Welcome to the Gulf Atlantic Diocese Ministry Blog!

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.

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Praying for Vocations

MarkDgadweb2020

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....

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Arts and Ministry

Catherine Miller

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...

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Strengthening Churches in 2021

MarkEblog

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....

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Sharing Advent Hope

JessicaJonesBLOG

Next week begins Advent, the start of a new liturgical year, and the celebration of what is to come. Most of you are probably eagerly anticipating a new year following 2020 with more hope than ever before. Advent this year has me considering the juxtaposition of the vital role physical presence played in the first Christmas, with the role physical presence is playing as we...

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Why Hybrid Ministry?

hybridministrybuildingonlinecommunities

10 Considerations for Building Online Church Communities When the pandemic closed Sunday services, churches quickly (and adeptly!) moved online. Everyone I know has been immensely grateful for the work that pastors and church leadership teams have completed, enabling the people to be part of their worshiping community while safe at home. But how has this pandemic changed...

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United Adoration: O Great Physician

by Catherine Miller, Trinity Anglican, Thomasville In March 2020, I was invited to the first online creative session with United Adoration, a ministry dedicated to revitalizing the church through the arts. I found the online sessions very helpful to me to assist in the process of creating while I was writing a new song. Lyrics don't come naturally to me, or at least not a...

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Reorient the How, Not the What, In Changing Times

MarkEblog

Leading a local church during a major time of change is clearly hard. We know this because we've all been doing it this year. It's not just something we've read about in a book. A major reason it is hard is that it requires changing the way we do things. It means letting go of ways of doing things we knew and were comfortable with. It means reorienting and adapting to diff...

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Do Life With God

MarkEblog

by The Rev. Mark Eldredge, Canon for Congregational Health I think you'd agree that in the Fall of 2020 in America we could all use more love. We could use more joy. More peace, more patience, more kindness, more goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (especially on social media). Wouldn't more of all those be beneficial to all of us? Those hopefully sound f...

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The Way We Spend Our Days

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As a new priest, I have been reflecting on the last four years of formation leading up to my ordination. The days were simply packed with studying, classes, working in my job during the day, and being present to my family. That busy pace is not specific to seminarians or clergy. It seems everyone I know feels strapped for time and energy. It is a constant challenge to main...

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Two Ways to Keep Hope in Troubled Times

MarkEblog

A Message To You In Troubled Times The year 2020, to say the least, is a troubled year. My daughter asked me last week how long I thought it might be before the term "2020" starts to be used as a profanity. Like when someone hits their hand with a hammer they will cry out, "2020" instead of some other more common term! Given the way this year has gone so far, I could see ...

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