Central Florida Episcopalian Newspaper, May 2016

CENTRALFLORIDAEPISCOPALIAN NEWS FROM THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA • WWW.CFDIOCESE.ORG • Volume 118, No. 3 • May 2016

Why Our Costly Unity Proves That We Love Each Other Introducing MissionInsite Update: Grant Winners 2015 Looking to the Future: St. David’s by-the-Sea

St. David’s by the Sea

It’s That Time of Year Again! VBS Fun.

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

Contents Bishop Brewer’s Column .......................................................................................................3 A Conversation with the General Secretary ............................................................................4 Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon: What Our Unity Proves.........................................................5 Retirement Is Great, But… .....................................................................................................6 Is It Time for a Tune-Up? .......................................................................................................7 Introducing MissionInsite .....................................................................................................9 Update: Grant Winners 2015 ...............................................................................................10 Bringing Denominations Together: St. Agnes ........................................................................12 Looking to the Future: St. David’s by-the-Sea .......................................................................13 St. Francis Celebrates.........................................................................................................14 Choir Leads Parishioners in Celebration of Christ..................................................................15 Camp Wingmann Summer Calendar of Events ......................................................................16

Central Florida Episcopalian

Diocese Calendar of Events .................................................................................................17

The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer. Bishop

Communion Partners’ Easter Report ....................................................................................18

The Rt. Rev. John W. Howe Retired The Rt. Rev. Dorsey F. Henderson Retired The Rt. Rev. Hugo Pina-Lopez Retired The Rt. Rev. John Said Retired The Rt. Rev. William H. Folwell, Retired

Diocese of Honduras: Becoming Self-Sufficient ...................................................................20

The Rev. Canon Timothy Nunez Canon to the Ordinary The Rev. Canon Dr. Justin Holcomb Canon for Vocations The Ven. Kristi Alday, Archdeacon Mr. Earl Pickett, Diocesan Administrator Mr. Erick Perez, Subscription Manager

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Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center Calendar of Events.................................................16

CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

A Tale of Two Churches: St. Barnabas and San Miguel ..........................................................21 Aline’s Story: Report From the Streets of São Paulo .............................................................22 Who Is Sarah Caprani? .......................................................................................................23 It’s That Time of Year Again! Let the VBS fun begin ...............................................................24 Meet Our New Chaplains......................................................................................................26 Paul Ulrich turns 100 ..........................................................................................................27 The Central Florida Episcopalian is published by the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida. Submissions are welcome, but are subject to editing and use at the discretion of the Central Florida Episcopalian.

Please submit notices two months before event to: The Central Florida Episcopalian 1017 E. Robinson Street • Orlando, FL 32801-2023 Email: eperez@cfdiocese.org • www.cfdiocese.org

Tel.: (407) 423-3567, ext. 316 • Fax: (407) 872-0006

BISHOP BREWER

How Pentecostal Are You?

By Bishop Brewer

“I am convinced that effectively preaching the Gospel to future generations is more contingent on our humility than our ingenuity.”

—Josiah Haken

M

ore often than not, American Christians have interpreted the gift of Pentecost as the power that will help them to be better people but not necessarily better missionaries. That kind of minimization undercuts the revolutionary nature of the gift of Pentecost. In Pentecost, the Holy Spirit comes upon us in ways that look precisely like what happened in the Book of Acts.

Here are some brief examples:

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More Racially Diverse: It was shocking that God would bring together people from different racial backgrounds, different languages, and different cultures. Yet that is one of the key marks of Pentecost. In Pentecost, God redeems our racial prejudices and opens our hearts to the gift he is giving us in people from different races and cultures. Recently I participated in a national conference, held at our own Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center, for “Episcopal seminarians of color.” I heard glowing testimonies of Spirit-inspired perseverance, often endured in the face of racial prejudice. We still wrestle with the fact that our congregations are so racially monochrome. When the Holy Spirit comes, he brings people together and teaches them how to share Jesus together—even amid great racial and cultural differences. Our racially divided societies need the power of that witness. How can our churches look more like Pentecost and less like private clubs for the racially and culturally similar?

More Open to the Gifts of the Spirit:

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More Empowered to Share the Gospel: By resolution, The Episcopal Church defined evangelism as “the presentation of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, in such ways as persons are led to believe in him as Savior and follow him as Lord in the fellowship of the Church.”

In other words, the real litmus test of effective mission is this: are people coming to believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord? This is one of the greatest joys of the Christian life and one of the key reasons for the formation of the church. Growing churches are ones that are bringing people to new faith in Christ.

So, is Pentecost merely a historic commemoration, or is it a joyful celebration of what God is presently doing in our midst? May our churches grow in this Pentecostal power, not merely so we might be better people, but also so the world may believe.

Blessings and grace to you,

Bishop Greg Brewer

One of the key marks of Pentecost was that the Holy Spirit did remarkable miracles. People were healed. People were freed from demonic powers. God used ordinary people to prophetically speak his word (even those who were not seminary-trained). I long for the day when our congregations tell new stories of God doing the miraculous in their midst. Small inklings are happening: Order of St. Luke conferences, Healing Missions, and the like. But we are just beginning.

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DIOCESE NEWS

Why Our Costly Unity Proves That We Love Each Other Secretary General Rejoices at the Primates’ Decision in Canterbury to Go Forward as One Communion By the Most Rev. Josiah Idowu-Fearon

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cannot remember another event that has been so fervently held in prayer by so many.

Unity is both a gift and a calling. God’s will for all creation is reconciliation through the love of Christ and that we might live together in unity guided by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This aspect of our faith, this content of our hope, is not optional; rather, it is a reflection of God’s own being.

There was a moment in the Canterbury meeting when the minority of primates from provinces that could accept TEC’s decision and the majority of primates who could not saw that the only way forward was to walk apart—and to let two different Anglican Communions get on with their lives without having to worry about offending the other. There was such sadness in the room that morning.

But when Archbishop Justin put this option to the primates directly, the miracle happened: they unanimously decided to walk together!

They bore witness to a costly unity to something deeper: our communion together in the risen Christ. Ecclesiologists call it “bonds of affection.”

I call it love. The churches of the Anglican Communion love each other in clumsy, inarticulate, and imperfect ways. But the divisive issue had to be addressed. A solution had to be found that

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God’s will for all creation is reconciliation through the love of Christ and that we might live together in unity guided by the power of the Holy Spirit. would keep us walking together but at the same time walking at a safe distance from the actions of the General Convention last summer.

I know that for your church to accept these consequences is to accept a costly and painful unity.

But please know that for many of the primates, who needed an even safer distance from TEC, the consequences as they stand put them, too, on the path of costly unity.

I rejoice that the primates chose to walk together. Because what keeps us together is not agreement or uniformity but the presence of the

risen Christ among us. He makes us a communion, and so we are stuck with each other. When Christians are unable to agree with one another, yet choose communion, refusing to say, “I have no need of you,” we bear evangelical witness to the one through whom God was pleased to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross. Unity is about evangelical witness.

And so the last thing the primates did at Canterbury was to reflect on the church’s mission in evangelism. Every single one of the primates committed themselves and their churches “to proclaim the person and work of Jesus Christ, unceasingly and authentically, inviting all to embrace the beauty and joy of the gospel.” So, from my perspective as secretary general, and as a charismatic and evangelical Anglican, the final thing I would like to say about the primates’ gathering is:

“Praise the Lord!”

DIOCESE NEWS

Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon to Visit Diocese in MAY

Stopover by Communion’s Secretary General will include public events — For Clergy —

Friday , May 20, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

“A Conversation with the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion”

Why Should I Attend?

B

y attending “A Conversation with the

Secretary General of the Anglican Communion,” you will gain insight directly

from Canterbury, learn what the future holds for The Episcopal Church, and have an opportunity for candid discussion with the Secretary General.

On Saturday, May 21, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m., the Church of St. Luke & St. Peter in St. Cloud will host Archbishop Fearon for an event open to everyone.

For his final official activity during this visitation, Archbishop Fearon will preach at The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke during the Eucharist service on Sunday, May 22, at 10:15 a.m. This service is open to everyone.

Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center 10 a.m. /Address by Archbishop -12 p.m. Fearon with Q & A session 12 p.m. / Lunch 1-3 pm. / Continued Q & A session with Archbishop Fearon and

Bishop Brewer Archbishop Fearon’s address from 10 a.m. until noon is a mandatory meeting for all full-time parochial priests (including paid assistants). Excuses will be granted for very good cause only. The rest of the day’s schedule is optional.

All other clergy are invited to attend as they are able.

As part of his itinerary, Archbishop Fearon will provide an address tailored to the clergy of our diocese on the recent primates’ meeting in Canterbury, England, and the Anglican Consultative Council meeting in Lusaka, Zambia in April. He will discuss the implications of these meetings for the future of the Anglican Communion.

If you will be staying for lunch, please register with Guest Services at Canterbury: call (407) 365-5571 or email sue@canterburyretreat.org. The cost is $25.

Please note that we are aware these events overlap with the Conversation on Race event with Tim Wise, also being held at Canterbury Friday and Saturday, May 20-21. This was unavoidable due to Archbishop Fearon’s very limited availability. We fully support A Conversation on Race and encourage clergy to remain at Canterbury for its Friday evening session. We hope and expect that both Saturday events will be well-attended.

CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

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ADS

A

Conversation on Race With author and professor Tim Wise Join the conversation

May 20-21

This will be an interactive discussion to address one of the most divisive issues of our day. Not another lecture or seminar, this event will be an opportunity to learn and begin to identify solutions, uncover answers, and heal the gaping racial rift in our culture.

We wish this gathering was not needed. Yet in the wake of all that has happened over the last few years—from Sanford to Ferguson to Baltimore to Charleston, and more locations too numerous to list—we live in a chaotic and crisis-riddled world.

Our hope in coming together is to uncover a path that will help us move forward and see how culture can be transformed. Join us in this moment to make a difference where we live.

WHERE: Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center, 1601 Alafaya Trail, Oviedo, FL 32765 COST: Single Occupancy, $199 Double Occupancy, $169 per person Commuter Rate, $99

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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

CLERGY TIME

Retirement Is Great, but …

It’s because I get to keep doing the work I love!

By the Rev. John Liebler

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s I was removing diplomas and ordination certificates from my office wall, I asked myself: “How many times did you take these frames off a wall, planning to hang them on another? Is this time the last time?” I write this as I’m completing my first month as a retired priest.

Perhaps you’re thinking this article isn’t for you because you’re a layperson or still a working clergy member. Hang in there. In this brief reflection I hope to point to a critical truth about the mystery of spiritual call, of genuine ministry, of finding God’s purpose for our lives. Whether you’re retired or still working, whether you’re lay or ordained, I hope this is for you.

First, a word about my emotions at this moment. It feels so strange! The weirdest moment all week is Saturday mornings, discussing with my wife where we will go to church. Shall we sneak out to a Roman Catholic church for the anonymity of a Catholic mass? (No, the music is horrid.) How about the neighboring Anglican church with old friends and family? (No, they’ll try to recruit me.) How about all the clergy colleagues of other denominations who have reached out, asking me to visit? Shall I go to one of their services? (No, I’ll still feel the need to go to mass somewhere.)

Now it is Holy Week, and my schedule is empty. Along with all this strangeness, though, is exhilaration. What an incredible freedom! I have time to hike, exercise, catch up on reading, build that houseboat. What’s not to like? The pension fund is paying me not to work!

But after only a month, “it” has already begun: the doubt, the itch. If the body is allowed to rest for too long, the muscles atrophy. Would not 30 years filled with hobbies and pastimes be equally unhealthy to the soul?

Fortunately, I’ve been given an incredible gift. What I haven’t told you un-

til now is this: I retired a bit early so I could become rector of St. Simon the Cyrenian in Fort Pierce. I suppose I shouldn’t say that since some of my new parishioners will read this article. But here’s a secret: they will be paying me for something I’d do for free!

While I intend that statement as humorous, it points to one of the deepest truths about our lives: deep satisfaction comes from doing what we love to do. Think about the musician who must keep a day job to pay the bills but lives to make music more than anything else. She is fortunate enough to have a job teaching music in a school. But every day, she cannot wait to go home to compose and play music with her band. She advances in her teaching career, becoming a school administrator. Now, she spends an overwhelming amount of time away from her beloved music. Often she is too tired after work to compose.

We each have a career and a ministry. Clergy (and some others) are fortunate enough to have a great deal of overlap between both. But sometimes career distances one from true ministry. When the career is over, the ministry continues—sometimes in a clearer and more robust form.

Whether lay or clergy, life is about ministry: assisting others to experience the love of Jesus by our words, actions, or labor.

Ask yourself if there is a part of your job you would do without pay. If there is, consider how you can arrange life so you can do more of it, giving your gifts for the glory of God. If you’re like most people and your job is “just a job,” as the saying goes, ask yourself what else you love doing. Now ask God how that passion and love could be turned into genuine ministry for his sake.

Rev. John Liebler became rector of St. Simon the Cyrenean Episcopal Church, Fort Pierce, on Sunday, April 10. He looks forward to serving this historic church.

Fr. John retired from St. Andrew’s, Fort Pierce, earlier this year.

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CLERGY TIME

Is It Time for a Tune-Up? Taking a regular retreat to pursue Jesus is vital to your spiritual life By the Rev. Jon Davis Hermitage

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Valle Crucis (Valley of the Cross)

ecently I was blessed with a new vehicle: a black, four-door, hardtop Jeep Wrangler. It’s fun to drive and pretty stylish, at least to me. It came with an owner’s manual and even a DVD for helping me learn all about my Jeep. The resources included maintenance schedules for oil changes, tire rotations, tune-ups, and more.

Following the schedules will keep the Jeep running at maximum efficiency.

Clearly God considers it of high value that we create space, sacred space, to focus on him. Perhaps you’ve heard someone say, “You cannot give away what you do not have.” For me to be the most effective, productive person I can be in mission and ministry, I need to have a vibrant, growing faith to share with others. Part of cultivating that vibrant faith must include taking time away to pursue Jesus.

Most things we own require maintenance. My computer, tablet, and smartphone often need a software update to operate optimally. The list could go on almost endlessly: my air conditioner needs filters, my smoke detector needs batteries; my guitar needs strings, and so on.

In my current role as the executive director of Canterbury Retreat and Conference Center, I see people every day who are escaping the crazy routine of the world, if only for a few moments or days. They pull away from the grind; they fall off the social media/information grid; they retreat on the Canterbury campus to pray, be still, and gather themselves for the next task or the next season of life. They are not the only ones who value this.

In the same way, my spiritual life needs regular maintenance. I need to tend my life with the things that help me grow in love and faith. The church word for this is piety, “the practice of spiritual disciplines.” There are the basics: prayer, worship, devotion, Bible study, service, mission, and fellowship.

I need to practice all of them as part of my daily life if I want to run at full spiritual optimization.

For my Jeep, in addition to the routine maintenance I provide, I will need to take it in for periodic service check-ups. And when something goes awry, I will have to take it in for repair. I have discovered that in my spiritual life there are times when I need to pull away from this world and intentionally enter a retreat. My life must go into the “shop” for a tune-up.

I do this at least twice a year, and I took such a retreat in April at a hermitage in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. It is a glorious space and has become a place where I connect, learn, grow, dream, discover, and decide. This piety is essential for my spiritual health. Think about the Ten Commandments. Isn’t it interesting that along with such core values as having no other gods before the one true God and not committing murder, we find the admonition to keep the Sabbath? Why is that? In a mathematical sense, the call is for me to set aside one-seventh of my time to the Lord (one day a week/52 days a year).

I cannot count the lessons I learn or the benefits I receive when I make this my practice.

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Jesus lived this way. Jesus, speaking to his disciples, said, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31b, NIV). If Jesus lived in Central Florida, perhaps he would have brought his disciples with him to Canterbury. I’d like to think so.

I invite you to pull off of the heavily trafficked highways of life and enter a sacred space. Whether at Canterbury, on the beach, in your backyard, or during a walk in a park, I encourage you to find your faith afresh, nurture your love for Christ, and gather strength from moments of holy solitude in the Lord’s presence.

The following statement by Jesus is taken out of context, but the words ring true in this moment. He said, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away” (John 16:7a, ESV). While serving a congregation, I would quip that line when referring to an upcoming hermitage retreat I had posted to my calendar.

We all discovered that Jesus’ statement is true: it The Rev. Jon Davis, Ph.D. is good to go away, for in Executive Director doing so the return is full Canterbury Retreat and of vision, purpose, insights, Conference Center and renewed energy.

DIOCESE NEWS

Introducing Diocese Inks Contract to Provide Local Demographic Data

T

he clergy, churches, and other organizations of the Diocese of Central Florida now have access to MissionInsite, an online resource dedicated to the study and analysis of congregational and community demographics.

Local data can be viewed by town, zip code, public-transit areas, or even by mapping a specific location. Demographics are given at 71 different angles. Diocesan leaders will now be able to answer such questions as, “Who are we as a congregation? Who else is in the neighborhood?

Who isn’t coming to church? Where are outreaches most needed?”

“This is an excellent tool for our leaders to use,” Canon Tim Nunez said in an April 6 email announcing the resource to clergy. “But, like any tool, you have to take it out of the toolbox and learn how to use it well.”

Why MissionInsite?

Enabling churches to visualize who they are, where they are going, and what they can do to serve their communities is why the diocese has signed a threeyear contract with MissionInsite. All diocesan entities, including schools, are strongly encouraged to make use of the site (www.missioninsite.com) to better engage their immediate and extended communities. MissionInsite provides the tools needed for understanding and reaching current and prospective members, donors, and volunteers and meeting challenges related to mission, vision, evangelism, outreach, stewardship, and more.

“Most of us know our neighborhoods and have a general understanding of our communities,” Nuñez said, “but it is so helpful to have insights

into others, to see where and how our membership relates to the region we serve.

“In addition to demographic data, MissionInsite provides an exhaustive analysis of dozens of segments of our population,” he added. “What kinds of worship and clergy leadership do they seek? What types of education opportunities will appeal to them? What are their deepest spiritual and physical needs, and how might they engage their faith? With that sort of information readily available, clergy and lay leaders will be better equipped to focus and plan their approach.”

Get the Data, See the Story For over a decade, more than 200 national and regional church agencies and more than 125,000 faith-based institutions nationwide have seen how MissionInsite’s FaithConnect solution gives them a better understanding of their congregants and community. FaithConnect uniquely integrates information about your church’s congregants and visitors with its own demographic and analytical tools to provide solutions to your most complex strategic-mission challenges.

Your stewardship dollars and volunteers will be better managed by knowing:

Which projects are most needed ahead of time What is needed in your neighborhood What may be changing in your community before the changes happen, which will enable you to adapt your future mission efforts accordingly.

With FaithConnect, you can now plan for collaborative ministries, church transformations, or church planting opportunities without having to guess. The PeopleView System—an interactive, cloud-based technology platform— produces robust reports and analytics that can be accessed anywhere, anytime and eliminates stand-alone paper reports and expensive consultants.

You’ll be able to quickly and easily build reports and presentations that help “tell the demographic story” about your community. Tables created in PeopleView can be exported to Microsoft Excel in one click. Data displayed on a map can be converted into a PowerPoint presentation in seconds.

How Do You Get Started?

First, register. Registration instructions were sent to all clergy and churches, and more are available anytime if you need them. Please contact Canon Nuñez if you’d like another set. Registering will give you access to all the training guides and videos available. But if you need further help, MissionInsite’s customer support and training personnel understand what your team members need and will show them how to obtain it. They offer live online or recorded training sessions, weekly conference calls, emails, and videos.

MissionInsite is available via phone, email, or chat Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.

CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

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AROUND THE DIOCESE

Update: Grant Winners 2015 A year later, these churches are growing in exciting new ways

Church of the Messiah—Winter Garden

By Terri Wetherington

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nder the Rev. Tom Rutherford’s leadership, Church of the Messiah, Winter Garden, has consistently grown each of the 20 years Father Rutherford has been the rector. A primary element of Messiah’s success formula has been an emphasis on youth.

Every year, new parishioners become part of the church directly through Children of the Messiah Preschool.

Success with the youth led to a full-time youth minister being added to the church staff, and average Sunday attendance grew again. After a children’s minister was added, attendance grew even more. In addition, Messiah’s theatre-based summer-camp program, Seraph Theatre, as well as the church’s Vacation Bible School (VBS) program, bring in children and youth (and their families and friends) from the community. Without the theatre and VBS, these people may never have come onto campus.

In spring 2015, Terri Wetherington, director of the Seraph Theatre program, discussed with Father Rutherford her idea for changing the way schoolchildren are taught. That idea was the start of Messiah Academy (MA).

MA combines the collaborative model of the classic one-room schoolhouse with state-of-the-art technology to teach a values-based curriculum designed to maximize each student’s individual development. MA furnishes laptops for students and collaborates with Florida Virtual School to offer an academic program tailored for each student. Additionally, MA provides Christianformation instruction, a fine-arts program, and nutrition classes. The nutrition coursework actively involves students in the preparation, service, and cleanup of meals and snacks as a way to teach them healthy lifestyles.

MA’s commitment to ongoing relationships between students and teachers eliminates the need to spend the first few months of each new school year establishing new teacher-student relationships and effective communication techniques. As a result, learning begins at the start of each new school year rather than a month or two into it. All children have unique strengths and weaknesses; MA’s model allows the teachers to lead each student in the manner that is most effective to his or her learning. This also precludes the problems associated with “required passing” that exist in many conventional schools.

Of course, vision and enthusiasm are not enough. An initial congregational development grant of $25,000 as well as more than $7,000 contributed by parishioners have made MA possible. The funds bought new computers and provided the seed capital needed for physical-plant improvements and to cover start-up costs until tuition begins flowing in. Messiah’s youth

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hall, built in 1962, required updated broadband service and new electrical circuits to accommodate the 25 new computers that make individual learning experiences possible. New LED lighting replaced the 50-year-old fixtures.

A sound-insulated wall replaced an accordion divider, turning the generalpurpose youth hall into two 1,000 square-foot classrooms. One room will continue to be used by Children of the Messiah Preschool; the other will be used by MA. Because the wall created “new” rooms, light switches had to be relocated to meet building codes.

Dividing the hall into separate rooms has the added benefit of providing space for two separate youth ministries that meet on Sunday afternoons. Shine Kids Club (grades K-5) uses the preschool side. Activate Youth Group (middle and high schoolers) meets on the MA side. The additional space is enabling each group to grow further.

The experience at Church of the Messiah is an important component of growth.

But it’s more than that. It indicates that investing in our youth and families is an effective way to reach the community and change the world for Jesus Christ.

Terri Wetherington, director of Messiah Academy, is a retired army warrant officer. She is active in VBS and children’s church, and does outreach to the community through the Seraph Theatre summer program.

AROUND THE DIOCESE

The Church of St. Luke & St. Peter—St. Cloud By the Rev. Robert Longbottom

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n December 5 and 6, The Church of St. Luke & St. Peter celebrated 123 years of mission in Narcoosee and St. Cloud!

We also celebrated the 25th (silver) anniversary of our current campus in St. Cloud on Canoe Creek Road. During the celebration, we dedicated ourselves to our future by initializing our vision for 2016. Our goal is that our members log 25,000 hours of mission to our community, discipleship through group and individual study, and prayer, all for furthering God’s kingdom. We are doing this in honor of our silver anniversary and to grow our church and our members missionally.

At the end of November, we completed a very important project for our church property: the installation of a new entrance sign and gate. This was made possible by a congregational development grant awarded to St. Luke & St. Peter last year. The sign and gate are part of the vision we have for our campus and ministry. Our church has a quarter-mile driveway that connects the parking lot with the main road, and the entrance to our driveway from the road is fairly well-hidden due to a four-acre cypress preserve. Our hope is that the new sign and gate will inform more people that we are here and have a substantial impact on our presence in our community.

Other key events have occurred since we received the congregational development grant. Our original funding request was for $15,000, and the amount was to include the cost of the entrance sign and gate as well as ranchstyle fencing to span the portion of our property that faces the main road.

The fence was intended strictly for campus aesthetics. We received a grant for $11,000, and the Rev. Rob Goodridge and I talked about not including the fencing in the grant. It was our way of encouraging our church to “get some

skin in the game” and have faith that God would provide the fence another way. I wholeheartedly agreed with Father Goodridge that this was a good way to go.

After the grant was issued, we procured a donation from a member of our congregation for the fence! It is now installed and looks wonderful. Further refurbishments that have resulted from the grant include repainting our current marquee (which has changeable lettering for community messages) so it matches the coloring of our new sign and gate and improving areas at the front of our property to make it more inviting and visible.

Finally, after the grant project was complete, we realized that a couple of key ingredients were missing from our entrance gate. We needed to landscape it and add the address of our campus. We have procured donations of the funds and expertise needed to make both happen. These even include provision for an irrigation-timer electrical box and landscaping for the bottom of the sign.

We are grateful to God for his provision of our needs at St. Luke & St. Peter as we continue to carry out his mission here in St. Cloud and beyond.

Fr. Rob has been an ordained Episcopal Priest for 12 years and has served in Visalia, CA, Ogdensburg, NY and now St. Cloud, FL. Fr. Rob and his wife Amee currently have three children. Fr. Rob knew from a very early age that he was called by God to lead his Church.

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AROUND THE DIOCESE

Bringing Denominations Together

St. Agnes in Sebring gives—then receives back—a special gift Bonds of Christian unity and friendship are crossing denominational lines in Sebring, Florida.

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n 2014, the Rev. Scott Walker of St. Agnes Episcopal Church reached out to the new pastor of the First United Methodist Church of Sebring, David Juliano. This first step to a new friendship was part of an effort at St. Agnes to reach out to local pastors across Sebring and create a common bond of unity.

During a visit to St. Agnes, Pastor David noticed on the wall calendar in the church office that dates were circled to note monthly saints’ commemorations. Father Walker explained that any member of the church could request a commemoration for a saint who is special to them. Pastor David immediately said he would like to suggest March 3, the date John and Charles Wesley are remembered in The Episcopal Church for beginning a reform movement within the Church of England. Father Walker accepted the suggestion, and each year in March, St. Agnes invites their Methodist brothers and sisters to attend a special commemoration service for the Wesley brothers.

In 2015, Pastor David was asked to preach at the service of evening prayer.

This year, he was asked to officiate, and 87 of the faithful gathered together: 52 from St. Agnes and 35 from First UMC. For each saint’s commemoration, Father Walker includes an icon of the saint on the cover of the booklet created for the service. As it turns out, Pastor David likes to collect icons. He found an icon he liked of John and Charles Wesley and learned that the iconographer was Louise Shipps of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Savannah, Georgia. Pastor David contacted Louise and asked if she would make a print for the commemoration.

Hearing that it would be a joint service, Louise kindly made two prints from the original icon: one for First Methodist and one for St. Agnes.

At the end of the March 3 service this year, Pastor David presented St. Agnes with one of the prints, which he had framed for the occasion. The icon was the same one Father Walker had chosen for that day’s booklet.

Choir Opportunity for Girls and Boys The Orlando Deanery Boychoir and Girls Choir are looking for new members!

This outreach program of The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke in Orlando is known internationally for creating beautiful music of the highest quality. Affiliated with the Royal School of Church Music, the choirs offer great opportunities to develop vocal skills and musicianship and to grow personally.

Performances are held:

• Occasionally at the cathedral.

• Around the community, often with other choirs and with orchestras.

• Annually at the finest cathedrals and concert halls around the world.

The choirs are open to boys and girls 8 to 18 years old, and no prior music training is necessary.

Interested singers may audition anytime.

The print currently hangs in the church office and is a reminder of the bonds of unity and friendship being built today in our community.

Contact choir director Canon Ben Lane at music@stlukescathedral.org or (407) 849-0680

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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

AROUND THE DIOCESE

Looking to the Future: St. David’s by-the-Sea A resilient faith keeps this historic Cocoa Beach parish moving forward

By Jeanne Weaver

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n February 29—the Eve of St. David’s Day, and with 130 parishioners in attendance—the Rt. Rev. Gregory Brewer officiated the consecration of the newly renovated and expanded church campus of St. David’s by-the-Sea in Cocoa Beach.

It was a day to honor not only the church’s steadfast history in the beachside city but also its strong vision for the future of faith across the local community.

Since 1950, St. David’s by-the-Sea has stood as a stalwart symbol of faith and fellowship in the area. In its early years, before beach development boomed and when the local population was a mere 250 people, St. David’s was known as the “little white church in the jungle.” The small wooden building parishioners called their church home was struck by lightning and condemned in 1956. The resilient St. David’s congregation chose to build a new church else-

where and developed land on South 4th Street.

Only a few years later, at the zenith of the “space race,” St. David’s was bursting at the seams. The Cocoa Beach population increased 1,000 percent from 1950 to 1960 due to America’s NASA program and the nearby John F. Kennedy Space Center to the north. As the coastal demography changed, so did St. David’s. But the warm and caring nature of the parishioners didn’t. Today, as it has throughout its history, St. David’s reaches inward to provide love and fellowship to its parishioners and outward to its extended community to provide compassion and assistance to the less fortunate.

Since 2010, under the pastoral care of The Rev. Scott T. Holcombe, St. David’s has been growing. Recently the South 4th Street campus underwent major renovations due to a freak accident that occurred on the site in January 2014.

Early on a Sunday, just before the 10:15 a.m. service, a car rammed through the glass windows of the church, destroying part of the structure as well as the organ, flooring, and many of the pews. Thankfully, no one was hurt; but the accident began a chain of events that led to a decision to rebuild and renovate the once-thriving church. Even during lean years prior to 2014, the church had continued to build a sizable endowment that, coupled with a building fund, enabled St. David’s to rebuild and look to the future.

The building today retains important elements of its historic architectural icons. A large Good Shepherd stained glass window created in the 1920s illuminates the north wall of the sanctuary. Adjoining the sanctuary is a large narthex fitted with solid-wood doors and colored by additional 1920s stained glass.

The parish hall has been renovated and enlarged and features a high-tech TV monitor used for informative and interesting Bible studies. Off the parish hall is a state-of-theart kitchen. The church’s campus grounds and memorial gardens have been enhanced and beautified to better honor the ones whose remains rest on the property.

Those who came before us as well as those now gone who funded endowments for our future would be proud to see how St. David’s has been revitalized for the 21st century and is moving forward for the good of our congregation and the greater Cocoa Beach community.

Jeanne Weaver is a vestry member of St. David’s. She is also the church historian and has been working for the past two years to create a time line of the church’s history.

Jeanne is also a talented oil painter.

CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

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AROUND THE DIOCESE

120 Years and Counting

“St. John the Baptist is thriving after all these years”

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n April 18, 1896, three years and two months after the organizing of the newly formed Missionary Jurisdiction of Southern Florida, The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist, Orlando, Florida was established.

It was located in a four-room frame house, from which the partitions were removed, at the northeast corner of Terry and Pine Streets.

The Reverend H. W. Greetham, a perpetual deacon who supported himself by working for the Old Waterworks, was the congregation’s spiritual leader. He instructed those who had expressed an interest in the church with discussions during evenings in their homes.

On Sundays, he conducted services and taught church school.

Laura Lee Brewer and Marion Pinder

In 1955, the Reverend John Fred Dickman, Ed.D., became the first full-time priest for St. John the Baptist. He soon married, and he and his wife resided in the rectory on Terry Street.

Father Nelson W. Pinder, D.D., was assigned to St. John's by Bishop Louttit on May 30, 1959.

Pinder was St. John's second full-time priest and the first full-time priest of color.

In November 2013, the vestry elected Father Jabriel Simmonds Ballentine to serve as the fourth rector of The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist. He was installed by Bishop Gregory O. Brewer on Sunday, December 8, 2013.

And so, The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist embarks again on its mission to effectuate the Great Commandment (Matt. 22:37-39) and

the Great Commission (Matt. 2:19-20).

From its humble beginning, The Episcopal Church of St. John the Baptist enjoys a rich and illustrious history. We are proud to be one of the oldest congregations in the Central Florida Diocese, established just three years after Bishop Gray began his fervent mission of proclaiming the word of God across the Missionary Jurisdiction of Southern Florida.

April 17, 2016 Celebration On Sunday, April 17, Bishop Brewer was the celebrant and preacher for St. John’s celebration worship service. This was a wonderful service, giving thanks to God for His provisions in keeping our most historic church thriving.

A Great Big Thank-You The Diocese of Central Florida would like to send out a special thank-you for the delightful and delicious administrators’ lunch on April 27. It was a time of great food, laughter, and the giving and receiving of gifts. Thank you, St. John’s, for honoring our administrators each year!

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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

YOUTH NEWS

Choir Leads Parishioners on Life-Changing Journey to Celebrate Christ On Lenten Sunday, the Diocesan Youth Choir Fills St. Luke’s with Sacred Song

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he sun was shining and a light breeze filled the air. Lenten Sunday, February 28, was a beautiful day. Friendly greetings awaited those arriving at the Cathedral Church of Saint Luke in downtown Orlando. This afternoon, the massed youth choir of the Diocese of Central Florida would present their annual festival.

As the organist began to play, the cathedral filled with song.

Soon the choir was walking down the center aisle, singing as they approached the chancel. One by one, the choristers took their places. The moment for which they had all worked so hard had finally arrived.

For the parishioners in attendance, our journey had begun. The music would lead us from a time of calling for Jesus to come into our midst to a remembrance of his life, death, and resurrection.

The songs were chosen from different seasons of the church year, each musical piece different from the one before it.

The youth did a wonderful job and sang beautifully. Some came to the podium and read scriptures between songs. Prayers were raised. The story unfolded. Some songs were sung a cappella and some with piano or organ accompaniment. A Nigerian song was even sung in Yoruba, one of Nigeria’s four official languages. The entire experience was amazing.

Bishop Brewer presided and shared an inspiring message about the life cycle of every believer. Using a diagram to illustrate his words, he helped us all to see and understand how great our lives are or can still become.

Those of you who did not attend this year’s Youth Choir Festival will not want to miss it next year!

CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

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CANTERBURY / CAMP WINGMANN

Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center Calendar of Events www.canterburyretreat.org • 407-365-5571

2016 Summer Schedule

A Conversation on Race, with Dr. Tim Wise

June 12-17: Camp St. Mark

May 20-21

Senior High campers entering grades 9-12

Join us in an interactive discussion to address one of the most divisive issues of our day: race. Not just another lecture or seminar, this retreat will be an opportunity to learn and identify solutions, uncover answers, and heal the gaping racial rift in our culture.

June 19-24: Camp St. Barnabas

A Celtic Evening at Canterbury

June 5, 2016

Middle School campers entering grades 6-8

June 26-July 1: Camp Trinity Elementary-age campers entering grades 3-5

July 10-15: Camp St. Peter

Join us as we celebrate the mission and ministry of Canterbury Retreat Center. This Celtic Evening features great food, drink and the toe-tapping, traditional Irish music of Crooked Road - a regional favorite. You will enjoy an amazing silent auction ending with a live auction. Join the fun.

Senior High campers entering grades 9-12

Icon Writing Workshop

July 24-29: Camp St. Mary

July 24-29

During this six-day retreat, artist and instructor Teresa Harrison will teach the prayerful practice of iconography, a painting process that will introduce you to ancient Greek and Russian artistic styles.

This beginner’s course is also rewarding for experienced iconographers. No art experience is needed—just a willingness to allow God to work through the step-by-step process, for which each brush stroke is intended as a prayer.

The focus this year will be the Baptism of Christ and St. George and the Dragon. For more information: www.TeresaHarrison.com or contact Teresa at tshart2@gmail.com.

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Camp Wingmann:

CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

July 17-22: Camp St. Francis Middle School campers entering grades 6-8

Elementary-age campers entering grades 3-5

July 31-Aug 5: Camp St. John Middle School campers entering grades 6-8

For more information or to register, visit: www.campwingmann.org

DIOCESE

TRINITY SUNDAY FESTIVAL EVENSONG Choral Evensong at the Cathedral Church of Saint Luke

will feature the Orlando Deanery Boychoir and Girls Choir, internationally renowned outreach ministries of the cathedral.

On Trinity Sunday, May 22, at 4 p.m., come and enjoy a festive celebration of music presented by the finest local composers, including Dr. David Brunner, Dr. Carl MaultsBy, Dr. Peter Mathews, Andrew Walker, and our cathedral musician, Canon Benjamin Lane. This annual choir-homecoming service also includes former choristers and the Men’s Choir, choir awards, and a gala reception for everyone.

The cathedral is located at 130 N. Magnolia Ave. in downtown Orlando. Park free of charge on East Washington Street, south of the cathedral, in either the public lot or the Regions Bank garage.

For more information or to view an online map, go to

www.stlukescathedral.org

Diocese Calendar of Events May 20

Clergy Day –A Conversation with Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon

May 21

Diocesan Event with Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon

Church of St. Luke and St. Peter in St. Cloud

May 21

Family Festival at St. John the Baptist in Orlando

Free health screenings, bounce houses, hot dogs and drinks / 10am – 4pm

May 22

Youth Sunday

Canterbury Conference Center / 10am – 3pm.

St. John the Baptist in Orlando / 10am

June 5

All day Fundraiser at Canterbury Retreat Center

June 8

The Living Church Retreat – Clergy Day Canterbury Retreat Center

June 9 –10 The Living Church Retreat

Canterbury Retreat Center

And it shall be, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

­— Acts 2:21

Bishop Brewer Visitation Schedule 5/15/16 Lakeland 5/22/16 Orlando 6/5/16 Lake Mary

Christ the King (SW Deanery Day) Cathedral St. Peter’s

Bishop Brewer’s visitation dates are subject to change.

Please refer to www.cfdiocese.org for the most current visitation listing.

CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

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EPISCOPAL & ANGLICAN NEWS

An Easter Report From the Communion Partners of The Episcopal Church

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hirty bishops gathered for a Communion Partners meeting in late March to discuss some of the recent policy and doctrinal decisions made in The Episcopal Church. The Rt. Rev. Greg Brewer described the atmosphere of the meeting as “hardworking and deeply cordial.”

“It was a joy to be together. We enjoy each other’s company,” he said. “It was deeply moving to hear stories from the bishops of Latin America. They wrestle with poverty and their place in The Episcopal Church. We, Communion Partner Bishops, support them.”

Brewer added that he is excited about the future and the new leaders who will be raised up.

can Communion is God’s gift to us as Anglican Christians for the sake of a greater unity.

We rejoice that the primates decided unanimously to “walk together” as a Communion of churches, even if from a “distance.” We agree with them and grieve that The Episcopal Church through its General Convention has departed from “the faith and teaching held by the majority of our Provinces on the doctrine of marriage.” This traditional doctrine, based on the teaching of Scripture, as articulated by the primates, upholds marriage as between a man and a woman in faithful, lifelong union. This is the teaching expressed in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, and the doctrine we are committed to upholding.

For the sake of the unity of the Anglican Communion, and the ability to walk together even at a distance, the primates have asked that members of The Episcopal Church no longer represent the Communion on ecumenical and interfaith bodies, not be appointed to internal standing committees, and refrain from voting upon matters of doctrine and polity. We call upon The Episcopal Church’s three delegates to the Anglican Consultative Council (ACC) voluntarily to honor these requests.

The bishops issued the following report from their meeting: All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us” (2 Cor. 5:18-19).

We, Communion Partner leaders and friends, gathered at the Canterbury Retreat & Conference Center in the Diocese of Central Florida March 29-30. We are grateful to the Archbishop of Canterbury for his leadership in gathering the primates of the Anglican Communion to take counsel for the good of the Communion, just as we are grateful for our membership and roles of leadership in The Episcopal Church. We believe that communion in faith and life in the church is a gift, and that the fellowship shared by the churches of the Angli-

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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

We thank Presiding Bishop Michael Curry for greeting us by letter at our meeting, and are grateful for his pledge of support for the House of Bishops’ 2015 statement, “Communion Across Difference,” and look forward to his appointment of a “working group” to discern ways to move this vision forward. We continue to be concerned about prayer book revision in The Episcopal Church, including the possibility of change in the doctrine of marriage in our prayer book formularies.

We pray for reconciliation within the Anglican Communion. We note the intentional statement of the bishops of The Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan. Though severing communion with The Episcopal Church, they nonetheless remain in communion with the Episcopal dioceses represented by the signers of the Salt Lake City Statement of 2015. We call for the conclusion of litigation between The Episcopal Church and its former members, and for prayer and work

BISHOP BREWER

for eventual reconciliation with those who have left The Episcopal Church. Along with the primates of the Anglican Communion, we condemn “homophobic prejudice and violence,” reject “criminal sanctions against same-sex attracted people,” and resolve “to offer pastoral care and loving service irrespective of sexual orientation.” We spent time in consultation with others about these important matters.

We were addressed by the Rev. Dawn McDonald of the Zacchaeus Fellowship and professor Wesley Hill of Trinity School for Ministry about their perspectives on these matters.

We commit ourselves to “the difficult work of racial reconciliation through prayer, teaching, engagement, and action” (GC Resolution 2015-CO19). A number of bishops from Province IX are among our members, and they blessed our time together by their participation and in sharing stories of growth and hardship. We also note the call by leaders of The Episcopal Church for “listening with Anglican partners in the Global South, with particular attention to colonial and neocolonial patterns of relationship.”

We recommit ourselves to the important work of evangelism, which we understand as “the presentation of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, in such ways that persons may be led to believe in him as Savior and follow him as Lord in the fellowship of the church.” With the primates, we “commit ourselves through evangelism to proclaim the person and work of Jesus Christ, unceasingly and authentically, inviting all to embrace the beauty and joy of the gospel.” We are eager to foster the “Jesus Movement.”

In furtherance of the Jesus Movement, we will endeavor to be bridge-builders. We seek to live more fully in our vocation of maintaining and strengthening ties with the Anglican Communion and The Episcopal Church. We commit ourselves to expanding mission partnerships within The Episcopal Church, and beyond it in the Anglican Communion. We look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with the “Gracious Restraint” bishops in the Anglican Church of Canada.

We continue to encourage and support a new generation of leaders and scholars in The Episcopal Church. “So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20).

Those in attendance who worked on this report were the Rt. Rev. Lloyd Allen, bishop of Honduras; the Rev. Dr. Chuck Alley, rector of St. Matthew’s Church, Henrico, Virginia; the Rt. Rev. John Bauerschmidt, bishop of Tennessee; the Rt. Rev. Greg Brewer, bishop of Central Florida; the Rt. Rev. Francisco Duque-Gómez, bishop of Colombia; the Rt. Rev. Bill Frey, bishop of Colorado (resigned); the Rt. Rev. Julio Holguin, bishop of Dominican Republic; the The Rt. Rev. John Howard, bishop of Florida; the Rt. Rev. Paul Lambert, bishop suffragan of Dallas, Texas; the Rev. Dr. Russ Levenson, rector of St. Martin’s Church, Houston, Texas; the Rt. Rev. Bill Love, bishop of Albany, New York; the Rt. Rev. Dan Martins, bishop of Springfield, Illinois; the Rt. Rev. Moises Quezada Mota, bishop coadjutor of Dominican Republic; the Rt. Rev. Bill Skilton, bishop assistant of Dominican Republic (resigned); the Rt. Rev. Michael Smith, bishop of North Dakota; the Rev. R. Leigh Spruill, rector of St. George’s Church, Nashville, Tennessee; the Rt. Rev. George Sumner, bishop of Dallas, Texas; the Rt. Rev. Stephen Andrews, bishop of Algoma, Ontario; the Rt. Rev. Fraser Lawton, Bishop of Athabasca, Alberta; and the Rt. Rev. David Parsons, bishop of the Arctic (Canada).

Apply Today for a St. Andrew’s-Sewanee Scholarship

Claiborne scholarships aid boarding students in ninth and tenth grades

Sewanee, TN —St. Andrew’s-Sewanee School (SAS) offers scholarships of up to one-third of boarding tuition for outstanding boarding students entering ninth or tenth grade. The Claiborne Merit Scholarships are awarded to boarding students who have the strength to lead, the aptitude for academic excellence, and the desire to serve. Designation and support remain in place as long as the student is in good standing and provide a potential scholarship of up to $60,000 over four years. The merit award may be combined with financial aid if need is demonstrated.

Established in 2004, the scholarships are named in honor of Archdeacon William Sterling Claiborne, who was instrumental in founding St. Andrew’s School and re-establishing St. Mary’s School.

To be selected as a Claiborne Scholar, a student must have a strong academic record

and exhibit leadership qualities that reflect a sense of honor and a commitment to serving the community. This merit-based program is open to all families, including ones that do not qualify for need-based aid.

SAS is an Episcopal boarding and day school in Sewanee, Tennessee. The school serves students in grades six to twelve and welcomes boarding students in grades nine to twelve.

Students from more than a dozen states and countries attend SAS for an outstanding college-preparatory education in a close-knit school community that cultivates creativity, celebrates individuality, and rejoices in the natural world. The school’s beautiful 550-acre mountaintop campus provides students unique opportunities for scientific study and outdoor adventure. SAS sports include a varsity mountain-biking team and club climbing team.

A supporter of The Episcopal Church, SAS offers an automatic 40 percent boarding-tuition break for children of employees of The Episcopal Church and financial assistance for both day and boarding students who are children of Episcopal seminarians.

Taylor Kavanaugh, a former SAS student who graduated from Georgia Tech and is now pursuing a doctorate at Vanderbilt University, says: “I came to SAS looking for greater academic challenge than what was available in my community. The Claiborne Scholarship allowed my family to afford SAS. The emphasis on community and outreach helped me to know that I was choosing a school that shared my values.”

For more information about SAS, the Claiborne Scholars Program, Episcopal Scholars Program, or financial support for children of Episcopal seminarians, go to www.sasweb.org or contact the Admissions Office at admissions@sasweb.org or (931) 598-5651.

CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

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AROUND THE WORLD

Diocese of Honduras Working Toward Becoming Self-Sufficient

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he Honduran women are very excited about their projects, which are helping improve their lives by motivating them, giving them hope, and enabling them to feel useful while granting the possibility of covering their needs with the income they make.

The women are very thankful and want to tithe to their churches because they know it is the Lord who has brought this hope to empower them to be successful women.

Microenterprise Projects Altar Linens Purificator: 12 x 12” $15.00 Corporal: 18 x 18” $20.00 Lavabo Towel: $18.00 Pall:

$25.00

Small Kit Purificator: 7 x 7” $5 Corporal: 10 x 10” $12 Lavabo Towel: $6

Crosses Fused glass crosses: $10 Fused glass crosses on wood:

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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

$28

AROUND THE WORLD

A Tale of Two Churches Though worlds apart, St. Barnabas and San Miguel share a close bond

By Judy Keen

A

parish-to-parish relationship between Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church in DeLand and San Miguel of the Archangel in Ojos de Agua, Honduras, is creating an exchange of friendship and faith-building efforts between the two congregations. In 2014, a team from St. Barnabas went to Honduras seeking God’s will about which Honduran Episcopal church to join in partnership. The Lord directed them to San Miguel, and each year since, a St. Barnabas team has returned. Today, a close bond continues to grow between the two churches.

HON

In October, the team began a project to develop family-to-family relationships. They met with 35 San Miguel families in their homes, took pictures of family members, and gathered their names and birthdates. The team also held a workshop to teach women in the church how to sew altar linens and to encourage them in the work. Fabric and materials the team had brought to Honduras were used to help the women get started.

DUR

Jewelry

AS

Anglican Rosaries Handmade jade and fossil with sterling silver cross: $30 Handmade jade and fossil with fused glass cross: $30 Anglican rosary beads and shell pearl with silver cross: $45 Pearl necklace: $65 Pearl earrings with sterling silver:

$25

Pearl bracelets in sterling silver:

$38

Costume Jewelry Set:

$16

To place an order, please email Rev. Connie Sanchez at

csanchezhn@gmail.com.

DIOCESE OF HONDURAS www.episcopalchurchhonduras.org

This project is now being developed further under the Diocese of Honduras, which is providing oversight and education—teaching the women how to save money, develop a co-op, and market the linens. St. Barnabas’ role was to provide the ”seed” of instruction, materials, and encouragement, and then step back and watch God work through these women to financially provide for themselves and contribute to their churches in mighty ways. The women of San Miguel are doing beautiful work.

For their next trip, which occurred in April, the team returned with photographs and data on 35 St. Barnabas families to pair with the data they’d collected from the 35 San Miguel families. The objective of this project is to unite the parishioners in Deland and Ojos de Agua in prayer for one another. For example, when St. Barnabas families go to the altar for birthday blessings on Sunday mornings, they offer special prayers for San Miguel family members who have birthdays that day.

St. Barnabas Episcopal School has also begun a school-to-school relationship with the bilingual St. Mary’s Episcopal School in Tegucigalpa.

Four students from St. Mary’s joined St. Barnabas students in October as translators. Together, they also worked with students from San Miguel to build a ramp for a 10-year-old girl named Genesis who suffers from spina bifida and has a hard time getting down the steps into her church. They then came together for an overnight youth retreat during which students of different nationalities and cultures, speaking different languages, shared one faith in the one Lord Jesus.

St. Barnabas teams plan to continue visiting their companion parish of San Miguel at least twice a year.

CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

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AROUND THE WORLD

Aline’s Story

the relationship-building process: these children and teens are trying to find the words to define our relationship with them, and when they do, they feel free to express themselves more openly with us.

The Search for a ‘Permanent Address’ on the Streets of São Paulo

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By Stephen Dass

line communicated with us on and off while we were in the United States. She is one of the few teens from the streets of São Paulo, Brazil, who has a Facebook account. She told us she was living at her mother’s house—where she managed to stay for almost two months. That’s quite an achievement for her.

Aline was taken away from her family when she was 10. Her mother had invited two strangers to live in their home for no apparent reason. The situation quickly spiraled out of control. There was suspicion of abuse, and the authorities stepped in and removed all children under the age of 18 from the house. Aline and her siblings were placed in a state orphanage. She would never see the two youngest ones again after their biological father was given full custody of them.

Aline and her older sibling, Nyara, were not as fortunate. They spent most of their teenage years in the orphanage. Although they have only good things to say about the facility, they never felt like it was a stable home for them. Local orphanages accommodate only children younger than age 18, so the two sisters knew the orphanage would be a temporary place for them to live. Neither wanted to go back to their mother’s house permanently.

Aline was the first to run away to the streets. Life there was familiar—she had become acquainted with it in her early teens. She started living there for long periods when she turned 15.

Nyara stayed in the orphanage until she was 18 and then tried living with her mother. That did not last long—within a few months she abandoned everything and went to the streets looking for her sister. Even though Aline is younger, she is

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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

At least we know for sure this is the case with Aline.

more street-smart than Nyara, who is always trying to fit in and will do anything as long as it helps her become part of the group. Aline, on the other hand, has always been determined to find something lasting and safe. She wants to have a permanent address in this life.

We saw Aline in the streets on our first day back to the city. When she saw us, her face lit up with a huge smile. She tried to hide it, but it was too late. She came up and gave us a hug. She had tried to stay at home for a while, she said, but… .

(She didn’t have a good excuse for leaving.)

We know she hasn’t found her place yet. Until she does, she will be going back and forth between her mother’s house and the streets. It is quite difficult for children and teens who live on the streets to leave that familiar environment for somewhere new. Going to even the most common places, like a mall, could be an intimidating experience for them.

Aline’s birthday approached, and Mary, my wife, made a cake for her. I believe it was the first time Aline had enjoyed a birthday celebration of her own. She said it was nice to have friends who are “like parents.” Being able to verbalize that comparison helped Aline understand the nature of our relationship. And it’s helping her open up to us more. It also exemplifies an important part of

Please support us with your prayers and finances as we seek to reach more people like Aline. Send financial support to Diocese of Central Florida, 1017 E. Robinson St., Orlando, FL 32801. Checks can be made out to the diocese; but it is important to write on the memo line that it is for either São Paulo Mercy Ministry or Stephen and Mary Dass.

Our email address is Fr.StephenDass@gmail. com. (I appreciate emails and respond to them immediately.)

To learn more about our work in São Paulo, read our blog at:

http://www.spmercyministry.com

WHO IS THE DIOCESE?

Who Is Sarah Caprani?

Get to know your executive assistant to the bishop

What is your title and responsibility?

I serve as executive assistant to the bishop. My role is multifaceted, with my primary focus being to alleviate as much administration as possible from Bishop Brewer and make his time in the office efficient so he is free to focus his energy on implementing his vision, overseeing diocesan clergy, traveling, and being in the community serving as our diocesan spokesman.

Describe a typical day in the bishop’s office.

While a few of my responsibilities are consistent—for instance, scheduling, visitations, correspondence, licensing, and the diocesan board—no two days are ever the same. The bishop’s office is deadline-driven, and since the buck stops with him, a single phone call can turn the entire day’s plan upside down.

For all the hard work that must take place, though, we do laugh a lot, which I think is vital in all relationships, professional and personal.

What have been your biggest surprises in this role?

I could talk about this at great length but will limit my response to a few reflections. First, I am amazed at how much gets accomplished by such a small number of people in our office. We all wear a lot of hats and really pull together as a team to reach common goals. Second, our clergy are fantastic.

I have really relished getting to know all the different personalities and am impressed by the many different ministries taking place around the diocese under their leadership. Third, there is a lot of protocol and terminology to know in The Episcopal Church. I am still learning the names of the various vestments and am constantly second-guessing whether or not I have gotten titles correct—but I do think I have finally mastered liturgical colors. My final point is not really a surprise but more of a bonus: I get to work next door to my mom (Marilyn Lang) every day.

What are some projects on the horizon you’re excited about?

Bishop Brewer is such a visionary and has such a passion for the diocese. I am looking forward to coming up with ways to get him out to our churches more often than on visitation Sundays, and to have him active in our community.

We will also be working on ways to increase engagement through our communications channels, especially social media and our website.

What characteristics are vital for this position?

I have found the following qualities have helped me assimilate into this role: Adaptability is one—plans and priorities shift by the day and sometimes by the hour, so being able to be flexible while also remaining mindful of time-sensitive tasks and projects is necessary. Another one is the ability to anticipate what Bishop Brewer will need for meetings, travel, and visitations; this quality makes both of our lives easier. I spend a good deal of time getting background stories, putting together talking points, and thinking through what kinds of obstacles might occur and what a plan B for those hiccups might be. Also, having a good knowledge of The Episcopal Church has proved especially helpful. I am in no way an expert in it, but the liturgy, music, various worship services, and even being around clergy collars all come naturally to me, thanks to being brought up in a devoutly Episcopal home. Finally, another must for this job is to be a good communicator. It is important to keep everyone on our staff abreast of the bishop’s priorities— and throughout the diocese it is an honor, which I do not take lightly, to speak on behalf of the bishop’s office.

How do you help the churches in the diocese?

Some of the administrative functions for which I am responsible include marital judgments; licensing for priests, deacons, lay eucharistic ministers (LEMs), and lay eucharistic visitors (LEVs); visitations; and monthly diocesan board meetings. And I serve as the diocesan ordination officer with the Church Pension Group. The point I want to reinforce is that I am here as a partner and resource for our diocesan churches. If your church is celebrating a special anniversary or if there are special pastoral needs you would like brought to the attention of Bishop Brewer, I am ready to help—these are just a couple of examples of conversations I would like to have with you.

Share your previous professional work experience.

Before coming to the diocese, I worked for 10 years in sales and marketing at the Orange County Convention Center. I was involved in advertising, production, the website, social media, communications, promotions, industry partnerships, training, reporting, and proposals. It was a formative time for me when I acquired invaluable skill sets and contacts. I have been able to use much of what I learned in my new role with the diocese. The most striking example of this crossover was the diocesan convention. It was so similar to what I had been doing at the convention center. Also, in working with our new communications firm, HigherLife, I can draw on past experiences and bring some best practices to the table. continued on page 27 CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

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CHILDREN AND YOUTH

It’s That Time of Year Again!

Vacation Bible schools start soon.

Here’s a look at this year’s themes: ARTS CAMP: ECOJUSTICE

June 13–17 | St. James Episcopal Church, Ormond Beach | 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

Rising K through rising fifth grade. Volunteer opportunities available for rising sixth grade through adult. Cost: $20 per person, $10 each additional child.

(386) 677-0872 | www.stjamesobfl.org

BARNYARD ROUNDUP

June 20-23 | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, New Smyrna Beach | 9 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

(386) 428-8733 | www.stpaulsnsb.org

DEEP SEA DISCOVERY

June 13-17 | Church of the Good Shepherd, Lake Wales 9 a.m.–11:45 a.m.

(863) 676-8578 www.goodshepherdnews.com

EGYPT: JOSEPH’S JOURNEY FROM PRISON TO PALACE

June 13-17 | St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Cocoa | 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

(321) 636-3781 | www.stmarkscocoa.org July 10-14 | St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Inverness | 5:15 p.m.

Dinner with VBS following. Thursday will start with a service and follow with dinner and water fun outside (local fire fighters will man a water truck to spray the kids).

(352) 726-3153 | www.stmaggie.org

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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

CAVE QUEST June 13-17 | St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Orlando | 9 a.m.–12 p.m.

Three years old (potty-trained) through fifth grade.

Sixth grade and up will serve as volunteer helpers.

(407) 657-9199 | www.stmatthewsorlando.org June 20-24 | All Saints Episcopal Church, Enterprise | 5:30 p.m.–8 p.m. Light dinner provided.

(386) 668-4108 | www.ascenterprise.org June 20-24 | St. Stephen’s, Lakeland | 6 p.m.–8 p.m. | (863) 646-6115 www.facebook.com—St. Stephen’s Church, Lakeland June 27-July 1 | Church of the Messiah, Winter Garden | 5:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Free dinner at 5 p.m. Pre-K through the completion of fifth grade.

Limited space available for potty-trained 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds.

To register: (407) 656-3218 or www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/ez/COTM

July 18-22 | The Cathedral Church of Saint Luke, Orlando | 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Ages 4 through fourth grade.

The cost is $25. Registration begins April 15th. Space is limited.

Contact Susie Dunlap: sdunlap@stlukescathedral.org

(407) 849-0680 | www.stlukescathedral.org

THE GREAT TREASURE HUNT

July 11-15 | St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, Orange City | 6 p.m.–8 p.m.

Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. | (386) 775-6200 www.stjudescentralflorida.org

CHILDREN AND YOUTH

SONSPARK LABS

July 18-22 | St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Winter Haven (863) 294-8888 | www.saintpaulswinterhaven.com

SURF SHACK

June 6-10 | St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Fort Pierce | 5 p.m.–8:15 p.m.

Free program for students PK through eighth grade.

Dinner is included. Register today at www.mystandrews.org

Episcopal Church of the Resurrection Is Offering

(772) 461-5009 | nancy@mystandrews.org

Sweetwater Day Camp This Summer!

UNDER THE SEA

For ages 2 through ninth grade, a fun day every day at Resurrection in Longwood.

June 20-24 | The Church of St. Luke & St. Peter, St. Cloud | 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

(407) 892-3227 | www.lukeandpeter.org

WELCOME TO THE KINGDOM

July 11-15 | St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church, Sebastian | 5:30 p.m.–8:15 p.m.

Ages 5 years to 13 years. | (772) 589-2770 www.stelizabethssebastian.org

OTHERS (NOT YET THEMED)

V B S

June 13-17 | Church of the Holy Spirit, Apopka | 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

(407) 886-1740 | www.holyspiritapopka.com June 13-17 | All Saints Episcopal Church, Lakeland | 8:45 a.m.–12 p.m.

(863) 688-4502 | www.allsaintsweb.org June 13-17 | St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Belleview | 5:30 p.m.–8 p.m.

(352) 347-6422 | www.stmarysbelleview.org June 20-24 | Church of the Ascension, Orlando For kids 4 years old through sixth grade.

(407) 876-3480 | www.ascension-orlando.org

Middle schoolers can join us for a fun-filled summer with daily off-site road trips that are action-packed! Please request our Middle School Road Trip brochure for more details.

For more information, call (407) 788-CAMP (2267) or visit www.sweetwaterdaycamp.org CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

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VOICES AROUND THE DIOCESE

Meet Our New Chaplains You may spot familiar names among these outstanding recent appointees

The Rev. Roger Hamilton

The Rev. Greer McBryde

L

I

(Retired Clergy)

ast October at the annual Clergy Conference, Canon Tim Nunez announced my appointment as chaplain to the retired clergy. Since I’m out of the country three to four months a year, I felt this was something I might be able to do, so I accepted Bishop Greg Brewer’s appointment. I was surprised to learn how many retired clergy members we have here in Central Florida!

I’ve begun the slow job of contacting everyone by phone as well as praying for each person as I do my daily morning prayer. I’m also working with the Rev. Jon Davis to organize an event at Canterbury sometime in the near future for those of us who are retired. If anyone has an idea about that, please contact me anytime at rgrhamilton@gmail.com.

I also try to keep up with everyone who has a pastoral need. If any of you who are retired would like to do things in a local parish or feel you are not being used in the way you wish, please let me know. I may be able to help.

The Rev. Meghan Farr (Altar Guild)

I

am the assistant rector for pastoral care at Holy Trinity in Melbourne and honored to have been called to serve as the chaplain for the diocesan altar guild in Central Florida. When I became a postulant for holy orders and was preparing to head off to seminary, one piece of advice I heard over and over was: “When you get to a parish, be sure to get to know your altar guild members.

They will be some of your most important guides!” That advice was echoed by professors in seminary as well.

While I certainly learned a lot during my rotations as a sacristan at Nashotah House, I continue to learn from wonderful altar guild members at the churches I have served. More than anything, they have wonderful stories and histories of the churches to share.

I look forward to ministering to and fellowshipping with altar guild members from around the diocese. They are part of what is often a behind-the-scenes ministry—but such a vital one for every church and clergy!

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CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

(Episcopal Church Women)

am a cradle Episcopalian. Growing up, I found children’s chapel and Sunday school engaging and full of purpose. I was confirmed at age 12 and, that summer, asked God at youth camp about the gift of the Holy Spirit given to me. His answer, profound, mysterious and hard to share, was that I was being called to “do something special in the church.” What, I could not imagine. It was 1957, and no girls were serving as acolytes, nor were women as lay readers or priests.

As the vision unfolded, marriage (to my high school sweetheart), children, and career moves for my husband eventually brought us to Orlando and our church family at Emmanuel. Decades of lay leadership, youth ministry, Cursillo, hospice chaplaincy, and grief ministry formed my diaconal ministry. Following God’s call late in life, I was ordained a priest in 2005 at Church of the Messiah, Winter Garden, where I served until 2013. We currently worship at Corpus Christi, Okahumpka.

As Episcopal Church Women chaplain, I hope to celebrate the wisdom of women’s stories, the gift of women’s ministries, and the blessing of their presence and prayers in our homes, churches, and communities.

AROUND THE DIOCESE

WHO IS THE DIOCESE?

St. Francis Celebrates with Paul Ulrich for his 100th Birthday

T

he congregation of St. Francis, in Bushnell, truly personifies the way Jesus sees the church: a family that loves God, takes joy in one another and gives him the glory.

On February 21, St. Francis church members wrote prayers and good wishes on 100 stars, planted 100 flowers in their butterfly garden, and had 100 candles burning on the tables, all in honor of Paul Ulrich. This hundredth birthday celebration for Paul was a very special day for the entire congregation. Everyone was able to participate in many different ways.

Paul is a World War II veteran. He and his lovely wife, Marion, have been married for 69 years and members of St. Francis for more than 15.

St. Francis was truly honored to celebrate this momentous occasion.

Blessings to all.

Who Is Sarah Caprani? continued from page 23

Tell us a little more about you.

My husband, Domenic, and I have been married for almost 15 years. While in London on a six-month student-work-exchange program right after graduating from college, I met Domenic—and was still there nearly six years later! We are the doting parents of a 3-year-old blond Labrador retriever named Emma who, despite her 85 pounds, thinks she is a small lap dog. We also have two nephews and two nieces whom we see and with whom we delight in spending time every chance we get.

I was raised in Orlando, graduated from Boone High School, and majored in English at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. My family was extremely active in the life of the cathedral while I grew up. I sang in the Cathedral Choristers, am a founding member of the Orlando Deanery Girls Choir, attended diocesan and RSCM choir camps during my summers, and participated in EYC and was married to Domenic there.

When not at work, I enjoy family, friends, reading, the arts, being at the beach, traveling, and taking walks with Domenic and Emma. I serve on the Family Advisory Council for Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and volunteer with LANES, a nonprofit youth-mentoring program for teenage girls.

To contact Sarah, please email her at scaprani@cfdiocese.org.

CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

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NEWS FROM THE EPISCOPAL DIOCESE OF CENTRAL FLORIDA WWW.CFDIOCESE.ORG • Volume 118, No. 3 • May 2016

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound as of the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

­— Acts 2:2

Page 3

How Pentecostal are you?

Page 7

Retirement can be great, but…

Page 8

Is it Time for a Tune Up?

Find out on page 12

How is St. Anges bringing denominations together?

Page 15

Did you see the Youth Choir on Lenten Sunday?

Page 26 to find out

Who are our new Chaplains?

CENTRAL FLORIDA EPISCOPALIAN • May 2016

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