Diolog: House Of Bishops, Pet Blessings, Janie Stevens and more.

 

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House of Bishops Leaving Taiwan With 'Hearts And Minds Expanded' Members of the House of Bishops are leaving their meeting here with an expanded view of ministry of the Episcopal and Anglican churches in Asia."This meeting has offered abundant opportunities to expand our vision of what is possible as we engage God's mission," Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said.

Presiding Bishop Announces She Will Not Stand For Reelection The Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori has announced that she will not seek reelection. "I believe I can best serve this Church by opening the door for other bishops to more freely discern their own vocation to this ministry," said Jefferts Schori. The full announcement can be found here.  St. James', Austin, Hosts 2014 Racial Reconciliation Gala On Friday St. James' invites the community to attend the 2014 Gala on September 26, 2014 at the UT Alumni Center to celebrate and recommit to the work of racial reconciliation in Austin. Featured speaker Dr. Gregory Vincent is Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement at the University of Texas. Purchase tickets here. UBE Past, Present, Future At St. James', Houston, September 27 All are invited to a celebration of the Union of Black Episcopalians on Saturday, September 27 at St. James', Houston, featuring UBE National President, Annette Buchanan. The service begins at 11 a.m., followed by a panel discussion, "An Intergenerational Perspective on the Church's Mission For People of Color," at 1 p.m. Click here to learn more.  Register Now for ECW Annual Retreat, October 17-19 The 113th Annual Retreat for Women in the Episcopal Diocese of Texas will be held at Camp Allen, October 17-19. This fall event has been expanded to Friday through Sunday, with options to attend for one, two or all three days. More information, including registration, is available here.  World's Largest Climate Action March: Episcopalians Protest For Change On Sunday, Sept. 21, more than 310,000 people of all faiths and none joined the People's Climate March, the largest demonstration for climate action in history, while a series of religious events included a multifaith evening service at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. Read more here. Episcopal Communicators Membership If you have communications responsibilities for your church, school or Episcopal institution, consider joining the national Episcopal Communicators, a professional organization that offers a robust network for sharing information and improving your communications skills. No one person can keep up with technology these days, but Episcopal Communicators has members who are experts in many different facets of reaching our audiences. Where the public knows "there's an app for that," Episcopal Communicators know "there's a member for that" question.  Besides this online network of cutting edge information and ideas, the group has an annual conference for continuing education. Each year, this is held in a different part of the country to take advantage of local talent for workshops and to allow access to those who may not be able to travel to every conference. The 2015 conference will be held at a retreat center in Maryland in April. Annual dues provide access to the online membership group, resources, eligibility to enter the annual Polly Bond Awards competition and a discount on the annual conference fee.  Dues are $80 but for a limited time, regular membership, open to anyone with communications responsibilities in the Episcopal Church at any level are $40. Join here and enter the discount code "membership." Carol E. Barnwell, diocesan communication director, is a past president of the organization and LaShane Eaglin, diocesan web master, currently serves on the board. If you have questions, please contact either Carol or LaShane.  Changes In The Church? Watch This Webcast October 2 The Task Force to Reimagine the Episcopal Church (TREC) will host a church-wide meeting on October 2 at 6:30 p.m. CST to receive responses to proposed recommendations to be brought forward to the 78th General Convention next summer. The meeting, webcast from Washington National Cathedral, will be available live at the Houston Diocesan Center, 1225 Texas St., Downtown Houston.   Seminary of the Southwest, 501 E 32nd St, Austin, TX 78705, will also host a viewing location beginning at 6:30 p.m. in Room 210. A discussion led by faculty will follow. Please contact Micah Jackson for more information.    Questions can be emailed to organizers during the event at  or via Twitter @ReimagineTEC. Please contact Kevin Thompson if you would like to attend this event at the Houston Diocesan Center. For more information on the webcast, visit the TREC website at http://reimaginetec.org/  St. Vincent's House Director To Be Installed The Rt. Rev. Jeff W. Fisher will install the Rev. Freda Marie Brown as the new Executive Director of St. Vincent's House at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 27 at St. Vincent's House, 2817 Post Office St, Galveston, TX 77550. This will also be a celebration of the 60th anniversary of St. Vincent's House. Clergy are to wear white stoles. Open Enrollment Begins October 6 For those clergy and lay employees receiving benefits from the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, open enrollment will begin October 6. Click here for 2015 rate information and the Open Enrollment timeline and meeting schedule.  Reminder Regarding The Denominational Health Plan Parity Resolution Please review the important changes effective January 1, 2015. Click here for more information.  More Upcoming Events October 4 - St. Francis Day October 4-5 - Diocesan Adult Choral Festival, Christ Church Cathedral, Houston October 5-6 - Little Church Club Meeting, Camp Allen Click here for a full calendar. Need a Job? To see job opportunities, visit our employment page. UPDATES & CHANGES Change Email | Clergy Contact Changes | E-News Archive | Employment Opportunities | EDOT Gallery | Safe Church Training | Supply Clergy  | Update Church Info | People & Places

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