The Blessing of the Fleet, March 4, 2012

Saint Raphaels by the Sea

Fort Myers Beach, Florida

Above, the Right Rev. Neil Lebhar, bishop of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese, blesses the shrimp boat fleet Sunday [March 4] during the annual ceremony on San Carlos Island. The local tradition began in 1951, and had several side features, such as boat tours and fresh seafood for sale.

PHOTOS BY LINDSAY TERRY/THE NEWS PRESS
(See PDF of newspaper article)

ANGLICAN 1000: Clergy Couple Build Unique Anglican Church for All Faithful; Focus is on Functionally Disabled and Developmentally Impaired

Abbreviated Article By David W. Virtue in Dallas
 March 9, 2012
Full article
 
The Rev. Warren Mueller had an 'Ah-ha' moment, a turning point if you will, when he looked at his mother behaving inappropriately while suffering from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease. He cried out to God, where is there a church for her?

"I realized that 'normal' congregations were not places for people like her, so I had it out with God. Well, be careful what you ask for. God made it very clear to me that I was to start a church for people like my mother," Warren told VOL.

In January, he and his wife Nan formulated a mission statement which said, "Bringing all to Christ with no one left behind in particular those with functional disabilities - those with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Disease, those with physical and mental disabilities, and the visually impaired. We sought to create a worshipping community with them and their care givers so they would no longer be excluded or set aside."

This past week Warren and Nan knelt before a new orthodox Anglican bishop, the Rt. Rev. Martyn Minns (CANA) who was assisted by Suffragan Bishop Julian Dobbs. In a moving ceremony at Christ Church, Plano in Texas, Warren was ordained a priest. Nan was ordained a transitional deacon. Typical of his commitment to the disabled, Bishop and Mrs. Minns's daughter Rachel who suffers from Downs Syndrome assisted as a crucifer in the ceremony.

Bishop Minns was assisted by Bishop Derek Jones who also ordained Nan. Bishop Bp Neil Lebhar ordained Warren.

Throughout my college years I struggled to find Christian community. It wasn't until my last years at UNF that I found a great group, Open House, which met in Bishop Neil and Marcia's home that I found what I had so desperately needed. This group grew my faith and fostered my call. It was a formative time in my life and I know I am not alone. College is a critical time, in which worldviews are shaped and life paths are chosen. Through my own experiences, I know that If the church is not active in the lives of college students, then many will fall away from the faith or suffer from loneliness and despair. I have seen this happen too many times.

I also believe that college ministry is a Kingdom ministry. In this pioneering time, there is a need to bring in new disciples, and shape them for the future of God's kingdom. I know there are many future Christian leaders on college campuses that need the type of support that I was so blessed to receive.

With this in mind, my wife Lilly, and I have begun a new ministry in our diocese. UF Anglican Fellowship is a mission to the college campuses in Gainesville, Florida. We hope to bring the life, the hope, and the love of Jesus to college students. We hope to change lives for the better. We hope to form future Christian leaders now, when they are formed for the rest of their lives.

We think this ministry has a lot of potential, but we really need the help of our brothers and sisters in Christ. It is our hope to collaborate with churches and leaders in our diocese. If you want to find out more about our ministry, or how you can partner with us, please contact us. Thank you so much.

Rev. Bo Ubbens

bo.and.lilly@gmail.com

904-864-3843

CHRIST CHURCH'S FLOAT "FISHERS OF MEN" WINS FIRST PLACE AWARD IN PARADE

Christ Church Anglican's parade float, themed Fishers of Men, won first place in the Rotary Club of Wakulla County's 14th Annual Valentine Celebration and Parade on Saturday, Feb. 11, in Crawfordville.   The church's bake sale during the celebration was also a great success.

The parade featured 60 floats and an estimated 2,000 people attended, according to the parade chairman.

Many church members of all ages worked on the float, from design to riding and singing during the parade. In addition, two "Cupids for Christ" walked alongside with their bows and arrows, youth distributed flyers about the church to spectators and CCA's newest member, 5-month-old Buddy Walker, waved from the truck pulling the float.

The Valentine Celebration and Parade is the annual fundraiser for the Wakulla Rotary club which supports the Wakulla Senior Citizens Center, Habitat for Humanity, Big Bend Hospice, Wakulla County Public Library, Wakulla Academic Boosters, Wakulla Special Olympics, Keep Wakulla County Beautiful and many other local organizations.

Christ Church is located at 3383 Coastal Highway near the intersection of 98 and 319. Sunday services are at 8:30 a.m. (Rite One) and 10:30 a.m. (Rite Two). The Reverend John Spicer is the rector. Contact CCA at christchurchanglican@embarqmail.com  or call 850-745-8412.

As you can see by our logo, the people of St. Andrew's are committed to loving God and serving others. We're a new church that has been gathering at the Hampton Inn at. Baymeadows Road and Highway 9A. God has now blessed us with a new location where we'll be not only able to continue to worship and study God's Word, but also we will be able to carry out our mission of service more effectively.

We've moved into new spaces further west off Baymeadows Road. There we will set up a Hope Center as a ministry of St. Andrew's to bring God's love and hope to others. We will offer God's hope by getting to know folks from all walks of life who are in circumstances where they're running real low on hope. We'll help them find jobs and provide prayer, Bible study, and counsel in the many challenging areas of life.

Why do we do this? Because God in His great mercy has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil of fade(1 Peter 1:3-4). Our symbol for hope is an anchor because "We who have fled to God take hold of the hope offered to us. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure" (Hebrews 6:18-19).

Our new address is 8282 Western Way Circle 32256, Suite 1102. Instead of just having a meeting room for Sundays, we'll now have our own spaces 24/7. We'll still gather for worship at 10:00 on Sundays. Please join us as we grow in God's grace. If God is calling you to be part of something that will have meaning and value for all eternity, consider volunteering for service at Hope House.

To get in on the ground floor or simply for more information or just to talk, call Jim McCaslin at 904-220-6594 or visit our website at www.saintadrewsjax.org.