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News and Information 2008 Report on Church Planting in Diocese of Dallas
St. Paul’s is one of three new congregations the diocese has begun in the past 18 months. Fr. Alfredo Williams arrived in Oct. 2007 to start a Spanish-speaking service at Resurrection (11540 Ferguson Rd., Dallas). The new service has more than tripled Resurrection’s attendance in one year, adding to those English speaking Episcopalians who remained affiliated with the diocese after the May 2007 church split. Fr. Williams is an experienced church planter who previously planted four other churches in South America, the Dominican Republic, and Indianapolis. Bishop Stanton received 18 new Episcopalians when he visited Resurrection Missions — serving our neighbors, far and near
Incarnation seeks to offer a variety of options that enable parishioners to serve. In November, several hundred of them will “travel” across the street to North Dallas High School for a day of service at this inner-city, public institution. They will work beside the students and staff in meaningful and important ways. At the request of school officials, they will paint, clean, repair, decorate, landscape, and share a meal together. Incarnation members are excited about their deepening relationship with this school and their growing urban Incarnation’s zip code, 75204, has changed dramatically over the years. It has become diverse, to say the least. Its chaplain for local outreach, the Rev. Dorothy Budd, has led an effort they call “Mission: 75204” to identify the resources and needs in this community. It has established and continues to develop a variety of ways for Incarnation parishioners to serve in the neighborhood. In order to encourage families to participate in its mission work, Incarnation will send a parent/child team to All Saints Camp on Lake Texoma for a weekend, this fall. They plan to work on assignments made by the camp staff and then enjoy fellowship activities. This October, Incarnation is sending its fourth mission team over a long weekend to the New Orleans area. They will do whatever work our brothers and sisters in the hurricane-devastated Diocese of Louisiana ask In January, Incarnation will make its fourth trip to Belize where its team of 35 missioners will continue library installations in schools across the country, various construction projects, and Godly Play education. They are returning to the Cayo District where Belizean, Hispanic, Mayan, and Mennonite traditions weave a This summer, Incarnation will mark its 10th year of service in the Diocese of Honduras where its work continues to include a medical/dental/pharmacy clinic, Christian education, and construction projects. Several parishes in the diocese will join with Incarnation to share ideas under the guidance of Bishop Lloyd Allen, with whom they have strong ties. Incarnation continues to discern ways that God would have it serve our Native American brothers and sisters. Over the past two years, small groups of parishioners have met in Nebraska with tribal leaders of the Santee Sioux Nation for strategic planning and prioritizing needs. Leaders have received training in dispute resolution, and a group of Incarnation fathers and sons have cleaned up and repaired a small, historic Episcopal mission on the reservation. Finally, as a result of mentoring Incarnation received from St. Luke’s (Dallas), Incarnation is now passing on that gift by mentoring other parishes in the diocese as they develop their own mission programs.
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olsom Elementary School (851 Buffalo Springs Dr.) in Prosper is bustling on Sunday mornings with a new Episcopal church. Since arriving a year ago, Fr. Michael Gilton interned with 
ission work transforms lives in palpable ways. Mission team members grow together spiritually, whether they venture across the street to an inner-city high school, another diocese ravaged by hurricanes, or a third-world country facing unimaginable poverty. When they travel together, they brave complicated logistics, worship in a variety of settings, share meals, learn new customs, go through common adventures, experience deeper friendships, and see Christ in each others’ eyes. Most especially, they see Christ in the eyes of those whom they seek to serve. They also enjoy the challenges of harsh climates, cold showers with little or no water pressure, food they cannot identify, bacteria that are foreign to their bodies, roosters that awaken them at random hours, and primitive baños or no baños at all. These hardships and joys draw them together and instill a fire in them to serve when they return home. Through sacrifices, they come to understand what’s important in their lives. They are reminded of the sacrifice Christ made for us.