By The Rev. Martha Kreamer, Vicar
Church of the Advent – Lillian, Alabama

“Through the ages, Almighty God has moved his people to build houses of prayer and praise, and to set apart places for the ministry of his holy Word and Sacraments.  With gratitude for the building of The Episcopal Church of the Advent, we are now gathered to dedicate and consecrate it in God’s Name.  Almighty God, we thank you for making us in your image, to share in the ordering of your world.  Receive the work of our hands in this place, now to be set apart for your worship….”

With these words, The Right Reverend Philip M. Duncan, II, Bishop of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, began a powerful and moving service of dedication and consecration of the newest worship space in Lillian.   Full text and photos here

2012 Clergy Conference

SAVE THE DATE: Sun April 22-Tues April 24

“Spiritual, but not religious:” what that means for the Church Diana Butler Bass is an author, speaker, and independent scholar specializing in American religion and culture. She holds a Ph.D. in religious studies from Duke University and is the author of seven books including A People’s History of Christianity: the Other Side of the Story

More…

A team of sixteen walkers from St. Andrew’s, Panama City, participated in this year’s CROP walk on Sat., Feb. 25. Walkers raised funds as a group for the CROP walk by being waiters and waitresses and receiving “tips” for their efforts at the church’s Shrove Tuesday pancake supper. Some walkers also raised funds individually from family, friends, and neighbors. One member of St. Andrew’s who is a licensed massage therapist provided massages with all proceeds going to the CROP walk. Additionally, members of the team collected jars of peanut butter to be distributed in local food banks. At last count, the team raised and contributed over $755 to help eliminate hunger.

Shrove Tuesday was truly a special occasion for the congregation and visitors at St. Andrew’s, Panama City. The evening festivities began with a delicious pancake supper prepared by Bob and Toni Banks and Tom Sontag. Delicious decadent desserts and coffee and tea were also enjoyed. After the supper, a very talented and energetic touring group of young people from the First Presbyterian Church in Caldwell, N.J. presented a “Christianized” version of the Broadway show, Pippin. The audience watched as Pippin tried desperately to find meaning and purpose in his life. As the show began, the Leading Player invited the audience to leave their ordinary lives and enter into his magical world; but, as the performance ended, the audience was inadvertently challenged to confront the ordinariness of the very lives they were urged to leave behind. It was a delightful evening, enjoyed by all.

Pippin comes to St. Andrew’s, Panama City

By Michelle Gerlach

Marianne Merrill Weber likes to joke that she was baptized at the “St. Reddy Kilowatt” church.

The baptism was in the early days of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, which her family helped found. One organizing church member, Richard Cobbs, also an Episcopalian, offered the upstairs of his office building, the Andalusia Electric Co., for church services.

“That was the logo on his sign, so they joked about attending ‘St. Reddy Kilowatt,’” Weber said.

That’s just one of the amusing anecdotes Weber has worked into the history of St. Mary’s, which she has compiled with the help of her mother, Mary Jim Merrill Pianowski, and brother, Walter Merrill.

Collectively, they’ve drawn upon Mrs. Pianowski’s memories; her boxes of newspaper clippings, letters and church bulletins saved from those days; and correspondence about establishing the church that Walter found in the Episcopal archives in Birmingham. Though Mrs. Pianowski is the sole surviving founding church member, when Mrs. Weber began her research about 15 years ago, she was able to contact the families of other founding members for photographs and more stories.

Read full article in the Andalusia Star online!

2012 Lenten Resources

We invite you to commemorate Episcopal Relief & Development Sunday on the first Sunday in Lent, February 26, 2012, or another convenient date during the Lenten season.

To help your congregation prepare for this special Sunday and for the Lenten journey, we encourage you to order the 2012 Lenten Meditations guide. Available in English and Spanish, this year’s devotional provides a particular emphasis on promoting health and fighting disease while preparing ourselves for healing. The daily readings are co-authored by a group of leaders from across the Episcopal Church, who bring a range of perspectives as they reflect on Scripture and other sources of spiritual wisdom.

Details here!