The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of  The Episcopal Church and the Rev. Gay Jennings, president of the House of Deputies of the General Convention of The Episcopal Church will be visiting in our diocese we observe the 5th anniversary of the reorganization of the diocese. We will have two opportunities to meet, listen to and share with our presiding bishop: on Saturday, February  8 at the diocesan Reimagining Our Church event, and on Sunday, Febrary 9, here, at St. Martin-in-the-Fields.

Reimagining Our Church event on February 8

On Saturday, February 8, 2014, we will gather as a diocese from 9:30 am to 4 pm at  2720 S. University Drive, Fort Worth, TX, 76109 in observance of the 5th anniversary of our diocese. Reimagining Our Church is the theme of the day-long event, when Jefferts Schori and Jennings join us as we participate in the church-wide engagement process of the Task Force to Reimagine The Episcopal Church (TREC). The Task Force was established by the General Convention of The Episcopal Church in 2012 and charged with engaging the whole church in discussions about reimagining The Episcopal Church. Registration and a fee for the event is required, and event details are available on the diocesan website at this link.

February 9 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields

On Sunday, February 9, 2014, we will have the honor of having the presiding bishop with us at our church for Sunday school and worship, in which she will celebrate and preach. We will also have a reception following the 10:30am service.

We must get ready

In preparation for Bishop Katharine’s visit during the weekend, I am asking you to ponder the following four questions, and join as we discuss them during Sunday school time on January 5, 12, and 19. The four questions are:
Question #1: What is your best memory of the Episcopal Church? As you reflect back over your experiences with The Episcopal Church, what is your very best memory? This could be a person, a spiritual moment, an event… whatever was extraordinary for you. What are the 3 words that best characterize this experience?
Question #2: As with all change, moving forward requires letting go of some things that were useful in the past. It also requires holding on to a few things that are core to who you are. What are your thoughts about what to hold and what to let go?  As you think about what you just said, what is the one thing The Church should hold on to and the thing it could let go?
Question #3: Imagine it’s 10 years in the future and you are talking to a good friend about The Episcopal Church. You say … “The thing that gives me the most joy about The Church these days is …” Finish the sentence.
Question #4: What one thing could you do to help The Church through this change?
These four questions are being discussed and prayed about throughout The Episcopal Church as we move forward in living out the Anglican Communion’s Five Marks of Mission:

  • To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
  • To teach, baptize and nurture new believers
  • To respond to human need by loving service
  • To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation
  • To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth

If you want to download a pdf of the four questions, it is available at this link on the diocesan website.

Join in

This is an exciting time of transition for The Episcopal Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth, and for our parish, St. Martin-in-the-Fields. I urge you to join in the dialog it will help determine the future for three important institutions who follow the calling of our Lord Jesus Christ.