Where have you served?

I have served in the Diocese of Northwest Texas, where I was ordained, as Curate in St. John's/St. Barnabas', Odessa (when they were one yoked parish); Rector of St. Stephen's, Lubbock; Canon to the Ordinary of Northwest Texas (for Bishop Sam Byron Hulsey); Rector of St. Andrew's, Amarillo; and Panhandle Regional Missioner; and the Diocese of Fort Worth, as Dean of All Saints' Cathedral and Head of All Saints' Episcopal School.

Tell us a story of how you have made God's redemptive love known to others?

The times in my ministry that I have made God's redemptive love known to others have always been the times when I was able to get out of the way, so that God could make his love known or use me in some surprising way.

Share your greatest joy in serving God's people.

My greatest joy in serving God's people is, having shared their lives from day to day, to gather them around the Holy Table on the Lord's Day, with all their cares, concerns, and needs, to worship God and be fed with his Word and Sacrament.  

What do you hope for the future of the church?

I have a great deal of hope for the future of the Church, because in the end, God will be in charge. Despite the claims of the nay-sayers, I see many signs of health and vitality in the Church - both at the local level and church-wide, as evidenced by the forward-looking, unifying spirit of the recent General Convention. It made me even prouder to be an Episcopalian, and I am proud of the faithful representation our diocese had from our Bishop and Deputies.

What is your favorite liturgy or prayer in the BCP?

My favorite liturgy in the BCP is the Great Vigil of Easter. It is the most ancient and ecumenical liturgy in the Book of Common Prayer, dating from a time when Christianity was undivided. It is no exaggeration to say that this rite is the hinge-pin of the 1979 Prayer Book, with its renewed emphasis on the Paschal Mystery and our participation in it through Holy Baptism.

What would you tell yourself as a young priest?

I would tell myself as a young priest, "Be more patient."

Do you have a favorite hymn and why is it so special?

My favorite hymn is "O love, how deep, how broad, how high", sung to the beautiful tune, Deus tuorum militum (Hymn 448). The late William Baillie Green, my seminary professor of systemic theology, used to say that this hymn expresses the whole Gospel in a nutshell.  

Please share with us a memory involving children and youth.

My most vivid memories involving children and youth are from conducting chapel services in four Episcopal day schools. My friend Charles Cook (from Northwest Texas), retired professor of pastoral theology at the Seminary of the Southwest, often says, "If you can't express the Gospel in terms understandable to pre-schoolers, you don't understand it well enough." I would add, "If you lead young children in worship regularly, you will understand the Gospel at a deeper level."

How did/do you serve Christ outside the Episcopal Church within your community?

In every community in which I have served, I have participated in and encouraged my parishioners to support mostly ecumenical outreach organizations. They have included women's protective services, day-and-night shelters for the homeless, AIDS ministries, and pastoral counseling centers. Although I believe strongly in parish outreach programs, I think we can usually accomplish more good by uniting with other Christians (and some-times non-Christians) to serve the needs of our communities.

You have been supplying in Fort Worth some.  Can you share with us how that diocese is doing and how retired clergy are a part of its life?

As you know, four years ago the bishop and most of the clergy and parishes of the Diocese of Fort Worth left the Episcopal Church and joined the schismatic "Anglican Church in North America." Since then the diocese has reorganized, with the support of the Presiding Bishop, and retired Bishop of Northwest Texas, Wallis Ohl, is currently serving as the Provisional Bishop.

One of the most exciting dynamics of the reorganization has been the leadership and ministry of the laity, in a diocese which historically was bishop-and-clergy dominated. And without a cadre of retired clergy who came out of retirement to serve as supply clergy, interim rectors, and a host of diocesan offices and committee memberships, the diocese could hardly have survived. The District Court ruled in favor of the Episcopal Church and the loyalist diocese in the lawsuit contesting ownership of the property of the diocese and most of its parishes, and the break-away parties' appeal is expected to be heard by the Texas Supreme Court sometime this fall (perhaps in tandem with the Good Shepherd, San Angelo, case). Meanwhile the faithful remnant of Episcopalians continue to worship and serve, some in their own church buildings, but many more in rented or borrowed space. Please keep them in your prayers, and if you find yourself in the Fort Worth area on Sunday, join them in worship and give them your support.

Finally, what are you doing in retirement?

Since retiring from active service, I have supplied regularly in churches in the Diocese of Northwest and the Diocese of Fort Worth, where I helped with the reorganization of the diocese. I have also served several times as locum tenens in a parish in the Diocese of El Camino Real in California. But my "day job" is cattle ranching: when I retired from the church, Puddin and I moved back to the family ranch in Hemphill County (near Canadian, Texas), where I operate cow-calf and stocker operations. Instead of being a retired priest, I consider myself a non-stipendiary priest who makes his living as a rancher. Puddin and I look forward to my real retirement next year, when for the first time in 42 years (including seminary) we will not be tied to a regular church schedule.

We wish to thank Bill and Puddin for being such an active part of this diocese. His words and their service have touched the lives of many people, and we are blessed by their presence.