News (Page 73)
Bring the TENS annual conference to your congregation – Good news for leaders
For $75 to $150, you can bring the Atlanta-based annual conference of TENS (The Episcopal Network for Stewardship) to your parish hall, or anywhere else you have internet access. The Walking the Way conference can be accessed live in real-time, or delayed anytime between June 6 and June 29.
Motion filed in 141st District Court on April 21, 2014
On Monday, April 21, 2014, attorneys for Local Episcopal Parties filed a Motion for Stay and Response to Motion to Set Aside Order on Defendants’ Motion to Set Supersedeas Bond. The motion begins, “Four years ago, Defendants argued to this Court: `[A] substantial amount of the Court’s time and the parties’ money must be spent—and potentially wasted—if the . . . claims must be tried before there is an appeal.’ The same is true today. Although the Texas Supreme Court reversed this…
Mark you calendars for local CPG workshops – Good news for leaders
Clergy, lay employees, and lay leaders who deal with finance, employee insurance and pensions, and budgets will want to mark your calendars for September 10 and 11, when Church Pension Group (CPG) representatives will visit the Diocese of Fort Worth. The CPG presentations will cover a wide range of topics, selected to address the needs of people in the diocese.
Join the Holy Conversation: Money, Church, and Millennials – Good news for leaders
Stewardship and adults under age 40 are the compelling focus of a Holy Conversation hosted by Brite Divinity School (http://brite.edu/) May 21-23 at the Bass Conference Center in the Harrison Building, 2925 Princeton Street, Fort Worth, Texas. “Let’s talk about connecting the church to young people and helping everyone connect their values to their spending,” reads the invitation from the Center for Faith and Giving, convener of the conversation.
Bishop High issues statement in wake of Texas Supreme Court action
We found out today the Texas Supreme Court denied our motion to stay issuance of mandate. Of course, we had hoped they would respond positively to our request. In the wake of this decision, our legal team is preparing for the hearing next Thursday before Judge John P. Chupp. We will keep you updated as things progress. It is a slow process, but we will continue to move forward. +Rayford B. High, Jr.
Clergy invited to Chrism Mass – Good news for leaders
Tuesday of Holy Week (April 15) is the date of the diocese’s annual “mass of collegiality,” or “Chrism Mass,” and all clergy are cordially invited to attend. The mass, to be celebrated at St. Luke’s in the Meadow, 4301 Meadowbrook Dr., Fort Worth, TX 76103 will begin at 11am, with Bishop Rayford High preaching and presiding.
Episcopal Parties File Motion to Stay Mandate In Anticipation of Appeal to U.S. Supreme Court
On March 25, 2014, the loyal Episcopalians of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth filed a motion requesting the Texas Supreme Court to stay its mandate in anticipation of an appeal to the United States Supreme Court. A copy of the motion is HERE: Emergency Motion to Recall and Stay Issuance of Mandate or to Stay Enforcement of Mandate A copy of the Episcopal Parties’ reply to the breakaway faction’s response is HERE: Reply in Support of Motion to Stay…
“Growing in Faith Together – How Your Church Family Works” workshop April 4&5
On Friday, April 4 and Saturday, April 5, 2014, members of congregations throughout the region are invited to “Growing in Faith Together.” The workshop will be at Trinity Lutheran Church, 3621 Tulsa Way, Fort Worth, TX 76107. This workshop is the first of two workshops to offer congregation and diocesan leaders the opportunity to learn foundations of healthy, vital communities of faith and explore topics such as: How your congregation works and how to keep it healthy Why some working relationships in…
Registration for Steinke Workshop – June
Update: Registration has completed and the form is now offline. Please complete all the fields below and then click the “Register” button ONE TIME ONLY. If your registration is successful, you will see further instructions regarding online payment at the bottom of the screen. If there are any problems with your registration, you will see an error message asking you to fix your entries. Please note that you can only register one person at a time with this form. REGISTRATION…
CANCELLED – Author Barbara Crafton coming to Trinity, Fort Worth
UPDATE: This event has been cancelled due to a sudden injury. Please keep the Rev. Crafton in your prayers. We have no information at this time about plans to reschedule this event, but will keep you informed as soon as there is anything to report. The Rev. Barbara Crafton, an Episcopal priest and acclaimed author and speaker, will visit Trinity Episcopal Church, 3401 Bellaire Drive S, Fort Worth, on March 29 and 30. All sessions are open to the public…
How to avoid having one unhappy person undermine your congregation
Church members frequently refer to their congregations as a family, and the simile is apt in many ways, since churches, like families, are made up of different and interdependent parts: clergy, wardens, lay leaders, members, some of whom are older, some younger, some in families, some single. Nor is this a new understanding – St. Paul pointed it out in 1 Corinthians 12: “The body is a unit … though the parts are many, they form one body.” And when…
Dr. Esther Mombo, lay Anglican theologian from Kenya, will speak Thursday, March 27
Dr. Esther Mombo, a lay Anglican theologian from Kenya, has been invited by Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University to be a guest professor for this term. She is a Henry R. Luce International Scholar and former deputy vice chancellor of academic affairs at St. Paul’s University in Limuru, Kenya. The invitation was the result of a professional connection Dr. Ed Waggoner and the Rev. Canon Janet Waggoner made at Yale Divinity School, a relationship that deepened when they…
Executive Council holds first meeting after deanery reorganization
The Executive Council of the diocese had its first meeting since the reorganization of the deaneries. The meeting on Saturday, March 1, 2014, was hosted by St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Theatre Arlington and held at Covenant Methodist Church in Arlington. At the January 25, 2014, meeting the Executive Council concurred with the revised deanery plan offered by the Rt. Rev. Rayford B. High, Jr., who said he made the revision in order to have a deanery structure “that is…
2014 Executive Council member list updated
The membership of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth changed slightly as a result of the revision of the deanery system, approved by Executive Council in January 2014. Here is the membership as of March 1, 2014. Note: *Members with voice but no vote **Members with neither voice nor vote President: Bishop, Rayford B. High, Jr. First Vice President: VACANT (Canons provide that the Bishop Coadjutor fill this office) Second Vice President: President of the Standing…
New Congregational Grant Requests process announced at Executive Council
At the March 1, 2014, meeting of the Executive Council, Finance Committee member Cherie Shipp reported on a new Congregational Grant Requests approval process “to support the growth in mission and ministry for new or restart of existing congregations. Financial assistance will be provided to supplement clergy compensation and benefits. The goal is to support growth of congregations in their mission and ministry and to help them to self-sufficiency in three years or less.” The process was put in place…
Stewardship network offers workshops, keynotes online
The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS) is inviting congregations across the Untied States to join their 2014 Walking the Way conference via webcast June 6-7. Opening and closing worship, three keynote presentations, and four workshops will be live-streamed from the Atlanta-based conference, and subscribers may participate in real time or watch recorded webcasts at their convenience. The Rt. Rev. Robert Wright, bishop of Atlanta, will offer the first plenary address on Friday afternoon, June 6, after opening worship. His address…