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.
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....
Be the one. See the one. Share the ONE. The Gulf Atlantic Diocese, under the leadership of Bishop Alex, is poised to raise up and deploy missionaries to our neighborhoods and to the nations....
Tallahassee, FL (August 27, 2022) - Today at St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral in Tallahassee, FL, friends and members of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese of the Anglican Church in North America gathered to witness the consecration of the Rt. Rev. Alex Farmer as the second bishop of the Diocese....
The Gulf Atlantic Diocese held its 17th annual summer camp, Camp Araminta, in July. It was an incredible gathering of over 250 students and leaders at Lake Swan Camp in Melrose, FL. Camp Araminta was created to provide an intense discipleship experience in community. We welcome students from 4th-12th grade and focus our time on fellowship, outdoor activities, skits, games and crafts, worship, teaching, and healthy rhythms of discipleship such as morning prayer and compline....
After serving for six years at Grace Anglican in Fleming Island, FL, Dan and Carrie Wolf made a radical move to Portland, Maine, the second most post-Christian city in America, in order to plant Rise Church Anglican. The church plant has been a collaborative effort between the Gulf Atlantic Diocese and the Anglican Diocese of New England. Dan has said the question people ask in Portland is not “What church should I go to?” but “Why would I go to church?” Many people don’t know anything about the Bible or God....
Petra is a diocesan ministry founded and led by young adults to serve young adults. Built to meet the need for an organized ministry to connect young adults across the Gulf Atlantic, its centerpiece is the Petra retreat, an annual summer event incorporating Biblical teaching and corporate recreation. This year’s retreat, held from May 19 through 22, was based on Ephesians 6:13: “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Scripture teaches that humanity is involved in a spiritual war of cosmic proportions in which every soul is at stake. To stand, Christians must arm themselves with the armament God has provided them in Christ....
On Monday, June 13, 2022, the College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America consented to the elections of the Rev. Alex Farmer, the Rev. Willy J. Hill Jr., and the Rev. Alex Cameron as bishops for the Gulf Atlantic Diocese, the Diocese of the Southeast (REC), and the Diocese of Pittsburgh respectively....
Volunteering with CMJ Israel may well be the most rewarding thing you have ever done - after all, you will become part of Israel's present and future with what you do and achieve! Volunteering may (at times) be hard work, but it will also be part of a wonderful adventure, filled with prayer and new experiences right in the heart of Israel - a place where God Himself has placed so much focus, and the very land where Jesus lived and walked....
Nick Audas spent ten years ministering on college campuses with CRU (Campus Crusade), and more recently, serving on staff at a church plant in New York City. Now he is embarking on a new mission—planting an Anglican church in the heart of Orlando with the Gulf Atlantic Diocese. Bishop Neil and I recently traveled to Orlando to meet and celebrate Holy Communion with about fifteen members of this budding church plant, called The Common Table Church, and the presence of the Lord was tangible in our midst....
ABUNDANCE FOR OTHERS: Church Planting in New England The Very Rev. Mike McDonald, Rector of Grace Anglican Church and Dean of the Northeast Deanery, Gulf Atlantic Diocese In a season overshadowed by a global pandemic, it may seem strange to focus on abundance for others, but that was the "word" the Lord gave me for our church this year. I knew we would be attempting one ...
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Camp Araminta continues to be integral to our diocesan discipleship of the next generation, even during a pandemic! This summer, approximately 30 leaders (mainly young adult counselors), coordinated and launched Camp Araminta Nights. Camp was held during the scheduled week, but virtually in the evenings. These counselors planned elaborate skits, worship, activities, and ga...
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byRev. Bill Krizner, St. Peter's Anglican Cathedral, Tallahassee "And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me.'" - Isaiah 6:8 June 21, 2020. . . I count it as the 5th best day of my life. The date of my ordination to the priesthood fallsonly after my marriage to my covenant partner and best frien...
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Beth Kirby, Servants of Christ, Gainesville "I can't breathe." This phrase has reverberated through our collective national consciousness in the last few months. The brutal death of George Floyd has led to numerous protests, as well as many participants wearing masks emblazoned with the words, "I can't breathe." I was struck by the confluence of three things: Covid-19, a ...
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Phased re-entry has begun by now and many churches are already rolling out phase 1 and perhaps even phase 2. According to most guidelines, children's Sunday school is feasible for phase 3 and beyond. If you have read the most recent CDC guidelines for schools, however, you will quickly realize the implications for children's Sunday school programs are significant. Re-entry...
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Those of you considering hybrid ministry following re-entry, consider how your plans might help to build an online community, rather than just offer online programming. For more about this distinction, read here. 10 IDEAS FOR HYBRID MINISTRY Here are 10 specific programming ideas for hybrid ministry, aimed at building an online community: Regarding live-streamed event...
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We've already outlined the need for each ministry to have its own online ministry coordinator in and the importance tobuilding online communities, andnot just entertaining kids. Specific to family ministry, it is the church's role to come alongside parents as they are uniquely called to disciple their children. 15 IDEAS FOR HYBRID FAMILY MINISTRY Here are 15 ways to move...
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One of the concerns many churches faced mid-March when the global pandemic shut our doors, was how to keep connected to those who do not utilize technology on a regular basis. This concern continued as families sought to be discipled without their children being exposed to unprotected technology, as well. As a result, here are a few ideas to help keep your households conne...
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by Rev. John Wallace, Apostles By-the-Sea, Rosemary Beach, FL When Apostles By-the-Sea was a new church plant, we knew we wanted to serve our community in ways that were bold, but never self-promoting; ways that focused on God's Kingdom, not our own; and ways that cared more for our community than for credit. We have held to those values these last eight years. During th...
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by The Rev. Craig Brown, LMHC, LMFT Fear. In all its forms from slight concern to sheer terror fear is perhaps the most potent emotional force in the world. Certainly, with the onset of the Coronapocalypse, fear itself has become, dare I say, a pandemic. Fear is the body's gift to us in times of crisis. It is there to help us flee a deadly threat. Faced with danger, ou...
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