I’m a priest, but I don’t think we should pack the churches on Easter

From Tampa-

President Donald Trump has called for “packed churches … all over our country … on Easter!”

For centuries, Easter has been the culmination of a three-day remembrance of Jesus’ death and resurrection. But this year, Trump is trying to turn it into a political rally. Open up the churches! Pack them with the elderly and the vulnerable! Have generations flee the safety of their homes to gather together to publicly observe this holiday. “It will be beautiful.” Unless, of course, those gathering in large families and/or houses of worship, where we are jammed around dinner tables or church pews, add to the community spread of the coronavirus.

How did we get here? For months we have slowly come to realize that a novel coronavirus (one never seen before) has been silently creeping around the world. It knows no borders or races or creeds -- or political parties. It will strike at will, mostly the old and infirm or those with underlying physical ailments and disabilities. But it will also strike people of all ages, as it does not discriminate.

More here-

https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2020/03/25/im-a-priest-but-i-dont-think-we-should-pack-the-churches-on-easter-column/?clavis&utm_expid=.rZxRlJI0T86fmAabR1Jv8w.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

St. John's Episcopal Church begins allowing same-sex marriages

From Florida-

Gay couples attending St. John's Episcopal Church can now marry within the church after the local congregation's vestry released its decision recently allowing the change.

For the past year, a consultation group of nine long-time parishioners at St. John's met to discuss the change through a process of "prayerful discernment," explained rector Dave Killeen, who has been at St. John's for the past decade.

The consultation group then advised the vestry, which ultimately made the decision to allow same-sex marriages at the congregation.

"We want to do our very best to care for God's people at St. John's," Killeen told the Democrat. "All couples will be treated equally... We want to make sure everyone feels comfortable and has a place here at St. John's — that they know they are loved and valued."

At its 2015 general convention, the Episcopal Church approved same-sex marriage ceremonies in the church. It also redefined its canonical language for marriage to gender-neutral terms.

More here-

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2020/02/07/st-johns-episcopal-church-allows-same-sex-marriages-first-time-tallahassee/4644168002/

Tallahassee church holds service to remember Pulse nightclub victims

From Florida-

People from all over are remembering the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting three years ago. 

There were 49 people killed at Pulse Nightclub that night in Orlando. Wednesday night, each of their names will be read aloud. 

One local church joined hundreds of others across the country in ringing their bells 49 times in remembrance. 

"It is the church's way of acknowledging the lives that were lost senselessly too soon. It is our way of saying that we understand and that we are praying for you as a faith community," said Kathleen Walker, Associate Rector for Pastoral Care and Parish Life at St. John's Episcopal Church. 

More here-

https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/tallahassee-church-holds-service-to-remember-pulse-nightclub-victims

Westboro Baptist protesters, counterprotesters demonstrate at Gainesville churches

From Florida-

Drivers honked and shouted, but that was about the extent of the reaction to protests in Gainesville Sunday morning from a religious group known for its anti-gay rhetoric and demonstrations against slain U.S. soldiers at funerals.

A heavy police presence kept the Feb. 3 Westboro Baptist Church demonstration peaceful as Westboro members waved signs bearing such messages as “Divorce, remarriage & same-sex ‘marriage’ are all sin” and “God hates workers of iniquity.”

The group protested at First Baptist Church of Gainesville, St. John Baptist Church, First Presbyterian Church, St. Michael Roman Catholic Church, Grace Episcopal Church and Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.

They were divided into two teams, with each group consisting of 10 or fewer protestors.

More here-

https://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/westboro-baptist-protesters-counterprotesters-demonstrate-gainesville-churches/

'Royal Wedding' Episcopal Bishop Michael Curry visits Tallahassee

From Florida-

“The Royal Wedding Preacher” is on the way visit  three Episcopal churches in Tallahassee next week.

St. John’s Episcopal Church announced this week that due to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s popularity, they will partner with WFSU-TV to livestream the service of Choral Evensong on Monday, Feb. 4.

“Bishop Curry is a dynamic preacher and we are very excited about his visit,” said the Rev. Dave Killeen, rector at St. John’s Episcopal Church. “The presiding bishop is so popular, when we opened our seats to parishioners, they were all taken in 22 minutes.”

Bishop Curry also will be speaking at a special Chapel service at 10:15 a.m.Tuesday at  Holy Comforter Episcopal School and attending a lunch hosted by St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church on Tuesday.

More here-

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/life/faith/2019/02/01/popular-royal-wedding-bishop-visits-local-churches/2743402002/

Preservation board reacts to St. Michael’s demolition

From Florida-

About a dozen people showed up Gainesville’s Historic Preservation Board meeting on Wednesday to talk about the destruction of St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, a meeting that was originally scheduled to nominate the site as a local historic landmark.

Most expressed frustration with the process that played out leading up to last week’s demolition, with some pleaded that the board ensure a similar scenario doesn’t happen again.

Last week, the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, which owned the church at 4315 NW 23rd Ave., began demolishing the building the same day it was issued a permit by the city of Gainesville. A group of Gainesville residents were trying to nominate the site as a historic landmark through the city’s historic preservation procedures.

“The process seems extremely flawed,” said board chairman Jay Reeves. ”... I think we need to smooth it out and make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

The preservation board voted unanimously to send a letter to the Gainesville City Commission requesting it expedite future nomination processes and to amend loopholes in ordinances that the Episcopal diocese managed to bypass or expose. The board will also send a letter censuring the actions of the diocese, its attorney and CHW Professional Consultants, a local group working with the diocese and developers.

More here-

https://www.gainesville.com/news/20190102/preservation-board-reacts-to-st-michaels-demolition

St. Michael’s Episcopal Church Torn Down Ahead Of Meeting That Might Have Preserved It

From Florida-

The building that once housed St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, located at 4315 NW 23rd Avenue in Gainesville, is being torn down.

Deconstruction on the building began Wednesday, within hours of the City of Gainesville issuing a demolition permit.

The move comes after the Episcopal Diocese of Florida, headquartered in Jacksonville, made a last-minute motion to demolish the building amid community backlash and the possibility that the building itself would be marked as a historic landmark. St. Michael’s Episcopal Church was on the agenda for the next meeting of Gainesville’s Historic Preservation Board, which is scheduled for Jan. 2. Marking the building a historic landmark would have secured its preservation for at least one more year.

“It affects everyone,” said Morris Hylton, the president of Modern Gainesville, a local nonprofit aimed at preserving mid-century architecture. “It’s an architectural landmark deserving of preservation.”

More here-

https://www.wuft.org/news/2018/12/27/st-michael-episcopal-church-torn-down-ahead-of-meeting-that-might-have-preserved-it/ 

also here (video)

https://www.wcjb.com/video?vid=503581842

Florida bishop had a hand in 'Silent Night' translation

From Florida-

If you look carefully inside St. John’s Episcopal Church on Monroe Street, the red brick edifice that on the busy thoroughfare seems so peacefully removed, you will find a precious photo of an organ.

 It is a special photo of a special organ because the instrument is dedicated to Bishop John Freeman Young.  It was an organ upon which at Christmas time was played what is now the world’s most popular hymn, "Silent Night" — the very hymn translated by John Freeman Young himself, a man with a special connection to Tallahassee.

With original Germanic words, written in 1818 by Austrian Joseph Mohr and set to music by Franz Gruber, "Silent Night" has now been translated into over 300 languages according to FSU Assistant Professor of Musicology, Sarah Eyerly.  John Freeman Young gave us the hymn in English.

Young was born in Maine in 1820 and converted to the Episcopal faith. Following graduation from Virginia Theological Seminary, he made his way South to Jacksonville, Florida, where he served as Deacon at St. John’s Church there.

More here-

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/life/faith/2018/12/07/famous-carol-has-ties-st-johns-church/2240066002/

The fight to preserve a closed church

From Florida-

Redevelopment has caused a countless number of churches and other old buildings to be erased from cityscapes everywhere.

One of the latest chapters in the age-old battle between preservationists and developers is playing out in Florida, where some hope a historic landmark designation for St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Gainesville can stop a planned shopping development. 

St. Michael’s is empty on Sundays, having closed its doors to worship in 2013, WUFT reported.
The Episcopal Diocese of Florida wants to sell the building and land with the proceeds going toward mission, evangelization and supporting extant congregations. However, some community activists have went through the machinations of the city hall bureaucracy in hopes that a historic landmark designation can keep the former church as-is.

More here-

https://www.christianpost.com/news/fight-to-preserve-a-closed-church.html

Round and around we go

From Florida-

An ancient pathway is the newest addition to the Flagler College campus.

Located behind Alumni House (Anderson Cottage) on Seville Street, the labyrinth path has seven easy circuits.

A labyrinth is not a maze. There are no dead ends. You cannot get lost. One path circles into the center and out again. Often a labyrinth is used as a walking meditation — a short course reminder of life’s journey.

“Many of the labyrinths I’ve seen are wide open,” said Jill Craddock of St. Augustine. “Perhaps a soccer game going on next door. Or people walking across the labyrinth. I’ve always felt self-conscious. This one at Alumni House is fully enclosed. I can focus better.”

Alumni House and labyrinth were dedicated in May, but you don’t have to be enrolled or an alumni to walk the labyrinth.

More here-

http://www.staugustine.com/entertainmentlife/20180819/round-and-around-we-go

Christian “Who Happens to be Gay” Protests the Episcopal Diocese of Florida

From Florida-

When the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church meets this summer, it’s widely expected to pass a measure fully approving gay marriage within the church. It took a big step toward that decision the last time the body met, in 2015. There were, however, some holdouts, including the diocese that encompasses the Episcopalian churches of Northeast Florida.

Lawrence Denton, a lifelong Episcopalian, took it hard when the Diocese of Florida opted out of the church’s 2015 decision to approve “trial rights” for gay marriage. While the Episcopal Church has been far more progressive on the issue than most protestant denominations, the diocese that represents Northeast Florida is part of about 10 percent of dioceses that chose to go in another direction. Denton describes himself as a “lifelong Episcopalian who happens to be gay.”

So in 2015, Denton stopped attending the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Riverside, where he’d been a member since 1997, sending a letter of protest to Bishop Samuel Johnson Howard, as well as to leaders and friends in his home congregation.

Denton has lived in Jacksonville since the late 1980s and has belonged to various congregations, including St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral downtown and the Metropolitan Community Church. He joined Good Shepherd because a friend told him the clergy and members were gay-friendly; the members founded a local chapter of the national group Integrity USA, whose website characterizes it as “working for full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the Episcopal Church and beyond.”

More here-

http://folioweekly.com/stories/christian-who-happens-to-be-gay-protests-the-episcopal-diocese-of-florida,20066

Is it possible for politics and religion to co-exist?

From Tallahassee-

In a recent New York Times article, Dr. James Dobson, a leading Christian Evangelical, stated that Donald Trump has become a born-again Christian, that “Mr. Trump had recently come ‘to accept a relationship with Christ.’”

While I would never presuppose to judge anyone’s personal faith, it does beg the question whether political candidates and their campaigns can stand the test of living up to the faiths they profess.

Each religion upholds ideals to which its members are expected to adhere. While none of us do so perfectly, it is expected that we do our best.

Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism or other religions are not a clubs that members join. These are ways of life to which believers commit themselves. They are invitations into relations with the divine, as each believer understands the divine to be.

More here-

http://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/2016/06/26/possible-politics-religion-co-exist/86411312/

Former Episcopal School of Jacksonville administrator held on stalking charge involving teacher

From Jacksonville-

A former administrator at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville is facing a stalking charge in Duval County involving a teacher at the school, according to jail and court records. The charge comes after he was arrested on a warrant Thursday in Alachua County following his release from a mental health facility.

The Episcopal teacher filed an injunction Monday against Matthew Joseph Kearney III that includes accusations of stalking, suicide threats and threats to harm a friend of hers as well as ending her career.

Kearney, 55, was booked into the Alachua County jail Thursday about 11:40 a.m. with a bond of $100,003, according to jail records.

More here-

http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2016-05-05/story/former-episcopal-school-jacksonville-administrator-held-stalking-charge#

Slavery and human trafficking are far from eradicated

From Tallahassee-

Human beings, created in God’s image, are made for the perfect freedom found in service to God and neighbor.

Throughout human history, as a result of our brokenness and a willful misuse of our freedom, we have enslaved others and turned God’s people into commodities.

In the Old Testament, we witness Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery. In Scripture, we also hear the people of Israel, enslaved in Egypt, crying out for freedom.

In the New Testament, St. Paul pleads with a man named Philemon to free his slave, Onesimus. Slavery and human trafficking are an ongoing scourge on humanity, a fact we know all too well as we recall our history as a nation and our continuing struggle for racial justice and reconciliation.

More here-

http://www.tallahassee.com/story/opinion/2016/01/09/slavery-human-trafficking-far-eradicated/78516748/

Burned Episcopal church is up for sale, arson investigation continues

From Florida-

The state fire marshal is offering a $5,000 reward for information about the arson investigation at Church of the Epiphany. Action News has learned that before the string of fires hit the church, the Episcopal Diocese of Florida had put the property up for sale.

Jacksonville firefighters were back at the site Monday to take a look at the damage left by massive flames over the weekend. It's the fourth time they've had to risk their lives to battles fires at the location in a span four months.

For neighbor Dwight Bayes, it's been an ongoing issue in his Westside neighborhood.

"They tried to burn the hotel over there. They were building a hotel and there's a small community center where the church is, they tried to burn that down," said Bayes.

The first fire happened in September when the adjacent school house was destroyed, just last month, two fires broke out on the same day. But the latest fire did the most damage to the sanctuary, leaving the building gutted.

More here-

http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/topstories/story/Burned-Episcopal-church-is-up-for-sale-arson/1C4ILHSaM0W08NHWZvaaFw.cspx

Trinity parish preparing for 450th $1.1 million capital campaign launched

From Florida-

With St. Augustine’s 450th anniversary quickly approaching, Trinity Parish has begun restorations of its historic buildings, steeple and stained glass windows. Goal of this capital campaign is $1.1 million.

The Trinity Parish Church, which graced the south side of the historic Plaza de la Constitucion for more than 180 years, is the oldest Episcopal Church in Florida. “It’s our turn now to look after this Holy place,” says Trinity rector, the Rev. David Weidner. “We are eager to embrace this project for the next generations so they too can enjoy this wonderful place of worship.” To that end, Trinity has announced a three-year capital campaign for the primary purpose of renovating and restoring the church. The theme is “Honoring Our Heritage, Looking Forward to Our Future.”

Trinity Episcopal Church was established in 1821, the year control of Florida was transferred to the United States by Spain. Church services were held in the Government House for the first 10 years before moving in 1831 to a newly constructed church building fronting King Street and the plaza. The church steeple was erected in 1839 and remains today as an icon of historic St. Augustine.

More here-

http://staugustine.com/living/religion/2013-06-20/trinity-parish-preparing-450th-11-capital-campaign-launched#.UcQsaxZOw0M

Evangelist buys St. James Episcopal

From Florida-

St. James Episcopal Church in Macclenny has gone through a tumultuous period in recent years following a schism of the congregation in 2006 over the Episcopal church’s liberal views on homosexuality.

But a long-time Christian evangelist from Glasgow, Kentucky is ready to breath new life into the once vacant 2625-square-foot church at 50 W. Minnesota Ave. Velma Childers, president of the nonprofit Velma Childers Evangelistic Association, purchased the property from the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Florida, Inc. in late March for $100,000, about $5000 less than its market value per the county property appraiser’s office.

Ms. Childers has been spreading the word of Christ throughout the country and the world for the last 50 years. Her broadcast ministry titled “Forgiven” is filmed in Clearwater, FL and available on a half-dozen satellite and network stations.

Ms. Childers said her immediate plans for the church include Friday evening services and perhaps prayer meetings on Monday mornings, but she won’t solicit members from other churches or hold Sunday services.

The 48-year-old structure may be available for  weddings or special events in the future.

More here-

http://bakercountypress.com/2013/04/evangelist-buys-st-james-episcopal/

Hymn Marks 175 Years

From Florida-

As the Diocese of Florida’s annual convention gathered at St. John’s Church in Tallahassee, the congregation sang a hymn that had never been sung before. “In Every Place Where God Is Found” was commissioned in celebration of the Diocese of Florida’s 175th anniversary to communicate the diocese’s anniversary theme of “Procession: Unified in Mission”:

In every place where God is praised by many or by few;
in every heart where prayer breathes life and hope begins anew;
where ever searching leads to faith or love melts hearts of stone;
where new life rises from death’s hold;
God’s presence will be known.

As clergy and lay leaders processed and more than 400 people joined in singing the hymn, the theme of unity in mission came to life, said the Rev. David C. Killeen, rector of St. John’s.

“Right here in the state capital, downtown, there was this sense of witness to the wider world in procession into the church,” Killeen said.

Composed by Carl P. Daw, Jr., to the tune of “Kingsfold,” “In Every Place” exemplifies the diocese’s anniversary theme.

More here-

http://www.livingchurch.org/hymn-marks-175-years