News and Information

New church plant in Prosper
by Rosamond Townsend, Resurrection, Dallas

he diocese is planting a new church in Prosper. At the north end of the Dallas Tollway, Prosper is transforming rapidly from a small town to a new suburban center.

The Rev. Michael Gilton and his family arrived in June, purchased a house, and began making contacts in the area. Bishop Stanton named the new church St. Paul's. Fr. Gilton noted, "Everyone knows who St. Paul is, even non-Christians."

Fr. Gilton comes from the Diocese of San Joaquin where he served as the assistant rector at
St. Paul's, Bakersfield, CA. A long time Texan,
Fr. Gilton worked for 18 years in the oil industry before he answered his vocation to the priesthood. Fr. Gilton has been married 21 years to Kathleen, and they have a 16-year-old son, Thomas. Fr. Gilton believes that "Planting churches is an exciting ministry that requires a mixture of strong faith and entrepreneurial gifting."

Two of the newest churches in the diocese, St. Andrew's (McKinney) and St. Philip's (Frisco), are actively supporting Fr. Gilton. He spent his Sundays at St. Andrew's this summer and "greatly appreciated the opportunity to experience firsthand the faithfulness and dedication of the people there." St. Philip's has invited Fr. Gilton to participate fully in its parish life and keep an office there.

"One of the toughest aspects of church planting is recruiting the first 30 adult members," said
Cn. Victoria Heard, who oversees church planting in the diocese. "I am very grateful to Fr. Lein and
St. Philip's for their whole-hearted support of the new church." Fr. Gilton will be preaching and teaching
there during the next nine months, taking part in parish activities, and recruiting a launch team from within
St. Philip's and his contacts in Prosper.

The process of church planting is more complicated than finding a venue, putting up some signs, and seeing if anyone shows up on Sunday. The specific vision of the new church and its priest is what draws both churched and unchurched people. A healthy new community is able to serve the wider community effectively and witness to the risen Christ. On the first day of regular Sunday services, a church plant has to provide worship, ministry for children, pastoral care, and outreach. It takes 12 to 15 months for a new church to come on line with a Sunday morning attendance of 150 as its goal.

Fr. Gilton says, "There is an extraordinary amount of work to be done in planting St. Paul's, and we obviously must depend on the prayers and support of the people of the Diocese of Dallas and our friends across the country. We are already seeing God's hand at work in Prosper in the last three months, and we fully expect God to use St. Paul's to spread the saving gospel of Jesus Christ to the unchurched of our new home town."

For more information, contact Fr. Gilton (972-369-6012 or mgilton@cebridge.net).

by the Rev. Diana Luck, Archdeacon

esus said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Truly, the Holy Spirit has been working in the Diocese of Dallas by sending so many of its members on mission trips around the world. Mrs. Diane Stanton, chair of the World Mission Commission, has remarked, "Being missionaries means relinquishing ourselves and allowing God to use us as His instrument for drawing people to Him. It is quite a remarkable calling, and most people who participate receive a spiritual reward that more than compensates for the time they sacrifice sharing their own unique gifts and talents."

Mary Hendrix took part in a mission team from St. Philip's, Frisco. She explained that when they began working in Belize, they discovered they could have a profound impact on its citizens by educating the children and helping people move out of poverty. The purpose of their "Teacher to Teacher" mission is to support and assist teachers in Belize, while honoring the abilities of all students and bringing glory to God.

Martha Lang participated in a mission team that Incarnation took to work with Anglican Schools in Belize City. Working at several schools, they stocked and developed lending libraries, delivered over
1,000 books, and leveled a campus grounds for proper drainage. Martha said that the spiritual element woven throughout the projects was an essential part of the trip.

A joint team from Incarnation and St. John's (Pottsboro) went to Honduras where they conducted medical and dental clinics, stocked and staffed a pharmacy, held an educational program, painted a school, and launched a computer lab. Partnerships, such as this one, enabled a smaller church to serve our Lord as His witnesses "to the ends of the earth."

A team of the diocese's youth, accompanied by adults, traveled to Uganda where they helped clear land at a diocesan camp on the shores of Lake Victoria, cared for babies at the Sanyu Babies Home, raised the roof of an orphanage's dining hall, and erected a playground at Uganda Christian University. Deacon Pam Dunbar noted, "A new crop of missionaries is growing up."

St. Matthew's Cathedral participated in some unique missions. It formed bilingual teams to go to Peru and Mexico. In Peru, the team painted one church and worked on the construction of another. Nearby villagers helped with the construction. They were very excited watching their new church take form. St. Matthew's clergy also taught in the local seminaries.

These are just a few of the many overseas mission opportunities the people of the Diocese of Dallas have undertaken. Mrs. Stanton explains their purpose, "We go to other countries to help each other and share our knowledge of Jesus Christ and His saving grace. It is breathtaking to see how God is working in different cultures in every corner of the earth, but there is still much work to be done."

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