Learning

Learning

There are numerous opportunities for deepening your faith through study and learning offered by each congregation.

Check out the Scripture page, or learn more about prayer.

Would you like to dig more deeply into the Bible, church history, and theology? Check out the Education for Ministry course.

Look into resources for teachers if you’re leading others – or designing study for yourself.

Bible study in Jerusalem with Dr. Wil Gafney

The Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney, the Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School, will lead a 15-day study  July 11-26 at the Notre Dame de Sion Centre for Biblical Formation in Jerusalem. The cost is $3,300 plus airfare. “The fee includes, tuition, accommodation, full board, excursions, domestic travel, entrance fees and gratuities. Registered participants are given access to a program webpage with readings, itinerary, schedule and planning information,” according to the Centre’s website. “The…

The work continues

At the 2019 Diocesan Convention, Bishop Eugene Sutton of Maryland spoke powerfully about racial justice and reparations. The convention responded with a resolution that called for the establishment of a Commission on Racial Justice and Reparations. The pandemic intervened, but the work did not stop. Then the incomprehensible conclusion to our property litigation happened right on the heels of a record cold spell. But even as the people of our diocese grieve, reflect on loss, and, in some cases, get…

What is God’s call for us? Congregation Discernment Process Training scheduled

The Rev. Kevin Johnson, priest in charge at St. Alban’s, Theatre Arlington, will present a training day on the Congregational Discernment Process created for and currently being used by St. Alban’s and presented at a recent Clergy Day gathering. The training is for lay and clergy leaders and will be from 9:30 am to noon on Saturday, October 26, 2019, at the Grey House, All Saints’, Fort Worth.  Please register below. The Grey House is across Penticost Street from All…

Exploring Doctrine of Discovery through lens of baptism

Columbus Day, celebrated on October 12 or the second Monday of October, became a federal holiday in 1937. It commemorates the landing of Christopher Columbus in the Americas in 1492. For an increasing number of Americans, it is a day to learn more about the Doctrine of Discovery. The Doctrine of Discovery first appeared in 1455 as a papal bull giving Portugal permission to invade and colonize West Africa. After Columbus’ voyage to the Caribbean, a similar papal bull was…

Clergy and lay leaders invited to advocacy intensive at border

Texas Impact, part of the Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy, is inviting clergy and lay leaders to a special edition of their popular “Courts & Ports” program. It is a special opportunity for Texas religious leaders to dive deep into immigration and border policy. The event will feature expanded policy presentations and message training, specifically designed to prepare clergy and religious leaders, ordained and lay, to talk to policymakers and media, and also to prepare them to preach to…

Episcopalians invited to join Lutherans at Legislative Event

The 86th Session of the Texas Legislature is underway in Austin and Texas Episcopalians have been invited by Texas Lutherans to join their 2019 Legislative Event from Sunday, March 17, to Tuesday, March 19, at the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin. The Lutherans have done this and the Methodist Women have done a similar event for many years. Registration is $100 and includes all event activities and Sunday dinner and Monday lunch and dinner. Attendees pay their own hotel…

Conference for nonprofit communicators

TCU is offering an inexpensive conference for communicators who work for nonprofits. Communicators for local churches have found this conference to have helpful information for their work. The theme for the  11th Annual TCU Nonprofit Communicators Conference on Friday, May 17, 2019, is Communication for Social Good, Impact, Authenticity & Executive Presence.  It will be at TCU’s Kelly Alumni & Visitors Center, 2820 Stadium Drive, Fort Worth, TX  7610, with free parking is next door to the center, or in the parking garage just north of…

Sacred Ground, a resource on race and faith

On February 1, 2019, The Episcopal Church announced a new film-and-reading based dialogue series on race and faith. This is part of the church’s continuing commitment to racial reconciliation, a priority set by General Convention and upheld by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and President of the House of Deputies Gay Jennings. The series includes the stories of Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian American histories “as they intersect with European American histories. . . Sacred Ground is especially targeted to help white…

Leadership Training Day set for all lay and ordained leaders

All lay and ordained leaders are invited to a Leadership Training Day from 9:30 to 3 pm on Saturday, February 23, 2019,  at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, Keller. Bishop Scott Mayer said, “This is the first leadership training session the diocese has offered in several years, and I urge all vestry members, and clergy in leadership roles in congregations to attend. The workshop topics were planned in response to questions and issues raised by leaders in various congregations so the material…

Cynthia Briggs Kittredge shares how Episcopalians read scripture

The Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, Dean & President and Professor of New Testament of the Seminary of the Southwest, will be the guest preacher and featured speaker at the 2018 Diocesan Convention. Dean Kittredge has a particular focus on forming Chrisian leaders in community for the purpose of enlivening the church and promoting reconciliation. In addition to preaching at our opening worship service, Dean Kittredge will sit down with Bishop Scott Mayer for a ‘fireside chat’ at 7 pm…
logo - Education for Ministry

Register for EfM mentor training in September

2018 EFM mentor training St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Stephenville, TX is hosting a mentor training September 14-16, 2018 for prospective and continuing mentors in the Education for Ministry (EfM) program, as well as others interested in the program. Training options There will be two training events offered: Basic/In Service – Foundations of Seminar Life Vocation Formation Training – Ministry in Daily Life Please be reminded that Sewanee training requirements for experienced mentors may necessitate your taking basic training. All new mentors…

Job Seekers program begins new class on March 12

The Job Seekers program at All Saints’ Episcopal Church begins a new 12-week cycle of free classes on Monday, March 12 at 6:00 p.m. in the church parish hall. The program is open to anyone in the market for a new or more suitable job. There is modest fee for program materials. Session One on March 12 is an ideal time for the job hunter to enroll, but the program can be joined any Monday evening. For more information, contact Fr. Noy Sparks, FrSparks@asecfw.org, or…

Help more people find your church – learn about Google ads

Would you like to experiment with Google ads to make your church or organization easier for people to find online? Google offers several tools for non-profits through a program called Google for Nonprofits (enroll through a site called Tech Soup) and one of the tools available is Google Ad Grants. The Rev. Hunter Ruffin described some benefits of using Google advertising in the 2017 Advent/Christmas edition of the Common Purpose newsletter, and an upcoming webinar geared toward non-profit organizations addresses this…

8th-11th graders: apply for SUMMA Debate Camp at Sewanee

Do you want to dig deeper in your faith? SUMMA Student Theological Debate Society is inviting high school students who will be entering grades 9–12 next fall to apply for SUMMA Debate Camp, held July 17–25 at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. SUMMA Camp is a unique opportunity for students to explore their faith through intellectual channels, meet lifelong friends, and have fun on one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country. At SUMMA Camp,…