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WELCOME to the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Northwest Texas--a place where the vast open plains are as wondrous as the big sky above!
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| | Garden Walk by Deacon Melissa Wafer-Cross |
As depicted in the pectoral cross of Bishop J. Scott Mayer, the stars, moon, and sun are representative of the beauty one may find in this region of Texas. 
The landscape, covering 77,000 square miles is as diverse as the cities and people, with the canyons and rangelands of the Staked Plains; agricultural fields abounding; and the rough and ready country of the Rolling Plains and Permian Basin. The people here are known for their warm and friendly smiles, making one feel like an old and trusted friend.
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 Noteworthy News from Northwest Texas |
 TRANSITION
Holy Trinity Calls their next Rector
Rev. David Galletly has answered the call to be the next rector of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Midland. His offocial start date is September 1st. Fr. David is a native Californian with 25 years of experience as a priest. He has a BA in Sociology from UC Santa Barbara, and a Master of Divinity from Church Divinity School of the Pacific.
In 1991, Fr. David's first call after seminary was at Holy Trinity in Midland, as a curate under the Rev. Allen Whitman. After Fr. Allen retired in 1992, Fr. David served as Rector at Messiah Church in Liberty, Missouri, from 1992-1996, and Holy Family in Omaha, Nebraska, from 1996-2002. Fr. David has served in his current thriving parish, St. Patrick's in Thousand Oaks, California, since 2002. In conversations with Fr. David, he expressed that what he learned from Fr. Allen has defined his career as a priest, and he feels a true calling to return to our parish to give back what Holy Trinity gave to him.
Fr. David is married to Michele and has two college age children, Robert who is pursuing a Masters degree in California, and Lauren who is a junior at TCU. He and Michele have very fond memories of their time in Midland. Please "stay tuned" for more information on their arrival and the celebrations to follow.
Welcome back to Texas, Rev. David and Michele!
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A Perfect "Fit!"
by Heavenly Rest Staff
The Rev. Susanna Cates, who has served as their Curate for the past two years, was  announced as the new Associate Rector of Heavenly Rest on Trinity Sunday, May 31. The Rev. Luke Back's official proclamation included: "On Trinity Sunday two years ago you became curate at the Church of the Heavenly Rest and you have blessed this faith community every day since. We give thanks that the abundant love and life of the holy and undivided Trinity flows through you in many ways. Truly, a spirit of wisdom, adventure and beauty
carefully and graciously guides your soul."
A fun reception was held between services that Sunday, featuring Mtr. Susanna's gifts to the church as well as her sense of style...a "fitting" celebration.
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Claire Cowden is Ordained to the Priesthood
 In a service held at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Transitional Deacon Claire Cowden was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests by the Rt. Rev. Scott Mayer, and our retired visiting Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Wallis Ohl. As mentioned in last month's newsletter, Mtr. Claire will serve St. Andrew's as their curate after her recent completion of the Anglican Studies Program at Seminary of the Southwest.
Many in the diocese were thrilled to hear of Claire's call to the priesthood. She served in the diocese for a number of years as a layperson, first as the Canon for Congregational Development under Bishop Ohl and Bishop Mayer, and later as a key leader in the development of our new School of Ministry through the Iona Initiative. Her gentle nature and keen wisdom have already benefited many in our diocese. No doubt she will be a wonderful addition to the staff of St. Andrew's.
Mtr. Claire will begin her duties with St. Andrew's after serving at the Seminary of the Southwest booth at the 78th General Convention, and will reside in Amarillo. Congratulations to Mtr. Claire and St. Andrew's.
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New Curate Joins the Staff of Heavenly Rest
by Heavenly Rest Staff
On June 1, 2015, the Rev. Eric Mancil joined the staff of Heavenly Rest in Abilene as their new Curate. Fr. Eric recently obtained a Master in Divinity at Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, after three years of theological study. He was ordained to the priesthood by the Right Reverend Philip M. Duncan, II, Bishop of the Central Gulf Coast, on Friday, June 12, at Heavenly Rest.
 Before discerning a call to ordained ministry, Fr. Eric was a junior high choral music director in Enterprise, Alabama. His wife, Chelsea, a registered nurse, has spent most of her career working in pediatrics and neonatal intensive care. Fr. Eric and Chelsea have two children, Sophie and Jude. They will attend St. John's Episcopal School in August, with Sophie in Kindergarten and Jude in the Pre-K Transitions class.
Fr. Eric's ministry at Heavenly Rest will focus on Youth and Young Adults, liturgical arts and worship, church music, and pastoral care. He will also assist with chaplaincy duties at St. John's. His personal interests include cooking, running, and traveling to new places. Fr. Eric is canonically resident in the Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast but will eventually become part of the Diocese of Northwest Texas.
Fr. Eric and his family are thrilled to begin this new chapter of their lives in Abilene, and they are looking forward to getting to know the people of Northwest Texas. Please hold the Mancil family in your prayers during this exciting transition. Congratulations!
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Spotlight on the 78th General Convention
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The time is here when hundreds, if not thousands of Episcopalians will descend on S  alt Lake City, UT, over the next week as they prepare for the 78th annual General Convention of the Episcopal Church. The Convention has been three years in the making, and is held in a different location each time. It's an exciting time when the bicameral legislative body of the Episcopal Church, consisting of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies, discuss the future of our Church and enact important legislation. Many people do not realize the importance of the deputies we elect from each diocese. Deputies are representatives from the diocese entrusted with the responsibility of voting their own heart and mind on the various issues at hand, rather than being directed to vote a specific way. The deputation consists of four lay deputies with one alternate, and four clergy deputies with one alternate, who participate in the House of Deputies, led by the President, the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings. All Bishops meet as a separate group in the House of Bishops, led by the current Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefforts Schori. The members of our deputation may be found HERE. This year's General Convention will be marked by discussion in several important areas:
This year's Convention will also elect the next Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church. The nominees were announced on Friday, May 1st, by the Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop. A booklet, as well as videos of each nominee, may be found on the General Convention website.The nominees constitute an all male slate this year. The names will be officially placed in nomination at a joint session of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies on June 26th. Next, on June 27th, the House of Bishops will elect and the House of Deputies will vote whether or not to confirm one of the nominees to the Episcopal Church. The new Presiding Bishop will be consecrated in a service to be held on All Saints' Eve, October 31st, 2015, and will begin his 9-year term on November 1st, 2015. If you would like to keep up with the Convention, be sure to visit our diocesan website. Links to live video feed and news sources may be found in an article about the General Convention. For those of you who enjoy blogs, the deputation will share a daily blog post by a different deputy each day. Be sure to watch the blogsite and our Facebook page for daily updates. Please keep all deputations and Bishops, volunteers and visitors in your daily prayers as they travel to and from General Convention, and as they represent the interests of each diocese at this 78th General Convention. We offer this prayer, found on pg. 818 in the Book of Common Prayer: Almighty and everliving God, source of all wisdom and understanding, be present with those who take counsel in the 78th General Convention for the renewal and mission of your Church. Teach them in all things to seek first your honor and glory. Guide them to perceive what is right, and grant them both the courage to pursue it and the grace to accomplish it: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Youth News
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Senior Camp Wrap-up
by Renee Haney, Diocesan Youth Coordinator
Youth attending Camp Quarterman in June enjoyed a week in the mountains of Colorado at Cathedral Ridge Conference Center outside of Woodland Park. This is the second year we have held our camp for the older youth at the beautiful Cathedral Ridge. Youth from the southern part of our diocese boarded a chartered bus on Sunday, June 7th, stopped
in Amarillo, added more youth and counselors, and off we went.
The theme for the week, "525,600 minutes...Seasons of God," gave the youth a chance to learn and celebrate the many seasons in the liturgical calendar year, all in one week. We worshiped, played games, sang, shared meals, and hiked together. We ventured to the Royal Gorge Canyon and Bridge one day, and some went on the (IMHO-terrifying) SkyCoaster. The photos and videos of their experience are priceless!
Many thanks to all who made the week a huge success. Our clergy for the week were the Rev. Matt Rowe, rector of Emmanuel, San Angelo; the Rev. Jennifer Holder, chaplain of Canterbury at Texas Tech; and the Rev. Jim Haney, rector of St. Paul's, Lubbock. Our counselors and staff for the week were Katie Young and Alex Lindley, Head Counselors; Catherine Pace, Sloane Veal, Allie Trevino, Brittany Jackson, Ben Ellery, Connor Ledy and Jimmy Haney, counselors. Denise Saunders, Grace Church, Vernon, served as our Mom/Nurse; and D'Anne Asquith, St. Paul's, Lubbock, served as our Art/Crafts director. Please check out our Facebook page at DNWTX Youth Program to see more pictures and videos from the week.
Please remember in your prayers the youth and staff who will be at Camp Quarterman Jr. at Ceta Glen, near Happy Texas from June 28th - July 4th.
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Annual Women's Retreat
|  The Ennegram and Spiritual Growth 2015 Women's Retreat Friday-Sunday, October 30-November 1
Christ the King Retreat Center in San Angelo
The goal of our spiritual journey is the returning to the true self that God created us to be. Recognizing when our own ego gets in the way of our God-created true self can give wings to our journey, and brings great insight and compassion into our lives and the lives of those we love. Part of this growth requires that we find balance in our lives. We will discover various practices we can add to our lives to fill in some missing pieces. Doing so, we may truly grow into the person God made us to be, so God's love and care can flow freely through us to the world. Led by Kathleen Pittman  Kathleen comes from Roswell, New Mexico and has been leading retreats for the last 15 years. She lived in Alabama for 40 years, has been an Episcopalian 35 years, taught K-12 for 14 years and has been in higher education for the past 23 years. She currently teaches in Roswell for Eastern New Mexico University-Portales teaching undergraduate Elementary/Special Education Literacy and Social Studies methods, graduate reading, research, and curriculum courses. In the Diocese of the Rio Grande she serves as EFM Coordinator and is on the Standing Committee and Trustees of the Property. She is a member of St. Andrew's where she is an LEM, EFM mentor and DOK. For more information, or to download the registration form, follow THIS LINK. |
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A Humorous Thought
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In light of our recent wet, stormy weather...
By the Rev. Jay Sidebotham
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Survey Opportunity
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Ken Jobst, a professor of church growth at Simmons College of Kentucky, has a particular  research interest in maximizing the potential of the most underutilized resource most churches already have - their kitchens. From this interest was birthed the Church Kitchens Institute, dedicated to safe, staffed and successful culinary ministries.
This summer they are launching the 2015 Church Kitchens Survey, and hope for input from the churches of Northwest Texas. The questionnaire takes about 10 minutes to complete, and will be delivered via the Survey Monkey platform. Data collection will be complete by September 1, and a report will be generated by October 15. The results of this research may be used to help steer congregations toward growth, a distinctive identity in the community, and greater financial security.
If you have a particular question about kitchens in our diocese, they can tailor the questionnaire to address those issues as well.
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Health Notes
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Anchored by a Congressional health education program, Men's Health Month is celebrated across the country this month with screenings, health fairs, media appearances, and other health education and outreach activities.
According to the Men's Health Month website, "the purpose of Men's Health Month is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. This month gives health care providers, public policy makers, the media, and individuals an opportunity to encourage men and boys to seek regular medical advice and early treatment for disease and injury. The response has been overwhelming with thousands of awareness activities in the USA and around the globe."
Their website also featured a resource, Blueprint for Men's Health, which offers four publications. All sources are available for download through a link at the top of the page.
Titles include:
- Blueprint for Men's Health (also available in Spanish)
- Your Head: An Owner's Manual
- Heartbeat
- Breathe Easy
Also available on the website home page is a list of things to do to "Get Active." Look for a yellow box on the lower right side on the page. Listed are such things as planning a Wear Blue event, planning a mini-health fair, how to create an awareness fundraiser, and more.
Finally, if the men in your life are not good at making trips to their family physician, please encourage them to at least have their annual check-up. It is often through the annual visit to their physician that conditions may be discovered, properly diagnosed, and treated.
Let's take care of ALL the men in our lives!
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Seminary Updates
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Commencement 2015
Seminary of the Southwest held its sixty-fourth Commencement on Tuesday morning, May 12, at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Austin.
The seminary awarded master's degrees to 29 students completing the master of divinity, master's in religion, master's in counseling, master's in chaplaincy and pastoral care and master's in spiritual formation. Four students received diplomas in Anglican studies or in theological studies.
The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, bishop of Washington preached at the Holy Eucharist.
The seminary awarded honorary doctorates to Budde, to the Rt. Rev. Brian Seage, bishop of the Diocese of Mississippi and to the Rev. Canon John Peterson, immediate past president of the Compass Rose Society and Anglican canon at St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem.
Congratulations to the class of 2015!
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Commencement Celebrated by the Sewanee Community
Graduation day is always a bittersweet one for the Sewanee community-joy for the students who have achieved their academic goals coupled with sadness that they will be leaving the Mountain. May 8 was no exception as 35 students and two distinguished guests, Archbishop of Cape Town Thabo Makgoba and Bishop of the Diocese of East Carolina Robert Skirving, received degrees and certificates from the University of the South's School of Theology.
If you missed it, a video recording of the service may be viewed here, along with hundreds of photos, transcripts of the remarks and sermon, and a complete list of our graduates.
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Please click the graphic below to view this month's edition of Theology Monthly:
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Diocesan Events Calendar
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JUNE
25-Jul 3 General Convention, Salt Lake City, UT
JULY
4 Independence Day
7-10 Bishop Mayer in NW Texas
14-17 Bishop Mayer in Fort Worth
(Items in purple indicate Bishop Mayer's presence.)
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Heavenly Father, send your Holy Spirit into our hearts, to direct and rule us according to your will, to comfort us in all our afflictions, to defend us from all error, and lead us into all truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN
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