2023 diocesan vestry training was held on March 4, 2023 at Church of the Messiah, 241 North Main Street, Winter Garden, FL 34787. The handout, slide deck, and other resources from the sessions are available below. Handout for Vestry Training (PDF) Vestry Training Slide Deck (PDF) Operating and Procedures Manual (PDF) View all of the…
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During the Rev. Mason Waldhauser’s conditional ordination to the priesthood on Dec. 9, 2022, Dr. Garwood Anderson, dean of Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin, reminded him that the call of a priest is a call to follow Christ in servanthood. “Because you follow the great Shepherd, you will be a good shepherd,” Anderson…
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Spirit and Word. Fire and water. Strength and weakness. Beauty and brokenness. These contrasts resonated as themes throughout the ordination of the Rev. Andrew Lazo to the priesthood on Jan. 25 at Church of the Messiah, Winter Garden, the church he currently serves as apprentice rector and participant in the diocesan Residency Program. And these…
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When the Holy Spirit speaks, it pays to listen. The Rev. Canon Ellis Brust, rector of St. Andrew’s, Fort Pierce, has a special reason to embrace that truth after a recent divine encounter. On Sunday, Jan. 15, Brust sensed that God was impressing something on him as he prepared to baptize three children. “We had…
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“For us, ‘historic’ does not mean we are a museum for the past, but rather that God has given to us a significant responsibility for the present and the future of our community.” Holy Cross, Sanford, is holding true to this declaration on the church website, marking its 150th anniversary this April with a celebration…
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All Saints, Winter Park, was the setting for the 2023 Mockingbird Orlando Conference, The Urgency of Grace, held Jan. 20 and 21. “One hundred seventy-five Christians, young and old, male and female, attended,” said Mockingbird founder and conference speaker David Zahl. “I was very pleased that the demographics were split 50/50.” “The primary goal of…
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Theological. Practical. Pastoral. Anglican. These four words capture the heart of the Cranmer Lecture series, co-sponsored by the Diocese of Central Florida, with funding via a grant received from Lilly Endowment Inc., and Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando, Oviedo. Named after Thomas Cranmer, first archbishop of Canterbury and compiler of the Book of Common Prayer, the…
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Parents have become increasingly dissatisfied with K-12 education. A recent Gallup study has shown a steady decrease in satisfaction levels. Since reaching a high of 51% in 2019, satisfaction has dropped to 42%, the lowest level in two decades. However, Episcopal schools continue to help students thrive intellectually, physically and spiritually, preparing them for the…
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If your community is anything like mine, you have seen some new people moving into your town, and new construction projects have been breaking ground. As a Lakeland citizen, I had been paying attention to the changes, especially downtown, since 2020, but it wasn’t until January 2022 that I woke up to the potential of…
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The Diocese of Central Florida has been awarded a $15,000 Reflective Practices for Project Sustainability grant through Leadership Education at Duke Divinity, an initiative funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc. In December of 2020, the Diocese of Central Florida was awarded a $1 million Thriving in Ministry grant. The majority of the Thriving in Ministry…
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