When plans for Ash Wednesday at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, Melbourne, began to take shape, The Very Rev. Porter Taylor knew he needed help. The rector of St. David’s-by-the-Sea, Cocoa Beach, has served as the school’s interim chaplain since August 2021 and realized he alone could not impose ashes for all 600 students – plus…
[ Read More]In his new assignment as rector of St. Gabriel’s, Titusville, The Rev. Rob Griffith is boldly going toward the final frontier. The congregation he serves on the Space Coast includes NASA workers and rocket scientists, and the self-described “space nut” is excited about ministry in an area of technological innovation and intellectual stimulation. “Being…
[ Read More]The Celebration of New Ministry/Installation held at Christ the King and Jesús de Nazaret in the Azalea Park neighborhood of Orlando on the afternoon of Sunday, Feb. 6, told a unique story, one that points to both the people involved and the hearts behind the churches and their kingdom work. The service celebrated the merging…
[ Read More]“People are looking for a church that speaks to the concreteness of the world they are living in.” So said The Rev. Dr. Mark Jefferson during his Feb. 19 keynote address for the annual Absalom Jones Celebration sponsored by the Canon Nelson Pinder Union of Black Episcopalians Chapter of Central Florida. “I’m often asked…
[ Read More]Black history is not just a month at St. John the Baptist, Orlando, but an everyday living reality. Our church is the historic Black civil rights church in the Diocese of Central Florida. We celebrate The Rev. Canon Nelson W. Pinder, who pastored our church and helped lead the civil rights movement in the 1960s…
[ Read More]When The Rev. Samuel Nsengiyumva came to serve as rector of Holy Trinity, Fruitland Park, on Jan. 26, 2021, the church’s school (Holy Trinity Episcopal School) quickly captured his heart. A recent outreach grant award of $5,000 through the Lilly Endowment Inc. via the Northwest Deanery will allow the school to expand its vital ministry…
[ Read More]2022 diocesan vestry training was held on March 5, 2022, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Church of the Messiah, 241 North Main Street, Winter Garden, FL 34787. The handout and videos of the sessions are available below. Whether you are newly elected to the vestry or you are a seasoned vestry veteran, join…
[ Read More]The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer ordained one priest and two deacons, as well as receiving another deacon, in two services in January. At both services, the bishop focused on the definition and duties of each office. The Rev. Jonathan Jameson was ordained as a priest Jan. 21 in an ordination service in the Bishop’s…
[ Read More]You hear the passion in his voice, see it in his face. That passion rises anytime The Rev. Stephen Dass speaks about “our kids” – the children of the streets of São Paulo, Brazil. The children who have left instability, rejection and worse for the relative security of the streets. The children loved by God,…
[ Read More]Camp Wingmann’s annual Winter Camp retreat for elementary, middle and high school students went “beyond our expectations,” said camp director Joshua “J.J.” Joseph. The retreat, which convened the first weekend of January in Avon Park, Florida, included 20 students and 25 staff engaging in a variety of activities such as rock climbing, games, recreation and…
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