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Texas Hill Country Flood Response
I lift up my eyes to the hills – from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)
In a July 5 letter to the Diocese of West Texas, Bishops, the Rt. Rev. Dr. David G. Read, D.D., and the Rt. Rev. Angela Maria Cortiñas, shared a message on the Hill Country Flooding.
"Many have asked what we can do. At Diocesan Council we called on all of us to pray big prayers. Prayer is not sitting by passively and doing nothing. Prayer is hope in action. It moves mountains and tunes our hearts to the heart of Jesus. Pray big prayers for the missing. Pray big prayers for their families and friends. Pray big prayers for first responders and rescue workers. Pray big prayers for St. Peter’s Church and the Hill Country camping community."
| | | Here am I, but I'm Not Sure I Want to be Sent... | | |
As I find myself sent to the place that has been so important in the changing and reshaping of my life over the years, I find it now changed. At first glance, the physical plant that is Camp Capers did not suffer the damage that other places did, but the heart of this place feels broken. The heart of this place is aching. The heart of this place is and has always been its people. The people of Camp Capers. The people of the camping community. The people of the Hill Country. The people of the Diocese of West Texas. The people of Texas. The people of this nation and the world. God’s people. God’s people are weeping. Weeping for the loss of what was and for what could have been. Weeping, as the body of Christ - bruised, beaten, broken, weary, and lost.
Although we are at camp with our oldest group of senior high campers, they seem so much younger than they did before. The staff seems younger, more vulnerable, more innocent. Who are these babies leading babies? Who am I to be made responsible for these most precious parts of Christ’s body? That’s the thing, we are all just children of God. Children of God waiting and watching for any sign of hope, of clarity, of understanding. We wait and watch for signs of what to do. What do we do with these feelings of fear and anxiety? What do we do with this sadness and guilt? What do we do with these feelings of joy and gladness? What do we do with the anticipation and planning of the future that some no longer have?
We hold it. We hold the grief next to the joy. We hold the fear next to the faith. We hold the pain with the promise. The promise that all things are made new. All things are made new through Christ Jesus. Through the life, death and resurrection of our Savior, we are shown that love will always prevail. The wounds and scars will remain, but we will be changed. Our call is to be changed for the better. To be changed and transformed in a way that allows us to love our God more fully and love each other for truly. That’s it. That’s all we can do.
We endure for love. We take next steps for love. We allow ourselves to be sent in love.
Here am I, God. Send me…. but please go with me.
~Tami Woods
Director of College + Young Adult Ministries
| | College + Young Adult News and Events | | Fr. Rich Nelson is Officially a Diocese of West Texan | |
We are so excited to welcome the Rev. Rich Nelson to the Diocese of West Texas! Father Rich is the Founding Director of the Community of Saints Francis and Clare at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Kerrville, TX. He is an Episcopal priest, trained spiritual director, college chaplain, author, and artist who has started multiple nonprofits and received two masters degrees in Christian formation. Although you may have seen Rich around the diocese over these past few months, it wasn't until recently that he was able to complete his move. Now that he is here to stay, we are so excited for you to meet and get to know him.
To learn more about Father Rich, click on the link below.
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| Application Now Open for Community of Saints Francis and Clare | |
An amazing opportunity for young adults has arrived in the Diocese of West Texas (DWTX). The Community of Saints Francis and Clare (CFC) is an intentional Christian community for people ranging 20-35 years of age. The community is lead by Founding Director, Rev. Rich Nelson, who brings a vast amount of experience and knowledge to this new role. Cohort members will live together, worship, study scripture and theology, share meals, and serve in the larger community. They will also go on retreats together, including a pilgrimage to the home of Saints Francis and Clare, Assisi in Italy, at the end of their cohort year. The first cohort will be a shorter 6 month experience beginning in January 2026. Future cohorts will be 9 months long and will run from September - May (starting September 2026).
Applications are now being accepted. Spaces are limited, so don't wait to get your application in today!
To learn more about this amazing opportunity, visit the link below.
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Fall 2025 College + Young Adult Retreat @ Camp Capers
September 12-14
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It may be hard to believe, but we are less than two months away from the start of the Fall semester. That being said, our Fall 2025 Retreat is just around the corner! Join us for another amazing weekend with your old and new friends from College + Young Adult Ministries. Whether you are veteran member or a first timer, we are so excited to have you in this wonderful community. Gather up your friends, and register today!
| | Students and young adults from around the diocese proudly posed in front of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. | | First College + Young Adult Ministries Pilgrimage Completed | | |
What started out as a conversation between two diocesan departments about possible collaboration has become the beginning of a meaningful new tradition. Two years ago, Catherine Markette and I began brainstorming ways that World Missions and College + Young Adult Ministries could possibly work together.
In the Spring of 2023, Catherine invited me to meet with Duane and Sharon Miller while they were in San Antonio on a home visit from Spain. We discussed different things that could be done on a trip to Spain - one of which was the Camino de Santiago. Although I had heard of other pilgrimages, the Camino was new to me. Intrigued, I took the idea of a trip to our College Missions Council (CMC). One of our CMC members at the time was Susan Lindstrom, Director of College Ministry at Christ Church in San Antonio. When Susan is not serving the young adults at Christ Church, she is a professional travel advisor. After sharing the conversation I had had with the Millers, Susan shared that she had just received a discount code for half off a trip on the Camino de Santiago. The catch was that the code had to be used within the calendar year, and there was only one more scheduled trip just three months away. I had never been to Spain, nor had I ever attempted a pilgrimage like this. Was the Camino de Santiago something we could be entrusted to take someone else's children on? Well, there was only one way to find out! With the encouragement of our CMC and Bishop David M. Reed, Susan and I embarked on our exploratory adventure. And what an adventure it was!
Susan and I had an amazing experience visiting Sharon and Duane Miller and touring the Oasis Center in Madrid where Sharon serves their community. We also successfully completed the last 114km of the Camino de Santiago surrounded by strangers from different places, countries, and backgrounds who quickly became our friends. We left Spain grateful for the opportunity and excited to share it with the students and young adults from our diocese.
Two years later, our group of sixteen pilgrims from all around the diocese embarked on our very first diocesan College + Young Adult Ministries pilgrimage as new and old friends from the same diocese, but we returned home as a forever bonded Camino family. We were all changed by this experience and will hold it and our love for each other in our hearts as we now continue on our own individual paths.
If you have not had the opportunity, I highly encourage you to READ the BLOG from our trip. Who knew we were walking with such amazing theologians!
~article submitted by Tami Woods, Director of College + Young Adult Ministries
| | Postcard sent to college students and young adults from Diocesan Council 2025. | | Did You Get YOUR Postcard from Council? | | |
At Diocesan Council in February 2025, postcards were passed out to all of the clergy and delegation from across the Diocese of West Texas. The postcards (pictured above) were each addressed to one of the college students or young adults whose information we have in our College + Young Adult Ministries database. Special prayers, words of encouragement, and greetings were written by people from across our diocese to the younger members of our diocesan family. After Council, the postcards were mailed with love. Well... not all of them made it to their intended recipients. Many were returned to the Bishop Jones Center. What does that mean? What went wrong? I'm so glad you asked. What this means is that our database needs updating. If you or ANYONE you know is between the ages of 18-30 (post high school), we need your CURRENT contact information. Please take a minute to complete a new database entry for yourself, your children, your friends, your children's friends, your friend's children.... I think you get the point. We want to be sure we have the right information for all of our people, because we don't want anyone to miss out on anything again. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to either of us:
Walt Buzzini, Campus Missioner
Tami Woods, Director of College + Young Adult Ministries
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Join the team!
There are amazing job opportunities around the diocese. From internships to Youth Ministers, we have a variety of roles available. Don't miss out on this chance to launch your professional journey.
Click here to see job openings around the diocese.
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"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
~“Tao Te Ching” by Laozi.
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Are you doing ministry to, for, or with college and young adults?
Let us know!
Sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media for announcements for additional Spring gatherings.
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Central San Antonio
Every Sunday at 10am at Christ Church, San Antonio
7/13: Pool & Pizza Party, 5pm (Flannery home)
*please RSVP to Susan.
8/18: Dinner/Study (Lindstrom home), 6pm
Contact:
Susan Lindstrom
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Young Adults
Contact the following people for details about Young Adult Ministry at their church.
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Share your college students' or young adults' updated contact information, so College + Young Adult Ministries staff can support them. Don't worry, we won't spam you!
Click here to update our database with your newest contact information.
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