DEADLINE Sept 2 DEADLINE Sept 2

Bishop Jim Dorff to Greet SWTX Conference Leaders Sept 5-6, 2008

Friday, Sept 5 (All chairs attend) 4:00— Arrival 4:30— Orientation-Activities Ctr 5:30— Dinner 6:30— Resources-Byrd Chairs & Staff Huddle 8:15— Worship — Byrd 9:15— Ice Cream Social Sat, Sept 6 (All members attend) 7:00— Coffee, cold breakfast 7:30— Hot Breakfast 8:30— Morning Prayer — Byrd 8:45— Bishop’s Priorities 10:00— Fall Pgm Agencies Meet Noon— Lunch 5:00— Meetings end Schedule Highlights All chairs and members of agencies of the SWTX Conference have been invited to Mount Wesley Conference Center for parts or all of Friday & Saturday, Sept 5-6, 2008. Please help us with our planning by letting us know if you can make it by end of business day on Tuesday September 2. Hear and participate in interactive dialogue with Area Bishop Jim Dorff. Chairs of all agencies (both programming and resourcing) are asked to come Friday afternoon, Sept 5. Additional members of program agencies only have the option to arrive by 8:45 a.m. Sat, Sept 6, to hear the bishop or by 10:00 a.m. for their agency’s Fall meeting. Chairs of the Conference Council on Ministries program agencies are encouraged to contact group members to ensure full orientation in this important initial meeting of the new quadrennium. Resourcing agencies are not expected to meet. Agency Chairs Gather Friday If you were elected chair of any board or agency of the Southwest Texas Conference, you are invited to gather at Mount Wesley Conference Center on the afternoon of Friday, Sept 5, to meet Bishop Dorff. Valuable background information will top the agenda for 2008-2012 quadrennial leaders. Friday afternoon begins with briefings related to SWTX Conference priorities. With the Bishop, you’ll examine the vision, mission, initiatives, streams and focus areas guiding our work into the next quadrennium. Conference Staff will provide “what every leader needs to know” to access SWTC resources. Official Guidelines will be available. Bishop Dorff will lead communion worship. A time of fellowship will follow with Mount Wesley’s famous “gutter sundaes!”All elected members to attend Saturday program meetings Fall Agency Meetings will begin at 10:00 a.m. in breakout spaces across the Mount Wesley campus. All members of all pro-gram ministry groups comprising the Annual Conference Council on Ministries (ACCOM) will make introductions, schedule Spring 2009 meetings, begin to create quadrennial goals, filling positions like Recorder, Vice-chair, and chairs of Teams & Subcommittees. Saturday Lunch will be served at Noon in the Loaves and Fishes Nutrition Center. Meetings will resume after lunch and are expected to end by 5:00 p.m. Special note: Friday-afternoon’s gathering is meant for chairpersons of both programming and resourcing boards, commissions, committees, and councils, such as chairs of Finance and Trustees as well as Council on Ministries program groups. Attention, Agency Chairs: Meals, Friday night double occupancy room and mileage reimbursement will be provided. Please bring bed/bath linens, and personal items, plus your 2009 calendar. Attention, Agency Members: You are most welcome to come in Friday evening at your convenience, or arrive by 10 am Saturday. Meals, room & mileage reimbursement will be provided. Please bring your 2009 calendar. Attention All: Good stewardship requires good planning. Responses from all are needed. Your “no” response or reservation info (see box at right) may be emailed to SWTC Registrar Cynthia Bedford at cynthiab@umcswtx.org Let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no ___ Yes, I will attend. ___ No, I cannot attend. Please provide Registrar with: Name Address City & Zip Cell Phone Work Phone Email __ Female __ Male __ Lay __ Clergy Agency Name __ I chair this agency. __ I am a member of this agency. My arrival time ___ Day ___ I will depart ___ before lunch Saturday. ___ after lunch Saturday. Physical access or physician- restricted dietary needs SWTC 2008-2012 Quadrennial Leaders Retreat funded in part by the Program Priority Fund of the SWTX Conference Council on Ministries Questions and concerns— Contact Rev. Dr. Austin Frederick, Assistant to the Episcopal Office, 888-349-4191 or 210-408-4500