communities, and, in a nutshell, to leave the Diocese and perhaps even parts of the wider world in better shape than we found them. The Development Program is a tangible result of a vision. It was Bishop Folts‟ vi-sion so many years ago that put us on this path. (continued pg. 2)

Bishop Gary Lillibridge addressed guests attending a May 20, 2008 dinner to celebrate the success of the Diocese’s recent fundraising efforts, as follows.

“Being the Body of Christ has many re-sponsibilities. It is cer-tainly more than just Sunday morning church. It is following Christ out into the world, the world that He loves and died for.

Part of our work in the Development Program has been to live into being a people of vi-sion.

When I was the arch-deacon under Bishop Folts, we began a pro-gram, and one of the Scriptures used for that program was, ‘Where there is no vision the people perish’ (Proverbs 29:18).

The Development Pro-gram of the Diocese of West Texas is part of a vision—to make sure the Diocese of West Texas not only sur-vives, but thrives.

First and foremost, we are out to change peo-ples‟ lives. We are out to offer hope and spiri-tual renewal in our

A Congratulatory and Visionary Dinner

is not enough money, and you don‟t do very much. In fact, what you do is “maintain.”

In the past five years we‟ve tried to figure out what the needs of this diocese are and find the money to take care of them. It was not an easy process. (continued pg. 2)

Phase I—the first major gift campaign sponsored by the dio-cese—was launched in 1999. By the time of its conclusion in 2003, the campaign had secured $12,100,000 in gifts and pledges for six key di-ocesan projects. A. Baker Duncan was instrumental in the

success of Phase I. On May 20, Baker made the following remarks:

“We have had the dio-cese on our minds for a long time. We tried to move from a place of scarcity to a place of abundance. We know you feel restricted in what you do, when there

Turning Vision into Reality:

Episcopal Diocese of West Texas

Phase I: A Resounding Success

Inside this

Issue:

A Congratulatory

and Visionary

Dinner

1-

2

Phase I:

A Resounding

Success

1-

2

Six Projects

Funded by

Phase I

3

The Road

Ahead:

Phase II

4

August, 2008

Volume 1, Issue 1

Tom and Pat Frost.

A Congratulatory and Visionary Dinner (continuation)

Phase I: A Resounding Success (continuation)

Texas, and a blessing to be the caretaker of high holy things such as our ministries. We are grateful for your support.”

The best way to trans-form a community is by transforming individual people within that com-munity. When you can reach out to people and touch them individually, then communities begin to be changed.

We are people who are faithful to the vision we have to improve our communities and build up the Kingdom of Heaven, the Body of Jesus Christ. Our call is to our neighbor.

As the Lord himself told us, when we reach out to our neighbors we are touching Christ himself.

As you have done it to the least of these, my brother, you have done it unto me.

When we were born into our families, we were creatures of de-pendency, dependent upon someone else to do everything for us.

When we are born, we are the beneficiaries of what someone else has provided in terms of the legacy that we inherit, in our church, families and in other ways.

Over the span of our lifetimes, if we are seri-ous about making a con-tribution, we begin to move from being simply beneficiaries to being benefactors for the next generation.

It is a blessing to be a part of such a program in the Diocese of West

We looked at 105 dioceses across the United States —not many doing very well. Those that did well had money, often endowment. Jim Folts said, „If we are going to do anything, we need to have some money.‟ So, he put together a Development Board, and said, „Start thinking about the needs of this Diocese,‟ and he never let us get off track.

Tom Frost in his wisdom said, „Look at it this way, we can do something now, we can do something next, and we can do something later.‟

So, that is where we began. The „now‟ was $11,700,000, when we had never raised more than $4,000,000 in any one drive. With God‟s help that was raised. The „next‟ is $18,700,000, and that is in process.

The need is always bigger than we can imagine, it is always past our individual capacity, but it has never been bigger than God. We are lucky to be about God‟s work. We are fortunate to have a challenge of this diocese in front of us, and Bishop Lillibridge is a bishop of abundance, not of scarcity. That is a gift. We all need to participate.”

Page 2

Bishop James Folts with Flora Crichton.

Ed and Bonnie Longcope with Lyon Brinsmade.

Jill Smith, David and Paula Robinson.

Baker and Sally Duncan with Bishop Earl McArthur.

“Over the span of

our lifetimes … we

begin to move from

being simply

beneficiaries

to being

benefactors.”

Bishop Gary

Lillibridge

Six Projects Funded by Phase I

The diocese‟s Phase I fundraising campaign met and exceeded its $11,700,000 goal thanks to the tireless efforts of members of the Development Board and the generosity of many individuals, families, foundations and congregations, ultimately raising $12,100,000 in gifts and pledges. To each of them we owe our sincere thanks.

Bishop Jones Center

Phase I contributors enabled the diocese to restore Chapel House at Bishop Jones Center in San Antonio, and to create Cathedral Court, Pergola of Hope, and the Chapel House Gardens (www.dwtx.org).

Camp Capers

Located near the town of Waring on the Guadalupe River (near Comfort, Texas), Camp Capers has provided lasting memories of Christian summer camp for youth of all ages, for over 50 years. Phase I funded a new arts and crafts building (www.campcapers.org).

Good Samaritan Community Services

Founded in 1951 in San Antonio, Good Samaritan is a neighborhood center that provides comprehensive services to over 6,000 low-income individuals and 1,800 families annually. The highly successful Get2Work Project pro-vides workforce development for youth ages 14 to 21, and has been ex-panded into the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Phase I provided an endowment to sustain long-term operations (www.goodsamaritancommunityservices.org).

Mustang Island Conference Center

Phase I supported the construction of a Center for meaningful retreat and contemplation on land donated by the Alice Ann and Jerry Fischer family, located just south of Corpus Christi on the Gulf Coast. The center is a venue for families seeking to strengthen their ties with one another, religious groups of all denominations, and non-profit organizations serving a diverse array of worthy causes (www.mustangisland.org).

New Church Starts

We are spreading the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ by helping to fund the construction of new churches with the financial support of Phase I contributors. South Texas is one of the fastest growing regions of Texas and the nation, and the diocese is positioning itself to meet the challenges ahead.

TMI—The Episcopal School of Texas

Founded in 1893, TMI is a co-educational college preparatory school for stu-dents in grades six to twelve. Students participate in a demanding program designed to develop the whole person spiritually, intellectually, physically, and morally. Contributors to Phase I provided a boarding student scholar-ship endowment, Bailey Hall (a new residence hall), and a maintenance endowment (www.tmi-sa.org).

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 1

Mustang Island Conference Center.

TMI—The Episcopal School of Texas.

Good Samaritan Community Services children enjoying Camp Capers.

Chapel House at Bishop Jones Center.

The Road Ahead: Phase II

residence halls, a 500-seat chapel, and endowment funds for tuition aid form the basis of this fundrais-ing effort. The goal has already been met and exceeded.

We invite you to be part of the continuing mission work of the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas.

Thank you.

During the May 20 appreciation dinner that formally brought Phase I fundraising activities to a conclusion—and announced Phase II—Bartell Zachry noted:

“I don‟t know any business that isn‟t looking forward to some kind of growth. You simply can‟t stand still. If you ever stop, you go backwards. Look at this dio-cese and the enormous growth it is experiencing. That is the busi-ness we are about, addressing the needs of a growing constituency.”

Phase II will build upon the suc-cess of our first major gift effort. With a goal of $18,700,000, the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas has already secured $7,032,104 in gifts and pledges toward Phase II, which includes the following:

Alice Heldenfels Sallee and Dan Butt.

Bartell Zachry.

Camps and Conferences. New funding will help improve the Activities Build-ing and the Dining Hall at Camp Capers.

Christ Chapel. Adjacent to Texas State University, San Marcos, Christ Chapel will bring the Christian tradition to contemporary life and will en-able us to train future leaders in ministry in partnership with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Good Samaritan Commu-nity Services. Funding will enable five additional loca-tions to be opened in regions across the diocese.

Mustang Island Conference Center. Two new guest housing units, a new office and director‟s housing will be provided to meet increased demand for use of the Center.

New Church Starts. Gifts will be sought for church land acquisitions and a “revolving fund” for moving churches needing new locations.

TMI—The Episcopal School of Texas. Funding for second and third

Page 4

Peter Hossenlopp and James Avery.

E p i s c o p a l D i o c e s e o f W e s t T e x a s

111 Torcido Drive (P.O. Box 6885), San Antonio, Texas 78209

210-824-5387 or 888-824-5387

Episcopal Diocese of West Texas website: www.dwtx.org

Episcopal Church Foundation in West Texas website: www.foundation-dwtx.org

Newsletter by Carolyn M. Appleton, CFRE. May 20 photographs by Charles Parish.