One Year Later

On Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009, All Saints Episcopal Church in Fort Worth was crammed full of emotional Episcopalians.

The presiding bishop, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, was going to celebrate and preach at a Eucharist that would set the tone for a day in which the diocese would be reorganized after the departure of the former bishop and most other diocesan leaders from The Episcopal Church and the diocese.

The list of things to do was long—there was the election of a bishop and Corporation trustees, General Convention deputies and other leaders; we needed to deal with canons, pass resolutions, and conduct lots of other business at a Special Meeting of the Diocesan Convention at Trinity Fort Worth that afternoon.

But the most important thing that happened occurred that morning at All Saints—hope was reborn, joy was rediscovered, and happy possibilities were embraced.

Not bad for a morning’s work.

The transformation began for some folks when they saw the presiding bishop arrive at All Saints, stepping out of a SUV carrying her long garment bag. Spontaneous applause broke out among the small group gathered by a side door and people cried out, "Welcome to Fort Worth!" She smiled and waved as she went inside. One woman said in happy astonishment, 'She's really here. This is really going to happen!"

The transformative moment for some other people was when they saw the long procession form up outside in preparation to entering the church. Choir members, priests, deacons, bishops—all were talking and laughing, making it look like the family reunion that it was.

For many others transformation happened when the procession entered the church to the sound of music so joyous the stones themselves must have smiled. The flower-bedecked interior looked more like Easter than a cloudy February day, and appropriately so, for what was being celebrated was indeed a resurrection.

The presiding bishop was not immune to the emotion of the day, beaming back at the congregation as she, Deacon Janet Nocher and sub-deacon Emily Williams stood at the altar.

And that was the key moment for many others—the sight of three women at the altar made crystal clear the change we were witnessing.

The presiding bishop’s sermon message was simple and direct—do not dwell in anger and sorrow. Instead, remember the joy you are feeling this day.

Her message was embraced that day and has resonated throughout the diocese since then.

Provisional bishop the Rt. Rev. Edwin F. [Ted] Gulick, Jr. echoed the theme time and again—the way to deal with our anger and grief is to turn outside ourselves and help others. Yes, the litigation is important, but it is not our main business. Our main business is ministering to a hurting world, to reconcile the world to God through Jesus Christ.

It is a theme our second provisional bishop, the Rt. Rev. C. Wallis Ohl also has embraced.

The diocese has responded. Here are some—this is by no means intended to be a complete list—of what has happened since Feb. 7, 2009:

• Bp. Gulick immediately began baptizing, confirming and receiving new Episcopalians, more than 50 in the first 100 days of the reorganized diocese.
• As congregations displaced from their buildings continued getting organized, the wider church sent vestments, altar goods, prayer books and hymnals to help out. Dolly Bush and the diocesan Altar Guild took on the task of organization and distribution.
• The Rev. Courtland Moore was named canon to the ordinary.
• Fort Worth Via Media commissioned a handcrafted crosier, made by Bill Penny of Christ the King, for Bishop Gulick, which he promptly dubbed his "Fort Worth crosier." He in turn, presented it to Bishop Ohl when Bishop Ohl was elected and installed as the second provisional bishop of the diocese on November 14, 2009.
• Victoria Prescott’s Christian Educations Committee organized a lecture and book signing by acclaimed author Diana Butler Bass, cohosted by Brite Divinity School. Her committee also produced the supremely successful diocesan Lenten series, Manifesting the Baptismal Covenant, that brought Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies and the Rt. Rev. Jane Dixon and other outstanding speakers in to speak of the many and varied ways lay people might live out their baptismal promises to God and carry out their ministry in the world.
• St. Christopher’s Fort Worth not only offered to house the diocesan offices, but also opened its doors to countless other events, and in doing so, modeled the radical hospitality to which we are all called.
• Elinor Normand set up and maintained the diocesan website.
• Susan Reeves helped coordinate clergy to meet the worship and pastoral needs of the displaced parishes, with all parishes now receiving consistent clergy care. A clergy spouse herself, she also organized a clergy spouse gathering.
• The Rev. Maurine Lewis became the first woman priest to be licensed to serve in the diocese.
• Brite Divinity School at Texas Christian University announced the creation of an Episcopal Studies Program, an exciting development for all Episcopalians—lay people who want to enrich their theological education as well as those who might seek ordination.
• The Diocesan Altar Guild and Episcopal Church Women got reorganized.
• The Commission on Ministry got re-organized.
• Our deputies to General Convention were greeted with a standing ovation in the House of Deputies.
  
  • Deputies Kathleen Wells, David, Madison, Courtland Moore, and Katie Sherrod were appointed to various committees.
  • Deputy Margaret Mieuli and Alternate Victoria Prescott combed the Exhibit Hall at General Convention and returned home with invaluable resources and even more valuable contacts in the wider church that are still delivering dividends.
  • Alternate Janet Nocher served as deacon at several General Convention worship services.
  • Katie Sherrod was elected to Executive Council.
• Integrity had a booth at the annual diocesan convention, a breakthrough that was greeted in the healthiest way possible—by being treated as business as usual.
• The diocese, the Trustees of the Corporation and The Episcopal Church filed suit to recover certain property and assets of the Episcopal Church.
• The Trustees to Sewanee, University of the South, who were elected at the Special Meeting of the Convention, were seated at a meeting of the Sewanee trustees instead of those elected by the Iker diocese.
• The committee formed to carry out the mandate of Resolution Four passed at the Special Meeting of the convention hired a consultant, designed a survey instrument, contacted more than 1000 Episcopalians and put together a report for the annual convention in November.

• The ECW Simon of Cyrene hosted their annual Prayer Breakfast with the Rev. Angela Ifill, program director for the National Church Office of Black Ministries, as speaker.
• After a long absence, Education for Ministry (EFM) came back to The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth.
• Parish ministries and outreach ran the gamut from the largest parish [All Saints Fort Worth] working in Kenya and Belize, to small displaced congregations packing backpacks for hungry schoolchildren to take home on weekends. Congregations volunteered at schools, local food banks, homeless shelters and nursing homes.
  • Congregations in their buildings offered hospitality to those displaced from theirs.
  • The displaced congregation of St. Stephen Hurst reached out to help the Episcopalians of Christ the King when they were displaced from their building.
  • St. Stephen’s, Hurst, worshipping in the wedding chapel, prays the same prayer list as does the Southern Cone congregation occupying St. Stephen’s building. Good Shepherd, Granbury, worshipping in the Women’s Club, and the Southern Cone congregation occupying the church building pray the same parish prayer list, remembering each other's needs and anniversaries.
  • St. Mary's, Hillsboro, whose leadership includes some ELCA, has negotiated a commonsense relationship with the Southern Cone congregation, so that both groups worship in the church building. St. Mary’s pledged a third of its 2010 budget to outreach.
• Fort Worth Via Media presented Now the Green Blade Rises . . . Stories of being "called back to life and love again" at which guest speaker Lucia Lloyd, priest-in-charge of St. Stephens Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Virginia, told what she and her congregation have learned since being displaced from their building by people who left the Episcopal Church. She was followed by Fort Worth priests Maurine Lewis and Bruce Coggin, both of whom have supplied for many of the displaced parishes here. Several people shared their stories of loss, laughter and learning in the months since the diocese was reorganized in February.
• The Rev. Melanie R. Barbarito joined the staff of All Saints Episcopal Church-Fort Worth as parochial associate for evangelism and engagement, making her the first woman priest to be hired on the staff of a parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth. Other new clergy are the Rev. Edwin W. Barnett, All Saints' new parochial associate for outreach and mission; and the Rev. Michael Caldwell, acting director for youth at Trinity Episcopal Church, Fort Worth. Other new faces included The Rev. Calvin Girvin, serving as interim at St. Luke's-Stephenville, and The Rev. Linda Sutherland who serves as deacon at St. Mary's-Hamilton.
• The Fall Assembly of the Episcopal Church Women heard National President Marcia Himes and Patsy Duncan, Province VII representative speak, and elected officers. Meredith Killingsworth [St. Alban’s, Arlington] was elected president; Marti Fagley [Parker County Episcopalians], vice president; Lynne Minor [All Saints Fort Worth], treasure; Susann Eller [Trinity Fort Worth], secretary; and Cynthia Hill [All Saints Fort Worth], historian. They also elected Lynne Minor and Jackie Meeks as delegates to Triennial. Alternates are Laura Adcock and Dot Hood.
• The 27th Diocesan Convention
  • Elected Bishop Ohl, approved several changes in the canons to bring them back into line with the national canons, voted to send the full asking to The Episcopal Church and to begin the Listening Process. Delegates also heard the results of a survey of the people of the diocese which revealed the highest priorities for the diocese are caring for the poor and homeless, evangelism and communications.
  • The convention honored Owanah Anderson of All Saints Wichita Falls. Anderson is the former director of Native American Ministries at the Episcopal Church Center; recipient of degree of Doctor of Divinity by Seabury-Western Theological Seminary for her leadership efforts among Native American peoples; and "recorder of the history of the Episcopal Church’s native ministries, such records still being used in the Church’s seminaries as the definitive history of the Episcopal Church’s work among Native American peoples." The convention recognized her as "one of our Spiritual Mothers in Christ."
  • The convention elected Ms. Margaret Mieuli and the Rev. David Madison to the Standing Committee; Ms. Jan Schattman and the Rev. Frank Reeves to the Ecclesiastical Trial Court; Mr. Joel Walker, Ms. Victoria Prescott, the Rev. Dana Wilson and the Rev. Melanie Barbarito to the Commission on Ministry, and Ms. Sherry Glaser, Trustee to the University of the South, Sewanee.
• Susan Slaughter became the first woman ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Fort Worth on November 15 at St. Luke’s in the Meadow. She was immediately installed as rector, making her the first woman rector of a parish.

• ClayOla Gitane was ordained to the priesthood on Dec.5 at Trinity by the Rt. Rev. Nedi Riveria and became the priest-in-charge at Christ the King and also at All Saints-Weatherford, Holy Apostles-Fort Worth, and St. Francis of Assisi-Willow Park, the three parishes worshipping as The Episcopal Church in Parker County.
• All Saints Wichita Falls was featured on the Trinity Wall Street online Advent Calendar for their Feeding the Five Thousand project. All Saints member Millie Gore, in cooperation with area Episcopal, ELCA Lutheran, Presbyterian, Christian (Disciples of Christ), and Methodist churches, succeeded in getting United Campus Ministries rechartered at Midwestern State University, where she is a professor.
• Bishop Ohl named Demi L. Prentiss ministry development and administrative officer for the diocese.
• Bishop Ohl appointed the Rev. Melanie Barnett Wright as priest in charge of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church.
• Advent was observed and Christmas celebrated, even though the snowstorm that gave us a White Christmas made getting to Christmas Eve services a challenge in many places in the diocese and impossible in others.

Bishop Katharine wrote to the November Diocesan Convention, "I give thanks for strong and faithful ministry over the last year. You continue to witness to the power of the resurrection, giving an account of the faith that is within you. You give hope to others as well! . . . Keep walking, and know who walks with you. You continue in my prayers."

And so we keep walking as we strive to make our continuing diocese a place where everyone is welcome.

Indeed, no matter where you are in your spiritual journey, the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth welcomes you home.