St. Alban’s Episcopal Church and Day School 1417 E. Austin, Harlingen, Texas 78550 Church: (956) 428-2305 Fax (956) 428-8545 School: (956) 428-2326 Fax (956) 428-8457 The Reverend Scott J. Brown, Rector Mary Katherine Duffy, Head of School ‘The Reverend Rod Clark, Assistant Rector Tracy Lamon, Assistant Head of School Dear West Texas Family, St. Alban’s in Harlingen is honored to be your host to the [12th Annual Diocesan Couneil to be held at the McAllen Convention Center in McAllen, Texas, February 18-20, 2016. In Councils past, our themes called us to service and inspired us to rekindle God’s gifts within us. Both serving and rekindling require strength and courage and this year our theme reminds us that “The JOY of the LORD is our strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). When the source of our strength is ourselves, we are easily worn out, When the source of our strength is our community, we are frequently disappointed. But when the source of our strength is our Lord, we are a JOYFUL people! The entire St, Alban’s community is thrilled to weleame you to the Rio Grande Valley for a weekend of strength, fellowship, and JOY! Council begins on Thursday, February 18th with the Business Session starting at 1:00 pm. Following the close of business on Thursday, McAllen Chamber of Commerce will serve us the traditional “Border Buttermilk” (this year non-alcoholic). We are excited to welcome you to our opening Reception, Dinner, and Banquet beginning at 6:00 pm where our guest speaker will be best-selling author Bob Goff. Bob recently visited the diocese and spoke at St. David’s in San Antonio where he used his ‘wonderful sense of humor and his joyful heart to spread his message of God’s strength and love. I invite you to check out his website (www-bobgoff.com) to learn more about his ministry, his message, and hi latest book, “Love Does”. On Friday, Bob will again be our guest at the annual Bishop's Luncheon. The cost of the Friday Luncheon is included in the registration fee for Clergy, Delegates, Alternates and Clergy Spouses. For visitors and other guests the cost is $30. With the exception of the Mission Congregation Dinner at Drury Inn and Suites, all events will be held in the McAllen Convention Center, including our Worship Service on Friday night, Following Worship, dinner is on your own, There are a variety of wonderful places to eat surrounding the Convention Center and in the McAllen area. While several chain restaurants can be found next to the Convention Center, MeAllen also has some great surprises such as The Patio, Salt, La Pampa, and House Wine and Bistro. ‘These places are no secret so make your reservations early. Online registration will open on December 9 for you to register your clergy, delegates, and altemates, In the meantime, check out the website for council (www.couneil-dwstx.org) where you'll find information about hotels, the agenda, nomination forms, and more. St, Alban’s is ready to do everything we can to make your Council experience a JOYFUL one, We look forward to serving as your host. Joyfully Yours, ‘The Rev. Scott J. Brown and the entire Host Committee Church: www.staec.org, School: www.MindsSharpenedDaily.com