Visit Convention Exhibitors and Vendors

4 Saints Episcopal Food Pantry is a start-up ministry of the Fort Worth East Deanery of the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth to be located on the campus of St. Luke’s in the Meadow Episcopal Church, Fort Worth. This ministry is to feed the food insecure on the east side of Fort Worth beginning January 2017. Parishes of the East Deanery are St. Alban’s in Theater Arlington, Arlington, St. Luke’s in the Meadow, Fort Worth, St. Martin in the Fields, Keller, and St. Stephen’s, Hurst, TX. Annabelle Sauer, Girl Scout Troop 3012, an Affiliate Board Member of 4 Saints, will be at the table on Saturday to talk about the food pantry project, invite participants to volunteer at the pantry, distribute brochures, and receive donations toward purchasing food for the pantry ministry.

The Commission on Ministry interviews people in the Diocese of Fort Worth who seek to be ordained as either deacons or priests. We also encourage involvement of church members in God’s work through many of the ministries offered by their parishs.

The Education for Ministry (EfM) program provides people with the education to carry out that ministry. During the Service of Confirmation we ask God to “Renew in these your servants the covenant you made with them at Baptism. Send them forth in the power of the Spirit to perform the service you set before them.” EfM offers an opportunity to discover how to respond to the call to Christian service.

The Episcopal Peace Fellowship (EPF) is a national organization connecting all who seek a deliberate response to injustice and violence and want to pray, study and take action for justice and peace in our communities, our church, and the world. We are called to do justice, dismantle violence, and strive to be peacemakers.

“Episcopal Relief & Development works with Church partners and other local organizations to save lives and transform communities worldwide. We rebuild after disasters and empower people to create lasting solutions that fight poverty, hunger and disease. Working in close to 40 countries, our programs impact the lives of approximately 3 million people around the world.”

Deacon Janet Nocher will have lots of handouts and information for delegates, in addition to a mosquito net display to illustrate efforts to fight malaria.

Based on the holistic model for congregation vitality and stewardship called Holy Currencies, Canon Eric Law will engage participants in the exploration of six “currencies” that are essential for sustainable and missional ministries. The holy currencies are money, time and place, gracious leadership, relationship, truth and wellness. Learning how to flow and recirculate these currencies to form a cycle of blessings will empower congregations to strengthen their internal relationships and to reach out and connect with the diverse populations in their neighborhood

The Rev. Canon Eric H. F. Law, DD is the founder and executive director of the Kaleidoscope Institute, which provides resources to equip church leaders to create sustainable churches and communities. The Kaleidoscope Institute offers consultation, intensive training institutes and local workshops delivering comprehensive leadership programs which include intercultural competency, anti-racism training, building inclusive community, media and faith, community transformation, stewardship and congregation vitality.

Law has been a consultant and trainer for over 30 years working with the Roman Catholic, Episcopal, United Methodist, Presbyterian, American Baptist, United Church of Christ and Lutheran Churches in the United States, Canada, Asia, Australia and Europe. He is the author of 9 books including Holy Currencies, Holy Currency Exchange, The Wolf Shall Dwell with the Lamb (also available in Spanish), The Bush Was Blazing But Not Consumed, Inclusion:Making Room for Grace, and The Word at the Crossings. Law is an Episcopal priest, a composer of church music, a photographer and a playwright. He writes a weekly blog called The Sustainist: Spirituality for Sustainable Communities in a Networked World.

Integrity Fort Worth serves as a conduit for education, fellowship and advocacy in regards to LGBT issues in relation to the church and the community. We will have organizational information available and will recruit new members.

Nashotah House is a seminary of The Episcopal Church, described on its website this way:

As a recognized seminary for the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church in North America, the Episcopal Missionary Church, and the North American Lutheran Church among others, Nashotah House is a center for High Church theology, discipline, and the ideals of the Oxford Movement. Our programs are centered upon orthodox faith, catholic teaching, Anglo-Catholic tradition, evangelical mission, and spirit filled witness. As an institution, we are committed to influencing both the Church and world from a rootedness in the person and work of Jesus Christ, and it is through Christ that, since our founding in 1842, our mission has been able to continue: providing the highest quality of leaders, both lay and ordained, for the mission of the Church.

You can visit Nashotah House on Facebook and view services, music, sermons and programs on the YouTube channel. Podcasts of services at St. Mary’s chapel are also available on several podcasting platforms by searching for Nashotah House.

The Open Table is a church based, life changing model where members of a congregation form a relationship with a person in poverty for a period of one year. Meeting weekly during the year, participants identify and work on their goals with the assistance of trained congregational members. The mission of Open Table is to “train congregation members, through the Open Table Model, to form communities – called Tables – that transform their vocational and life experiences into tools our Brothers and Sisters in poverty can use to develop and implement plans that create change.

This video explains how one person experienced benefit from the Open Table model:

Churches also use the model to work with people in their communities. Lillibridge got involved with the Open Table concept when a member of her congregation, St. David’s in San Antonio, was invited to join a Table. The parishioner listened to a presentation on the Open Table model and signed up on the spot. Lillibridge had the same reaction after hearing about the concept. “I knew immediately that this was a transformational type of thing.” She has served on a Table and has now become an advocate for the model, helping it to spread. “This has got to grow everywhere – it’s amazing.” The model teaches how to come around a person in need, she explains, “how to be in relationship, not to judge.”

Read more in the documents below.

• OpenTable Brochure – an overview of the Open Table model
• Theory of Change – summary of what makes the model work
• Gospel Stories – stories from Table members about how the experience changed them
• Outcomes Report Summary – summary of results from an evaluation study of the model

Paul Fortney will be offering all kinds of religious and spiritual books for sale.

Providence Place is a non-profit and for-purpose organization fostering opportunities. We empower adults with disabilities and people on the adoption journey by supporting independence and building bright futures with endless possibilities. We offer a transitional school for young adults with disabilities to help them gain independent living and job training skills, as well as an adoption program for women in crisis and those families hoping to expand through adoption.

Refugee Services of Texas is a refugee resettlement agency with five offices in Texas in Fort Worth, Dallas, Austin, Houston, and Amarillo. Our Austin office is an affiliate of Episcopal Migration Ministries, and our Fort Worth office has been working closely with the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. We hope to talk with potential church partners and volunteers. Read RST’s blog for recent updates, and read the bishops’ response to the governor’s recent action against supporting refugee resettlement in Texas.

The Refugee Services of Texas Fort Worth office was founded in 1996 and is affiliated with Church World Service and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, which is the partner organization, in this area, to Episcopal Migration Ministries. Since its inception, RST Fort Worth has provided resettlement services to more than 2,500 refugees, asylees, and other displaced persons.

RST Fort Worth offers programs to assist refugees with basic needs and services during their initial resettlement to the U.S. Refugee clients are also provided with case management and financial assistance while they work to meet the challenges of transitioning to the local community.

Here are two additional resources shared at RST’s 2015 Convention workshop:

PowerPoint Presentation given by Refugee Services of Texas (pdf – 2MB)
Orientation Guide for Faith Communities (pdf)

The Seminary of the Southwest is a proud partner in forming priests for the diocese of Fort Worth. At our booth, we’ll have information about our degrees as well as a special activity connected to this year’s theme, On Fire with the Spirit.

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church will have information about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. The main aim of this program is described on the Catechesis website:

“involving adults and children in a common religious experience in which the religious values of childhood (contemplation and enjoyment of God) are predominant.” Other aims include building community among catechists in supporting their work with children in aiding the growth of the spirit of this method of catechesis, establishing rapport with the wider ecclesial community, and encouraging, documenting, and spreading the research related to the religious life of the child through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty would like to give out information about our work here in North Texas, specifically information about our Faith Leader Lobby Day in March of 2017 at the State Capitol in Austin. We’ll have handouts and other resources available.

View a list of films and books discussing the death penalty and learn facts.

To get involved in North Texas, contact Jason Redick at Jason@tcadp.org

 

Texas Impact represents the views of Denominational Bodies, Judicatories and people of faith in the state legislative process on their shared policy concerns. We will provide information about how people of faith can help improve the lives of their neighbors and engage in the process.

Recent topics include these:

• Foster Care in Texas
• Interfaith leaders protest state’s withdrawal from refugee program
• Health Justice Sabbath
• Handguns in houses of worship

The University of the South School of Theology is an Episcopal University owned by 28 Episcopal Dioceses. We will have a table top display along with materials from the University and Seminary.

Thrivent Financial is a membership organization of Christians, our purpose is to strengthen Christian communities by helping members be wise with money and helping them live generously. We help our members align their financial decisions with their values. In addition to the broad array of financial products, Thrivent offers unique volunteer opportunities and programs that help members demonstrate their generosity. Programs such as Thrivent Actions Teams, Thrivent Builds with Habitat for Humanity and Thrivent Choice provide an opportunity for members to volunteer their time and talents for a cause they are about. These are just a few of the benefits of becoming a Thrivent member.