From the Rector

First, our response to Hurricane Harvey is underway. Today (Friday), Colin Hills and Bracken Reece drove to the Gulf Coast to deliver a trailer-full of supplies and resources to local agencies, and also to scout where and how we can send work crews in coming months to assist in the recovery effort. They are visiting Houston, to connect with the Diocese of Texas’ disaster relief coordinators, and then they’ll drive south to Corpus Christi and Port Aransas, where the Diocese of West Texas is coordinating recovery efforts. When they return, they’ll work together with the Vestry and Outreach Committee to develop a sustainable plan. Colin has been in consistent communication with the disaster relief coordinator of the Diocese of Dallas, as we hope to foster collaborative diocesan-wide efforts. If you would like to be contacted about future volunteer opportunities, please sign up here.
I want to thank you all for the generosity you showed last weekend in the loose-plate offering. We collected nearly $16,000, with $10,000 going to Episcopal Relief and Development, and $6,000 directed to help finance our congregational relief effort. Many of you have donated online or in other ways, and all this money is enormously important to ensure disaster victims get what they actually need, rather than what we think they need. Stay tuned as we share more information in coming days about ways to help and get involved.
Second, this weekend we’ll launch our fall program year, including Christian Education classes for all ages. Cindy Hauser and a team of dozens of volunteer teachers will once again offer formative classes for all our kids (please register your child, if you haven’t already!). Our new Interim Youth Directors, Alina and Jared Williams, will work together with a dozen volunteers to offer dynamic and rich sessions for our youth in middle and high school. And we will once again have several classes for adults to choose from on Sunday morning, as we know that Christian formation is life-long. I’m especially excited about the launch of a new formation and fellowship group called “Second Half” for folks engaging with the questions, challenges, and opportunities of the second-half of life (see page 17 of the May issue of Illumine for more information).
Third, this Sunday at the 11:15 service we’ll welcome nearly a dozen representatives from area service organizations who received grants from our Outreach Committee. The OC has given nearly $35,000 in grants this year as a sign of our compassion for vulnerable people in need, and this Sunday we will celebrate those recipients and the work they do.
Finally, if you haven’t already, get your tickets for An Evening with Glennon Doyle, which Transfiguration and First Methodist of Dallas are co-sponsoring on Monday, September 25. Glennon will speak about fostering compassion in our city and in our lives, a topic that is always relevant, but feels even more timely than ever. Glennon is a bestselling author and highly sought-after speaker, and we are proud to host this event.
-Casey+