On Wednesday and Thursday, July 21-22, 70 youth and youth workers took part in this year’s “Soul in the City Reimagined” in Lakeland and Orlando. The event, sponsored by the Youth Ministry Institute, included service projects and networking. On Wednesday, the group gathered at Lakeland’s All Saints’ and partnered with the Dream Center, The Salvation…
[ Read More]
When Hope Blume realized how many women in St. Matthias, Clermont, had spouses suffering from Alzheimer’s or another form of dementia, she saw a need for a support group. “As the parish administrator and a member of the Care Ministry and Stephen Ministry teams, I am privy to some of the heartache and challenges our…
[ Read More]
Hopes were high as churches in the Diocese of Central Florida prepared to celebrate Pentecost Sunday on May 23. The vaccines were working, and the number of COVID-19 cases continued to decline. The CDC relaxed restrictions for fully vaccinated people, and the diocese was cautiously optimistic with new COVID guidelines. The Rev. Stuart Shelby,…
[ Read More]
Conflict is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be a negative. Conflict in our churches can actually be a catalyst for positive change! The Rev. Canon Scott Holcombe has prepared a three-part series on conflict training for The Institue for Christian Studies that covers conflict assessment, conflict management, and conflict resolution. A PDF of the…
[ Read More]
When the national shutdown that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic strained communications efforts, St. George Episcopal Church in The Villages sprang into action, developing a strategy to keep church members connected. To that end, the church launched the “Musings on Faith” podcast, which has quickly gained popularity, in the fall of 2020. The show, hosted by…
[ Read More]
“O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you…
[ Read More]
Rev. Rick Burhans’ final Sunday as rector of Grace Episcopal Church, Port Orange, on May 30, 2021, marked the end of an era for Burhans and his wife, Carolyn, now retiring and moving to North Carolina. But that era, and the Burhanses’ relationship with the church, extends much further back than the 13 years Rick…
[ Read More]
No one can say The Rev. Cynthia Brust isn’t up for a challenge. Not only did she and her husband, The Rev. Canon Ellis Brust, accept new positions in the Diocese of Central Florida and move from Kansas in the throes of the pandemic, but she also embarked on a huge ministry project in…
[ Read More]
The Rev. Dan Smith, rector of Holy Cross in Sanford and former canon to the ordinary in the Diocese of Missouri, serves as a consultant to the Diocese of Central Florida. Like all of us, I have been giving a lot of thought lately to what the church and the congregation I serve will…
[ Read More]
“O God, by your providence the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church: Grant that we who remember before you the blessed martyrs of Uganda, may, like them, be steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ, to whom they gave obedience, even to death, and by their sacrifice brought forth a plentiful…
[ Read More]