Switching to online church busted my theology and changed my experience of God

From Dallas-

When I was growing up in rural east Texas, my Baptist grandmother used to tell us we were going to the “church house” on Sunday mornings. “The people are the church; the building is just where we meet on Sundays,” she would explain. At the time it didn’t mean much to me, a seemingly pedantic point that flew over my seven-year-old head.

But today, as my work as communications director at Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration has been upended almost completely, this seems less stilted and more a pure and simple fact.

Last month, my job was transformed from a bulletin-printing, event-promoting, announcement-gathering rat race into one that takes place completely in the digital realm. Instead of in-office appointments and printed drafts to proof, my work is now captured completely in pixels on a screen, coordinated by Facebook messenger and email in equal parts.

More here-

https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2020/04/26/switching-to-online-church-busted-my-theology-and-changed-my-experience-of-god/

Episcopal Diocese of Dallas suspends church services amid coronavirus concerns

From Dallas-

The Episcopal Diocese of Dallas announced a suspension of all worship services Tuesday night amid coronavirus concerns.

The suspension was put in place until Monday, April 13 -- the day after Easter.

“If our holding services in this building took the life of one person we would have to seriously question whether that was the best decision we could’ve made," Father Don Perschall from St. Luke's Episcopal Church said.

According to Father Don, this is the first time since 1872 congregational worshiping won't happen at their church.

The church decided to move their services to Facebook live to keep faith and hold onto a sense of community worship.

More here-

http://www.kten.com/story/41912039/episcopal-diocese-of-dallas-suspends-church-services-amid-coronavirus-concerns

Dallas church overflows with ceremony featuring same-sex couples' vow renewals

From Dallas-

Bryant Surley-Strong was skeptical he’d ever see the day when he could get married in his own church.

“I know the congregation was always supportive, but it just wasn’t allowed,” Surley-Strong said.

But those worries are gone — forever — after he and his husband and 14 other same-sex couples who were originally married outside the church renewed their vows in a boisterous gathering at Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration.

“We’re just doing a little something tonight, no big deal,” the Rev. Casey Shobe told the hundreds who packed the sanctuary at the Far North Dallas Church.

About 40 more people watched the ceremony on a TV screen in the lobby.

More here-

https://herald-review.com/lifestyles/dallas-church-overflows-with-ceremony-featuring-same-sex-couples-vow/article_e7f940d3-160e-5a48-a4ac-3b6cd8788dde.html

For 15 same-sex couples, saying ‘I do’ in their Far North Dallas church means everything

From Dallas-

Bryant Surley-Strong was skeptical he’d ever see the day when he could get married in his own church.

“I know the congregation was always supportive, but it just wasn’t allowed,” Surley-Strong said.

But those worries are gone — forever — after he and his husband and 14 other same-sex couples who were originally married outside the church renewed their vows in a boisterous gathering at Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration.

“We’re just doing a little something tonight, no big deal,” the Rev. Casey Shobe told the hundreds who packed the sanctuary at the Far North Dallas Church.

About 40 more people watched the ceremony on a TV screen in the lobby.

“I feel blessed. It’s been a long time coming,” said Shayne Bonner, who renewed her vows with her wife, Tina, who she married in 2016 in Fort Worth. “This church has always been extremely supportive. It’s more emotional for us being able to share this moment with our families.”

The celebration included a Eucharist with the full Transfiguration Choir and brass — directed by Joel Martinson, who renewed his vows with his husband, David Reece — and a sermon from the Right Rev. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop ordained in the church in 2003.

More here-

https://www.heraldcourier.com/community/for-same-sex-couples-saying-i-do-in-their-far/article_ac23d6e0-5198-5db2-839d-b8734f456e1f.html

9 couples will have their weddings acknowledged by their home congregation

From Dallas-

Bishop Gene Robinson will be the guest preacher at the Sunday morning service at the Episcopal Church of St. Thomas the Apostle.

Robinson, the first openly-gay Episcopal bishop, will be in town to celebrate the commencement of same-sex marriage in Episcopal churches in the Dallas diocese.

Nine married couples that are members of St. Thomas but married elsewhere will be blessed at the Holy Eucharist Service on Sunday morning at the celebration of “All sacraments for all people.”
“For us, it’s an emotional moment,” said St. Thomas member Carl Youngberg.

He said the former Dallas bishop opposed same-sex marriage, and it was very disappointing when George Sumner was appointed bishop and announced there would be no same-sex marriages allowed in the diocese’s churches.

More here-

https://www.dallasvoice.com/marriages-will-be-blessed-at-st-thomas/

Dallas bishop’s plan for allowing same-sex marriage involves Missouri bishop’s oversight

From ENS-

Three parishes in the Diocese of Dallas have asked to perform same-sex marriage ceremonies under a General Convention compromise with Bishop George Sumner and other conservative diocesan bishops, and Sumner announced this week that Missouri Bishop Wayne Smith will provide pastoral oversight of those three parishes.

The move, based on Sumner’s interpretation of Resolution B012 approved in July, will allow the parishes to begin offering the church-approved trial-use rites without raising further objection from Sumner, who will relinquish oversight but not diocesan authority.

More here-

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/11/15/dallas-bishops-plan-for-allowing-same-sex-marriage-involves-missouri-bishops-oversight/?fbclid=IwAR1IeZO_nQ-9zOMI2EABN3unCYzYK9H0E7iVIVJ0SEY-YAgGexpExaCwXgk

B012 Bishop for Dallas: George Wayne Smith

From The Living Church-

Bishop George Wayne Smith of the Diocese of Missouri will visit and assist at three Dallas-area parishes that wish to celebrate weddings for same-sex couples:

General Convention passed Resolution B012 on July 13, 2018, to give all Episcopalians the ability to be married by their priests in their home churches.

One part of Resolution B012 resolves that if a bishop “holds a theological position that does not embrace marriage for same-sex couples,” that bishop “shall invite, as necessary, another bishop of this Church to provide pastoral support to the couple, the Member of the Clergy involved and the congregation or worshipping community in order to fulfill the intention of this resolution that all couples have convenient and reasonable local congregational access to these rites.”

Bishop [George] Sumner wrote, “I am confident that we will be working collegially for the sake of the thriving of all the parishes in the Diocese of Dallas. I have provided Ascension, Transfiguration, and St. Thomas with a protocol for Bishop Smith’s work with them. Both he and I share the hope that the three parishes will continue to invite me annually to come to preach, teach, and share in worship.”

More here-

https://livingchurch.org/2018/11/14/b012-bishop-for-dallas-george-wayne-smith/

Saint Michael church teams up with developers for new mixed-use project in North Dallas

From Dallas-

The last large vacant development site in North Dallas' exclusive Preston Center district is being planned for a major mixed-use development.

Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church has owned the almost 4-acre block at Douglas Avenue and Frederick Square for more than a decade.

An apartment complex once sat on the land located just east of the Dallas North Tollway.
Now the church — which has been in Preston Center since 1948 — is teaming up with Dallas developer Lincoln Property Co. to build residential and commercial buildings as part of an expansion of the church's campus. 

A large underground parking garage would meet the needs of both Saint Michael and the new development.

More here-

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/real-estate/2018/09/06/saint-michael-church-teams-builders-new-mixed-use-project-north-dallas

Justin Welby to Speak in Dallas

From The Living Church-

The Diocese of Dallas has announced a vocations conference that will feature the Archbishop of Canterbury as a plenary speaker. “Ancient Order, Radical Vocation: The Anglican Priesthood as 21st Century Calling,” or “RadVo,” is scheduled for Sept. 20-22 at Church of the Incarnation.

Other speakers include:

Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, general secretary of the Anglican Communion

Stanley Hauerwas, professor emeritus of divinity and law at Duke Divinity School

Oliver O’Donovan, professor emeritus of Christian ethics and practical theology at the University of Edinburgh

Ephraim Radner, professor of historical theology at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto

Bishop N.T. Wright, professor of New Testament and early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews


More here-


https://livingchurch.org/2018/04/13/justin-welby-to-speak-in-dallas/

So You Want Millennials In Your Church?

From Dallas-

1) Take your liturgy seriously

If Millennials do not get the idea that the Holy Eucharist on Sunday morning is the source and summit of Christian worship on earth, they won’t be coming back, especially since we spend so much time on it! The “main event” in our service is not preaching, nor music, nor fellowship, crucial as these are.

I was recently having a conversation with a Millennial who told me he wanted to leave his church, and I asked him why. “Our priest is way too casual about the service, “ he said. “It just seemed like he didn’t care about the ritual and tried way too hard to dumb it down and make it ‘user friendly.’” He said it felt disrespectful, dishonoring to Jesus.

The holy sacrifice of the Eucharist joins us to the worship of heaven, with angels and archangels. If our altar party isn’t there to offer God their selves, souls, and bodies, Millennials will know, and they won’t put up with it. If your preaching has no urgency, if you’re cavalier about your music, if your chalice bearers are wearing purple flip flops…you’re guaranteeing Millennial disinterest.

Our generation was raised to believe that we could create ourselves ex nihilo, that we are the sum of our desires, ambitions, and deepest longings. That our projections on social media have metaphysical significance. Liturgy is the wake-up call, the antidote, theno. It reminds us that we aren't "self-made men," and it connects us to the Transcendent. Our tradition can do for Millennials what the big box megachurches could never do. Lean into it.

2) Don’t assume that making the Church “contemporary” (whatever that means) will automatically attract Millennials.

More here-

http://edod.org/resources/articles/so-you-want-millennials-in-your-church/

The Gift of Candor

From Dallas-

I am not telling tales out of school - the sermon in question at the latest House of Bishops has been reported in the press or blogosphere several times. The Bishop of Washington, Mariann Budde, though of a more progressive theological stripe than I, is thoughtful, creative, and gracious. People listen to what she has to say. She spoke of the struggle to help parishes to grow, in spite of which many continue to decline (with one notable exception in her diocese, which I believe is a large evangelical parish). The bishop also observed that other churches, of the kind for which Episcopalians often feel scorn, are growing on every side of her.  What can be learned and gained by listening to them?  Others expressed appreciation that she had pointed out a sizeable elephant in the room, and to his credit the Presiding Bishop took note as well.

More here-

http://edod.org/bishops-blog/the-gift-of-candor/

NEW DALLAS EPISCOPAL BISHOP TELLS GAY MEMBERS TO MARRY IN FORT WORTH

From Dallas-

Sorry, Dallas gay Episcopalians. You still can’t get married in your own church, even with the “enthronement” (Episcopal-speak for hiring) of a new bishop last month. As one of his first orders of business, Bishop-elect George R. Sumner announced he’s sticking with a prior rule that nobody gay gets married in an Episcopal church in this town.

Since last summer when the national church voted to allow same gender marriage except when an individual bishop disagrees, the Diocese of Dallas has disagreed. But according to a group of gay Episcopalians, Sumner has afforded them a concession which they are calling, derisively, his I-30 plan.

The new bishop says it’s OK if gay Episcopalians drive to Fort Worth, where the Episcopal diocese does allow same-sex marriage, and get married there, according to Daniel Robinson Donalson of Dallas Episcopalians for Unity. Donalson was one of the authors of a letter (copy below) sent recently to Sumner denouncing the I-30 plan as grudging, demeaning and un-Christian.

More here-

http://www.dallasobserver.com/news/new-dallas-episcopal-bishop-tells-gay-members-to-marry-in-fort-worth-7842184

Dallas ministry brings refugees their first Thanksgiving feast

From Dallas-

The scents of Thanksgiving — freshly roasted turkeys, sweet pecan and spicy pumpkin pies, and a whole batch of side dishes — filled the parish hall at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Lake Highlands on Thursday as people who had never celebrated the holiday were given a feast.

Gateway of Grace, a 4-year-old ministry working with international refugees who find their way to the U.S., sponsored the Thanksgiving gathering with help from several churches. Guiding these newly arrived families through this uniquely American celebration is just one of the services the ministry provides.

More here-

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/dallas/headlines/20151126-ministry-brings-refugees-their-first-thanksgiving-feast.ece

Episcopal Diocese of Dallas consecrates new bishop

From Dallas-

The Episcopal Diocese of Dallas heralded a new era Saturday with the consecration of Bishop George R. Sumner.

Clergy and parishioners packed the pews at First United Methodist Church downtown — which agreed to host the ceremony to accommodate the large crowd — and watched as the Most Rev. Michael Curry, presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, and six other North American bishops formally installed Sumner.

“It really is as that old gospel song says: ‘Oh, happy day,’” Curry said. “‘Oh, happy day.’”

Sumner is the seventh bishop in the diocese’s history and replaces retired Bishop James M. Stanton. He was elected during a special convention in May, coming to Dallas after leading Wycliffe College in Toronto.

More here-

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/metro/20151114-episcopal-diocese-of-dallas-consecrates-new-bishop.ece

Diocese of Dallas notified of successful canonical consent process

From ENS-

 Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and Registrar of General Convention, the Rev. Canon Michael Barlowe, have notified the Diocese of  Dallas that Bishop-Elect George Sumner has received the required majority of consents in the canonical consent process.

The Rev. George Robinson Sumner, Jr., was elected Bishop on May 16.  His ordination and consecration service is slated for November 14.

While Bishop-Elect Sumner has received the necessary majority of consents, consents will continue to be accepted up to and including October 10 deadline date.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2015/09/15/diocese-of-dallas-notified-of-successful-canonical-consent-process/

Editorial: Questions for the Bishop-Elect (Dallas)

From The Cafe-

The Diocese of Dallas last week elected George Sumner to be their next bishop, effective with his consecration. As with all bishops-elect, consecration cannot take place without consent. Given recent history of some dioceses asserting the right to leave the Episcopal Church, it is imperative that those taking part in the consent process ask Sumner his views on the polity of the Episcopal Church. Specifically, what is his stand on whether dioceses have the unilateral power to leave the Episcopal Church? The reasons Sumner and the Diocese of Dallas are of particular concern are laid out below.

More here-

http://www.episcopalcafe.com/questions-to-ask-the-bishop-elect-of-dallas/

Dallas diocese elects George Sumner as next bishop

From ENS-

The Rev. Canon George Sumner was elected May 16 to serve as the next bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, pending the required consents from a majority of bishops with jurisdiction and standing committees of The Episcopal Church.

Sumner, 60, is currently the principal of Wycliffe College in Toronto, Canada, and was one of four nominees on the ballot for the diocese’s 7th bishop. He received 77 votes from clergy and 107 votes from laity on the fourth ballot during a special convention held at the Episcopal School of Dallas. In order to be elected, a candidate needed to receive a simple majority of votes within both the clergy order and the lay order on the same ballot.

More here-

http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2015/05/18/dallas-diocese-elects-george-sumner-as-next-bishop/

Dallas homeless find place to worship in Thanks-Giving Square

From Dallas-

Once a week, drawn by word of mouth, homeless people from across Dallas congregate at a downtown landmark Thanks-Giving Square to worship together.

“Really, this is an outdoor service,” said retired Rev. Charles Keen, who preaches to the nearly 100 homeless people who come together in the square at 1 p.m. every Sunday.

The Gathering, which is supported by the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, provides the church service and lunch. The short service usually takes place outside in the garden of the square, at North Ervay and Bryan streets. Only a few times, including last Sunday, has it been held inside the chapel due to inclement weather.

“We wanted to be at a place that we felt homeless people would feel comfortable,” said Jim Webb, a retired deacon in the Episcopal church who works with The Gathering. “Part of the purpose was to be in an environment where they would be totally comfortable; many homeless people don’t want to go to a church building.”

More here-

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/park-cities/headlines/20140110-dallas-homeless-find-place-to-worship-in-thanks-giving-square.ece

Episcopal priest named for Gilmer, Mount Pleasant

From Dallas-

Rev. Ethel Marie Channon is the new priest serving the Episcopal congregations in Mount Pleasant and Gilmer.

The Rt. Rev. James Stanton, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas, led the Ordination of a Priest at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Mount Pleasant Sunday, elevating Deacon “Sparky” to the priesthood according to the rituals of the church.

Participating with him in the ceremony were members of her family, of the two congregations where she will serve and Episcopal priests and deacons from nearby communities in Northeast Texas and from Dallas.

Criss Bartley of Gilmer represented St. David’s when she read the New Testament scripture for the service.

While the process of approving her application began last January, once all the prerequisite hurdles had been met, Bishop Stanton noted that Sunday, Dec. 1, is the beginning of Advent and in the liturgical calendar, the beginning of a new year.

More here-

http://www.gilmermirror.com/view/full_story/24146583/article-Episcopal-priest-named-for-Gilmer--Mount-Pleasant?instance=special_coverage_bullets_right_column

Episcopal Megachurch Betting $27 Million on New Growth, Missions

From Dallas-

The Church of the Incarnation, an Episcopal congregation in Dallas, will break ground on a campus expansion on Sunday. Of the $27 million raised in the capital campaign—more than six times the parish's annual budget—$1.5 million will fund future and current missions and outreach.

As befitting a congregation with roots in the Church of England, the groundbreaking ceremony will begin at 10:20 a.m. with a classic English hymn, "Lift High the Cross," also the name of the capital campaign.

The expansion will add three buildings to the campus—another worship facility seating more than 500, a welcome center and an education facility—all matching the gothic-style architecture of the existing buildings at 3966 McKinney Ave. Construction is expected to take two years.

"This is a historic time in the life of our parish," says Bishop Anthony J. Burton, rector of Church of the Incarnation. "We have been growing quickly, both in numbers, faith and commitment to the poor in the neighborhood around us."

More here-

http://www.charismanews.com/us/41676-episcopal-megachurch-betting-27-million-on-new-growth-missions