Volume 112, No.

9 Houston, Texas November 2009

Organ Donors’ Legacy is Life for Others

Texas Ranks Last in Registered Donors
sick enough to stay in bed. Tests showed
elevated liver enzymes so I cut back on salt
and alcohol. I’m 6’8”, and today I weigh
about 320 pounds, but in the first half
of 2006, I started to gain weight rapidly,
eating and drinking myself to more than
400 pounds. I was too stubborn to admit
something might be seriously wrong with
me even though my wife Linda begged me
to go to the doctor.
A fever sent me to the ER in September
2006, which led to months of treatment for
multiple suspicious ailments–some liver
related, some not. My health continued to
decline even as my weight continued to rise.
While my western doc prescribed Lasix,
my Chinese advisor doubled the dosage of
herbal tea. By June of 2007, I was losing
depth perception, experiencing memory
New Anglican Health Network loss and fatigue. Finally, tests at the Texas
to Pilot Micro Health Insurance Medical Center revealed that my liver was
dying.
in Tanzania page 15
A week of tests revealed nonalcoholic
Rex Maus and his wife Linda (right) with daughter Emily, following his liver transplant two years ago. steatohepatitis (NASH), combined with a
fatty liver. The amazing group of doctors at
By Rex Maus St. Luke’s Liver Center and Baylor Clinic
began to evaluate me for transplant. On days that I was not

D
onor Sabbath, November 15, is a special day for me and all of my fellow transplant too sick, they tested my blood, my heart, my veins and my
recipients. On this day, recipients, donors and caregivers--in our communities of faith- head. They did x-rays, endoscopies and ultra-sounds; they
-remember and celebrate our donors and their families for the second chance at life we performed psychological evaluations. By the end of summer
have received. It also is a time when we encourage people in our congregations to be a registered I was experiencing encephalopathy, which is caused by too
organ donor (www.donatelifetexas.org). much ammonia, normally filtered by your liver. It poisons the
brain, and on one occasion I didn’t know who I was or where
My Story I was.
Donor Sabbath also allows me the opportunity to share my personal transplant experience, As I battled accumulating fluid in my body, I tried to
in hopes of inspiring someone else to register. lose the 100 pounds that would allow me to have a transplant.
In 2005, I was having occasional bouts of nausea. I missed a few days of work but wasn’t I had eight to nine liters of fluid drained from my chest cavity
Organ Recipient, page 17

INSIDE
Bishops’ Calendars......................... 19 National & International .........14-16 Features:
Bishop’s Column............................. 2 Parish News.................................3-6 Execution Date Set for Painter’s Son ....20
Calendar of Events........................... 7 Sam Todd’s Column...................... 18 Parish Assists Sudanese Clinic.................5

1 Texas Episcopalian • November 2009

 Cloud of Witnesses
Recently I heard
a new rector address a
meeting of the Episcopal
Church Women about
their importance, influence and
witness to others. He shared with
us the story of how three women,
over a period of years, influenced
him through prayer, support and
encouragement during his faith journey and into
the ordained ministry. When he was a teenager,
one older lady would seek him out each
Sunday during the Peace and give him a kiss,
greet him and tell him of her daily prayers
and love for him. Another woman, through her
generous scholarship, helped support him during
seminary. The final person he mentioned was
a member of the Standing Committee of his
diocese who wrote him regularly, called him and
prayed for him all during his seminary years.
He was blessed, encouraged and strengthened
by these three women who have had a lasting
impact on his life.
The Texas Episcopalian (since 1897) is an official
publication of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.
Mission: In the name of Jesus Christ, the Texas Episcopalian
seeks to inform the people in the diocese of events and
philosophies which affect the mission and life of the Church.
Publisher: The Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle
Editor: Carol E. Barnwell, cbarnwell@epicenter.org
Parish News Editor: Nancy Sallaberry, nsallaberry@epicenter.org
Layout: LaShane K. Eaglin, leaglin@epicenter.org
The Texas Episcopalian (ISSN# 1074-441X) is
published monthly except July and August for $15 a year
by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, 1225 Texas Ave.,
Houston, TX 77002-3504. Periodical postage paid at
Houston, Texas. Deadline is the 10th of the month
preceding publication. Articles, editorials and photos
should be submitted to the editor at the above e-mail
address. Photos will not be returned. Address changes
can be made at www.epicenter.org/infochange.
Postmaster: Address changes: THE TEXAS EPISCOPALIAN,
1225 Texas Ave., Houston, TX 77002-3504
Texas Episcopalian • November 2009
The stories of
While listening to his story, I began to recall several
these faithful Christians
persons in my life who have made a huge difference in my
remind each of us of
faith journey.
who we are as Disciples
As a teenager growing up at St. Mark’s, Houston,
of Jesus Christ. You
I was cared for and influenced by two people I remember
see, for many in our
specifically who made it their business to pray for me,
society, we are the only
encourage me, support me, point and lead me in a better
Christ they will ever
direction. During my teen years, I, like many of you, found
know. We, through
myself in trouble a good bit of the time.
our words and actions
June Holly was one of my Sunday School teachers and Bishop Suffragan Rayford B. High, Jr.
toward others, say to
youth sponsors who would always encourage me to be more
them who we are and what we are: followers of Jesus Christ.
than I thought I was capable of being. She raised the bar for
So, my sisters and brothers, young people and children
me. Yet, she would always accept me where I was in life and
in the Diocese of Texas, remember we influence so many
never gave up on me as a child of God. Since those junior
people, whether we like that or not. Let us prayerfully and
high school years, she not only has kept in touch, but also
intentionally be attentive to our calling as followers of Jesus
continued to hold me up in prayer. June has been a powerful
Christ and be sensitive to others. You and I are Christ’s light
example to look up to and follow.
to our world, examples and models for countless others.
Another person who influenced my life was a man
named Al Enderle (a member of the Brotherhood of St.
Andrew). I remember that Al was not timid about sharing
his faith in Jesus Christ and was eager to pray for others;
and I knew he accepted me and cared for me in spite of my The Rt. Rev. Rayford B. High, Jr.
failures. Bishop Suffragan of Texas
Several clergy from the Diocese of Texas attended a church planting conference at Kanuga Conference Center in North Carolina
recently. “For me the conference emphasized practical tools to help a clergyperson in congregational development,” said the
Rev. Stephen Whaley, campus missioner at Stephen F. Austin in Nacagdoches. “Some of the more practical resources had to
do with engaging the community, assessing it’s needs and answering the question: ‘How then can our local congregation
meet some or all of those needs,’” he said.
“In that sense the conference was much more than just about planting a congregation, but rather providing to tools
to grow a congregation in numerous contexts,” Whaley continued. He also said the conference focused on strong diocesan
support for church plants. “[They] really stressed the importance of the bishop’s backing for church planting, financially and
involvement in the ongoing development of a new church,” he said. Pictured are: Whaley, Janet Gilmore and Patrick Hall.
2

Ekanga Family Photo: Brenda Ransdell
Asylum Follows
Decade-Long Ordeal
By Brenda Ransdell
I
n late September, the Ekanga family arrived in Austin
looking forward to settling in a new home, safe from
war, hunger and inhumanity. Good Shepherd, in
coordination with Episcopal Migration Ministries, sponsored
this family of eleven, providing housing and furniture, food,
toys for the children and transportation to appointments
needed to ensure their ability to stay in the United States.
On Sunday October 18, Leon Ekanga, the head of
the family, spoke to the parish about their ordeal getting to
America.
“From the time of my birth, Congo was a peaceful
place, but then the politicians began to fight,” Ekanga
told the congregation. A war broke out in June, 1997, and
Ekanga, a tailor, hid his family at home when the gunfire
began. During that month-long period, the family ran out of
food and before they could leave the city, Ekanga was beaten
by the militia and threatened with execution. “They wanted
to execute me in front of my family because they believed I
was in the military. They left me with bruises,” he said.
After hiding in a church, the family walked 21 miles
from the city, hoping to return when things calmed down,
but it only got worse. “The trip was very hard. On the road
we saw many bodies dead and wounded, abandoned children
and raped women. I was so injured I could walk no more. We
stayed two weeks in a village for my recovery,” he explained.
The family walked another 37 miles to the train and after
PARISH NEWS
two days on the train, reached Lusie, on the Gabon border
where Ekanga was hospitalized for two additional weeks.
The family settled as best they could in Gabon. The Ekanga’s
found an abandoned house, with no floors or windows, and
they lived there for two years. There were few refugees in the
village but as the war spread, more arrived.
For three years, there was no help, until aid from the
United Nations provided food and some services in 2000.
The fighting continued to escalate and aid ceased. “Life
[became] harder,” Ekanga said, adding that the Gabon
government did not welcome the refugees.
“Very hard to survive. We were not documented and
couldn’t work. The children could not go to school,” he said.
When he was arrested while working as a taxi driver, the
police searched his home and put him in a cell for eight days.
“[The cell was] so small I could not sit down. I stood up for
eight days. I was tortured. It is hard to speak of, even to my
wife. I was suspended from a piece of wood and beaten. I
was there four months. I had no contact with a lawyer or my
family,” Ekanga said.
A prison official told Ekanga the police had protected
him by arresting him and he was released soon after. Ekanga
applied for asylum in the United States in 2002 and in 2008,
the family was accepted.
“I am grateful to you, to the United States, to Good
Shepherd. We will never forget you. We hold you always
3 Texas Episcopalian • November
Parish Pump Adds
Dimension to
Church Newsletters
By Carol E. Barnwell
P
arish Pump provides church newsletter and magazine
editors with stories and other resources to make the
most of their church publication. Based in England,
the company has more than 3000 subscribers in the UK and
the U.S.
Monthly offerings, graphic and editorial, can be
downloaded to enhance the local copy of publications and
include: cover designs, illustrations, cartoons and children’s
pages, book reviews, quotes and a crossword puzzle. There
is also a wide range of inspirational and informative articles.
Simply download a file and drop it straight into an
existing publication, a magazine, newsletter or pew-sheet.
A church’s magazine has a vital role to play in the life
of the local congregation and provides the ever-present
silent witness to Christ in the community. It can encourage,
console, inform and entertain.
“The world-wide Christian church is a vast reservoir
of spiritual refreshment and riches, of sparkling ideas and
insights. With parishpump.co.uk you can tap into it all, and
choose what you like,” says founder, Anne Coomes.
A member of the Anglican Church, Coomes has worked
in Christian radio, newspapers and publishing, and did a
seven year stint as a diocesan communications officer for a
diocese in the Church of England. She writes daily notes
for the Bible Reading Fellowship and has written several
biographies on African church leaders.
Coomes is backed by an impressive staff of writers and
designers. Read more here: http://www.parishpump.co.uk/
pages/about-us.
The material is available for a reasonable annual
subscription fee. Go to: www.parishpump.co.uk.
in our prayers and hearts,” a grateful Ekanga told the
congregation.
The Rev. Denise Vaughn, priest for Outreach and
Pastoral Care at Good Shepherd, worked with parishioners
to help bring Leon and his wife Elizabeth, their five sons
Guerlan, 16, Fred, 14, Paul, 7, Leon, 5, Laurenti, age 3, and
their daughters Princia, 22, and Milca, age 11 to Austin.
Princia has a son, Destine, 5. Another cousin, Judicael, 21,
fled Congo with the family, and is also with them.
The Ekangas speak only French and other African
languages, so Good Shepherd parishioners fluent in French
have served as interpreters on several occasions. Two cousins
already living in Austin now speak some English and have
been very helpful in getting their family members acclimated.
As the Ekangas left after worship, Vaughn expressed
her sorrow for what the family had gone through. Elizabeth
Ekanga replied: “It is over. It is the past. We have a new life
here.”
2009

Palmer Memorial, Houston
New Year with a U2charist
U2charist
new years eve
2009
Eucharist benefiting the Millennium Development Goals palmerchurch.org
Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church . Houston
P almer memorial will once again ring in the New Year
with a U2charist featuring the music of U2 and Bono
with proceeds benefitting the Millennium Development
Goals. This year, the group has designed a special t-shirt to
commemorate the event. They can be ordered by contacting
the Rev. Genevieve Razim at 713.529.6196, xt. 105 or
e-mailing her at grazim@palmerchurch.org. Women’s sizes
are s-xl, men’s sizes s-3sl. Cost is $20 with proceeds benefiting
Episcopal Relief and Development.
St. Timothy’s, Houston
Search for Handbells
S t. Timothy’s, Houston, is seeking a refurbished set of
handbells for their newly formed handbell choir. After the
first rehearsal with some small children’s bells, new members
were enthusiastic and anxious to do more rehearsing and
learn more. St. Timothy’s is a small congregation with
limited resources and no music budget. Last year the church
suffered more than $150,000 in damage from Hurricane Ike
eliminating all but necessary funds for bills.
“We’re looking for ways to continue to grow our
church and provide learning opportunities in music for our
children,” said Choir Director David Taylor. “This would be
such a blessing for both our adults and children.”
Taylor has also organized a sign language choir that will
be performing at services in the near future. The church has
an ecumenical men’s choir that sings Evensong at 7 p.m. on
Sundays. “All these people from other denominations love
our music,” Taylor said. “They all want to come and sing!”
For more information on how you can help, please
contact Taylor at 832.453.6737.
St. Luke’s, Austin
Blankets Wanted
S t. Luke’s, Austin, is collecting blankets for Refugee
Services of Texas. With winter months approaching they
plan on stocking up on blankets ahead of time for families
in need. The blankets can be dropped off at the church.
Contact 512.266.2455 for more information.
Texas Episcopalian • November 2009
PARISH NEWS
St. Luke the Evangelist, Houston St. Andrew’s, Pearland
ECW Prayer Walk Annual Pumpkin Patch
C ooler temperatures are coming as women of St. Luke
the Evangelist prepare for their Third Annual Prayer
Walk on November 7, from 8:30 – 10:00, at the E. R.
and Ann Taylor Nature Park, 1850 Reed Road in Houston
(near the intersection of Almeda Rd. and Reed Rd). “Once
you enter this small city park, it will appear you have just
taken a step back in time as you view a variety of trees, plant
life, migratory birds and water foul. As we fervently walk
or just sit, this true nature experience leads one to want to
say ‘Thank You, God,’ for all the wonders and blessings that
He places in our lives daily. We are reminded of God’s good
grace,” said Beverly Griffin. $5.00 donation will benefit the
Houston Food Bank.
St. Dunstan’s, Houston
Annual Nun Run
S t. Andrew’s, Pearland held its 11th Annual Pumpkin
Patch in the church campus during October. This is the
church’s biggest outreach of the year to the community. Areas
are set up for picture taking and some families have pictures
of their children for all 11 years of the Patch. Between
15,000 and 20,000 people visit each year. The St. Andrew’s
Patch is one of the biggest in the country. Over 100,000 of
M embers of Daughters of the King and parishioners
from St. Dunstan’s, Houston, participated in the
Annual 2009 Nun Run on Saturday, October 17. The run
pumpkins are sold each year with the proceeds helping to
fund the ministries of the church.
began at Villa de Matel convent in Houston where nuns
from Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word shared their
Harley Davidson motorcycles and were escorted by Houston
police to Galveston Island, where they ended their ‘run.’
More than 300 bikes joined the ride. The run benefits
children and families of the Christus Southwest Community
Health Center.
All Saints’, Austin
Quilts for Charity
M embers from St. Monica’s Craft Guild of the Episcopal
Church Women of All Saints’ joined other women of
All Saint’s to make quilts for charity on Saturday, October
In late September, the city of Angleton honored the rich
17. The quilts will be blessed and given to patients at the 112 year heritage of Holy Comforter Episcopal Church with
Shriver’s Cancer Center and Dell Children’s hospital. Some a Proclamation recognizing the congregation’s “proud
of these quilts will also be on display at the church office. To history.” Pictured with Mayor Patrick Henry and the Rev.
Carol Petty are members of the Angleton City Council and
make a donation to the Quilt Project, contact Mary Wright representatives from Holy Comforter.
at mlwbazaar@gmail.com.
4
 PARISH NEWS

photographs and make a donation to help cover the cost of

Parish Assists Sudanese Clinic health care for that person.

Sudanese food was featured at a fundraising luncheon
where church members had the opportunity to meet

Efforts After Chance Encounter Abdelgadir and learn more about the clinic project. Day
school students prepared by studying Africa and Abdelgadir
visited the classes to tell students about his home country.
“Today, St. George’s feels that the Sudan Clinic Project
is a calling,” Savage said, explaining the importance of
the relationship with Abdelgadir, a Muslim. “St. George’s
friendship with Awad is a bright spot in the often bitter and
violent world of Muslim-Christian relations,” she said.

Sudanese Villager

The clinic under construction and nearly completed (lower right). It will serve more than 17,000 people in the area.

A
chance meeting brought an Austin church and the system, and the community subsidizes those too poor to
the hopes of a Sudanese village into communion pay. “
and will soon provide medical care for some of the Abdelgadir and other founding members of the
world’s poorest people half a world away. foundation also have been actively involved with the
Members of St. George’s, Austin, a small church with construction and financial support of a local school, the
a strong outreach ethic, adopted the Sudan Clinic Project in provision of vegetable seeds to farmers and the installation
2007, when it seemed not much more than a pipe dream. of solar panels on the roof of the village community center.
Stephanie Savage, a member of St. George’s and a grant In 2007, they participated with the Rotary Wheelchair
writer, met Awad Abdelgadir through his neighbor who was Foundation to deliver 281 wheelchairs to disabled people in
doing some work at her home. Abdelgadir owns Nile Valley Sudan.
Herbs in Austin and is a native of Az-Zawrat in northern When St. George’s became involved with the clinic
Sudan. When she heard of his work to build a clinic in his project, $100,000 had been pledged for equipment and
homeland with the help of the Mother Maryam Foundation supplies and an ambulance had been purchased. St. George’s Because of the generosity and dedication of many
for Humanitarian Development, she offered to help him. helped raise funds for construction and paid for 16 ceiling people of all faiths, the Az-ZawratCommunity Health
“The foundation had helped plan and was raising funds fans and their installation, along with 112 neon tube lights Clinic is 90% complete. The clinic will provide outpatient
for the clinic, but after a year had only raised about one fifth for the clinic. The church hosted an African luncheon, services, vaccines, maternity and well-baby care, laboratory
of the money needed,” she said. She took the project to attended by Abdelgadir, selling hand-held fans and compact testing, health education and emergency services to the more
St. Georges Outreach Committee and they “felt drawn to fluorescent bulbs to represent their donation to the clinic. than 17,000 people who live in the area. The clinic will be
help this young organization meet its goal of “Many of the fans sold completed in time for Abdelgadir’s annual trip to Az-Zawrat.
Two young Sudanese children “St. George’s is blessed to have been a part of the clinic’s
constructing the clinic in this small, peaceful were made by children from
village in the Nile River Valley,” Savage said. the church and St. George’s journey and hopes to remain involved in assuring the clinic’s
Abdelgadir founded The Mother Day School, and the Board of success,” Savage said.
Maryam Foundation in 2006. He has lived World Mission of the diocese
in Austin for 22 years and his Austin-based awarded an additional $3000
company donates a portion of their proceeds grant to the project,” Savage
to support projects benefitting the people of said. It was enough to pay for
Az-Zawrat and the surrounding area. He has sanitation and air conditioning
donated more than $15,000 to this particular for the clinic.
project. A groundbreaking was
“Awad returns to his village every year,” held in December, 2008,
Savage said, “and works tirelessly to improve while St. George’s set a goal
the lives of his friends and family back home. for an additional $3,000
He completed a safe drinking water project with an “adopt a villager”
in 2002 with Rotary International. Now, program. Parishioners were
every household pays a small fee to maintain invited to select a villager from

5 Texas Episcopalian • November 2009


Golf Tourney Supports
Minority Medical Students
Family Remembers Nicholas Helping Others
W B
hen the Higgins family lost their 12-year-old
son and brother, Nicholas Alexander Higgins,
to congenital heart disease in 1993, they
vowed to honor his memory in a way that would make a
living difference. Nicholas loved to play golf so the family
established a memorial golf tournament in 1998 to honor
his memory. Funds raised help support minority students
wanting to study medicine and save lives by contributing
to charity care for patients at Texas Children’s Heart
Center.
The tournament has helped five college students in
a summer fellowship at Texas Children’s Heart Center,
two Adult Congenital Cardiology Fellows and one former
Cardiology Fellow who has established a clinic to serve
adolescent cardiology patients. Each student has spent at
least two summers working with pediatric cardiologists.
Three students are presently in medical school; one is a
St. David’s Episcopal
Church Announces
its 2009 “Caroling at
Noon” Concert Series
Karla Hamelin
S t. David’s, 301 E. 8th St., Austin, recently announced a
lunchtime concert series of performances, caroling and
cuisine during Advent.  The concerts are presented each
Thursday at 12:05 p.m. in the Historic Sanctuary of the
downtown Austin church and are free and open to the public.
Complimentary parking in the garage at 8th St. and Trinity is
available. Each concert is followed by lunch at Café Divine
on the church campus. For further information, contact
Austin Haller at austin.h@stdave.org or 512.415.5688.
December 3:   The Concordia Chamber Players: Faculty
members Kim Perlak, guitar; Karla
Hamelin, cello and Ellen Johnson, flute
December 10:  The St. David’s Men’s Ensemble: under the
direction of St. David’s Director of Music
David Stevens
December 17:   Music for Harp and Organ: Louisa Ellis
Woodson, harp and Austin Haller, organ
Texas Episcopalian • November 2009
PARISH NEWS
second-year emergency medicine resident and one is an
undergrad pre-med student.
“The program allowed me to glimpse a physician’s life
before I committed to the profession, and it gave me an
opportunity to work under an excellent mentor, Dr. Antonio
Mott, who supervised the fellowship at Texas Children’s,”
said Amber Mock, a second year medical resident at UCLA.
This year’s golf tournament will be held on Saturday,
November 14, 2009, at Tour 18 Golf Club at 3102 FM
1960, East Humble, TX 77396.
“There is no better way to celebrate the life of our
son and brother than by serving others and giving other
pediatric heart patients a chance for a healthier life,” said
Pauline Higgins, mother of Nicholas and Nathaniel. “At the
same time, we want to encourage minority youth to explore
careers in medicine, where they will have an opportunity to
save future lives.”
Anyone interested in this charity tournament may
participate as a player or as a sponsor, including sponsoring
youth players in the tournament. To learn more, please
call Sylvia LeBlanc at 713.2524.987 or Junior Higgins at
281.704.4855 or visit the Web site and register online at
www.tournevents.com/NICKMEM2009.
St. Christopher’s Goes
to the Table for Families
By Rusty Graham
T
he research bears out what may seem like common
sense. Children who regularly eat dinner with their
families are much less likely to abuse alcohol or drugs.
Simple enough maybe, but busy lives and hard economic
times can often mean less time to spend with family.
To promote the idea of family dinners, the Greater
Houston Prevention Partnership helped serve a Family Day
dinner recently for 50 families referred by various Houston-
area prevention providers. The families met for a catered
dinner, door prizes and words of encouragement hosted
at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Spring Branch, a
suburb if Houston.
A product of the national Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University, Family
Day was created to promote communication between family
members. Much of the research showing the link between
family dinner and reduced substance abuse was conducted
by CASA.
“Statistics show that families that communicate are
less likely to experiment with drugs and alcohol,” said Kay
Crockett of the Coalition of Behavioral Health Services/
Partnership for a Drug-Free Spring Branch.
Master of ceremonies Maria Corrales of Noticias 45
6
Special Evensong to
Recognize Members
and Veterans of the
Armed Services
efore the Rev. Sean Cox came to St. Andrew’s, Bryan,
he regularly attended a service of Evensong offered
every year in the cathedral of his former diocese. He
did so as an act of support and concern for members of the
Armed Services and their families, and to honor the service
of veterans. He always experienced this Veterans Day event
as “a real demonstration of our care and concern for serving
members of the Armed Services and a time for their families
to gather and meet and support one another. A few people
on active duty would be there, but a lot more people who
had a family member or a loved one serving – people with
someone out in Afghanistan or Iraq, and a lot of veterans
and their families. It was a way for the people in the diocese
to gather and pray for common concerns, and let them know
that they were in our prayers all the time.” Cox approached
the Dean of Christ Church Cathedral about doing something
similar here for the Diocese of Texas.
On Sunday afternoon, November 15 at 5 p.m. there
will be a special Evensong In Recognition of Members
and Veterans of the Armed Services sung at Christ Church
Cathedral, 1117 Texas Ave. in downtown Houston. The
Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Services and Federal
Ministries, the Rt. Rev. George Packard will preach, and
Bishop Andy Doyle will preside.
Veterans, service members, their families and those
concerned for them are especially invited and encouraged
to attend; wearing uniform is encouraged. There will be a
reception and a chance to visit with the bishops afterward.
Univision told the families of her own experiences with family
dinner. She said that her dad worked hard at a construction
job all day, coming home tired and stressed.
He preferred to be alone, and Corrales said she was
scared to try and eat with him. When the family did try to
eat dinner together the talk often turned to bills, debt and
other worries.
She much preferred breakfast, she said, which she
usually ate with her mother. It was hurried most times, but
her mother always asked Corrales what she might be doing
that day, or what was going on in her life.
“Dinnertime really doesn’t exist anymore, but it should,
and it should be about more than just eating,” said Corrales.
“It should be a time to communicate.”
To help spur conversation among families, a stack of
cards with conversation-starting questions was given to each
family.
Families were encouraged to take the cards home and
continue the conversations there.
“I’m delighted we were able to host the group in our
kitchen and on our campus,” said the Rev. Bob Goolsby.
“This was a great outreach opportunity for us and I’m sure
the community will benefit from these gatherings.” For more
information on Fami1y Day go to www.casacolumbia.org.
Reprinted with permission from the Memorial Examiner
 Calendar
Calendar
November
6-7 VIVA EVA, a conference in Spanish for Latino women with a message of love and
encouragement, featuring the Rev. Altagracia Perez at Christ Church Cathedral. Contact
the Rev. Luchy Littlejohn at 713.222.2593.
6-8 Godly Play training for teachers in Spanish, at St. Martin’s, Houston. Sponsored by the
diocesan Office for Multicultural Ministry. Godly Play is a religious education program for
children 2–12 that encourages and supports individual spiritual journeys. Fee for training is
$250. For more program information contact Denise Trevino at dtrevino@epicenter.org or
call 512.478.0580. More about Godly Play at: www.godlyplaysouthwest.org
7 The Consortium of Endowed Parishes is looking to the future with a workshop on
leadership skills for a volatile, complex future featuring author Bob Johansen of the Institute
for the Future. Johansen will share the leadership skills that will be needed to thrive in a
world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity---but still a world of great hope.
Learn how foresight can provoke insight and lead to better decisions and better leadership.
At St. David’s, Austin, 301 E. 8th, 9 a.m.- 12 p.m. $35 per person includes continental
breakfast at 8:30 a.m. To register: www.endowedparishes.org
10-13 Kaleidoscope Training for leaders in multicultural settings. Training for leaders in
multicultural settings, at Camp Allen. This four-day seminar is a program led by the
Kaleidoscope Institute by the Rev. Eric Law. It is designed to be faith-based and addresses
leadership issues surrounding our diverse and fast changing world. Participants will
explore self awareness and one’s deep understanding of one’s cultural values, strengths and
weaknesses, and the privilege and power that come with one’s roles and cultural background.
$425 Double occupancy/ $485 Single occupancy (includes registration, meals and room for
3 nights.) 12 CEU’s will be awarded (6 theological, 6 professional). For more information
contact Denise Trevino at 512.478.0580 or dtrevino@epicenter.org.
11 Trinity, The Woodlands Veteran’s Day Prayer Service at 7 p.m., for people of all faith
traditions. The church is located at 3901 South Panther Creek Drive. Call 281.367.8113 or
visit www.trinitywoodlands.org for details.
13-14 Soulfood Retreat for persons in recovery from alcoholism or addictions, and their families
or friends, or those seeking information. Speakers, 12-step meetings, groups, worship and
fellowship. For more information contact the Rev. Don Legge at 254.947.5918. For a
schedule of this event go http://tiny.cc/YjrOe. To register: http://tiny.cc/wf6qA
14 The 11th Annual Nicholas Alexander Higgins’ Memorial Golf Tournament The Tour
18 Golf Club in Humble, TX, 8 a.m. tee time. Proceeds from this year’s tournament will
benefit St. James’ School in Houston and the Texas Children’s Pediatric Heart Center. To
sponsor a team or make a contribution to “Saving the Heart & Education of a Child,”
contact Diana Gross at dlgross@texaschildrenshospital.org or call 832.824.2136.
14 Diocesan Youth Choral Festival, Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, guest conductor will
be Ben Hutto of the National Cathedral School and St. Alban’s, Washington. Open to
choristers in grades 3-12. The day’s rehearsals will conclude with Evensong. The Evensong
service is free and open to the public. For more information or to register, contact Bruce
Power at tbpower@christchurchcathedral.org or 713.590.3310.
Save the Date
December 4
Please save the date: Open House and Dedication
of the Austin Diocesan Center at Seminary of the
Southwest, Austin, 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Web Seminar Austin
Jeff Frey, manager of web services at Rice University, will speak at a
Communications seminar Saturday, November 14 in Austin. The seminar
will cover basic web information for those churches who wish to improve
their presence on the Internet. Jeff will also discuss web tools, those things
now available to make better use of the Internet, for new and current
members of congregations. The seminar will be divided into three sections,
101, 210 and 301-each becoming more detailed so that you can decide
how much of the seminar you wish to attend. A cost of $20 will cover
copies of the information as well as lunch at either location. If you had
signed up for the initial web seminar (cancelled because of Hurricane Ike),
your registration fee is still good. Contact Nancy Sallaberry to register or
to see if you are listed as a participant at 713.520.6444 or e-mail her at
nsallaberry@epicenter.org. Registration is required to ensure sufficient
materials and lunches. This seminar is underwritten by the diocesan Office
of Communications.
14 Web Seminar, Jeff Frey, manager of web services at Rice University, will speak at
a Communications seminar at St. David’s in Austin. $20 cost. To register contact
Nancy Sallaberry at 713.520.6444 or e-mail her at nsallaberry@epicenter.org.
15 Little Church Club at Camp Allen beginning 4 p.m. and ending on Monday, Nov.
16 after lunch. They meet for education, sharing of ideas about how to grow living in
small communities, fellowship and worship. Each small church is urged to send at
least two representatives to the meeting. The cost is $75 per person for double ($15
extra for single), and the diocese pays for one person per church. Please RSVP to
Donna Mueck at donna-allsaints@sbcglobal.net or call her at 254.697.2167.
Montgomery County Veterans Day Service
Trinity, The Woodlands
The Trinity Veteran’s Fellowship invite all area veterans, their families and any other area
residents who would like to honor our veterans, past and present, to attend a Veterans Day
Prayer Service. November 11, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at Trinity, 3901 South Panther Creek Drive,
The Woodlands. The Rev. John W. Price, assisting priest at Palmer Memorial, Houston,
will be the guest preacher. Price [Colonel, USANG (Ret.)], retired from the Texas Army
National Guard as the State Chaplain of the Texas Military Forces in 1995. People from all
faith traditions are welcome to attend to honor our veterans. For additional information or
directions, you may contact the church office at 281.367.8113 or visit Trinity’s web site at:
www.trinitywoodlands.org.
Alternative Gift Market
Trinity, The Woodlands
The 2009 Alternative Gift Market will be held at Trinity, The Woodlands, on November
14 (9-3) and 15 (9-1). Instead of the usual Christmas gifts to family, friends, teachers
and business associates, gift certificates in their honor will provide to community outreach
partners. Lunch will be provided by the Holy Smokers on Saturday.
Donations will help Hurricane Ike and other disaster relief efforts, Montgomery
County Jail Ministry, scholarships for Trinity Episcopal Day School, Interfaith Hospitality
Ministries, Lord of the Streets and many others.
Entertainment includes Trinity’s choir and bell choir and contemporary Christian
music. A silent auction and large item garage sale will be held on Saturday.
Trinity is located at 3901 S. Panther Creek. Please call 281.367.8113 with any
questions.
7 Texas Episcopalian • November 2009

Frances MacGregor Receives National Award As
Diocese of Texas ECW Honored Woman
Kaye Pendarvis (left), diocesan ECW president, presented Frances MacGregor with the
Honored Woman certificate at St. Dunstan’s, September 20.
Frances MacGregor, a member of
St. Dunstan’s, Houston, was named
Honored Woman from the Diocese
of Texas at the triennial, national
gathering of the Episcopal Church
women, in July.
Each diocese selects one woman to
be honored, someone whose life, work and vocation have
been dedicated to work at the diocesan level.
MacGregor has been a member of St. Dunstan’s since
1975, active in the local ECW, serving as treasurer, president
and chair of church’s annual Christmas bazaar. She also served
on the vestry, was Junior Warden and a delegate to Diocesan
Council. Over the years MacGregor has been a choir
member, taught Sunday School and served as chalice
bearer, lector and greeter. She is an Education for
Ministry graduate and has served as a Stephen Minister
and as a Community of Hope lay chaplain.
MacGregor also served, with her husband, as
registrar for two diocesan-wide Gatherings of the
Diocese. She has served as vice president, convocational
coordinator, treasurer and communications coordinator
for the diocesan ECW between 1988-2007. She also
chaired the annual meeting in 1992.
LisaDiane Etheredge is the current
communications coordinator for ECW. She recently
sat down with MacGregor to ask her some questions.
LDE: What women inspired you in your life?
FM: My mother – she worked full time, but still
managed to care for her family. Also, Barbara Neff, Bishop Rayford High (center) installed the following new members
former Diocese of Texas ECW president, was a great of the Diocese of Texas Episcopal Church Women Board of Directors
at the closing service (pictured l-r): Lesley Douthwaite, Secretary;
person, and I learned a lot from her.
Cheryl Rowland, East Harris Convocation Coordinator; Anya McInnis,
LDE: What church did you grow up in? Vice-President; Barbara Zimmerman, Galveston Convocation
FM: I grew up in the Church of England. Specifically Coordinator; and Pam Reed, Outreach Coordinator.
Texas Episcopalian • November 2009
DIOCESAN NEWS
I remember attending St. Andrews
in Kettering in Northamptonshire.
LDE: What brought you to the
U.S.?
FM: My husband worked for Shell
Oil. We came to the U.S. on a two
year assignment. We had an 18
month old and two month old. We
settled in Houston, and somehow
we stayed a lot longer than two
years!
LDE: What drew you to ECW?
FM: St. Dunstan’s was new and
growing at the time that we moved
to Houston. I did not have family
of my own near by, and the women
became my family, and support
system. They made suggestions
on how to raise my kids in the US,
which was valuable, because it was
so different from my experiences.
LDE: What are some of your
favorite memories of ECW?
FM: I always enjoy the Annual Meeting and Retreat. I
attended my first annual meeting because I was ECW
president at St. Dunstan’s. The Annual Meeting was held
in Clear Lake City that year. I was always home to make
sure the kids got on the bus. In all the years we had lived in
Houston, the bus had always come to pick them up, but that
Friday it was flooding, and the kids were left standing in the
rain. The bus never came! The kids were fine, but it was such
a crazy coincidence.
LDE: What would you say is the value of ECW?
FM: Fellowship and getting to meet other women, and see
how other churches worship. It is always interesting to see
8
what is going on in other parishes. It is great to share ideas
with women from around the diocese.
LDE: How have you served in the ECW?
FM: I think I am the only person who held four positions.
Of course it was over several years. When I first started, we
had meetings in the middle of the week. It had to change
as more and more board members were working women. I
have seen the character of ECW change over all the years, but
it is still a wonderful organization.
LDE: How to you spend your free time these days?
FM: We used to go to Colorado every summer in a pop-up
trailer when the kids were young. Now we have an RV, and
I enjoy travelling around with my husband, especially to visit
our grandchildren in California.
Each Congregation
asked to Honor a
Special Woman
The diocesan-wide campaign to honor women in each
congregation began in 2008. Women work hard in
every parish, even where there is no organized group of
Episcopal Church Women.
They prepare meals for the potluck lunches and
receptions, dress the altar, pray, keep the nursery going,
teach Sunday school, serve on vestries, boards and
foundations.
Each honoree will receive a certificate from the
ECW board, her name will be printed in the Texas
Episcopalian and she will be recognized as an honored
participant at the next ECW Annual Meeting and
Retreat.
Our hope is that every congregation will honor a
special woman or group of women in their congregation
and mark their selection with a donation to the Episcopal
Church Women Endowment Fund. The monies from
this fund are used solely for women’s ministries in the
Diocese of Texas, including academic scholarships,
spiritual growth retreats, educational programs, Spanish
language programs, outreach grants and financial
support for seminarians, both men and women.
In 2008 forty-three women were honored, and the
ECW Endowment Fund was increased by $6,000.00.
If there are women in your congregation that you
would like to honor, please submit a letter describing
the woman’s contributions to Sue Peace at 2211 Avenue
L, Santa Fe, TX 77510. Phone: 409.925.5161, E-mail:
sbpeace@comcast.net

“We are Qualified to Carry A God-Shaped
Message,” Gerland Tells ECW Gathering
By LisaDiane Etheredge
Hosted by the ECW of St. Mark’s,
Houston, women from throughout
the diocese gathered for their annual
meeting and retreat October 16-17 at
Camp Allen.
JoNell Burch Gerland, founder of Treasure in Clay
International and keynote speaker, told those in attendance
that “we cannot answer God’s call unless we step back into
God’s plan. We look at what we do not have, but He is just
asking for what we have in our hands.” Gerland recalled the
feeding of the 5000 and suggested being part of God’s plan is
to stop arguing and simply give the Lord what we have. She
quoted Jeremiah 18:4, “The vessel he was making of clay was
spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another
vessel, as seemed good to him.”
“When God calls us we are the clay in His hands. We
have been qualified to carry a God-shaped message. We are
uniquely fit to serve the Lord,” Gerland said.
The Rev. Lisa Hines spoke of the demands on women
in her sermon. “Church has become the last thing on a very
long weekly to-do list…,” Hines said, reminding participants
that unlike other obligations, “when God calls, it is always to
call you further into being, further into the joy of a loving
relationship with God through Jesus Christ.” The Eucharist
was said in memory of Bishop Leo Alard, former Suffragan
bishop of Texas who died in 2003 and Debra Hillick, a
diocesan employee who died suddenly on October 16.
Christianne Melanson said she found great satisfaction
in designing the worship services, assembling things that fit
the theme of Stepping Up, Answering the Call. “It was an
incredible experience to hear Bishop High preach on the
Bible verses that I selected,” she said.
Comments from participants highlighted the quality
of speakers and the wide variety of workshops available. MJ
Ladd especially enjoyed Greg Garrett’s workshop Finding
God in the Culture. A workshop entitled The Gift and
Necessity of Friendship, by the Rev. Elizabeth Zarelli Turner,
was another favorite.
Cheryl Rowland, chair of the 108th Annual meeting,
said that organizing the meeting was a wonderful experience.
Of her planning committee, she said, “We were focused on
the job, but we had a great time, too.”
Upcoming ECW Events for 2009
The Board of the Episcopal Church Women encourages
every woman in every pew to experience the joy of outreach,
fellowship and spiritual growth together by participating in
the Diocesan ECW events in 2010. The Spiritual Growth
Retreat will be held at Camp Allen on April 9, 2010. The
DIOCESAN NEWS
109th Annual Meeting and Retreat will be hosted by St.
Mark’s, Beaumont, on October 15-16. Diocesan ECW
calendars for 2010 are available through your convocation
coordinators. You will find information about upcoming
events, and a list of all board members and their contact
information on our website. Please visit the Episcopal
Diocese of Texas website at www.epicenter.org; to get to the
ECW section, drop down the list of organizations, and click
Episcopal Church Women.
Etheredge is ECW communication chair
Texas Seeks more Jubilee Ministries
J
ubilee Ministry, formally named in 1982 at the Episcopal
Church’s General Convention, provides a distinction
for certain ministries in the Church as “a ministry of
joint discipleship in Christ with poor and oppressed people,
wherever they are found, to meet basic human needs and to
build a just society.” This is at the heart of the mission of the
church.
The Rev. Gill Keyworth, a deacon at Emmanuel,
Houston, and the diocesan Jubilee officer, would like to
see additions to the five Jubilee designated ministries in the
Diocese of Texas. These currently include: Ubi Caritas, a
healing ministry in Beaumont; El Buen Samaritano, a social
service/clinic mission to Hispanics in Austin; St Vincent’s
House, serving the poor in Galveston; Lord of the Streets
Jubilee Center, a ministry to homeless men and women
in midtown Houston; and Iglesia Episcopal San Mateo in
Houston.
All of these centers received grants in 2009, three as a
result of their relief work following Hurricane Ike. Monies
have now been designated on a national level to provide
annual grants over the next triennium and Keyworth wants
to identify more ministries that might fit the criteria to be
Jubilee Centers. She said that Jubilee grants have proven
to help with additional funding from other sources and
the program provides special training and information
conferences for Jubilee Centers.
“Recommendations to the national Executive
Committee are made by the diocesan bishop in concert with
the Jubilee officer,” she explained. “The process requires a site
visit and application forms and I would love to hear from
people who are interested,” she added. Keyworth can be
reached at 281.1493.3161.
Jubilee Ministry draws no distinctions between
‘domestic’ or ‘foreign,’ rural or urban. It is an arm of the
Advocacy Center whose focus is domestic and international
peace and justice, giving a voice to the voiceless.
To seek designation as a Jubilee Ministry Center a
ministry must be an Episcopal congregation, Episcopal
cluster or an ecumenical cluster with an Episcopal presence,
and/or an agency with connections to the Episcopal Church
9 Texas Episcopalian • November
St. Cyprian’s, Lufkin, celebrated the installation of its ninth
rector, the Rev. Arthur A. Callaham, second from right. Also
pictured are the Rev. Patrick Gaham, the Rt. Rev. Rayford
High and the Very Rev. M.L. Agnew, (l-r)interim rector of
St. Cyprian’s.
It must be involved in mission and ministry among
and with poor and oppressed, rooted in worship and include
several programs, at least one human rights advocacy
program and one human services program.
Once designated a Jubilee Center, the ministry must
be willing to demonstrate the operation of its programs to
others as a model, maintain “how to” files, act as a resource
center and be subject to annual review.
• Jubilee Ministries serve several functions:
• To challenge and confront Episcopalians and others
to understand the facts of poverty and injustice,
encouraging them to take an active role in meeting
the needs of the poor and in the struggles against the
causes of such suffering.
• To identify and affirm as Jubilee Centers those
congregations or ecumenical clusters directly engaged
in mission and ministry among and with poor people.
• To train clergy and lay volunteers, including poor and
oppressed people, in the work of Jubilee Ministry.
• To identify persons with gifts and skills helpful in
Jubilee Ministry.
• To select particular Jubilee Ministries as models, and
communicate their work and methods to the whole
church.
• To report on issues that affect the poor, and on public
policies and church policies related to those issues.
• To cooperate with other organizations to develop an
active network to respond quickly and significantly on
public issues of peace and justice.
• To promote evangelism, especially in the formation of
minority-led congregations.
• To issue grants as a concrete expression of the church’s
commitment to this ministry.
Source: General Convention Resolution 1982-A080 (Enabling
legislation that created Jubilee Ministries)
2009

Browne Legacy
is Global View
of Communion
T
he Rev. Bob Browne died on September 19,
nearly 12 years after receiving a heart transplant.
Brown worked for years with the Archbishop of
Canterbury's office to bring the full measure of the diversity
of the Anglican experience together, through videos. Because
of his work, an archive of images exists from throughout the
global communion. Browne integrated his passion of people
and the broader Communion into sharp focus through his
work.
When he had his heart transplant, he graciously shared
the story from his hospital bed, through a story in the Texas
Episcopalian, inspiring many with his courage and dignity
through a difficult time.
Generosity of spirit marked Browne’s life. "He was
passionate about bringing the ends of the world to our
doorstep, traveling throughout the Anglican Communion
to videotape our brothers and sisters at worship and
ministry so that we might feel connected and better know
one another," said Bishop Andy Doyle.
Browne wrote and directed a documentary on Florence
Li Tim-Oi, the first woman to be ordained in the Anglican
Communion., in China in 1944. This documentary, with
the vast body of his work, provides a rich visual archive of
both Browne's ministry as well as a reflection of the global
Communion.
Texas Episcopalian • November 2009
DIOCESAN NEWS
People
Elizabeth Freese won the Franciscan Philanthropist Award
in Earth Ministry’s national Care for Creation Sermon
Contest, held in Seattle in September. The event was a
fundraiser, and Freese’s entry, “The Irresistible Sustainable
Future,” raised the most money from attendees. Freese is a
member of St. David’s, Austin.
The Rev. Janet Gilmore and Robert J. Jarynowski were
married on September 19, 2009, at St. Cuthbert, Houston.
The Revs. Kelly and Nathan Jennings traveled to Russia
in September to pick up the newest addition to their family,
daughter Maria.
The Rev. Betty “Lee” Ligon-Borden will be the new
assistant to the rector at St. Bartholomew’s, Hempstead. She
was previously lay vicar at St. Francis, Prairie View.
The Rev. Stuart Shelby and his wife, Crissy welcomed their
son McKinney Stuart Shelby on Sept. 30. Mac weighed in
at 8 lbs. 9 oz.
The Rev. Billy Tomlin and his wife Ann are the proud
grandparents of twin grandsons born on Sept. 16 in College
Station.
Deaths
Debbie Hillick, diocesan database services, died suddenly
on October 16 after arriving at work. She is survived by
two married sons, a daughter and two grandchildren. Her
memorial service was held at Christ Church Cathedral.
The Rev. Christopher C. Prince died on October 7 from
complications of a heart infection. Funeral services were
held at St. Stephen’s Houston.
Five vergers were installed at St. Alban’s, Austin, on Sunday,
October 11. Pictured are (top row) Ron Robertson, former
training officer, Mace Chapter of the Vergers’ Guild, Jerry
Inman, John Bennet Waters, (bottom row) John Gemar,
Susan Tennison, the Rev. Margaret Waters, Nelson Smith
and Richard Evans, president, Mace Chapter of the Vergers’
Guild.
10
Want Ads
Development Director, New Hope Housing, Houston The
Director of Fund Development structures capital campaigns,
major gift requests, funding partnerships and annual fund
drives; as well as individual, foundation and corporate
relations and marketing. The Director of Fund Development
is an integral part of the budget process and is responsible
for the line items directly related to fundraising functions.
This is a full-time, exempt position reporting directly to the
executive director. See more information on the position at:
www.newhopehousing.com. Compensation commensurate
with experience, interested candidates should send cover letter
and resume to joy@newhopehousing.com.
Administrative Assistant to the Rector, Trinity, The
Woodlands Permanent, full-time position with benefits.
Must be proficient in Word and Excel. Duties include facility
scheduling, data base management and assisting with various
ministry groups. Must be able to work with a variety of
personalities. Please submit resume and three references to
the Rev. Gerry Sevick, Trinity Episcopal Church, 3901 South
Panther Creek Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77381 or email
gsevick@Trinitywoodlands.org.
Executive Director, Trinity Center, Austin Founded
in 1999, Trinity Center is a faith-based organization
meeting the spiritual, emotional and physical needs of our
neighbors, people experiencing poverty and homelessness.
The organization seeks an experienced professional leader,
manager and fundraiser to serve as our next executive director
and take our organization to new levels of sustainability and
excellence. Proven fundraising skills, relationship-builder and
collaborative leadership approach a must. Send letter of interest
describing relevant experiences, resume, three references and
three-year salary history to apply@trinitycenteraustin.org.
Visit www.trinitycenteraustin.org for a detailed job description
and additional information.
Two Austin priests win
Sermon Competition  
The Rev. Margarita Arroyo, assistant to the rector at St.
James’, won first prize for her Spanish language sermon and
the Rev. Jeffrey H. Walker, interim rector, tied for second
place in the English language division.  
Contest entrants submitted videos up to 10 minutes
in length in either English or Spanish. Most contestants did
not address specific health insurance policy proposals, but all
agreed that people of faith should advocate for policies that
increase access to health care.
Texas Impact is a statewide religious grassroots network
whose members include individuals, congregations and
governing bodies of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths.
Texas Impact exists to advance state public policies that
are consistent with universally held social principles of the
Abrahamic traditions.
 COUNCIL INFORMATION

Council
161st Diocesan Nominations Form
161st Diocesan Council, Killeen, Texas, February 12-13, 2010
The Episcopal Diocese of Texas
Nominations (Please print or type)

Please download and complete the nomination form at right Full Name:_____________________________________________________________
or online at www.epicenter.org and mail to the following
address by November 6, 2009. Mail to: The Rev. Alex G.
Position Sought:_________________________________________________________
Montes-Vela, 11608 Glen Knoll Dr., Manor, TX 78653. All
nominations must be received by mail as they require original
signatures. Address (city and zip):_____________________________________________________
Additionally, please e-mail a recent photograph and a
50-75 word biographical sketch, written in the first person, Phone (home):_________________________(work):_____________________________
highlighting why you would like the position and believe
you are qualified, to: alexgmontesvela@gmail.com. These
will be used in the Texas Episcopalian and online. Fax:___________________________E-mail:__________________________________

Treasurer of the Diocese Congregation:__________________________________________________________

Secretary of the Diocese Education and Employment:_________________________________________________

Standing Committee (1 lay, 1 clergy)
_____________________________________________________________________
Executive Board (3 lay, 2 clergy)
_____________________________________________________________________
Trustee of the Church Corporation (1 lay)
Church (local and diocesan) and Community Service:_______________________________
Trustee of the University of the South (1 lay)
_____________________________________________________________________
Canons & Constitution _____________________________________________________________________
Any delegate to the 2010 Diocesan Council wishing to
propose an amendment to the Constitution and/or Canons _____________________________________________________________________
of the Diocese of Texas should submit a written copy of
the proposed amendment by e-mail or facsimile, on or
before November 15, 2009 to Maria Wyckoff Boyce, chair
of Canons & Constitution Committee. E-mail address is Other (anything you would like to add):_________________________________________
maria.boyce@bakerbotts.com; fax number is 713.229.2722.
_____________________________________________________________________

Resolutions _____________________________________________________________________
Resolutions for the  161st Council of the Diocese of Texas
must be received in the mail by the Rev. Miles Brandon no Signature of Nominee:_____________________________________________________
later than November 15, 2009. Please mail all resolutions to:
The Rev. Miles Brandon, 8134 Mesa Dr., Austin, TX 78759- Nominated by:__________________________________________________________
8615
The original resolution must be signed by an official
delegate or alternate to either the 160th or the 161st Councils IMPORTANT: Please complete this form and mail to the following address by November 6, 2009:
of the Diocese of Texas. Please include three copies of the The Rev. Alex G. Montes-Vela, Church Planter, 11608 Glen Knoll Dr., Manor, TX 78653. 
resolution with the original. Note that the Committee for
Resolutions can make changes to the form (not content) of a All nominations must be received by mail as they require original signatures.
resolution received so that all resolutions meet the standard
form. The mover of the resolution will be notified if changes
are made. For more information about the Committee for Additionally, e-mail a recent photograph and a 50-75 word biographical sketch, written in the
Resolutions or the resolution process please refer to Canon first person, highlighting why you would like the position and believe you are qualified to fill it.
2, Section 1 of the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese E-mail to: alexgmontesvela@gmail.com. These will be used in the Texas Episcopalian and online.
of Texas or contact Miles at mbrandon@stjuliansaustin.org
or 512.694.7121.

11 Texas Episcopalian • November 2009

 SEMINARY OF THE SOUTHWEST NEWS

Seminary of the Southwest

Celebrates Founder John Hines Day
  “We do him an injustice if we think
that his prophetic voice was all about the
words,” preached Russell, assistant professor
of contextual theology for mission. “It was
all about the action too, the action that he
Fall Visitors Weekend set
was able to take because he had the gifts of for November 13-14 at
courage and vision, and also because he had
another gift that is essential to leadership –
Seminary of the Southwest
 
clarity about his vocation and his identity.
Seminary of the Southwest is profoundly committed to
For him there could be no separation
the notion that all Christians have a vocation – a call
between words and deeds. This is who I am
from God into an identity and purpose uniquely one’s
and so this is what I must do,” she said.
own. Fall Visitors Weekend November 13-14 lets you
During his talk that concluded Hines
explore educational opportunities in lay and ordained
Day, Cook recalled what Bishop Hines
ministry at Southwest.
preached at his church on the campus of
Staged annually by seminarians, this vocational
the University of North Carolina in 1977.
discernment event will give you a feel for the seminary
“He, of course, delivered a magnificent
community, its campus and an introduction to what
sermon, but it was the closing challenge of
makes Austin one of the most vital and creative cities
his message that remains with me to this
in America.
day: ‘Why would those of us who claim to
There will be small group activities that allow for
be followers of Jesus Christ and strive to
discussion of formation and vocational discernment,
walk in his footsteps, think for a minute that
community life, finances, housing and academics.
what happened to him will not happen to
Students will be available to discuss why they chose
The Rt. Rev. John Hines us?’ That statement should haunt all of us—
Southwest and the impact of that choice. Opportunities
especially those who lead in Christ’s name,” Cook said.
to talk with Southwest faculty members will be many. 
By Bob Kinney  The texts of the sermon, reflection and the plaque, as

S
eminary of the Southwest celebrated the legacy of
its founder during its annual John Hines Day on
campus October 1. Bishop John Hines, the twenty-
second presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, founded
the seminary in 1952 when he was bishop coadjutor of the
Diocese of Texas.
The day’s events included the unveiling of a Travis
County Historical Commission plaque honoring Bishop
Hines, a sermon on his dynamic ministry by the Rev. Kathleen
Russell, Southwest professor and personal reflections of
the seminary’s founder by the Rev. Charles James Cook,
professor-emeritus of pastoral theology and a 1974 seminary
graduate. The celebration took place two days before the
ninety-ninth anniversary of John Hines’ birth.
Two of John and Helen Hines’ children – Nancy Smith
Hines and the Rev. Chris Hines – attended the celebration
with Chris’ son Caleb Davishines and his family. Cynthia
Beeman, an Austin historian who spearheaded the creation
of the Hines historical plaque, was among the seminary’s
guests.
well as events photos and a 1981 ten-minute Hines television
interview are at www.ssw.edu/news/view/john-hines-
day-2009.
Hines was elected presiding bishop in 1964 after 23
years of ministry. Hines led the three-million-member church
through a ten-year era of social activism while the United
States was being reshaped by the civil rights movement and
the Vietnam War. He insisted on the equality of all people,
developed a church program to aid inner-city people and,
with church shares and thousands of proxies in hand, urged
General Motors to divest itself of holdings in South Africa
during a stockholders’ meeting in 1971 – well before the
movement for divestiture became widespread.
Cook noted what was foundational to Hines’ ministry
during his Hines Day reflection. Hines returned to Seminary
of the Southwest in 1986 to preach during the twentieth
anniversary of the seminary’s Christ Chapel. During that
sermon Hines proclaimed, “The church needs persons who
are willing to stand up to the principalities and powers when
necessary. The engagement of Christ and culture does not
Registration deadline is Nov. 4. More information,
photos and a registration link are at www.ssw.edu/news/
view/fall-visitors-weekend Admissions contacts are
phone 512.439.0357 and email brobertson@ssw.edu
always mean that Christ can be overwhelmed by cultural
desires and expectations.”
After his tenure as presiding bishop, Hines retired to the
mountains of western North Carolina with Helen in 1974.
They later moved to Austin where she preceded him in death.
Bishop Hines presented his final public sermon during
Southwest’s 1994 commencement and died three years later.
In his biography, John E. Hines, Granite on Fire, the
Rev. Kenneth Kesselus, a 1972 Seminary of the Southwest
graduate, aptly described Hines: “He stood fast in the
tradition of the Old Testament prophets who could not
be intimidated or compromised when convinced they
understood God’s will.”

Texas Episcopalian • November 2009 12

 SEMINARY OF THE SOUTHWEST NEWS

 Revitalizing Enrollment increases at

Seminary of the Southwest

Our Church, the By Bob Kinney

E nrollment for the fall semester at Seminary of the

Celtic Saints and

Southwest has increased about 40 percent from Fall
2008 registration.
“We celebrate a significant surge in enrollment at
Seminary of the Southwest,” said the Very Rev. Douglas

Harry Potter
The Rev. Donald Keeney,
director of the seminary’s Booher
Library, leads a journey into
“Modern Myth, Harry Potter and
the Chronicles of Narnia.” His
course examines these two popular
fantasy series in light of longstanding
By Bob Kinney Christian themes and images. Persons enrolling in the course
should have read the books – not just watched the films. Short
Travis, dean and president.  “Director Jennielle Strother
and assistant Beth Robertson – our new recruiting and
admissions team – have done wonderful work for our
seminary.”
One hundred eleven seminarians have begun their
2009-10 academic year studies including 46 new students.
Sixteen new seminarians from eight Episcopal dioceses are
enrolled in the master of divinity degree program. The
dioceses range from Olympia and Southern Virginia to
Kansas and Central Gulf Coast. An additional six students
are in a one-year diploma program that is open to persons
with a varied background in theological study or lay
ministerial experience.
Southwest’s Center for Christian Ministry and
Vocation (CCMV) has welcomed ten lay people into
its new master’s degree in spiritual formation program.

W
hat do Revitalizing Our Church, the Celtic articles will be provided to enhance the class discussion. Fourteen other new students have begun studies toward
Saints and Harry Potter have in common? All The Online School for Spirituality and Mission is a part a counseling or chaplaincy master’s degree. Three others
are course topics in the 2010 Spring Term of the of and helps fulfill a goal of the seminary’s Center for Christian have registered for the master of arts degree. Most CCMV
Online School for Spirituality and Mission at Seminary of Ministry and Vocation – the Center provides educational students work during the day and attend evening and
the Southwest. opportunities in which Christians of any denomination can weekend classes at Southwest.
Registration is open now for the three courses that begin extend and deepen their knowledge of theology, scripture and
February 8 and conclude March 26. Tuition for each course ethics.
is $170 and continuing education credits are available. Full
course descriptions, biographies of teachers and a registration
link are at www.ssw.edu/curriculum/online/spring-2010.
Questions? Contact Madelyn Snodgrass, director of the
Online School for Spirituality and Mission at Southwest, by
email – msnodgrass@ssw.edu – or phone 512.472.4133 ext.
344. A certificate of completion of each course will be given
for 20 hours of CEUs. Each diocese or institution decides
how many CEUs to award.
Is the mainline church a dinosaur? Are we relevant in
a secular and consumer age? The Rev. Barkley Thompson,
a Southwest graduate who has led revitalization of two
churches since his graduation, offers “Communities of
Memory, Communities of Expectation: How to renew
the liturgical church so the liturgical church can revitalize
Christianity.” After reflecting on the role of the ordained
leader in today’s church, the course considers how we “do
church” and what practices will open congregations to the
energy of God’s Spirit for growth and renewal.
The Rev. Mary Earle, Southwest graduate, prolific
author and retreat leader who has taught at the seminary
for more than two decades, explores “Holy Companions:
Spiritual Practices from the Celtic Saints.” The lives and
stories of the Celtic saints offer us suggestions for living the
Christian faith with utter confidence that this good world
is God’s and we are partners with Christ in all our living
and doing. The course details the variety of Celtic spiritual
practices.

13 Texas Episcopalian • November 2009


Around One Table: Groundbreaking
Report Articulates Episcopal Identity, Beliefs
A
groundbreaking report that describes how
Episcopalians see their church has been released with
the added benefit of local use.
Finding that more unites than divides The Episcopal
Church, the comprehensive report, called Around One
Table, highlights the many attributes and feelings that are
common to Episcopalians. “Around One Table is a multi-
layered initiative designed to engage people in constructive
conversations about the identity and mission of the Episcopal
Church and how that relates to their lives and ministries,”
the report states.  that end, the research discovered 23 identity themes that
The Around One Table report, along with videos and
information on how to begin local conversations, is available
at: www.episcopalchurch.org/aroundonetable
Top findings: “Episcopalians passionately want their
church to hold Christ as central and believe their church
attempts to do so. Episcopalians see the Church both actually
and ideally as a people of the book whose faith is united by
and expressed in their Book of Common Prayer. Episcopalians
view their Church as both aspiring to hold and successfully
expressing a sacramental understanding of the Christian life
and relationship with God.”
“Understanding who we are is essential to knowing
what our task is,” said Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts
Schori. “Sometimes we sum up that quest for understanding
as knowing ‘who we are, whose we are and where we’re
going.’ Around One Table offers Episcopalians an objective
tool to use in discovering how the broader community of
Episcopalians is answering those questions.”
“Around One Table offers a mirror to reflect upon The
Episcopal Church and its perceived identities,” commented
Dr. Timothy Sedgwick, professor at Virginia Theological
Seminary and member of the College For Bishops Advisory
Committee. “The breadth of perceptions--bishops, clergy,
retired clergy and members of congregation--offers an
account persons will recognize as the Episcopal Church they
know with all its struggles and diversity. A center, though,
is clear: the Episcopal Church understanding of Christian
faith as Christ centered, grounded in Scripture, born by the
church as sacramental, mediated by the Book of Common
Prayer, and creating a pastoral community.”
“The findings are broad in scope, richly descriptive
in content and current in reflecting Episcopal identity as
expressed by Episcopalians themselves,” noted Dr. Mathew
Sheep, assistant professor at Illinois State University and
primary researcher in the Episcopal Identity Project. “When
navigating the whitewater of change and the uncertainty
that sometimes ebbs and flows around it, what is core to
an organization’s identity is such a crucial foundation from
which to build and grow.”
Around One Table was sponsored by the College for
Bishops and CREDO Institute, Inc., and is based on the
Episcopal Identity Project conducted by researchers from
the University of Cincinnati, Pennsylvania State University
Texas Episcopalian • November 2009
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
and Illinois State University. The Around One Table report
was written by the Rev. Dr. David Gortner of Virginia
Theological Seminary, and three Episcopal Identity Project
researchers: Dr. Elaine Hollensbe of the University of
Cincinnati; Dr. Mathew Sheep of Illinois State University
and Dr. Glen Kreiner of the Pennsylvania State University.
Episcopal Identity
Based on years of extensive research, the primary goal
of Around One Table is to discuss Episcopal identity.  To
Episcopalians used most often to describe themselves.
President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson
noted, “If we, The Episcopal Church, cannot articulate who
we are, how on earth can we evangelize others? How can we
possibly expect God’s Church to grow if we don’t have the
words to explain ourselves?
“Around One Table is
essential for reflection and
discussion,” she added.
The report notes that Around
One Table is a “mirror for those
inside The Episcopal Church and a
window for those outside” by exploring
four major areas: how Episcopalians
understand the identity and character of
the Church; ways that members identify
with the Church on many levels; how
Episcopalians talk with and about each
other; and how Episcopalians “respond to
challenging issues.”
Who was surveyed?
The multi-method study collected data between 2004-
2008, based on 2569 surveys and 75 interviews including
bishops, lay and clergy deputies, seminary deans, active and
retired clergy and laity.
Findings
Findings in this pioneering report include:
• “Episcopalians passionately want their church to hold
Christ as central and believe their church attempts to
do so.
• “Episcopalians see the Church, both actually and
ideally, as a people of the book whose faith is united by,
and expressed in, their Book of Common Prayer.
• “Episcopalians view their Church as both aspiring
to hold and successfully expressing a sacramental
understanding of the Christian life and relationship
with God.
• “Episcopalians view the church as committed to
sacramental and incarnational understanding.
• “The Episcopal Church gathers around the Book of
Common Prayer as one of its core unifying features and
14
most profound expressions of faith.
• “Episcopalians see their Church as holding multiple
theological perspectives, both locally and broadly, and
have a deep appreciation for this aspect of Episcopal life.
• Episcopalians would very much like to de-emphasis any
notion of their Church as elite.
“Even among those who most strongly disagree with
one another, there is some deeply held common agreement
about core themes that are most central to Episcopal
identity – holding Christ as central, ordering around the
Book of Common Prayer and a sacramental life of faith,
emphasizing scripture, holding incarnational theology as
important and being pastoral in response to life’s challenges,”
observed Gortner. “The findings also provide some exciting
opportunities for deeper discussion
about how
Episcopalians
choose to live
and express
what is most
central, enduring
and distinctive
about their shared
Christian life and
faith.”
Uses for Episcopalians
“I hope that this
material will be used to
enrich conversations, guide theological and biblical
discussion, help all Christians in the Episcopal Church
become more articulate about what they believe their Church
stands for, and encourage decision-making that takes into
account the central versus more peripheral concerns of our
Church,” Gortner said.
Noted Anderson, “In the Around One Table report, the
Church is presented with a springboard for conversation and
reflection about Episcopal identity.”
Sedgwick agreed. “Around One Table opens conversations
for newcomers to the church and old timers in the church.
It holds the promise of creating deeper understandings of
the faith shared in common and of making sense of areas of
disagreement and conflict.”
The Presiding Bishop concluded, “The findings of this
study will be important in shaping understandings of
identity and mission, as well as guiding formation for all
Episcopalians.  Conversations prompted by Around One
Table have the ability to strengthen relationships within and
beyond this Church as we seek to live as faithful members of
this part of Christ’s body.”
The Episcopal Church, with 110 dioceses in 16 nations, is
a member province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.
Around One Table: www.episcopalchurch.org/
aroundonetable

New Anglican Health Network to Pilot
Micro Health Insurance in Tanzania
P
eople on very low incomes in the developing world
may soon be able to access health insurance thanks
to the Anglican Health Network (AHN). Based in
Geneva, AHN announced today that it will establish a new
pilot project to test the concept of providing a ‘micro health
insurance plan’ in an African setting.
The AHN was established at the Anglican Consultative
Council meeting in May, 2009. Its key ambition is to
support Anglican health providers to improve health care in
the developing world. “In an era when faith communities
have been rediscovered as key health services providers, we
are pleased to be leading this innovative approach to low
income health care” said Rev. Paul Holley, president and co-
founder of AHN.
The introduction of micro health insurance schemes is a
recent development of the micro finance movement. Micro
finance channels have already been utilized to provide life,
funeral and crop insurance to low income populations. Micro
health insurance extends that evolution further by offering
affordable health services. It allows whole communities to
pool the financial risks of illness and accident and improve
their access to a higher standard of health care.
Anglican Presence Strength of New Program
However, low cost health insurance is a challenging
arrangement, which relies on minimal administration and
efficient inter-relationships with health care providers. AHN
believes that the distribution of Anglican parishes and health
facilities will offer a unique structure on which to base a
successful plan, which could potentially cover widespread
populations.
The Africa pilot will be launched in the Diocese of Dar
es Salaam, Tanzania. The location was chosen because of the
established presence of AHN’s partner, MicroEnsure. UK-
based MicroEnsure is the acknowledged leader in providing
product design, health care provider networks and the IT
infrastructure for registration and claims management. Dar
es Salaam also has the advantage of having a range of public,
and private health care providers, a supportive regulatory
structure for non-profit health insurance and the strong
support of the Anglican Church in Tanzania.
“We are particularly grateful to Archbishop Valentine
Mokiwa of Tanzania for agreeing to host this pilot,” AHN co-
founder, Lee Hogan, stated. “We recognize that any pilot will
involve problems and adjustments so that an effective plan
can be developed for wider application.” Hogan is a member
of St. Martin’s, Houston and past executive chairman of St.
Luke’s Episcopal Health System.
It is expected that the preparatory work for the Africa
pilot will require a minimum of six months, after which actual
coverage should begin in the second quarter of 2010. Once
sufficient data from the pilot is available to refine the plan,
the AHN intends to extend the program to more rural areas
and into other African countries. A meeting of archbishops
through the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa (CAPA)
in Nairobi in September 2009 confirmed a widespread desire
to see such a groundbreaking initiative. The AHN expects to
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
Lee Hogan (right) and Richard Dar during CAPA conference in Nairobi.
Church Publishing, Canterbury Press to Launch
New Global Canterbury Studies in Anglicanism Series
A global consortium of scholars, theological schools and
publishing partners, spearheaded by Church Publishing
Incorporated (CPI) in the United States and SCM-
Canterbury Press in the United Kingdom, is launching a new
series capturing the contemporary issues and identity of the
Anglican Communion.
The first publication in the new Canterbury Studies
in Anglicanism series will be available January, 2010, with
additional volumes sequenced to follow in the next 6-18
months. The series editors are the Very Rev. Ian Markham,
PhD, dean and president of Virginia Theological Seminary
(VTS), and  the Rev. Canon Professor Martyn Percy, PhD,
principal at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, in the United
Kingdom.
Each volume will focus on a major area of church life
and faith, exploring the various perspectives of contributors
throughout the world, including the USA and Canada, the
United Kingdom, South Ireland, South Africa, Australia,
New Zealand, and Asia.
“The series will provide an essential guide to
contemporary Anglicanism in the twenty-first century,”
said Davis Perkins, CPI publisher. “It will present the finest
thinking of the world’s foremost Anglican scholars in a series
of accessible studies, addressing the complexity of faith issues
head-on. In so doing, it will define key elements of our
history, theology, worship, and identity as a Communion.”
Added Christine Smith, publishing director for
Canterbury Press, “Canterbury Studies in Anglicanism will
help capture the diversity, culture and unifying elements of a
worldwide Communion of more than 75 million members. It
will enable informed discussion at the grass roots level of the
privileges - and challenges - of belonging to this remarkable
15
work closely with regional Anglican organizations, such as
CAPA, as this program is expanded in the future.
In welcoming this initiative, the Archbishop of
Canterbury said, “The 2008 Lambeth Conference called for
a greater degree of collaboration in the area
of international development. The Anglican
Health Network has adopted a creative
approach to developing a more sustainable
health economy in communities served by
Anglican parishes.”
The Anglican Health Network offers
opportunities for Anglicans around the
world involved in health services and
healing ministries to collaborate in a range
of projects, share learning and best practice
and undertake theological reflection. It offers
email discussion groups and resources that
can be accessed through its website: http://
ahn.anglicancommunion.org/index.cfm
For Further information, contact:
Paul Holley: paul.holley@anglicanhealth.org
or Lee Hogan: leewhogan@hotmail.com
family of faith and help to nurture the next generation of
Anglican leaders.”
Initial titles include:
Christ and Culture: Communion After Lambeth (Spring
2010) With an introduction by the Most Rev. Katharine
Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church,
this introduction extends the work of the 2008 Lambeth
Conference. 
Living the Liturgy (Fall 2010) The nature and effect
of worship is a subject of central importance that unites
Anglicans in many different contexts and cultures. In this
upcoming volume, voices from the UK, Africa, the US,
Canada, and the Philippines will consider the role of the
liturgy in Christian formation.
Transfiguring Episcope Focusing on the distinctive voice
and contribution of women to senior Anglican leadership,
this volume is not so much a history of women’s ordination,
but rather stories and reflections on the actual praxis. It will
document what women bring in particular to the Anglican
Communion from different contexts throughout the world. 
Diversity and Discipleship: The Making of Communion
This volume will offer some of the most recent, richest and
cutting-edge reflections on the nature of Anglican identity,
as studied by The Society for the Study of Anglicanism at the
American Academy of Religion, a conference group now in
its seventh year and with a global membership of more than
200 Anglican scholars.
Titles in the new series can be ordered through any
Episcopal, Cokesbury, religious or secular bookstore; through
any online bookseller, or direct from the publisher by calling
800.242.1918 or by visiting www.churchpublishing.org.
Texas Episcopalian • November 2009

Micro Loans Have Enormous
Impact on Families in Malawi
Lara Case, center, on a recent trip to Malawi
By Ashley Cook
T
here’s nothing small about the heart of a new ministry
making big changes in the lives of impoverished
women halfway around the world.
The Micro Loan Project connects the spirit and
resources of people in the Diocese of Texas with that of
women in the African nation of Malawi. The program,
operated by Warm Heart International (established at St.
David’s, Austin), provides small but vital financial assistance
to women to build, or start up, businesses, thereby helping
them provide economic support to their families.
The diocese World Mission Board has been researching
the possibility of a partnership with the Dioceses of Texas
and Southern Malawi, which will be brought before the
church’s annual council in February.
While Malawi is a democratic nation, it is one of the
poorest in the world, and is located near the southeastern
coast of Africa. Tenth in the world in AIDS deaths, the
average life expectancy is 44 years. HIV/AIDS leaves one
million children in Malawi orphaned every year. There is one
doctor for every 87,000 people.
Debbie Daigle, lay vicar at Holy Innocents,
Madisonville, visited Malawi in 2007 with friends from
St. David’s, Austin, and representatives of Warm Heart
International.
The Rt. Rev. James Tengatenga, bishop of Southern
Malawi, is a graduate of the Seminary of the Southwest,
and he and his wife, Josie, also a seminary graduate, were
married at St. David’s. The church in Austin has been
sending missionary delegates to Malawi for the last several
years meeting a variety of needs, and has formed strong
Texas Episcopalian • November 2009
NATIONAL & INTERNATIONAL
bonds with the the people there.
“We were overwhelmed by our welcome, by the
faith and joy of the people we met and by the suffering
we saw around us. We returned from Malawi changed and
rendered unfit to resume life as we have known it – no more
indifference, flippancies and presumptions based on our
own cultural biases and prejudice,” a traveler wrote after
their first trip.
On Daigle’s first visit, she stayed in a parishioner’s
home, and was able to visit a number of places including
an orphanage for 200 AIDS orphans. She experienced
daily life and found Anglican churches there were full to
overflowing.
“There is dancing, singing — it’s just joyful,” Daigle
said.
In 2008, working with Amy and Lara Case, she
returned to Malawi in the project which Daigle said
supports the Millennium Development Goals to fight
poverty and empower women.
With grant money from several churches, including a
Trinity Wall Street, New York, they were able to give small
loans to a number of women. One for $50 allowed a local
seamstress to buy a sewing machine instead of renting one.
She was also able to purchase a substantial amount of fabric
instead of small amounts as one time, paying the loan back
in six months at two percent interest. Other loans were
made to a pig farm, a mobile phone business for villages,
an embroidery business and two restaurants, among others.
Lessons in finance, how to create and submit a
business plan, bookkeeping and more are also part of the
program. Peer committees and bookkeeping to ensure
Families in Malawi , page 18
16
Refugees in
Houston will
Experience First
Thanksgiving
Volunteers still needed
H ouston area Episcopal churches will host more than
200 refugees at a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner
on Sunday, November 22 from 4-6:30 p.m. at St. John the
Divine, 2450 River Oaks Blvd. Volunteers are still needed
to help make this offering meaningful to displaced people
who have come to this country in search of a better life.
The refugees have been resettled in Houston in 2009
and will attend with their caseworkers from Interfaith
Ministries of Greater Houston and their families.
Interfaith Ministries, the local affiliate of Episcopal
Migration Ministries, partners with local churches for the
annual Thanksgiving meal as part of the refugees welcome
to their new home country. This will mark the first time in
five years that the event is held in an Episcopal church and
several Episcopal churches are sharing the hosting as part
of the diocesan efforts to raise awareness and support for
refugees as they resettle in the Houston area.
Simple entertainment and activities are planned to
make the occasion festive and help the refugees understand
the history and traditions associated with this day and why
it is a uniquely American holiday celebrated by people of
many faiths.
Those churches assisting in the day’s celebration
include St. John the Divine, St. Martin’s, Emmanuel and
Palmer Memorial.
Volunteers from other parishes are invited and
needed to help make this event a success. Planners hope
to have children’s activities, musical entertainment and a
Thanksgiving Story, acted out by children or adults. This
offering would be a great means of explaining the origin
of Thanksgiving, our common connection with ancestors
who came to America seeking a better life, and today’s
shared practice of giving thanks to God for our many
blessings.
Music departments, youth and children’s ministries
are especially encouraged to help. Greeters are needed as
well. Please contact the Rev. Linda Shelton, diocesan
liaison for Refugee Ministries, lshelton@palmerchurch.
org, 713.529.6196x116.
Episcopal Migration Ministries www.epicenter.org/edot/
Episcopal_Migration.asp
Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston www.imgh.org/
refugee_services.asp
Refugees are resettled through a public-private
program in partnership with the U.S. State Department,
Episcopal Migration Ministries and Interfaith Ministries.
Churches are needed year round to lend support and
encouragement through donations of household goods,
advocacy, employment referrals and mentoring. Join in
welcoming the stranger!
 DIOCESAN NEWS

Organ Recipient , continued from page 1

DONOR
weekly. Dr. Goss remarked, “Well it’s about time you got in here;
Together for nine years, Linda and I decided to get we’ve been waiting forever!” I joked back, telling him it was
married on July 22, 2007 at St. Catherine’s. A week later, St. difficult bathing an elephant with a washcloth.
Luke’s called to say I’d been placed on the National Transplant I looked at the clock–it was 5:50 p.m. when silence
Waiting List. The excitement faded quickly as my condition gripped the room. Looking at the ceiling, I noticed the

SABBATH
continued to worsen. I had some good days, but mostly bad warmth surrounding me intensified, and I heard a reassuring
days, lying in bed, comforted by my dogs while Linda was at voice -- very clearly and very comforting -- the voice of our
work, and feeling myself slowly wilting away, hoping the call Lord whispered, “Rex, I will take you through this. I have
would come that would save me. much work for you to do.” Then it was quiet again. The
I was afraid of dying. I wondered what heaven would doctor asked if I was ready and I remember counting back
be like. How would death come? Would it be painful? Linda from 100 to 96. Donor Sabbath is recognized nationally
read the Bible to me each night and we searched for answers to Six hours later I woke with the Rev. Nancy DeForest the weekend of November 13 – 15 to
questions we had. I wondered if I would live to see my Texas praying over me. She left as the medical team descended in provide all groups of faith the opportunity
Longhorns win another national football championship. a flurry of drawing blood and changing tubes. They had me to spread the word about the importance
Would I see my grandchildren grow up? Would Linda of organ donation to their congregations.
and I be the same after suffering through this nightmare?
I had time to think about every single thing I had ever
More than 100,000 people are currently
done, good and bad–how would God judge me? waiting for an organ donation to save their
Linda was heroic; a tremendous caregiver. I left my lives and improve their health, 11,000 of
job for medical reasons in June of 2007 and working those are in Texas. Texas ranks last in the
60-hour weeks, Linda still managed to get me to all my number of registered organ donors.
doctor visits, ensured I took all my medicine, visited me As of October 12, 2009, 387 Texans
every day when I was in the hospital, cared for our pets,
and somehow stretched our funds to pay some of the
are waiting on a heart transplant;
bills. 8,127 Texans are waiting on a kidney
In September, Linda was confirmed at St. transplant; 174 Texans are waiting for a
Catherine’s. I attended wearing a surgical mask to lung transplant; 2,127 Texans are waiting
protect myself from germs. Soon after, Linda, a gifted for a liver transplant.
musician, planned a benefit concert to help ease our ever- Maus received Communion from Bishop Dena Harrison. “End-stage liver disease continues to
increasing stack of medical bills.
Twelve days before the October 14 benefit, the call sitting up by the time Linda came in. “Your face is pink, not
increase and despite multiple attempts
came! A calm voice said: “Mr. Maus, please come to St. Luke’s yellow,” she said, noticing that my hands were warm, not cold at medical therapy, liver transplantation
Hospital Admissions immediately; we have a liver for you.” as they had been for so long. I was dismissed from the hospital continues to represent the only definitive
Just like that, I was going to get a liver, I was going to live. We after only nine days. form of therapy in most cases,” said Dr.
rushed to the hospital. Friends and family showed up to pray, Saying good bye to my wonderful care team, I rang the John Goss, director of the St. Luke’s
but after 10 hours we were told the liver was no good. People large ship’s bell, which hangs by the elevators on the 12th Episcopal Health System’s Liver Center.
left one by one, Linda was dejected, but I was thrilled, seeing floor at St. Luke’s. Even though it was late in the evening, I
Goss is also a professor and Chief of the
how well the donor matching system worked. rang it with all my might, the traditional signal to others that
We got the second call a week later. In the hospital room another person is going home with their new liver. I could Baylor College of Medicine Division of
I remember the nurse thrusting a bottle of cleansing solution hear the applause as the elevator doors closed. Abdominal Transplantation.
in my hand and telling me to get in the shower and wash every I had to take IV antibiotics for more than three months The Rev. Stacey Fussell, vicar of St.
inch of my body, “fast!” because of a virus contained in my donor liver that I had not Catherine, Missouri City, keeps a “donor
John Prager, a two-time kidney recipient and close friend had as a child, for which I had no antibodies. I also gave myself awareness basket” at the front doors of the
from church, prayed with us as I rolled down the corridor to shots to help build blood cells and dealt with temporary
church along with information on other
the operating room. Linda was on one side and John on the diabetes for three months as a result of the transplant. Another
other, each holding one of my hands. I noticed a very warm 100 days of antibiotics followed and when the virus was finally ministries in which the church is involved.
feeling surrounding me, a comforting warmth that felt gone, it was a day of celebration. After Hurricane Ike, I had to “We tell everyone that St. Catherine’s
calming. At the OR door Linda kissed her fingertips, placed be extra careful to avoid mold left when the waters dried up. is home to two transplant recipients and
them on my lips, and said “I love you, I’ll see you soon.” As With the Lord’s grace and blessings, today I am doing we are active in donor awareness. We
I rolled through the door, I caught my last glimpse of John great, staying healthy, watching what I eat and exercising. encourage our congregation and visitors to
smiling, holding up his hand, slowly waving to me; his body Five months after my transplant, Linda and I began to
be informed and to be registered donors,”
was outlined by a hazy, golden glowing aura. volunteer as counselors for liver transplant patients, became
The OR was bright and smelled antiseptic. Two male Vital Volunteers with LifeGift, the local organ procurement
she said.
nurses struggled to roll me from the gurney to the table. I organization (OPO) in Houston, and also with Donate Life
strained to look around the room. Dr. John Goss, my surgeon, Texas. Because we were exposed to so many challenges before
To register in Texas go to
was in the back of the room working over a metal table. A and after my transplant, we hope to offer our support and www.donatelifetexas.org
couple of nurses were gathering different packages wrapped guidance to many of the pre- and post-transplant patients we
in green towels, and another doctor sat quietly at my head. meet.

17 Texas Episcopalian • November 2009


SECESSION
The Rev. Sam Todd
I
t used to be said that North Carolina was a valley of
humiliation between two mountains of conceit. It is
easy to discern Virginia’s grounds for conceit. It was the
largest of the original states. It produced the author of the
Declaration of Independence plus the Continental Army’s
Commander in
Chief, plus six
presidents.
clear is what my
Less
Is the Episcopal Church a unitary
native state has to
be stuck up about. entity or a confederation of dioceses?
Its governor has
recently achieved a degree of notoriety which may give
South Carolina grounds for wresting from Virginia the right
to put “(State Name) Is for Lovers” on its license plate.
South Carolina has produced no presidents but it did
produce John Calhoun who, until Spiro Agnew, had the
distinction of being the only Vice President ever to resign
his office. When on April 13, 1830, President Jackson
proposed a toast to “our federal union,” Calhoun replied,
“The Union: Next to our Liberty the most dear” (J. Parton,
The Life of Andrew Jackson, Vol. III, p. 283). The liberty he
most prized was the liberty to continue enslaving some of his
fellow human beings. As a U. S. senator, he was a vociferous
advocate for nullification and states’ rights. Nullification
meant that a state could declare any act of Congress null
and void within its boundaries. The right some states most
prized was the right to enslave folk.
South Carolina has the distinction of being the first
state to secede from the union. I have never understood why
SC did not test the right to secede in the US Supreme Court
before firing on Fort Sumter. The states had preceded and
formed the federal government; thus it could be argued that
any state could withdraw from the union. President Lincoln,
Texas Episcopalian • November 2009
GUEST COLUMNIST
on the other hand, said that secession was impossible, that
the United States was one nation indivisible. The question
was decided on the battlefield at the cost of 600,000
American dead.
On August 13, 2009, “South Carolina Bishop Mark
Lawrence told diocesan clergy … that he wants the diocese
to ‘begin withdrawing’ from all Episcopal Church governing
bodies that have taken actions he terms contrary to the
Bible, to ‘the doctrine, discipline and worship of Christ as
this church has received them’, to Lambeth resolutions, to
marriage rules contained in the Book of Common Prayer and
to the church’s canons ‘until such bodies show a willingness
to repent of such actions’” (Episcopal Life, September 2009,
p. 3). One of the largest congregations in the Episcopal
Church, St. Andrew’s Church, Mt. Pleasant, S.C. … will
vote on Dec. 9-16 on whether it should sever ties with the
Episcopal Church (v. The Living Church 10/4/09 p. 6).
But South Carolina has lost its chance to become
the first diocese to secede. Pittsburgh has already seceded.
Or has it? Presiding Bishop Katherine Jefferts Schori
said secession is impossible. “‘The Episcopal Diocese of
Pittsburgh will not go away, even if their convention makes a
canonically inappropriate vote to secede’ from the Episcopal
Church, she said” (Episcopal Life online 9/22/09). She has
not called for 75,000 volunteers to put down the rebellion
but has instead, after a vote by the House of Bishops,
deposed Bishop Robert Duncan from ordained ministry
and is moving in the courts to wrest diocesan property from
the breakaway group. If a parish secedes from a diocese,
the diocese confiscates parochial property which, according
to the national
canons,
really diocesan
property. Now
the national
church is doing
the same thing.
One problem with secession is where do you stop?
When Virginia seceded from the Union, the northwestern
portion of the state did not want to. So it seceded from
Virginia, never to return. Thus was Virginia permanently
deprived of West Virginia and all that goes with it – coal, the
Greenbrier, Soupy Sales, Sen. Robert Bryd. Twenty-seven of
the sixty-six parishes in Pittsburgh disassociated themselves
from the diocesan secession and seceded from the seceding
diocese. They have now formed a new, loyal, Diocese of
Pittsburgh, recognized by the Presiding Bishop, and have
asked the retired bishop of Western North Carolina to be
their acting bishop.
Is the Episcopal Church a unitary entity or a
confederation of dioceses? On April 22, a statement released
by eleven diocesan Communion Partners Bishops, said
that “The Episcopal Church consists of autonomous, but
interdependent, dioceses not subject to any metropolitical
power or hierarchical control.” They deny the Presiding
Bishop’s authority to “act within dioceses to ‘recognize’ or
‘derecognize’ diocesan officers and to speak on behalf of
the Episcopal Church in civil litigation involving dioceses”
(The Living Church, 5/17/09, p. 8).
18
Others have argued that even though “General
Convention … has delegated so much of its power to the
dioceses and parishes that [The Episcopal Church] has taken
on the appearance of a confederation, in fact there is no
limit at all upon the Convention’s governing powers, unless
it be the ancient canons and the necessity for conformity
with the Catholic Faith; but these are interpreted finally by
General Convention alone. Thus, the government is unitary”
(Holmes, A Brief History of the Episcopal Church, p. 55).
Theoretically, on this view, General Convention could
decide to admit the unbaptised to Holy Communion, to
allow lay persons to preside at the Eucharist, to dispense
with the Nicene Creed or add books to the New Testament.
At some point of course we would cease to be recognized
by other national churches as being part of the Anglican
Communion. The Archbishop of Canterbury made this
point in his reflections on our 2009 General Convention
(“Communion, Covenant and our Anglican Future” part 3).
Arguments about Episcopal polity and other matters
are ongoing but no blood has been shed. No deputy at
General Convention attacked another with a cane as Preston
Brooks (D-SC) attacked Sen. Charles Sumner in 1856. And
no deputy or bishop shouted, “You lie!” at the P.B. as she
was speaking. Not even those from South Carolina. Now
that’s something to be proud of.
Email Todd at: stodd2423@att.net
is
Families in Malawi ,
continued from page 16
accountability and mentoring toward success also help to
ensure the continued success of the program. Interest and
loan payments fund future loans which have a 92% payback
rate, Daigle said. Two classes of women have graduated from
the business classes already.
Lara Case, an international development student,
said her experience in Malawi allows her to see the benefit
of problem solving on a small scale that better fits within a
culture. “Micro Loans are so effective,” she said, particularly
across a broad spectrum of cultures. “It is a different way of
viewing money and human rights,” she added.
Daigle is a senior student at the Iona School for
Ministry in the bivocational priest track. For her, missionary
work feeds a part of her spirit that she says cannot be fed any
other way.
“It fulfills the Great Commission to go out and preach
the Gospel,” she said. “And sometimes the Gospel is preached
more by what we do than what we say.”
Daigle said she found the people of Malawi to be some
of the most loving people she has encountered. “Out of their
poverty they give back so much,” she said.
For more information contact Amy Case at amypcase@
austin.rr.com or Debbie Daigle at Daigle.deborah@yahoo.
com or call 936.718.1287.
Bishops’ November Calendars
1 10 a.m. All Saints, Austin, CF
6 p.m. UT Episcopal Student Center, Austin
3 2 p.m. Dedication & Ribbon Cutting, Ubi Caritas, Beaumont
Doyle

4 10 a.m. Program Meeting, Diocesan Center

2 p.m. St. James House Silver Tea, Houston
6:30 p.m. 25th Anniversary Celebration, St. George’s, Texas City
5 12 p.m. Lunch - St. Luke’s Chaplaincy Department, Houston
1:30 p.m. Congregational Development Meeting, Diocesan Center
5 p.m. Southern Association of Episcopal Schools, Houston
8 11 a.m. Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, CF
3 p.m. St. Paul’s, Houston, CF
10-13 Kaleidoscope Institute Training, Camp Allen
15 11 a.m. St. Michael’s, Austin, CF
5 p.m. Armed Services/Veteran’s Evensong, Christ Church Cathedral, Houston
16 9 a.m. St. Luke’s Health Charities Board Retreat, Houston
17 1:30 p.m. Episcopal Foundation Meeting, Diocesan Center
18 10 a.m. Church Corporation Meeting, Diocesan Center, Houston
2:30 p.m. St. Luke’s Health Charities Leadership Meeting, Houston
4 p.m. St. Luke’s Health Charities Executive Committee Meeting, Houston
Bishop Andy Doyle gave the Blandy Lectures at Seminary of the
19 10 a.m. Austin Meetings Southwest in October. His sermon and two lectures are available
1:30 p.m. Congregational Development Call-In online at: www.ssw.edu.
7 p.m. Festival de Fe en San Mateo, Houston
22 11 a.m. Good Shepherd, Austin, CF
3:30 p.m. Ordination of Matt Boulter to Diaconate, St. Richard’s, Round Rock In the Anglican Communion
25 11 a.m. Thanksgiving Lunch with Lord of the Streets, Trinity Church, Houston A global community of 77 million Anglicans in
26-27 Thanksgiving Holiday 500 dioceses in 164 countries

Archbishop of Canterbury
1 10 a.m. All Saints, Crockett, CF The Most Rev. Rowan Williams
3 9 a.m. Meeting with Trinity, Marshall, and St. Paul’s, Leigh Lambeth Palace, London, England, SE1 7JU
4 2-5 p.m. St. James’ House Silver Tea, Houston Anglican Communion Office
High

5 1:30 p.m. Congregational Development Meeting, Houston 16 Tavistock Crescent

7 6 p.m. St. Paul’s, Orange, vestry meeting Westbourne Park
8 10:30 a.m. St. Paul’s, Orange, CF
London W 11 1AP
11:30 a.m. St. Paul’s, Orange, Blessing of Memorial Garden
United Kingdom
12 7 p.m. Good Shepherd, Tomball, Celebration of New Ministry of the Rev. Daniel Dunlap
13 5 p.m. Soul Food Retreat, Camp Allen
14 9:30 a.m. Good Shepherd, Tomball, Vergers Guild Meeting In the United States
15 10:30 a.m. St. Stephen’s, Huntsville, CF A community of 2.5 million members in 120
4 p.m. Little Church Club Meeting, Camp Allen dioceses in the Americas and abroad
16 Little Church Club Meeting, Camp Allen
17 4:30 p.m. Tyler, All Saints’ School Board Meeting, Rogers Hall
Presiding Bishop
19 1:30 p.m. Congregational Development Call-In Meeting
2 p.m. St. James’ House Board Meeting, Diocesan Office, Houston The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
4 p.m. St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital Board Meeting, Houston Episcopal Church Center
5:30 p.m. St. Vincent’s House Board Meeting, Galveston 815 Second Ave., NY, NY 10017
20-21 Brotherhood of St. Andrew’s Weekend, Camp Allen 800.321.2231
22 9 a.m. Trinity, Anahuac, CF
23-30 Karakonam, India, Speaker at Commencement for C.S.I. Medical College
In the Diocese of Texas
One Church of more than 85,000 members in
4 2 p.m. St. James’ House Silver Tea, Houston 152 congregations in the eastern quadrant
5 1:30 p.m. Congregational Development Meeting, Houston of Texas, established in 1849
Harrison

8 10:30 a.m. St. Francis, College Station, CF

12 10 a.m. Commission on Ministry, Chairs, Austin Bishop
15 10:30 a.m. St. Christopher’s, Killeen, CF The Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle
16 6 p.m. El Buen Samaritano Board Meeting, Austin 1225 Texas Ave.
17 7 p.m. St. Alban’s, Waco, CF Houston, TX 77002-3504
18 10 a.m. Committee for the Diaconate, Camp Allen 1.800.318.4452 1.713.520.6444
19 9 a.m. Commission on Ministry Meeting, Camp Allen Austin: 512.478.0580, 800.947.0580
4 p.m. St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System Board Meeting, Houston Tyler: 903.579.6012
20 7:30 p.m. St. Andrew’s, Houston, CF
www.epicenter.org
22 10:30 a.m. Trinity, Houston, CF
6 p.m. Church of the Redeemer, Houston, CF
26-28 Thanksgiving Holiday

19 Texas Episcopalian • November 2009

Execution Date Set for Painter’s Son
Kermit Oliver gave Christ his son’s face in “Resurrection,” the altarpiece at Morrow Chapel, Trinity, Houston.
By Carol E. Barnwell
K
ermit Oliver spoke about his painting “Resurrection”
at Trinity, Houston, in 2007 and the chapel was
standing room only. People strained to hear his
low, gentle voice explain every detail in the contemporary
altarpiece, commissioned for Trinity’s Morrow Chapel.
When someone asked about the face of Christ, Oliver’s
Texas Episcopalian • November 2009
eyes welled with tears and he turned away, unable to speak
for a time. No one breathed, sensing the deepest of torments.
Regaining his composure, Oliver explained that the face of
Christ was painted after his son, Khristian.
What he did not say was that his son was on death
row for the 1998 murder of an East Texas man. Kristian’s
execution was recently set for November 5 after the U. S.
20
Supreme Court denied Oliver’s appeal last April.
“The idea[s] of birth, death, rebirth or resurrection…
these elements I use really reflect … my religious upbringing.
Basically I was looking at themes that dealt with the idea
of immortality, the transitory [nature] of life, the idea of
growth…the butterfly, the cocoon, the fish…all these are
images that deal with the advent of a God that sacrifices his
godliness to bring about salvation to humanity. And this idea
of rebirth, you know, redemption…that especially,” Oliver
said in a 2006 interview.
The 9-foot tri-foil altarpiece hangs in the Morrow
Chapel at Trinity. It shows a triumphant Christ, his head
crowned with lilies, rising from the tomb, while a violent
orange and black background seem to explode behind him.
Fabric draped around the body floats up as well as down, one
piece torn and falling away.
Oliver explained that the twining shape of the cloth is
reminiscent of human DNA, the humanity of Christ, as well
as the curtain tearing in the temple at the time of Christ’s
crucifixion. The painting is laced with allegory within the
freeze at the base of the painting where Christ’s foot is
stepping on a serpent, a dove perches near the cock and
grapevines climb across the stone carving.
Khristian Oliver was one of four persons convicted
in the burglary and homicide of Joe Collins, 64. Evidence
indicated that Collins went out for a hamburger on March
17, 1998, and returned home to find Oliver, then 20, and
16-year-old Benny Rubalcaba inside his home. He shot
Rubalcaba with a rifle before being shot and bludgeoned to
death. Oliver, convicted of the murder, received the death
penalty. The others received sentences from five to 99 years.
A letter writing campaign is underway to stay the execution
by friends of the Olivers.
Kermit and his wife Katie, also an artist, were married
in 1962. He taught art until the couple moved to Waco in
1978 where Oliver took a job with the US Postal Service,
worked the night shift and painted in the mornings. The
steady job provided a salary, pension and benefits -- security
most artists don’t enjoy -- while it insulated the quiet Oliver
from the limelight his art brought. Houston art dealer Geri
Hooks, who represents Oliver through the Hooks-Epstein
Gallery called Oliver one of “the top five of artists in America
today.”
His paintings are widely collected and he has
designed more than two dozen scarves for Hermes, a Paris
fashion house. The Olivers will show their work, together
with Khristian’s, in an Art Center Waco (http://www.
artcenterwaco.org/) October 16, 2009 - January 24, 2010 in
an exhibit titled “Oliver Retrospective.”
“Resurrection” has been called the pinnacle of Oliver’s
career by many. “It demands attention” said the Rev.
Murray Powell, assistant rector at Trinity. “A lot of church
art celebrates the truth that God has come into the world and
loves us--that what has happened is glorious and full of grace.
In Resurrection, Kermit Oliver challenges our assumptions
about what is to come. He engages our spiritual imaginations.
Then, learning that the face is his son’s, Khristian, life and
death swirl together in the orange cloud.”