Austin priest runs marathons around his house to keep neighbors safe

From Texas-

When Austin's stay at home order first happened David Peters got restless. 

So the Episcopal priest did what he knows best: run. 

"I ran a marathon around my house 26.2 miles," said Peters.

"I just was feeling a lot of anxiety about running out in the streets with other people and being around. So I just said, I'm going to focus on what I can do." 

It took Peters over 5 hours and 600 laps around his house to finish. 

Since March he has ran two full marathons and other long runs. 

"It's like I kind of have the rhythm, of course my grass is about to not recover from this," said Peters. 

More here-

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/austin-priest-runs-marathons-around-his-house-to-keep-neighbors-safe

Local churches staying virtual even with relaxed restrictions

From Texas-

While Governor Abbott has declared churches to be an essential service, many are opting to continue holding virtual services. 

Angela Cortinas, the priest at St. Thomas' Episcopal, said that she anticipates her church meeting online through May 10th. This decision comes as a result of the guidelines sent out by the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, Rt. Rev. Andrew Doyle.

"We're working with other faith leaders in our cities trying to figure out how we can best allow people to get back to worship together, " said Doyle.

In regards to future guidelines, Doyle made it clear that his churches are preparing to ease back into meeting together whenever health experts deem it most appropriate.

"I think what's really clear is that the best health approach...is a phase back in approach so we want to be ready for that," says Doyle.

More here-

https://www.kbtx.com/content/news/Local-churches-staying-virtual-even-with-relaxed-restrictions-569871971.html

Acknowledge our grief during time of coronavirus

From Austin-

Recently, I found myself doing something unfamiliar, and unexpected: pressing “publish” on a Facebook post that felt a bit too keenly like a sermon.

Yet, as new prescriptions and restrictions keep getting broadcast by our public health officials, with regard to how we move through this new world with COVID-19 most prudently, I have been feeling more and more aware of a crucial fact about the moment we are navigating culturally.

All of us, to some degree, are in grief (and will be).

In her influential study, “Death and Dying” (1969), psychiatrist Elizabeth Kübler-Ross identified five stages of grief: Denial (avoidance, confusion, elation, shock, fear), Anger (frustration, irritation, anxiety), Depression (overwhelm, helplessness, hostility, flight), Bargaining (struggling to find meaning, reaching out to others, telling one’s story), Acceptance (exploring options, new plan in place, moving on).

We experience grief not just when we lose someone (or some thing, job, place, or community) we love, but also when we experience the loss of what we considered (and valued as) “normal.” We are experiencing such loss now — individually, in differing intensities; and collectively, culturally, even globally.

More here-

https://www.statesman.com/entertainmentlife/20200414/acknowledge-our-grief-during-time-of-coronavirus

Valley faithful get creative to worship in post-virus confines

From Texas-


St. John’s Episcopal in McAllen is also planning on relying on a drive-thru concept for worship; they’ll be trying it out for the first time Sunday.

“We’re doing drive-in church,” Rev. Rod Clark said. “You’ll tune your radio station to our low-power FM signal and people will stay in their cars. We’re not able to do communion this way, but we’re able to gather and worship together.”

According to Clark, the challenge of worshipping from your sedan is interaction.

“In our Episcopal tradition, like a lot of liturgical churches, a normal service requires the congregation to participate,” he said. “There’s a back and forth between the person leading worship and the congregation gathered there; the leader says something, the congregation says something. We all do this thing together, it’s all participatory, there’s no passive audience in our tradition, which makes it a challenge to do a drive-in service where everybody’s in their cars.”

To overcome that, St. John’s is trying something Clark calls “auto participatory worship.”

More here-

https://www.themonitor.com/2020/03/22/valley-faithful-get-creative-worship-post-virus-confines/

Texas Episcopalians Will Pay $13 Million in Racial Reparations

From Texas-

The Texas Episcopal Diocese says it will pay $13 million in reparations to descendants of slaves, one of several institutions that confess they once benefited from human bondage.

The Texas Diocese is based in Houston, one of the most diverse metros in the country. But the denomination is among the least racially diverse religious groups in the US. Slaves in 1839 built its first house of worship, Christ Episcopal Church in Matagorda, Texas.

The regional diocese, with $1.8 billion in assets, said it wants to atone for its past by channeling some of that money to various organizations supporting African Americans.

“It was an opportunity to do something positive in leadership, to show ways in which other funds can make a difference in an area where we find a lot of conflict—and where people want to see health and vitality around the race conversation,” said Andrew Doyle, bishop of the Texas Diocese, who is also chair for the diocese’ five foundations that oversee their investments. 

More here-

https://www.ai-cio.com/news/texas-episcopalians-will-pay-13-million-racial-reparations/

Texas Episcopalians pledge $13M to ‘repair and commence racial healing’

 From Houston-

In what leaders say is an “unprecedented” move, the Episcopal Diocese of Texas this week pledged $13 million for programs aimed at reconciling the effects of slavery.

The new funding will go to “repair and commence racial healing,” leaders said. It will include scholarships focused on historically black churches, leaders said.

“The goal is to support the people of our communities who were actually injured by our past actions,” Rev. C Andrew Doyle, head of the Houston-based diocese, said in a statement.

More here-

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Texas-Episcopalians-pledge-13M-to-repair-and-15053645.php

Downtown scaffolding collapse damages church building, crushes cars

From Texas-

Crews are trying to remove a huge mass of scaffolding that was ripped off the side of a downtown high rise and thrown against a church building across the street by strong, gusty winds last night.

The scaffolding that was on the AT&T building now looks like a ball of intertwined roller coasters about four stories high.  It  damaged a VIA bus, crushed several cars, overturned a couple of bus benches and damaged St. Mark’s Episcopal Church parish house.

Three people were hurt while running away from the scene of the collapse last night on East Martin Street between Jefferson and Navarro Streets. They suffered minor injuries and did not require hospitalization.

A man who works at a downtown business told KTSA News the winds picked up and then he heard a loud crash.

“I was working just a couple of blocks away and when I heard it,  we came out and saw what was going on,” he said. “It was pretty indescribable and I’m thinking my car was underneath it.”

More here-

https://www.ktsa.com/downtown-scaffolding-collapse-damages-st-marks-episcopal-church-building-crushes-cars/ 

and here-

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/san-antonio/news/2019/09/21/mangled-scaffolding-damages-part-of-historic-church-in-downtown-san-antonio

Being an activist and spiritual often go together

From Austin-

Not long before retiring from the Texas Civil Rights Project and beginning a trajectory toward ordained ministry, I was a panelist at a Concerned Philosophers for Peace conference at Austin Community College. The theme was setting standards for peace in public life.

There were four of us “activists,” as we were called; and we related our hard stories of the difficult struggle for peaceful change in society. During the Q&A session afterwards, a student participant asked us each to explain what kept us going in the face of so many nearly insurmountable hurdles.

I wasn’t sure how to answer. For me, the Gospel had always been my life-long motivation for human rights work; but I was in a secular setting, representing a nonprofit organization. Fortunately, the answers started at the other end of the table, which gave me time to consider my response.

More here-

https://www.austin360.com/entertainmentlife/20190916/being-activist-and-spiritual-often-go-together

New gun laws now in effect in Texas include being allowed to carry a firearm in church

From Texas-

A series of new laws went into effect in Texas Sunday, some of which are making it easier for people to carry weapons.

In churches across Texas, guns can now be carried on the property unless the church puts up a notice sign warning firearms are prohibited. 

There is a mixed reaction to the new gun laws and whether carrying guns during a worship service will keep you safe.

“In this church? You probably are (safer),” said Larry Gilbert the Executive Pastor at Stonegate Fellowship Church in Midland, TX.

While Rector in St. David’s Episcopal Church in Austin Chuck Treadwell said “we don’t believe there’s any place for guns in church. It’s that simple.”

More here-

https://www.ktsm.com/news/new-gun-laws-now-in-effect-in-texas-include-being-allowed-to-carry-a-firearm-in-church/

David Peters, AKA ‘Hot Priest Summer’: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

From Texas-

David Peters, AKA “Hot Priest Summer,” is an Episcopal priest who has gone viral on TikTok for his humorous videos about being a priest.

Peters’ fame might be new, but his efforts to spread the word about his faith are anything but. He also hosts two podcasts, has written several books, and has written for publications like The Huffington Post and The Guardian in the past. One such post for The Huffington Post was titled “Here’s Why Veterans Don’t Talk About it,” and addresses the stigma of PTSD for veterans of war.

In addition to his podcasts, TikTok celebrity status, and work as an author, Peters also founded the Episcopal Veterans Fellowship. In an article for The Guardian, he explained, “[The goal of the Fellowship is to] educate members of my denomination about moral injury in veterans and provide community for veterans inside and outside the church.”

More here-

https://heavy.com/news/2019/08/david-peters-hot-priest-summer/ 

and here-

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7372917/Episcopal-priest-unlikely-viral-star-trendy-video-app-TikTok.html

Ministers at immigration talk: Christians must weigh obedience, laws

From Texas-

The call for Christians to balance obedience to God and complying with their nation’s laws is louder these days when it comes to immigration, a group of ministers concluded Tuesday during a monthly discussion of faith-based responses to practical problems.

“Some Christians call civil disobedience divine obedience,” the Rev. Bill Carroll told about 75 people attending Theology On Tap at the Oil Horse Brewing Co. in downtown Longview.
 

No specific disobedience to immigration laws was spoken about by the four ministers leading the discussion on “The Christian Response to Today’s Immigration Debate,” but there were numerous citations of lawbreaking by God’s people in both the Old and New Testament eras.

Carroll, the new minister at Trinity Episcopal Church in Longview, said Christians who sat in at lunch counters during the civil rights era are a good example of letting conscience trump civil law.

More here-

https://www.news-journal.com/news/county/gregg/ministers-at-immigration-talk-christians-must-weigh-obedience-laws/article_029454ba-b893-11e9-babd-cf0dc43e10db.html

Episcopal church starts work on inclusive playground, invites public

From Texas-

A local Episcopal church is building one of the city’s first inclusive playgrounds, and the space is slated to be open to the public before the end of summer.

Holy Spirit Episcopal Church, 1624 Wooded Acres Drive, is renovating one of its playgrounds to be an all-inclusive playground for children between the ages of 2 and 6, designed to accommodate disabilities of any kind. The Rev. Jason Ingalls, the church’s rector, said the project is a reflection of Episcopalian beliefs and values.

“We think that we have a responsibility to God not only for the people who come here, but for the neighborhood around us,” Ingalls said.

Renderings depict an open space with a trail, a climbing mound and stationary percussion instruments for kids to play. The turf will be safe to fall onto, the ground will be flat and meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards, and all surfaces will be static-proof to protect hearing aids and other devices.

More here-

https://www.wacotrib.com/news/city_of_waco/episcopal-church-starts-work-on-inclusive-playground-invites-public/article_e27e8edd-4063-538b-be28-38628cddf54f.html

Kathryn Ryan elected bishop suffragan for Texas’ western region

From ENS-

The Rev. Canon Kathryn ‘Kai’ Ryan was elected Feb. 22 as bishop suffragan for the western region of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.

Ryan, 54, currently serves as Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of Texas. She was elected to become the next bishop suffragan as lay and clergy delegates gathered at the 170th Diocesan Council at The Woodlands Waterway Marriot. Ryan received 283 of 441 votes cast in the lay order and 137 of 235 cast in the clergy order on the first ballot.

The other candidates were:

The Rev. Hannah E. Atkins Romero, Rector, Trinity Episcopal Church, Houston, Texas.
The Rev. Canon Glenice Robinson-Como, Canon Missioner for Outreach and Justice Ministries, Christ Church Cathedral, Houston, Texas.

By canon, a bishop suffragan will serve “under the direction” of Diocesan Bishop Andy Doyle and will have oversight of congregations in the western region of the diocese, with an office in Austin.

More here-

 https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2019/02/25/kathryn-ryan-elected-bishop-suffragan-for-texas-western-region/

Abilene man, a former Episcopal bishop, calls Bush 'man of enormous spiritual treasure'

From Texas-

The minister was in a meeting when a secretary interrupted to tell him the vice president of the United States was on the phone.

“Claude,” the vice president said, “I’ve got a favor to ask.”

Claude Payne, then rector of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, didn’t hesitate in answering, “Of course, Mr. Vice President.”

The vice president was George H.W. Bush, who would be elected President Bush the next day, Nov. 8, 1988. The favor was that Payne would lead a brief service of thanksgiving at St. Martin’s the day after the election, no matter who won.

“It would be a thanksgiving for our country,” Payne said. “That’s a part of his DNA.”

Payne, 86, and his wife Barbara, retired to Abilene, their hometown, after Payne’s career as an Episcopal rector and bishop of the Diocese of Texas.

More here-

https://www.reporternews.com/story/news/2018/12/05/george-h-w-bush-man-enormous-spiritual-treasure/2221255002/

Priest from Birmingham will officiate funeral for President Bush, calls him man of deep faith

From Alabama-

A Houston priest originally from Birmingham will officiate the funeral Thursday for former President George H.W. Bush.

The Rev. Russell J. Levenson Jr., a close friend of the Bush family and the rector at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, was present when Bush died. There will be a service on Wednesday at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and another Thursday at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston. Bush’s son, former President George W. Bush, will give the eulogy Wednesday at the National Cathedral. The president’s body will then be transported back to Houston for the service at St. Martin’s.

“He left this life for the next, and it is the way all of us would want to leave this life: surrounded by the ones you love, completely at peace, and ready for what follows,” Levenson said in a TV interview. Bush died Friday. He was 94.

Levenson graduated from Mountain Brook High School in 1980 and earned his bachelor’s degree in 1984 from Birmingham-Southern College. He was associate rector at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Mountain Brook from 1993 to 1997.

More here-

https://www.al.com/life/2018/12/priest-from-birmingham-will-officiate-funeral-for-president-bush-calls-him-man-of-deep-faith.html 

also here-

https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/remembering-george-h-w-bush/longtime-bush-family-pastor-talks-about-41s-final-days/285-620403425

Brews with a bishop: Episcopal leader ignites discussion at Priest's Pint event in Salado

From Texas-

People packed into Barrow Brewing Co. in Salado Thursday evening to enjoy a pint of beer and a stimulating discussion led by the Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle, Bishop of Texas.

Doyle is the ninth and current bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas. At one time he also served as curate at Christ Episcopal Church in Temple.

Doyle was the featured guest during the Priest’s Pint, a faith and theology-based discussion series that meets 6:30 p.m. every third Thursday at the brewery.

The usual hubbub of a Thursday evening crowd gave way to dialogue about the bishop’s topic, “Fractured Fairytales and other stories we tell ourselves.”

More here-

http://www.tdtnews.com/life/article_45ff749e-d3a3-11e8-b009-0333f35f6a96.html

‘It is going to wreck my life’: Immigration judge may deport retired Alton priest

From Texas-

Supporters of a retired Alton priest are rallying to raise money for his legal fees as he faces likely deportation because of a mistake he made 12 years ago based on misinformation.

“My immigration lawyer tells me deportation is inevitable and that the position I might be granted is voluntary departure, but it is up to the decision of the immigration judge,” said the Rev. David Boase, 69, who retired in 2014 from St. Paul Episcopal Church, 10 E. Third St.

“Technically, I am not being deported, I will leave on my own account,” he said if the judge allows the voluntary departure for him to go back to England. “I have to leave America — my home, my church and my friends. I’ve been here 14 years. My life is here. It is going to wreck my life. I am so happy here, in the parish, in the community and the area. It is a mess.”

More here-

https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/8216-It-is-going-to-wreck-my-life-8217-13236413.php

Brews and religious views mix peacefully at Pub Theology meetings

From Houston-

Where do an Episcopalian, a Methodist and someone who is in between an Agnostic and a Christian gather together to drink beer and talk about theological and philosophical issues — such as the meaning or absurdity of life?

No, this isn’t the set-up for the punchline of a joke. It’s what actually happens at weekly Pub Theology meetups.

The goal of the group is to create a safe space that allows for diverse theological, political and philosophical discussion.

The Rev. Sean Steele, a priest at Saint Isidore Episcopal Church, started the group about four years ago. Steele said his church — which has a service area of Spring and The Woodlands — sponsors the group.

More here-

https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/woodlands/news/article/Brews-and-religious-views-mix-peacefully-at-Pub-13174859.php

Episcopal bishop retired to Abilene pens book that addresses church challenges

From Texas-

As a retired rector and bishop in the Episcopal Church, Claude Payne naturally is concerned about the decline in church attention among most mainstream denominations.

He’s not alone.

Plenty of current bishops, ministers and other church leaders are worried about the same thing. Payne offers an approach to perhaps reversing that trend with a new book, “Reclaiming Christianity,” which was released by Forward Movement during the Episcopal Church’s triennial General Convention held in Austin in July. The book went on sale to the public Wednesday and is available for $15 on amazon.com.

Payne and his wife, Barbara, both grew up in Abilene and live here in retirement. Payne was rector of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston before becoming bishop of Texas in 1995. He participated in the April 21 funeral of former First Lady Barbara Bush at St. Martin’s.

More here-

https://www.reporternews.com/story/life/faith/2018/08/03/episcopal-bishop-retired-abilene-pens-book-church-challenges/878536002/

 

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to hold prayer service at Taylor detention facility

From Austin-

Bishop Michael Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church who spoke at the royal wedding in May, is holding a prayer service noon Sunday at the T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Taylor.

The prayer service is part of Curry’s trip to Austin for the church’s General Convention, according to a news release.
“We wanted to channel the grief and anger we feel over our government’s inhumane treatment of asylum seekers and other immigrants into an act of prayerful solidarity with the women being unjustly incarcerated at Hutto and other facilities like it,” the Rev. Megan Castellan of Ithaca, N.Y., said in the release. 

Castellan organized the service at the detention center with the Rev. Terry Pierce, vicar of St. James Episcopal Church in Taylor, and others.

More here-

https://www.statesman.com/news/local/presiding-bishop-michael-curry-hold-prayer-service-taylor-detention-facility/lqDkgNKyIFvSQk3pQG0ecN/