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Pre-Council Meeting Schedule

listed by convocation and dean

Northeast - Kevin Wittmayer
Sun. Jan. 17 4:00 pm
St. Matthew’s, Henderson
214 College Ave.
903.657.3154
East/West - Patrick Miller & Chris Bowhay
Tues. Jan 19 7:00 pm
St. Thomas, Houston
4900 Jackwood
713.666.3111
Central - Sean A. Cox
Thurs., Jan. 21 7:00 pm
St. Andrew’s, Bryan 217 W. 26th St.
979.822.5176
Austin - David A. Boyd
Sunday, Jan. 24 4:00 pm
St. David’s, Austin
204-E. 7th St.
512.472.1196
Northwest - Chuck Treadwell
Mon., Jan. 25 7:00 pm
St. Paul’s, Waco
525 Columbus Ave.
254.753.4501
San Jacinto - Beth Fain
Tues., Jan. 26 7:00 pm
Trinity, The Woodlands
3901 S. Panther Creek
281.367.8133
Southeast - John Bedingfield
Sun., Jan. 31 4:00 pm
St. Mark’s, Beaumont
680 Calder St.
409.832.3405
Galveston - Robert Flick
Mon., Feb. 1 7:00 pm
St. Michael’s, LaMarque 1601 Lake Rd.
409.935.3559
Southwest - Lance Ousley
Mon., Feb. 8th 7:00 pm
St. Thomas, Wharton 207 Bob O Link Ln
979.532.1723

Council Preacher Has Unique Background As Council Gathers in Military Town

Bishop George Packard is Bishop Suffragan for Chaplaincies and will be a particularly appropriate preacher for the diocese’s annual meeting when it gathers in Killeen, February 12-13, 2010.

Killeen is hope to the country’s largest military post, Ft. Hood, and has been the site of a large percentage of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001. As bishop Suffragan for chaplaincies, Bishop Packard has ministered to those in the armed forces throughout his career.

Bishop Packard’s ministry has been notable for his leadership in support of those deployed in the Iraq War, the response to September 11 and Hurricane Katrina. He is the bishop for all Episcopal federal chaplains serving in the military, federal prisons and Veteran’s Affairs facilities. He also supports the care for all other chaplains by coordinating the training and advocacy for diocesan healthcare, prison, emergency responder, and maritime chaplains in the life of the Church. Because of extensive travel he also serves as the bishop-in-charge for Micronesia in the southwest Pacific.

Bishop Packard graduated from Hobart College, in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and enlisted in the Army soon after college. He received the Silver Star and two Bronze Stars for valor during his deployment as an infantry officer in Vietnam.

Upon release from active duty, Bishop Packard continued to serve in the Army Reserves while attending Virginia Theological Seminary where he earned his Master of Divinity in 1974. He also holds an honorary doctorate from VTS. He served parishes in Virginia and New York for 15 years before becoming the Canon to the Ordinary for the Diocese of New York in 1989, returning in 1995 to parish ministry.

Concurrent to his parochial and diocesan duties, Bishop Packard served as a chaplain in the Army Reserves. In this capacity he had a variety of assignments from chaplain to a hospital ward for communicable diseases, to a field hospital, to a deployed unit in Egypt. During the Gulf War, he was assigned to the Pentagon and later was decorated for his participation in a team for the pastoral care of casualties.

Since his consecration in 2000, Bishop Packard has traveled extensively to visit chaplains throughout the world including Iraq and Kuwait. This knowledge served him well when the tragedy of September 11th occurred. It meant that the “100 Days of Mission Support” declared by his office in response to the event could call on talent well-known and matched to the needs of the crisis. That “Support Mission” by his office included briefings to all clergy in the 13 dioceses directly affected by that terrible day, organizing and scheduling chaplains for the NYC site, liaison with the Pentagon effort, and providing solace and counseling to persons at the Church Center as well as general support to any other development.

Prior to the drama of September 11th, the bishop convened a leadership conference of senior military chaplains at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC followed six months later by a similar “Formative Symposium” for healthcare professionals. He is quoted as saying that another true highlight during these two years was his first confirmation service at Angola Prison in Louisiana and eating Thanksgiving dinner at the Marion Correctional Institution in Ohio.

Under Bishop Packard’s guidance and in keeping with the earlier energies of September 11th, the Office for Chaplaincies provided the interim primary response to major domestic disasters for the national church and significant leadership on the ground for Hurricane Katrina through the “We Will Stand with You” Program.

Bishop Packard served as the Chairman of NCMAF — The National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces in 2005.

He is married to Brook Hedick, a musician and Christian educator and together they have one daughter, Clara. Bishop Packard has two daughters from a previous marriage: Helen, an associate editor for a church periodical and Cleary, a professional tennis player.

Nominations Slate

Secretary of the Diocese (elect 1)
The Rev. Canon John A. Logan, Jr., Christ Church Cathedral, Houston

Treasurer of the Diocese (elect 1)
Robert J. Biehl, Diocesan Bishop’s Office, Houston

Standing Committee
Membership is 3 clergy and 3 lay persons; at least 18 years of age; confirmed communicants in good standing; 3 year term; one clergy and one lay person elected every Council.

Clergy (elect 1)
The Rev. Mike Wallace Besson, St. John’s, LaPorte
The Very Rev. Joe D. Reynolds, Christ Church Cathedral, Houston
The Rev. James Stockton, Church of the Resurrection, Austin

Lay (elect 1)
Linnet F. Deily, Trinity, Houston
Andrew Lyon, Church of the Resurrection, Austin

Executive Board
Elect 5 members each year, 2 clergy and 3 lay persons for a 3 year term.

Clergy (elect 2)
The Rev. Theodore E. Hervey, Jr., Epiphany, Burnet
The Rev. Nick Novak, Trinity, Baytown
The Rev. Chuck Treadwell, St. Paul’s, Waco

Lay (elect 3)
David A. Bollinger, Good Shepherd, Tomball
Elizabeth Ruth Dowell, Hope, Houston
Ann Foxworth, Church of the Resurrection, Austin
Heyward L. Green, St. Paul’s, Waco
Kerry K. Hancock, Christ Church, Temple
Thomas Clifford Knudson, St. John the Divine, Houston
S. Wayne Mathis, Grace, Alvin
Daniel Kevin McGillicuddy, St. Matthew’s, Austin
Cornelius D. Perry, Hope, Houston

Trustee of the Church Corporation Lay (elect 1)
One member elected each year for a five-year term; no restrictions on re-election.
JoLynn Free, All Saints’, Austin
William D. Kovach, Christ Church Cathedral, Houston
Shawn S. Sanders, Christ the King, Atascocita/Humble

Trustee University of the South Lay (elect 1)
Elect one trustee each year for a three-year term; no re-election restrictions.
William A. Gage, Jr., St. John the Divine, Houston
Jeffrey S. Hamilton, St. Paul’s, Waco
Peter H. Squire, Christ Church Cathedral & Palmer, Houston

Fort Hood Tour

A tour of Fort Hood is scheduled for Council attendees on Friday, February 12. This tour will be a great opportunity to see inside the Nation's largest military facility and hear about it's mission from the experts. Members of Fort Hood's Public Affairs Office will be leading the tour.

Those participating in the tour will need to be at the front entrance of the Killeen Civic and Conference Center by 2:00 PM on Friday, February 12 for check in. The tour will start at 2:30 PM and last about two hours. Comfortable buses have been reserved for the tour and only minimal walking will be required.

Those going on the tour will need their drivers license or another official government issued picture ID card in order to enter Fort Hood.

The tour will be limited to between 80-100 people so early sign up is encouraged to guarantee a seat on the tour coach. The last day to sign up is February 2nd.

To sign up contact Jo Denson, St Christopher's Administrative Assistant, 254.634.7474, st.chris.killeen@gmail.com.

Corrected Council Resolutions

The resolutions printed in the January issue of the Texas Episcopalian contained some errors. Those have been corrected and the full text of all five resolutions is contained below.

Resolution for the full effectiveness of the regular annual Councils of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas
Note from the Committee on Resolutions: This is the same resolution that is in the Journal with the addition of the 5th paragraph below, which clarifies that the resolution calls for the Executive Board to report its study to the 162nd council of the Diocese of Texas.

Whereas, the time, treasure and talent of persons attending, and of delegates participating in, each Diocesan Council are valued by all members of the Diocese; and

Whereas, the godly call to good stewardship compels the honoring of spiritual, moral, and material investments given by each person attending and each delegate participating in Diocesan Council by ensuring the most efficient and effective use possible of the time, talent, and treasure of each; and

Whereas, the annual gathering of representatives of the many parishes, missions, and organizations of the Diocese of Texas offers unique and valuable opportunities for fellowship, encouragement in the faith, education in the ministries of the diocese and the church, and growth in mutual understanding and affection; be it

Resolved, that the 161st Council of the Diocese of Texas calls upon the Executive Board to study the feasibility and benefits of extending the time allotted for regular annual Diocesan Councils by 24 hours; be it further

Resolved, that the 161st Council of the Diocese of Texas calls upon the Executive Board to report to the 162nd Council the feasibility and benefits of extending the time allotted for regular annual Diocesan Councils by 24 hours; be it further

Resolved, that the 161st Council of the Diocese of Texas calls upon the Executive Board to offer with its report to the 162nd Council its recommendation based upon said report.
Submitted: Andrew Lyon, lay delegate, Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Austin

The Committee on Resolutions recommends the adoption of this resolution.

A Covenant of Companion Partnership between the Anglican Diocese of Southern Malawi, Province of Central Africa, and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.
(See Covenant in the World Mission Board Report p.?)
Whereas the Diocese of Texas joined the Companion Diocese program of the Anglican Communion when it was founded and has been richly blessed by these relationships, and

Whereas deep and enduring ties between the people of the Diocese of Texas and the people of Malawi were created by our first companion relationship there in 1968, and

Whereas the Anglican Diocese of Southern Malawi is a new and vital force for the gospel of Jesus Christ on the African Continent,

Resolved, that the Diocese of Texas adopt a covenant of Companion Partnership between the Anglican Diocese of Southern Malawi, Province of Central Africa, and the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.

Comment: We believe that this covenant will be a means of mutual blessing and learning for relationships developed and enjoyed between the two dioceses. If adopted, it will be a statement affirming the prayers and deep affection of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and its Bishop, C. Andrew Doyle, for Bishop James Tengatenga and all the clergy and people of the Anglican Diocese of Southern Malawi.

Submitted by: the World Mission Board, Diocese of Texas
The Rt. Rev. Dena A. Harrison, Executive
The Rev. Susan J. Barnes, Chair

The Committee on Resolutions recommends the adoption of this resolution.

View all Resolutions here.