It is with great joy that I announce our speakers for Triennial 2015 in Midway, Utah! Canon Andrew White, the Rev. Becca Stevens, and Roger Grenier have agreed to be our presenters.  Each of these extraordinary individuals is shining the light of Christ in their respective ministries, and their presence with us will be a great blessing. Here is a little information about each one:

Canon Andrew White

Rev. Becca Stephens

Roger Grenier

Canon Andrew White, "The Vicar of Baghdad," pastors the only Anglican church in Iraq, St. George's, Baghdad, in the face of significant personal threats and repeated bombings.  He is also the founder and president of The Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East and directs the High Council of Religious Leaders in Iraq. Through these relationships of trust and confidence, Canon White has brought together the leaders of opposing sectarian factions, and FRRME has sponsored a number of high-level peace talks among them.  Canon White has been awarded over fifteen International Peace prizes, including the International First Freedom Award. In his words, 'I have been detained at gun-point, been thrown into a room with people's chopped-off fingers and toes all over the floor, and have had my picture posted on walls around Baghdad with a notice saying, "Wanted, dead or alive". Members of my church have been kidnapped or killed. I have lost many friends. It is very difficult but we never give up.' 

The Reverend Becca Stevens is an author, Episcopal priest and founder of Thistle Farms & Magdalene, a non-profit organization of women who have survived prostitution, trafficking and addiction. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Magdalene is the residential program she began in 1997 that serves women for two years without charge and without government funding.  In 2001 Becca founded Thistle Farms, the social enterprise, which currently employs nearly 50 residents and graduates and houses a natural body care line, Paper & Sewing Studios, and Thistle Stop Cafe.  She has been featured in the New York Times, ABC World News, NPR, PBS, CNN and Huffington Post, and Christian Century.  Becca was named a Champion of Change by the White House in 2011 for her work in domestic abuse.

Roger Grenier - After a divine encounter in 1980, Roger answered the call to full-time ministry.  He has spent more than 30 years as an accomplished tenor soloist and music minister, but also as worship consultant and teacher in several church fellowships throughout the U.S.  A gifted singer and musician, Roger is beloved by Daughters around the country who have been blessed by his ministry.  

As if this were not enough to look forward to, we will also have with us at Triennial 2015 our wonderful chaplains - the Right Reverend Sylvester Romero, National Chaplain, and the Right Reverend Bill Skilton, International Chaplain.  And there's more!   Our very own Glory Bound Singers from Texas will help us make a joyful noise to the Lord.

Full details about reservations and registration will be available later this year in a special edition of The Royal Cross.  In the meantime, even if you are not able to attend Triennial, I hope you will join us in our preparation of Praying and Walking in the Light.  Please check our website for full details about these programs.  

I have a special request for Daughters everywhere.  As part of our Praying in the Light program, the Triennial Prayer Torch will be in one state or country every week until Triennial.  During that week, the Daughters there will pray the beautiful Triennial Torch prayer and canticle written by Nancy Severin.  There will also be special intentions as part of the prayer.  This is our current special intention:

I hope that you will make the Triennial Torch prayer and special intentions a part of your regular prayer time, even when the Torch is not in your area.  And because of the increasing violence in Iraq, I am asking for strong, persistent prayer from Daughters everywhere for Canon White, St. George's and the FRRME ministry.  In addition to ever-present danger, Canon White is also facing health challenges from his MS.  You can find a special Prayer for Iraq on the prayer page of our website - click on the link at the top of our home page.  Thank you for your precious intercessions.  May our prayers and praise prepare the way for the unleashing of the Lord's splendor at Triennial 2015!

Did you catch our Virtual Daughters as they left the National Office on their cross-country trek to Triennial? 

Our Virtual Daughter, accompanied by a Virtual Junior Daughter, left the National Office in Woodstock, Georgia, on February 21 expecting to arrive at Zermatt Retreat Center, Midway, Utah, just in time for Triennial 2015.  By now they have traveled over 50 miles, have seen some beautiful scenery, and visited some interesting sites.  You can keep up with where they are traveling almost daily by visiting our Facebook page. If you are on Facebook, please "like" the page so that you can see the posts when they happen.  If you share the walking posts, then other Daughters who are your friends will see them and perhaps decide to "like" the Order's Facebook page also.  

The National Council is excited about this journey toward Triennial and would like to hear how you are progressing on your own journey. You can post your updates on the Facebook page or, if you prefer, you can go to the Order's website and tell us what you are doing to get healthier and ready for Triennial with comments on the Walking in the Light page.  On the website you can read others' comments and see how far you have progressed using the map.  Just click on the map and then click on the + sign in the lower right hand corner to expand it and make the daily stops more visible.  You can also see a photo of our Virtual Daughters' current location here.

Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord -- and let us celebrate together every step of the way!

The National Office is now offering a new resource:  "Pray Your Way into Their Story." This 12-page booklet provides a fresh understanding of our commitment to evangelism - a difficult topic for many candidates for membership.

Our tendency is to treat prayer as one activity, service as another, and evangelism as a third.  Instead, authors Steve Sjogren and Steve Hawthorne envision prayer, service and evangelism as a unified whole: the Prayer-Care-Share concept. The goal is to make God's kindness and love tangible and visible within our communities, and so draw others closer to Christ. 

Prayer, the booklet points out, should infuse our caring for others; loving care motivates us to listen and look for ways God is active in the lives of others as well as in our own.  When we share part of the story of God's work in our lives, those we serve and care for may see that they too are part of God's story. The more we listen and share, the more we pray and care -and the cycle continues. The authors remind us that God is at work in lives all around us, and on any given day, God's love may touch others through us.  

We recommend "Pray Your Way into Their Story" not only for new members, but for also for long-time members who are reviewing the Study Guide together.  Those who are studying "Continuing the Journey: The Spiritual Formation Guide" may also find it helpful when discussing Chapter 12, "Passing on the Journey." That chapter asks us, among other things, "to be able to recognize God's work in our lives and to share our journey with Christ." The "Prayer-Care-Share" model may help us do both. 

"Pray Your Way" is currently being sent out with each Leader's Guide. It should not be copied for a group, however, because the copyright belongs to the authors.  Free copies can be downloaded from the website, or the booklets may be ordered from the National Office for $1 each plus shipping costs. 

Grace Sears

Past President Advisor

• Junior Directresses - Make sure you put these dates on your calendar and start making plans now to attend.  Details about registration will be in later issues of Cross+Links and The Royal Cross.
• Junior Chapters - Are you working on your quilt squares?
• Chapter Presidents - How can you assist your Junior Directresses with the cost to attend this event?
• Diocesan Presidents - How can you assist your directresses, especially your Diocesan Directress, with the cost to attend this event?
• Provincial Presidents - How can you assist your Provincial Directress with the cost to attend this event?

Be thinking about how we can best take advantage of the different environment at the 2015 Triennial.  How can we experience the awe and wonder of the majesty of the Wasatch Mountains?  Quilters, come prepared to be amazed at the creativity of our Junior Chapters.  Which of our materials need to be updated?  Do you have ideas of how we should put together a Junior Daughter video much like the introductory video for The Order?

We can all support this retreat through intentional prayer.

Susan Keith

National Junior Directress

Mrs. Shanta Das, President of The Women of Hope Chapter at the Child Development Center in Bankura, India February 10, 2014

Changing the Lives of the Women and Children Living in Poverty

During my recent annual visit to the Diocese of Durgapur, India, I had the privilege of being hosted by Mrs. Shanta Das, the President of the Women of Hope Chapter.  The Women of Hope are from the region of Bankura in West Bengal, India.  Under the leadership of Mrs. Das, the women serve the needs of the women and children of the local community by providing training and education.  The majority of the women and children are living in conditions of extreme poverty, but The Women of Hope are truly living out their name by providing them with HOPE -- hope that can be found in the establishment of sewing centers for the women and educational programs for the children.  While there, I accompanied Mrs. Das on a visit to the local neighborhood and met personally some of the families participating in these programs.  Mrs. Das, along with some of the children of the program, presented a lovely program of music and dance for our group - her solo was a special treat. Please keep the Women of Hope in your prayers.  They are true examples to living out our vows of service in the name of our Lord.

Bankura neighborhood.  Home to many of the children from the Children's Center.

Hidden God, ever present to me, 

may I now be present to you, 

attentive to your every word, 

attuned to your inspiration, 

alert to your touch. 

empty me that I may be filled with you alone. 

                                                                     Patricia B. Clark

Women's Uncommon Prayers