Christ Church Cathedral An Episcopal Community in the Heart of Houston, Texas
175th Anniversary Dinner on March 2, seating limited On the evening of March 2, Texas IndepenReservations for the March 2 dinner are dence Day, we will kick off a year of exciting limited and, in order to be fair and equitable, events with a celebratory dinner will be reserved by mail only on at the historic Rice Crystal Ball- 175th Anniversary Dinner a first-come, first-served basis. room. In the ballroom where Sunday, March 2, 6 p.m. Look for an invitation in your Christ Church parishioners mailbox or call the Cathedral have celebrated in days gone by, we will hear office at 713-222-2593 to request a response recollections from former deans and com- card. To reserve your seat ($50 per person), ments on our future from Dean Thompson. please return the response card by mail.
Seminarian Adrienne Hymes visited The Beacon in July and toured the Day Center with Mike Puccio and Canon Glenice Robinson-Como. Hymes spent three weeks in Houston, mainly at the Worklife Institute, studying the practice of workplace chaplaincy. Her trip was coordinated by the Commission on Black Ministry, and Cathedral members John and Mary Hankey graciously provided lodging for her in their home.
Awareness, intention both key to overcoming racial divides In August 2013, the nation celebrated the 50th anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington. In a much lesser-known event that same year, Episcopal Presiding Bishop Arthur Lichtenberger issued a statement committing the Church to maximum participation in the Civil Rights Movement. In the half century that followed, much progress has been made in the United States and
the Episcopal Church in regards to working against racism and towards civil rights for all people. But in many ways, the work has just begun. The old joke about Episcopalians goes something like this: “How many Episcopalians does it take to change a light bulb?” The punch line is: “Change? Why change?” But despite this sometimes-accurate stereotype, the
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February 2014 christchurchcathedral.org
Casting the vision
This year, our stewardship theme is God’s message to the prophet Jeremiah: “For I know the plans I have for you, for a future filled with hope.” At Christ Church Cathedral, we have embraced this promise as our own. God has planned a bright and hope-filled future for us as a parish, as the cathedral of our The Very Rev. diocese and as a beacon Barkley of God’s very presence Thompson in downtown Houston. Our responsibility to God’s promise is to engage in conversation and prayer about what God’s plans for us might include. Since September, we have been doing exactly that. Last fall, 250 parishioners participated in our “visioning charrettes,” hosted by the Visioning Task Force. The charrettes were designed to discern God’s vision for Christ Church. Each charrette session was lively, and ultimately we gathered two thousand ideas! Thankfully, our Task Force developed an effective way to evaluate them. The Task Force weighted ideas based upon 1) the frequency with which they were mentioned, 2) the votes they received by individual participants and 3) their selection as “best ideas” by table groups. Since November, the Visioning Task Force has been studying the most heavily weighted charrette ideas and developing ministry initiatives from them. Late last month, the Task Force presented these initiatives to the Vestry, and the Vestry adopted a Vision Plan for the Cathedral’s future. I must tell you, I am excited by the results. In Holy Scripture, visions always serve to give their recipient a glimpse of the future and encourage the recipient to move boldly into that future. Visions stretch us taut like a rubber band, pulling us forward so that we never become
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