Woman says Kissimmee counselor, priest took advantage of her

From Florida- (with video)

A woman said she trusted an Osceola County therapist to help her through one of her darkest times. Instead, she said he took advantage of her.

"It is the most disgusting feeling and such a violation," she said. She is not being identified to protect her privacy.

The Kissimmee Police Department said more women have come forward with accusations against that mental health counselor and Episcopal priest, bringing the number of accusers now to three.

More here-

https://www.wftv.com/news/local/woman-says-kissimmee-counselor-priest-took-advantage-of-her/847566261

St. David's Episcopal Church holds last service

From Central FL.

Fewer people are going to church and it's led many churches to close their doors, such as St. David's Episcopal Church in Lakeland.

• St. David's Episcopal Church to close
• Last church service held Sunday 
• Congregation to join St. Stephen's Episcopal Church

According to a 2014 Pew Research Center telephone survey of more than 35,000 Americans, only 36 percent attend religious services once a week.

Several members of St. David's Episcopal Church cried as they celebrated the passing of the peace, the last communion and the last sermon in their church home, a place that opened its doors to worshippers back in 1953.

More here-

https://www.baynews9.com/fl/tampa/news/2018/09/16/st--david-s-episcopal-church-holds-last-service 

also here-

http://www.theledger.com/news/20180916/st-davids-episcopal-closes-its-doors-after-65-years

Lakeland’s St. David’s Episcopal to merge with St. Stephen’s

From Central Florida-


St. David’s Episcopal Church will hold its final service on Sept. 16, putting to bed a history stretching 65 years.

The church, at 145 E. Edgewood Drive in Lakeland, is merging with St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church on County Road 540A in the Lakeland Highlands community. St. David’s rector, the Rev. Robert Moses, will assume assistant rector status at the new location.

He expects as many as 70 parishioners to follow him to St. Stephen’s, which has seen average Sunday attendance dwindle to about 120.

The St. David’s property of nearly 2 acres won’t stay empty for long. Redemption Church of Lakeland, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, is purchasing the property for $1.85 million, according to its lead pastor, the Rev. Brannen Padgett.

He said his church, formed over two years ago, has outgrown its rental space at the RP Funding Center.

More here-

 http://www.theledger.com/news/20180831/lakelands-st-davids-episcopal-to-merge-with-st-stephens

Orlando church helps displaced Puerto Rican families welcome post-Maria babies

From Orlando-

Jinny Santos found out she was pregnant with her fourth child about a month after Hurricane Maria had left her town in the heart of Puerto Rico without power, communication or running water.

Now eight months pregnant, she’s getting ready to deliver her second son in their new home in Orlando with the help of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, hoping the post-Maria birth can help mark a new beginning.

The church is helping 10 expectant mothers from Puerto Rico cover their basic needs.

On Tuesday, Santos scanned the aisles at a Target on Alafaya Trail, filling her shopping cart with clothes, diapers, nail clippers and tiny hangers. She turned occasionally to her husband, who was carrying their youngest daughter, to make sure they covered the basics.

More here-

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/puerto-rico-hurricane-recovery/os-puerto-rico-hurricane-baby-20180410-story.html

Episcopal bishop to Marco Rubio: 'Go to Jesus for wisdom about Parkland'

From Central Florida-

Dear Senator Rubio,

I follow you on Twitter and I am grateful that you trust in Christ. On February 15, 2018, you quoted the Gospel of John, “in the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.” I replied, “True. Jesus has overcome. But as a senator I implore you to go to Jesus for wisdom about Parkland. Things legislatively have to change. We are too broken and sinful for things to remain as they are. The violence will only continue.”

I appeal to you as a bishop and as a fellow Christian who cares for the well being of all in our community. Politicians who only offer thoughts and prayers for the victims and their families are not enough. Politicians who attribute these acts of unspeakable violence only to mental illness are not acting in accordance with the responsibilities of their office.
More here-

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-ed-marco-rubio-go-to-jesus-about-parkland-open-letter-20180220-story.html

Accused counselor now inviting patients to his home

From Central Florida-

Kissimmee police said a pastoral counselor accused of touching one of his patients inappropriately is now inviting some of his patients to his home.

News 6 first reported the arrest of Dr. Gerardo "Jerry" DeJesus -- an Episcopal priest and a pastoral counselor -- in January.

Investigators said one of his patients called police after he "touched her in an unwanted manner outside the scope of his care."

Officers said they arrested DeJesus and charged him with three counts of battery.

Now, police said, they've learned that DeJesus is inviting some of his patients to his home.

"I can't for the life of me fathom why he would be putting himself in that situation," said his accuser, who wished to remain anonymous.

News 6 checked with the Episcopal Diocese of Orlando, where Bishop Gregory Brewer said he immediately "inhibited (DeJesus) from functioning as a priest in any capacity" after his arrest.

More here-

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/accused-counselor-now-inviting-patients-to-his-home

Puerto Rico family State of the Union

From Orlando-

Bishop Gregory Brewer sits with the the Ortiz Torres family after giving them a blessing before their trip to Washington DC, at the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, on Thursday, January 25, 2018. Left to Right, Emmanuel Ortiz Nazario; Bishop Gregory Brewer; mom Cristal Torrez Rodriguez; Delimar Isabelle Ortiz Torres, 4; and Aziel Amir Ortiz Torres, 10, -- The family displaced from Puerto Rico has relocated to Florida is joining Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-Winter Park) at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address. They will talk about needs of displaced families in Central Florida and those back on the island.

More here-

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-1517072619-m8bcogksxi-snap-image-photo.html

Much more here-

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-puerto-rico-family-state-of-union-florida-20180126-story.html

Kissimmee psychotherapist accused of battering patient, police say

From Central Florida-

A pastoral psychotherapist at a behavioral health center is accused of battering a female patient on multiple occasions, according to the Kissimmee Police Department.

The victim contacted police on Dec. 27 and she said that she had been a patient of Gerardo "Jerry" James DeJesus, Ph.D., at Mindful Behavioral Healthcare on East Oak Street for the past three months.

She said DeJesus touched her multiple times in an "unwanted manner, outside of the scope of his care," according to a news release.

He was arrested Friday on three counts of battery.

Mindful Behavioral Healthcare's website lists DeJesus as an adolescent and adult psychotherapist who treats anxiety, depression, dreams and self-destructive behavioral patterns. He is also an Episcopal priest, according to the website.

More here-

https://www.clickorlando.com/news/kissimmee-psychotherapist-accused-of-battering-patient-police-say

50,000 pounds of food intended for Puerto Rico will now aid evacuees in Central Florida

From Central Florida-

Tens of thousands of pounds of donated food that have been sitting in a Jacksonville warehouse will be distributed to Puerto Rican families in Central Florida who have fled dire conditions on the island.

“The need for them is great,” said the Rev. Jose Rodriguez of Jesus de Nazaret Episcopal Church in Kissimmee.

His church works with 134 families who struggle to pay for groceries, and about one-fourth of them are Puerto Ricans who recently arrived from the island.

“I’m ramping up ... but I need to get another holiday push,” said Rodriguez, noting that donations tend to drop off after the holidays.

More here-

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/puerto-rico-hurricane-recovery/os-puerto-rican-evacuees-food-donations-20171226-story.html

Staying Sane, Involved, Prayerful, and Kind in an Election Year

From Central Florida-

In this election season, isn’t it tempting to get caught up in the frenzy? Everyone we encounter seems to want to polarize and divide us. “Whose side are you on?” “If you vote for him/her you are voting to dismantle our democracy!” “If you don’t vote at all, you’re just giving a vote to him/her.” “How can you call yourself a Christian and vote for him/her?”

Yes, the upcoming election is very important, but losing our kindness and generosity in the process can be worse than voting for any particular candidate.

All of this touches me, too. It’s easy to get frustrated when other people don’t see it your way, right? But I know that if I find myself demonizing people on the other side, I’m on spiritually dangerous ground. The world may act that way, but such behavior has no place in the body of Christ.

More here-

http://cfdiocese.org/bishopsblog/staying-sane-involved-prayerful-and-kind-in-an-election-year/

Florida Episcopal Church Agrees to Baptize Gay Couple's Son

From Christian Times-

An Episcopal church in Florida has finally agreed to baptize the son of a gay couple after it initially refused the service due to opposition from some church members.

The baptism of baby Jack, son of Rich and Eric McCaffrey, will take place in the summer after the couple met with Episcopal Bishop Greg Brewer of the Cathedral Church of St. Luke last Thursday to thresh out the issue.

"Bishop Brewer extended an invitation to meet with us and we had the opportunity to speak with him yesterday evening. We spoke frankly and openly about the chain of events. The Bishop acknowledged he learned the Cathedral set a firm date of April 19 for the baptism, but did not support postponing the baptism," Rich posted on Facebook.

More here-

http://www.christiantimes.com/article/florida.episcopal.church.agrees.to.baptize.gay.couples.son/52550.htm

From Central Florida-

Episcopal Bishop Greg Brewer said today that Jack, an infant whose parents are gay parishioners of Cathedral Church of St. Luke, will be baptized at the church after all.

Brewer made the decision to baptize Jack after meeting with parents Rich and Eric McCaffrey on Thursday night.

"It was a very good meeting," Brewer said.

Neither Rich nor Eric McCaffrey could be reached for comment. But Rich McCaffrey later posted a statement on his Facebook page that Brewer was supportive of Jack being baptized at the cathedral.

 More here-

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/religion/os-church-baptism-gay-parents-baby-20150508-story.html

Son Of Gay Dads Denied Baptism In Florida Episcopal Church

From Huffington-

Baptism is usually a time to celebrate new life and spiritual community. But for Rich McCaffrey, a new father in central Florida, the ritual took on a hurtful note when he had to cancel his son's baptism -- because McCaffrey and his husband are gay.

McCaffrey and his husband, Eric, began attending the Episcopal Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Orlando, Florida shortly after adopting their son, Jack. They hoped to become part of a spiritual community in which they could baptize their son, McCaffrey explained in a May 2 Facebook post.

The church’s dean, Anthony Clark, initially agreed to the baptism and encouraged the family to schedule it for the 6 p.m. Sunday service, “since those who worship at that time tend to be the most 'open,'" according to McCaffrey. The parents chose April 19.

Things turned sour on April 16, when, three days before the planned baptism, Clark told them that “there were members of the congregation who opposed Jack’s baptism” and the service would have to be temporarily cancelled.

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/06/gay-dads-baptism_n_7223744.html

Also here-

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-orlando-episcopalian-deny-baptism-20150506-story.html

Churches host national conference on healing in Titusville

From Florida-

Father Rob Goodridge has seen the flow of pain from sickness up close, from the bodies wracked with cancer to once limber men reduced to wheelchairs because of back pain. And in each case the spiritual leader of St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church in Titusville has turned to an ancient formula of laying on of hands and anointing with oil as symbolic gestures of the soul-healing power of faith.

"It's healing of the body, mind and spirit," Goodridge says. "But what is greater is that people come to know Jesus, often in a new way. What you find is that people don't need him when things are going great but then, when things are broken, that's when we cry out."

More here-

http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2014/10/15/churches-host-national-conference-healing-titusville/17324605/

Died: Terry Fullam, 82, renowned Episcopal pastor featured in 'Miracle at Darien'

From Christianity Today-

Everett L. "Terry" Fullam, who served as rector of St. Paul's, Darien, Conn., famous as tall steeple parish in the mainline Protestant renewal movement, died today. He was 82.

News of his passing came as a result of Bishop Gregory Brewer, Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, who tweeted this afternoon, "Just heard that Terry Fullam passed away. A generation ago he was a hero."

More here-

http://www.christianitytoday.com/gleanings/2014/march/died-terry-fullam-renowned-episcopal-pastor-renewal.html

Bishop trio attend remarkable ordination in Sarasota

From Florida-

The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey of Clifton, preached Monday during the ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests of Charleston David Wilson, Jason Andrew Murbarger and David Stuart Bumsted.

The ceremony at the Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota, included Rev. Dabney Smith, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida, as principal celebrant for the ordination.

Bumsted of Orlando was ordained by the Rev. Gregory Brewer, bishop of the Diocese of Central Florida.

Wilson and Murbarger were ordained by the Rev. Daniel Hayden Martins, bishop of the Diocese of Springfield, Ill., where Wilson spent time last spring as a candidate for holy orders. The Rev. Edward Salmon Jr., president and dean of Nashotah House and the 13th bishop (retired) of the Diocese of South Carolina, presented for Wilson.

Read more here:

http://www.bradenton.com/2013/12/09/4880025/bishop-trio-attend-remarkable.html#storylink=cpy

Pastors become peacemakers during George Zimmerman trial

From Central Florida-

Just four days before jury selection in the George Zimmerman trial, a group of pastors filed into the Seminole County Sheriff's Office to talk strategy for their upcoming jobs as peacemakers and informers.

Growing concern is not only for the trial itself, but how central Florida will react to the testimony and the verdict. So, local pastors in Sanford who will be in the courtroom met with the Department of Justice to discuss the best way to keep the peace.

Clergy will get four seats inside the courtroom each day, but many more will be outside, surrounding the courthouse, to help pacify potential protests.

A year ago, when rallies clogged Sanford and racial tension grew, a group of pastors met to talk peace. The Reverend Harry Rucker of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Sanford and The Reverend Charles Holt of St Peter's Episcopal Church in Lake Mary were among them.

"The ultimate request a year ago was that he [Zimmerman] be charged, was that he get arrested. Now that he's arrested, now that he's in the system, let's let the system do what it's supposed to do," said Rucker.

They're part of Sanford Pastors Connecting, which will rotate clergy in and out of their four assigned seats inside the courtroom to take what happened back to their churches.

More here-


http://www.clickorlando.com/news/pastors-become-peacemakers-during-zimmerman-trial/-/1637132/20460688/-/8hfvmwz/-/index.html

and here-

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2013-06-06/news/os-zimmerman-trial-sanford-pastors-20130606_1_zimmerman-trial-george-zimmerman-trayvon-martin

125-year-old Titusville church links present to past

From Florida-

For more than a century, the small church near downtown Titusville was a place where people such as Dan Megivern prayed through wars, watched weddings, mourned over the space shuttle disasters and cheered on the mission to put a man on the moon.

“I just fell in love with the church. The people there just drew me to it and more than anything it’s a great fellowship. We had our good times and our sad times,” Megivern said of his 30 years as a member of St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church.

This weekend, the 300-member congregation will commemorate its 125th anniversary with a series of events, from a church consecration, to a renewal of wedding vows for nearly two dozen couples and a street fair filled with food and old hymns.

The three-day program begins 6 p.m. Saturday and will include historic displays, tours, period costumes and antique-car rides. An interdenominational choir also will sing some of the old hymns that once echoed through the sanctuary. At the heart of the celebration will be the intertwining of history, faith and commitment. The event is open to the public.

More here-

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20130503/NEWS01/305030025/125-year-old-Titusville-church-links-present-past

Episcopal Church's presiding bishop visits Titusville

From Florida-

The presiding bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church stopped in Titusville this morning as part of a regional tour to hear what area congregations are doing to reach out to communities dealing with concerns both financial and spiritual such as job losses and apathy to the Gospel.

The Most Rev. Dr. Katherine Jefferts Schori, the chief pastor of the nation's 2.4 million Episcopal Church, joined several other ministers for presentations at St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church in Titusville. Schori oversees 110 dioceses in 16 countries.

"They're doing a remarkable work of listening to the hungers and the yearning in this community," Jefferts Schori said after a tour of the historic downtown Titusville Church.

Jefferts Schori began the morning praying before the church's altar in the sanctuary.

The Rev. Rob Goodridge, joined by the Right Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, the Bishop of the Episcopal Church in Central Florida, led Jefferts Schori on a tour of the compound.

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20130304/NEWS01/130304004/Episcopal-Church-s-presiding-bishop-visits-Titusville

Episcopal Presiding Bishop Visits Orlando March 3-5

From Central Florida-

The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, is scheduled to visit the Central Florida Episcopal diocese Sunday, March 3 through Tuesday, March 5.

Schori will preach at Episcopal Church of the Resurrection, Longwood, on Sunday; tour the diocese on Monday; and meet with diocesan clergy at Canterbury Retreat and Conference Center, Oviedo, on Tuesday morning, Central Florida Bishop Gregory Brewer said.

“It is both our responsibility and our privilege to welcome the Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, to the Diocese of Central Florida,” Bishop Brewer said. “It be an opportunity for our diocese to be a witness for Christ as we showcase a number of our vital ministries that are making a difference in people’s lives here in Central Florida.”

More here-

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/features-the-religion-world/2013/02/20/episcopal-presiding-bishop-visits-orlando-sunday-tuesday/