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St. Raphael's by the Sea Church
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| Press Release | For Immediate Release |
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St. Raphael's by the Sea Church Formed
Recognized by ACNA and Accepted into the Gulf Atlantic Diocese
 Fort Myers Beach, Florida - August 1, 2010 - Reverend Alice Marcrum has been called as Rector of Saint Raphael's by the Sea Church. She will conduct her first service at the new church on Saturday evening, August 7, 2010 at 5:00 PM. Initial worship services and Eucharist will be held at the Beach Methodist Church, 155 Bay Road, Fort Myers Beach, FL. Since her ordination to the priesthood by the Bishop of Chicago at Saint James Cathedral, Reverend Marcrum served at four churches in the greater Chicago area before being called to serve in Florida. She was most recently the pastor of Saint Raphael's Church of Fort Myers Beach in the Diocese of Southwest Florida of The Episcopal Church. |
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The Pastor's Letter to the Members and Friends of St. Raphael's Church
August 1, 2010
Dear Friends and Family of St. Raphael's,
Most of you already know that I did not accept the call to St. Raphael's, because of the money nor as a career move. I came here for one reason and one reason only, because God placed you in my heart. So this was not a business decision, but a heart decision that brought me here to be your priest. As in all relationships, my time with you has had its ups and downs. Because of my love for you, I have remained with you.
Now I believe that the Lord is calling me to go and serve Him somewhere else. I have spent much time in prayer discerning this call. I am sharing this with you because I want you to know that this decision has not happened over night, but has been prayed about and confirmed by others. Where I am going, I will be allowed to preach the gospel freely, which is something I have not been allowed to do since last summer.
While I was willing to do what was necessary to remain here as your priest at St. Raphael's, the Lord has shown me that He has other plans. These are exciting plans that I believe will have a positive spiritual impact on Fort Myers Beach and the surrounding area. Some of you may be wondering why I could not just stay here and reach others for Christ. Sometimes, we have to be willing to leave something behind in order for God to use us more effectively.
For me, this does not mean leaving behind all that we have worked for here together at St. Raphael's. The seeds we have planted here together for the Lord will continue to grow in the hearts of the people. From these seeds, I believe the Lord will bring a rich harvest, which is why I am asking you to join with me in serving the Lord God in this new exciting endeavor. My new position of ministry will be as the pastor at St. Raphael's by the Sea, which is a new parish in the Anglican Church of North America. Our first service will be held on Saturday, August 7th at 5:00 PM at the Beach United Methodist Church here on Fort Myers Beach.
I hope to see you there.
Blessings,
Pastor Alice Marcrum+ |
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About the Gulf Atlantic Diocese of the ACNA
 The Gulf Atlantic Diocese is now twenty-three member congregations in Florida and South Georgia ranging in size from about six hundred congregants to fewer than twenty five congregants. There are over fifty clergy members, both active and retired, and a combined average Sunday attendance of over three thousand. The twenty three churches were each submitted to the hierarchical structure of the world wide Anglican Communion through various ecclesial bodies such as the Anglican Mission in America (AMiA) under the authority of the Archbishop of Rwanda; the Convocation of Anglicans in North America (CANA) under the Archbishop of Nigeria; and the Network under a variety of bishops and Archbishops in Kenya, Uganda, and the Southern Cone of South America. As those provinces continue to release our respective congregations into the Diocese in Formation under the authority of our Vicar General, it is precisely this joint association of churches that is now seen as a model of hope that is the biblically based and mission minded Anglican Church in North America. |
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About the Anglican Church in North America
Globally, regionally and locally, Anglicanism is in the process of reformation. Within the last decades, the Episcopal Church in the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada have increasingly accommodated and incorporated un-Biblical, un-Anglican practices and teaching.
In the context of this widening theological gap, the existing geography-based organizational model of the Episcopal Church and Anglican Church of Canada became problematic for orthodox Anglicans. Orthodox parishes, clergy and dioceses that upheld Biblical authority and historic Anglican practice became isolated within their existing structures.
Distressed churches and entire dioceses began to disaffiliate from the established provinces in North America and seek episcopal oversight and spiritual care from Anglican Provinces and leaders in other parts of the world, including the primates and churches of Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South America and Uganda. Beginning in 2000 with the Church of Rwanda, these leaders have responded by accepting orthodox Anglican parishes and dioceses in North America into their care.
Read the rest in Our Genesis
Governance
The Anglican Church in North America is a conciliar church where clergy and laity serve together in leadership. The Most Rev. Robert Duncan, bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh, serves as the Anglican Church in North America's first Archbishop. Bishops meet together as the College of Bishops. Laity and clergy take leadership responsibility on the Provincial Council and during the Provincial Assembly. |
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St. Raphael's by the Sea Church
Webmaster St. Raphael's by the Sea
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