Convention Wrap-up

At the 27th Diocesan Convention Bishop Ohl was elected provisional bishop and Bishop Gulick stepped down.

Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori sent greetings to the convention, saying, "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."

Delegates to the diocesan convention voted unanimously to give the full asking [21 percent of the diocesan operating budget] to the Episcopal Church, another first for the diocese. They also heard the results of a survey of the people of the diocese which revealed that the highest priorities for the diocese are caring for the poor and homeless, evangelism and communications. They voted on canonical changes that bring the diocesan Constitution and Canons back into compliance with the canons of the Church and committed themselves to full participation in a listening process with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Episcopalians.

Other convention action involved certain parishes in the diocese that are under the adverse control of those who claim to have left the Episcopal Church. These parishes have temporarily ceased to function as Episcopal parishes and are being served by clergy under discipline, a direct violation of discipline of the Episcopal Church. The change to mission status (see list to the right) is a pastoral attempt to recognize the unique reorganization struggles evident for each of these continuing Episcopal congregations and to enable the diocese to provide more direct assistance to each congregation as needed for its governance, continued mission, and protection of real and personal property.

The convention also declared that "as of on or about November 15, 2008 the real and personal property, including dedicated and consecrated churches and chapels, funds, and records, of (certain) parishes and missions of the Diocese have not been held in compliance with the conditional grant of authority to parish and mission leaders to use and control the property under Church Canon I.7.4" (the Dennis Canon) and that "the persons who are adversely occupying, possessing, and controlling the above-referenced parish and mission property have no authority to do so." The convention also commended the support of the presiding bishop and Bishop Gulick in diocesan efforts to recover church property held in trust for use of the Episcopal Church.

In his convention address delivered at the opening Eucharist, Bishop Gulick referred to the priorities of ministry to the poor and homeless and evangelism revealed by the survey, saying, "As your bishop over these past ten months what has truly astounded me, delighted me, humbled me and moved me is how very quickly you have been about these priorities. Not only have our intact parishes been conducting medical mission trips, providing hundreds of Thanksgiving baskets, community vacation church schools, excellent evangelistic efforts that have resulted in large numbers of baptisms and confirmations, but our 'faith communities' locked out of their church buildings have moved rapidly from a quickly-put-together strategy of survival to intentional ministry of evangelism and ministries of compassion."

He commended the civil and respectful discussion on human sexuality that had taken place via email among delegates and others prior to convention, and said, "I think this diocese is on the very cusp of doing the best dialog on this issue that has been done in our church. With all humility I ask the privilege of suggesting a way to begin every session on this topic."

He had the people take out their prayer books and turn to the rubrics on Baptisms. Then he had them read in unison, "Holy Baptism is full initiation by water and the Holy Spirit into Christ’s body the church. The bond which God establishes in Baptism is indissoluble."

"If your conversations begin and end with such clarity, the fruit of those conversations can only build up the body of Christ," he said.

He finished by saying, "Please know that this season of service has been perhaps the most profound of my ministry. I am in awe of you . . . all have done tremendous service and have accomplished tremendous things in such a short ten months! You are all awesome icons of an awesome God "whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine."

The convention presented Bishop Gulick with a symbolic pair of cowboy boots, stand-ins for the custom made boots being made for him by M. L. Leddy’s, a long-time boot maker in Fort Worth. Bishop Gulick and his wife Barbara also are being given a vacation trip to spend some time together in gratitude for all the time they had to spend apart while Bishop Gulick was in Fort Worth.

Bishop Gulick, acting at the request of Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori, installed Bishop Ohl as provisional bishop. Gulick also presented Ohl with the crosier commissioned for Gulick by Fort Worth Via Media, calling it his "Texas crosier. " Ohl will be commuting to Fort Worth from his retirement home in Oklahoma. The convention also welcomed Mrs. Ohl.

The convention also 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."

In other business, 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.

The Standing Committee has elected the Rev. Christopher Jambor as president, and Ms. Mieuli as secretary.

Read the full text of Bishop Gulick’s convention address and his sermon at the ordination, as well as the full text of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori's letter to the convention and her letter on the occasion of the ordination, and finally a letter from Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson, on the occasion of the ordination.