Prov. 7 Board Meeting and Assembly, April 21-22, 2017

The theme of the Triennium in Province 7 has been Micah 6:8 “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” This year’s focus was “Love mercy”. As always, Assembly was a time of fellowship and joyous worship, as well as learning about what is going on in the Order and hearing about new ministry opportunities. Nearly 120 Daughters from around the Province assembled at Church of the Incarnation in Dallas, including 4 from the Diocese of the Rio Grande. (Deborah Tischler, Elaine Brink, Marta Gallegos, Cindy Davis-from L to R in front of the Welcome Center entrance)

The Prov. 7 Board (all Diocesan Presidents, plus the Provincial Board) met before Assembly started. Denise Rox, Provincial Prayer Chair offered an opening devotion about how the 7 ways of Corporal Mercy and the 7 forms of Spiritual Mercy are the ways Daughters live their lives of Prayer and Service. 

The Board reviewed the necessary By-Laws change that will bring Provincial By-Laws into compliance with National By-Laws regarding DAL. These were approved during the Assembly Business Meeting. A committee to review the entire Provincial By-Laws was formed as well to review and as necessary revise the By-Laws.

Diocesan Presidents were reminded to encourage Chapter Presidents to notify the National Office of the death of any Daughter. It is the only way the National Office can keep up with this data. Another important item is DUES. Diocesan Presidents were urged to help their chapter presidents collect dues, as the transition to online payment seems to be a problem for some women. One suggestion was to have a computer available at a chapter meeting to help Daughters pay online.

Provincial Jr. DOK funds are available for JDOK chapters to use for growth and for sending directresses, and potential directresses to JDOK camps and events, like directress retreats. A grant application will be available on the Provincial website (dokprov7.org). A Jr. Directress retreat is not just for current directresses, but for any woman who might want to start JDOK in their parish. The next one is July 13-16 in Belton, TX. Info on the Provincial website (http://dokprov7.org/calendar.html).

The Business meeting was called to order on Saturday morning in the lovely, newly completed Ascension Chapel of the Church of the Incarnation in Dallas. The ladies were warmly welcomed the Incarnation chapter and Jr. Daughters.

Because of Triennial in June of 2018, it was decided to NOT have a Provincial Assembly in 2018. Provincial Officers were elected at the business meeting to take office at Triennial 2018. Provincial President Pat Hind asked that we get a Province 7 Banner in time for Triennial in 2018 so we can be represented in that way. If anyone knows of a fabric artist, please be in touch.

It was noted that there are resources available for Chapter Enhancement. Fr. Mike Gemangani has a program that can be presented as a workshop (download from the Prov. 7 website). There are some funds available from the Province to help fund a workshop. There are also resources from the National Office, and more are being created.

Grants were awarded in the amount of $400 to a ministry in each diocese. The Backpacks for Hunger program in Carlsbad was the Diocese of the Rio Grande recipient. (Carol Waller of this program will be one of the speakers at Assembly in Carlsbad this year.) The Eucharist offering was divided between the 3 Dallas ministries who were the guest speakers.

Two representatives from the National Council were present at the Assembly: Lori Geres (Media chair) and Susan Keith (By-Laws chair). Lori shared some of the data gathered from the DOK survey last year, and how that is being used to formulate strategic plans for the future of the Order. This involves talking about prayer, spiritual direction, formulating plans for the women who come after us, recommitting to the work of DOK, and continuing (or beginning) to talk about DOK. 

Susan Keith spoke about the process for ‘cleaning up’ the current by-laws. Over the years, sections have been added that should more logically go in a different location…i.e. membership under members and chapter info under chapters. This will all be presented at Triennial next year. It is not a revision of the by-laws as much as necessary adjustments for coherence and clarity. All the changes will be publicized well in advance of Triennial.

Fr. Mike Gemangani, Provincial Chaplain and keynote speaker compared God’s mercy to the love of a spouse to spouse. We do not come pleading for mercy to our spouse. In the same way, God loves us as a Bride in transforming union. Fr. Mike noted that God shows greater compassion to us than we do to ourselves. God’s mercy is chesed or loving-kindness and God gives each of us nothing less than all of God. We need to have mercy toward ourselves and accept the gift of the Incarnation. Our return to God is to give ourselves, which draws all Creation to God. God renews God’s love to us and we renew our love to God. Through this, all Creation is renewed.

After lunch, we heard from three local outreach ministries. Bonton Farms is a ministry that helps inner-city children and families find employment, grows food, and offers opportunities both on the farm and in the community to improve the quality of life.

Incarnation House is an outreach of the Church of the Incarnation. It is an after-school program for the low income, at risk students of Dallas High School, which is across the street from the church. The youth must commit to the program and participate. Meals, tutoring, and other assistance is offered, including help with getting into college.

The final ministry reaches out to men who have just been released from prison. Called One Man’s Treasure it helps with 5 shirts, 2 pants, a tie, underwear, shoes, and coat so that these men can go on interviews. Each set is delivered by a male volunteer ‘shepherd’ who offers a listening ear along with the dignity and hope of the fresh clothing. Of the 104 shepherds, 30% are former clients.

Church of the Incarnation was a lovely location for Assembly, and we enjoyed the hospitality of everyone there. Remember to start saving and planning now to attend Triennial on June 20-24 at the Renaissance at the Arboretum in Austin, TX. Watch the Royal Cross for more details.

Mark your calendars for Diocesan Assembly 2017 is July 28-29 at Grace Church, Carlsbad with the theme of Sorrow into Dancing. Bishop Vono is the keynote speaker. 

In 2018, we will meet at the Bosque Center in Albuquerque the first weekend in August for officer elections and other business. Deborah Smith Douglas will be our speaker. 

Province 7 Assembly 2016 in Ft. Worth

Just returned from the Prov. 7 Assembly in Ft. Worth. St. Christopher’s church was very welcoming and the 100 or so ladies had a lovely time. I carpooled with 3 sisters from the Catherine of Sienna Chapter, and we had a great road trip across Texas. (Didn't get a picture of the total of 5 Daughters from ABQ who attended. Above is a photo of the Province Board, consisting of diocesan presidents and the provincial officers.)

During the opening Eucharist, Daughters who have died were remembered in a lovely candle lighting ceremony, including those from the Diocese of the Rio Grande.

The theme of Assembly was from Micah 6:8 “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” This Assembly the focus was Justice.

We were delighted to welcome our new National President, Susan O’Brien, was at the Provincial Assembly. We (Prov. 7) were the first Province she has visited since her election at Triennial last June! She spoke on how ‘evangelism’ is really just telling our story, which is part of what we’ll be doing at our Diocesan Assembly in August. I’m sure you all have it on your calendar for August 5-6! Registration info will be out in just a few weeks. She also noted that to ‘act justly’, as in the Micah citation is our individual call as Daughters, and as baptized Christians. She asked us to consider ‘What injustice do you observe today?’ and ‘What can I do about it?’

Susan remarked that when we ‘love mercy’, it should be done extravagantly using the Prodigal Son as an example. Walking ‘humbly’ is to be obedient to God, which takes being aware of God’s actions. She shared that one of her prayer disciplines is to do photo journal walks. During these she takes pictures of things that remind her of God’s presence. (Doesn’t that sound like a great way to pray?) She made one of them into a card with the theme of the Assembly on it for each attendee.

During the business meeting, it was noted that we are falling down on keeping up with donations to our funds, esp. the Self Denial Fund. In 2012 there was $102,000 in the fund and last year, only $13,000. This is not because of excessive grants, but because donations are WAY down. It was suggested that if EVERY Daughter donated just $5 to the fund it would be a huge help. So…I offer that as a challenge to each chapter/Daughter in our diocese. You can donate online, or download the form to send with donation from the National website 'Support our Mission' page. The Provincial Assembly voted $771 to go to Self-Denial from the Eucharist offering and the $225 annual ‘undesignated’ grant monies. Each Diocese also gets a grant of $400. In the Rio Grande, this year, it went to the Rector’s Fund at St. James, Taos for help with outreach utility aid.

Susan O’Brien also encouraged us to focus meetings in a spiritual setting and format, perhaps even incorporating meeting in an area with candles, flowers, and other spiritual aids and to format the meeting as a form of worship by opening and ending with prayer. She stated that the Prayer List should take up no more than 5 minutes of the meeting time! At meetings she has chaired, members bless one another as part of the closing ceremony. One way to do this is to anoint each other’s hands as blessing. She closed with a prayer from Celtic Prayer From Iona, which is part of her daily devotions.

On my heart and on my house

The blessing of God.

In my coming and in my going

The peace of God.

In my life and in my seeking

The Love of God.

At my end and new beginning

The arms of God to welcome me, and bring me home.

Jennifer Stanton Hargrave, a family law attorney was one of the speakers. She noted that ‘justice’ depends on the audience, and can seem ‘unfair’ to us-esp. if things don’t go our way. Real fairness comes when we look outward toward the good of all, not just what I think is ‘best for me’. The Hebrew word for ‘justice’ is mishpat, which is to treat others equitably (love as we are loved). True justice must be outward and social and is the fruit of maturity along with joy and peace. True justice restores relationship between God and people, and requires generosity.

Valerie Maniscalco, communications director of the Genesis Women’s Shelter talked about the extensive work of the shelter. It has been in operation for 30 years and was the response of an Episcopal priest and church who wanted to help women escaping domestic abuse. Now the shelter offers a 6-week stay to women and children, with the chance to then move to a long term residential facility for up to a year. They offer schooling, counseling, legal aid, and are funded totally by community donations. Attendees donated diapers and baby wipes to the shelter. The Jr. Daughters made gift bags for the residents, too.

Fr. Mike Gemangani, Provincial Chaplain was the final speaker. He discussed how the purpose of justice is to make right what is wrong and to affect change. His talk can be downloaded from the Provincial website.

Following his talk, Fr. Mike presented certificates to the Arkansas Daughters who had completed the program Daughters Going Deeper. Some Daughters in the Rio Grande are currently working through the program. If you are interested in participating in the next group, starting in 2017, you can download the info and forms.

Assembly is always a time for renewing friendships and meeting new friends from all around. See you at the Diocesan Assembly in August in Silver City. Mark your calendar for next year’s Prov. Assembly: April 21-23, 2017 at Church of the Incarnation, Dallas. Triennial is in 2018 and will be June 20-24, 2018 at the Renaissance at the Arboretum in Austin, TX.

By the way-you can keep up with Provincial news and ask for prayers, etc. on the Prov. 7 Facebook page. There are more pics from Assembly on the Facebook and Prov. 7 website, too. 

Report on Prov. 7 Board Meeting

Act Justly and Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with your God (Micah 6:8)

The weekend of Sept. 25-27 I was in Hot Springs, Arkansas for the fall meeting of the Prov. 7 Board. The Prov.7 Board is made up of all Diocesan Presidents in Prov. 7, the Prayer, Service, Jr. DOK, and Evangelism chairs, and of course the Provincial President, Secretary, Treasurer and Chaplain. (The picture is of all of us at a Mexican restaurant in Hot Springs, AR.) The Board meets twice a year-in the fall and before Provincial Assembly. It’s a time of sharing ideas and being inspired by each other through fellowship and discussion. Bear with me and at least skim this rather long letter-there’s a lot of news and info!

Fr. Mike, Prov. 7 Chaplain, led the board in an exercise about visioning our ministry as servant leaders in our dioceses. A vision, you know, is different than a goal. The vision is the overarching dream, while goals are the steps to get to that vision. My vision for the Daughters in the Diocese of the Rio Grande is to find a deeper understanding of who we are as a Sisterhood in Christ. This will help us each grow spiritually, both individually and corporately, into more effective servant leaders in our parishes and all our ministries.

The goal is to provide growth opportunities and spiritual aids for spiritual growth within and through our Sisterhood. In reaching that goal I’ll need the help of each Daughter. Together we can communicate about prayer and service opportunities that have strengthened us, and our history as chapters and as a diocesan assembly. (Remember Marta and Ann are already working to gather that info as the Service and Prayer chairs of our Diocese.) Ways of communicating include the e-news, and e-mails, plus checking Facebook and here for new information. We’ll also be hosting deanery meetings over the next 3 years of my term to get together in smaller groups for study, training, and to share about DOK with interested women.

If you believe that Daughters of the King is important-come alongside and be part of the Celebration of Who we Are and Where we are Going… our theme for Diocesan Assembly 2016 in Silver City (August 5-6, 2016)! Together we CAN build stronger Daughters in the Diocese, which will encourage and influence new women and girls to join our Sisterhood.

A few bits of interest from the business part of the meeting. The Micah verse above is President Pat Hind’s theme for her 3 year term. We’ll be exploring the parts of that verse at upcoming Provincial Assemblies. At the 2016 Provincial Assembly (April 22-24, 2016 in Ft. Worth, TX), the topic will be “Walk Justly”. I hope we can have a nice representation for the 2016 Assembly. It’s about a 10 hour drive from Albuquerque, and we can look into the idea of carpools! We also got news that you’ll be hearing from the National Office soon-about cross prices and when new Daughters will start paying dues. The Province 7 website has been redone and has photos from Triennial and from our Board meeting. Check it out!

The Provincial Service Chair suggested that each chapter consider the service project of making needlepoint crosses to be given to new Daughters in Africa. Because of the numbers of women becoming DOK, and because many cannot afford the cross, and because in some places it is still dangerous to wear the silver cross, women are given a blue needlepoint cross when they are installed. If you are interested, I have the size and directions. We would bring all our needlepoint crosses to Provincial Assembly and they would be sent to the National office for distribution in Africa.

Tory and Jackie are the joint JDOK chairs. As adult Daughters, we are encouraged to grow and support Juniors-not just because they are the future of the Order, but because girls need the mentoring we can offer and they can give us new enthusiasm by their joy and faith. (Please read the attached letter about Junior DOK and see if God is calling you to leadership of these girls.)

Those of you who attended the Provincial Assembly in Albuquerque will recall a presentation about Daughters Going Deeper, a one-on-one, in depth, mentored study for Daughters interested in deepening their walk with Christ. (The photo is of the 'beta' group at graduation during the Board meeting.) This is a 2-year commitment and offers a chance to really dig into living into our vows. Each president was encouraged to find 7 women interested in this program. Ask Cindy or Deborah Tischler for more information.

The final part of the Board meeting was a retreat led by Fr. Mike about our relationship with God and how that is built and grows through prayer and relationship. He noted that the verse “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength” isn’t a command to us, but a promise from God who will help us love. Church (and Daughters of the King) is not something that God needs, it builds relationship and unity with one another and with God. We are part of a special Sisterhood and community of faith that is not just in our parish, or even restricted to our diocese. Indeed, we are part of a world-wide Order that changes lives!

Watch for info about the Design the Diocesan Banner contest, too! 

Stop by the DOK/Women of the Diocese table at Convention if you are attending. 

Province 7 Assembly: April 11-13, 2014 in San Antonio

Dear Sisters in Christ

Registration information for the Province VII Assembly is now available! This should be a lovely time of celebration with Daughters from around the Province. The theme is "The Great Commission" and speakers will be Fr. Mike Gemiganai (Prov. 7 Chaplain), the Rev. Clayton Elder & Samira Izadi of Gateway of Grace.

We gather on Friday evening for fellowship and Eucharist. After a light breakfast on Saturday, April 12, there will be a brief business meeting followed by the speakers. After dinner, we will close with Taize-always a lovely and reflective service.

Registration costs $75 and rooms are available at the Fairfield Inn across the street from St. Thomas, San Antonio for $95/night. Certainly a reasonable price, esp. if you can find a friend to share with.

You can download the registration form from the Prov. 7 website. If that doesn't work, contact Cindy for an emailed pdf of the registration.

Hope to see many of you there!

Royal Priesthood

During the Prov. 7 Board meeting in Gruene, TX the first weekend of September, Chaplain Fr. Mike shared a powerful meditation based on 1 Peter 2: 9. "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,^* in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
He asked us to share thoughts on 'who' priests are. In all religions, priests are the intermediaries between the Holy and the people. Each of us is called to bring Christ to the world and be the hands and feet of Christ wherever we are. Fr. Mike noted that by virtue of our baptisms we are all priests.
The question is, how can we live into this call? We can do this because of the promise from our Lord in John 17:22-23: "The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, ²³I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."
God is in Christ and Christ is within each of us. It is only by this grace that we can be any sort of ambassadors and intermediaries for God. However, we must be emptied of 'self' to be filled with Christ.
The setting for our board meeting was the perfect location to take time to be emptied of the day-to-day concerns and focus on God.

At the close of his meditation, Fr. Mike placed his own stole on each of our shoulders and prayed for us individually by name. It is a prayer that each Daughter should take to heart as part of her calling and rule of life. I commend it to you:
(Name), know that by your baptism into the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, you share in his priesthood. you are to work to restore all creation to its Creator and serve as a mediator between earth and heaven, all of this through Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Province 7 Board Meeting

Over the weekend of September 6-8, the Province 7 DOK Board met in Gruene, TX. It was a fun time for diocesan presidents and other provincial officers to get together, share news, learn new things, and celebrate being sisters in Christ.

All of us stayed at the delightful and lovely Gruene Mansion Inn, a B&B right on the Guadalupe River.

On Saturday afternoon, a trio of deer wandered through the trees right outside our rooms while some of us were relaxing on the porch! (No deer in this photo, sadly, but still a lovely view.)

There were 5 of us in this particular room. Two of us (me and Andrea from the Diocese of Arkansas) got to climb the winding staircase to our bedroom. It was like sleeping in an attic-a very nice attic! Next door, most of the executive board shared another suite and other presidents had equally lovely rooms nearby.

Breakfast was the luscious B&B banquet. We dined on delicious food in the Gristmill Restaurant next door (the building really used to be a mill). Some of us took a walking tour of Gruene, which has historic buildings still in use for shops and restaurants...and this delightful duck in front of one shop!

Our meeting time was at St. Francis on the Lake, a few miles from the Inn. We heard from Prov. Pres. Brenda Amos about the need for completing forms correctly for the National office. Did you know nearly any form needed can be found on the DOK website? We discussed the idea of a Going Deeper study for Daughters which will be developed by our Prov. Chaplain, Fr. Mike.
The Service chair, Marilyn, is collecting ideas of service projects that can be replicated. If you have a wonderful project, email the idea to her, along with a contact name and photo of the project. One idea shared at the meeting was to have each Daughter fill a purse with toiletries and beauty products which can be donated to a Woman's Shelter in your area! Simple, but very necessary because many of the women in domestic abuse shelters have had to leave all their cosmetics and other feminine necessities behind.
Joy, newly appointed Evangelism chair, reminded us that the basis of Evangelism is telling your story. Our Communication chair, Robin, continues to work hard to help us all be more tech-savvy--It's quite a task, but we appreciate her efforts. There will be a Jr. Daughters retreat at Camp Allen the first weekend in November at Camp Allen. Tory, JDOK chair hopes that Jr's from around the Province will be able to attend.
We were reminded that Daughters at Large are a very important part of the Order, even if they are not part of a Chapter. Anita, the DAL chair, pointed out that as Diocesan Presidents we should determine why women are 'at-large' and help them get into or form a chapter if they can.

Most of us went to St. Francis by the Lake for Sunday services before heading for the San Antonio airport. We all look forward to returning to San Antonio next April for Province 7 Assembly!

Dates for your Calendars
Prov. 7 Assembly: April 11-13, 2014 at St. Thomas, San Antonio, TX
In 2015, Provincial Assembly will be held in conjunction with DOK Triennial in UT. (at the Zermatt/Homestead Resort in Midway, UT). Start saving now so you can send a representative to the joint Provincial and Triennial Assembly! You only have to save for one trip in 2015!
Missy Denney, National Council Advisor, asked that photos of Daughters busy with activities be emailed to her between now and 2015 for the Triennial slide show.

Fr. Mike shared a moving meditation, which I'll post next time.

Province 7 Assembly

Last Friday and Saturday over 125 women from across Province 7 gathered at All Soul's Episcopal Church in Oklahoma City for the Prov. 7 Assembly. There were 4 of us from the Diocese of the Rio Grande. Next year, let's aim for more participation.

The Assembly opened with Eucharist on Thursday, presided over by Bishop Ed K. of the Diocese of Oklahoma. Saturday, following a delicious continental breakfast, a short business meeting was held. Part of the business included approving the budget and outreach gifts of $260 for each of the Dioceses. The DRG had decided to sponsor Wings Ministry this year. The offering from the Eucharist and the undesignated $220 of the outreach funds was divided among 4 ministries nominated from the floor. Over $1300 was collected.
Fr. Mike G., Provincial chaplain led 2 meditations on the Holy Spirit's work in our lives, illustrated and highlighted by his own music, including A Prayer for Union which is the focus of his daily blog for all Daughters. (Sign up by clicking here and requesting to be added.) Cindy D. spoke about her writing and how writing (journaling or any other form) is a prayer and spiritual aid. The new Jr. Daughter chair, Tory Arnold talked about the need for Junior Daughters and shared a video of a retreat for Juniors in TX. Let's give that some consideration in the DRG and grow our Juniors! Is God calling you to be the JDOK Chair?

The Assembly was a time of renewal and refreshment as well as fellowship and worship with other Daughters. There was at least one representative from every diocese in the Province! Make plans for the 2015 Assembly which will be in the Corpus Christi, TX area in April, 2015.
Start saving now for Trienniel in Salt Lake City in June of 2015, too. The saying "A dollar a day for DOK" will help you set aside enough funds to get to each of these events!

Prov. 7 Assembly Registration

The Registration forms for Prov. 7 DOK Assembly 2013 (April 5-7) are now available. Please do prayerfully consider whether this is something you might want to attend. We as a Diocesan Assembly haven't, in the recent past, had much of a presence at Prov. assemblies and now is the time to change that. I'll be driving (April 4, returning April 7) and willingly taking passengers. If we get enough-we can van-pool or even get a bus!

Group rates at hotels near the church are listed on the registration. Most of them have to have your reservation before March 15 (one by the 8th!), so it's time to get those reservations made!

Below is the tentative agenda. You'll note that business is a very small part of the whole time. Most of it is worship and workshops to enrich our journey as Daughters of the King and Sisters in Christ. The theme is prayer, something we can all use more of.

Tentative Agenda
Friday – April 5, 2013
1:00 Prov. 7 Board Meeting
3:00 – 5:00 PM Registration (materials with local activities)
6:00 Dinner
7:00 Holy Eucharist, Rite I – with The Rt. Rev. Dr. Edward J. Konieczny, Bishop of the Diocese of Oklahoma
Renewal of Vows
Commemoration of the Dead

Saturday – April 6, 2013
8:00 AM Registration/ Continental Breakfast (provided)
9:00 –10:00 Business Meeting (Province VII)
10:15 - 11:45 Session I
12:00- 12:45 PM Lunch (provided)
1:00 – 2:30 Session II
2:45 – 4:45 Session III
5:15 Taize Service (healing and meditation)
6:30 Dinner (provided)

Sunday – April 7, 2013
Breakfast    On Your Own (hotel or other local options)
9:15 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite I – All Souls’ Episcopal Church

Provincial News and Assembly

The Diocese of the Rio Grande is part of Province VII of the Episcopal Church. The Daughters of the King is also organized by province. Our Provincial President is Brenda Amos. The website for Province VII is worth visiting. You will find photos of the board retreat last September, the Prov. VII newsletter, interesting information about Daughters, and a calendar of events across the Province.

Diocesan Presidents from across the Province recently gathered on a conference call to learn about plans for the Provincial Google site to help with communication, and hear about newly released guides for Presidents and Chaplains. Also the new 2012 Handbook is available from the National DOK office!

An important part of any organization is the fellowship that comes from getting together. Province VII is large-extending from NM to LA and north to the Diocese of W Missouri. Few of us will have a chance to visit all over the Province-but we CAN come together for Assembly on April 5-7 in Oklahoma City. The Theme is "Feed My Sheep" with the focus on our Rule of Prayer.  Registration will be $75 and there are special rates at nearby hotels. You can check out times and schedules in this Save the Date announcement.

The business portion of the Assembly is a very small part of the entire time. Most of the event will involve breakout sessions by various speakers (including Diocese of the Rio Grande President Cindy Davis). This is a model we hope to emulate in the diocesan assembly this year (August 2-3).

Attending Provincial Assembly is a rewarding experience, as those who have attended in the past can attest. The registration forms for the Province VII Assembly will be posted to the Provincial website in the near future. Also, if we have enough interest, we will investigate the idea of a bus or van-pool to Oklahoma. (It would probably be about $100/person to rent a full sized van.)

Province 7 Board meets

Nineteen Diocesan Presidents from around Province 7 gathered at the Montserrat Retreat Center in Dallas, TX in September for a time of fellowship, sharing, and learning. By the end, we had gained new friends and shared in worship and laughter. Each of us has a new prayer partner-a fellow diocesan president-with whom to share prayer needs and joys.
New Diocesan Presidents, like Cindy Davis of the Diocese of the Rio Grande, were warmly welcomed by returning presidents and by Brenda Amos, Province 7 President. Her vision is to see Daughters across the Province grow closer to Jesus and to one another in fellowship and to grow the Daughters of the King in our parishes, dioceses, and across the Province. 

Communication is a big part of that effort: Communicating who we are as Daughters of the King to others and communicating between and amongst ourselves! In the Diocese of the Rio Grande, blogs, newsletters, email, face-to-face, and other forms of communication will be used to help existing chapters grow stronger and encourage new chapters to form. Like the sun rising at Montserrat over Lake Dallas, we CAN be stronger and faithful to our vows!
One thing we are all aware of is the need to interest younger women and girls in the DOK. To that end, I'm challenging each Daughter to invite a younger woman to one of your meetings. The idea of a 'Bishop's Chapter' of Jr. Daughters that would be Diocesan wide is also being considered because some parishes really don't have enough girls to form individual chapters.
At the Prov. 7 Meeting we were encouraged to have each Daughter think about 3 questions: “What did you expect when you joined the DOK?” and “Where are you now?” and “Where are we going?” Post some of your answers here in the comments sections-one way to keep in touch!
During the meeting both the Prayer Chair and the Service Chair suggested that we consider looking at the way we do 'prayer lists' and 'service'. In fact, we were urged to think outside the box and maybe even rename these activities. Denise is calling the Provincial prayer list a "Symphony of Prayer" (lovely, don't you think) and Marilyn says we need to consider service as working with "Holy Urgency" (under the guidance of the Holy Spirit)! Remember there is a Prayer page on this blog. Remember, this is only as good as the prayers you send in. If you feel called to be the Diocesan Prayer Chair-contact for prayer requests and worship assistant at DOK gatherings, let Cindy know.
A "Service or Holy Urgency Page" can be added if there is interest in sharing service ideas around the Diocese-and I think we should be sharing.

All chapter presidents have received a letter with lots of other fun info from the Prov. 7 meeting. Ask them to share!