On November 8, 2008, Fort Worth Via Media sponsored a workshop to help Episcopalians put the hurts of the past behind them and express what they wanted the reconstructed Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth to look like.

Those present were divided up into six groups. Each group came up with notes on their vision of what they wanted to see in the reorganized diocese:

• All Accepting

• Have the Audacity of Hope

• Diversity of Opinions

• Lay-led, clergy-guided, Christ-centered

• Clergy-pastoral, inspired, accountable

• Active outreach - MDGs

• Global; local

• Welcoming to all - including returning

• Joy -filled (now acceptable)

• Spirit-led

• Re-educate people about TEC

• History, belief, polity - restoring our good name

• Rebuild the respect for TEC

• Rejoin the mainstream of TEC - Happy Episcopalians - and rejoin Province VII

• Leave baggage behind with grace even if it involves brokenness

• Develope the power of the laity

• EFM (Education for Ministry?) Common; the richness of TEC

• Be open to priests who are women

• Welcome back Episcopalians who have beeb worshiping elsewhere

• Diocesan Web Page HeaderThe Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth welcomes you home

• Diocesan center for social justice:
  elderly, employment, health, homelessness, hunger, prison visits, housing information

• Takes the baptismal covenant seriously

• Take advantage of local 7 national resources on youth ministry

• Diocesan-wide communication - keeping all informed of good news in other parishes [perhaps Web site or VBS announcements?]

• Use a language of LOVE - positive words and talking about God

• Outreach to community

• Be twice as big as current diocese in 10 years

• Good leadership; lay& clergy speak up

• Social Justice activism

• Consider alignment of oud Diocesan canons with TEC's canons

• Consider the necesity of a customary

• Educated laity; strong lay leadership

• A diocese that abides by the Constitution and Canons of the National Church

• A joyous and welcoming community of the Body of Christ - a beacon of hope in action -Participating in the kingdom of heaven

• Have fun Joy and celebration

• Do not judge our success by our numbers

• Training for laity - ministry of all the baptized

• Strong honest clergy; leaders who feed their sheep

• Church mission: spiritual

• Bible study - women lead

• Structured Bible study

• Women serving as priests

• Diocsan-wide activities

• Joint equipping people for ministries

• Have more kids in our church

• Lifting our gifts

• Inclusive for all

• Enable people to make a difference

• Be different - open to new ideas

• Greater sense of community - Be body of Christ - Mutual discipleship

• Diversity of Worship and community

• Being comfortable and different - being comfort and being different

Hopes and Dreams:
• Empower laity - ministry of all baptized Mushy & Muscular

• Balanced Christian Education for all ages

• Focus on ministry - outward focus

• Safe place to worship, learn, give

• Everyone has a role to explore; re-commit

• 80%(?) is good; keep; fix that part that corrupts and excludes

• Keep the part that unites; remove what divides

• Governance issues -
  Respect for womem, lay & clergy
  Inclusive - respect and welcome for all
  Active equal voice

• Attitudes -
  Joyful expression
  Spiritual enrichment
  Inclusive not exclusive Tolerant (diocese and parishes)

• Communication & connection

• Youth

• Remove isolation

  Future:

• Inform & empower the laity - lay participation and leadership; don't waste talent

• Rejoin the national church

• Communication: up and down and across the diocese
  Transparency
  P.R. - image building; brand re-building

• Inter-diocesan collaboration
  Youth and young family development

• Female priests possible

• Intra-diocesan collaboration

• A bishop freed to do the job
  Authority vs. power
  (hire a CEO we can fire to do the business)