NEWS & STORIES

Sep 11, 2018
2 min

St. Andrew's opens space for at-risk teens

In March of this year, St. Andrew’s, Panama City welcomed a new ministry into their education building. The LGBTQ Center of Bay County (The Center) or more lovingly called “Room 6” operates the only youth program of its kind in the Panhandle of Florida, and St. Andrew's was more than honored to provide the space needed. The Center has created a “safe place” where diversity is celebrated, and all people are respected, valued and affirmed, inclusive of their sexual orientatio

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Staff Post

Jul 25, 2018
1 min

2018 Diocesan Acolyte Festival

The 2018 Diocesan Acolyte Festival will be Saturday, September 15, 2018 at Christ Church Cathedral from 8:30 am to 3 pm. HERE ARE SOME FAQS: What is the Diocesan Acolyte Festival? This event is a day all about honoring the ministry of acolytes. The day will include workshops on different aspects of being an acolyte, Acolyte Olympics, catered lunch, and a Festival Eucharist with procession of participants. Who should attend? Youth acolytes should come with their adult leaders,

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St. James, Eufaula, holds patriotic dinner and flag retirement ceremony

Bradford Lee Moore

Jul 10, 2018
1 min

St. James, Eufaula, holds patriotic dinner and flag retirement ceremony

It was a red, white and blue supper club at St. James Eufaula, on Saturday, June 16. An emotional flag retirement ceremony was held where many parish members remembered relatives and friends who were veterans. Everyone then enjoyed an All-American dinner of hamburgers and hotdogs with blueberry cobbler and apple pie a la mode for desert. Following dinner the group sang patriotic songs like "America the Beautiful," "This Land is My Land," "God Bless America" and many more. Tha

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St. Jude's youth celebrate Christmas in July

Nancy J. Turner, St. Jude's, Niceville

Jul 10, 2018
2 min

St. Jude's youth celebrate Christmas in July

The residents of The Twin Cities Pavillion, an assisted living facility in Niceville, received an unexpected and very pleasant surprise on Sunday, July 1. The children and youth of nearby St. Jude’s Episcopal Church, accompanied by sponsors and parents, arrived at The Pavillion loaded with gifts and surprises for every resident – all wrapped in Christmas paper. It was a special Christmas in July event as the young people of St. Jude’s distributed gifts, spent time with reside

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Diocesan Commission on Racial Justice & Reconciliation adopts its formal mission statement and b

Joe McDaniel, Jr.

Jul 10, 2018
2 min

Diocesan Commission on Racial Justice & Reconciliation adopts its formal mission statement and b

On Saturday, June 23, 2018, the Commission on Racial Justice & Reconciliation met at the diocesan School of Ministry, located at St. Agatha’s in DeFuniak Spring, Florida. One of its key matters to address was to continue collaborative discussions toward formally adopting its mission statement to guide the Commission’s actions. The mission statement reads as follows: “As members of the Jesus Movement, our mission is to dismantle individual and institutional racism by sharing r

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Bishop Russell becomes a member of the Bishop’s Advisory Council to the Brotherhood of St. Andrew

Dick Hooper

Jul 10, 2018
2 min

Bishop Russell becomes a member of the Bishop’s Advisory Council to the Brotherhood of St. Andrew

National Council chairman of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew and Christ Church Chapter member, Dick Hooper, met with Bishop Russell on June 14 in response to a letter from our presiding bishop, Michael Curry. Bishop Curry asked our bishop to join the recreated Bishop’s Advisory Council of the Brotherhood to strengthen their ministry of prayer, study and service to men and youth “in the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.” Bishop Russell was asked to be the council member w

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The Rev. Mary Alice Mathison, Grace and St. Thomas

Jun 19, 2018
6 min

Six Months of Shared Ministry in Panama City

It has been six months that since arriving in Panama City Beach and it has been wonderful getting to know the parish communities of Grace and St. Thomas. After taking some time getting to know the parishes, St. Thomas and Grace vestries and Shared Ministry Team had a retreat at the end of April. This retreat helped build relationships, and offer direction in what our next steps are in shared ministry. The shared ministry between Grace and St. Thomas is an effort to disc

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Stuart Ibberson, Church of the Nativity, Dothan

Jun 19, 2018
7 min

Beer & Hymns: A New Way to Reach People

Josh Hicks, center, leads the singing at Beer & Hymns in Dothan, Alabama. Beer & Hymns is a monthly, inter-denominational event at McLeod’s Publick House in Dothan. The next event start at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 11. There was a time, not that long ago, when church attendance was almost a given for the entire country -- probably more so in the South. However, there are a large number of people for whom church is not something they think about when wondering what to do on a

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The Rev. Deacon Clelia P. Garrity

Apr 25, 2018
2 min

Being a Deacon in Today's World

Deacons are an ancient, scripturally founded order in the church. Deacons are not secondary, dependent, or incomplete. Working directly under the bishop’s authority, the deacon informs and empowers the ministry of the people, intentionally and beyond the “walls” of the gathered church. The sacred order of deacons is a ministry that inspires the church to engage in the diakonia of all believers – to be a servant church. Deacons are living reminders of the diaconal, or servant

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The Rev. Al Pruitt

Apr 11, 2018
2 min

Discernment and Ministry

Discernment is an ongoing feature of our Christian journey. As a people of faith and action, we are all called by God to a life of ministry. The “Catechism” in our Book of Common Prayer makes clear that we are all ministers: “The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.” To assist individuals who are beginning a period of active discernment, as well as those moving through the process of discerning, the diocesan Commission on Ministry has deve

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Kairos Outside - A Time to Be Loved and Love

Catie Strickland and the Rev. Deacon Susan McKee

Mar 1, 2018
4 min

Kairos Outside - A Time to Be Loved and Love

As a guest at Kairos Outside # 44, I, along with the Reverend Susan McKee, experienced more than can be told and this weekend, like all experiences, was ineffable. The best we can do is to try to provide a frame of sorts that captures the three days spent in the company of women who have been impacted by incarceration at some point in their lives. A guest might be a mother, a sister, a daughter, or girlfriend. And, in some cases, the guest herself has been incarcerated. What

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Wayne Verry, St. Paul's, Foley

Jan 23, 2018
3 min

Inmate Re-entry: The Missing Link

Over two million people in the United States are currently in prison, more than any other country in the world. A major factor in this large population is the high rate of recidivism – approximately 75% of former inmates will return to prison. Some go back because they are career criminals, but most cases of recidivism occur because released inmates face a nearly impossible process of returning to society – especially if they are a minority, low-income, poorly educated, or ha

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The Rev. Deacon Clara Hewis begins new ministry

Staff post

Nov 8, 2017
2 min

The Rev. Deacon Clara Hewis begins new ministry

The Rev. Deacon Clara M. Hewis begins her new ministry at Azalea Trace Retirement Community with Episcopalians in residence who may not have a connection to a local parish. Over the past several weeks, Deacon Clara has met with some of the clergy who are residents at Azalea Trace, and has been invited to serve with Fr. Walter Kindergan (Christ Church) as he celebrates Holy Eucharist on Wednesday afternoons. She says, "I have had the opportunity to connect...and re-connect wit

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Chip Lands, Holy Cross, Pensacola

Oct 23, 2017
1 min

Holy Cross opens Academy of Music

Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Pensacola is bringing music education to their community with the brand new Holy Cross Academy of Music. Academy students will receive weekly private lessons and theory instruction. Students will have the opportunity to attend and participate in master classes, student recitals, special guest artist recitals, and trips to the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra. Three student recitals will be held at Holy Cross Episcopal Church. The Holy Cross Academy'

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Bishop Russell approves intern to help populate the Episcopal Asset Map

Staff post

Oct 23, 2017
1 min

Bishop Russell approves intern to help populate the Episcopal Asset Map

Meet Brady Johnson, cradle Episcopalian, college sophomore at the University of West Florida, member of St. Christopher's in Pensacola, and Bishop Russell approved intern for the office of communications at the Duvall Center. Over the coming weeks, Brady will be reaching out to church leadership to gather information about each church's ministries and available resources that are open to the community. From there he will populate the information into the Episcopal Asset Map,

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The Rev. Deacon Clelia Garrity

Oct 10, 2017
2 min

Trial by Fire ~ A Mission Experience

A number of years ago I was charged with developing and implementing a healthcare mission in Bondeau, Haiti. I was so excited. For years I had been traveling to Haiti, a tag-along with groups involved in the post-earthquake rebuilding of the Episcopal hospital in Leogane – Hopital Ste. Croix. I had become frustrated with the politics of the project and yearned to get out into the rural communities where there was no hospital – no medical care of any sort. I wanted to “do” som

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Reconstructing Diocesan Youth Ministry with Ministry Architects

Staff Post

Sep 25, 2017
1 min

Reconstructing Diocesan Youth Ministry with Ministry Architects

Youth Ministry in the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast is a central part of the mission and health of our church. Over the past few months, a team of volunteers was called together by Bishop Kendrick to renew the direction and purpose of what our shared Youth Ministry will look like in the future. This group, in partnership with Ministry Architects, a nationally known consulting firm, will spend their energy over the next 12 months doing some great work. We hope you will fol

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Chip Lands, Holy Cross, Pensacola

Sep 10, 2017
1 min

Holy Cross opens food pantry

After prayerful consideration of the needs of its surrounding community, the parishioners of Holy Cross recently opened a weekly food pantry to provide staple items and more to those who live nearby. The long-term vision will also include education, advocacy and increasing awareness of issues concerning those in poverty in our area. Mrs. Howard Johnson, head of this new ministry, said of the inaugural effort of August 2nd, “We supplied food to over twenty-five families, servi

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Joyce Landers | Province IV UTO Representative

Sep 9, 2017
2 min

United Thank Offering invites you to celebrate founder, Julia Chester Emery

This September we want to invite you to join us in a special celebration in honor of the life of Julia Chester Emery and her work with the United Thank Offering. This September, Julia would have celebrated her 165th birthday. She is best known for the 40 years of her life that she gave in leadership and dedication to promoting the spiritual discipline of gratitude and for tirelessly supporting innovative mission and ministry. For this reason, we want to invite you to spend Se

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The Rev. Linda Suzanne Borgen

Aug 8, 2017
2 min

The transformational power of ministry

Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 We are once again at the threshold of a new program year. Our minds turn to the task of planning for our spiritual growth as a community and individually. Together we seek to know the will of God for our common life and to discern where God would have us focus our attention and resources. Ea

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NEWS & STORIES

Discipleship. Development. Discernment.