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....
The word “curate,” in its original sense, was a synonym for the word priest. It stems from the idea that parish clergy are charged with the “cure” (or care) of souls. In recent years the term has been applied more specifically to newly ordained priests serving as assistants to an experienced rector. Curacies provide experience and on-the-job practical training to equip the curates for their future ministries. In an effort to raise up more missional leaders, the Gulf Atlantic Diocese is partnering with congregations to develop three types of curacies: Church Planting Curates, Antioch Curates, and Missional Curates....
Crafting songs for worship is a process of inspiration, collaboration, and cultivation as the songwriter edits their ideas in community. But sometimes, an artist may be moved by the Holy Spirit to bring a prophetic word of encouragement to build up the Church. When the words come to a songwriter, they can come out as sung rhymes. Kim Allen first discovered her gift as she improvised on the piano after a prayer, her sermon notes sitting against the music stand....
If you follow Jesus, you have a story to share! Back in 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, the Lord put it on my heart to collect stories from my fellow church members to learn more about each other, and also to see more widely who God is. Testimonies have the power to show that God is not only real but is always active in this world, even when we cannot see it. Where I attend, at Incarnation Tallahassee, the project was well-received, bringing great encouragement and a deeper connection between the members. I now want to make a wider call to the diocese for stories of what God has done in your life....
Would you pray for “vocations,” that is, pray that God would call people to ordination and so work in them and their communities so that they become ordained missional leaders? Also, I would ask our churches to do so, regularly and publicly, and especially during the four Ember Day weeks. This week happens to be one of those weeks....
My journey into Anglicanism was a complete accident. Knowing my background as a classically trained musician, my friends told me to visit St. Peter’s Cathedral in Tallahassee, at least once, to hear the music. My first Sunday, I was struck by the crystal clear tones of the choir, their luscious sound washing over me singing the Psalms. The beauty of the music affected me so much that I started to come every week with anticipation....
The need for the part of our diocesan mission, “Strengthening Existing Churches and Ministries,” has never been as important it will be in 2021. Last year had its set of challenges, to say the least. Much of the year was spent adjusting to new circumstances. Now is the time to get back to being proactive or, to use sports terminology, switch from defense to offense....
by Rev. Dr. Jessica H. Jones This season in ministry has forced churches everywhere to move to an online environment, exploring video conferencing, live streaming, pre-recording and video editing segments for their website, and trying to navigate pastoral care for those not connected, as well as those already saturated with online content. Someone joked last week on our c...
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by Rev. Taylor IshiiChurch of the Apostles, Eastern Shore One principle of good communication is to know your audience. I remember once teaching in a youth group setting and using 9/11 as an example of a moment where time seemed to stand still. I then asked the students if they remembered where they were on 9/11. I got nods from the adults in the room, but blank stares fr...
Keep ReadingContributors: Dr. Sarah Hall, Rev. Ben Jefferies, Rev. Dr. Jessica Jones, Rev. Carrie Klukas, The Very Rev. Andrew Rowell In God's grand narrative we see the power of prayer over and over. God's people cry out to him, primarily because he is the only one who can do anything! Now is the time to teach children and youth about prayer, if we haven't done so already. In the m...
Keep ReadingContributors: Dr. Julia Marie Halderman, Rev. Dr. Jessica Jones "This is the day the Lord has made, let us go forth and deal with it," said my son years ago when he was about 6 years old, after a particularly hard week. He did not want to rejoice and be glad in it. I reminded him that rejoicing was a choice and we serve a good God. This week he reminded me of the sam...
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byRev. Mark Eldredge, Canon for Congregational Health When the first ever church was formed in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost the believers basically did five things. We can read about this in Acts 2:42-47: They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and...
Keep Reading by Rev. Dr. Jessica Jones As God's people, are we struggling with what to say during this time? Times like this have a way of disabling my speech, even sometimes to God. But expressing our emotions to God, all of our emotions, is exactly what he asks of us. The Psalms provide an outline for expressing our emotions to God, even during difficult seasons such as this. The...
Keep Reading by Rev. Dr. Jessica Jones,Canon for Next Generation Discipleship, Gulf Atlantic Diocese Director of Family Ministry, ACNA Next Generation Leadership Initiative byRev. Aaron Buttery,Associate for NextGen Leadership, C4SO Diocese Due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic, we are in the beginning of a new season of ministry with young people. This season of challenges p...
Keep Reading by Rev. Jessica JonesCanon for Next Generation Discipleship Many of you may be facing the issue of how to best support your students and small groups during social distancing. This is a difficult time for many and when students face the unknown, or their routine is disrupted, it can cause anxiety and have ongoing ramifications. We have the opportunity during this time to...
Keep Reading Due to social distancing, our diocese went online almost overnight. Some churches will offer services virtually, but most will not have them temporarily. Below are some ideas for you as you seek to lead alternative options for worship during this difficult season. Please note: The Gulf Atlantic Diocese does not specifically endorse the individual websites or authors of th...
Keep Reading by The Rev. Mark EldredgeCanon for Congregational Health In 2019 my focus as Canon for Congregation Health was on working more directly with congregations in need of revitalization as well as providing coaching for clergy in those congregations. As the Deans or churches on their own identify that they are in maintenance or decline I was and will remain available to provid...
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