A message from Bp. Ohl
Thank you for reading the new e-newsletter.
My hope is that you will find this a valuable communication tool and
will encourage everyone you know to do the "Texas two-step" to register and receive the e-newsletter themselves.
As an inaugural offering I want to fill you in on some of my travels for the summer. In mid-June Sheila and I were planning to travel to the Black Hills of South Dakota for the 139th Niobrara Convocation of the Lakota and Dakota Indians. (Most people use the term Sioux for these peoples.)
However, having to deal with storm damage to our home meant we had to cancel those plans. Sandy Shockley from St. Mary’s Hamilton and her granddaughter were able to go, however, and her account can be found in this newsletter.
This year the Convocation was held at the Diocese of South Dakota’s Camp Thunderhead in the Black Hills near Lead, SD. The Niobrara Convocation is NOT a powwow, but a several day prayer meeting. The Brotherhood of St. Andrew, the ECW and other groups make presentations, and congregations from all of the reservations make offerings to sustain the mission work that continues across Indian Country in South Dakota.
Why spend our time going to the Convocation? The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is in the process of developing a companion relationship with the Diocese of South Dakota, especially the Convocation. One need not travel to Africa, Central America, or other far off places to discover poverty and need, and especially to find Episcopalians who are struggling within the boundaries of poverty to proclaim the Good News of God in Christ. You may not know that the two poorest counties in the United States are on reservations in South Dakota. And yet our work continues.
I have been moved to tears on many occasions as congregations and individuals have presented their offerings to the bishop, offerings that embarrass me because of their sacrificial depth. One wonderful 104-year-old woman made her offering in the Dakota language and presented a check for far more that anything I could imagine. She has now become my image for the widow offering her "mite" at the Temple in Jerusalem.
My prayer for this year was that we could begin to outline some ongoing connections between parishes in the Diocese of Fort Worth and missions on the "rez", and Sandy was indeed able to begin that work. I ask all of us to open our hearts to respond to need -- both the needs of the Convocation and our need to learn from our brothers and sisters in South Dakota.
Sheila and I will travel to St. Paul, Minnesota for the Episcopal Youth Event with 9 youth and 3 leaders from Fort Worth and 2 youth from Dallas who will be travelling with us. EYE, as it is called, is a gathering of high school aged youth from all over the Episcopal Church, including those in many of the other countries that TEC covers, including Haiti, Honduras, Taiwan, Europe, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba. This year is the first time youth from the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth have attended EYE, and I am delighted that we have such a great group who are attending.
EYE is a boisterous, energetic, frenetic time for teaching, connecting with about 2000 youth from around the Church, worship, and MUSIC, lots of LOUD MUSIC! The joy that these young people bring and share with one another and with us who are the adult leaders is absolutely infectious.
I have been to EYE several times, and each one has been more inspiring than the last. The first EYE I attended in Terra HOT (it was 114 degrees two days we were there) saw only 6 bishops present. We six began to encourage other bishops to attend to encourage their youth in ministry development. There are, I believe, 35 or so registered for St. Paul. The young Christians are delighted to have their own bishop present and participating in EYE. I am convinced that my presence is vital to the ongoing work of developing young Christians in Fort Worth for years to come.
I ask that you pray for our youth and leaders in attendance at EYE in St. Paul June 22-26th. Pray for safety in travel, for energy (especially for our adult leaders) and for joy for all. My guess is that you will hear from our young Christians about this life changing event.
Thank you for reading the new e-newsletter, and thanks in advance for encouraging others to register to receive it themselves. May the summer be a time of refreshment and spiritual renewal for you and for all of our diocese.