At the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord we pray these words, "...Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior...."  

In the year 433, God gave Patrick an opportunity to "boldly confess."  

High-King Laeghaire was lighting a huge fire to begin a festival during which all the people of his realm would extinguish their fires to symbolize that the High-King was the source of light and fire. But the feast happened to begin on Holy Saturday as the Church would be lighting the paschal fire. So Patrick boldly lit the Church's fire which shone starkly in the darkness in contradistinction to the king's fire. This created quite a stir in the kingdom and no little consternation in the king who called Patrick to his court for judgment. The king's wise men saw "that unless this rival fire was put out immediately, it would flood the whole country with its light and burn until doomsday" (Ester de Wall, The Celtic Way of Prayer, p. 18).  

On the way to meet the king (and possibly their doom) Patrick and the other monks sang (possibly composing as they went) what we now call St. Patrick's Breastplate. Stanza VI clearly reflects the context of this story:

Around me I gather:

these forces to save

my soul and my body

from dark powers that assail me:

against false prophesyings,

against pagan devisings,

against heretical lying

and false gods all around me.

Against spells cast by women,

by blacksmiths, by Druids,

against knowledge unlawful

that injures the body,

that injures the spirit.

And in spite of those daunting powers cast against him, Patrick sang of the presence of Christ and the power of the Trinity calling on the whole created order. He and his companions went to the king in the Name and Power of the true High-King.

Where do we need to be lighting our fires in the darkness?

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Clergy Leadership Training Institute

Five members of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese participated in the American Anglican Council's first Clergy Leadership Training Institute (CLTI) which was held last month, February 22-25, in Asheville, NC at The Billy Graham Training Center (a.k.a. "The Cove").  This is the first of three yearly gatherings and the focus was on "The Personal Life of the Leader."  Dr. Leighton Ford (author of Transforming Leadership) shared from his 60+ years of experience in ministry about developing a life of listening and paying attention to Christ in our midst.  The Rev. Phil Ashey and Dr. Jim Osterhaus helped us better understand what it means to be a well-defined leader.

The Cove is a beautiful and grace-filled place that provided opportunity for rest and refreshment.  Our schedule included time for personal spiritual direction with any of the presenters and for small group sharing which the GAD clergy found to be very powerful and healing.  We all look forward to gathering again next year to learn more about "The Ministry Life of the Leader."

If you would like to learn more about CLTI, you can ask one of us: Mark Eldredge, Alex Farmer, Travis Boline, Shawn Porter, or Trina McCarthy or you can visit the web site at: http://www.americananglican.org/clti  

Susan Morris, Missionary

Susan Morris, of Church of the Redeemer in Jacksonville, FL, has been invited by the Church of Uganda to come and serve long-term as Partnership Coordinator in the Office of International Relations.  She will be working directly with Rev. Canon Dr. Alison Barfoot, developing and expanding ministry partnerships between churches in the U.S. and in Uganda, and providing support for international ministry.  Susan will also be working with Global Mobilization Ministries (GMM), whose mission is to mobilize local evangelists to take the Gospel to unreached people in Uganda as well as Northern Kenya, where the population is 98% Muslim. Along with sharing the Good News of Jesus, GMM missionaries also disciple those who meet the risen Lord, helping to build them up in their new lives in Christ Jesus, and planting churches.

As Susan has said, "By partnering with one another, it is our hope to equip those we go to serve with the means to improve their lives and those of generations to come.  As we serve side by side, we see first hand how God is mobilizing the Church of Uganda as a mission force, we share in the great joy of faith and service to our neighbors, and witness the power of the Holy Spirit in miraculous ways.  As Ugandan and American Christians minister together in spiritually effective partnerships we can have the greatest impact for the Gospel at a global level.  These partnerships will also impact our own congregations and their sense of mission globally as well as locally." 

Susan's sending agencies are SAMS (Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders (formerly South American Missionary Society)) and SOMA (Sharing of Ministries Abroad).  She will be departing on June 8, 2011 and will be living in Kampala, Uganda.

Please prayerfully consider whether God is calling you to partner with Susan by praying for her and/or giving toward her financial needs, either individually or as a parish.

You can reach Susan by email at susan.morris.fl@gmail.com; by phone at 904-612-7278 or my blog at: www.anglicanteams.blogspot.com 

To pledge support or send a gift, contact SAMS either by phone, 724-266-0669, or go to their website at: www.samsusa.org.

You can also learn about SAMS on their website.  For information on SOMA, visit their website at:   

http://www.somausa.org/ 

Camp Araminta Registration Open!

Get in line to sign up your rising 4th-8th graders (current 3rd-7th graders) for the best week of summer camp!  Our annual Diocesan Camp Araminta is set for July 18-23 at our new location.   

This year we will hold camp at Lake Swan in Melrose, FL.  Besides the normal round of archery, canoes, crafts, messy games, and favorites like slip-n-slide baseball, we have a whole new roster of activities to enjoy, including miniature golf, human foosball, sand volleyball, and a variety of lakefront fun.

In addition to all of the fun, we have a long-term discipleship program that builds from year to year as campers attend each of the five years.  Araminta also offers leadership positions for high school ages.  Flight Crew, for 9th and 10th graders, serves the camp and teaches servant leadership, and CIT (counselor-in-training) positions for 11th and 12th graders.   

See: www.camparaminta.org front page article for more information on the discipleship program. 

Registration is also through the website.  Costs: campers $350, Flight Crew $200.  Contact your parish priest about scholarships. You can also write info@camparaminta.org 

with any questions about camp!

See you in July!!!