In this blog, clergy and lay leaders share helpful resources, ideas, and reflections. The topics range from soul care, to effectiveness, to practical solutions for common issues we are facing. If you have something you would like to submit to be included, please email it to Jessica Jones. We hope these articles are a blessing to you in your ministry.
Editor's note: Funmi Ojetayo is currently serving at Incarnation Tallahassee as a part of the diocesan Antioch Residency program. He is the first such resident in our diocese. Funmi OjetayoMy participation in the Antioch Residency is primarily a work of God’s providential guidance, and the magnanimity of the Rector at Incarnation Tallahassee, the Rev. Canon Taylor Bodoh. I initially did a pastoral summer internship at Incarnation in 2019, after which I went back to my home Baptist church. I was privileged to have gotten to know Taylor and Jon and be mentored by them over the summer, and to serve the church through teaching and preaching. Yet, I was still finishing up my seminary degree, working full-time as an attorney, and serving my wife and children and my local church. An Antioch Residency or Fellowship was not on my radar......
The Table Mesa is a bilingual ACNA congregation based in Jacksonville, FL that meets on Zoom with additional members joining from across states and continents. They live out their mission to disciple others by offering places for people to grow in their gifts, namely songwriting and teaching. This is their story of adapting to the restraints of COVID-19 and how God has grown them as they have extended hospitality across language barriers....
Why plant new churches? Because our King commissioned us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…” (Mt 28:19-20). Studies have shown that new churches reach unbelievers and unchurched people at a rate of 6-8 times that of established churches of the same size. While we believe it's important for every Christian to practice evangelism, we also believe a vibrant church planting culture is essential to faithfully fulfilling Jesus’ commission!...
The first poem I ever wrote didn’t rhyme. In fact, I didn’t even write it down. One day, when I was about three years old, my mom was pushing me on a swing and I said to her: When I swing, my shadow plays tag with me. Apparently she thought that was a very profound thing for me to say at that age, because she has told me that story several times since I became an adult. I’m looking back at that scene now and thinking to myself, That makes perfect sense; that’s absolutely something I would say....
The world says that success is found in writing chart-topping songs, selling paintings for tens of thousands of dollars, working for large churches, achieving a generous salary, or directing a large choir. The life of Christ says something different. Jesus lived in the wilderness with a small group of close friends. He didn’t raise up an army like many thought he would. He spent time with his Father and this union directed his path....
My church hired me as a "worship leader / artist-in-residence" in 2014. The artist-in-residence part of my job was very loosely defined, and we were basically making it up as we went along. But one of the first ideas that stuck was when my pastor asked me to write some form of psalm refrain every week, following the lectionary...I had a previous interest in writing psalm settings, so I took my pastor's request as an opportunity to begin composing short choruses that summarized what I thought was the core idea, response, or emotion of the psalm....
My years in ocean freight transportation were an exciting time in an expanding industry that produced many “firsts.” The concept of just-in-time logistics, or “J.I.T.” as it came to be known, was one of them. It was all about having a better plan for bringing the right thing to the right place at the right time. “J.I.T.” is a good characterization for my late-in-life introduction to painting. Painting certainly was the right thing at the right time as I adapted to retirement, but it also came with a still-unfolding array of new connections and interactions that have since crossed borders and oceans, figuratively and literally. All of that from someone with no prior art training or experience. Who would have thought?...
The word that comes to mind while conversing with comic book artist Daniel Hooker about art and faith is perseverance. Daniel describes his own personality as “obnoxiously persistent.” He remarks that the Lord has given him an immense amount of patience that lets him wait and persevere indefinitely, sometimes even to a fault. But in Daniel’s practice as an artist and in his chosen medium of storytelling through comic books, patience and perseverance have served him well....
The New Testament sometimes speaks of ministry as being like an architectural project. In particular, the Apostle Paul speaks of building God’s temple, with some laying the foundation and others building; but either way, faithfulness requires that “each one should build with care” (1 Corinthians 3:10). The analogy works well for both evangelism and discipleship; for planting and pastoring. It is also a good way of describing the shift that’s taking place right now in our shared mission of church planting in the Gulf Atlantic Diocese, as we move from establishing the requisite foundation to a kind of multi-faceted building project....
Choreographer Dana Standridge said she can’t imagine a time in her life when she didn’t dance. “This is how God has wired me,” she said. “I feel the best when I’ve put on music and move to it. A good waltz or three-four beat and I’m happy as can be.” Dancing is associated with joy in the Bible: Miriam danced and sang after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, and David danced before the Lord. Four years ago, Dana’s mother was murdered in her childhood home by a stranger. “In the face of trauma, the world seems hideous,” said Dana. Joy evaporated, and for about two years she stopped dancing....
Editor's note: Funmi Ojetayo is currently serving at Incarnation Tallahassee as a part of the diocesan Antioch Residency program. He is the first such resident in our diocese. Funmi OjetayoMy participation in the Antioch Residency is primarily a work of God’s providential guidance, and the magnanimity of the Rector at Incarnation Tallahassee, the Rev. Canon Taylor Bod...
Keep Reading The Table Mesa is a bilingual ACNA congregation based in Jacksonville, FL that meets on Zoom with additional members joining from across states and continents. They live out their mission to disciple others by offering places for people to grow in their gifts, namely songwriting and teaching. This is their story of adapting to the restraints of COVID-19 and how God has gro...
Keep Reading Why plant new churches? Because our King commissioned us to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…” (Mt 28:19-20). Studies have shown that new churches reach unbelievers and unchurched people at a rate of 6-8 times that of establi...
Keep Reading The first poem I ever wrote didn’t rhyme. In fact, I didn’t even write it down. One day, when I was about three years old, my mom was pushing me on a swing and I said to her: When I swing, my shadow plays tag with me. Apparently she thought that was a very profound thing for me to say at that age, because she has told me that story several times since I became a...
Keep Reading The world says that success is found in writing chart-topping songs, selling paintings for tens of thousands of dollars, working for large churches, achieving a generous salary, or directing a large choir. The life of Christ says something different. Jesus lived in the wilderness with a small group of close friends. He didn’t raise up an army like many thought he would. ...
Keep Reading My church hired me as a "worship leader / artist-in-residence" in 2014. The artist-in-residence part of my job was very loosely defined, and we were basically making it up as we went along. But one of the first ideas that stuck was when my pastor asked me to write some form of psalm refrain every week, following the lectionary...I had a previous interest in writing psalm s...
Keep Reading My years in ocean freight transportation were an exciting time in an expanding industry that produced many “firsts.” The concept of just-in-time logistics, or “J.I.T.” as it came to be known, was one of them. It was all about having a better plan for bringing the right thing to the right place at the right time. “J.I.T.” is a good characterization for my l...
Keep Reading The word that comes to mind while conversing with comic book artist Daniel Hooker about art and faith is perseverance. Daniel describes his own personality as “obnoxiously persistent.” He remarks that the Lord has given him an immense amount of patience that lets him wait and persevere indefinitely, sometimes even to a fault. But in Daniel’s practice as an artist and...
Keep Reading The New Testament sometimes speaks of ministry as being like an architectural project. In particular, the Apostle Paul speaks of building God’s temple, with some laying the foundation and others building; but either way, faithfulness requires that “each one should build with care” (1 Corinthians 3:10). The analogy works well for both evangelism and discipleship; for...
Keep Reading Choreographer Dana Standridge said she can’t imagine a time in her life when she didn’t dance. “This is how God has wired me,” she said. “I feel the best when I’ve put on music and move to it. A good waltz or three-four beat and I’m happy as can be.” Dancing is associated with joy in the Bible: Miriam danced and sang after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea...
Keep Reading