Saturday, February 16, 2013

Portland and the Daughters of the King




Steve I went in a day early and spent time with good friends Michael and Marla Hanley. It was wonderful to be with them, to spend time visiting the offices of the Diocese of Oregon and to share stories. We went to Powell's Books -- probably the best bookstore I've ever been to -- thankfully we only had a small carryon bag between us or we would have purchased many more books! We also were able to see some of the beauty of Oregon -- the views of Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood were beautiful on Friday, which was a clear day. Also, the various falls and vista overlooks we saw on the way to and around Menucha Retreat Center were spectacular.

The reason we went to Oregon is that I was asked, as Province VIII Chaplain for the Daughters, to address them at their every-three-year leadership retreat. It was so good to be with the Daughters of the King at Menucha Retreat Center in Corbett, Oregon. Pictured here are all the Daughters who came to the leadership retreat from Province VIII -- including daughters from Alaska and Hawaii. It was an honor for the Daughters to welcome Bishop Michael Hanley, Bishop of Oregon with us.

My talk with them centered on leadership in a changing world. How is the work of the Daughters of the King relevant for younger women? What is the best way for us to communicate our message to the larger community? There was lively discussion and great ideas shared.

We talked about mission and ministry, about prayer and service. We talked about how we care for each other and the world. We celebrated the Eucharist (I lead the Liturgy of the Word, Bishop Hanley celebrated the Liturgy of the Table), and we installed the new Province VIII Daughters of the King President -- the Diocese of Los Angeles' own Sara Lee Macdonald. While I had to leave the Daughters late Saturday morning to catch a plane back to Los Angeles, it was wonderful to be together, even for this short amount of time.

The Daughters of the King have a rule of life that centers around service, evangelism and prayer. Isn't that what we're supposed to all be doing as Christians? I can't wait to see where the leadership of the Daughters will go this triennium in terms of their work together. I can't wait to see in what new ways they will be engaging the communities around them. Please pray for them -- and as a Daughter myself, please pray for me.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Portland Oregon, Menucha Retreat and Conference Center

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