cyrene, Fort Worth;, Trinity, Fort Worth; St. Mary’s, Hillsboro, and other Episcopalians on the south side of Fort Worth are especially encouraged to attend. For more information, contact the Rev. Edwin Barnett (Dean) at eddie.barnett@edotn.org.
The town hall with the Fort Worth East Deanery will be Thursday, February 19, 7– 8 pm, in the parish hall at St. Luke’s in the Meadow, 4301 Meadowbrook Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76103. Members of St. Luke in the Meadow, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Keller/Southlake; St. Stephen’s, Hurst; St. Alban’s, Arlington; and other Episcopalians in the mid-cities and east side of Fort Worth are especially encouraged to attend. For more information, contact the Rev. Tony Hiatt (Dean) at tonyhiatt@yahoo.com, or Ms. Elizabeth McPherson (Sub-Dean).
The town hall with the Southwestern Deanery will be Sunday, February 22, 2:30 – 3:30 pm at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 595 North McIlhaney Street, Stephenville, TX,76401. Members of the churches in Granbury, Hamilton County, Stephenville, and Parker County and across the southwestern part of the diocese are especially encouraged to attend. For more information, contact any of the officers for 2015: Ms. Jane Dennis (Dean) at dennis@tarleton.edu, or Ms. Marti Fagley (Sub-Dean), Mr. Joe Christopher (Recorder), and the Rev. Curt Norman (Clergy Representative).
The town hall with the Fort Worth West Deanery will be Thursday, February 26, 5:30 – 6:30 pm at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 5001 Crestline Road, Fort Worth, TX, 76107. One item of business will be the election of Executive Council alternates. Members of All Saints, St. Elisabeth’s/Christ the King, Fort Worth; and other Episcopalians in the west side of Fort Worth are especially encouraged to attend. For more information, contact the Rev. Chris Jambor (Dean) at frjambor@asecfw.org.