Just a few days before the conference, the leaders of Gafcon and the Global South Fellowship of Anglicans were deeply divided over numerous issues, and so we began GAFCON IV needing a miracle. As you … Read More
Spring 2023 Transitions
New Staff Position: Director of Safeguarding The Rev. Leah Slawson joined the bishop’s staff as Director of Safeguarding, responsible for our Safeguarding Our People program. This includes oversight of our Safeguarding Committee, comprised of three teams: the … Read More
A Glimpse of a Hoped-For Future: Reflections on GAFCON IV
I was honored to attend the fourth Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) in Kigali, Rwanda. A team of delegates from the Gulf Atlantic Diocese arrived April 16 and as I write this we are now … Read More
GAFCON IV: The Kigali Commitment
Here is the final text of the GAFCON IV Communiqué, known as the Kigali Commitment. Bishop Alex Farmer had the following to say: I am pleased with the final statement which was drafted and worked … Read More
GAFCON Day 5: Morning
Our morning began with an emotional time of worship music and morning prayer. Our own Canon for Global Mission, Fr. Keith Allen, was our liturgist, and Mrs. Sally Breedlove led our prayers. After the Very … Read More
DeafChurch Together – Spring 2023 Update
Greetings to the Gulf Atlantic Diocese! Here is what we have been up to early in the early part of this year: Church Planting The vision for the DeafChurch movement is to connect multiple small, … Read More
Easter 2023 Edition of the Communiqué
Easter greetings to you all! We hope that this edition of the newsletter encourages and equips you as we continue celebrating the Risen Lord Jesus Christ during this great fifty-day feast of the Resurrection. As … Read More
New Churches on the Rise!
We have two new churches on the rise in the Gulf Atlantic Diocese, and to visit them is to witness the Holy Spirit tangibly at work. I recently did just that, visiting Adoration Church in … Read More
We Had A Great Easter, So Now What?
Hopefully your congregation had a wonderful celebration of Jesus’ resurrection last Sunday! And hopefully you had some newcomers visit for Easter. If you did, I’m sure some of them were relatives of members who come … Read More
The Lord is Risen!
What a joy it is to have walked the way of the Cross with all of you through Lent and now rejoice in our hope in the Risen Lord Jesus. It was my privilege to participate in several of our congregations through the weeks of Lent. What a joy to see your faithfulness in worship.
Palm Sunday (April 2, 2023) [Alex Farmer, All Souls, Jacksonville]
April 2, 2023. Bishop Alex Farmer preaches at All Souls Anglican Church on Palm Sunday.
Jesus, Light of the World (March 19, 2023) [Alex Farmer, Good Shepherd, Opelika]
March 19, 2023. Bishop Alex Farmer preaches at Church of the Good Shepherd, Opelika, Alabama. Confirmations.
The Weight of the Office (Fr. Gabe Holloway)
The Rev. Gabe Holloway was ordained a priest February 11, 2023. He shares his thoughts on what that has meant for his spiritual life.
Get your Church Healthy and Keep it That Way
This is often the time of year that many churches have their Annual Parish Meetings, approve budgets, hold Vestry Retreats, and generally think about and cast vision for the church moving forward. As this is a good time of year to be reflecting on these matters, may I suggest that, as you do, part of your vision and goal setting include focusing on how to get and/or keep your church healthy?
The church is the living body of Christ, and living things (if healthy) naturally grow as God designed them to. How can you focus on being healthy this year? By focusing on simply doing the things Jesus instructed the church to do. And, what did he tell the church to do? Although you can find the answers to that question throughout the Bible, like in the description of the first local church in Acts 2:42-47, Jesus was kind enough to summarize it for us in two key scriptures: The Great Commandment and The Great Commission.