NEWS & STORIES

short stories of events and times during the formation of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast collected by the Rev. S. Albert Kennington, Diocesan Registrar-Historiographer DECEMBER 1968 On December 12, 1968, after most of the year spent in study by special committees of the Diocese of Florida and the Diocese of Alabama about creating a new diocese from the Florida panhandle and the southern third of Alabama, the Executive Council of the Diocese of Florida voted to reconsid

short stories of events and times during the formation of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast collected by the Rev. S. Albert Kennington, Diocesan Registrar-Historiographer NOVEMBER 1968 In the afternoon of November 3, 1968, the Sunday of All Saints, a tornado touched down in Bay Minette. Within a few roaring minutes, the 54-year old frame Immanuel Episcopal Church was picked up and dropped askew of its foundation. What remains of that rubble are Kodak snapshots; the pulp

short stories of events and times during the formation of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast collected by the Rev. S. Albert Kennington, Diocesan Registrar-Historiographer OCTOBER 1968 In October, fifty years ago, Philip Menzie Duncan, II, was a 22 year old bachelor beginning his middler year in General Theological Seminary in New York City. In an interview recorded in 2001, he told the story of how he decided to attend GTS with some not-subtle guidance from his bishop wh

short stories of events and times during the formation of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast collected by the Rev. S. Albert Kennington, Diocesan Registrar-Historiographer SEPTEMBER 1968 Eight-year old James Russell Kendrick began the third grade in Elliott Point Elementary School in Fort Walton Beach (where his wife, Robin, now teaches). A cradle Episcopalian who faithfully attended St. Simon's on the Sound Church with his family, he says he gave no thought at all to beco

short stories of events and times during the formation of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast collected by the Rev. S. Albert Kennington, Diocesan Registrar-Historiographer JULY 1968 In the summer of 1968, Charles Farmer Duvall was a 32 years old parish priest. He and Nancy Rice Duvall had been married 11 years and had three children: Ann 10, Charles 8, and Ted 7. For six years, he had been rector of St. James’ Church, James Island, just outside of Charleston, South Carolin

short stories of events and times during the formation of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast collected by the Rev. S. Albert Kennington, Diocesan Registrar-Historiographer JUNE 1968 As the spring days of 1968 warmed into summertime, committees in the Episcopal dioceses of Alabama and Florida, appointed by their bishops, continued studying the possibility of creating a new diocese within their borders. They did so while fellow citizens of the United States, in increasing n

short stories of events and times during the formation of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast collected by the Rev. S. Albert Kennington, Diocesan Registrar-Historiographer APRIL 1968 On Thursday, April 4, 1968, Bishop Hamilton West and the Executive Council of the Diocese of Florida heard a report from its special diocesan committee on the possibility of a new diocese – of the work that had been done, the work being done, and the next meeting scheduled in May. Just after s

short stories of events and times during the formation of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast collected by the Rev. S. Albert Kennington, Diocesan Registrar-Historiographer MARCH 1968 In the last days of the previous month, children in our nation awoke to a new vision of how life should be when a Presbyterian minister named Fred Rogers invited children and older folks to be his neighbor. Mr. Rogers Neighborhood became an American television icon of how life should be. All

short stories of events and times during the formation of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast collected by the Rev. S. Albert Kennington, Diocesan Registrar-Historiographer FEBRUARY 1968 Following the diocesan conventions of Alabama and Florida the previous month, a special committee was appointed in each diocese to study and consider the idea of a new diocese to be formed in south Alabama and northwest Florida. Bishop Hamilton West of Florida appointed the Rev. Lee Graham,

FIFTY YEARS AGO short stories of events and times of the formation of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast, collected by the Rev. S. Albert Kennington, Diocesan Registrar-Historiographer Beginning January, 2018, the Coastline will include monthly remembrances from fifty years ago – stories of the birthing of the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast as well as of the people and events that touched our lives. I was a lay delegate the first time at the January 1968 convention of