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Pastoral Announcement
October 27, 2026
Dear Emmanuel Parish Family,
I have some news to share with you about a significant development in our relationship with the William E. and Edna D. Kreps Memorial Trust. I received word this morning from the Chief Trust Officer, Mr. Jeffery Morton, of the death of Mrs. Janice Keefer, the last of nine individual beneficiaries of the Trust. Mrs. Keefer was a niece of Mr. Kreps. She lived her entire 98 1/2 years in Maryland. The funeral was held yesterday.
The income from the Kreps Memorial Trust will, after some legalities are sorted through, be divided between the Salvation Army of Dallas (40%) and Emmanuel Episcopal Church (60%). Our portion is designated in Mr. Kreps' Will for the benefit of our youth development program.
In the present moment, I hope you join me in prayer for the repose of the soul of Mrs. Janice Keefer, and for the Lord to bring comfort and hope to her family who grieves her loss. As we move into the future, we can be thankful for such a tremendous gift and the opportunities it makes possible for us to have a beneficial influence on the lives of young people. We are already engaged in that good work, but soon we will be able to step out even more significantly.
A season of discernment about our stewardship of the Kreps Memorial Trust is already underway. This development adds a new level of seriousness to that discernment. Together we will find a way to exercise a stewardship of the Trust in ways that are beneficial to the spiritual and temporal needs of young people.
I look forward to working together with our parish staff, the Kreps Trust Committee, the Vestry, and all in our congregation as we seek God's will and guidance for our endeavors. Wherever that may lead, and I would welcome your thoughts and inspirations on that subject, it is going to be an exciting adventure that we shall be on together.
Faithfully,
The Rev. Matt Rowe, Rector
