Visitation: St. Philip's in Frisco

Bishop Rob Price visited St. Philip's in Frisco on Sunday where he confirmed nine people, received another into the Church, and prayed over a newly baptized baby.  He gave the homily at two services and met with the vestry. 

The parish marks its anniversary each year with an outreach project to serve the local community. On Sunday, the church celebrated 24 years of ministry by packing125 donated backpacks with needed school supplies. Working with a ministry partner, Cornerstone Assistance Network of North Central Texas, these backpacks will reach high school students in the community to prepare them for the upcoming school year. 

Music is big at St. Philip's and the parish is blessed to have music director Scott Rudes who leads the music ministry in a blended style of worship. On most Sunday's parishioners can praise the Lord through traditional hymns as well as more modern praise and worship music. This is all led by a 7-person vocal team and band. The adult choir sings at both services on the fourth Sunday of the month and offers a more traditional style of music. 

Rudes is a former principal at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas and brings a high level of expertise and passion to his music ministry at St. Philip's. He began accompanying services on the piano at church when he was 13, and shortly after that began studies in the organ. "God has always provided me with a strong calling to music," Rudes said. "From age 5, I sang in the choir and started my studies in piano. It was the Church that afforded me the first opportunities for music leadership."

There are plenty of strong leaders at St. Philip's including Keleigh Linebrink who has a passion for youth and the meaningful programming that helps them grow. At St. Phillip's she brought back the youth program Happening which is aimed at renewing the Church in the power of the Holy Spirit, and making it easier for young people to respond to its call, and to spread the Kingdom of God.  Happening was active in the diocese for many years but had taken a hiatus prior to the pandemic. When Linebrink brought back the programming to her church, she made it open to the entire diocese and is currently helping to plan another one this year. It's put on by teenagers with adult supervision.  Her Children also went  through Happening and loved it and are now helping to plan the next one.  Linebrink said she too went through the program as a teen and it changed her life. Now she wants to help others have the same experience.  "I want to pour into the kids the way I was poured into," Linebrink said.  

Other leadership news at the parish includes a bittersweet transition as their beloved Rector, the Rev. Canon Michael Gilton, retires and longtime priest at the church, the Rev. Clayton Elder takes on the role. Please pray for the parish, Gilton, Elder and their families during this time of change. 

This parish loves service and mission, and is a gift to their community and the diocese. Good things are happening there. 

Visitation St. Peter's in McKinney

Bishop Rob Price visited St. Peter's in McKinney on Sunday where he confirmed 13 confirmands and received one. The church brought a lot of folks through the doors with two morning services, both full, one more than the other.  Perhaps the fruit of theSpirit from their robust service work is keeping the pews packed and the church vibrant. Even as you read this, these believers are volunteering in all capacities at thecity's flagship fundraiser, Empty Bowls: Fighting Hunger One Bowl at a Time. St. Peter's has provided more than 100 volunteers and over $80,000 to the cause annually each year in the last three or four years. However, with great love and devotion served as its hands and feet since the fundraiser started 15 years ago. 

The parish is also celebrating its 150th anniversary with a year-long celebration, Connected in Christ. "They have brought guests to the parish in honor of this milestone. "We've enjoyed fascinating speakers who told us about McKinney's history and our own long history of service to the community,"  said the Rev. Katherine Heitmann, priest in charge. "Bishop Jim Stanton entertained us with stories of Bishop Alexander Garrett and his coming out to McKinney and planting St. Peter's in 1876. This summer we will perform 100 hours of service with our neighbors near and far. We will wrap up this special year with a church-wide event in the fall." 

This church also provides mentors, tutors, and reading group leaders to Burks Elementary. This is a Title I school and about 80 percent of students speak English as their second language. This partnership results in lasting friendships, and lifelong commitment to serving others, Heitmann, said. 

St. Peter's has long been known throughout the Diocese as a church that raises up leaders. For them, that starts with youth.  This year St. Peter's elementary aged children went on a mission trip to Oklahoma, and older youth are traveling to South Dakota to serve. "This form of outreach provides our children and youth the opportunity to step out of their comfort zones, foster personal growth and maturity through hands-on service. Additionally, St. Peter's will host our annual VBS, where many from our local community will come to learn, explore and witness God's love for them," Heitmann said. "These experiences cultivate empathy, strengthen faith, and build lasting friendships, often inspiring a lifelong commitment to serving others."

Speaking of leadership, the Rev. Barbara Kelton serves as a volunteer at St Peter's, and brings with her more than 40 years of experience in ministry. She currently focuses on pastoral care and spiritual formation. Notably, Kelton is the first woman ordained in thediocese to have gone through the entire discernment process here. She worked in several ministries including at Transfiguration, St. Philip's in Sulphur Springs, and for the dioceseas chaplain to students at several colleges in the region. She keeps office hours at St. Peter's for holy conversations, confession and other needs.

Leadership in the Church also means the music program. With great excitement, thechurch recently hired renowned musician Scott Dettra as Director of Music. Many may know Dettra during his decade long service to Incarnation. Acclaimed as one of America's leading concert organists, he came to Dallas from Washington National Cathedral, where he was Organist and Associate Director of Music.  In addition to serving at St. Peter's, he appears nationally as an organ recitalist and ragtime pianist, and produces the podcast, The Daily Office Chanted, which presents daily Morning and Evening Prayer sung to plainsong settings from The Hymnal 1982 and The Plainsong Psalter.  The Daily Office Chanted can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all over major podcast platforms. This follower of Christ discerned a call to music ministry at an early age, and held his first church organist position when he was 13.

From clergy, and ministers over youth, mission and music -- the leadership bench at this church is deep, What a delight and blessing St. Peter's is to its community, the dioceseand the greater Church. 

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