2023 diocesan vestry training was held on March 4, 2023 at Church of the Messiah, 241 North Main Street, Winter Garden, FL 34787. The handout, slide deck, and other resources from the sessions are available below. Handout for Vestry Training (PDF) Vestry Training Slide Deck (PDF) Operating and Procedures Manual (PDF) View all of the…
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During the Rev. Mason Waldhauser’s conditional ordination to the priesthood on Dec. 9, 2022, Dr. Garwood Anderson, dean of Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin, reminded him that the call of a priest is a call to follow Christ in servanthood. “Because you follow the great Shepherd, you will be a good shepherd,” Anderson…
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Spirit and Word. Fire and water. Strength and weakness. Beauty and brokenness. These contrasts resonated as themes throughout the ordination of the Rev. Andrew Lazo to the priesthood on Jan. 25 at Church of the Messiah, Winter Garden, the church he currently serves as apprentice rector and participant in the diocesan Residency Program. And these…
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When the Holy Spirit speaks, it pays to listen. The Rev. Canon Ellis Brust, rector of St. Andrew’s, Fort Pierce, has a special reason to embrace that truth after a recent divine encounter. On Sunday, Jan. 15, Brust sensed that God was impressing something on him as he prepared to baptize three children. “We had…
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The 54th annual Diocesan Convention of the Diocese of Central Florida both celebrated and embodied its theme, “Entering a Future With Hope.” This was the final Convention as bishop for the Rt. Rev. Gregory O. Brewer, who announced his mandatory retirement at last year’s Diocesan Convention. He is set to retire in July following the…
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There is an old proverb on the concept of sankofa from the Akan tribe in Ghana that translates loosely to English: “It is not wrong to go back to what you have forgotten.” Derived from the words for “return” (san), “go” (ko) and “seek and take” (fa), sankofa’s symbol is a bird whose feet are…
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“For us, ‘historic’ does not mean we are a museum for the past, but rather that God has given to us a significant responsibility for the present and the future of our community.” Holy Cross, Sanford, is holding true to this declaration on the church website, marking its 150th anniversary this April with a celebration…
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All Saints, Winter Park, was the setting for the 2023 Mockingbird Orlando Conference, The Urgency of Grace, held Jan. 20 and 21. “One hundred seventy-five Christians, young and old, male and female, attended,” said Mockingbird founder and conference speaker David Zahl. “I was very pleased that the demographics were split 50/50.” “The primary goal of…
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En una elección marcada tanto por la unidad como por la diversidad, la Diócesis de la Florida Central eligió al Rvdo. Canónigo Dr. Justin S. Holcomb, de 49 años, como su quinto obispo. Holcomb, quien ha servido a la diócesis como canónigo de vocaciones desde 2013, fue elegido el 14 de enero en la primera…
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In an election marked by both unity and diversity, the Diocese of Central Florida has elected the Rev. Canon Dr. Justin S. Holcomb, 49, as its fifth bishop. Holcomb, who has served the diocese as canon for vocations since 2013, was elected on Jan. 14 on the first ballot out of a slate of three…
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