In order for the church to succeed in the Diocese of West Texas, it must first become known, members learned at the annual diocesan council Feb. 8-10 in Brownsville.

At the council a year ago, the Rt. Rev. James Folts, Bishop of West Texas, appointed ad hoc task forces to explore five specific areas of church growth: becoming a South Texas church; ministry to and with younger generations; leadership development; evaluation; and restructure of the executive board.

At the February council, all five task forces, working independently of each other, reported the same conclusion - maintaining the status quo is not an option if the church is to prosper and double its membership by 2005 as Bishop Folts has challenged it to do.

Karla Fernandez Parker presented convention with highlights of a report from the task force on becoming a South Texas church. Her task force hired a marketing company to conduct telephone surveys of 500 households to determine people's awareness of the Episcopal Church in their communities. In almost all cases, cognizance of the Episcopal Church came in last among eight churches - even if there was an Episcopal Church located in the respondent's neighborhood.

More indictments of the Episcopal Church came from the Task Force on Ministry to and With Younger Generations. "The question we have to ask," said the Rev. Jay George, who presented the task force report, "is what must our congregations do to effectively minister to younger generations in our congregations and on our door step?"

A portion of the gathering time was spent attending workshops aimed at generating resources to implement growth strategies in local congregations. "We must create bonds," offered Ms. Parker. "We must listen to and become a part of the lives of those around us as Christ did."

Other council business included passage of a $3.4 million budget for 2001 and a tentative budget of more than $3.5 million for 2002.