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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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| Jeremiah?
by Steven Chapman of Lorenzo, TX
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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 |
TRANSITIONS
In the past few months four of our parishes have welcomed new parish administrators. The Diocese of Northwest Texas extends a warm welcome to Amber Nelson, from St. Matthew's, Pampa; Cinda Odneal, from St. Andrew's, Amarillo; Josh Black, from Heavenly Rest, Abilene; and Melissa Ochoa, from Holy Trinity, Midland. Best wishes in your new positions!
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Hulsey Episcopal Center Update
Our diocese has been blessed with a beautiful diocesan home, thanks to the dream of our
former Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Sam Hulsey, for whom the Episcopal Center is named. The care and upkeep of a historical building is extremely important, with certain limitations as to changes or updating. It is a constant need, but one that is crucial as good stewards of our property. The Hulsey Center is on both the Texas and the National Historical Registries.
With the arrival of all the rain, and quite often thunderstorms with lightning, the Hulsey Episcopal Center recently suffered a power surge causing our outdated security system for the physical premises to crash. Due to the age of the system and the unavailability of replacement parts, it was necessary to install an all new, updated burglar and fire alarm system. During the installation process the office lost the first two lines of our phone system, thus causing the staff to miss numerous calls. During the outage a notice was placed on Facebook to make diocesan friends aware of this inconvenience.
Thankfully, the system is fully functional now, including the phone lines. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. If you are a Facebook or Twitter user, please be aware that we will continue to post messages that require immediate attention through the use of social media. A link to the diocesan Facebook page may be found above this article.
Also on slate for repair or replacement this summer is our flagpole. The outdated and weathered pulley finally fell apart. Likewise, the shrubs along the front sidewalk suffered greatly from the cold, wet winter. Both the flagpole and the shrubs have been in place for countless years, but we are grateful they have served and beautified our beloved Center so well.
If you have never seen the Hulsey Center in person, be sure to stop by sometime for a guided tour and history lesson by our House Steward, Deacon Nancy Igo. As we tell visitors to the Center, "Mi casa es su casa!" After all, it is our diocesan home!
Next year, 2016, will mark the 100th anniversary of our beloved home. Be sure to watch for more information in the coming year about a 100th anniversary celebration. To learn more about the historical Center and the family who built it, follow this link to the diocesan webpage.
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Historic Bacon Home - Early 1900's
From Southwest Collections - Texas Tech University
(*Note the windmill on the north side of the house.)
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78th General Convention Wrap-up
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 #GC78, or for those who are not Twitter literate, the 78th General Convention, has come and gone, but not without lively debate, exciting moments, and history-making decisions. So what actually happened at General Convention last month? Without repeating articles and blogs, the best way to find out is to check out an excellent article published by Episcopal News Service on the highlights from General Convention. If you'd like to view videos of sermons from the daily Community Eucharist, including sermons by the Presiding Bishop-elect, the Rt. Rev. Michael Curry, our out-going Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, and other special videos from Convention, follow this link to the Episcopal Church webpage. Other #GC78 sermons and videos may be found by following this You tube link. During the Convention the DNWT communications office published a daily blog of reflections from General Convention. Follow this link to the DNWT blog site.
Bishop Mayer issued this statement on the election of Bishop Michael Curry: "This has been a significant historical week for The Episcopal Church. I am overwhelmed with joy at the election of Michael Curry as our next Presiding Bishop. Bishop Curry is an evangelist at heart. His love for Jesus is palpable, contagious, and inspirational. It won't be long before everybody -- both within and beyond the Church -- knows Michael Curry's story.
In addition to the great gifts Bishop Curry brings to us, this election of our first African American presiding bishop is a significant moment in our history, as it was when Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected as our first female presiding bishop nine years ago. Bishop Curry is the right person for the right time, and I am elated, proud, and full of hope that we will follow his lead and become more expressive of our faith and in proclaiming the Good News of God's love for all people." There was a spirit of change in the air at General Convention this year, with numerous changes experienced by Bishops and deputies alike. One of the biggest changes was the move toward a paperless convention. Rather than spending large sums of money on paper, copying services, and binders to accommodate all the various resolutions, the Convention this year employed the use of special use iPads known as Virtual Binders. The iPads were pre-programmed and pre-loaded with all the materials a member of the House of Deputies or House of Bishops might need, from maps, to lists, to resolutions, to worship bulletins and music. The information was available through the special intranet, specifically for General Convention business. The iPads did not have internet browsing capability, ensuring that they would not be a distraction during business sessions. Training was conducted for all deputies before either House convened for business to allow for more proficient use of the tablets during the legislative sessions. From all reports the Virtual Binders were a huge success! The deputation attending from Northwest Texas included the following: From left to right - Back row - Bishop Scott Mayer; Cliff Craig, lay deputy; Franklin Deaderick, lay deputy; Canon Mike Ehmer, clergy deputy; the Rev. Luke Back, clergy deputy. Front row - Karon Bonnell, lay deputy; Jackie Batjer, lay deputy and chair of the deputation; the Rev. Susanna Cates, clergy deputy; the Rev. Celia Ellery, clergy deputy, and the Rev. Jo Craig, clergy deputy. Not pictured - Nancy McReynolds, lay deputy.
Mission...evangelism...equality...social justice...and an end to racism and violence - these are the banners of truth that a leaner and better equipped Episcopal Church will carry forth into the next triennium. Thanks be to God for the hard work of our Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, and President of the House of Deputies, the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, as well as all the bishops and deputies for their hard work and their vision of a better future for the Church and the world.
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Upcoming Icon Workshop
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Noted iconographer, Peter Pearson, is returning to Lubbock!
The class will be held September 15-19, at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, Lubbock. Class will meet Tuesday to Friday nights from 6:00-9:00pm, and Saturday morning 9:00am-12:00 noon.
Cost is $300. All supplies will be provided.
To reserve a place please send a check for $50.00 to St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, 2807 42nd, Lubbock, Texas 79413. Please include your contact information and email address.
For questions, please contact:
Tom Hicks
hicks3@yahoo.com
806-787-8271
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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 honor of the arrival of new clergy in several of our parishes.
By the Rev. Jay Sidebotham
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Health Notes
|  From Episcopal Church Healthy Partners
Keep Your Cool in Hot Weather
It's back! Sunday, June 21st, marked the official start of Summer. Many of us are already experiencing very hot weather so we're taking this opportunity to remind you about how to stay safe with this article from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
These are the main things affecting your body's ability to cool itself during extremely hot weather:
- High humidity. When the humidity is high, sweat won't evaporate as quickly, which keeps your body from releasing heat as fast as it may need to.
- Personal factors. Age, obesity, fever, dehydration, heart disease, mental illness, poor circulation, sunburn, and prescription drug and alcohol use can play a role in whether a person can cool off enough in very hot weather.
Here are some facts about which people are at greatest risk for heat-related illness and what protective actions to take to prevent illness or death:
- People who are at highest risk are the elderly, the very young, and people with chronic diseases or mental illness.
- But even young and healthy people can get sick from the heat if they participate in strenuous physical activities during hot weather.
- Air-conditioning is the number one protective factor against heat-related illness and death. If a home is not air-conditioned, people can reduce their risk for heat-related illness by spending time in public facilities that are air-conditioned.
You can take these steps to prevent heat-related illnesses, injuries, and deaths during hot weather:
- Stay in an air-conditioned indoor location as much as possible.
- Drink plenty of fluids even if you don't feel thirsty.
- Wear loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing and sunscreen.
- Schedule outdoor activities carefully.
- Pace yourself.
- Take cool showers or baths to cool down.
- Check on a friend or neighbor and have someone do the same for you.
- Do not leave children or pets in cars.
- Check the local news for health and safety updates.
The CDC website provides additional information about heat-related illnesses at http://www.cdc.gov/features/extremeheat/
CDC.gov (www.cdc.gov) is your online source for credible health information and is the official website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
(Adapted from http://www.cdc.gov/features/extremeheat/
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/legalcode)
Previously published in July 2014
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Seminary Updates
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Nuevos Horizontes Conference
Seminary of the Southwest, in collaboration with the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society and its Office of Latino/Hispanic Ministries, is sponsoring this Nuevos Horizontes Conference, an Episcopal conference in Austin, Texas. Nuevos Horizontes is held on alternating years from Nuevo Amanecer that takes place every two years in Kanuga, North Carolina.
Nuevos Horizontes is designed for:
* clergy and lay leaders who are confronting rapid changes in the Latino/Hispanic ministries
* Church leaders who are having to adjust their Latino ministry in their congregation or dioceses, which now must take into account the various generations of Latinos born and acculturated in the United States
* Congregational leaders who must adjust to the linguistic and cultural shifts taking place in the adolescent and young adult members of Spanish-speaking congregations.
The Conference will explore how the Church can be in sync with these cultural, demographic and generational realities of American Latinos. The Conference will offer "how-to" tools to the conference participant and those called to minister in a multi-cultural environment.
For more information on the conference and registration, visit this link.
Education for Ministry (EfM) Celebrates 40th Anniversary
(From the Sewanee website - click the link above to read more.)
Education for Ministry (EfM) was founded as a distance-learning program of the School of Theology in 1970 by School of Theology professor Charles Winter as an experiment for the laity. That program, Theological Education by Extension, became Education for Ministry and since that time, more than 81,000 persons have participated. As of last month, nearly 38,000 have completed all four years and received their certificates. On June 29, 175 people, graduates and participants of EfM, gathered in Salt Lake City to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the program, now the key education and formation program of the School's Beecken Center. Attendees came from across the U.S., from the east coast to Hawaii, including one graduate from Hong Kong. After welcoming the attendees to the celebration, the Rt. Rev. J. Neil Alexander, dean of the School of Theology, shared Sewanee's commitment that "theological education is not just for those who will be ordained, and not just for those who will serve the church in lay vocations professionally, but that it is the birthright of all baptized people."
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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JULY
14-17 Bishop Mayer in Ft. Worth AUGUST
18 Bishop in NWT
18 Standing Committee, 10:30am, HEC, Lubbock
19 Budget Committee, 10:00am, HEC, Lubbock
22-26 Bishop in Ft. Worth
27 Trustees Meeting, 10:00am, HEC, Lubbock
27-30 Bishop in NWT
28-30 School of Ordained Ministry, St. Paul's, Lubbock
28-29 NWT Deacon Retreat, Lubbock
SEPTEMBER
1-4 Bishop in NWT
2 Executive Council, 10:00am, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Lubbock
(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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