May 2019 Issue 100

Te Deum laudamus

We praise thee, O God:we acknowledge thee to be the Lord.

All the earth doth worship thee:the Father everlasting.

To thee all Angels cry aloud:the Heavens, and all the Powers therein.

We worship thy Name:without end.

Vouchsafe, O Lord:to keep us this day without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us:have mercy upon us. Amen.

-The Abridgement of the Book of Common PrayerBy Benjamin Franklin and Sir Francis Dashwo, 1773

Cross+Links Editor

Cynthia Matthews

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DOK1885@doknational.org

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My Faith Looks Up to TheeThe National Handbook (p.5) says, "Daughters recognize that ourfaith is not to be a private faith hidden in our hearts. Our faith isto be lovingly and joyously proclaimed so that Jesus Christ, liftedup in our lives and in our words, might draw all to Him, that allmight experience His love and saving grace."We can proclaim Jesus through our service to others and alsothrough our words to others. We can use personal experiencesand stories to relate to others and tell them about Christ in ourlives. Our witness doesn't have to be a long narrative of our livesbut just a few key points about our lives in Christ.

It is helpful to try writing down your story and ask God to guide you as you write. Thefollowing are some questions that Lollie Twyman, World Mission Committee Chair in theDiocese of Fort Worth shared and the DOK Spring Assembly for the Diocesan Assembly ofDallas, that might help as you write your testimony:

1. What was life like before you accepted Christ?2. How did you receive Christ? What did you hear? How did you respond? Why did you

choose to put your trust in Christ? Try to mention a Bible verse or two, but be carefulnot to overwhelm your listener.

3. How has life changed since accepting Christ? It's okay if you stumbled or struggled inthe past. The important thing is to be honest and relatable.

Practice your story until it is natural. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Another great resource is The Evangelism Toolkit , which contains materials that can bedownloaded and used to live into our call to evangelize. Here is an evangelism project sent in from Lisa Seppanen, Jerusalem chapter at St. Anne'sEpiscopal Church, DeSoto, Texas:

I wanted to let you know about the evangelism project our chapter will be doing from May30th to June 9th. We are going to participate in Thy Kingdom Come, when we will pray forfive people from Ascension to Pentecost - that they will come to know Christ. Click here to

watch a video that gives a summary of the program. Also, I am available to come to your diocesan and/or provincial assembly and put on anEvangelism Workshop. Please continue to email me your examples of Service and Evangelism. Wishing you a blessed Eastertide! Pat HindService and Evangelism Chair

Connecting with International DaughtersMany U.S. Daughters have told us what a joy it was to connectwith our international sisters at Triennial. I hope that many otherscan meet some of our precious international Daughters in person atTriennial 2021. But you don't have to wait until then to connectwith our International Sisterhood! There are many ways you can beinspired and touched by Daughters from other countries right now,without leaving your home. You can start with our national website.

WebsiteOn our home page you will notice a very cool feature -international flags scrolling slowly across the bottom. Try clickingon a country flag! Here you will find information about Daughtersof the King in that country, including contact information, a historyof The Order there, and more recent news and photos.

There is also an International general information page providing an overview of ourinternational ministry and contact information for the International Committee and countryLiaisons. And you will find useful information about international membership and proceduresfor starting an international chapter. You will learn that there are over 6,000 InternationalDaughters of the King, with active chapters in 20 countries and members in three others! Andyou will learn how you might help if you travel to any of these countries. Prayer PartnersThere is also a link on the International information page where U.S. Daughters can RequestAn International Prayer Partner. Prayer Partners pray for and communicate with eachother, strengthening the bonds of love that connect our Order around the world.

Cross+CurrentsYou may not be aware that U.S. Daughters can subscribe to The Order's internationalelectronic newsletter, Cross+Currents. This publication is sent out via email quarterly, andalthough it is written primarily by international Daughters, for international Daughters, anyonewho is interested in receiving international news is encouraged to subscribe. Thanks to ourdedicated translators, Cross+Currents can be read in four languages: English, Spanish,Portuguese and French - the primary languages spoken by The Order's international members.It is easy to sign up on the website - either on the menu bar on the home page or on theInternational information page. Please spread the word about this valuable multi-lingual form ofcommunication, especially to our Spanish-speaking chapters within the United States. Pamela RunyonInternational Assistant Chair(National President U.S. 2012 - 2015)

Strategic Plan Implementation is Underway!

The Strategic PlanImplementation Team has beenhard at work putting the people

and processes in place toimplement our strategic plan.While the full implementation

strategy will officially "roll out"in early fall, here is a preview of

what's been developed so far.

The Four-Step Implementation Process1. Identify the Implementation Team and Roles

2. Ensure Shared Visioning3. Develop and Implement a Communication Plan

4. Monitor Progress The Implementation Team and RolesThe Team is made up of the National Council, the Strategic Plan Committee and SubCommittee, the Strategic Plan Prayer Team, Strategic Plan Chairs/Coordinators, and of course,individual members and chapters of The Order. All of us play a role in reaching the six goals ofour plan. As part of the Sub Committee, six Goal Leaders, one for each goal, will provideguidance, identify resources, collect information, for any work being done on the Actions ofthat particular goal. A Strategic Plan Prayer Team will be assembled that will provide essentialprayer support for the work and workers of the plan. Ensure Shared VisioningA Strategic Plan Companion is being developed that explores each of the six goals in depth. Itis designed as a chapter study program, but can be used by all Daughters anywhere. Develop and Implement a Communication PlanA solid communication plan is a critical component of the strategic plan implementation. Ourplan will ensure communication among everyone involved. It will be publicized and shared withThe Order so that everyone is aware of our successes and challenges. Monitor ProgressIt is very important that we assess our progress. Methods and metrics will help assure we areon the right track as well as identify areas that warrant further exploration. As new actions areundertaken our plan must be flexible enough to go where the Holy Spirit is leading us. Please keep our implementation team in your prayers. Our work is just beginning. Nothingcould be more joyous or worthwhile than doing our utmost to strengthen and grow ourbeloved Order for the glory of God and for the spreading of Christ's Kingdom. Ane DeisterStrategic Planning Chair Jen MarianoStrategic Planning Co-Chair

What About Our Prayers and the Prayer List?

"Never forget the three powerful resources you alwayshave available to you: love; prayer; and forgiveness."

- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Some Daughters have reached out to me with questionsregarding your chapter prayer list. There are some

suggestions in the Chapter Manual, 2018 Edition,pages 97-104. There are wonderful thoughts on prayer,what a prayer request might look like and an example ofa prayer list.

I am going to be general with my thoughts. It goeswithout saying that all names on the list are confidential.And we are trusted by others to keep it personal. Thereis nothing wrong with just first names and it is notalways necessary to know why you are praying forthem. God knows what their need is before we evenbegin to pray for them. It is important to remember wedo not always need to know the reason. It took me along time to put my daughter's name on our list because I did not want to be questionedabout why. If you are spending all your meeting time talking about the list, you mightwant to revisit the reason for your prayer list.

Who should get this prayer list? The Daughters in your chapter. If you have a Daughterthat is attending your meetings and is active with your group but not a member of yourchapter, it could be the decision of the chaplain and president of your chapter thatdecides if she should get the prayer list. But if she is active, why would you notencourage her to be part of what we are called to do, and that is to pray for others?

Do I have to ask the person if I can put her/his name on the list? Yes, is my personalresponse. Maybe that person is very private and does not want her/his name on theprayer list. If so, just add her/him to your personal list. Remember we are just thevessel requesting God's grace upon someone. And that grace will be given in God'stime not our time.

How long do you keep names on the prayer list? In our chapter, we list some who stayon all the time, such as our Bishop/Priest, the Church, military, our Nation, etc. Our listis started new each month. Sometimes people need a certain date and that is all.

What should a prayer list look like? Maybe your prayer list has a certain prayer that allDaughters can say every day. Something as simple as, "Father bless these persons inwhatever he/she may be in need of this day." We list all the Daughters in our chapteron the prayer list each month. I've seen prayer lists divided into 4 squares: PresentNeeds, Long Term Needs, Thanksgivings, and Chapter Daughter's names. At ProvinceVII and the national level, I do a monthly calendar. It has each member's name on a dayand we all know that person is being prayed for that day. At the National level, theInternational countries and our National Office are also added. Regardless of what theprayer list looks like, it is really all about the intention of the list.

For me, prayers for others come from a special place in my heart. Even when the"right" words don't come, just the offering is pleasing to God. He loves nothing morethan to hear from us, and when done on behalf of others, God will hear and answerthose prayers. But we must not forget the answer is on His time and may not be whatwe want or expected or even more than we can imagine. No matter the outcome, Godcan use any event to glorify Himself.

We are called, "to pray without ceasing." My Sisters, oh, how powerful your wordsof prayer can be! God delights when we call on His mighty power and love. And allthe people said AMEN!!

Denise RoxWorship and Devotions Chair

New Handbooks Are on the WayAs Literature Chair for National Council, I would like to letyou know that the Literature Committee has been hard atwork revising, updating and bringing both the National

Handbook and the Junior Daughters Handbook up to date.This has been a long process but it is nearly complete. Ibelieve you will find the National Handbook more user-friendly with references to the National website. The JuniorDaughter Handbook is colorfully eye-catching andinteractive.

Please be patient a little longer. Both handbooks should beready to purchase by the beginning of June.

Susan Towson Literature Chair

A New Face At Our OfficeThe National Office is happy to share that we welcomed anew employee in March 2019. We would like to introduce youto Ronda Albright, our new Administrative Assistant. Ronda is celebrating her 20th anniversary to her wonderfulhusband, Wes. She has a 32 year old step daughter, twoteenage boys, two grandchildren and a rescue Shiba Inu dog.She likes spending time with family and friends, camping andplaying tennis.

Ronda will play a vital role at the National Office by providingadministrative support, including customer service and dataentry. She will also assist the Accounting Officer with dailyreports, filing and miscellaneous tasks. Additionally, Rondawill assist with the large project of scanning membershiprecords to ensure they are safeguarded for the future. We are thrilled to add Ronda to our teamwhich will enable us to serve you better!

Back Row (L to R): Ronda Albright, Lynn Kimbrell, Michelle Sabbato, Amanda Murray.Front Row (L to R): Pat Lewis, Mandy Wheeler, Annie McLeod

Telling Our Story

From North Carolina

Holy Trinity Chapter of The Order of the Daughters of the King® helped celebrate Easter byfilling Easter baskets with chocolate bunnies, books, stuffed animals, toys, and -- mostimportantly, love -- for the children of migrant workers of the Episcopal FarmworkersMinistry at Newton Grove. Holy Trinity Chapter serves Holy Trinity Episcopal Church inHampstead, North Carolina. Joined together with other churches in the Wilmington area, HolyTrinity made Easter a little brighter for these hardworking families.

Shown with completed baskets are (from L to R) Laura Smith, Sharon Seago, JackieRedington, Gloria Kirwin, Vivian Kersey, Carolyn Beddow, Pat Gopsill, Lynn Ruhnke,

Dolores Phillips, Linda Cavanaugh, Jeanne Rick.

Jeanne RickHoly Trinity Chapter, Hamstead, North Carolina

Where I Saw God

The Chapel interior Tiffany & Co. created for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition inChicago, Illinois.

Closing PrayerMay the Cross of the Son of God, who is mightier than all the hosts of Satan, and more

glorious than all the angels of heaven, abide with you in your going out and your coming in!By day and by night, at morning and at evening, at all times and in all places, may it protect

and defend you! From the wrath of evil men, from the assaults of evil spirits, from foes visibleand invisible, from the snares of the devil, from all low passions that beguile the soul and

body, may it guard, protect, and deliver you. Amen.

-From The Supplement To the Indian Book of Common Prayer

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