A Call Fulfilled: The Rev. Kim Spear Ordained as Priest

The sanctuary at St. Edward’s, Mount Dora, was filled with joyful celebration on the evening of Oct.  12, 2025, as the Rev. Kim Spear was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests. The Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin S. Holcomb presided, and the Rev. Mark Lafler, president of the Standing Committee for the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida and rector of St. Edward’s, preached. Reflecting on the service, Lafler described it simply: “It was a joyful celebration. I think everyone there was encouraged with the joy of the Lord.” Spear began her new assignment Nov. 1 as priest-in-charge at Church of the Holy Spirit, Apopka.

Spear’s call to ministry began long before she ever donned a collar. As a young girl, she remembers sunlight pouring through the window and landing on the family’s open Bible, a moment she describes as, “a lit-up presence of the divine.” Growing up in an Episcopal parochial school, she was drawn to chapel and especially the weekly Eucharist, often celebrated by her father, also an Episcopal priest. “As he elevated the elements, I imagined that was me,” she recalled.

That early sense of calling would remain, eventually leading her into the vocational diaconate. But as she faithfully served in outreach ministries, hospital chaplaincy and pastoral care, a deeper call continued to stir. But it wasn’t just a call to serve. It was a call to proclaim.

“For nearly a decade, I served joyfully as a deacon,” Spear said. “But there was a void. Everything in me was yearning… not just to serve in action, but to preach the good news of the gospel in word.”

That desire – to proclaim Christ and administer the sacraments – led her to attend Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, and into a new phase of discernment. “It has fortified my faith in ways I didn’t think possible,” she said, reflecting on her journey. “To approach theology through the lens of study and prayer brought a spiritual awareness that captivates body, mind and spirit.”

Still shaped by her foundation as a deacon, Spear brings that same servant’s heart into her priesthood. She is now ready to lead, to preach and to make Christ known through both word and sacrament.

Her ordination service was full of joy and reverence, shaped by surrender and the presence of the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit was ever present in the sanctuary, and in a very palpable way,” she said. “The joy of the Lord filled the space.”

During the litany, she lay prostrate on the floor, a moment she described as one of peace and surrender. “I was reminded, ‘I am not my own,’” she said. “When I vowed to serve God and his Church through a life of obedience, I felt the weight of that promise and the conviction to fulfill it.”

Lafler summed up the night in one word: “Joyful.”

The road to priesthood wasn’t fast, but it was faithful. Spear was ordained to the vocational diaconate nearly nine years ago, alongside the Rev. Canon Gordon Sims, who serves as deacon for pastoral care at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando. “What stands out most is her remarkable resilience and unwavering dedication,” he said. “Kim faced personal and educational challenges along the way, but her determination never faltered. Witnessing her perseverance has been truly inspiring. … Her ordination is a testament to her long-standing sense of vocation and the fulfillment of a journey marked by faithfulness and discernment.”

As she steps into this new chapter, the new priest carries a clear vision for ministry. “With God’s help, I will shepherd the flock he has entrusted me with,” she said. “To proclaim Jesus Christ and make Him known by word and action, in and out of the walls of the church.”

“To love people, all people, and let them know how deeply they are loved by the one who died for them,” Spear said of her call, which is centered on love and relationship. “By serving them, and by worshiping Christ with all that we are, in spirit and in truth, I hope to bring others to a deeper relationship with him.”

Spear was quick to express her gratitude. “You have been my church family for 18 years,” she said of St. Edward’s. “From the clergy to each of the parishioners, God knew exactly where I needed to be when I walked through those doors and heard, ‘You are home.’”

She also gave thanks for her husband, family, Parish Discernment Committee and diocesan leaders. “You were all part of the masterfully orchestrated plan to get me to where I am today. Praise be to God.”