“A little church with a big heart.” That’s how St. Francis, Bushnell, sees itself, according to the Rev. Becky Chapman, who, despite living in Orlando, has served the church as a deacon since late 2016. St. Francis displayed that heart in a unique celebration on the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 4, combining the feast day of its patron saint with its first visit from the fifth bishop of the Diocese of Central Florida, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin S. Holcomb; and the 31st anniversary of ordination to the priesthood for the Rt. Rev. Pedro M. Suárez, bishop of the Florida-Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
But the celebration extended still further. Not only did it include the birthday of 6-year-old Charlotte Sanchez, whose parents provided a catered meal afterward in place of the planned church potluck, but it also highlighted the relationship of full communion on the basis of the document “Called to Common Mission,” a partnership between The Episcopal Church and the ELCA. Because of that partnership, which has existed since Jan. 6, 2001, the Rev. Larry Recla, first ordained as a Lutheran priest in 1972, has served St. Francis as priest-in-charge since the fall of 2012.
(L-R) Bishop Suárez, Bishop Holcomb and the Rev. Larry Recla prepare to celebrate the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi on Oct. 4, 2023.
During the Oct. 4 service at St. Francis, the two bishops concelebrated the Eucharist, which, Chapman said, “highlighted the call to common mission, what we have in common and the ecumenical nature of our relationship.”
“You as bishops show the glory of God to people like us, people like me,” Recla said as he welcomed Holcomb and Suárez. “There’s no question why a bishop goes to a big church with power and money, but to come here, we see you both fulfilling your vocation as servants of God.”
Chapman also sees the relationship of full communion between The Episcopal Church and the ELCA as a gift to St. Francis, the diocese and her own ministry. Although St. Francis is an Episcopal church, Recla retains his Lutheran ordination and canonical residency in the Florida-Bahama Synod.
“He’s Lutheran; I’m Episcopalian, and we have another Episcopal deacon as well, the Rev. Karen House, who is our music minister,” Chapman said. “Father Recla’s opinion is that it’s all the same pie; it just slices a little different. … He follows our liturgy.”
Recla, who came to St. Francis in the fall of 2012, has a long history as a Lutheran, having served churches in Pennsylvania, Colorado, Utah and New York. “He was the closing chaplain at the ground zero morgue,” Chapman said. “He did almost a year there after 9/11, and he’s served as the chaplain for an FBI special unit. … Later, he and his wife decided to move to The Villages, and he did supply work in our diocese.
“When St. Francis was looking for a priest, because it is a small congregation, the church couldn’t support a full-time priest,” Chapman said. “And because his wife was ill, he was in the position to be able to be part-time.” Recla’s wife, the Rev. Sherry Recla, a deacon in the ELCA, died in 2016, but he continues his faithful service to God, the Diocese of Central Florida, the people of St. Francis and the ELCA.
“Father Recla is the dean of the Florida chapter of the Society of the Holy Trinity,” Chapman said. That society, known as the STS, is a religious order of Lutheran priests from the various Lutheran denominations in the U.S. and Canada. “His chapter is a very active chapter, and so three times a year, they have a retreat for learning, for rest and for restoration on Mondays and Tuesdays in November, March and June at San Pedro in Winter Park,” she explained. “Father Recla has invited several Episcopalians to that.”
Chapman has reaped both vocational and personal blessings through Recla’s connections with the ELCA and the STS. “We have a great relationship with the Florida-Bahamas Synod and, because of the call to common mission, with Hope Lutheran Church in The Villages,” she said. “Pastor Jon-Marc MacLean is senior pastor there, and Hope Lutheran has been so gracious to print our bulletins for us every week.”
Bishop Holcomb presents a proclamation congratulating Bishop Suárez on his 31st anniversary of being ordained to the priesthood.
For the past three years, she has been asked to serve as deacon of the Mass for the society’s annual gathering, known as the General Retreat, which she considers “a big honor.” In addition, through their ELCA connections and because Suárez was unavailable, Chapman and Recla assisted with the invitation of the Rt. Rev. Matthew Riegel, bishop of the West Virginia – Western Maryland Synod of the ELCA, to serve as co-consecrating bishop at Holcomb’s June 10 consecration.
St. Francis is not alone in its ties to the ELCA Florida-Bahamas Synod; in fact, a number of ELCA clergy minister at churches in the diocese. The Rev. Bill Barrett serves as priest-in-charge at Church of the Advent, Dunnellon. The Rev. Gene Fernsler is assisting priest at St. Luke’s, Merritt Island, having served faithfully when the church was between rectors for more than three years. The Rev. Dr. Dale Truscott, an active member of the diocesan Anti-Racism Commission, is assisting priest at St. Richard’s, Winter Park. The Revs. Frederik Ohsiek II and Marjorie Weiss both assist at churches in the diocese as needed. And the late Rev. John LeMond fought bravely against cancer while serving as long-term supply at Christ Church, Fort Meade.
“We really treasure the call to common mission and the relationship that we’ve been able to develop with the Florida-Bahamas Synod,” Chapman said. “We really have a partnership. … We look on it as a great opportunity to broaden God’s church.”