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Editor's Note
Before the busy seasons of Advent and Christmas begin, we recognize the end of this season leading up to the holidays, this season of Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time, however, is anything but ordinary. We as believers have been ruined for anything ordinary as we embrace the beauty and celebration of life given by the Creator and pour out our lives into the lives of others. Ordinary Time, or the season following Pentecost, is a time when we focus on living by the leading of the Spirit in our everyday lives and in the ministry of the church.
This edition of the Communique calls to light a few ways our diocese has been living by the leading of the Spirit in the ministry of the church, such as serving children in a pediatric facility and praying over local law enforcement. This edition also includes Marcia's most recent Signpost, which calls us to an inner dialogue with the Lord no matter what season we are facing.
My prayer is that this edition of the Communique finds you well, and reminds you that you are part of the body of Christ, engaged in ministries to give God glory, building a life led by the Holy Spirit that openly responds to God's revelation in all circumstances.
If you would like to submit material for, or if you have any questions about, the Gulf Atlantic Diocese Communique, please contact Jessica Jones at [email protected].
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AROUND THE GULF ATLANTIC DIOCESE AND THE ACNA
Republished (Original Announcement Date: October 17, 2015)
Anglican Church in North America Declared Partner Province by the Global South
Dear Gulf Atlantic Diocesan Family,
 The Primates (Archbishops) of GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference), who represent the majority of Anglicans worldwide, called for the formation of the Anglican Church in North America in 2008. The Global South group includes an even larger share of the Anglican Communion (24 of the 34 Anglican provinces). Their recognition of us is founded on earlier GS statements of support, and it represents yet another step in our acceptance by Anglicans worldwide. We deeply appreciate the now official partnership with the Global South. This helps answer the question I am frequently asked, "Is the ACNA part of the Anglican Communion?" The best answer is that the majority of Anglicans are in communion with us and fully recognize our status as an Anglian province. This is probably as close to official recognition as we could desire, particularly given divisions within the Church of England. Please pray for the Global South as part of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church under our Lord Jesus Christ. In Jesus the Messiah, +Neil The Rt. Rev. Neil G. Lebhar In Tallahassee Florida, Two Store-Front Ministries Thrive
By Janet Gough
On March 14, the Right Reverend Neil Lebhar, Bishop of the Gulf Atlantic Diocese of the Anglican Church in North America, ordained Daniel Holloway, Taylor Bodoh, and Jon Hall to the Sacred Order of Priests at St. Peter's Anglican Church in Tallahassee. In addition, three men were ordained to the diaconate: Christopher Jones, Chase Campbell, and Nicholas Krause. (Chase Campbell was ordained a priest at St. Peter's, Tallahassee, on October 24.)
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| Fr. Chase Campbell
(as of October 24, 2015) |
What these men share is a zeal for God's word. The three ordained to the priesthood and one to the deaconate serve churches in rented commercial properties. Holloway is the rector at Holy Cross Anglican church in Northeast Tallahassee. Bodoh, Hall, and Jones serve as vicar, associate vicar, and deacon, respectively, at Incarnation Tallahassee in Frenchtown, a section of downtown Tallahassee. Both churches occupy store-front space and emphasize mission work rather than physical accoutrements. Matthew 24:40 says "Whatsoever ye did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me," and these words summarize what these churches are about. Holy Cross is relatively young church. Holy Cross is a church that values God's Word and Holy Spirit, prayer, mission and outreach. With a vital and dynamic mission team, the church has always aimed to minimize church expenditures and maximize outreach. The growing church and its members support and engage in mission projects locally, regionally, and internationally. Among other mission projects, members minister and serve food to those in need in the city, bolster InterVarsity ministries, support the Tallahassee-Haiti Medical Team, and participate in mission trips to Guatemala, among other Christian-based activities.
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| | Fr. Daniel Holloway at Holy Cross |
Incarnation Tallahassee, on the other hand, is a recent church plant led by Taylor and Karissa Bodoh, Jon and Sarah Hall, and Chris Jones. Bodoh, Hall, and Jones graduated from Trinity School for Ministry in Pennsylvania last May, and it was while there that they formed the vision for the church plant in Tallahassee.
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| | Fr. Jon Hall and Dcn. Chris Jones celebrate Palm Sunday at Incarnation Tallahassee |
Incarnation Tallahassee has three active missions: to serve young professionals, residents of the downtown neighborhood of Frenchtown, and international students from nearby Florida State University and other schools in town. These missions host meals and events, Bible studies, and Alpha courses. "We hope these are just a foretaste of the kinds of ministries that will arise from our church as we continue to train and empower leaders in our congregation. As a congregation, we have a particular heart for multi-ethnic community and a desire to live and serve among the local poor," says Bodoh.
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| | Dcn. Chris Jones preaching at Incarnation Tallahassee |
Please keep these churches in your prayers as they embark in new ministry for the Kingdom. |
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Ministry Updates
Christ Church Vero Beach: Kids' Missions Project Serves a Local Pediatric Facility The 2015 VBS mission project to take God's love on tour to a local pediatric medical facility and provide a safe place for the kids to play has been accomplished! In just over one week, 65 kids and a few dozen volunteers donated more than $700 to purchase safety nets for Kids and Nurses PPEC (Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care), whose young patients were limited to playing in their driveway because highway traffic along the un-fenced property posed real danger. Debra Gordon, Director of Children's Ministry at CCVB, chose the project to give kids attending Vacation Bible School an opportunity to care about the needs of and serve others.  "Originally, our goal was to raise $350 for two nets designed to create safe boundaries for play areas. As we shared the appeal and its purpose, the kids and families opened their hearts and we received double the goal," Gordon said. More than enough money was collected to purchase and install three nets at the facility, so Christ Church filled another elusive wish list item: indoor vinyl cushion forms for toddlers who need physical therapy or are unable to play outside. The staff of Kids and Nurses are grateful for the gift and shared how touched they are that others in the community would think of them to help. The Rt. Rev. John Miller, Rector of CCVB, said, "What a great joy it is to witness our VBS children reaching out into the local community to bless others with the love of Jesus." For more information on Christ Church Vero Beach, please call 772-562-8670. Law Enforcement Chaplain Ministry The 29th of September if the Feast of St. Michael, the Arch Angel. He is the patron saint for all law enforcement officers world wide.
 I was privileged to coordinate 5 different churches, from Baptist to non-denominational, to Anglican and Roman Catholic, to meet at 9am at our Camden County Sheriff's Office to pray for and thank all our Law Enforcement in Camden County on this Feast Day. We started off in the lobby and opened in prayer. We prayed over our Sheriff Jim Proctor, then divided up tasks and went about or task to pray and to thank each Law Enforcement person. Some went through the office and prayed over the offices and support personnel, some went to the jail and again prayed and thanked the Officers. Some went to the courthouses and prayed and thanked all the Deputies who secured the courthouses. Lastly, some went and prayed over all the vehicles that the Deputies used in their job. It was a great day, with children and adults seeing these men and women as real life-savers who were humbled by our reaching out to them.
 It is an easy ministry for any parish to get involved in locally. For more information or to learn how you could set up a Law Enforcement Chaplain ministry in your community, please contact Father "Gunny" Hesse, Epiphany Anglican Camden County Georgia, at [email protected].
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The Communiqu� Ordinary Time 2015 Newsletterof the Gulf Atlantic Diocese
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SIGNPOSTS IN THE WILDERNESS
OCTOBER 2015
Signpost #5 - VENT RIGHTLY! There's an almost comical sameness to the way God's people respond to the difficulties God allows them to experience in the Wilderness. They wail. They rail. They rage and accuse. For some reason this reminds me of old TV comedies. I picture Jackie Gleason or Archie Bunker bellowing at their wives. Then there's Lucille Ball, often unable to wheedle what she wants from husband Ricky. Slowly that rubber face turns clown sad and an intense wail rises. Can you remember it, hear it? Over and over, their reactions to frustration are the same. Comical. Predictable. Whenever I talk with groups about the Wilderness experience, people begin to laugh a little when they hear another bout of the Wilderness whine. There's a ton of venting and crying out in the Wilderness. It's amusing because it's reliably repetitious, and it's amusing because we hear ourselves in their complaints. When danger or discomfort looms, the Israelites usually suggest a return to Egypt. Now there's a brilliant idea. How will you get back across the Red Sea, and even if you could, how glad would the Egyptians be to see you again? Remember all those soldiers and chariots swept away in the sea? Do you think the surviving Egyptians would hail you as heroes ... their new best buddies? Well, yes, but anything for a pickle. "We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic we wanted... " Numbers 11:5 NLT Then later when faced with the dangers posed by their enemies in the Land God was giving them, Deuteronomy 1:27-28 records the people as complaining in their tents and saying, "The Lord must hate us. That's why he has brought us here from Egypt, to hand us over ... to be slaughtered." WHO HATES WHOM? Their first reaction to a fearful situation is always blame. The accusation that God hatesthem is a stunning conclusion to reach, at least it seems that way to us from our safe distance. We think: Hate you? How can you ignore his mighty power to rescue and defend you? You saw the sea part for you! What about his tender care and feeding, day by day? His faithful care is present on the ground with each morning's manna! In an equally stunning response, God says to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them?" Numbers 14:11 Don't miss it. To believe God's faithfulness will fail in the face of a new challenge ... to forget the love and power he has demonstrated to us in the past... is to hate him! The people's repeated raging and litanies of complaint can seem comical to us, but God is not laughing. MOSES' RANT But then we see Moses deliver a rant of his own. He has had it with the people's complaints about discomfort and boring food. Numbers 11 tells us that they hate their hardship and they scream at Moses. Moses turns to God and levels his own litany of suffering:
Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the Lord became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated. 11 And Moses said to the Lord, "Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? 12 Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? How can I carry them to the land you swore to give their ancestors? 13 Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, 'Give us meat to eat!' 14 I can't carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! 15 If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!" Numbers 11:10-17 CRY OUT TO GOD! It sure sounds like Moses is whining also, doesn't it? Yet God responds completely differently! God hears him and immediately appoints help for him. Why the contrast in God's response? What is the difference? The people of Israel direct their crying out to Moses and to each other. They grumble to each other and they accuse Moses. But here we listen as Moses directs his honest complaint to God. This deepens their friendship, and gives God- the only one who can really address his grievances - a chance to do so. For a while I kept a list of other shockingly honest biblical prayers. Listen to some of them:- Abraham: "What good are your blessings when I don't have a son?" Genesis 15
- David: "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?" Psalm 13
- Jeremiah: "Why are you like a stream that has dried up?" Jeremiah 15
- John the Baptist is confused about why he is imprisoned if Jesus is truly the Messiah. In Luke 4, Jesus has claimed to fulfill Isaiah 61. My paraphrase of the question John sends Jesus from prison in Luke 7: "Captives... released? Seriously? What am I doing here if you are who you say you are?"
- Disciples in the storm: "Don't you care about us?" Luke 8
- The same disciples tried to silence Bartimaus, who was shouting out to Jesus for healing. Jesus, rather, just responded. (Mark 10)
When is the last time we were earnest enough for God's help or healing to cry out about it, to him, like blind Bartimaus? God doesn't respond with impatience in any of these cases. Add to these, contemporary saints, like C.S.Lewis and Mother Teresa, whose biographies included anguished honesty expressing their sense of abandonment by God during certain long seasons of their lives. We know that none of these scenes is the end of the story, but their suffering was gut wrenching and God listened and answered. In fact, the Scriptures are filled with pleas from God that his people would call out to him for help. To him. Yet we find it surprisingly difficult to actually do this. We recite our grievances or sorrows, but not to God. God says: "I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me." Isaiah 65 I suppose the Israelites in the wilderness have one thing going for them as they face the probabilities of surviving, a million strong, in a place with no visible source of food or water... they're honest! They can articulate their real fears of dying in the wilderness... of having their lives amount to nothing... of disappearing as a people. I wonder if this sets them apart from most of us in contemporary Christendom? One of my partners in ministry puts it this way: There's nothing spiritual about pretending things are ok when they're not. Some of us work so hard to find the silver lining that we don't really let ourselves look at the cloud. That kind of positive thinking - out of touch with the reality and depth of pain in our world - can actually cut us off from experiencing God in our lives. Pretending to be somewhere we're not... to have more faith than we do... doesn't help. If anything it distances us from God because it doesn't let him in to our heart of hearts. But once we've done the work of getting honest with ourselvesabout our Wilderness woes... (Neil calls it tuning in to the inner conversation) then what? Say it to God. I'm not sure why we find this so difficult to do. We'll do anything, everything, except express the friendship God longs to have with us by trusting him with the truth he already knows. I often see the Lord like a parent holding the face of child and turning it toward him, saying, 'Look at me. Say it to me!' Even Jesus, on the cross, echoes the pain of David's prayer in Psalm 22: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help? Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night you hear my voice, but I find no relief. And the piercing truth is this: Because Jesus was abandoned on the cross for our sakes, we need never fear abandonment. "My heart has heard you say, 'Come and talk with me.' And my heart responds, 'Lord, I am coming.' " Psalm 27:8 He urges us to do this because it changes everything. Wherever your greatest fear lies, or even your greatest discomfort, could you take a moment, and dare to let him hear it?  Marcia Lebhar's Signs in the Wilderness Series applies to all of life. Signpost #6 will be included in the next Gulf Atlantic Diocese Communique. All proceeds go to the ACNA Church Planting Fund. |
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Diocesan Youth
The Holy Spirit Rained Down on Dynamos #18!
The 18th Dynamos High School Retreat happened on October 2-4, 2015. As the team members prepared for the candidates arrival on Friday night we took communion with each other. As we prayed and worshiped, it rained. We prayed for the safety of the candidates on the road, for the Holy spirit to rain down and water the seeds that were planted so that God could make something beautiful grow this weekend - and did He ever! For more information on the Gulf Atlantic Diocese's Dynamos retreats see: Instagram: Dynamos |
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Looking Ahead
Marriage Renewal Weekend November 13-15, 2015 Advent Christian Village Dowling Park, FL Hosted by Servants of Christ Anglican Church Get some alone time with your spouse, enjoy great meals, make an investment in your marriage... Topics include: Building Foundations, Communication, Resolving Conflict, Forgiveness, Family, Good Sex, and Love in Action. Cost per couple: $225; includes meals, lodging, materials. See registration form for weekend schedule and to sign up! Deadline October 30th.
Celebration Dinner on Saturday, November 21st at 6pm
Joint Celebration Eucharist on Sunday, November 22nd at 10am
By the Grace of God, Servants of Christ Anglican will celebrate the Ten Year Anniversary since our founding.
Among our honored guests will be the Right Reverend James Ochiel, Bishop of the Diocese of Southern Nyanza, Anglican Church of Kenya (our founding Bishop). RSVP: at [email protected] by November 13th.
The Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies hosts semi-annual worship seminars that are open to the public and are intended for those in ministry or for those who are interested in ways to make all of worship, not just music, more meaningful. The January 2016 seminar, "African American Congregational Song in Worship," will be presented by Dr. James Abbington, and will be held January 11-12, 2016 at Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church, Jacksonville, FL. Please see the following site for more information and to register, click here: IWS January 2016 Worship Seminar IWS is the only accredited graduate school in the world dedicated to worship studies. IWS exists to form servant leaders in Christian worship renewal and education through graduate academic praxis, grounded in biblical, historical, theological, cultural and missiological reflection in community. IWS graduates are academically and spiritually formed servant leaders who participate intentionally in the story of the Triune God, fostering renewal in the local and global church by shaping life and ministry according to the fullness of that story. |
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We hope you have found this issue of the diocesan newsletter to be helpful and enjoyable. If you have received it directly from us, you are already on our mailing list and you will continue to receive future issues unless you choose to unsubscribe by using the link at the bottom of this page.
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Sincerely,
Dr. Jessica H. Jones
Editor-in-Chief, Communique
Gulf Atlantic Diocese of the ACNA |
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