“This is spectacular.”
With that simple declaration, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin S. Holcomb described the ordination of Brian Stankich to the transitional diaconate. The service took place on Thursday, July 27, at Grace, Ocala, where the Rev. Stankich participates in the residency program, and was Holcomb’s first ordination since his June 10 consecration as bishop of the Diocese of Central Florida. He subsequently ordained the Rev. Colleen Rutherford to the diaconate on Aug. 10 at St. George, The Villages, and is scheduled to ordain Angela Lopez to the diaconate at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at Church of the Messiah, Winter Garden (reception at 6 p.m.).
What Holcomb termed “spectacular” was the fact that, because of his prior role as the diocese’s canon for vocations, he already had a relationship with Stankich, who also found special meaning in this aspect of the ordination.
“Since it was Bishop Justin’s first ordination, that was really special to me,” Stankich said. “He was the person I was connecting with in my discernment process with the diocese. So to not only be the first, but to be ordained by somebody I know and who knows me fairly well – that just was really special. I wrote Bishop Brewer [fourth bishop of the Diocese of Central Florida, who took mandatory retirement in July], and I said, ‘Thank you for getting me to the finish line.’ So Bishop Justin did the next step.”
But Holcomb had another reason for characterizing the ordination as he did. He offered a special word of gratitude to the Rev. Jonathan French, rector at Grace, to the church and to its vestry for their leadership in the diocesan residency program.
“What you all have done with the residency program is a gift to the diocese,” Holcomb said. “This is the fourth resident, I believe, in four or five years. It hasn’t been a decade; it’s only been a few years. … The residents aren’t assistants. They don’t offload work for the rector; they actually add to it – and appropriately so, because they’re being trained, and it’s an intentional investment of his time and the church’s funds and resources to raise up leaders. And so it’s your [French’s] vision, but also the church taking hold of that, and you’re launching leaders, and I’m grateful for that.”
Stankich, who comes from a background in both banking and international missions, also praised the residency program. “Definitely the goal of the residency is to expose me to being a rector,” he said. “What does the rector do, what’s it like to run a church, all the different aspects of that. So when Dona [his wife] and I had this opportunity, we thought –and even though I was older and experienced with a lot of things – what a fabulous training and learning opportunity this would be.
“It’s also giving me the chance to develop the skills and the abilities that I already have,” he added. “Father French is giving me an overall exposure to stuff, which has just been wonderful. He’s always pulling me in on meetings or discussions, or if something comes up, he’ll take five minutes and explain why this topic is important for a rector. He’s really given me a lot of detail, which is important.
“I’ve always thought, in whatever kind of role or job I’ve had, really the best thing that my leader can do for me is to give me his or her time, because then not only do I feel valued, but I’m getting knowledge and content, experience and so on,” Stankich added. “So he’s doing that, and he’s delegating things to me that he knows that I am either comfortable with or can take and run with. … His goal is for me to be well-rounded.”
For Stankich, the ordination also represented an official acknowledgment of both his prior calling and ministry as well as his new connection with The Episcopal Church.
“That’s how I’ve been viewing the whole last 18 months: This is something old and something new,” he said. “So it’s something that I’ve been doing. And I think the discernment process validated that. I’ve been doing a lot of different kinds of pastoral ministry, caring for people, dealing with people, leadership roles, teaching the Bible, so I’m comfortable with all of those aspects. And yes, I’m brand-new to the church and to this role, and so it kind of has that ‘old and new’ feel.”
In his ordination message, Holcomb emphasized God’s call to Jeremiah in the Old Testament reading, Jeremiah 1:4-9. He reminded Stankich and all Christians present, “God empowered Jeremiah for that which he called him to. God will empower you for whatever he has called to you. … The vows you’re going to take, the vows we’ve taken in baptism, are only accomplished by the empowerment of God.”
Stankich affirmed how this passage resonated with him. “Jeremiah was a boy, whatever that means – he was young, just starting out,” he said. “And I’m kind of on the other side of that. But in the sense of starting a new call, a new ministry, to have God impart his Word into my mouth or into my heart, my mind – what else would I want as a minister? What else can I ask for, to have God’s Word part of me so that it permeates everything I do, including any ministry that I can do?”
That, along with Stankich’s ordination, can only be described as spectacular.