“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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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The Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, delivers his sermons from the Bishop’s Oratory in Orlando FL. February 3, 2022. Collect for the day: “Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ…
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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,…
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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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For the second year in a row, Grace, Ocala, has eliminated medical debt through Christmas donations from church members and strategic partnerships. “We have now bought $750,000 in medical debt,” said The Rev. Jonathan French, rector. “Someone told me about RIP Medical Debt in 2020,” French explained. “Then I found something from them in my…
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In communication ahead of the evening, The Rev. Canon Dr. Justin Holcomb asked that the first annual Cranmer Lecture, a free event co-sponsored by the Diocese of Central Florida and Reformed Theological Seminary Orlando in Oviedo on the evening of Jan. 6, 2022, be “pastorally powerful and academically rigorous.” And according to Holcomb and others,…
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