St. Barnabas' December 2010 Newsletter



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The Rt. Rev. J. Scott Mayer - Convention Address

2009 Annual Diocesan Convention

Amarillo Civic Center

September 12, 2009

I want to begin this morning by expressing my gratitude to a number of people. First, thank you to the people of St. Andrews for your gracious hospitality, especially Clifton and Jo Mann, M.J. Coats, and H.Q. Wrampelmeier.
I also would like to publicly acknowlege and thank my office staff. I inherited a great staff, who works together as a team, and who understands that their role is to facilitate ministry within and beyond this diocese.
Carolyn Hearn, as you know, is the Executive Secretary to the Bishop, and has served this diocese in that capacity for over 30 years. I am her 4th bishop to train, and I cannot overstate her value to me and the Diocese of Northwest Texas – and besides all that, she is a confidant and friend. I wonder if you’ve ever noticed that the root word to “secretary” is “secret.” I suspect she has forgotten more than most clergy have heard.
Anna Mora is our Financial Manager, and most recently she has taken on insurance as well. She has served with us for just almost two years, working closely with Carrol Holley, our Diocesan Treasurer. We can have upmost confidence in Anna’s ability, and it’s a bonus that she has a delightful personality, a willing spirit, and a great sense of humor.
Nancy Igo is now our Ministries Coordinator. When Nancy arrived on the scene she was given the title “program manager” because, basically, she did everything else that Carolyn and Anna did not do. She still does. But we have noticed that her role includes Transition Officer (once called Deployment Officer), and Safeguarding God’s Children, and Clergy Wellness programs, and ministry licensing, as well as House Steward of the Hulsey Center. I made the observation that mostly Nancy equips the rest of us for ministry. She was willing to accept the title “equipment manager” but we thought better of it – so she is Ministries Coordinator.
I also want to thank – along with my office staff – those who were particularly helpful toward our transition from Abilene to Lubbock. The people of Heavenly Rest in Abilene have been especially generous, and the Episcopalians of Lubbock have been especially hospitable. Special thanks to Bill and Pat Russell, Carrol and Helen Holley, Jackie Batjer, Leon Swift, Cliff Craig, Mary Glover, and Wallis and Sheila Ohl.
And while on the topic of transitions, I want to express gratitude to those who have served sacrificially and with distinction in leadership positions during this transition: Leon Swift, President of the Standing Committee; Phil Rapstine, Vice President of the Executive Council; David Stidham, Vice President of the Board of Trustees, Carrol Holley, our Treasurer; Tom Choate, our Chancellor, and Cliff Craig, Chair of the Nominating and Transition Committee. And to Louise Cummins, along with Carolyn and Jackie and everyone who offered themselves to make the March 21st consecration such a beautiful and meaningful event, thank you.
And finally – Jesus said the last shall be first – I want to acknowlege and thank my most supportive partner in all of this, my best friend and the love of my life – Kathy.
For less than six months I have been your bishop. Two weeks ago while making a visitation to St. James in Dalhart, Nancy Igo was taking some post-liturgy group photos. I was distracted, looking off somewhere, when Nancy said, “Bishop!” And I actually turned and looked. I don’t know if that’s good news or bad news, but I suspect it was inevitable.
From the beginning – even before the election – I said that I did not believe it would be the new bishop’s role to take office and declare the vision for the diocese, that a vision is not imposed from the top. The bishop is the vision bearer, but vision comes out of community discernment – which is yet to come.
Having said that, I would like to share with you my initial priorties during this first year.
1. My first priority is to get around this vast diocese, and get to know you. In some capacity I have visited about half of our congregations, and by the end of this academic year I will have made an official visitation to all of you. I want you to know what I am finding. I am finding that every congregation has a core leadership with a high level of talent, commitment, and desire to be faithful. I am finding congregations who are proud to be Episcopalians. I am finding congregations who are confident about the future, and eager to share in the vision and mission of this diocese. And I am finding the kind of people one expects to find in this part of the world – how my friend Bob Batjer used to describe a good Texan: “he will tear up his own pickup truck while pulling a stranger’s pickup out of a ditch.”
2. Apportionment Relief. Even before the consecration in March, the Standing Committee and I were working to meet the challenges of the national economic downturn by providing apportionment relief to our congregations. As you know by now, Carrol Holley worked miracles to make it possible to give relief in the amount of 3%. We did this without negatively impacting any current ministries or changing any personnel.
You will notice when you examine the budget that we did not fill any open positions on the diocesan staff, we reduced our giving to DFMS, and we used resources from a recently closed mission. We will be presenting the same reduced apportionment rate for 2010 during this convention for your approval. I want to emphasize that this “relief” is intended to be a compassionate response to an unforecasted economy, and is not so much driven by vision. That will be addressed later.
3. You are the Diocese. It is a priority of mine to communicate that you are the diocese. The diocesan office
is not the diocese. You are. I acknowledge that this is not going to be easy to communicate, and that I may violate the number one rule of being Episcopalian which is: we don’t harp on anything. I acknowlege that finding the right language will be a challenge, as for example, we call the budget on which you will vote “the
diocesan budget.” Consequently, congregations see themselves as sending money “off to the diocese.” We talk about leaders who serve at the quote “diocesan level,” as if congregational service is not diocesan. We call the bishop’s visit a visitation, as if the bishop is a guest. Finding new language will be a challenge. But, you are the diocese. For just one example in re-thinking this, a reduction in apportionment rate is not a diocesan budget cut. It is a re-allocation of resources within the diocese. And you decide that.
4. Diocesan Discernment Task Force. As I said earlier, it is a high priority to form a task force to discern the vision and mission of this diocese for the next few years. The make-up of this task force will be drawn from current members of the Standing Committee and the Executive Council, along with a few others in leadership roles. The Bishop’s Visitation schedule (that word again – visitation) for the next year allows for several Saturdays to partake in this process work. A year from now we should present to you a new vision and its supporting strategy and budget.
[These next 3 ministries are given priority in this year’s budget.]
5. Part-time Diocesan Youth Coordinator. Renee Haney has accepted the call to serve in this much needed position. Renee will support and promote diocesan youth programs and camps, serve as a resource for congregations, and provide training for adults working with young people. She comes to us with a wealth of experience, having served in similar positions in Kansas.
6. I have asked that we set aside resources in order to develop a new website. We are grateful for Jim Liggett’s offering to serve as Webminister for the past decade. Jim acknowledges that our website was “state of the art” over a decade ago, but it is time for a new one. The days are gone when a website was a novelty. This needs to be a tool for communication, obviously, but also a tool for evangelism.
7. And, we have also made room in the budget to bring in speakers for such events as Clergy Conference or Diocesan Convention or consultant to our task force. How those resources will be allocated remains to be determined.
8. Bishop Quarterman Conference Center Task Force. At our last meeting of the Conference Center Board it became very apparent that it was time to do some serious discernment work. A task force was created from
throughout the diocese. A consultant met with us for the first meeting of two meetings thus far. You will hear from our director, Jamie Goldsten, later today – as well as from our Archdeacon, Chris Wrampelmeier, and I suspect they will share with you something about our progress in this discernment process.
I want to acknowledge some things about the conference center. First, it was a very generous gift of 240 acres of wonderful climate and big sky. Second, it is debt free. Third, its claim that “Lives Change Here” is true. Fourth, for some people it is nothing less than what the Celtics call “a thin place” – a thin place where heaven and earth meet. Fifth, our director, Jamie Goldsten, is totally devoted to this place and to exercising hospitality to those who come. She offers herself sacrificially to the ministry of this place. And sixth – one of the brutal facts – it takes money to operate it.
9. Campus Ministries at Texas Tech – Canterbury. I know very little about campus ministries. Our new Canterbury chaplain, Phil Webster, is trying as tactfully as possible to teach me. Over the summer he worked toward reorganizing the operating structure of Canterbury, putting in place better Safeguarding procedures, planning for the day school starts, and most obviously, contacting prospective students. Letters were mailed to every known incoming Episcopalian, and this Fall’s attendance reflects that effort.
10. Practice Disciplines. Again, the last shall be first. Or it should be. It is a priority that I will continue to practice my spiritual disciplines, which include prayer, study, teaching, physical exercise, and sabbath time. I might add, it is not an accident that on 6 particular Sundays in the Fall, I will be within driving distance of Lubbock. I’m not sure that qualifies as a spiritual discipline, but I bet we are all grateful that this convention
date was moved from its original date – during the Tech – A&M football game. (I hope that’s not too insulting to the Rice Owls, as Tech plays them tonight, but there are far more Aggies.)
These are my 10 initial priorities. The key word is “initial.” Certainly, there are crucial ministries missing from this list – ministries which reflect the vision of this diocese. Again, that vision work lies on the horizon – so to speak.
Now if we are honest, much of my report thus far could have been given at the annual meeting of most not-forprofits. We’ve use such words as: leadership, talent, commitment, priorities, vision, mission, allocation of resources, task force, structure, personnel, and of course budget.
Any good operation, including the Church, should be using such language and concepts in both the challenging times and the best of times. But now … I would like to shift gears to this year’s theme.
The theme of this year’s convention is “Walk in love, as Christ loved us” – taken from the verse in Ephesians (5:2), saying, “Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.” Probably most heard in our tradition as the offertory sentence before the liturgy moves us to the table, this is a comprehensive passage with a number of key words. I’m not going to unpack all that – at least not now – but I would like to hold this year’s theme in front of you for the next few moments.
Convention Address - Part II
As I have been traveling around the diocese over the past five months, I have been suggesting from the pulpit that it’s a new day for Christianity – at least in Northern America; that just as the Spirit “swept over the face of the waters” in the beginning of creation, and just as the Spirit came upon the Blessed Virgin Mary, and a child was born, and just as the Spirit descended upon Jesus at his baptism, and just as the Spirit descended upon the followers of the Risen Christ at Pentecost, … that same Spirit is blowing through Christianity in a new way. Like a wind that “blows where it will,” the Holy Spirit is uncontrollable and untamable. And it is an exciting time to be a Christian.
That may be a surprising claim, given that the polls say that fewer people are calling themselves “Christian;” and many wring their hands over the decline in numbers and loss of influence throughout Western Civilization; and probably no Christian tradition in our time has escaped the pain of division.
And yet, I believe a new wind is blowing, and it cuts across denominational boundaries, and includes everything from the mega-church to the home church, and from evangelical to catholic, and it transcends our categories and labels of “liberal and conservative” or “progressive and fundamentalist.”
Some scholars have suggested that we are in a new Reformation (re-formation). Phyllis Tickle, the sociologist and author, calls this period in our history “The Great Emergence.” Dr. Tickle will be speaking at St. Nicholas in Midland during October, and I hope you will make every effort to hear her. “There is a new movement of the Spirit among us,” she says. We are part of an emerging Church.
Whatever we call this new day, it appears that a fundamental shift in our self-understanding is beginning to emerge. One way I’ve heard it described is this: Christianity is moving from presenting itself as a “system of beliefs” to presenting itself as a “way of life.”
For people are hungry for more than doctrine, more than “head knowledge” about God. People are hungry for an encounter with God. People are starved for a WAY of life which leads to a sense of God’s presence, a PATH which leads to the abundant life which Jesus promises, a PATH which leads to a sense of being alive.
That’s the shift we are seeing. And more and more Christians from every corner of the Christian tradition are returning to the ancient Christian practices which lead to life. We are moving from an emphasis on doctrine, and returning to our Christian roots actually – returning to an emphasis on practice.
Brian McLaren is an author and speaker, and once was the pastor of a large non-denominational mega-church in Maryland. Someone handed me his latest book, and I thought, “Do I hafta read this?” It was like when Nathanael said, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” “Can anything come from the mega-church?”
Well, Nathanael and I proved ourselves to be theological snobs.
Brian McLaren is one of the leaders in this Emerging Church Movement, currently a movement which remains very ill-defined – which of course, makes sense, as it is emerging. At any rate, it is McLaren who points out that while the Apostle Paul was a theologian, it was Paul’s TASK to show us the way to follow Jesus.
McLaren says about Paul: “Far from being a rigid member of the dogma police or inquisition mafia, Paul, like Jesus, is a prophet of love, calling people to follow a love road, to walk a love path, to practice a love way.
Paul’s faith is not just an idea to which we assent but a way in which we walk.” [p45]
And take note of a small sample of the times Paul uses such language: “I will show you a still more excellent way,” Paul says before the famous passage on love. Love is patient. Love is kind. And so forth.
“… so we too might walk in the newness of life.” [Romans 6:4]
“… we walk by faith, not by sight.” [2 Corinthians 5:7]
“… walk in a manner worthy of the Lord [Colossians 1:10]
“… as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him.” [Col 2:6]
“… walk in love, as Christ loved us, and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God.”
To Paul, following Jesus is like walking a path, the way of love. It’s a discipline, an exercise, a training, a practice.
Practice – that word again. Think of it this way. McLaren says, “Practice (or exercise) may not make perfect” – we’ve all heard the old saying about practice – “but, it does make currently impossible things … possible.”
Practice can make the gifts of patience, and kindness, and courage, and forgiveness, and inner peace possible. Practice alone won’t earn those gifts, as by definition, we cannot earn a gift. But practice makes these gifts possible. Practice can make the gift of an awareness of God’s presence possible. Practice can make the gift of communion with God and one another possible.
Already this morning, you have participated in presentations on the practice of art, and the practice of praying with icons. Later today we will participate in music from the tradition of Taize, and then we will get a little physical with Sign Chi Do, and we will conclude today’s work with Centering Prayer. All of these are practices which take us beyond the intellect, beyond the rational, even beyond the constant racket, the constant inner chatter of words.
I would like to say something about contemplative prayer – centering prayer, specifically. Art Goolsbee will be leading us in prayer at the close of the day, so I’ll be brief.
Centering Prayer is an exercise in emptying the self of fears, anxieties, and desires – a practice in letting go of the self. Simply put, we spend 20 minutes letting go of thoughts. It is a practice in letting go of anything which comes to mind. It is not a practice in stopping thoughts from arising – we can’t do that – but rather, when they arise, let them go.
If you’re like me, there are certain thoughts we want to hang onto, and massage, and develop – especially when the brilliant idea for the next sermon surfaces. Let it go. It’s a death – a dying to self.
And the practice of that letting go – that self-emptying – will change us. It’s one method among many, and not for everyone. There are other Christian practices which involve self-emptying and sacrifice, ranging from stewardship to hospitality to keeping sabbath. All of them are paths, ways of following Jesus, who teaches us that the way of the cross is the way of life.
The way of the cross is the way to life: the way to move from being nominally alive to being fully alive; changing from a guarded heart to an open, compassionate heart; from a closed, fearful existence to a free, awakened, expansive life.
The pectoral cross which I wear was designed by Nolan Kelley, a sculptor who happens to be the Senior Warden at Heavenly Rest. Nolan has provided a description for this cross, and I won’t read it entirely, but it says: the dove at the center of the cross symbolizes the Holy Spirit, and the dove is depicted as moving over the face of the waters at creation, and as hovering over the shepherd’s staff which is carried by the bishop, and over the tongues of fire descending on bread and wine.
When Nolan and I sat down together to discuss the design of this pectoral cross, I expressed a desire to include a symbol common to the geography of the diocese. And we wrestled with that. Do we include cotton, or cattle, or corn, or an oil derrick, or sheep, or a mesquite tree, or a canyon? It all depends on where one lives.
And it dawned on us – one thing common throughout our entire diocese is not so much geographical, as it is celestial. We looked up at the Big Sky. Sunrises. Sunsets. Bright stars. Storms.
So as Nolan says in his description – “the moon, stars, and sun on the arms of the cross reference the vast open sky, a defining feature of the Episcopal Diocese of Northwest Texas.” Even the shape of the cross comes into play, as the discs which emanate from the cross serve to remind us of the mesas … that emerge
from the expansive Northwest Texas horizon. The Latin word for the shape of the cross itself means, “to open, to extend oneself.”
Vast. Open. Expansive. Nolan has described our territory – the defining feature of this diocese. Vast. Open. Expansive. And yet, he has described more than the territory. He has described your heart. He has described our hearts on a clear day – and what our hearts can be when we “walk in love, as Christ loved us.” Vast. Open. Expansive. I count it a huge privilege to walk this path with you. Thank you.

Homeless Families Meeting

On Tuesday, November 14^th at 7:00 pm, at Asbury United Methodist Church (4001 E. University), Claus Ehlers of Family Promise, will discuss how congregations with lay (volunteer) persons can help to provide overnight accommodations and meals for homeless families.

At Diocesan Convention, Bishop Ohl charged us to value deeply that the Church is the only entity which exists for people outside its walls. He charged us to consider new avenues to tend to the homeless. Attending this meeting is a good first step.

If organized, the ministry will likely be called Family Promise of Odessa. In Lubbock, the same sources of information and organization have produced the Lubbock Interfaith Hospitality Network. Because of local Episcopal Churches' participation, the Lubbock homeless ministry to families received UTO monies.

Dr. Mark Waters, our Diocesan Jubilee Ministry Center Officer, announced at convention that a part of the Lubbock ministry had been named a Jubilee Center and received national Episcopal Church monies (beyond UTO) for it’s establishment.

The Odessa Ministerial Alliance (including Laura Deaderick, David Mossbarger, the Salvation Army and other rectors/pastors) is sponsoring this gathering. After discussions and information-gathering at the March and September meetings, we voted in October to support this meeting.

It takes 13 congregations with sufficient lay (volunteer) person to make the core step. Please come to hear about ways we can get involved.

Convention Address
28 October 2006
Abilene, Texas

“ I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6)

In the midst of the muddle that we in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion have found ourselves, it is always valuable to return to our historical roots. Anyone who has taken even a cursory glance at the history of the Christian Church knows that this is not the first time Christians have found themselves embroiled in controversy over the interpretation of Scripture which threatened to divide us into factions and fracture our unity. This is the unity for which Jesus so fervently prayed just before his arrest and Passion, and for which St. Paul from his prison cell pleads of the congregation at Ephesus as he travels to his own death in Rome.

Since the Protestant Reformation of the 16^th Century, and especially since the early days of the 19^th Century, Western Christians have made fracturing unity into an art form. Even our own Church has seen the ravages of fracture since the late 19^th century. Since the General Convention of 1976 those that left the Episcopal Church to form the Anglican Church of North America (Episcopal) are now no fewer than 53 different denominational groups.

Now we are in the most divisive era of the 200+ year history of the Episcopal Church. Factions have been created that are being pushed further and further away from one another by the lobbing of theological hand grenades into one another’s camps. Of course, this is not unique to the Church; we see it in virtually every level of our lives: politics, social systems, economics, and even education. The mantra seems to be, “If you do not agree with me in any area you are an outsider and to be avoided.”

The question for me is how does Jesus treat the outsider. In his earthly ministry does he avoid at all costs those with whom he does not agree, or does he welcome them into his circle? What about the hated tax collector? Or the woman at the well who also happened to be a Samaritan? Or even the Syrophoenician woman with whom he bantered? What about the blind, mute, or demon possessed persons? And let’s not even talk about the dreaded lepers and how he touched them. His culture told him to shun such persons completely, but he refused to comply and opened up the way of salvation for even such as us.

I chose the theme for this year’s convention “One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism” based on what I believe to be the best of the Anglican tradition and, in fact, the Christian tradition. We Episcopalians look only to one Lord–Jesus the Christ; there is but one Faith–expressed through the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds; and we accept anyone’s Baptism who has been baptized with water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. To my knowledge we do not ask for a theological treatise on any of these subjects when someone who is baptized presents themselves at the Communion rail; we bring them the precious Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus, trusting in God’s mercy to make them whole and to nurture them in exactly the way God knows they need touching.

We can argue about the specifics of any of the creedal statements and our understanding of them through our language and culture. Christians have been striving to understand and reinterpret the tenets of the Faith since the beginning of the Church. We agree that these tenets are dogma, but how do these apply to us today? The real question for me is: how can we proclaim God’s grace and mercy to a broken, hurting, world starving for some Good News?

I am deeply concerned that we have become so enmeshed in the disagreements of the present time that we have forgotten our primary mission in life is to proclaim Jesus, and Him crucified, resurrected, and risen. We are so focused on the issues of human sexuality that we have forgotten what Archbishop of Canterbury William Temple said of the Church. To paraphrase Temple, “We are the only organization that exists to serve those that are not part of us.” We are so focused on ‘us’ that we cannot see beyond ourselves. Too often we are blind to the world about us that desperately needs Jesus. Or to quote a more recent Archbishop of Canterbury, Arthur Michael Ramsey, “The Church that lives to itself, dies by itself.”

Does that mean that the interpretation of Scripture is of minor concern? Absolutely not. But to require that all everywhere adhere to a single understanding is simply not Anglican. I am convinced that we need to argue passionately with one another, AND to stay in communion. Our heritage is to debate and disagree as heatedly as we can until we come to the Lord’s Table. Remember, it is not your table, nor is it mine; it is THE LORD’s TABLE! As one wag has put it, “Our task is to invite and welcome and gather. It is God’s task to sort.”

Our conversations with one another are vitally important to the health and life of this diocese, this Church, this Communion, and with our ecumenical partners. Simply because we have hearty conversations does not mean that we have to agree to hold a single point of view. Within conversation that is heartfelt, we are both converted, transformed, and drawn together in Jesus. As he said, “where two or three are gathered in my name there I am in the middle of you.”

Following General Convention in June, I began to be concerned that conversation would not continue between various factions of our Church. I was invited to attend a gathering at Camp Allen in September and I agreed to go, because I believed then and believe now that this has to be a part–note that I said a part–of the conversation. My greatest concern was that the invitation was for a select group and not an open invitation. Some of the bishops who attended wanted to withdraw immediately from the Episcopal Church, and some have made moves to attempt to do this by requesting Alternate Primatial Oversight. Many of us at that meeting were not of such a mind and have no intention of joining any alternative group. The basis of our conversations at Camp Allen centered on the Windsor Report, which I commend to you. It is not scripture, nor does it have the force of Canon Law. In the Preface Archbishop Robin Eames calls the Windsor Report a process which enables conversation, and I believe we must continue this conversation.

Some who were in attendance at Camp Allen came with an agenda that was very limited. Others were open to hearing what might come forth. We did some wonderful Bible study together on Philippians and heard some powerful teaching from Bishop N.T. Wright on community and communion based on St. Paul’s writing. We had conversations which were not all one sided, nor did everyone agree even on the final wording of the letter which was disseminated at the end of the meeting. We worshiped together, prayed together, and were involved in conversation. This is what we–all of the Church–must be about in our life in Christ: worship, prayer, study, and conversation.

There are those at both ends of the theological/ political spectrum who want to close off conversation and expel from the Episcopal Church or the Anglican Communion all who are not of the one mind that they dictate. From my study of history, this is wrong. How long will it take before we come to a common understanding of the present issues? I do not know. As an amateur historian I know that past controversies have taken a century and more to resolve, and we are not even half way there with the present debate. What I do know is that when I have cut off my sister or brother from the table or the conversation I have cut myself off from the Lord’s presence in some way.

Let me state for the record one more time. I am a genetic Episcopalian. I was born into Christ in this Church and I will be buried from this Church–whenever that time comes. I am not aligning myself with any “foreign power” or overseas church or bishop. I am a loyal member of the Episcopal Church and will continue to be loyal as long as I require oxygen. It is my responsibility to speak the truth in love to those with whom I disagree but to stay connected even with those with whom I disagree vehemently.

When I was ordained–each of the three times–I swore an oath of conformity to the Episcopal Church. I intend to uphold that oath as long as I live. I am willing to be a part of what the English delicately call, “the loyal opposition,” but I will not collude in secession. It did not work in 1861, and it will not work now. While we are on the issue of my participation in the Episcopal Church, I want to address another, albeit related, issue: the timing of my retirement.

As many of you know, when I became Bishop in 1997 I said that it was not my desire to continue to work until my 72^nd birthday and then retire. There have been days, however, in the past three years when retirement sounds too good to delay. On bad days when asked when I will retire I have said, “Maybe tomorrow.” On other days, when my impish side gets the better of me and I am being pushed into a corner, I have said “the day after my 72^nd birthday.” Today, I cannot agree with either of those extremes. I have not yet set a timetable and probably will not do so for a while. What I can say for certain is that I will be on the job longer than tomorrow and shorter than nine years. In other words, please do not make this issue a matter of concern; I will let you know through the Standing Committee when the time is right.

I do want to share with you a bit of good news for our diocese. As many of you know, the ministry we share on college campuses is vital to our corporate life as a diocese and as a Church. In the late 1960's and early 70's campus ministry was severely restricted across this country, and because of that loss we gave up an entire generation of students, some of whom might have sought ordination. We have a dearth of laity and clergy in their late 40's and 50's who have significant ministry experience in the Episcopal Church because of that loss.

Some years ago the ministry at Texas Tech was revived by Bishop Hulsey when he called the Rev. Jo Mann to Canterbury. It was part-time at first but soon became a full time job. The Rev. David Krause served us at Tech for 13 years but has moved to McKinney to resume parish work. There was a question in the minds of some as to whether we would continue to fund this ministry–a ministry that has no immediate “payback” in terms of dollars and cents. Some say College ministry is a black hole into which we pour money. I fervently believe it is an investment in the future of the Episcopal Church–indeed in the Christian Church itself. It is vital that we have a presence on every campus in this diocese, either led by volunteers as at Midland College and West Texas A&M in Canyon, part-time as at Angelo State and Abilene, or full time as at Texas Tech.

Because of my belief in campus ministry and with God’s leading, we were fortunate to be able to call the Rev. Lauren Browder to lead our Canterbury in Lubbock. I sincerely hope that we will have many years of Mother Browder’s ministry among us, drawing college students into the life and work of this diocese.

If this is not in itself enough good news, let me share some other information. Two faithful Episcopalians have begun to help recruit funds to renovate Seaman Hall in Lubbock for our Canterbury ministry and hopefully, in time, to be able to endow the ministry of Canterbury at Tech. You will be hearing more about this fund soon, and if you have an interest in aiding this ministry, please do not be shy about saying so. The work on the building will not be completed until the early part of 2007, but the remodel of that historic facility will give us the opportunity to reach out in a new and significant way to the greatest mission field in America. As an aside, to call the work being done on Seaman Hall a remodel is a bit of an understatement. The building will be completely handicap accessible with an elevator and accessible bathrooms. The 70+ year old heating with new air conditioning is being completely replaced, new wiring installed, and the kitchen completely rebuilt. St. Paul’s on the Plains in Lubbock is so committed to this work that during construction they are providing office and meeting space, telephone and computer access for Canterbury. I personally want publically to thank Father Sellers and the vestry of St. Paul’s for their generosity.

It is my hope and dream that in 20-30 years we will have active Canterbury groups at EVERY campus in this diocese, from the smallest campuses, such as the college in Vernon, to the largest campus in Lubbock. There are some in this room who became Episcopalians during their college years because we had a presence on their campus. Can we ignore another generation of seekers because we do not have the time, energy, or funds?

On the other side of the equation is the pending departure of our faithful Canon Mike Ehmer. Mike has been called to be the Assistant Director of CREDO, a wellness initiative for clergy and lay leadership of the Episcopal Church. He and Sue-Ann will be moving to Memphis at the first of the year. His extensive gifts will be utilized for all of the Episcopal Church, and although we will still be the recipients of his gifts through CREDO, we will miss his day-to-day input and activity to keep our diocese–read here its bishop–on an even keel.

I want to tell you also about a study which will begin in the next month or so. For several years I have been concerned about the apportionment percentage for Northwest Texas. Over four years ago, our Executive Council began to discuss how we might rework our apportionment, but after General Convention 2003 that deliberation ceased. Because of my continuing concern over this area, and with the encouragement of the vestry of the Church of the Heavenly Rest, I will be appointing in the next weeks an ad hoc committee to explore how we might begin to reassess apportionments beginning in 2008. My hope is that this group will be able to provide a means whereby we can begin to reduce congregational assessments, decreasing the percentage each year by a fraction. Obviously our budget is not so filled with “pork” that would allow us to slash a significant percentage all at once and still be able to maintain our ministry throughout the diocese. This ad hoc group will propose methods and amounts of apportionment for the Executive Council’s approval. Information about the deliberations will be available in a timely manner.

One Lord, one faith, one baptism. Ever since I arrived in Northwest Texas, I have had a single song for us –the proclamation of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I have repeatedly called this diocese to seek out the broken hearted around us. I have challenged every member of convention to reach out to someone who is unchurched and offer the love of Jesus as well as inviting them to come to worship. I have dared us to think in miraculous proportions about how God might work through us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison (the growth industry of western Texas), help heal the sick, welcome the stranger–the alien other, to give a sip of living water to the thirsty. I have exhorted us to move beyond a theology of scarcity to an understanding of and declaration of God’s incredible abundance. I have called us to look to our Latino brothers and sisters who, like us, need the life in Christ that the Episcopal Church has to offer–and today we brought in Santa Maria as our newest mission. But brothers and sisters, we have a long way to go to reach any of those goals. In some quarterss there is a glimmer of light, but opportunities abound. We have been called to be lanterns held high, not lights concealed beneath a bushel basket. As I said some years ago, to claim to be the best kept secret in town is sinful. We are called to be the best known church because of our faithfulness. We have been called to become servants not masters, to live as Christ himself lived, as one who came not to be served but to serve.

Now is the time to redouble our efforts; it is not the time to shrink under the weight of our disputes and issues. Now is the time to seek the 65% of every county in this diocese who are not regular members of any faith community. Now is the time for us to pray about how we can help to meet the needs of our communities, rather than whining because we don’t have sufficient resources. Now is the time for us to pray, to read our Bibles, to worship together and invite others to join us. Now is the time for us to open our hearts and wallets to help eradicate poverty, hunger, illiteracy, and abuse. We have faced difficulties in the past, and God has provided for us, often in surprising ways.

And finally, as the Prayer of St. Francis de Sales says,
“Be at peace.
Do not fear the changes of life, rather look to them with full hope as they arise.
God, whose very own you are, will deliver you from out of them.
He has kept you hitherto,
and he will lead you safely,
and when you cannot stand it,God will bury you in His arms.
Do not be afraid of what may happen tomorrow,
for the same everlasting Father will take care of you then and every day.
He will either shield you from suffering or will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace,
and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.

Journal of the Diocese of Northwest Texas—1996

“Minutes of the 38^th Annual Convention” …“Sunday, October 26, 1996”
¶11 "[for the Missions Committee] The Rev. Jo Roberts Mann reported… the petition of St. Barnabas, Odessa, for mission status. St. Barnabas was granted mission status and its two additional delegates were given seat, voice and vote.”

Uncoupling The Mission of the Daughter-Church

These sentences from Diocesan Convention, ten years ago, signify another milestone for our Parish. About half of our newsletter recipients were present for that time in our history.

Our status [’95-‘96] was as a “Congregation.” On September 30, 1996, the Vicar and the Bishop’s Committee [BC] wrote Bishop Husley:

…(we) formally request admission to union with the convention of the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Northwest Texas. It is our corporate hope that at this year’s convention the St. Barnabas Congregation may be admitted as a mission.

Though this brief document generally contains only the numbers requested by canon law, it also conveys joy and excitement for this moment in history. Indeed the holy people who were the 38^th Diocesan Convention trusted God’s call for our place within the Church of God. Diocesan and BC leaders believed that our sacrificial service would bring us moments close to God and his love—on and off of St. Barnabas’ property.

And our BC had already begun this service through stewardship training and new-member ministry.¹ We honor those who have made sacrifices. As our focus, this Daughter Church “mothers” new Christians.

At my installation as rector, the bulletin cover recalled an American Indian saying: “We do not inherit the land, we borrow it from our children.” 10 years or a 100 years from now, I hope they’ll say, “In 2006, St. B’s folk did not inherit the church buildings…they borrowed them from us to be a mission for God!”

In Christ,
Fr. David+

¹The BC explored the book “Sizing Up Your Congregation,” which is still considered an essential by the Congregation Development Department of the national church. See the link on St. Barnabas’ home page (lower right-hand corner).

Messy Anger, God’s Love, Christian Comfort and Stephen Ministers

An August Forward Day by Day¹ Meditation on Psalm 70 sites raw vindictiveness and unparalleled trust within a single verse. The Psalmist calls for enemies to be shamed, dismayed and disgraced. Reading between the lines, the meditation sees this call, not as an order, but as an admission of the messiness of angry moments. Thus, the meditation offers modern insight into the ancient text.

Such an admission is a moment of unparalleled trust in God. Unleashing the depth of anger, we model turning these feelings over to a loving God.

But one’s enemies are not always external. Sometimes we identify the pride, envy or gluttony in our lives as the real “us.” Depression, (anger turned inward) in some folk, can retard the hope of God’s grace to renew life’s virtue.

Vindictiveness or depression--both require that unparalleled trust in a loving God who listens. It is also true that sacramental Episcopalians can touch this divine love through the ministers of the church. The Sacrament “Reconciliation of a Penitent”² continues the practice of auricular confession heard by the priest. As early as 373 A.D., the Church Fathers attested to this practice.

But the Prayer Book also envisions the liturgy’s allowance for a penitent to have a deacon or lay person as a confessor. Indeed, our Barnaby-folk, in union with Christ, often offer outward signs of God’s love. With or without a liturgy, in small groups or one-to-one, our folk are learning unparalleled trust in God by admitting their gut-level anger to another. Both become witnesses to God’s love.

In addition to Deacon Judy’s ministry and my own, let me encourage you to make use of our Stephen Ministers. Since the Jan. 2004 commissioning, they have taken people’s needs seriously: death, aging, divorce etc.³

The program values expressing and caring for all feelings, including painful, messy ones like anger. Each Stephen Minister continues to hone their excellent listening skills in bi-monthly support sessions. Contact our Stephen Leaders [Deacon Judy, Sondra Hubble, David Jackson] when the Psalmist’s call becomes your own. Even one meeting with a Stephen Minister can be a milestone of God’s love.

Yours in Christ,
David J. Mossbarger +

¹ This pamphlet contains three months of one page meditations. Generally the author takes a daily office passage (like those read Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at morning prayer). It is a key discipline for many of St. Barnabas’ readers. We invite you to pick up a copy today.
²Book of Common Prayer, page 446 ff.
³ There can be situations which may require a Stephen Minister to encourage someone to seek professional help.

Currently Watching Manic
By Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Adrienne Rollo, Maggie Baird, Don Cheadle, Blayne Weaver, Lydell M. Cheshier, Roxie Fuller, Bree Nogueira, Kathy Paradise, Elden Henson, Cody Lightning, Michael Bacall, Sara Rivas, Lauren Shubert, Zooey Deschanel, William Richert, Ben Markham, Travis Sutton, Nic Henley, Julie Remala see related

Countdown to "Order of the Phoenix"

The Feast of our Patron, St. Barnabas
And the Thirty-Third Anniversary of the Dedication of Our Church

St. Barnabas’ Day and our Anniversary will be transferred¹ and celebrated Sunday June 18th. Barnabas encouraged the Church through stewardship (Acts 4:36-37) and through clearheadedness about the new Christian ministry of the murderous Saul (Acts 9:27).

It will be our joy to hear again how Barnabas responded to Christ in mission. In 1973, the late Rt. Rev. Willis R. Henton dedicated our worship space to remember the Christ-like Barnabas.² It will be our joy to measure the “encouraging” word which we have brought to Odessa-folk in our 33 years.

Hey! But the Rector wasn’t here to see most of those moments. So here’s your homework: Describe, as clearly as possibly, your EXACT place at St. Barnabas when you met the person who most encouraged you to be a part of our life together.

Got your assignment? Good! Turn it in to the Rector by Monday June 12th. Make-up work can be turned in as late as 10:45 am June 18 at the picnic. Thanks for your help!

¹ BCP p. 16, paragraph 2. ² Bishop Henton died on Feb. 16th of this year. He was consecrated as Bishop on St. Barnabas’ Day 1972.

For Him Who Died and Rose Again

I John 3:14: We know that we have passed from death to life.
John 14:15: (The Father) will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. I John 3:18: …let us love… in truth and action
Acts 8:26a, 27a: …an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go….” So he got up and went.
Eucharistic Prayer D: “And that we might live no longer for ourselves, but for him who died and rose for us, he sent the Holy Spirit, his own 1st gift for those who believe, to complete his work in the world and to bring to fulfillment the sanctification of all.”

When St. Barnabas witnesses its next baptism, it will be an Easter experience. Not only is a baptized person raised with Christ [Rom. 6:5, 11], they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit [Acts 2:38].

And so, this Easter season is a great fifty days for us. From April 16th to Pentecost [June 4th] we get busy living for him and no longer for us.

For their May meeting, the Vestry is reviewing Bishop Ohl’s charge to the last convention. That convention’s theme specifically focused on “community ministry.” Our December newsletter contained excerpts like:

􀂾 “We need the community to help us both discern and live out the gifts of ministry we have been given.”
􀂾 “Look around your town and see what needs to be done to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, give drink to the thirsty, visiting the sick, visiting those in prison.”
􀂾 “I pray that you will open your heart to the leading of the Holy Spirit to guide you into how you are being called to minister.”
􀂾 “I want to encourage you, the diocesan leadership, to affirm your brothers and sisters in the congregations you serve in discerning and exercising their gifts.”
􀂾 “I call each and every one of us, the leaders of the diocese of Northwest Texas, to redouble our efforts to discern, both for ourselves and our congregations, how we can make visible the redeeming love of God in Christ to this broken and starving world.”
􀂾 “I challenge you to pray about whom you might invite to be a part of the living Body of Christ, someone who is inactive or has never been a part of a church community, and then as Simon’s brother Andrew did, BRING them to Jesus.

The Vestry can easily respond to the diocese with attendance numbers or financial figures. We know that the more difficult brand of leadership is that which reinforces and grows our ministry to the community around us.

I hope that, in this review, we affirm the Christian pattern “Get Up and Go.” I intend to watch specifically for anecdotes. I hope to hear how Barnaby-folk found the promised “Advocate” in the lovingkindness of the person whom they we dutifully serving. May these stories be the faithful foundation that the Advocate IS with us.

And may these stories push us to deepen our response to the Bishop’s Christian charge. May Christ love over-whelm us to get up and go—go into a little more broken place than we’ve been comfortable with so far. “Let us love in truth and action to God’s greater glory.

Shalom,
David +

February: Husbands, Wives, Romance
and God’s Deep Love of Creation

In the early years, Christians spoke of grace to folk in the Greek world. Some ex-pagans then discarded the statues of Greek/Roman gods. Paul tells the Thessalonians, “…everyone is spreading the story…how you turned from idols to be servants of the true and living God.” (I Thes. 1:9)

Well, February has Greek and Roman roots; they evolved with new traditions, between 300-500AD, as Christian asserted their faith-stories. Christian leaders changed traditional pagan Mid-February customs into a festival day honoring the saint Valentine. Out was the worship of Juno/Hera and Lupercus/Faunus?/Pan?/Romulus-and-Remus’-mother-wolf; out were the thongs¹ which splattered sacrificial blood (because of a superstition that such blood had an effect on sex,fertility and procreation). In was Valentine: in was remembering martyrs who loved Jesus; in was God’s ordinance of marriage²; in was the love of enemies³.

With 200 years of American religious freedom, pagan polytheism has not returned. We still turn to Christ. Like Valentine, we are devoted to Jesus. We also extol the love of enemies.

And we encourage Christian marriage. Devotion to your spouse is rooted in seeking Christ in them. With married folk, serving God (a 24/7 view of our treating God as THE God) begins in serving their life-long partner. Unless we love our spouse whom we have seen, how can we say we love the unseen God?⁴ Though my challenge began in jest⁵, I still would have St. Barnabas become a major witness to the romance between husbands and wives. I still encourage singles and widows to reject loneliness for a life of building close friendships.

Let’s build a loving Christian community with many Valentine-like saints. Let love abound.⁶ Send St. Valentine-cards. Give your whole life for Christ in sacrificial love.⁷

Yours in Christ,
David J. Mossbarger +

¹ In Latin the thongs are called “februa;” thus the name February. Not all traces of pagan life are gone! ² Valentine disobeyed Claudius II rule forbidding young men to marry so that they could serve as soldiers. ³ Valentine wrote kind notes to his jailer’s daughter and signed them “Your Valentine” ⁴I John 4:20
⁵ In recent times of American-French antagonism, I have quipped that Odessa could become the new City of Romance; after all, we have Eiffel Towers—we just call them oil derricks.
⁶ Philippians 1:9 ⁷John 15:13

Journal of the Diocese of Northwest Texas-1995
“Minutes:37^th Annual Convention Sun. Oct 29 1995”
¶9 “[for the Missions Committee] The Rev. Jo Roberts Mann … announced that St. John’s Parish in Odessa would continue to have parish status and that St. Barnabas’, Odessa, would be applying for mission status at the 1996 Convention.”

Uncoupling The Mission of the Daughter-Church

The sentence from Diocesan Convention, ten years ago, signifies a milestone for our Parish. About half of our newsletter recipients were present for that time in our history. I and others must learn this history second hand. But what emphasis will the story have?

All of us tell stories with some kind of slanted perspective. Inevitably, the viewpoint of the past affects our future. Thus, Christianity historically calls us to remember our mission in Christ as a priority. The story of Christ is not a tragedy which ends with the death of Christ. His resurrection and ascension point toward a 1975 year-old (union/marriage) of the Spirit & the Church. The triumph of God is more powerful that humans who sin.

So I also encourage us to remember this milestone as a moment when God was working purposefully among us. I encourage the historical members trustingly to choose to tell others that God was bringing the good we have today from the choices of the leaders then.

Certainly, those of us—who have come after Oct. 29, 1995—can testify that we lean on the parochial and diocesan wisdom of that moment. The blessing which we have in St. B’s is indeed born of many moments, but Oct. 29th is a big one!

I’ve chosen to “set aside” the traditional name for this milestone (uncoupling). We are indeed the “daughter church” – even if that identity wasn’t the original intent of leaders in the 1970’s. We do have wonderful “DNA” and habits which we’ve inherited from life patterns at St. John’s, Odessa, our “mother.”

So, now as a grown-up “daughter,” we’re on a divine mission to love the folk of Odessa. We’ll “mother” Christians on our own side or Odessa, just as our mother gave us roots AND WINGS for the task..

Even though we honor those who have made sacrifices which we remember, our focus is the mission of mothering Christians. At my installation as rector, the bulletin cover recalled a Haida [Indian/Native American/First Nations] saying: “We do not inherit the land, we borrow it from our children.”

We, too, affect how others might tell our story—in 10 years or a 100 years. I hope they’ll say, “In 2005, St. B’s folk did not inherit the church buildings…they borrowed them from us!”

In Christ,
Fr. David+