Texas Episcopal bishops issue joint statement about Border Patrol detention centers

From Texas-

A joint statement signed by eight Texas bishops of six dioceses of the Episcopal Church decries the conditions of detention centers where thousands of migrants are being held.

With Texas accounting for 700 miles of the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border, residents of the state especially feel the impact of the situation, the statement said.

“We call on our state and national leaders to reject fear-based policy-making that targets people who are simply seeking safety, and a chance to live and work in peace. The situation at the border is, by all accounts, a crisis. Refugees come in desperation; border personnel are under stress,” the statement reads.

The statement quotes Matthew 18:2-6, where Christians are called to love their neighbors as themselves.

They also refer to Leviticus 19:33-34, “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.’”

More here-

https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2019/07/14/texas-bishops-statement-border-patrol-detention-centers/1718223001/

Texas dioceses to release names of clergy who sexually abused children

From Texas-

The 15 Catholic dioceses in Texas and the Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter will release the names of “clergy who have been credibly accused of sexually abusing a minor, going back to at least 1950,” the Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops announced Wednesday.

The Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter is the equivalent of a diocese for priests and laymen from Anglican backgrounds.

“My hope in releasing these names is to be transparent and begin to rebuild trust with the people I shepherd. This is only one action in response to this crisis in our church. As the Bishop of the Diocese of Austin, I am committed to protecting children from any abuse. Indeed, this is what Christ expects from me and all who serve His people,” Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of the Diocese of Austin said.
The bishops’ decision to release the names was reached on Sept. 30.

“This is an action in response to the faithful’s call for greater accountability and transparency,” said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, archbishop of Galveston-Houston. 

More here-

https://www.kwtx.com/content/news/Texas-dioceses-to-release-names-of-clergy-who-sexually-abused-children-496639921.html

It's morally wrong for a Christian school to arm teachers

From Dallas-

Neither one of my parents graduated from college. My dad got close but dropped out for an opportunity in the construction industry.

The opportunity worked out. For the next 30 or so years he toiled like mad to be a good husband, father, and worker. The fruits of his labor were a fulfilling marriage, a peaceful home and a thriving business.

Sometimes. As we all know, neither marriage nor family life is always serene. Our family endured some lean years.

During one of the particularly lean years, my third grade teacher told my class our school was collecting groceries for some needy families. Eager to help, I told my mother I wanted to bring food to school for those families. My mother's eyes filled with tears. She sent me back to school the next day with some groceries.

More here-

https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/03/02/morally-wrong-christian-school-arm-teachers

Presiding Bishop plans pastoral visits to hurricane affected areas

From The Episcopal Church-

December 15, 2017


“These pastoral visits are a reminder of the promise of Jesus who said to his followers, ‘I will be with you even until the end of the age.”

Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry will embark on four pastoral visits in January 2018 to the hurricane affected areas of Florida, Texas and the Caribbean.

“When the cameras have left, when the world’s attention has gone elsewhere, when other news is the new news of the day, the Church remains bearing witness to the Good News of Jesus,” Presiding Bishop Curry said. “These trips are an opportunity to call to mind our commitment to walk with our brothers and sisters, not just for the short run of the news cycles, for the long haul as communities are rebuilt and built anew.  These pastoral visits are a reminder of the promise of Jesus who said to his followers, ‘I will be with you even until the end of the age.’ And it’s a way of saying that we, as fellow followers of Jesus, will be with you too.”

More here-

https://www.episcopalchurch.org/posts/publicaffairs/presiding-bishop-plans-pastoral-visits-hurricane-affected-areas

With bathroom bill dead, Pastor Council looks to future fights

From Texas-

A day before the Texas Legislature ended its special session this week, a session that included a high-profile fight over a bathroom bill that appeared almost certainly dead, David Welch had a message for Gov. Greg Abbott: call lawmakers back to Austin. Again.

For years, Welch, executive director of the Texas Pastor Council, has worked to pass a bill that would ban local policies that ensured transgender individuals’ right to use restrooms in public schools and government buildings that match their gender identity. The summer special session, which was quickly coming to a close, had been Welch and other social conservatives’ second chance, an overtime round after the bill — denounced by critics as discriminatory and unnecessary — failed during the regular session that ended in May. 

But with the Texas House unlikely to vote on a bathroom bill, Welch gathered with some of the most conservative Republicans in that chamber to make a final plea. The bill, they argued without any evidence, would prevent men from entering bathrooms to sexually assault or harass women.

More here-

https://www.texastribune.org/2017/08/18/With-texas-bathroom-bill-dead-pastor-council-looks-future-fights/

Texas Bathroom Bill Has Emotions, and Stakes, Running High

From The New York Times-

And on Wednesday, the presiding officers of the Episcopal Church wrote to the speaker of the Texas House and suggested that if the bill passed, the church would cancel its nine-day General Convention in Austin scheduled for July 2018.

“In 1955, we were forced to move a General Convention from Houston to another state because Texas laws prohibited black and white Episcopalians from being treated equally,” read the letter from Bishop Michael B. Curry and another leader. “We would not stand then for Episcopalians to be discriminated against, and we cannot countenance it now.”

Jeff Moseley, chief executive of the Texas Association of Business, the state’s most influential business lobby, announced that the group was taking its opposition to the bill to the airwaves by making a “seven-figure media buy.” The group has long aligned itself with the state’s conservative causes and issues, and has rarely taken public stands on social issues.

More here-

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/21/us/texas-bathroom-bill-transgender.html

Texas Anglican-use parish adopted into Anglican ordinariate

From Texas-

A vigorous Catholic parish in Texas, led by a former Anglican priest, has been incorporated into the Anglican Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, ending a battle for control.

The Anglican ordinariate—which is responsible for the Anglican communities in America coming into the Catholic Church under the provisions of 2009 papal document Anglicanorum Coetibus—announced that the parish of Our Lady of Atonement had been transferred to the jurisdiction of the ordinariate. The parish, along with its school, had previously been a part of the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

Father Christopher Phillips, a married Anglican priest, had originally entered the Catholic Church and been ordained to the Catholic priesthood under the “pastoral provision” for Anglicans set up by Pope John Paul II. He brought many Anglican lay people with him, and attracted others to the community, making Our Lady of Atonement a flourishing parish community.

More here-

https://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=31094

AFTER LONG BATTLE, TEXAS PARISH JOINS ANGLICAN ORDINARIATE

From Church Militant-

In a victory for a Texas parish, the Holy See has approved the admission of Our Lady of Atonement Catholic Church into the Anglican Ordinariate, effective March 21.

Our Lady of the Atonement was the nation's first pastoral provision parish, established in 1983, after Pope John Paul II made special provisions for former Anglicans to found Catholic parishes where traditional Anglican liturgy is offered. The Vatican established the North American Ordinariate in 2012, and ordained its first bishop, Steven Lopes, in 2016.

The Holy See is now directing that all pastoral provision parishes in the United States and Canada be integrated into the Personal Ordiariate of the Chair of St. Peter. Our Lady of the Atonement will join 40 other Ordinariate parishes in North America.

More here-

http://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/after-long-battle-texas-parish-joins-anglican-ordinariate

Christmas season speaks to naked fragility, not glitter

From Texas-


Everything is dressed up for Christmas: our houses, yards, churches and even ourselves. But isn't it ironic, all this decking out, when you consider that the Christmas movement of God is away from glitter and glory. To get ready for Christmas, God undresses! God stripped off his finery and appeared naked - how embarrassing - on the day that Jesus was born. God rips off badges of rank, puts aside titles, honors, talents and appears naked and vulnerable as a newborn baby.

Shocking, isn't it? To behold the Lord God of the universe unable to turn over on his back without assistance, utterly dependent upon the kindness of his human creatures.

This is what Christmas is all about - the birth of God in humankind, the incarnation, the gathering into one of things heavenly and things earthly; one in the naked flesh of the infant savior.

More here-

http://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/life/community/2016/12/17/christmas-season-speaks-naked-fragility-not-glitter/95370032/

An Anglican-Catholic ecumenical triumph in the Lone Star State

From Crux-

Last week the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, attended Vespers with Pope Francis at the church of Saint Gregory in Rome. It’s where Canterbury and Rome meet: the church marks the spot of Pope Saint Gregory’s monastery, from where he sent Saint Augustine to evangelize the English in the sixth century.

The union between Rome and Canterbury was broken about a thousand years later, when King Henry VIII declared himself the head of the Catholic Church in England. Last week’s Vespers in Rome marked 50 years since Archbishop Michael Ramsey’s historic meeting with Pope Paul VI in 1966.

That meeting opened the way to the establishment in 1969 of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) which pursues theological rapprochement between the two churches. Despite the Anglicans imposing “grave obstacles to unity” such as women priests and same-sex marriage, the polite discussions continue, interspersed with formal meetings between popes and archbishops and the occasional non-Eucharistic worship services.

More here-

https://cruxnow.com/commentary/2016/10/12/anglican-catholic-ecumenical-triumph-lone-star-state/

$1 Million Gift To University Of The South Supports School Of Theology’s Vision

From Chattanooga-

The University of the South announced a $1 million gift from the Episcopal Foundation of Texas. Though the gift is being made to the university as a whole, a significant portion has been designated for the School of Theology.

“We are blessed by our long partnership with Sewanee and we have the distinct pleasure to have many Sewanee graduates among both our lay leaders and our clergy," said the Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.  "We are grateful to be able to make this gift and pray it will help to support the continued health and vitality of the University of the South and of the School of Theology.” 

More here-

http://www.chattanoogan.com/2015/6/9/302068/1-Million-Gift-To-University-Of-The.aspx

St. Alban’s officially opens outreach center

From Texas-

 Ella Evans, 6, had been using the new Reed Outreach Center at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church and School even before it officially opened on Friday.

Friday morning, about 450 people attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the center, located at 1417 E. Austin St.

The center is equipped with a rock wall, a stage and an audio-video system for recording school plays. The church will use it for church events including picnics and youth group activities as well as hosting and mission trips.

The opening coincided with the school’s celebration of Grandparents Day.

More here-

http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/local_news/article_83f474aa-71fc-11e4-9aeb-f3cc87fe3b62.html

Despite church-state separation, voting in church as old as America

From Houston-

In the beginning, North America was God's country. Throughout much of what later would become the United States, church and state were one. In Connecticut and Massachusetts, the church of choice was Congregational; in Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia, Anglican; Maryland, Anglican and Catholic.

It was not until December 1791 that the First Amendment of the newly enacted Bill of Rights - guaranteeing freedom of religion - swept away the cobwebs of state-sanctioned belief.

Today, the concept of separation of church and state is fundamental to the American way of life. Except on Election Day.

As Harris County voters Tuesday help select a new governor and other key officials in an unusually contentious mid-term election, many will cast their ballots at places of worship. Almost one-fifth of the county's 1,069 precincts vote in churches. And while election officials say they endeavor to ensure that such venues are neutral, recent studies suggest that even when overt political messages are absent, religious spaces can subtly affect voter choices.

More here-

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/houston/article/Despite-church-state-separation-voting-in-church-5869081.php

Brotherhood of St. Andrew expands prison ministry

From ENS-

A half-way house to help parolees adjust to modern society is being planned by the Brotherhood of St. Andrew.

A site in Texas has been selected and brothers meeting in Mississippi June 10-15 heard reports from the organization’s prison ministry volunteers who say such a facility is “sorely needed.”

The proposal was delivered to the brothers during the 134-year-old ministry’s annual national council meeting held this year at the Bishop Duncan Gray Camp and Conference Center, a 700-acre facility of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi.

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2014/06/23/brotherhood-of-st-andrew-expands-prison-ministry/

Priest: Jesus ‘Would Have Turned Water Into Beer’ Today

From the "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" Department- Texas Division-

An Episcopal priest in Hawaii and a bar owner in Texas, Father Bill Miller says that if Jesus was alive today he not only would have turned water into beer, it also would have been “his beverage of choice.”

Noting that Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine in the Bible’s New Testament, Father Miller tells Fox News that today – it would have been a different choice.

“If Jesus had lived in Texas, for example, rather than Palestine, I’m pretty sure he would have turned that water into beer,” Miller tells Fox News, noting that Jesus didn’t just make “any wine,” he made “really good wine” that was served as the best for last at the Biblical wedding at Cana.
“He had no problem with quality,” adds Miller.

More here-

http://houston.cbslocal.com/2014/05/23/priest-jesus-would-have-turned-water-into-beer-today/

Amarillo women move up church ranks through perseverance, faith

From Texas-

While some denominations are still struggling with accepting women in the clergy, three Amarillo church leaders have emerged as examples of the power of perseverance and faith.

But the concept was foreign not that long ago.

“I remember telling my grandmother that I was going to be a priest,” said the Rev. Jo Roberts Mann, rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church. “She assured me that I could do anything that I wanted, but that wasn’t going to be one of them.

“You can not be a priest in the Episcopal Church.”

The paths of Mann; the Rev. Joan Gaines, chaplain of the Spiritual Care Ministry Team at BSA Health System; and Carol Rohane, ruling elder at Westminster Presbyterian Church, have varied, but all are leaders within their denominations.

More here-

http://amarillo.com/news/latest-news/2014-03-22/amarillo-women-move-church-ranks-through-perseverance-faith

Woodlands church to host racism forum, honor Civil Rights

From Texas-

This year marks the 150th anniversary of The Emancipation Proclamation, the 50th anniversary of the pivotal March on Washington, the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Medgar Evers and the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rosa Parks whose civil rights stand helped spawn the Montgomery Bus Strike. And in 1964 the Civil Rights Act was also signed into law.

In recognition of these milestones Trinity Episcopal Church in The Woodlands hosts a film and two taped panel discussions at 3 p.m. Friday in Butler Fellowship Hall entitled: “Fifty Years Later: The State of Racism in America”.

The workshop is a make-up showing of the film after the event had to be cancelled Nov. 15 and 16 due to technical issues.

Trinity Episcopal’s Mtr. Genevieve Razim and parishoner Judith Randolph will serve as on-site hosts and moderators for the live discussion following the film presentations. The film and taped panel discussions were recorded live on Nov. 15 from St. Andrews Episcopal Cathedral in Jackson, MS (Diocese of Mississippi).

More here-


http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/courier/news/woodlands-church-to-host-racism-forum-honor-civil-rights/article_80114e44-a382-549c-baf0-1e2a7d9895e9.html

From police officer to priest: Former officer returns to church

From Texas-

The Rev. David Huxley didn’t plan on ever coming back to church — let alone entering the priesthood.

“I’d grown up Episcopalian, but when I got to be 17 or 18, church kind of lost its appeal,” said Huxley, who moved to Midland last week to take a position as the new rector at St. Nicholas’ Episcopal Church. “I went churchless for many years.”

Huxley became a police officer for the city of Madison, Wis. He worked there for 20 years before finding himself back in the Episcopal church, attending services upon a friend’s suggestion. Still, he never thought of becoming a priest until he kneeled to pray one Sunday and realized how much he missed church.

Kneeling in a pew, he heard a response to his prayer — “I don’t care where you’ve been; I don’t care what you’ve done; I’m just glad that you’re back.”

Taking this as a calling from God, Huxley retired from the police force at age 50 and entered the seminary to become an Episcopalian priest. Going back to school was difficult, but his police background helped him tremendously in dealing with people, he said.


More here-

http://www.mywesttexas.com/life/faith/article_178915d0-2795-11e3-b7b6-0019bb2963f4.html

As denominations decline, numbers of unpaid ministers rise

From RNS-

The 50 members of All Saints Episcopal Church in Hitchcock, Texas, are looking forward to December, when Mark Marmon will be ordained their priest.

One reason for the excitement? They won’t have to pay him.

A 57-year-old fly fishing guide, Marmon, whose wife is a lawyer, says he doesn’t want or need a church salary. He belongs to a growing breed of mainline Protestant clergy who serve congregations in exchange for little or no compensation.

“We’re the frontline,” Marmon said. “If it weren’t for us, these churches would just roll up and die.”

Though small evangelical congregations have long relied on unpaid pastors, mainline churches haven’t. They’ve generally paid full-time or nearly full-time salaries, said Scott Thumma, a Hartford Seminary sociologist of religion.

More here-

http://www.religionnews.com/2013/09/17/denominations-decline-numbers-unpaid-ministers-rise/

Largest Presbyterian Church in Texas Filing Suit to Keep Property Should They Leave Denomination

From Christian Post-

Presbyterian Church USA's largest congregation in Texas has filed a lawsuit to seek legal protection for their property should they seek dismissal from the denomination.

The Highland Park Presbyterian Church, a Dallas-based congregation with approximately 4,000 members, filed the suit on Tuesday in Dallas County District Court.

Mark Annick of Androvett Legal Media in Dallas is working with Highland Park Presbyterian on the suit over the property.

"Regarding the status of the lawsuit, the court granted the temporary restraining order…and set a hearing date on the matter for September 23," Annick told The Christian Post.

More here-

 http://www.christianpost.com/news/largest-presbyterian-church-in-texas-filing-suit-to-keep-property-should-they-leave-denomination-104522/v