wfn.org | Fort Worth dedicates center for ministry

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2000-218

Fort Worth dedicates center for ministry

by Scott P. Albergate

      (ENS) Several hundred members of the Diocese of Fort Worth joined Bishop 
Jack Iker on a chilly November afternoon to dedicate the diocese's new William A. 
and Elizabeth B. Moncrief Center for Ministry. The $1.5 million center will serve 
as the new base of operations for the 20,000-member diocese.

     In his homily at an outdoor eucharist conducted on the steps of the center, 
Iker described it as "more than just a diocesan headquarters. It is our center 
for spiritual renewal and prayer, our launching point for mission strategy and 
outreach, a place to serve and unify all our people in a common ministry to the 
world about us."

     The Moncrief Center is the first administrative center for the diocese, 
which operated out of leased office space since its founding in 1983. The new 
center includes a resource facility for education and youth ministry, a chapel, 
meeting rooms for diocesan organizations, as well as the administrative offices 
of the bishop and his staff. 

     Construction of the center was made possible by the diocese's recent capital 
campaign, "Directed by Faith--A Vision for Growth," which raised $4 million for 
construction, improvements to the diocese's camp facility, and a fund to plant 
new congregations in the rapidly growing Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area. The 
center is named for the parents of Texas oil industry leader William "Tex" 
Moncrief, Jr., who donated the lead gift to the capital campaign.

     The Diocese of Fort Worth was created when the western portion of the 
Diocese of Dallas was divided off to accommodate the area's growing population. 
The diocese embraces 24 counties and 55 congregations in North Texas.

--The Rev. Scott Albergate is communications officer for the Diocese of Fort 
Worth.