February 2018 Issue No. 305
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THE ANNUAL PRESBYTER'S CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD
APRIL 16-19, 2018 AT CHRIST THE KING RETREAT CENTER!
MORE INFORMATION WILL BE FORTHCOMING.
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Youth Retreat, Camp, and Words from a Camper!
Please help us connect to the youth in our diocese! Our weekend retreats give youth a chance to meet one another and to get a “weekend glimpse” of what camp will be like in the summer.
In March we will have Spring Fling for youth in 2nd through 5th grades. We will gather at St. Christopher’s in Lubbock for a weekend learning about the Lord’s Prayer. Why? How? When? Please invite your youth to join us as we explore a prayer that many of us know, but not what it means.
The countdown for camp begins! Mark your calendars for Camp Quarterman which will be held June 10-16 in Colorado and Camp Quarterman Jr. which will take place June 24-30 at Ceta Glen near Happy Texas. Camp Quarterman is for youth in grades 7-12 and Camp Quarterman Jr. is for youth in grades 2-5. Youth in 6
th grade may choose either camp. Forms will be mailed to each church soon and will be uploaded to Facebook and the diocesan website.
Want to work at one of our camps this summer? Want to spend a week or two sharing God’s love to youth from 2nd grade-12th grade? Want to be able to spend time hanging out with the youth, singing, playing games, worshiping and just being present with and for the youth? If this sounds like a great gig—give Renee a call.
Why do we have camp? One of our youth shared the following about what camp has meant to her:
"Camp Quarterman has absolutely changed my life. I first came when I was about eight years old, and I promise you I will
never stop going to this camp – for me, it’s the happiest place on Earth. At Camp Quarterman I can feel like I truly have a place to belong – I have made
so many friends there, and I have very hard-to-explain inside jokes with every single one of them. Quarterman is my home. At Quarterman I feel so endlessly loved by my friends, the counselors, and by God. I couldn’t imagine my life without Quarterman, it is a part of me." Emily – 15 years old (printed with permission)
If you have questions about any of the events or youth in our diocese, please contact Renee Haney, Diocesan Youth Coordinator at 806-445-3667, or email her at
nwtxyouth@suddenlink.net.
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All Women are Invited to a Planning Meeting
Every woman in the Episcopal Church is a member of the ECW regardless of the presence of an organized group in the parish. The ECW tries to serve all churches, large and small and especially support the efforts of the United Thank Offering.
All women interested in the leadership ministry of ECW are invited to a meeting on March 3, 2018 at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Lubbock from 10:00 am - noon. Future meetings and events, such as retreats, will be discussed.
Please consider the importance of this meeting for sharing our common needs and goals to the service of others in this diocese.
March 3, 2018 10:00-12:00
St. Christopher’s Church
Lubbock
Lunch will be provided.
Please contact Nancy McReynolds by February 25, 2018 if you plan to attend. She can be reached at
nmcreynolds7@gmail.com or
806-928-7734.
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Spiritual Guidance from Julian of Norwich
The ECW of the Diocese is sponsoring a women's retreat June 22-24, 2018 at Christ the King Retreat Center in San Angelo. The retreat will be led by The Rev. Mary Margaret Earle and will focus on a variety of topics essential to understanding Julian's mysticism.
Registration deadline is March 15, 2018. A registration form can be downloaded
here. Cost for the retreat is $152 for a shared room, $170 for a non-shared room, and $70 for those attending during the day only.
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The Rev. Luke Back, who has served as Rector of Heavenly Rest since 2010 has accepted a call to The Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, Illinois. Luke's last Sunday at Heavenly Rest will be February 11th and he will begin at Holy Spirit in mid-March.
Click
here for a link to the letter Luke wrote to the Heavenly Rest family.
Click
here for the announcement from Holy Spirit.
Please keep Father Luke and his family in your prayers as they move to Illinois. They will be missed!
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The Rev. Christian Rabone has accept the call to serve as rector at St. Mary the Virgin, Big Spring.
Christian has served as Curate at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, San Angelo since his graduation from Seminary of the Southwest in May 2016.
Christian’s last Sunday at Emmanuel will be February 11
th, and he will begin at St. Mary the Virgin on Ash Wednesday, February 14th.
When asked about this transition, Christian stated, “It has been a wonderful experience to be Curate at Emmanuel for over 1 1/2 years. Fr. Matt and the staff have been great to work with. I want to thank Fr. Matt for hiring me and giving me a chance to work with him as a Curate. It will be an experience I will always cherish. Emmanuel Episcopal Church has so many wonderful people and it has been a great place for me and my family. Now I am excited about the opportunity to serve the people of St. Mary's.”
We know Christian will serve St. Mary’s with great enthusiasm and love. Our best wishes to his family and him as they make this transition.
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General Convention Volunteer Opportunities
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General Convention 2018
General Convention is the governing body of The Episcopal Church that meets every three years. It is a bicameral legislature that includes the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops, composed of deputies and bishops from each diocese. The 79th General Convention is scheduled for
July 5th – 13th, 2018 at the Austin Convention Center in Austin, Texas.
Many volunteers are needed in order for such a large gathering to take place and we are fortunate General Convention is so close to home this time. This is a unique opportunity to be a part of the larger church and to gain an understanding of the governance of the Church. The experience also offers the opportunity to worship with and meet people from all over The Episcopal Church.
There are a variety of volunteer opportunities available for different types of skills and talents and volunteers may sign up for shifts as short as one-half day to multiple shifts over many days.
If you are interested in volunteering for General Convention now is the time to register. To register to volunteer and select shifts that suit your interest and availability, please click
here.
If you are not interested in volunteering, but would like more information on General Convention or to register as a visitor, please visit the attendee information
page.
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Do you shop on Amazon? If so, your purchases can help the Diocese of Northwest Texas.
The Episcopal Diocese is registered with Amazon Smile and can receive 0.5% of most purchases you make through Amazon. It just takes three easy steps!
If you already have an Amazon account, sign in and it will prompt you to
select your non-profit of choice.
2. Search for Diocese of Northwest Texas
3. Confirm your selection
That’s it! Simply make your Amazon purchase through smile.amazon.com
and the diocese will benefit every time you shop. Don’t forget to tell your
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support the diocese every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to the Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas. To shop at
AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device.
Tens of millions of products on
AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible.
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From The Episcopal Church
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Blessed Absalom Jones offering to assist
Episcopal Historically Black Colleges and University
The Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs
[January 29, 2018]
In honor of February Black History Month and Blessed Absalom Jones, the first African American priest in the Episcopal Church, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has called for an increased understanding and commitment to the Episcopal Historically Black Colleges and University, known as HBCUs.
The Presiding Bishop invites Episcopalians “to deepen our participation in Christ’s ministry of reconciliation by dedicating offerings at observances of the Feast of Absalom Jones to support the two remaining Episcopal Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCUs): St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh, NC, and Voorhees College in Denmark, SC.” The full press release can be read
here.
To make a donation, click
here.
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Lent Madness...a different way to observe Lent
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Lent Madness 2018
The Saintly Smackdown is Back!
by The Rev. TIm Schenck and The Rev. Canon Scott Gunn aka The Supreme Executive Committe
e (Forward Movement)
By now you’ve heard that Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day coincide this year. The real Lenten love, however, kicks off the next day on February 15. Why? Because for the ninth year running, people of faith are gearing up for Lent Madness, the beloved “saintly smackdown!”
With its unique blend of competition, learning, and humor, Lent Madness allows participants to be inspired by the ways in which God has worked through the lives of saintly souls across generations and cultures. Throughout Lent, thirty-two saints will do battle to win the coveted Golden Halo. Based loosely on the NCAA basketball tournament of a similar name, this online devotion pits saints against one another in a bracket as voters choose their favorites throughout this penitential season. Read more
here
.
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SUMMA Student Theological Debate Society is accepting applications for the 2018 session of SUMMA Debate Camp.
SUMMA Student Theological Debate Society
is inviting high school students entering grades 9–12 in the fall of 2018 to apply for SUMMA Debate Camp, held July 17–25 at the
University of the South
in Sewanee, Tennessee. SUMMA Camp is a unique opportunity for students to explore their faith through intellectual channels, meet lifelong friends, and have a lot of fun on one of the most beautiful college campuses in the country!
At SUMMA Camp, students of all faiths learn valuable skills for debate, public speaking, and theological reflection.
No previous debate experience
or formal theological study is necessary. Campers have a true collegiate experience, but camp is not all work! There is plenty of time left over to swim, play sports, watch movies, go bowling, and have lots of great, summer fun!
For all students, the cost of SUMMA is partially defrayed through donations, grants, and an endowment. The cost to parents is $750, which includes room, all meals, and all materials. A limited number of scholarships are available for students with demonstrated financial need.
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Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John
The Brothers of St. John the Evangelist in conjunction with the
Center for the Ministry of Teaching of the Virginia Theological Seminary
are
excited to invite us to join them in the 2018 Lenten offering
Meeting Jesus in the Gospel of John. To participate, one needs to subscribe to a daily video and prayer email, which will begin on February 11, 2018.
Meeting Jesus is designed to guide you to a deeper intimacy with God through praying with the words of John the Evangelist and his community in the Gospel according to John and The First Letter of John. It is hoped that by learning together from Jesus, considering his human friendships and his teachings about the God he calls ‘Father,’ we will all discover God as One who longs for deep intimacy with each of us.
To accompany the offering, the brothers have created a Prayer Journal, which can be
previewed here
. The journal can be purchased for yourself, for groups, or to give as gifts at cost on Amazon. There is also a
downloadable
version available for free on the Society of St. John the Evangelist website.
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LENT RESOURCES
Forward Publications has a catalog of its Lent and Easter publications
here
. Resources include meditations, group reading during Lent, making celebrations more meaningful, devotional reading and preparing for Holy Week and Easter.
The popular Episcopal Relief & Development 2018 Lenten Meditation books are now available. The books are in English or Spanish, and can be downloaded online at
episcopalrelief.org
.
Order printed books from the Episcopal Marketplace toll free at 1-866-937-2772. There is no charge for the books, only the shipping. Lent is very early this year, so it is recommended that the books be ordered by Feb. 2 to receive them by Ash Wednesday.
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UPCOMING EVENTS for the DIOCESE
(Items in Purple indicate the Bishop's Presence)
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February
8-9 DEROS, St. Stephen's, Lubbock
9-11 SOM, St. Paul's, Lubbock
14 HEC closed for Ash Wednesday
18 Visitation, St. John's, Odessa
25 Visitation, St. Paul's, Dumas
26 Trustee's Meeting, HEC, 10:00 am
27 Executive Council Meeting, HEC, 10:00 am
March
2 Commission on Ministry, HEC, 10:00 am
2-4 SOM, St. Paul’s, Lubbock
3 Diocesan ECW meeting, St. Christopher's, Lubbock 10 am
4 Visitation, St. Luke's, Levelland
6-10
House of Bishops Meeting, Camp Allen
19 Standing Committee, HEC, 10:00 am
23-25 Primary Youth Retreat, St. Christopher's, Lubbock
25 Visitation, St. Mark's, Plainview
The full events calendar for the Diocese can be viewed
here
.
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Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas
Attn: Elizabeth Thames
1802 Broadway
Lubbock, Texas 79401
806-763-1370
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