Join the Houston Congregation for Reform Judaism for a profoundly moving Shabbat service Friday, August 11 at 7:15 p.m. A group of Israeli and Palestinian teens and their American counterparts —Muslim, Jewish and Christian —and have spent the last week at Camp Allen as part of the "Jerusalem Peacebuilders” and will share their experiences. During the residential camp, the teens spoke with diplomats, former Israeli and Palestinian combatants, artists and religious leaders from each faith. They are committed to learning from each other despite a context of violence that surrounds them every day. 

The Rev. John Dublin Epps Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians will host an annual BBQ fund raiser to support youth programs, camps and leadership conferences. Eat and judge the BBQ entries, bid on the auction, moonwalk, water activities, desserts and food concessions, and games with lots of prizes. Great fun for the whole family. Get your collector's tee shirt for a contribution of $15. Cook Off applications and rules can be found  here.  Entry is free; dinner is $10.

Explore a ministry to support former foster youth with Open Table, an innovative model of relational support. LifeWorks, a non-profit that provides clinical care and case management to former foster and non-foster youth in the Austin area, seeks faith-based partners to provide holistic and relational care for their clients. The meeting will cover current statistics about foster youth, practice of Open Table’s initiative, and learn how your congregation can participate. Tuesday, August 29, 7-8:30PM or Wednesday, August 30,  9-11AM, 835 N. Pleasant Valley Rd. Austin, TX 78702. The Open Table model creates “Tables”  of 6 to 12 volunteers who make a one year commitment to serves as life specialists, encouragers and advocates for the individual being served. Table members draw on their life experiences, education, skills and networks in their church community to support the youth’s plan. RSVP. Please contact Andrew Fike, director of Foster Care Transitional Services at 817.917.2042 or Andrew.fike@lifeworksaustin.org with any questions. 

A group of parish administrators in the Houston area has begun meeting to share best practices. Phil Berrie at Emmanuel, Houston, gathered administrators in the West Harris Convocation for an inaugural meeting in June and has established a closed Facebook page to share ideas and questions. To join the Facebook page, please go to Facebook and search for EDOT parish Administrators. Ask to join to be added to the group . All administrators are welcome at the next meeting of the West Harris Convocation’s Parish Administrators Collaborative will be held Wednesday, August 9 at 1 p.m. Eileen Spisak at St. Thomas’, 4900 Jackwood, 77096, will host. A new page is also available on the diocesan  website . 

The Church needs leaders who are entrepreneurial, collaborative, adaptive, diverse and spiritually trustworthy. While we still need to identify those among us who are called to ordination, the Diocese of Texas encourages all Christians to seek their particular call. The discernment process in the Diocese is designed to give greater access to explore ministry in many forms through an initial Discovery Retreat for those who want to serve God in a new way. Participants learn a theological model for vocation that gives them a framework for their own discernment. They explore a variety of Christian vocations, have time for personal reflection and prayer and learn about the canonical processes for ordained ministry in the Diocese. Consider participating in the December Discovery Retreat to see where God is calling you to serve. Registration for the Discovery Retreats is on the Camp Allen website. For additional information, please contact the Rev. Victoria Mason  or the Rev. Francene Young. 

It’s the beginning of hurricane season. Please download the  Parish Emergency Planning booklet to be sure you are prepared. The resource provides a check list and a number of resources to help you identify risks, secure your facilities and use effective communications to check in with your parishioners and the Diocese. It also includes a recovery checklist. Follow the  diocesan Facebook page for updated communications in the event of an emergency and to receive announcements.