Chas Cook, a senior at Trinity Prep in Winter Park, gave a pep-rally speech about being a team player. Every team, he said, is made up of several players who must work together to accomplish the team’s goal. A team player needs to know when to make his or her move and when to allow another player to make the move. Chas noted that everyone on the team needs to do his or her part—which includes knowing when to step back and allow another team member to get the glory. Working together, he said, things will get done.

Chas ended with a challenge for us all:  “What role will you play on the team?”

Scott Anderson, a member of the University of Central Florida (UCF) Canterbury Club, shared during his testimony that he came from a Presbyterian background and loved going to church as a teenager. When he decided to go to college at UCF, he had to leave his hometown and home church and search for a new congregation.

“It’s hard to find a church community on your own,” Scott said.

After he tried several local churches, never finding the one where he felt as though he fit in, Scott was invited to Canterbury Club. He was more than happy to go and found everyone there so inviting. “I felt as if I had been part of the club a long time,” he said, “and knew I had found a place where I could continue to go.”

As a result of going to Canterbury Club, Scott began to attend Church of the Incarnation in Oviedo. “I’ve been attending the church for six months, and next Sunday will be my confirmation,” Scott said. “I want to be part of the church’s future.”

Tom Phillips, director of Emmaus School, comes from a longtime Episcopal family. His dad is a retired Episcopal priest, and his grandfather was also an Episcopal priest. Tom, however, went in search of a different type of church experience when he became an adult.

Tom and his wife began going to a nondenominational church, which they attended for seven years until the congregation suddenly dissolved. “The whole church fell apart when the pastor left,” Tom said, noting that is what can happen when a church is based on one man’s personality.

Looking for a new church to attend, Tom and his wife tried the Episcopal Church in their small town. But when they realized they were the only ones there under the age of 55, they grew unsure whether it was the right congregation for them.

After praying and searching, they decided to move Emmaus School to Florida.

“Canterbury was a good fit for the school because God was working in the mix,” Tom said. “We felt God was calling us to be a part of the Diocese of Central Florida.

“We have found that the students of the school are hungry for the relationship with The Episcopal Church, hungry for the creeds, liturgy,” he said. “We are so happy to be a part of what God is doing in the Diocese of Central Florida. We hope [this year] to have our best school year yet.”