CENTRALFLORIDAEPISCOPALIAN NEWS FROM THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA • WWW.CFDIOCESE.ORG • Volume 120, No. 1 • Jan.-Feb. 2018
O I C D E S 8 AN 1 0 2 CONVENTION
Upcoming Absalom Jones Celebration Is All About Saving Children St. Gabriel’s Deacon Makes Huge Impact on Trip to Belize Bishop Greg Brewer: ‘Evangelism—Embracing Our Neighborhoods’ DOK Central Florida Collects Staggering $11K Donation for Days for Girls ‘Gearing Up’ for Youth Ministry Prepares Leaders for Future
‘Embracing Our Neighborhoods’
The Diocese of Central Florida The Right Reverend Gregory O. Brewer, Bishop Serving 15 counties through 86 churches and 30,000 members The Episcopal Church The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate An international community of 2.5 million Christians in North and South America, Europe and Taiwan The Anglican Communion The Most Reverend Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury A global community of over 85 million Christians in over 165 countries around the world
Table of Contents Bishop Brewer’s Column – Evangelism – Embracing Our Neighborhoods.................................3 Upcoming Absalom Jones Celebration Is All About Saving Children..................................... 4-5 St. Gabriel’s Deacon Makes Huge Impact on Trip to Belize.......................................................6 A Call From God to ‘Feed My People’......................................................................................7 Lenten Reflection: Remembering...........................................................................................8 Inside Convention Cover........................................................................................................9 2018 Diocesan Convention Schedule and Elections..............................................................10 Meet the Candidates......................................................................................................11-16 Looking Back to the 2017 Diocesan Convention...................................................................17 Texan Rector Brings Hope for Growing Congregations...................................................... 18-19 Two Chefs ‘Embrace Neighborhoods’ for Diocesan Convention Dinner............................. 20-21 DOK Central Florida Collects Staggering $11K Donation for Days for Girls.............................22 DOK’s Prayerful Tradition Draws Retired Priest to Its Chaplaincy............................................23 Small-Town Rector Has Big-Time Dreams for Holy Trinity, Fruitland Park.................................24 Peace and Reconciliation in America Big Topic for ECW.........................................................25
Central Florida Episcopalian
‘Gearing Up’ for Youth Ministry Prepares Leaders for Future...................................................26 Diocesan Calendar of Events/Bishop Brewer Visitation Schedule..........................................27
The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, Bishop The Rt. Rev. John W. Howe Retired The Rt. Rev. Hugo Pina-Lopez Retired The Rt. Rev. John Said Retired The Rt. Rev. William H. Folwell Retired The Rev. Canon Timothy Nunez
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” —Mark 12:30-31
Canon to the Ordinary The Rev. Canon Dr. Justin Holcomb Canon for Vocations
The Central Florida Episcopalian is published by the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida through the cooperative efforts of HigherLife Publishing & Marketing in Oviedo. Submissions are welcome, but are subject to editing and use at the discretion of the Central Florida Episcopalian.
Please submit notices two months prior to event, and follow-up information as soon as possible to:
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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
The Central Florida Episcopalian 1017 E. Robinson St. Orlando, FL 32801-2023 Email: eperez@cfdiocese.org • www.cfdiocese.org Tel: (407) 423-3567 • Fax: (407) 872-0006 Or HigherLife Publishing & Marketing Editorial Director: Jeff Gardenour / editorial@ahigherlife.com Project Manager: Will Hadley / whadley@ahigherlife.com website address: www.ahigherlife.com
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BISHOP BREWER
Evangelism— Embracing Our Neighborhoods By Bishop Greg Brewer
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Bishop Greg Brewer piscopalians are known for our long ecclesiastical tradition, and often for our love and acceptance of those who come through our doors. We are also known for our wonderful programs for those in need – but rarely for evangelism. And that fact has a great deal to do with my choice of the theme for our 2018 Diocesan Convention: “Evangelism—Embracing Our Neighborhoods.” We have a profound need to recover as a priority and encourage congregations to think about how they can reach out to their immediate neighbors.
An Essential Task
So how do we reach out to those neighborhoods? One key strategy is to plant an Episcopal church. The Diocese of Central Florida is intimately involved in church planting as a means of helping everyone involved do the best job possible to accomplish this vital work. You may be aware that our diocese is currently involved in planning several new churches. Bethesda Episcopal Church in the Lake Nona area is a developing community with no other Episcopal congregation. Our diocesan church planter, the Rev. Nick Braunschneider, is working hard to build relationships there. And churches in the Lecanto area, as well as those near Metro West, another high-growth area, are also in conversations about planting new churches. Another factor that has spurred church-planting conversations is the post(Hurricane) Maria influx of our Puerto Rican brothers and sisters. We are working with the Hispanic Commission, chaired by the Rev. Jose Rodriguez, to see how we can meet the needs of this community, including possible church plants. Our newly ordained priest, the Rev. Gladys Rodriguez, is actively involved in building a new congregation.
A Biblical Challenge
One of the hallmarks of what it means to be the church is for us to learn to talk with those we know about faith in Jesus Christ. This means having the kind of relationships where conversations about faith are possible. Our prayer is that some of those conversations would result in people becoming Christians.
As we consider these needs, it’s clear that our challenge goes beyond merely thinking about evangelism. We must become evangelistic. This will require both personal and programmatic change in our local churches. And this, in turn, will require real prayer and discernment.
That’s our understanding of evangelism. A line in the Book of Common Prayer says it well: “So clothe us in Your Spirit so that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name” (taken from the 3rd Collect for Missions in the Service of Morning Prayer).
We must ask God to show us how we can take on the biblical call to evangelism, especially because we have not done that task well. We must be open to whatever the Lord wants us to do so we can make room for something the Scripture commands.
Through the years, many of us have assumed that if we had a decent building, good preaching, fine music and excellent programs, people would automatically come to church. But that hasn’t been true in a significant way for at least the last 20 years. If that’s no longer true, how are we going to bring people into the life of our church? How will they come to faith in Christ? If we’re going to be the church, particularly the church that looks like the New Testament, we must include evangelism as a vital part of what we do.
Our Father, let us bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and the love of you, for the honor of your Name. Amen.
An Important Strategy
Grace to You,
Bishop Gregory O. Brewer
But our task goes beyond taking evangelism to existing congregations, encouraging them to become more intentional about sharing the good news of Christ. Here in Central Florida, our population continues to increase at dramatic rates. And, quite honestly, our churches are not sufficient to reach the people who are moving in. We have entire portions of Central Florida with high growth and no Episcopal church.
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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
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DIOCESAN FAMILY
“The Child You Save Today May Save You Tomorrow.”
Upcoming Absalom Jones Celebration Is All About Saving Children
ly became a free man at the age of 32, bought his home and became an owner of several rental properties he used as income. Being a devoted religious man, Absalom became a lay minister in the interracial congregation of St. George’s Methodist Church in Philadelphia. Together with his friend, Richard Allen, he was one of the first African-Americans licensed to preach by the Methodist Church. Jones became a great preacher and orator in this setting and developed quite a following.
By Dr. John Reynolds
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he Absalom Jones legacy continues when the Central Florida Chapter Union of Black Episcopalians (UBE) presents its annual Absalom Jones Celebration on Feb. 24, 2018, at The Episcopal Church of the Messiah in Winter Garden. The theme, “The Church & UBE Saving Children & Youth Today for a Better Tomorrow” is an extension of the sermon Presiding Bishop Michael Curry gave the summer of 2017 at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Philadelphia – “The Child You Save Today May Save You Tomorrow.” The presiding bishop’s sermon depicted the urgency of saving our children today in order to save the world of tomorrow. He poignantly referred to examples of children in the Bible growing into servitude and messengers of God. Ishmael, Moses and Jesus are key examples upon which he asks for reflection. To save our children of today, Curry challenges Christians to enter the realms of Love, Service, Sunday School Movement (Children and Youth Ministries), and Children/Youth Evangelism to save today’s children and youth. In the legacy of Absalom Jones, UBE is indeed about saving our children. Also, in his legacy we are extending welcoming hands to the community-at-large to reinforce service to others and the message of Jesus.
Legacy of Absalom Jones Absalom Jones was born into slavery in Delaware on Nov. 7, 1746. Working in the household of his owner, he developed a passion for reading. He became a devout Christian, and his love of reading expanded into devouring the New Testament, even in his early years. At age 16, he was permanently separated from his family and eventually moved to Philadelphia with his owner, who permitted him to work in his store and attend a night school for African-Americans operated by Quaker abolitionists. Four years later, Jones married a slave woman, Mary, and with his savings bought her freedom. Absalom final-
In 1787 Jones and Allen, together with other black members, left St. George’s, as they were tired of being segregated to a gallery and given second-class status in the congregation. They founded the Free African Society to help newly Jones freed slaves in Philadelphia with financial and other assistance, such as monetary help for the sick and to bury the dead, and help for widows and orphans. They were activists in efforts to abolish slavery; to eliminate brutal and cruel treatment of runaway slaves; and worked closely with political figures such as Benjamin Franklin and U.S. Rep. George Thatcher of Massachusetts with these initiatives.
The interior of St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church in Hollywood, California, is one of the most aesthetic in the U.S.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DR. JOHN REYNOLDS
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DIOCESAN FAMILY
The African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, the first black church in Philadelphia, opened its doors on July 17, 1794.
In 1792, Absalom and Allen formed the African Church, which was an outgrowth of the Free African Society. During the summer of 1793, under their leadership, the black community was mobilized to care for those afflicted with yellow fever in the greater community of Philadelphia. Many of their followers died in this effort. Continuing their journey in leadership, service and preaching the gospel, Allen founded the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), and Jones petitioned for the African Church to become an Episcopal parish. The church opened its doors on July 17, 1794, as the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas, the first black church in Philadelphia. Jones was ordained as a deacon in 1795 and ordained by Bishop William White as a priest in 1802. Throughout his life, Absalom was a brilliant orator, an abolitionist, a preacher, community servant and Christian leader who is a found-
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ing father of our church and of our nation. He is listed on the Episcopal calendar of the saints and “blessed” under the date of his death, Feb. 13, 1818, in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer as “Absalom Jones, Priest, 1818.”
“The Church & UBE Saving Children & Youth Today for a Better Tomorrow” True to UBE’s mission and the legacy of Absalom Jones, the Central Florida UBE Chapter accepts the challenge evoked by Presiding Bishop Curry and extends an invitation to diverse cultures and Episcopal Church members to join us as we prepare our children and youth to become evangelists for Jesus. The topics of Love, Service, Children & Youth Ministries, and Evangelism will be spiritually explored. Liturgy and music will support our inspiration.
Absalom Day Celebration Date: Feb. 24, 2018 Location: The Episcopal Church of the Messiah • 241 Main St., Winter Garden, FL Continental breakfast and lunch served Registration: Send $15 to UBE
by Feb. 12, 2018 P.O. Box 617497 Orlando FL 32861-7497
Questions? Please call: 407-621-1885 Submitted by: Dr. John Robertson, Central Florida UBE president Faye Henderson, Absalom Jones Day Celebration chair
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DIOCESAN FAMILY
St. Gabriel’s Deacon Makes Huge Impact on Trip to Belize By Nina Keck
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eacon John Clark of St. Gabriel’s Episcopal in Titusville truly felt called by God to make his recent mission trip to Belize, a country on the eastern coast of Central America known for its extensive, coral Barrier Reef and fall celebrations, among other things. “I woke up from a dream where God said, ‘Go to Belize,’” Clark said. “I didn’t even know where Belize was! “Belize is a very poor, dangerous country in Central America,” Clark said. “The average annual income is $10,000. Gas is $11.65 a gallon. All levels of school have tuition. They have all that expense on that salary. It’s crazy! We went not knowing what God had in store. I assumed God would reveal His plan when we got there. He did.” The mission served a Roman Catholic elementary school and an Anglican school. “A lady was teaching English to children at the Catholic elementary school with only one dry-erase marker. The children sat in a circle on the floor. There were no chairs, no books and no pencils. We have adopted her and the
The St. John’s Cathedral Diocese of Belize soup kitchen is open Tuesdays 10 a.m. to noon.
Anglican village school in St. Ignacio.” The mission extended its reach to food assistance, as well. Clark and his wife, Jacki, also helped out at a soup kitchen in Belize City. “The day we arrived, the soup kitchen fed 300 people chicken feet, donated vegetables, a bag of rice, soup and bread,” Clark said “The kitchen was buying their rice at the grocery store. I contacted the largest rice grower in Belize and went to their warehouse. I told them that I wanted to pay the distributors’ price. I said I’d like to buy 50 pounds of rice at the distributors’ price, and I asked the owner to donate 20 pounds of rice at the same price. I bought 100 pounds of rice that day and took that rice, along with the donated 20 pounds, to the kitchen. The kitchen now receives 120 pounds of rice each month. Now the kitchen can use its money for other areas of need instead of buying the rice at the grocery store at full price.” The kitchen had no seasonings to put in the soup, so Clark got busy to remedy the situation. “I called the spice company that my wife and
St. Hilda’s Anglican Church and school in Georgeville, Belize, were recipients of missionary work.
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Children learn to read at St. Jude’s Catholic School in Camalote, Belize.
People gather for Soup Kitchen Day recently at the Cathedral Church of St. John The Baptist.
I had bought from when we were distributors and asked to speak to the owner,” he said. “I was told that he had died four weeks earlier. The person on the phone said that he was the new owner, and could he help me. I told him my story, and he said, ‘Yes!’ He donated a case of restaurant-sized containers of garlic, paprika and black
Houses in Belize have no windows or screens. Wooden shutters are closed for privacy.
pepper. He also donated money and school supplies! He sends them every month.” The mission trip gave the Clarks a new perspective on what needs and wants are. “There are no windows or screens in the houses we saw. At night they close wooden shutters. People in the poorest section of Titusville are affluent in comparison,” Clark said. The trip made such an impression on the Clarks that they are preparing for an encore. On Feb. 6 they leave for Belize again. Folks interested in going or helping out may contact Clark at deaconjohnny@deaconjohnny.com via email. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY DEACON JOHN CLARK
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DIOCESAN FAMILY
A Call From God to ‘Feed My People’ Deacon forms No One Hungry food bank ministry By Nina Keck
No One Hungry,
a food bank ministry at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church and Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Titusville, started as a call from God to “feed my people” and a choir room filled with canned goods.
A missionary team member delivers food to shut-ins before Hurricane Irma strikes. Long lines form at the pantry after Hurricane Irma hit Florida in September.
The mission today has spread beyond the walls of the pantry and into a homeless camp near the church. “All of our parishioners support reaching outside the stained-glass windows and making their parish the world,” said St. Gabriel’s Deacon John Clark, who heard the Lord’s call to feed the flock. “We give out tents, clothing, toiletries, bikes, air mattresses – whatever they need. “Since it began, we have distributed some canned goods with pull-tabs to the homeless,” Clark said. “It’s not likely that they’d have a can opener.” The mission has been a successful one, in part because of working with another church. Early on, St. Gabriel’s wanted to partner with another church so leaders approached Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church for several reasons. The clergy and congregation of both churches already had a working relationship.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY DEACON JOHN CLARK
There are other partners in this mission, as well. Clark explains: “We have partnered with Second Harvest Food Bank, and we are now able to buy food at 10 to 15 cents per pound. We have also partnered with other local organizations to refer those in need to other programs that may improve their quality of life.”
Clark sees the Lord leading the ministry to new locations in Florida, as well as globally. Parishes interested in becoming a part of No One Hungry are asked to please contact Clark at 321-267-2545 or go to the website: https://www.noonehungryfl. org for details.
“Their pastor and our rector have cooperated a lot,” Clark said, “taking turns preaching at each other’s churches. We knew that this church served an economically deprived community. They had a similar pantry. It just made sense to partner with them.” The churches have split their good work between two food banks. One serves senior citizens, the homeless and shut-ins; the other serves African-American families and singles over the age of 55. “This joint venture has provided inroads to racial reconciliation,” Clark said. A missionary team member hands out food to the homeless.
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Chef Robin Ryan of A Chef’s Touch Catering Service, left, and Deacon John Clark contribute heavily to the No One Hungry program.
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With Ash Wednesday Looming, May We ‘Be Strengthened to Bear Our Cross’ Katie Gillett, a seminarian of the Diocese of Central
Florida who is finishing her studies at Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina, was asked to write a Lenten reflection for the January-February 2018 edition of the CFE Episcopalian. Gillett is a parishioner from St. Mary of the Angels Episcopal Church in Orlando and a Candidate for Holy Orders. Her article “Blessed Repetition” recently appeared in Anglican Episcopal House of Studies Perspectives for Duke Divinity School. Below is her Lenten reflection, titled “Remembering.” Remembering By Katie Gillett
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s the daylight fades, another day has passed. The joys and sorrows are prominent in memory as we gather as a community. For the past several years, in the season of Lent, I have adopted the devotion of Stations of the Cross. At times with fellow students and at other times with individuals in the parish, I journey with others in tracing the steps of Jesus in his passion and death. The devotion of “The Way of the Cross,” as found in the Book of Occasional Services, arises from the practice of pilgrims journeying to Jerusalem to revisit and remember Jesus’ last days of earthly ministry, crucifixion and burial. At each station, our voices join together to declare, “We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.” Moving from station to station, the repetition turns our gaze and directs our lives to the Lord. As I trace Jesus’ steps and reflect on the feet of Jesus journeying to the cross in “The Way of the Cross,” I am called to remember. No simple act, remembering involves reenacting, recalling and reliving Christ’s Passion in the present. In contrast to remembering the unfinished task list or the dinner plans for the evening, remembering directs us to Jesus and our complete dependence on him. We remember and are immersed in the ongoing, living story. We are following and journeying with Christ to the cross. Adoring and blessing the Lord we remember Christ lived and died to redeem
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the world. No longer isolated as individuals, as our culture celebrates and rewards, we remember that we are a community. The Lord calls us to love the Lord with all our heart, mind and being, and our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:37-40). In the season of Lent, as we prepare for the Paschal feast, we once more seek to follow Christ and serve Christ in all persons, loving them as ourselves (Book of Common Prayer, p. 305). With Ash Wednesday around the corner, soon we will hear the words that bid us “in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 265). As we ponder together the devotions of self-denial and remembering we will partake in during this season of Lent, may we journey with Christ. May we confess our dependence on him and “be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 217).
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O I C D E S 8 AN 1 0 2 CONVENTION
Your Guide to Convention Schedule, Elections, Guest Preacher, Friday Night Dinner, More www.cfdiocese.org
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2018 DIOCESAN CONVENTION
‘Embracing Our Neighborhoods’
2018 Diocesan Convention Schedule and Elections The 2018 Convention will meet Friday, Jan. 26, and Saturday, Jan. 27, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2365 Pine Ave., Vero Beach, Florida 32960. From the Committee on Nominations & Elections
SCHEDULE
OFFICES TO BE FILLED BY ELECTION AT CONVENTION:
Highlights from the proposed agenda: • Friday afternoon and Saturday morning: Registration of delegates and nonvoting guests • Friday worship Celebration of the Holy Eucharist at 5 p.m., Friday, January 26 Celebrant - The Right Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, Bishop Preacher – The Rev. Michael Michie, TEC Officer Church Planting & Infrastructure
Membership on STANDING COMMITTEE
The Standing Committee is a Council of Advice to the bishop. When there is no bishop, the Standing Committee is the Ecclesiastical Authority for all proper purposes. The Standing Committee consists of four clerical members (who shall be elected for four-year terms) and three lay members (who shall be elected for three-year terms). The Standing Committee generally meets monthly or at the special call of the president of the Standing Committee or the bishop. The Standing Committee serves as the Resolutions Committee for all Regular and Special Meetings of the Convention.
To be elected:
• “It’s Not your Daddy’s Oldsmobile: Thinking Strategically about the Future” • Convention Fellowship Dinner in the Great Hall, catered by A Chef’s Touch, featuring local food
• Displays from seminaries, organizations and ministries supported by the Diocese of Central Florida will be open Friday afternoon and Saturday morning through the end of lunch • Saturday worship Morning Prayer, Noonday Prayer and Closing Worship • Bishop Brewer’s Convention Address
• Elections to membership on the Diocesan Board; the Standing Committee; and Board of Trustees, University of the South • Adoption of 2018 diocesan budget
• Presentation and possible adoption of Resolutions and/or Changes in Diocesan Canons • Introductions of visitors, seminarians and clergy in new positions in the diocese
One clergy person to be elected to a four-year term One clergy person to be elected to a one-year term One lay person to be elected to a three-year term
Membership on DIOCESAN BOARD The Diocesan Board is the Board of Directors of the corporation known as the Diocese of Central Florida Inc. The affairs of the diocese not falling within the exclusive province of the bishop shall be managed by the Diocesan Board. Members of the board shall be elected for three-year terms. The Diocesan Board generally meets monthly or at the call of the Ecclesiastical Authority. Board members are expected to serve on a Commission or Committee of the Diocese that meets at the call of the chair. To be elected:
One clergy person to be elected to a one-year term One clergy person to be elected to a three-year term Two lay persons to be elected to a three-year term
(Deans [clergy] and presidents [lay] are elected by their respective deaneries at a pre-convention deanery meeting and serve a three-year term on the Diocesan Board)
• Saturday box lunch
• Clergy Spouse Luncheon on Saturday hosted by Mrs. Laura Lee Brewer Mrs. Margaret Squire, Luncheon Speaker
• Bishop’s appointments to membership on the Commission on Ministry, Disciplinary Board, Committee on Constitution and Canons, and other organizations • Recognition of service of those whose terms of office are completed • Commissioning of those newly elected to offices
• Adoption of Memorial Resolution in honoring clergy who have died since the 48th Annual Convention • Invitation to the 50th Annual Diocesan Convention
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Membership on BOARD of TRUSTEES University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee
Trustees of the University of the South elect and appoint the Board of Regents, a chancellor, the vice chancellor and a chaplain. Trustees hold the land in trust for the University, promote church support and student enrollment, and approve or reject plans for growth and development. They meet annually and ratify the work of the Board of Regents. To be elected:
One lay person to be elected (three-year term)
—Compiled by Marilyn Lang
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2018 DIOCESAN CONVENTION
‘Embracing Our Neighborhoods’
Diocesan Convention Candidates Are Experienced, Spiritual Group Multiple positions for various committees to be filled at annual event The 49th Annual Diocesan Convention will be held Friday, Jan. 26, and Saturday, Jan. 27, 2018, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2365 Pine Ave., Vero Beach, Florida 32960. Offices for membership on the Standing Committee; Diocesan Board; and Board of Trustees for the University of South, Sewanee, Tennessee, will be filled by election. Candidates from various orders provided us some personal, educational, professional and elected office background, and more.
NOMINEES FOR ELECTED OFFICE 2018 STANDING COMMITTEE CANDIDATES • CLERICAL ORDER The Rev. Christopher Rodriguez It has been my privilege to serve as rector at Trinity Episcopal Church in Vero Beach since August 2012. In the recent past, Trinity faced many challenges, but I continue to be amazed and give thanks to our Lord for the tremendous growth in joy, spiritual depth and number. Prior to my ministry in Vero, I served as rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Red Bank, New Jersey. During my six-year tenure in Red Bank, the parish doubled in Average Sunday Attendance (ASA). In addition, while in New Jersey I served as the dean of the Monmouth Convocation, chair of Congregational Development Committee and as a member of Diocesan Council. I have a master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and spent 10 years in the corporate world. During that time, I led teams in information technology (IT) to articulate and achieve objectives. I am passionate about preaching the gospel, leadership and giving people the vision and tools to use the gifts that our Lord has given them. If elected to the Standing Committee, I will use my experience to serve our bishop on his Council of Advice. While the church has challenges in every age and season, I am excited about the forward movement of our diocese and the future of the Episcopal Church. I have been married to Kathleen for 21 years, and we have three daughters. I enjoy running, reading, playing guitar and spending time with my family and friends.
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The Rev. Gary Jackson I am currently serving as the rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and Academy in Cocoa, Florida. Prior to accepting the call to St. Mark’s in November 2016, I was the rector of Holy Trinity, Bartow, for five years. I attended seminary at Asbury (Orlando) and Nashotah House (Wisconsin) following a career as a field claims representative for several insurance companies handling auto, injury and homeowners’ claims. That experience of working with people in difficult times inadvertently wellprepared me for ministry in this challenging season. As the dean of the Southwest Deanery, I served a three-year term on the Diocesan Board and was the chair of the Stewardship Commission. I am completing a one-year term on the Standing Committee at this convention, having been nominated by the bishop to fill an unexpired term in 2017. I also serve the diocese as a member of the Constitution and Canons Committee. I would add that it has been the caring of my lay and clerical colleagues that has helped make this service a wonderful addition to my life. My wife, Christina, tells me my greatest strength is that I love the Episcopal Church almost as much as I love Christ Jesus. I find this to be true. I believe
our Anglican expression of the Christian faith has much to offer our postmodern world. I desire to continue in service to our diocese, bishop and you by being elected a member of the Standing Committee. I believe that my life experience, diocesan experience and my calling to proclaim God’s love will make me a helpful member of the Standing Committee team.
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2018 DIOCESAN CONVENTION
‘Embracing Our Neighborhoods’
STANDING COMMITTEE CANDIDATES • LAY ORDER Dr. Lorraine K. Harris Since early childhood I have been exposed to events and opportunities that have prepared me to serve in God’s vineyard. It is with this awareness that I answer obediently the call to serve on the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Central Florida. I was confirmed in the Diocese of Florida and I have been an active member of St. John the Baptist in Orlando for more than 50 years. Over the years, I have served as Sunday school teacher and superintendent, acolyte mother, secretary and president of the Episcopal Church Women, and United Thank Offering custodian. I served 27 consecutive years as secretary to the vestry and became the first female at St. John the Baptist to serve as senior warden. I have served as chairman of the search committee for a new priest and chaired the funding drive for the present sanctuary. This led to the burning of the mortgage in seven years. I continue to serve as membership chair and program coordinator for The Order of the Daughters of the King. I was licensed as a lay reader by the Right Rev. William Folwell and continue to serve as a lay reader. I was first appointed to serve on the Commission on Ministry by Bishop (John W.) Howe and continue to serve in this ministry. This year, I will complete a three-year term as a member of the Diocesan Board. I grew up in Orlando, Florida, and graduated from Jones High School. I received the degree of Bachelor of Science and the degree of Master of Education from Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Florida; and the degree of Doctor of Educational Administration with a minor in Curriculum from the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. Professionally, I served in the Public Schools of Orange County for over 35 years. I served my last 18 years as an elementary school principal. I have served and continue to serve in my community. I am a life member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and have served this organization on the local, regional and national level. In 2002, I chaired the Boule (national convention), hosting more than 10,000 delegates. An award, “The Outstanding Golden Soror Award,” is given each year in my honor to the “golden” member who is exemplary in service in her community and chapter.
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Presently, I serve as vice chairman of “Petals of Hope” Foundation. This is the charitable arm of my chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. The foundation has completed three years of a five-year pledge of $10,000 per year to Florida Hospital, ensuring that no patient misses treatment or appointment because of lack of transportation. I am also a charter member of and serve as chairman of community service projects for The Orlando Chapter of Chums Inc. Under my leadership as chairman, this organization has become noted in the community for its Children Reading Festivals and Books Give-Away. I have provided bridge camps for youth. I continue to chair reading festivals for pupils and serve as a volunteer in Washington Shores Elementary School. My favorite pastimes are reading and playing duplicate bridge. I seek to obey the call of duty and to support and assist our bishop by offering myself as a servant on the Standing Committee for the Diocese of Central Florida.
Mrs. Fran Dunn My daily prayer is for God to guide and direct me in all my doings and that in all my works I may glorify His holy name. I welcome the opportunity to serve on the Standing Committee at a time when our church is experiencing changes that will challenge us theologically as we avow to continue our mission to be the face of Christ in this, the 21st century of our Lord. I have been worshipping at St. Mary’s, Daytona Beach, for the last 67 years. During that time, I have served several terms on the vestry, serving six years as the senior warden; the treasurer off and on for 15 years; stewardship chair; hospitality chair; bus ministry; capital campaign cochair; LEM (Lay Eucharist Minister); LEV (Lay Eucharist Visitor); choir member; and member of four search committees, serving once as chair. I have served one full term and currently am concluding a one-year term on the Diocesan Board. My first career was 30 years in retail management and my second was 15 years as a church administrator.
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2018 DIOCESAN CONVENTION
‘Embracing Our Neighborhoods’
DIOCESAN BOARD CANDIDATES • CLERICAL ORDER The Rev. Scott Holcombe I have been honored to serve as rector of St. David’s by-the-Sea, Cocoa Beach, since 2010. My background in congregational development and construction have been handy as we have undergone a complete renovation and modernization of our program and facility. Our congregation and budget have almost doubled. We have revitalized our outreach ministries and currently give almost 20 percent of our operating income to specific outreach needs. St. David’s and I have come alongside other congregations around the diocese, assisting with their building and renovation plans and in congregational development consultations. I have also organized clergy workdays at multiple sites around the diocese. (The year) 2018 marks my 40th anniversary of ordained ministry. During that time, I have served as an assistant to the rector twice and rector of six congregations. Previously, I have served on the Diocesan Board in the Diocese of Atlanta, in West Virginia and twice on the Diocesan Board of Central Florida. In the past, I have also served on the Cursillo Commission, Canterbury Board, Clergy Events Committee and as dean of the Southwest Deanery. On the national level, I also served as Province 3 Coordinator for the Episcopal Partners for Catechesis. Married 43 years to La Nora Hazelwood Holcombe; the father of five, with 10 grandchildren; and as a lifelong Episcopalian, I am devoted to serving the Lord Jesus and His church, wherever I can be of service. I look forward to being back on the Diocesan Board and resuming my ministry of bringing cookies for our meetings!
The Rev. Jason A. Murbarger Deployment: I am currently serving Christ as rector of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Daytona Beach, and have been a priest in the Diocese of Central Florida since 2013. Prior to St. Mary’s, I served as the assistant to the rector at Trinity in Vero Beach. Experience: Before accepting a call to the priesthood, I served eight years on active duty as an Air Force intelligence officer managing people, teams, deployments, processes and budgets. Following my time in the Air Force, I spent 11 years selling commercial real estate in both Center City Philadelphia and Charleston, South Carolina. I have considerable experience in management, budgeting, finance, real estate, long-range planning, contracts and negotiation.
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I would be honored to apply these skills to serve you on our Diocesan Board. Family: I have been married to my wife Sharon for 25 years. She is very actively involved with her DOK (Daughters of the King) vow of prayer, service and evangelism around our diocese. We have two grown sons: Jarrod, 23, and Jordan, 21. They are both confirmed Christians who actively participate in the life of the church. Education: 2010-2013 Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Nashotah House (Wisconsin) 1994-1997 Master of Business Administration (MBA), St. Martin’s University (Lacey, Washington) 1988-1992 Bachelor of Science Business Administration (BSBA), Finance, The Citadel (Charleston, South Carolina)
The Rev. Alison P. Harrity Growing up in Miami, I became active at St. Thomas Episcopal, Coral Gables. During my senior year at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (Geneva, New York), I became a postulant in the Diocese of Southeast Florida. For two years I served as youth minister at St. David’s Episcopal (located in a Philadelphia suburb) before attending Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California. After ordination, I served for four years as assistant priest at St. Gregory’s, Boca Raton. I then was called to St. David’s as associate rector. Increasingly interested in innovative financial management and outreach, I became a member of the Board of Episcopal Community Services (ECS) and served from 2007-2011, overseeing a budget of $9 million and a $60 million endowment. In 2011, I accepted the call to become rector at St. Richard’s. I work closely with the vestry and Finance Commission, and we marshal our limited resources to serve the congregation and the diocese. We pursue options that generate grants or stimulate donations that resonate with the church’s mission. In 2015, St. Richard’s received a $46,000 United Thank Offering (UTO) grant to support the digging of wells in Tanzania. Last year we established an ongoing relationship with the YMCA, providing them teaching space in our parish hall. The YMCA makes a financial contribution for the use of our space, and YMCA participants are increasingly attending our programs. St. Richard’s has expanded programming and outreach and has ended each of the last seven years with a modest surplus. I’ve continued my nonprofit leadership, serving for six years as a trustee for The Gardens at DePugh (a skilled nursing facility serving the Winter Park poor) with a $2.7 million budget. Additional contributions to the Diocese of Central Florida include two years of teaching at ICS and five years as a Camp Wingmann chaplain (in Avon Park). As a member of the Diocesan Board, I would be a good and faithful steward of the business of our common life.
CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
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2018 DIOCESAN CONVENTION
‘Embracing Our Neighborhoods’
DIOCESAN BOARD CANDIDATES • LAY ORDER Mrs. Susan Hill Shannon Native New Englanders, my husband and I moved to Orlando in 1991. Together with our son, Colin, we opened Shannon’s Casual Café in south Orlando. I have been an active communicant of The Cathedral Church of St. Luke since 1991. I have served on the Cathedral Chapter, the Diocesan Board, the Standing Committee, and the Strategic Planning Commission. My current Diocesan activities include membership on the Standing Committee and on the Commission on Ministry. As a member of the Anglican Communion, I believe the Creeds, Holy Scripture, the Sacraments and the Historic Episcopate are essential to the church. The first challenge facing our diocese is how to move forward with the positive spiritual emphasis on the grace and love of Christ that we already exhibit. In the face of growing opposition from the secular world, we must continue to build on the great truths of God’s Word and maintain our faithfulness to Holy Scripture and the traditional teachings of the church. The second challenge is to create a positive environment for evangelism. By changing the culture from maintenance to evangelism, parishioners can become excited about the primary mission of the church, the spread of the saving word of God. Several positive benefits result from this: increased evangelism means that many aided parishes can become self-supporting and begin contributing to the new missions that would be started. This growth impacts the financial health of the diocese and allows more mission and outreach. The key is to commit to evangelism, not church growth. Third, we will be challenged by the need to preach and teach, in the Anglican tradition, the grace-filled message of Christ’s love in a world that is desperately seeking meaning but unaware of where to search for it. Together with Bishop (Greg) Brewer, I wish to contribute to healing and unifying the Episcopal Church we cherish and respect, and to offer the message of salvation as it has been passed down to us. To be a member of the Diocesan Board would be a privilege to which I would give my enthusiasm, devotion and utmost efforts.
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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
Mrs. Genevieve “Jenny” Brathwaite I presently attend St. Peter’s Church (in Lake Mary) with Father Chris (Brathwaite) and have joined the adult choir. I am a member of the Episcopal Church, a communicant in good standing and a faithful financial contributor. I am pleased to be nominated as a candidate to serve for another term as a member of the Diocesan Board in the Diocese of Central Florida. I have served as a member of the Commission on Ministry since 2013 and look forward to being reappointed to serve another four-year term. I believe I have made a difference during my years on the Commission. I take my role seriously, and it’s a privilege to work alongside the other members whom I see as great leaders, leading others to work for Christ. I am a member of the Daughters of the King (DOK). My role is encouraging and training women and girls to become members to love and serve Christ in their daily walk of life. I have presented the “Safeguarding God’s People” and “Safeguarding God’s Children” training on behalf of the diocese. Additionally, I am a Bible-study group leader, a licensed Lay Eucharistic Minister, a Lay Eucharistic Visitor and a worship leader. If elected as a member of the Diocesan Board, I will continue to work to make a difference in the life of the church by helping to maintain the continuity and integrity throughout the churches in the Diocese of Central Florida. I am committed to serve as best as I can to help support the bishop in fulfilling his vision of raising up new leaders and restoring lives in our community. I believe the mission of the Diocese of Central Florida is for the churches to raise up new leaders by recruiting and educating people through lay and ordained ministries, to become equipped to be missionaries, and to reach out to those who are less fortunate. I have a passion for Jesus and want to continue to serve Him in whatever way I can.
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2018 DIOCESAN CONVENTION
‘Embracing Our Neighborhoods’
DIOCESAN BOARD CANDIDATES • LAY ORDER continued Mrs. Kay Wolf
shaped by the love of Christ in human hearts. Active in the Southern Baptist church even as a child, I became a volunteer in high school, coordinating programs for the Baptist youth group. In college, I became president of the FSU Baptist Student Union and worked as a youth leader for a small church near Tallahassee. After marriage, I moved with my husband to Louisville, Kentucky, where I discovered the rich Episcopal beliefs and liturgy and was confirmed at Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral.
I have been active in Episcopal churches in Louisville, San Francisco (St. Aiden’s), Tallahassee (St. Francis’), and Orlando (St. Matthew’s, St. Michael’s and St. Richard’s). At St. Michael’s, I was a choir member, president of ECW, and a volunteer organizer for children’s and youth retreats and events. At St. Richard’s, I am on the vestry, in the choir and chair of the Outreach Commission. I have been a lawyer for 40-plus years. I retired from Ford Harrison, a national labor and employment firm, where I was a shareholder, executive committee member and project leader for building a school in rural Cambodia. In 2015, I founded Kay L. Wolf Mediation Services to resolve employment disputes in state and federal courts. I have served on boards of numerous local and national nonprofit organizations as a member, chair and vice president. My husband, my two children, my recent grandchild, the church and community service are the centerpieces of my life. I offer a history of volunteerism, program development, and fiscal and financial management and would be blessed if I should become part of the Diocesan Board.
Ms. Bonnie Danner As an Episcopalian, I wish with all my heart to help our church and our diocese achieve the golden rule and strive for Christ’s challenging message to us – to love our neighbors as ourselves. I believe that love is the essence of Christianity, and I see love in the hearts of Episcopalians everywhere. From the perspective of a mother of two and grandmother of five, I have hopes and dreams for a future that is
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Originally from Virginia, I moved to Orlando in 1998 on a job transfer, accepting new challenges to secure military information systems in the modeling and simulation environment. I have been blessed with two successful, rewarding technical careers in high school and university teaching and cybersecurity engineering research, development and project management. My college background includes a bachelor’s degree in English with a mathematics option and a master’s degree in mathematical sciences. Now in retirement, I have more time to devote to giving back to others. My church is important to me, and I am pleased to be nominated as a candidate of the Diocesan Board in the Diocese of Central Florida. I have had considerable professional experience in managing and serving on committees and boards, and strong experience as a leader in volunteer and church organizations in Virginia and Florida. My church service in Virginia includes teaching all levels of church school (preschool through adult education over the years) at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Richmond and at St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria. Also in Virginia, I was church youth leader for three years, a member of the Flower Guild, served as Every Member Canvas chair and supported many outreach organizations. My outreach activities included service work in Appalachia and with homeless shelters at my church and in the community. I am a cradle Episcopalian, baptized as an infant at St. Andrew’s Church. In Orlando, I have been an active communicant of St. Richard’s Episcopal Church (in Winter Park) for more than 18 years. During those years, I have served on the vestry and was senior warden for two years. I was co-chair of a very successful capital campaign that surpassed its goal and provided sorely needed resources to restore our church facilities. I have continued to work with church education, including Godly Play teaching and Adult Education Committee support and church presentations. I continue to support outreach activities with a focus on homeless ministries. Currently I am a member of the St. Richard’s Vestry, St. Margaret’s Guild and the Flower Guild. I pledge to use all my God-given gifts to help our diocese follow the teachings of Jesus. If elected to the Diocesan Board, I will serve the Lord with all my heart and strive to help Central Florida Episcopalians reach out to one another in love and understanding. We must truly listen to one another with open hearts, seeking God’s grace and forgiveness to reach our greatest potential in Central Florida.
CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
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2018 DIOCESAN CONVENTION
‘Embracing Our Neighborhoods’
TRUSTEE, UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH CANDIDATES • LAY ORDER Dr. Pamela Glenn Menke A vestry member for St. Richard’s, Winter Park, I have served on the vestries of St. Paul’s Episcopal (junior warden), Newton, Massachusetts, and St. Bede’s Episcopal, Miami. I joined St. Richard’s when, upon retirement, I moved to Orlando five years ago to be near my grandchildren. To expand worship-education options for St. Richard’s and the diocese, I initiated the seminar series “Summoning the Divine: Literature Through the Lens of Faith” (2014). This monthly series draws 30-plus participants from St. Richard’s, All Saints’ and from other faith traditions. I became an Episcopalian while in college at Indiana University, where I was active as a Christian leader on the regional-national levels. During summer 1961, I studied at the Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley. After college graduation, I worked for Time-Life Magazines (New York) but felt the call to pursue higher education. I enrolled at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill where I received a master’s and a doctorate in English with a specialty in Literature of the American South. Believing that learning opens doors to opportunity and transformation, I chose to work with colleges that focus on the underserved and became a faculty member (eventually a tenured full professor) and, sometimes concurrently, an administrator (department chair, dean, vice president, and provost) at colleges in Greensboro, New Orleans; Charleston, New Hampshire, Boston and, most recently, Miami. I have worked closely with faculty, administrators and trustees and would be honored to serve the diocese as a trustee for the University of the South.
Mr. Parker Bauer Of the 109 dioceses in the Episcopal Church, we’re fortunate to be one of the 28 that own the University of the South – also known, handily, as Sewanee. That’s fortunate, because Sewanee affords us an outreach to young people at a pivotal time in life, and also a leading role in the education of clergy for the Episcopal Church. Moreover, Sewanee directs Education for Ministry, the program of Christian formation that has helped thousands of laypersons be better disciples of our Lord. With both an undergraduate college and a seminary, Sewanee fills the definition John Henry Newman set forth in The Idea of a University: an institution that teaches all branches of knowledge, including theology, and where no branch is absent so that none can trespass upon any other – the sciences upon theology, for example.
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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
I would welcome the chance to continue serving as a Sewanee trustee – to represent the diocese at Sewanee and represent Sewanee in the diocese. The first thing, to me, is to keep Sewanee firmly tied to its anchorage in the church. Always in a secular culture there are currents that would tug it away, cast it adrift. At convention, I’m pleased to wear a Sewanee button saying: “The Episcopal University.” With my wife, Charlotte, I’ve been a member of Holy Trinity, Fruitland Park, since the 1980s, serving there as senior warden and as stewardship chair. We have three daughters, Katie (a 2003 Sewanee graduate), Stephanie and Valerie. I’m a writer, with work appearing in The Weekly Standard, The American Scholar and elsewhere. God saw me through the Ohio State University, somehow; also the Marine Corps.
2018 DIOCESAN CONVENTION • EXHIBITORS The following exhibitors will be on hand at the 49th Annual Diocesan Convention Friday and Saturday, Jan. 26-27, at Trinity Episcopal Church, Vero Beach: • Anglican Frontier Missions • Asbury Theological Seminary • Bishop Gray Retirement Home • Brotherhood of St. Andrew • Camp Wingmann • Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center • Central Florida Episcopalian • Cursillo • Diocesan Altar Guild • Dong Team • Duke Divinity School • Emmaus Bible Ministries • Episcopal Church Women • The Honduras Commission • New Beginnings • Reformed Theological Seminary • SAMS (Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders) • Seminary of the Southwest • Solar Light for Africa • Trinity School for Ministry • University of the South, School of Theology (Sewanee, Tennessee) • Youth Ministry Institute
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LOOKING BACK TO THE 2017 DIOCESAN CONVENTION MEMORIES FROM TRINITY PREP, WINTER PARK ERICK PEREZ/CFE THE 2017 DIOCESAN CONVENTION was held at Trinity Prep in Winter Park. The convention drew scores of clergy and guests from all over Central Florida and beyond.
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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
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2018 DIOCESAN CONVENTION
Texan Rector Brings Hope for Growing Congregations The Rev. Michael Michie will preach about church planting at Diocesan Convention By Jeff Gardenour
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The Rev. Mike Michie, far left, with Deacon Pam Fairley, middle, and Rev. Andrew Van Kirk at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in McKinney, Texas, in June.
Michie he motto of McKinney, Texas, is “Unique by nature.” And the Episcopal Church Michie will be talking about can readily attest to that, thanks to the the wide spectrum of church hiring of the Rev. Michael Michie. planting and how anyone can be involved when he preaches at the Michie has become a star of sorts in the Episcopal Celebration of Holy Eucharist Church, thanks to successfully planting a pair of at the 49th Annual Diocesan churches in the Lone Star State. His success in Convention on Friday, Jan. 26, at leading others to the Lord led to another blessing Trinity Episcopal more recently. Church in Vero In the late summer of 2017, Michie Beach. left his position as rector of St. a real honor for me to be a Andrew’s in McKinney, Texas, to “Embracing our “It’s part of (Bishop Curry’s) staff,” said become the Episcopal Church Staff Officer for Church Planting neighborhoods is Michie, whose office is based in New York City, but who works Infrastructure, a member of how to see your from his home in Texas. “I’m Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s staff. It was a natural transition in the third, fourth quarter of neighbors as a for Michie, who planted his my ministry and I really wanted mission field..." to spend the second half of my congregation at St. Andrew’s and grew it into an impressive ministry helping plant churches 650-member church with a series because that’s what God called me of communities-based ministries. to do.” Prior to St. Andrew’s, he served as associate As the Episcopal Church Staff Officer for rector of St. Barnabas in Austin, Texas, whose Church Planting Infrastructure, Michie said his mission was to reach young, unchurched adults responsibilities include assisting in the design, while planting the congregation. development and execution of resources, strategies and structures that promote a church-
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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
wide movement of new ministries. According to episcopalchurch.org, Michie’s position is part of the Church Planting and Mission Development Department, which supervises the formation of a churchwide network for planting congregations, recruiting and training church planters, and setting up ministries throughout the Episcopal Church. Michie said he first learned of his current position after being appointed deputy for the 2015 General Convention representing the Diocese of Dallas. At that convention, held in Salt Lake City, Utah, he was appointed to serve on the three-year triennial church taskforce that administers grant money for church plantings. Not long afterward, there was an opening for TEC Staff Officer for Church Planting Infrastructure.
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2018 DIOCESAN CONVENTION
‘Embracing Our Neighborhoods’
The Rev. Mike Michie served as rector at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in McKinney, Texas, before becoming the Episcopal Church Staff Officer for Church Planting Infrastructure, a member of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s staff, earlier this year.
“I felt God calling me to do this work,” he said. “St. Andrew’s was ready for its next leader. It was the perfect opportunity at the right time.” Michie’s promotion, in turn, led to an invitation to preach at the 49th Annual Diocesan Convention in Vero Beach. “Bishop Brewer asked me,” Michie said. “He and I have known each other through the years. We have talked through the years about what they’re doing in Central Florida. There are some dioceses that just get it.” Michie said he planned to speak to Bishop Brewer about some of the “talking points” for the sermon, but added that he will preach about the convention’s theme, “Embracing Our Neighborhoods,” and how that applies to church planting. “I just want to serve the diocese the best,” Michie said. “One of the things that I’d like to preach about
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when I’m there, and talk to clergy and the lay leaders, too, is that I believe that any church can look at its mission field as a church planting.” Michie believes this philosophy is important because it can help plant churches and grow others that may be in need of a spark. “Embracing our neighborhoods is how to see your neighbors as a mission field, and not the same old place that you’ve always lived,” he said. “God can use everybody to transform their mission field,” Michie said. “You don’t have to be a church planter to be a missionary.” The Rev. Mike Michie, far right, poses with the Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, far left, and a delegation in 2015.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ST. ANDREW’S EPISCOPAL, McKINNEY, TEXAS.
CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
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2018 DIOCESAN CONVENTION
Two Chefs ‘Embrace Neighborhoods’ for Diocesan Convention Dinner By Jeff Gardenour
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JOHNNY CLARK
Deacon Clark, Chef Robin will use locally sourced items in giant buffet
Above: Chef Robin Ryan, left, and Deacon Johnny Clark will work together on this year’s Friday night Fellowship Dinner at the 2018 Diocesan Convention.
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hen folks taste the scrumptious fresh fish stuffed with crab, lobster and shrimp at the 2018 Diocesan Convention’s Friday night Fellowship Dinner, they will be “Embracing Our Neighborhoods” – thanks to chefs Johnny Clark and Robin Ryan.
Left: Chef Robin Ryan’s A Chef’s Touch Catering Service will provide the food for the Friday night Fellowship Dinner at the 2018 Diocesan Convention at Trinity Episcopal Church in Vero Beach.
Deacon Johnny Clark prepares to load food in the van for the No One Hungry program.
The various food items will come from all over the Space Coast and surrounding cities, giving conventioneers a real sampling of what local fare is all about while also supporting area businesses. The dinner is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 26. “In an early meeting with Bishop Greg, he (Bishop Brewer) felt it important to try to continue the evangelism theme into the dinner,” said Clark, a deacon at St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Titusville and a retired executive chef. “Later, at a tasting with Chef Robin and the Bishop’s committee, of which I am a member, the chef explained she was using many foods that were locally sourced items. This
PHOTO PROVIDED BY A CHEF’S TOUCH CATERING SERVICE
fell right into the bishop’s theme of ‘Embracing Our Neighborhoods.’ Chef Robin uses locally sourced items as much as possible as her regular practice, strongly believing in working with local growers to support our local economy.” The local connections and their foods are impressive: • Local fresh fish stuffed with crab, lobster and shrimp from the winter fresh catch from Wild Ocean. • Roasted chicken breast from Funky Chicken Farm, West Melbourne. • Herb-roasted potatoes from Downtown Produce, Melbourne.
Fruit is among the many specialty trays that Chef Robin Ryan is famous for with her business A Chef’s Touch Catering Service, located in Port St. John.
Seafood will be on the menu for this year’s Friday night Fellowship Dinner at the 2018 Diocesan Convention.
FOOD PHOTOS PROVIDED BY A CHEF’S TOUCH CATERING SERVICE
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• Fresh sautéed green beans with garlic almond butter from The Greens Market Place. • Dessert platters of cream puffs drizzled with Belgium chocolate and cannolis, with cannolis’ ricotta filling made with cheeses from a local dairy provider. PHOTO PROVIDED BY CFE/Erick Perez
CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JOHNNY CLARK
“Farm-to-table is really the ‘in thing’ right now,” said Ryan, the executive chef and owner of A Chef’s Touch Catering Service in Port St. John. “I think sometimes we get out of hand with growth and that we are all striving to make life simpler. We ache for the family times at home with a set dinnertime, family chatter and good food. Most of us include the thought of food when we are thinking comfort. “I appreciate and respect people working hard trying to make a life out of their passion,” Ryan said. “So I buy from them, food and goods. Buying local you can control the pesticides and GMOs (genetically modified organisms) that are messing with us now.” This will be the first time that Ryan is catering the Diocesan Convention Friday night dinner. A graduate of The Maritime Union Culinary Arts School in San Francisco, California, she has been a chef for more than 20 years and has strong knowledge of all cuisines. Having held top culinary and executive positions at
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2018 DIOCESAN PHOTO PROVIDED BY JOHNNY CLARK
CONVENTION
Chef Robin Ryan, left, and Deacon Johnny Clark prepare to deliver some food for the No One Hungry program.
five-star hotels, Ryan formed her own full-service catering company in 2006. A Chef’s Touch Catering Service works all types of events, including breakfast, lunch and dinners, as well as cocktail and party buffets, she said. But working the Diocesan Convention may be her biggest challenge yet. “This is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to cater this important event,” Ryan said. “I, and my team, are really excited. We are a full-service catering company that strives for excellence. We always use fresh ingredients when possible.” The opportunity to cater at the Diocesan Convention came about after Ryan met Clark a year ago. Ryan was catering a quilter’s luncheon at St. Gabriel’s, where Clark was speaking. Clark asked Ryan what she was going to do with the leftover food, and when Ryan inquired why, he told her that he’d like to give the food to a men’s transition ministry for addiction in Titusville called Liberty Lodge. “She and I talked, and I received the food, and she offered to give me a call every Monday if she had items from a weekend catering job she could donate,” said Clark, a retired certified executive chef of more than 20 years. “Robin and I quickly built a relationship as two chefs reaching out to give hope to those in need in our community.” The chefs’ bond has been a strong one since that first meeting. “It has been the perfect relationship since then,” Ryan said. “We get together every Monday, and I load the van or truck. I am so proud of what the food
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is doing now. It does feed the guys at Liberty Lodge, but it reaches out further than that. The homeless, those who have been sent home from a stay at the hospital – it helps tide them over until they can go grocery shopping. I tell clients about what they can make happen with their leftovers. It’s about 50/50 of those who donate.” Ryan also provides leftovers for Clark’s No One Hungry program, which provides food on Mondays. “The No One Hungry ministry started in 2014 because of an inspiration of the late Walt Willis,” Clark said. “We distribute nonperishable food and frozen meat to those in need in North Brevard County. There are two pantry locations which run as an ecumenical ministry with the Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church. Both locations are open weekly, and we serve individuals, families, seniors and the homeless. “Our ministry also helps the Women’s Center of Brevard by providing food for their clients, the Liberty Lodge, the Forge Ministry’s Friday Family meal program and Lunch Box program taken to the economically depressed areas of Titusville,” Clark
said. “We do not prepare meals, just distribute food items.” Now the two chefs will team for one of their most special projects to date: the Friday night Fellowship Dinner at the Diocesan Convention. “Johnny is also a chef, so we have that special chef bond,” Ryan said.
CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
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DIOCESAN FAMILY
Daughters of the King Collects Huge $11K Donation for Days for Girls By Jeff Gardenour
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n The Order of the Daughters of the King (DOK), members pledge themselves to lifelong prayer, service and evangelism, with support from Daughters worldwide.
DOK in the Diocese of Central Florida is fulfilling its promises in a grand way this year, recently collecting donations of more than $11,000 for its outreach project: Days for Girls – the largest collection ever by the Order, according to DOK diocesan president Barbara Spencer. The staggering donation was one of many subjects discussed at the DOK’s Central Florida Fall Assembly held in September at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Crystal River. “The money donated is used to buy materials to make washable feminine hygiene kits for girls in Third World countries,” Spencer said. According to the Days for Girls website, the organization’s aim is to develop a freer, respectful and educated world by supplying access to feminine hygiene solutions and health education. To date, Days for Girls has helped more than 800,000 women and girls in a movement that reaches many corners of the globe. DOK of Central Florida members did their part by presenting a check to the Southeast coordinator, Charlene Jespersen. “Each year, several projects are nominated and are voted on by the delegates to Fall Assembly,” Spencer said. “This year, the Mali Medical Mission was selected. All chapters donate money. Offerings come from our quarterly Masses at our diocesan board meetings as well. Individual Daughters also send in donations. Since fundraising is not allowed by our bylaws, all monies collected
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are from donations, a major distinction from other groups within the church.” The selection of the Mali Medical Mission was one of many agenda items at the 2017 Fall Assembly at St. Anne’s, located in the Northwest Deanery. The host church is selected annually from a rotation by deaneries, Spencer said. A large crowd of 110 Daughters and guests attended the Fall Assembly, with Bishop Greg Brewer giving an inspiring homily and celebrating Mass, Spencer said. Additionally, The Bishop’s Cross was presented to Linda Anselmini from Trinity Episcopal in Vero Beach. “The Daughter receiving it is selected by a drawing by the bishop,” Spencer said. “Each chapter, after prayerful consideration, selects a name to be submitted.” According to the DOK’s Central Florida website, Daughters pray for the Holy Spirit to intercede before the name of the recipient is drawn. The Daughter who is selected wears the cross for a year until the next Fall Assembly. This year’s Fall Assembly also featured guest speaker Deacon Shirley Johnson, who spoke on the history of the Book of Common Prayer. Also, since 2017 is a triennial year, new officers were elected and will assume office at the 2018 Fall Assembly. Elected were Sharon Murbarger, president; Dr. Karen Clark, first vice president; Nancy Kelly, second vice president; Barbara Bradley, recording secretary; Terry Deer, corresponding secretary; Susan McIlrath, treasurer; and the Rev. Bill Smith, chaplain (appointed). The new officers are part of a storied tradition here in Central Florida. Spencer said the Order has been in Florida for 92 years and currently has 1,083 members.
CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
Newly elected officers for 2018-2021 are: Sharon Murbarger, Dr. Karen Clark, Nancy Kelly, Susan McIlrath, Barbara Bradley, and Terry Deer. Linda Anselmini of Trinity Episcopal in Vero Beach receives the Bishop’s Cross from Bishop Greg Brewer at the 2017 Daughters of the King (DOK) Fall Assembly.
Approximately 25,000 Daughters are involved worldwide. “The Diocesan Order meets quarterly for Mass and to discuss pertinent matters,” Spencer said. “These meetings are hosted by different deaneries so as to spread out the traveling. We also have deanery meetings with a Mass and guest speaker. Daughters meet frequently for prayer within their parish chapters.” The DOK Central Florida’s annual Spring Retreat is held at the Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center in Oviedo. “We have a guest speaker and a Memorial Mass for our departed Daughters from the past year,” Spencer said. “This is also well-attended, as being in community with other Daughters is very important. “Our Order holds strong to prayer (Bishop Brewer calls us his prayer warriors), service and evangelism,” Spencer went on to say. “The last line of our motto says: ‘Lord, what will you have me do?’ As diocesan president, I have been blessed to be able to travel all over the diocese attending admission services for new Daughters and instituting new senior and junior chapters. Meeting our sisters from all over the diocese is a blessing beyond words. May our Lord grant me the ability to continue His work wherever I am.” PHOTOS PROVIDED BY DAUGHTERS OF THE KING (DOK) CENTRAL FLORIDA
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DIOCESAN FAMILY
DOK’s Prayerful Tradition Draws Retired Priest to Its Chaplaincy Jeff Gardenour
W
hen the Rev. Bill Smith was offered the position of chaplain to the Daughters of the King (DOK), the retired priest appropriately prayed about it. After all, he has always been enamored with the DOK’s primary role as being a powerhouse of prayer. Smith’s prayers were answered when he officially was appointed chaplain at the DOK Central Florida Fall Assembly on Sept. 21, 2017. Approximately 180 to 200 Daughters and clergy were present for the occasion, including Bishop Greg Brewer, who earlier this year made the chaplain offer to Smith.
United Nations as an editor-translator,” Smith said.
can do it when a man should not, something that is very important in an age of so much alleged sexual misconduct.” Smith said he draws his current responsibilities from a small tome that details what the chaplain to the Daughters should do. He said his chief role Smith will be to serve as “advisory to the president and the board in the diocese, as a teacher to the Daughters diocesewide through retreats and other means, such as an occasional seasonal meditation, and to pray for and with the Daughters.”
“He offered me the position of chaplain “Their primary role The chaplain position is the latest for to the Daughters of the King, a position is to be a powerhouse Smith, who has “unretired” a number of that a good friend of mine, Father Ed of prayer, and I have times through the years. But his travels Weiss, was giving up,” said Smith in his been blessed to work have helped him adjust nicely. delightful British accent. “I gather Father with Daughters who Smith was made a deacon at York MinEd suggested my name to Bishop Greg. are powerful women ster (England) on Trinity Sunday 1964 (My wife), Paula, and I prayed about this of prayer.” by Archbishop Donald Coggan and suboffer and we agreed, as I put it to the bishsequently ordained a priest by him on op, when your bishop says, ‘Jump,’ you Trinity Sunday 1965. After serving a title at Saint Mary’s say, ‘How high?’ unless you’re a submariner, when you Tadcaster (North Yorkshire, U.K.) from 1964 to 1966, say, ‘How deep?’” he moved to the Diocese of Jamaica at the invitation of Smith’s enthusiasm for the DOK can be traced to his Bishop Percival Gibson. days as a parish priest in Western Michigan and Central “From then on, I began to serve as what has been varFlorida. “I have been very appreciative of the ministry iously described as a worker priest or nonstipendiary of the Daughters,” he said. “Their primary role is to be a priest or honorary assistant priest,” Smith said. “In Japowerhouse of prayer, and I have been blessed to work maica, I taught in three high schools: St Hugh’s in Kingswith Daughters who are powerful women of prayer. ton, Kingston College, and St Jago’s in Spanish Town.” “In Western Michigan, the diocesan policy is that a Smith returned to the U.K. in late 1968 and served as priest should never be alone with a parishioner of the the community relations officer to the Borough of other gender, so it was always my practice to visit the sick Greenwich in 1969. But his stay there was short-lived, in the company of at least three Daughters of the King,” as the U.S. beckoned. Smith said. “An important part of ministry, it seems to me, is the laying on of hands on the sick, and here again The English priest moved to New York City and joined I have always made it my practice to carry out this minthe congregation of St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery in istry with at least one Daughter. I do this for two reasons: 1970, an experience he won’t soon forget. “There, I was first, when the healing takes place, no one can give me one of five priests, none of us receiving a salary. I earned any of the credit; and, secondly, if a woman asks that my income working for a couple of years in a printery hands be placed over the site of the disease, a woman in midtown Manhattan before being employed by the
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He married Paula at St. Mark’s in 1972. She shared (and shares) his work ethic. “She has had an active role in our ministry, even while being the mother of three children and overseeing a series of households wherever the United Nations and the Episcopal Church have moved me,” Smith said. In 1976, the U.N. transferred Smith to its regional office in Bangkok, where he was licensed by the Bishop of Singapore to serve at Christ Church, Bangkok, as an honorary assistant. “My ecclesiastical duties took me to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand and to Vientiane in Laos and to Hanoi in Vietnam. My United Nations duties took me to several other countries in East Asia and the Pacific, and sometimes I would be called upon by a local parish priest to preach.” The U.N. transferred Smith in 1985 to Nairobi, where he was licensed by the Archbishop of Kenya to serve as an honorary assistant priest, initially in the parish of Saint Mary’s, Kabete. Smith was later moved to the Cathedral, All Saints’. “I celebrated the Eucharist in English, Swahili and Kikuyu, but I only preached in English, an interpreter providing a translation into the language of the service,” Smith said. A decade later, he retired from the U.N. and accepted the position of interim priest to St. Mary’s, Cadillac, in the Diocese of Western Michigan. “I did receive a small stipend from the parish. In addition to parochial ministry, I served on the Executive Council of the Diocese, its Finance Committee, and the Cursillo Commission,” he said. Smith retired again in mid-2000 and moved to Port St. Lucie and joined the congregation of Holy Faith, “primarily because it was in the same zip code area as our home,” he said. “Father Dan Moore invited me to assist him, and when he moved on in 2002 I was invited to be the interim priest. A new rector came on board in 2004, but he soon moved away. “‘Father John’ Hagood then served the parish until his retirement in 2008, when again I became the interim priest until the arrival of Father Orlando Addison,” Smith said. “I still assist at Holy Faith from time to time as Father Orlando requests, and I serve other parishes as the need arises.” Now Smith will serve the DOK as its chaplain – a role he prayed about not so long ago.
CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
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DIOCESAN FAMILY
Small-Town Rector Has Big-Time Dreams for Holy Trinity, Fruitland Park Jeff Gardenour
T
he Rev. Gregory Wilde will be the first to tell you that big things come in small packages, especially in the religious realm.
Known for his success in re-energizing small-group activities and more in the parishes that he has served, Wilde is hoping to continue those accomplishments in his newest call: Holy Trinity Episcopal in Fruitland Park, a town of 3,000-plus in Lake County, Florida. Wilde officially began serving as rector at Holy Trinity on Sunday, Oct. 15. A celebration of ministry is scheduled for Jan. 16 at the church.
“In each parish I have served, I have attempted to work with the congregation to institute or re-energize small-group activities, improve adult formation
offerings, assess the effectiveness of existing outreach programs and modify these as needed, as well as raise congregational literacy in Scripture and awareness of liturgical options open to them,” Wilde said. While serving as vicar at St. Bartholomew’s in Wilde Perwaukee, Wisconsin (Diocese of Milwaukee), he oversaw the complete retirement of a $500,000 debt, “credit for which must go to very capable lay leadership in that congregation – and burning the mortgage was a very satisfying experience,” said Wilde, who served there for three years. Before serving in Perwaukee, Wilde served as associate rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Columbus, Georgia, where he was charged with oversight of the Christian formation and education programs, as well as youth programs. “The staff that served these programs was hard-working and diligent, and the
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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
youth director we were able to hire managed to grow that youth program from three or four faithful participants to over 20 before he moved on to a different diocese,” he said. “The rector position at Trinity, Columbus, was in flux for more than half of my tenure there, so I ended up being the go-to priest for much of the congregation, as providing continuity, particularly in the areas of pastoral care and weekly parish activities.” After moving to Perwaukee and serving out his contract, Wilde was needed in other ways. He and his wife moved to Minneapolis to live with his elderly father for eight months. “Struggling with dementia, my father needed more than normal assistance with cleaning out the home in which I had grown up and with dealing with my mother’s deteriorating physical and mental condition,” Wilde said. “My mother finally passed away a couple weeks ago before I finished my first month of service here in Fruitland Park.” It was during this time with his family that he felt called to Fruitland Park. “My eventual call to the Diocese of Central Florida was confirmed after extended discernment during the time my wife and I were ministering to my parents’ needs in Minnesota,” Wilde said. “God’s leading to Holy Trinity, Fruitland Park, has been clear, and we know that serving the people here will be a great blessing to us, even as we anticipate participating in the blessings God will pour out on Holy Trinity over the coming months and years.” Wilde now has turned a lot of attention to Holy Trinity School. “It is hard to know exactly what God has in store for Holy Trinity, of course, but I believe that His direction will lead us to expansion of Holy Trinity School to serve more youth from Holy Trinity a larger geographical area, which will mean corresponding Episcopal development of faculty as well as increasing the size and Church, efficiency of our facilities,” he said. “Holy Trinity’s beautiful Fruitland Park historic building will never be eliminated, but future expansion of the parish may well compel us to explore the building of additional new facilities on our campus. “The ministry of Holy Trinity School is one that excites me a great deal, and its presence on Holy Trinity’s campus was a major draw as I considered God’s direction in further ministry,” Wilde said. “I am confident that both the parish and the school will be growing significantly as we move forward together.” Wilde comes to Fruitland Park with some impressive credentials. He received his doctorate from the Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies in Jacksonville, Florida, where he also has been teaching a master’s level course, History of Christian Worship, since 2003. He was ordained to the diaconate in 2009 and to the priesthood in 2010, the same year that he graduated from The School of Theology in Sewanee, Tennessee. “These are exciting times for Holy Trinity, Fruitland Park, and I am humbled that God has called us to be a part of her continued growth,” Wilde said. PHOTOS PROVIDED BY HOLY TRINITY EPISCOPAL, FRUITLAND PARK
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DIOCESAN FAMILY
Peace and Reconciliation in America Big Topic for ECW More than 100 attend Episcopal Church Women event
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE ECW CENTRAL FLORIDA
By Jeff Gardenour
I
t has been 54 years since the bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, killed four young African-American girls, setting off civil unrest and condemnation.
Although the white supremacist terrorist act helped lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, similar criminal acts have followed over the years, showing that America has yet to rid itself of racial violence and tensions, and economic inequality. Seeking ways to find peace and reconciliation today are members of the Episcopal Church Women (ECW) organization, whose Central Florida chapter recently held its 48th Annual Meeting at St. Augustine of Canterbury Church in Vero Beach. The all-day event on Saturday, Oct. 28, drew 106 participants, including four guests, for year two of the event, whose theme was “Building Bridges of Peace and Reconciliation: Within Parishes and Our Communities: With a Focus on Racial Discrimination.” Among the attendees were Bishop Greg Brewer and his wife, Laura Lee, and St. Augustine of Canterbury’s rector, the Rev. Michael Goldberg. A total of 14 churches representing all five deaneries of the Diocese of Central Florida for the ECW and all women’s groups in those churches were represented.
that is full of strife and conflict, all in a struggle to gain power. Our God is a God of love, forgiveness and equality, not strife and war.” This year’s meeting was the second of three themed events about peace and reconciliation. The first meeting’s theme was: “Building Bridges of Peace and Reconciliation: Within Ourselves and Our Families.” Next year, the theme will be “Building Bridges of Peace and Reconciliation in the World.” Dr. Patricia Rutenberg, the Province IV ECW president and a history professor at the University of Tennessee, served as guest speaker this year and spoke about the need for building bridges of peace and reconciliation in our parishes and communities with a focus on racial discrimination, Stern said. “She had selected the themes for her three-year tenure (from) 2015-2018,” Stern said. “Her focus was on the presiding bishop’s (Michael Curry) call for the Jesus Movement: 1. Evangelism – need training to be effective; 2. Care for our creation; and 3. Reconciliation of the church and race.”
“Regarding my views, I believe that as a black Caribbean woman I am aware that racial prejudices still exist here in the United States,” said Winsome Stern, president of the ECW for the Diocese of Central Florida. “However, as a Christian, I focus on people and not race, and building meaningful relationships if the opportunity presents itself.
Stern said Rutenberg adjusted her speech from the Province IV ECW Retreat held in June at Nauvoo, Alabama, where she discussed the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and how the racial divide is still present after a half century. Rutenberg talked about what ECW members can do as Christians, and how they need to follow Bishop Curry’s call to be the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement and to embrace the old children’s hymn, “red, and yellow, black and white, all are precious in his sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world,” as outlined in her speech.
“If I have a concern, I ask myself, ‘What would Jesus do?’” Stern said. “I support anything that will bring about peace and reconciliation in a world
In addition to hearing Rutenberg speak, diocesan ECW members selected a special project to undertake. “For the past two years, we supported the
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The Episcopal Church Women (ECW) of the Diocese of Central Florida held its 48th Annual Meeting at St. Augustine of Canterbury Church in Vero Beach. The all-day event on Saturday, Oct. 28, drew 106 participants, including four guests, for year two of the event, whose theme was “Building Bridges of Peace and Reconciliation: Within Parishes and Our Communities: With a Focus on Racial Discrimination.”
Timothy Fund for Seminary Education,” Stern said. “For the 2017-2018 (season), we are supporting the Central Florida Domestic Violence Centers in all five deaneries. Each deanery will select, identify, determine how best to offer support.” Additionally, the ECW Board elected the Distinguished Woman to represent the Diocese of Central Florida, selecting from five nominees from the diocese based on criteria. Elected was Dr. Karen Adderly Clark, Ed.D, who is also the ECW Central Deanery director from The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist in Orlando. She will attend the Triennial ECW meeting as one of four delegates in Austin, Texas, Stern said. Also, officers for 2017-2018 were installed by Bishop Brewer during Eucharist, and a collection was taken for the Episcopal Relief and Development fund. “(The) Bishop’s sermon (was) based on Collect of the Day for Saints Simon and Jude with emphasis on their work as evangelists,” Stern said. “The music and choir were outstanding, (led by) organist/ choirmaster Dr. Jason Hobratschk.” Bishop Brewer also held a spontaneous Q&A with ECW members for 35 minutes following the service, Stern said. Looking ahead, the 49th Annual ECW Meeting will be held Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, at The Episcopal Church of Saint John the Baptist in Orlando. Bishop Brewer will be the Celebrant.
CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
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EPISCOPAL & ANGLICAN NEWS
‘Gearing Up’ for Youth Ministry Prepares Leaders for Future By Jeff Gardenour
T
he principles of youth ministry may be the same, but the culture in which it operates is markedly different—a techno-society that has gone global and deals with social issues of every kind.
With such rampant change over the last two decades, ministers of every stripe face an increasing challenge in reaching the masses and spreading the Gospel. Perhaps no group has it tougher than youth ministers, who face a daunting task preaching to youngsters who seem more informed and more likely to choose a nonspiritual path than ever before. “Youth ministry is important for this one fact: 90 percent of the people who ever make a decision for Christ do so before age 20, and age 13 is a prime age when all the developmental Davis issues gel and a person can make a profession of faith – in a sense, own their baptismal covenant as their own,” said the Rev. Dr. Jon Davis, executive director of the Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center. “This says that an investment in young people is a good one to make.”
Davis is at the forefront of change on the spiritual landscape. As executive director at Canterbury, he oversees multiple retreats for different ages and ministries every year. Recently Canterbury hosted “Gearing Up: Tooling, Fueling and Equipping You for Effective Youth Ministry,” a two-day event that drew approximately 30 people. Staff youth ministers, adult volunteers, and college and high school students in youth ministry from around the Diocese of Central Florida participated. “The Youth Ministry Committee of the Diocese gave the event a positive and glowing review,” Davis said. “It is always great to gather as a community and work together, share (conversation) and bounce things off of one another. In a real way, it is a moment to hone our skills with people who have a common passion to see young people come to Christ and grow in their knowledge and love of Jesus.” Steve Schneeberger, executive director of the Youth Ministry Institute of Orlando, echoed Davis’ statement: “It was a great opportunity for paid and volunteer youth ministers to orient themselves to best practices that will continue to increase their effectiveness.”
Participants of the “Gearing Up: Tooling, Fueling and Equipping You for Effective Youth Ministry” have a conversation during the two-day event in August at Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center.
Attendees learned how to bring the younger generation to Christ through sessions on youthministry essentials and social media. Participants also got to hear the words of the Rev. Canon Terry Reisner, Canon for Youth in the Diocese of Dallas, who served as keynote speaker. “He spoke on creating moments in ministry that are receptive to the ‘in-breaking’ presence of God,” Davis said. “We do this through worship, study, prayer and service, to name a few activities.” Fellowship, worship, prayer, study and service are still the guiding principles of youth ministry, but the culture it resides in is quite different from a generation ago. “The culture has changed significantly in the last 20 years; globalization, technology, social issues and more,” Davis said. “Youth ministry has changed, too, in terms of understanding the territory where young people live, go to school, have jobs, are entertained and such.” With societal advancement has come flux within the ministerial ranks, especially within the youth sector. “Youth ministry is tough for a number of reasons,” Davis said. “It’s often underfunded and understaffed. The group changes every year, in that, you graduate leaders and take on new folks. The world is changing so quickly. Young people today are in a different world from say 10 years ago – technology, social media and more has changed the landscape.” Despite the challenges, Davis said the guiding principles of ministry (fellowship, worship, prayer, study and service) remain a steadying presence in the Episcopal Church. “The mission statement for any ministry in the Episcopal Church is summed up in the Baptismal Covenant in the Book of Common Prayer,” he said. “We need creedal faith and we need to live a devoted life, loving God and loving others, and doing all this with God’s help. That is what healthy, fruitful youth ministry looks like.” Davis said Canterbury tentatively plans to hold the next youth ministry retreat on Aug. 3-4, 2018.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY CANTERBURY RETREAT & CONFERENCE CENTER
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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
www.cfdiocese.org
DIOCESE • Jan. 11, 7 p.m. – Central Deanery Pre-Convention Meeting Church of the Ascension, Orlando.
Jan. 13, 10 a.m.-noon – Northwest Deanery Pre-Convention Meeting Shepherd of the Hills, Lecanto.
Jan. 14, 4-6 p.m. – Southwest Deanery Pre-Convention Meeting St. Stephen’s, Lakeland.
Jan. 16, 6 p.m. – Celebration of New Ministry of the Rev. Greg Wilde Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Fruitland Park.
Jan. 20, 6 p.m. – Chili Cook-Off
St. Margaret’s Guild will have a chili cook-off in the St. Richard’s Episcopal Church parish hall in Winter Park. Sign up in the church office to enter the challenge. A raffle with great prizes and other fun activities also will be held.
Jan. 22-23 – “Summoning the Divine Through Literature”
Festival of Light session 2 will be held at St. Richard’s Episcopal Church, Winter Park. Session 2 will be held from 6 to 8 p.m., Jan. 22, and from 9:30 to 11 a.m., Jan. 23. Literature to be discussed: Dr. Seuss’ “Horton Hears a Who & Oh, the Places You’ll Go”; 19th century poet Henry W. Longfellow’s “Bells on Christmas Day”; 19th century Anglican poet Christina Rossetti’s “Bleak Midwinter”; Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Christmas Sermon; and the beloved 20th century poet Robert Frost’s “The Christmas Tree.”
Jan. 25-28 – Gladdening Light 2018 Symposium
Krista Tippett, NPR host of “On Being,” will speak at Rollins College, Winter Park. Access www. gladdeninglight.org to register.
Jan. 26-27 – Annual Diocesan Convention
49th Annual Diocesan Convention of the Diocese of Central Florida to be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2365 Pine Ave., Vero Beach 32960. More information on diocesan website at http://www.cfdiocese.org/ cfe/2018-annual-diocesan-convention
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Diocesan Calendar
•
Jan. 28, 2 p.m. – Horns & Pipes Concert The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke, Orlando.
Jan. 29, 7 p.m. – Transitional Deacon Ordinations The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke, Orlando.
Feb. 2-3 – Bishop’s Youth Event Camp Wingmann, Avon Park.
Feb. 3, 6-8 p.m. – Charlie Wilson Storytelling
Bishop Brewer Visitation Schedule 1/7/18
Shepherd of the Hills, Lecanto
1/12/18
St. Luke’s, Merritt Island
1/14/18
Our Saviour, Okeechobee
1/16/18
Holy Trinity, Fruitland Park (New Ministry – Fr. Greg Wilde)
1/21/18
St. Agnes, Sebring
1/26-27/18
Trinity, Vero Beach (49th Annual Diocesan Convention)
The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke, Orlando.
1/28/18
Cathedral, Orlando (Annual Meeting)
Feb. 11, 3 p.m. – Concert by the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra
1/29/18
Cathedral, Orlando (Deacon Ordinations)
2/3/18
Camp Wingmann, Avon Park (Bishop’s Youth Event)
2/4/18
Holy Trinity, Bartow
2/11/18
St. Jude’s, Orange City
All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Lakeland.
2/14/18
Cathedral, Orlando (Ash Wednesday)
Feb. 22-25 – Cursillo Men’s Weekend
2/17/18
All Saints’, Lakeland (Diocesan Altar Guild Annual Meeting)
2/18/18
Ascension, Orlando
2/24/18
Good Shepherd, Maitland (Absalom Jones Celebration)
2/25/18
Corpus Christi, Okahumpka
3/1/18
Trinity Preparatory School, Winter Park
3/4/18
Holy Faith, Port St. Lucie
3/11/18
Holy Cross, Sanford
3/18/18
St. Alban’s, Auburndale
3/25/18
St. Francis, Bushnell (Palm Sunday)
3/30/18
Cathedral, Orlando (Good Friday)
4/1/18
Cathedral, Orlando (Easter Sunday)
Reception for Charlie Wilson celebrating 30 years of storytelling in Central Florida at St. Richard’s Episcopal Church in Winter Park. Fundraising event to promote literacy in local schools. Cost is $10 per person. Food, music and fun are planned. RSVP required by Jan. 25 by calling 321-279-1089.
Feb. 11, 10 a.m. – Diocesan Youth Choir Festival
Trinity Episcopal Church, Vero Beach.
Feb. 17 – Diocesan Altar Guild Annual Meeting
Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center, Oviedo.
March 2-4 – Women’s Weekend
Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center, Oviedo.
March 9 – New Beginnings Youth Retreat Camp Wingmann, Avon Park.
March 11, 2 p.m. – Virtuosic Duo: Douglas Major (organ) and Richard Watson (trumpet) Cathedral of Saint Luke, Orlando.
March 11, 3:15 p.m. – Organ recital by Don Ingram followed by Evensong at 4 p.m.
Joint choirs of St. Augustine of Canterbury and Trinity Episcopal Church event at Trinity Episcopal Church, Vero Beach.
Bishop Brewer’s visitation dates are subject to change. Please refer to www.cfdiocese.org for the most current visitation listing.
CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • Jan.-Feb. 2018
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NEWS FROM THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA WWW.CFDIOCESE.ORG • Volume 120, No. 1 • Jan.-Feb. 2018
Page 7
A Call From God to ‘Feed My People’
Looking Back to the 2017 Diocesan Convention
Page 17
Texas Rector Brings Hope for Growing Congregations
Pages 18-19
Two Chefs ‘Embrace Neighborhoods’ for Diocesan Convention Dinner
Pages 20-21
Page 24
Small-Town Rector Has Big-Time Dreams for Holy Trinity, Fruitland Park