Back-to-school season is here! Congregations across the Diocese gathered to bless students, educators, families, and their backpacks as they begin a new academic year. Enjoy a few photos from these joyful celebrations! St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church The Rev Lisa Burns blessed backpacks, Family Minister Lyssa Williford giving sermon, and youth serving as acolyte, lectors, musicians, ushers, and more. St. George’s, Austin St. George’s Episcopal Church and School blessed students’ backpacks and welcomed the Rev. Kelly Jennings as Associate Minister for Children and Family and School Chaplain. St. Mark’s, Bay City St. Mark’s blessed students and their backpacks and celebrated the induction of…

Story by By the Rev. Enrique A. McCartney. The following series are available for anyone who is trying to build a youth ministry from scratch. Perhaps you are standing in an empty room, holding a sign-up sheet with no names. Perhaps you are questioning whether you are the right person for this work. Perhaps you have been at it for a while and need to return to the theological roots of why you began.

Communities across the Diocese of West Texas are recovering from severe flooding caused by record rainfall. Prayers and financial contributions are welcome and will support families and communities as their needs are identified. Currently, donations of clothing, supplies, or other items are not being requested. Support Flood Relief Read the Latest Update from the Bishop of West Texas

“The ‘Call to Feed the Hungry’ is a new interfaith campaign tackling growing food insecurity across Texas. We aim to galvanize people of faith and conscience to partner with lawmakers, ensuring essential food programs—such as SNAP, school meals and more —remain adequately funded. Our goal is to empower a knowledgeable constituency of Texans to advocate effectively for these vital programs in the upcoming legislative session.”

Article by Carrie Stanley, Youth Minister at Trinity Fort Worth.  Finding Home Through Service: How Trinity’s Youth Cultivated Diocesan Connections When a parish is relatively new to a diocese, the biggest question is often: How do we begin to weave ourselves into the fabric of this wider church family? For the youth and leaders of Trinity Episcopal Church in Fort Worth, the answer was simple: roll up your sleeves, hit the road, and offer a helping hand. This summer, eight of Trinity’s Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) and 4 adult chaperones embarked on the Helping Hands Tour of Texas mission trip.…