On the afternoon of January 15, 2017, the Rev. Adam Young was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Gregory Brewer at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando. Adam will continue to serve on the Cathedral staff, where he has been serving as a transitional deacon. Congratulations to Adam and blessings on his present and future ministry.
[ Read More]We are delighted to announce that the Rev. Rebecca Toalster has been called as rector of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Bartow. She officially began January 1, and her first Sunday was January 15. A native of Lakeland, the Rev. Toalster was sponsored for ordination by St. Stephen’s, Lakeland, and is a graduate of Trinity School…
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We all realize our culture is changing—fast. As rectors, deacons, vestry members, and lay leaders, we all must consider how to adapt our sermons and services to reach our communities with the gospel without compromising the values and tradition we share. This conference is all about helping you do just that: becoming not just aware…
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“If you are a Christian, your family is not just the people with the same last name as you, but those baptized in the same name as you. “ The above quote is from the Rev. Sam Allberry—a priest in the Church of England. Although it is not unusual for a bishop in The Episcopal…
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Contemplative Retreats for Vestries In a line I’ve always loved from the Gospel of Mark, Jesus invites his disciples, “Come away to a lonely place and rest awhile” (6:31b). They’d been teaching and healing on the road for days and were no doubt exhausted by the demands of the crowds. Jesus knows that what the…
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Saturday, November 5, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. New Covenant United Methodist Church The Villages $20 Registration Fee, Open to Clergy and Laity Fresh Expressions is an exciting movement that is cultivating new forms of church alongside existing congregations in order to reach a changing world. The Diocese of Central Florida, in…
[ Read More]In this election season, isn’t it tempting to get caught up in the frenzy. Everyone we encounter seems to want to polarize and divide us. “Whose side are you on?” “If you vote for him/her you are voting to dismantle our democracy!” “If you don’t vote at all, you’re just giving a vote to him/her.”…
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All Souls Episcopal Church in Miami is a smaller congregation. It is making a difference as a place where the good news of Jesus is being made real and lives are being transformed. What contributed to this sense of joy and vitality? Leadership at All Souls anticipated the retirement of its rector …. three years…
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Teamwork is the essential element of every successful organization, business, church, and sports team. God highly recommends it; in fact, teamwork was part of Jesus’ strategy to accomplish his mission on earth. In Mark 6:7, we learn that Jesus sent out his disciples two by two to do ministry. He did not expect them to…
[ Read More]Each spring, our churches have a Collect that honors Edward Thomas Demby and Henry Beard Delany, the first and second African-American bishops consecrated in The Episcopal Church. As the prayer says, they, “though limited by segregation, served faithfully to [God’s] honor and glory” (Lessons Appointed for Use on the Feast of Edward Thomas Demby and…
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