2016 Advent/Christmas Southern Cross

Advent/Christmas 2016

Volume 47, Issue 3

MAGAZINE OF THE DIOCESE OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

60th New Beginnings

Goodbye Old New Pavilion New Beginnings at DaySpring

47th Annual ECW Meeting

1st Advent Quiet Day 1

2017 Youth Calendar, DaySpring Episcopal Center

Summer Camps June 7-10, Session 1, Break Out Elementary Camp A special spiritual program aimed at elementary-aged students, along with all the traditional camp activities like canoeing.

Join us for our youth events, many at our new Program Center & Pool •

Diocesan Youth Event, Jan. 21 Youth Explosion Saturday, Church of the Redeemer, Sarasota

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New Beginnings #61, March 3-5

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Camp Open House, March 11

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Happening #74, Apr. 28-30

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Session 1, Break Out Camp, June 7-10

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Session 2, Middle School Camp, June 11-16

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Session 3, High School Camp, June 18-23

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Session 4, Leadership Camp, June 25-30

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Episcopal Youth Event, July 10-14, Oklahoma

July 23-28, Session 6, Mission Camp Teams of middle school and high school students and adults come experience local missions. Bring your parish group.

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Session 5, Elementary Camp, July 16-21

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Session 6, Mission Camp, July 23-28

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Acolyte Festival 2017, Sept.16 Cathedral

Weekends

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New Beginnings #62, Sept. 29-Oct. 1

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Happening #75, Nov. 3-5

June 11-16, Session 2, Middle School Camp Canoeing, high and low ropes, sports and zip line are all highlights, with talent show, crafts and chapel.

June 18-23, Session 3, High School Camp Camp activities like high and low ropes, sports and zip line are all part of the high school camp, which includes chapel and music.

June 25-30, Session 4, Youth Leadership Camp Leadership training for high schoolers. There will also be special training for adults who work with youth.

July 16-21, Session 5, Elementary Camp All the traditional and fun camp activities for students going into the 3rd grade to 5th grade.

New Beginnings New Beginnings is designed especially to respond to the unique challenges and concerns of youth in grades 6 to 8. It was created by adults and young people to help participants grow in their love of themselves, others and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Mar. 3-5, #61; Sept. 29-Oct. 1, #62

Happening Happening is a unique high school experience weekend that helps teens foster a personal more meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. Music, prayer, worship and a community led by fellow students, supported by clergy and lay adults.

Apr. 28-30, #74; Nov. 3-5, #75

Call 941-556-0315 or visit episcopalswfl.org

! w e N pring yS l & DaP oo ram g Proenter C

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From the Bishop

An Advent Present for DaySpring

ON FRIDAY, DEC. 2, Bishop

Dabney Smith dedicated a new altar at DaySpring Episcopal Center.

It was built by Aaron Welch, a parishioner at Christ Church, Bradenton. Welch, by trade a scientist, also created the staff for the crozier that the Bishop carries out of the wood from a disused Christ Church pew.

Welch’s altar gift to the Diocese of Southwest Florida is received by the Bishop with great gratitude.

The altar was needed for Eucharist services in the new Program Center, which replaces the old New Pavilion.

The altar arrived at 10 a.m. sharp on Thursday Nov. 17, in the midst of the first Episcopal Church Women meeting and Holy Eucharist in the building. However, it had not been consecrated, and went into storage.

In advance of the first youth event in the program center, Happening #73 on the weekend of Dec. 2, the Bishop consecrated the altar in a small ceremony that Friday.

The liturgy for Consecration of a Church was used and adapted for the altar.

A key prayer was the dedication of the Altar, which comes before the Peace at the ceremony.

It reads: Lord God, hear us. Sanctify this Table dedicated to you. Let it be to us a sign of the heavenly Altar where your saints and angels praise you for ever. Accept here the continual recalling of the sacrifice of your Son.

At top, Bishop Smith at the right of the new Program Center stage. At bottom, DaySpring’s Frank Beauchene and Aaron Welch take the altar off of a rental truck.

Grant that all who eat and drink at this holy Table may be fed and refreshed by his flesh and blood, be forgiven for their sins, united with one another, and

strengthened for your service. Blessed be your Name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; now and for endless ages.

Amen. X 3

At the Diocese

Year 47 | Issue 3 | Advent Christmas 2016 First Published A.D. 1970

Bishop, The Diocese of Southwest Florida: The Rt. Rev. Dabney T. Smith We have had many visitors to Diocesan House at DaySpring Episcopal Center this fall. Here, Rt. Rev. John Smylie, Bishop of Wyoming, and his wife Jill, from Casper, Wyoming. They were visiting his mother Ettie Smylie.

Diocesan House, A to Z The Rev. Eric Cooter, Canon for Ministry Development ecooter@episcopalswfl.org, ext. x978 The Rev. Michael Durning, Canon to the Ordinary mdurning@episcopalswfl.org, x984 Marilyn Erfourth, Receptionist merfourth@episcopalswfl.org, x987 Martha Goodwill, Parish Administration Resource mgoodwill@episcopalswfl.org, x980 The Rev. Christopher Gray, Canon for Stewardship cgray@episcopalswfl.org Barbara Leonard, Bookkeeper bleonard@episcopalswfl.org, x981 Michelle Mercurio, Administrative Assistant mmercurio@episcopalswfl.org, x977 Jan Nothum, Bishop’s Administrative Assistant jnothum@episcopalswfl.org, x986 Carla Odell, Executive Director, DaySpring execdirector@dayspringfla.org, 941-776-1018 The Rev. Dr. John Palarine, Canon for Program & Youth jpalarine@episcopalswfl.org, x989 Garland Pollard, Director of Communications gpollard@episcopalswfl.org, x979 Tana Sembiante, Admin. Assistant to Canon Durning tsembiante@episcopalswfl.org, x983 Anne Vickers, Canon for Finance &Administration/CFO avickers@episcopalswfl.org, x982 4

Assisting Bishops: The Rt. Rev. J. Michael Garrison, The Rt. Rev. Barry R. Howe Editor: Garland Pollard Contributing Writers: The Rev. Eric Cooter, Martha Goodwill, Adrienne Hymes, Rose Cicero, Greg Summers, Sharon Julian, The Rev. Canon John Palarine Contributing Photographers: Bonnie Jean Durning, Anne M. Vickers, Garland Pollard Advertising Inquiries: Garland Pollard, 941-556-0315 or gpollard@episcopalswfl.org Subscriptions: The Southern Cross is mailed to parishioners of the Diocese of Southwest Florida from member parish lists. Email your address to southerncross@episcopalswfl. org to subscribe or update delivery preferences.

Editorial Submissions, Letters: The editor welcomes submissions of articles for every section of the magazine including features, news and departments. Email editor@episcopalswfl.org. Manuscripts must be in Microsoft Word format. We invite letters to the editor on subjects of interest to the entire Diocese.

Identification Statement: The Southern Cross is published by the Diocese of Southwest Florida, Department of Communications. USPS permit No. 946.

Diocese of Southwest Florida DaySpring Episcopal Center 8005 25th St. East Parrish, FL 34219 941-556-0315 web: www.episcopalswfl.org email: editor@episcopalswfl.org Twitter: @episcopalswfl ISSN 2372-7861 (print version) ISSN 2372-8159 (online version) On the cover: From top, youth at New Beginnings; bottom right, Bishop leading Advent Quiet Day on Nov. 29. Bottom left, at the Episcopal Church Women Annual Meeting.

In this Issue

Features 10 The Call: Parish or Perish

by Adrienne Hymes 12 Church Women at New Center

Pool and Program Center take shape

20 Shepherd of the School Flock

by Greg Summers

23 Convention Roundup

Departments Briefs:Eucharists at DaySpring,Grant for MissionAwarded .................................……………………..............6 Meet the Priest: The Rev. Daniel Moore …………......................……………………………................ 7 Youth: Acolyte Festival,Youth Events, Camp..….....................................…………...…………….................. 8, 9 Christmas:The Incarnation,An Invitation.................................................…………………………….....…......26 Advent: Quiet Day and Snowflake….....................................................…………………………….....…......27 DaySpring: Nature Preservation….....................................................…………………………….....…......28 Mission: Call to Food Pantry ...................................................................……...……………….....................29 Ordinations in the Diocese …..........………......................………………................................……................ 30 Glancing Back: Newsletters tell DaySpring Story …......……………………….………............................ 34 Pictured here, The Rev. Chase Ackerman at Ordination, St. John Tampa.

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Briefly

Grant Assists Church Planting Effort

NEW YORK - The Diocese of Southwest Florida has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Episcopal Church for new church planting.

The award was made at the October meeting of the Episcopal Church Executive Council. It was one of $1,797,000 in grants awarded for church planting nationally, and will go toward the new church planting effort headquartered at the St. Anselm USF Chapel Center.

At the 48th Convention of the Diocese, Bishop Smith introduced Adrienne Hymes as the new Diocesan Missioner for Church Extension.

Hymes, who this month began working out of the St. Anselm’s USF Chapel Center, will not only serve as a resident chaplain to the wider USF community, but will explore mission opportunities that have been previously identified in Pasco and Hillsborough counties. The $100,000 will assist the new effort.

She is a Postulant for Holy Orders, sponsored by the Church of the Ascension, Clearwater. Hymes is a 2014 graduate of Virginia Theological Seminary, and is a clinically trained chaplain specializing in workplace contexts. She is committed to the work of envisioning and practicing mission in the 21st century Episcopal Church.

In his convention address, Bishop Smith expressed the need to reutilize existing assets in a new way, including the Chapel Center, built in 1962.

Hymes will use the building as a base camp to explore growing neighborhoods in Tampa as she ministers to 6

First Wednesday Eucharists for 2017

Bishop Smith attended the June consecration of The Rt. Rev. Douglas E. Sparks, the eighth Bishop of Northern Indiana, where Bishop Smith served at the parish St. Michael and All Angels in South Bend. He is pictured here after the service with his wife Mary and Presiding Bishop Michael Curry.

the staff, students and neighbors at the University of South Florida.

The building is located on the west side of the USF campus, in a wooded area off of 50th Street, and includes the St. Anselm Chapel, offices and residence.

“My hope in using the building in a refreshed way is that we will gain knowledge and skills that are beneficial and portable to other regions of the diocese,” said Smith, who added that the award shows a church that is built for mission. “It is something that everyone can and should be excited about.” X

PARRISH - Wednesdays are a perfect time to visit DaySpring Episcopal Center, celebrate the Eucharist and eat lunch in the Curry Hall Dining Room.

The first Wednesday of the month, the Diocese of Southwest Florida offers a Holy Eucharist at St. Thomas Chapel at DaySpring. Preachers at the Eucharist & Lunch series are from across the Diocese, and include priests with new assignments. The Eucharists are held at St. Thomas Chapel, which is located on the campus of DaySpring Episcopal Center. Services are at 11 a.m.

• Jan 4: The Rev. Canon Michael Durning • Feb 1, 2017: The Rev. Daniel Lemley, Church of the Ascension, Clearwater • March 1, Ash Wednesday • April 5, 2017: The Rev. Chase Ackerman, St. John, Tampa • May 3: The Rev. Brian Beno, Church of the Good Samaritan, Clearwater • September 6: The Rev. Matthew Grunfeld, Church of the Annunciation, Holmes Beach • October 4: The Rev. Wayne Farrell, St. Boniface, Siesta Key • Nov. 1: The Rev. Canon Eric Cooter, Diocesan Staff • Dec. 6: TBD Visitors may stay for lunch at DaySpring’s Curry Hall for $10. To reserve lunch, email frontdesk@dayspringfla.org.

At DaySpring Episcopal Center, 8411 25th St E, Parrish, FL 34219.

Questions? 941-776-1018. X

Meet the Priest

The Rev. Daniel Moore, Trinity-by-the-Cove Q: What was your first religious experience?

A: I grew up in an evangelical Baptist context, and so having a “personal relationship with Jesus” was paramount.

I remember being about six or seven years old and sensing that I was sinful and in need of God’s forgiveness; I told my parents this, and then we prayed and I asked Jesus into my heart. It’s my first memory of a conscious experience with God. In my adolescence, I was very much steeped in a tradition of personal piety and the language of the heart.

Q: How were you drawn to the Episcopal Church?

A: By the end of college, I was having a “crisis of church.” My faith was intact, but I no longer understood what Sunday morning was for. I lost confidence in the power of a sermon or praise music to be a sufficient means of spiritual nourishment. At the invitation of a friend I started attending an Episcopal church, and everything changed. Liturgy and Sacrament—the promise of God’s grace made material—began to rearrange all of my theological furniture. It was my pathway in to our church, in which I am so glad to have made a home.

Q: Is your master’s degree in Medieval Literature at all applicable to your ministry today?

A: To some degree. While knowledge of Anglo-Saxon (Old English) and the finer points of Middle English romances don’t strike me as obviously useful for parish ministry, I think those years made me into

all the clergy who have formed me in my journey. In particular, the cleric who was there from the start was the same one who shepherded me in to the Episcopal Church. Fr. Geoff was a mentor to me even before I began the formal discernment process, and he was there to lay hands on me at my ordination to the priesthood.

a better reader and writer, more capable in crafting an argument, and well prepared to engage challenging and esoteric ideas.

These are skills that are helpful to have in the parish—in preaching and teaching, and interpreting the Gospel within our present cultural moment.

Q: What was your profession before discerning your call?

A: Before going to seminary, I worked for a strategic research firm—initially as a writer and editor, and later as a director and account manager. It was an excellent opportunity for me to continue honing my skills in writing and to develop a customer relations savvy, but I knew that in the long term it wasn’t for me. In the midst of this period of work, I began discerning a call to holy orders.

Q: Were there any clergy who helped you in your journey to the priesthood?

A: I could talk for a long time about

Q: Can you tell me a favorite moment from your time at Trinity-by-the-Cove?

A: There have been so many wonderful moments, but the most memorable would have to be when I was priested at Trinity-by-the-Cove last December. What an extraordinary blessing it was to be ordained in the presence of those among whom I had already been ministering for months. It’s a memory I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.

Do you have a favorite hymn?

A: My favorite hymn is “Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life” (#487 in the 1982 Hymnal). It’s a mystical-devotional poem by a 17th century Anglican priest (George Herbert) wedded perfectly to a haunting and hopeful musical setting by a 20th century agnostic composer (Ralph Vaughan Williams), and I think it’s just about the best that our sacred music tradition has to offer. X The Rev. Moore was ordained to the priesthood in December 2015. Before discerning a call to holy orders, Daniel had a brief career in research, writing, and editing. He and his wife Kristin have three children: Madeleine, Jon, and Susannah.

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Youth

Pop Tarts, Pageantry at Acolyte Festival ST. PETERSBURG - The Diocese of Southwest Florida held its third annual Acolyte Festival at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter on Saturday, Sept. 24.

Over 300 attended the day-long festival, which included acolyte training, games and a Holy Eucharist. Set your calendars for Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017 for the Fourth Annual Festival at the Cathedral. X

Clockwise from top: acolytes review the program; procession around the Cathedral; the Rev. Canon Katie Churchwell preaching; breakfast, with Pop Tarts; thurifur training. Center, Sanibel processes around the Cathedral.

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Youth Briefs

Youth Explosion Saturday at Redeemer Sarasota

SARASOTA - Youth Explosion Saturday will be held January 21, 2017, from 11:30 to 4:30 at Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota. The day, sponsored by the Diocese of Southwest Florida, is about connecting, having a great time and flourishing in faith.

The event is free to all participants and is open to everyone from grades 5-12.

The first part of the event will include registration, icebreakers, and games, and then lunch will be served. Then participants will have the opportunity to participate in three different workshops on a rotational schedule. These workshops include training on being leaders in the church and creating blessing bags for the homeless. Participants will be asked to collect non-perishables and hygiene items at their churches and bring them to the event.

The blessing bags will be distributed to homeless shelters. There will be a third session on encouragement and anti-bullying; at that session participants will have the opportunity to paint a “spiritual selfportrait” on a canvas. The event will conclude with a youth-led closing Eucharist.

Call 941-556-0315. X

Free Camp Open House Previews Pool & Events

PARRISH - The Youth Team will hold a free Camp Day open house at DaySpring Episcopal Center on March 11, 2017 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The camp day will have swimming, DaySpring tours, lunch and visits with counselors and DaySpring camp staff.

The Episcopal Young Community from St. John, Tampa, assisted at the Metroplitan Ministries tent over the Thanksgiving week, led by the Rev. Chase Ackerman.

The whole family is invited; all ages are welcome. A discount is offered to those who sign up for camp on that day. Guests can also meet some of the summer counselors and staff, as well as play, have fun and ask questions. The new geothermic-heated pool, part of

DaySpring’s new Program Center, will be open for swimming from 2 to 4 p.m.

There will be a tour of cabins, waterfront and campus. Lunch will be provided for those who respond no later than March 1. Guests can come anytime between 10 and 4. X

Plan for DaySpring Summer Camp

The schedule for 2017 Camp DaySpring has been set. Six sessions from youth through high school will be held at DaySpring.

• June 7-10, Session 1, Break Out Elementary Camp: A special spiritual program aimed at elementary-aged students.

• June 11-16, Session 2, Middle School Camp: Canoeing, high and low ropes, sports and zip line are all highlights.

• June 18-23, Session 3, High School Camp: Camp activities like high and low ropes, sports and zip line are all part.

• June 25-30, Session 4, Youth Leadership Camp: Training for high schoolers.

• July 16-21, Session 5, Elementary Camp: Camp activities 3rd grade to 5th grade.

• July 23-28, Session 6, Mission Camp: Teams of middle school and high school students and adults come experience local missions. X 9

The Call: Parish or Perish Adopting a seemingly new but historic view of the traditional parish will help us reach untapped opportunities just outside our doors, writes Adrienne R. Hymes, our new Diocesan Missioner for Church Extension.

IN MY FORMER life in public pay attention and consider the deeper tution-established church, I’m not only

relations and marketing, we had an affinity for catchy taglines that captured the reader’s attention in a product, idea or movement. In order to create winning taglines, my colleagues and I imagined creative uses and pairings for words, intended to make the recipients of the message stop and consider the deeper meaning behind the tagline. It is with this perspective that I offer a new look at that most familiar word, parish.

First, the noun, parish, is defined as a church district under the care of a priest or minister. It can also be defined as the congregation of a particular church. For the sake of embedding a call-to-action imperative into the title of this article, “parish or perish,” I have invoked my creative license to use the noun, parish, as a verb, as in “to parish.” Second, the verb, perish, means to die or to pass away. The pairing of the two certainly entices the reader to stop, 10

meaning. This article is not another doom and gloom piece, predicting the impending death of the Church. To the contrary, parish or perish, is a hopeful rally cry calling the faithful to boldly explore and mine the rich deposits of people and resources within the vibrant mission field of a church’s local parish.

As a life-long Episcopalian, I have always accepted the use of the word parish to describe the congregation within the four walls of the church. Two years ago, while conducting research in the U.K. for my master’s thesis on the missional practice of workplace chaplaincy, I visited the Rev. Jeremy Crossley, rector of St. Margaret’s Lothbury in London. Crossley, an Anglican priest, believed that all of the souls within his parish boundaries, churched and unchurched, were under his care.

“The extraordinary thing about the Church of England, is that by our consti-

chaplain to the congregation here; I’m the vicar of the parish, and there’s still just enough of a recognition of that around here in this highly-international setting that actually people will come to the Church of England for a variety of things.”

It was inconceivable that there would be places within their parishes that would be considered ‘off limits’ to them.

Crossley’s perspective of the parish challenged me to consider the parish as the mission field. In doing so, I became keenly aware that this change in perspective throughout our churches could inspire local mission, enhance congregational vitality and revitalize the Episcopal Church’s relevance “out there.”

God’s people, including the possibility of rejection. We are compelled to risk in love because God first risked himself in relationship with humankind through Jesus Christ.

Parish as Mission Field

An Entitled Presence

Father Crossley’s understanding of his responsibility to intentionally engage the parish was echoed by many of the Anglican clergy with whom I engaged during my research. For them, it was inconceivable that there would be places within their parishes that would be considered “off limits” to them. Through my conversations I observed that the clergy not only felt a deep responsibility to access people and places beyond the walls of the church building; they seemed to be empowered by what I would describe as a sense of entitled presence.

The Episcopal Church is not the Church of England; it is not the Constitutionally established church; and it does not have the benefit of an embedded presence and access to local parishes. Understanding this reality, I believe that there is power in church ministers, lay and ordained, adopting a conceptual lens of the English parish model through which the Episcopal Church’s forward movement in, and through, myriad local mission fields can be viewed. Moreover, in adopting the mindset of entitled presence, ministers may discover a willingness and enthusiasm to take bold, strategic risks, uniquely positioning their churches as visible and relevant institutions within their parishes.

The more the Church goes out

We must risk crossing into mission field frontiers typically closed or hostile to the Church. into the mission field to parish (there’s that “verb” again), the more she will internalize that there is no space “out there” considered to be off limits to her, and the more inconceivable the thought of perishing will be. Death has no dominion over the Church of which Jesus Christ is the head.

In an increasingly secularized country, the Church is often expected to be seen—from a distance—and not heard, unless she is invited to speak.

Shrinking and disengaging from the mission field is not the answer. In order to parish, ministers of the Church must pray for the courage to risk. We must risk crossing into mission field frontiers typically closed or hostile to the Church. We must risk by having the audacity to be seen, up close and personal, and to proclaim the gospel so that it is clearly heard throughout the layers of the local parishes. And, we must risk human relationship with

It is my hope that the image of parish as mission field—places where people live, work and play—becomes the primary image of the local context surrounding a church building and its congregation.

It is also my hope that the image of parish as mission field translates into a callto-action tagline that lovingly pushes the Episcopal Church to reclaim her rightful place in the mission field of the parish, confidently communicating by word and deed, “I belong here.” The local church, moving forward with a renewed perspective of untapped opportunities just outside the church doors, may experience the revitalization of the congregation and the joy of participating in God’s mission already at work in the world.

Equipped with the compassion of Jesus, the truth of the Gospel message, and led by the Holy Spirit, we, as followers of Christ, have been empowered to confidently do the work of navigating all possible terrains in the mission field. “For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth’” (Acts 13:47). May we firmly stand in the mission field of our parishes reflecting the Christ light for the churched, the dechurched and the un-churched. Let us go forth and parish! X Contact Adrienne Hymes at 813-988-1185 or email ahymes@ episcopalswfl.org.

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Here, Bishop Smith and Michelle Schombs, ECW Diocesan Clearwater Deanery Director and Church of Good Shepherd, Dunedin at Holy Communion. Middle photo: from left Leila Mizer, ECW Diocesan President-Elect, St. James House of Prayer, Tampa; Michelle Schombs; Miriam Benitez-Nixon ECW Diocesan Secretary, Church of Good Shephard, Dunedin; Jan Sessions, ECW Diocesan Mission & Ministry Director, Good Samaritan, Clearwater; Jeanne Colwell, ECW Diocesan Manasota Deanery Director, Church of the Annunciation, Holmes Beach; Berry Ludwig ECW Diocesan Treasurer. At bottom, a view of the main gathering room at the Program Center just before the beginning of worship.

Church Women Inaugurate New Program Center

By Garland Pollard

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Episcopal Church Women Hear Message of Revival at First Event at Program Center A NEW MODEL for the venerable Episcopal Church Women was presented at the first-day opener of the new Program Center at DaySpring Episcopal Camp and Conference Center. The building, supported by ECW from its inception, is part of $20 million in improvements to the Diocese of Southwest Florida conference and camp center.

“It’s about the possibilities of a new model based on the good that we have done,” said Lisa Towle, president of the Episcopal Church Women. Towle, from the Diocese of North Carolina, spoke to the group of about 180 women for well over an hour on the future of the ECW. The audience listened carefully as she reasserted the need and potential for the ECW, in spite of the difficulty of attracting new members in a time of church decline.

Lana Fitzgerald, president of the Episcopal Church Women in Southwest Florida and a vice-chair of the Bishop’s Cabinet for the DaySpring Development Committee, said that it was fitting that their 46th Annual Meeting was the first in the building, which will be dedicated officially Sun, Feb 26, 2017. “Women get done what needs to get done,” said Fitzgerald, a member of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Marco Island, Florida.

The meeting was the first in the new Program Center, a complex of a main auditorium and gathering room,

Here, a group from St. Anselm in Lehigh Acres. The husbands came to the ECW meeting as drivers. Below, Joan Kline, ECW Diocesan President from 2005-08 and Bonnie Jean Durning, the wife of The Rev. Canon Michael P. Durning.

two large lecture rooms and swimming facility. The building replaces a portable building called the New Pavilion, installed in 2001, and the home to hundreds of ECW, summer camp, Cursillo and youth events.

In Southwest Florida, the ECW represent the women of 77 congregations. It also functions as a support organization for all of the traditionally women’s affiliated ministries of the Diocese, including the venerable Order of Daughters of the King, Church Periodical Club, United Thank Offering, Diocesan Altar Guild and Order of St. Luke. ECW has been a longtime financial supporter of DaySpring, donating everything from capital for buildings to general fund assistance for campers to rocking chairs for the entrance porch pavilion. The week of the meeting, contractors were pouring gunite for a new, A.D.A.-compliant geothermally heated pool, also supported by $17,000 in ECW funds.

“You are women of the church,” said Towle, at the Nov. 17 meeting.

“You are needed. You are valuable.” The role of the national ECW is about offering best practices, ideas and encour-

agement. “You are doing terrific things.

This I know. But we can all do better in our lives.”

Towle was elected at the ECW Triennial in Salt Lake City, which took place during the same meeting of General Convention that elected Presiding Bishop Michael Curry. The election was the first in years that was actually contested. The ECW position is unpaid, and is expected to be fulltime, though she does receive travel expenses. There is no national office overseeing the operation; it is done out of homes.

To describe the potential of ECW, she described a number of anecdotes 13

about welcome, both good and bad.

The unfortunate was a Welcome Wagon lady who showed up on Towle’s doorstep after a move. Towle was literally barefoot and pregnant; the lady arrived with a plastic bag full of coupons, and then disappeared. “I have often wondered,” Towle asked, “are we, as ECW, kind of like that Welcome Wagon lady? Do we show up only when we see somebody new?”

Towle got involved with ECW, however, because she found a different sort of welcome, where she was immediately connected the first time she arrived at a church. “All of a sudden, I found out I had people,” said Towle. “And they were connected people.”

ECW, founded in 1871 when the General Convention authorized the Women’s Auxiliary to the Board of Missions, needs to reinvent itself, but it’s about individuals changing, not an organization. Often, they don’t want to change. “Change is good for everybody else, but I don’t need it,” said Towle. “There will be no change unless something happens in here.”

Towle has been told she’s just trying to focus on the young. “Our elders laid too sure a foundation, they worked too hard, they lifted us up in the face of a lot of negativity and at great personal expense. And the anger they faced down from the church that they loved,” said Towle. “Every single person in this room is too valuable to lose.”

The solution is for ECW women to move over a bit, but not to leave the table. For instance, a meeting might be held at Starbucks, and the meeting should end in time for moms to be able to pick up children in the 14

“It’s about the possibilities of a new model based on the good that we have done,” said Lisa Towle, president of the national Episcopal Church Women. carpool line. “Make room at the table for the new to come over and sit down to talk to us,” said Towle. “You are in it.

You will always be in it.”

The white glove, church supper tradition of ECW is a noble one, and has relevance today. “You are part of something that is so big and so grand that women for 150 years fought, I mean fought, to even form,” said Towle.

“It took a century for women to get the right to vote in this church.”

Towle said that there was no one perfect model for an ECW Chapter,

only that it needs to exist “amidst the goodness of the old.” The call for the ECW is a call for the laity to be missionaries in their own communities; there is no replacement for this role.

“If I walk away, nobody is going to do it,” said Towle. “Don’t walk away. Find somebody to help you.”

The DaySpring event was the first Episcopal Church Women meeting for Linda Lynch of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Tampa. She had decided to go at the request of Tampa’s Marcia Allison, the wife of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church rector, The Rev. Roy Allison. Lynch, who grew up Catholic, had never been a part of the ECW before, and had no preconceptions about what ECW was about. Having been a part of groups like Kiwanis, she longed to be a part of something larger, but also appreciated the difficulty that these service organizations face in recruiting new members.

Lynch’s father was involved in the Knights of Columbus and Veterans of Foreign Wars. She knew nothing of the long traditions of the Episcopal Church Women; her mother was involved in a Rosary group, and that was always very inwardly focused. When approached by Allison, the Michigan emigre was eager to participate, as her husband was active on St. Mark’s vestry

Top, Annette Judkins, Billie Barnes, Renee Osborne. At left, Beverly Polk and Jerrilyn Rupert; above Mary Wallis Smith and Mary Howe.

and she wanted a different role. “I want something different than what he was involved with,” said Lynch.

Towle respectfully disagrees with those who think the ECW is irrelevant, or that women somehow have less time than they used to, though she acknowledges the distractions of things like team sports for families. “We all make time for what is important to us.

If ECW is important enough for you, it is important to be there.”

Success for the ECW, with chapters in thousands of Episcopal parishes large and small, means keeping those who are active and bringing in new. “If we keep pushing out, there isn’t going to be anybody to push out anymore,” said Towle. Each ECW Chapter knows individually what the danger point is, the time where they either reinvent themselves, or die. “If this goes away, who is going to pick it up? Once something happens it is so hard to reverse it,” said Towle. “Once something goes away, it is so hard to bring it back.”

In a Eucharist with the church women, Bishop Dabney Smith told the gathered women that the change needs to be the right change. “If you are adapting, make sure of the change you are adapting to,” said Smith. “All the Lord says is you have to take care of the church. You don’t have to do it forever.

But you have to do it now.” X

Above, front row from left are Jeanne Colwell, ECW Diocesan Manasota Deanery Director; Berry Ludwig, ECW Diocesan Treasurer; Lana Fitzgerald, ECW Diocesan President; Bishop Smith; Lisa Towle, ECW National President; Leila Mizer, ECW Diocesan President-Elect; Miriam BenitezNixon, ECW Diocesan Secretary; Louise Gurley, ECW Diocesan Venice Deanery Director. Back row from left to right are Nancy Terrell, ECW Diocesan Ft. Myers Deanery Director; Nancy Campbell, ECW Diocesan UTO Director; Michelle Schombs, ECW Diocesan Clearwater Deanery Director; Randy Lindquist, ECW Naples Deanery Director and Church Periodical Club Diocesan Director; Sarah Hill, Diocesan Altar Guild Director; Fran McKendree, Musician. Below, 2016 Bible Women Jeopardy Winners were the Venice Deanery.

Below right, DaySpring Executive Director Carla Odell shows Randy Lindquist a photo.

Left, Bishop Smith and Fran McKendree.

Get Active In ECW ECW is a great way to support your parish, as well as becoming more involved in the Diocese. Visit their page on episcopalswfl.org

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Finishing Touches on New Program Center & Pool THIS NOVEMBER THE Dio-

cese began using our new Program Center, which is now the largest indoor space at DaySpring. It replaces the New Pavilion, a portable building that served the Diocese well past its expected lifespan.

The Program Center and Pool, to be dedicated next Feb. 26, are but the first phase of a three-phase, $20 million master plan project to improve DaySpring.

The capital improvements to DaySpring are being shepherded by a cabinet of leaders from across the Diocese.

On the following three pages are an update on their significant progress. X

Clockwise from above; The first crack at demolishing the New Pavilion; View of Program Center; pool still under construction; front with tour buses from Pine Crest School in Boca Raton.

They were here for the building’s groundbreaking last winter. Below, the service register for the first Holy Eucharist with the Episcopal Church Women.

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Update October 2016 Special Convention Issue God’s Word, Your Light, Our Legacy

From the Cabinet Chairs After five years of assessment, visioning and detailed work culminating in a Diocesan House at DaySpring and a county-approved ten-year Master Plan, the DaySpring Development Committee, appointed by the Bishop, has completed its work. While the construction aspects are in good hands with our Owner’s Representative and diocesan staff, the attention turns to awareness and cultivation of new relationships to support the evolving vision for DaySpring Episcopal Center.

The Bishop’s Cabinet was established in April 2016.This carefully selected group of leaders will determine new paths for working with congregations to increase awareness and involvement in the five essential purposes of DaySpring Episcopal Center – a Sacred Space for experiencing Leadership, Spiritual Strength, Transformation, thereby increasing Congregational Vitality.

Together with the other Cabinet members, we look forward to sharing our DaySpring stories with those around the diocese who have been a part of the legacy started 35 years ago, and to those who have just begun to learn about our diocesan treasure.

Our DaySpring Awareness and Connection Tour is underway and will continue over the upcoming years. We look forward to our time with each local community, to share stories of experiences with our hidden treasure— DaySpring. And more importantly, to connect with those who may not yet know about our diocesan resource. We welcome you to join us in our efforts to celebrate and realize the full potential of the mission and ministry started a generation ago—”to be a sacred place in the heart of our diocesan community that exists to enrich and empower all people in Christ.”

Michael Kline

Lana Fitzgerald

Chair, Bishop’s Cabinet

Vice Chair, Bishop’s Cabinet 17

God’s Word, Your Light, Our Legacy

Donor Spotlight: Our 77 Congregations of Southwest Florida The first $2.5M pledge is a special one— the most significant in many ways. This is a pledge of the capital apportionment given by all of our 77 congregations. Ten percent of every dollar raised for a local capital project is dedicated to diocesan capital needs. In 2015, diocesan leaders dedicated the capital apportionment for the next five years to Phase 1 of the DaySpring Master Plan. This enabled us to start a necessary building replacement with the new Program Center, and to implement the most fun part of our project to many —the pool!

Our churches are in various stages of capital projects and campaigns. From the extra envelopes marked ‘building fund’

to the lead gift of a multi-million-dollar renovation campaign, such contributions to the diocesan vision at DaySpring in this way place the members of our congregations at the start of our list of stakeholders. And so our first donor spotlight and heartfelt thank you goes to our congregations.

Each member and each congregation should consider DaySpring their home, their resource, their treasure. We invite you to come and discover what this treasure can mean for your family and congregation. Contact us at cabinet@episcopalswfl.org to get connected.

Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the DaySpring from on high has visited us.

— Luke 1:78 2016 Diocesan Vestry Retreat

Program Center & Pool Dedication ~ Sunday ~ February 26, 2017 2 pm – 6 pm “A Celebration of Our Diocesan Family” Food, live music, pool and games for families

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Celebrating Our Progress Our project is well underway and making an immediate splash with the Program Center and Pool opening soon. The future phases of the master plan, including a large and more formal Meeting/Worship Center and two adult lodges are in the planning phases. As we contemplate our planned facilities to expand our abilities to host a wider variety of programs and guests, we realize we are but scratching the surface of the potential for transformational programming at DaySpring. Bishop Smith summarized the work of DaySpring in these words to the combined Diocesan/DaySpring staff: “Our work is to care for creation, care for bodies, care for souls.”

DaySpring Master Plan with new buildings highlighted in red

BISHOP

CAMPAIGN PRAYER Lord God, we thank you for giving us the many precious memories of DaySpring, which we know is holy ground.

We are mindful that dayspring means the beginning of day. As we venture boldly into this new beginning, we pray that those of us who are blessed will open our hearts and recognize how we can be a blessing for generations to come. As we discern our direction we beseech you to always be in our midst. We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ.

The Rt. Rev. Dabney T. Smith

Amen

CHAIR Mr. Michael Kline VICE CHAIR Mrs. Lana Fitzgerald CABINET Mrs. Marcia Allison The Rev. Michael Basden Mr. Bruce Birgbauer Mr. Steve Fluharty The Rev. Edward Henley Mr. Kyle Jones Mrs. Joan Kline Mr. Michael “Mick” Moore Mrs. Maisie Reddy The Very Rev. Fred Robinson The Very Rev. Dr. Ellen Sloan

For information about the DaySpring Master Plan and the work of the Bishop’s Cabinet, please contact us at cabinet@episcopalswfl.org

Mr. Theodore Tripp Canon Anne Vickers Mr. Jim Watrous Mr. Rusty Whitley

God’s Word, Your Light, Our Legacy The Episcopal Diocese of Southwest Florida 8005 25th Street East, Parrish, Florida 34219 941-556-0315 • dayspringepiscopal.org 19

Shepherd of the School Flock On a school trip years ago, teacher and now head of school Greg Summers was reminded of some of the simpler lessons of the teaching profession.

THEY WERE CLAIMING their bunks in the cabin – 15 ninth grade boys, four days and three nights away from school for outdoor experiential education at DaySpring Episcopal Center. Sleeping bags and duffle bags were flying everywhere.

The 16 bunks were arranged in three alcoves accommodating four persons each, with the remaining four sleeping in bunks in the main passageway just outside the alcoves.

Mike claimed his top bunk in one of the alcoves. He did not have close friends in the cabin.

I claimed an upper bunk in the main passage, just outside of Mike’s alcove, so I could keep an eye on the entrances at both ends of the cabin. Joel, Kenny, Platt and Jerry were the last to enter the cabin – a group of four, close friends with one another. The only spaces left were the remaining three bunks in Mike’s alcove and the one beneath my bunk.

Tension grew thick.

Joel asked Mike if his group of four could have the alcove 20

Pictured here, The Cove at DaySpring, where a chickee roofed pier lets guests look onto the Manatee River.

together and if Mike would mind moving. Mike refused. It seemed simple enough to agree - to be accommodating - but there’s also the first come, first served rule, and Mike stood his ground. Mike, although chronologically a 9th grader, was more like an 8th grader physically and emotionally. His voice was still very high and cracked constantly. He was a boarding student with a somewhat difficult family background. His grandmother had funded his private boarding school education, hoping it would put her grandson on a path to success otherwise unobtainable for him.

On many evenings when I was on duty, Mike would be upset about life and needy of extra attention and consolation. Although he had friendships among the boarding students - a minority of our total enrollment - he was having trouble fitting in with the day student majority. His three nights in the cabin were bound to be a challenge since, ex-

cept for him, the cabin was populated by day students.

I said nothing about the bunk conflict, and just decided to see how things played out. Kenny took the bunk under Mike, with Joel and Platt in the opposite bunks. Jerry was a bit more emotionally mature than the others (and physically as well, easily able to pass for a senior). Not wanting to make a big deal of the conflict, he good-naturedly took the undesirable bunk nearest the teacher.

Soon we were off to afternoon activities, dinner, and evening activities. The themes for the four days were team-building, mutual respect and acceptance of one another, all the while bridging ethnic, cultural, and economic divides and appreciating the outdoors. The activities were led by staff from DaySpring’s outdoor experiential education partners. The middle-aged leaders had somewhat of an ex-hippie flair, and their younger assistants were an eclectic group of 20 and 30-somethings who enjoyed nature, the outdoors, high-ropes adventure, and group dynamics.

and Mike continued when we returned to the cabin later that evening. It was obvious that there had been a pre-existing conflict and that both Joel and Mike would have been last pick when choosing bunk buddies. Conversation was civil but strained. Little was said.

It looked like it would be a long three nights in that cabin - unless a miracle happened.

I held a cabin meeting to let the boys know my expectations – things like no sneaking out at night. And no food stashes in the cabin.

Back in the Bunk

After lights out, Joel and his group were talking among themselves. Joel

Lessons Outdoors

Among the activities was learning about night vision. After the night vision orientation, the groups went for a night walk through the woods.

We were taken to a trail, then, at twominute intervals, students would start walking alone down the trail through the woods at night. Simple enough and low threat, but surprisingly some of the kids from sheltered suburban backgrounds screamed out in the night if they encountered a bug or a spider web.

The tension between Joel’s group

The themes for the four days were team-building, mutual respect and acceptance of one another, all the while bridging ethnic, cultural, and economic divides and appreciating the outdoors.

was a little 9th grader, short, very skinny, with brown hair, a Jewish kid. He had an engaging smile, an outgoing personality, and he was a glib talker.

There was a charisma about him, which helped him to be the leader of his clique.

Kenny – the kid under Mike’s bunk was tall and dark, of Latino heritage, and a broad-chested swimmer. He was something of a clean freak, memorable to all was his oft repeated concern that he might “get AIDS” from unsanitary surfaces during the trip. Platt was a tall kid with blonde hair. He seemed to be precocious for a 9th grader, judging from his choice of topics.

On occasion, Mike – the outcast would chime into the group’s conversation a bit, testing the waters. Gradually, there began to be more give and take.

The tension evaporated over the ensuing hours of late night talk. Joel asked, hypothetically, who would be willing to have both legs broken in exchange for a million dollars. Then they discussed whether it would be better to have both legs broken, or both arms broken. (Note: They were more willing to have broken legs than arms.) The boys talked about their interests and experiences, they opened up in discussing their greatest fears, and they shared their deepest teen-age secrets with one another. It seemed like they would never get tired and fall asleep. After all, it was the first night of the trip and they were all excited about their new environment.

I reflected more on their talk as I justified letting them talk, for hours, after lights out. But we were on the experiential trip. The whole point was class unity and team-building – learning how to get along with others. To enforce silence would have been to defeat the purpose.

21

It was amazing how much of themselves the They might not have boys revealed. They knew become best friends, that I was just a few feet but it’s safe to say that away, but, as the hours went former antagonists on, they seemed to have moved into at least less and less concern that a guarded sense of an adult – their teacher – friendship. was listening in. Their inhibitions dissipated. A trust grew - a sense of confidence that our cabin was a place where they could be honest. Finally, tiny step, out of many, long after midnight, Joel said, “You in preparing those two know, Mike, I didn’t think I would ever for the much greater have a talk with you like this, but this challenges of dealing is really chill.” Mike concurred, saying, with patients. All of the ninth graders were “Yeah, man – it’s chill.”

Had an adult not been present, the equipping themselves in conflict between Joel and Mike might those early months for have boiled over. But they knew that the remainder of their a boundary of civility would be en- four years as classmates. forced. Within that framework, I was They acquired skills in able to be there quietly and let them that cabin to deal with roommates and build a rapport. They might not have dormitory life later, and families, and become best friends, but it’s safe to say the workplace, further down the road.

One of the things I pondered on that former antagonists moved into at least a guarded sense of friendship. those late nights, lying in that uncom-

Shepherd, Not Lord

Quiet mentorship – present but saying little – allowed them to overcome a social hurdle. It took some restraint to not intervene, both when they were choosing bunks, and when they wouldn’t sleep. But my role was that of a shepherd, and not one of a lord. Sometimes, the shepherd monitors the flock passively, allowing the sheep to follow their own instincts, while standing ready to intervene as needed.

A couple of the boys eventually left school due to behavioral and personal issues. Two others went on to doctoral studies. The social and emotional growth in that cabin was one 22

fortable bunk, was that the learning outside the classroom offered lessons more indelible than much of what I worked so hard to plan and execute inside the classroom. X

About the Author Greg Summers, the new Head of School at Good Shepherd Episcopal School Punta Gorda, is a native of Tallahassee and a descendent of pioneers who settled in Florida in the 1850s. He has degrees from Florida State University and the University of Virgina, and completed additional studies at Emmanuel Christian Seminary.

Summers served in the Air Force (both active duty and reserve), flew as a navigator, and taught political science at the Air Force Academy. He has taught at three independent schools, including Saint Andrew’s School of Boca Raton and the Episcopal School of Jacksonville.

Summers has 21 years of teaching experience and has served as an academic dean, department chair, and director of honor education.

2016 Convention Roundup Bishop Cites Reconciliation and Gospel at Address to 48th Convention PUNTA GORDA – The theme of the 2016 Diocesan Convention was Transformation by Reconciliation. In his annual address to the Diocese of Southwest Florida, Bishop Dabney Smith reminded that the Gospel was about “the human face of God acting.”

The Oct. 15 address remarked on God’s reconciliation, no matter whether it expresses itself differently in different times, from early 20th century Pentecostalism to those ubiquitous “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelets. In particular, and in our Diocese, Smith spoke of signs of this movement in Southwest Florida.

“In recent weeks, Mary and I have heard spiritually moving stories from people in our congregations about reconciliation and transformation; stories about being evangelized, and others of personal healings happening in our congregation,” said Smith. “These are particular stories of Christ’s sovereignty that give me renewed strength and faith.”

Yet even with that sovereignty, Smith said that there are times when our faith is challenged and buildings and programs come and go. In specific, he cited a mis-

sion to Seminoles, abandoned in the early 20th century. Yet even still, the church in subsequent decades grew in Southwest Florida.

In the address, he announced the appointment of Adrienne Hymes as Missioner for Church Extension. She will be located at the St. Anselm’s Chapel Center at University of South Florida’s main Tampa campus. Hymes (see feature story on p. 11) will look to explore the church in Pasco and Above, the image of the 2016 Annual Convention, the Prodigal Hernando Counties, Son by Cody Miller. Reconciliation moved through the whole as well as serving as convention, including a Plenary Session with the Rev. Jabriel S. Ballentine of the Diocese of Central Florida. Ballentine led a chaplain for USF. lively discussion on race. Other sessions included The Healing Church and Building Healthy Missional Relationships The address rec- Shaped through the Church Companion Diocese Program. ognized the Ven. Canon and Archdeacon Dennis McManis, who is retiring. Smith cited McManis’ role ference center, he nevertheless called it in the success of the School for Ministry, “important and significant work for the The Episcopal Charities Fund and the in- mission and health of the diocese, so I am creased development of our Latino/Span- pleased to do the work.” ish speaking ministries.

“It is a unique and special inheritance Bishop Smith also remarked on im- given by generations of Christians past provements to DaySpring, stating that that we honor by protecting and enhancwhile he was not the bishop of a con- ing it now,” said Smith. X 23

Clockwise from top, the clergy of the Diocese of Southwest Florida gathered after the Eucharist for a group photo; a plenary session on racism with the Rev. Cesar Olivero, the Rev. Becky Robbins-Penniman, The Rev. Dr. Navita Cummings James and the Rev. Ernestein Flemister. Bottom, Bishop Smith accepts a purple dinner napkin ‘gift’ from the Rev. Jim Hedman at dinner following the Eucharist on Friday night. Bottom left, Bishop Smith giving the Eucharist to the Rt. Rev. Barry R. Howe and the Rt. Rev. Moises Quesada Mota of the Dominican Republic. Center left, the Rev. William J. de la Torre of St. Mary, Palmetto, reading the Gospel in Spanish.

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Episcopal Charities Awards Annouced PUNTA GORDA – At the 48th Convention of the Diocese of Southwest Florida, the Council on Deacons awarded $29,000 in grants for charitable work.

The programs that were awarded were chosen at a meeting of the Council on Deacons, submitted by parishes.

The awards were announced by Dr. Kathleen Moore of the Council on Deacons. Money for the awards comes from the Episcopal Charities Fund, an endowment funded by the annual Bishop’s Appeal. Episcopal Charities is a funding support mechanism for congregation-based ministries serving the poor and marginalized, all working through the Council for Deacons. The total gifts for 2016 were $29,000. Below are 2016 awardees: Iona Hope, After School Program, $2,500; St. Bartholomew, Food Pantry, $7,500; All Saints, Pack a Snack Program, $2,000; St. James House of Prayer, Cornerstone Kids STEM program, $4,150; All Souls, Transportation Outreach, $2,500; Calvary Indian Rocks Beach, Food Pantry Renovation, $4,900; Cathedral Church of St Peter, Resurrection House, $3,750; Church of the Holy Spirit, Osprey, $1,700. X

Top, camp counselors Courtney Crosby and Brittney Traudt assist with the DaySpring and youth ministry table at convention. This year Morgan Toth, one of the adult coordinators of the Youth Leadership Team, assisted in putting the table together. Youth and college-aged students traditionally play an important part in the functioning of convention, including assisting as pages during the business session and elections.

Convention Elects to Diocesan Offices The Annual Convention of the Diocese of Southwest Florida elected the following to Diocesan offices: Ms. Mary Grace Duffy and Mr. Ray U. Stoll to the Standing Committee, Lay member; The Very Rev. Fredrick Robinson to the Standing Committee, Presbyter (Priest) member; The Rev. Ernestein Flemister to Diocesan Council, MemberAt-Large; Mr. Roger Schwenke to the Disciplinary Board, Lay member; The Rev. David Danner and the Rev. Jane Kelly to the Disciplinary Board, Clergy members; The Rev. Alexander Andujar to the Board of Trustees, The University of the South.

To the General Convention of the Episcopal Church Lay Order Deputy, Mr. Kevin Fitzgerald (L 1); Ms. Judy Stark (L 2); Dr. Navita Cummings James (L 3); Ms. Anna Haeffner (L 4). Lay Order Alternate, Mrs. Joan Kline (LA 1); Mr. Roger Schwenke (LA 2) Clergy Order Deputy, General Con-

vention, The Very Rev. Doug Scharf (C 1); The Rev. Cesar Olivero (C 2); The Rev. Canon Eric Cooter (C 3); The Rev. Bryan O’Carroll (C 4); Clergy Order Alternates, The Very Rev. Roy Tuff (CA 1); The Rev. Janet Tunnell (CA 2). X

Deanery Reps Appointed

by Convention THE FOLLOWING WERE elected

in pre-convention convocations held on Sept. 6, 7 and 8. The elections were affirmed by the Annual Convention.

Naples: Suzanne Bodley, St. Monica; Ft. Myers: Josephine “Jo” Lane, St. Hilary; Venice: The Rev. Michelle Robertshaw, St. Andrew, Boca Grande; Manasota: The Rev. Joel Morsch, Christ Church, Bradenton; St. Petersburg: Russell Ball, St. Thomas; The Rev. Alex Andujar, St. Vincent; Clearwater: The Rev. Jon Roberts, Calvary, Indian Rocks Beach; Hal Smith, St. Andrew, Spring Hill; Tampa: The Rev. Eric Kahl, St. Mary, Tampa. X 25

Christmas

The Incarnation is an Invitation

Let go of your desire to have it all locked up. Accepting the mystery of God’s grace allows us to receive it, writes The Rev. Canon Eric Cooter.

GOD IN JESUS Christ. Theologians throughout the ages have wrestled with the foundational assertion of our faith that Jesus of Nazareth was both fully divine and fully human. There were councils of the church which grappled with this doctrine over the centuries. Nonetheless, it’s impossible to try and fully understand “God with us,” but this mystery should not keep us from probing the mysterious nature of the inner life of God. The Gospel of John gives us some interesting clues to understand the Incarnation and especially this inner life of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – One God. John begins his Gospel account with these words, “In the beginning was the Word.”

John used specific language here to help explain our experience of God and the nature of the inner life of God. Language attempts to define and describe concepts. For example, when we talk about ourselves we use adjectives, verbs, etc., and through words, others come to know us better. Others may know who we are because our nature is revealed in the words. The Gospel says something about God using language, “The Word was with God and the word was God.” John was trying to describe who God is in terms of the mystery of God’s full presence in Jesus Christ Our Lord.

We must use pronouns, adjectives and verbs to try and describe the mystery of God. Other terms have been used to help us understand God, such as “Three 26

in one and one in three,” “Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer.” Through our meager attempts to describe our experiences of God and our understanding of the nature of God, we give meaning to the mystery of God through feeble human words.

Anytime we attempt to speak of God, we are struggling with mystery. Mystery is nothing new to us, there is mystery in our human interactions. A young woman looks into the eyes of her fiancé and senses the depth and the uncertainty of their connection. At the same time, she is drawn deeply into a sense of belonging

When we speak of God, in some ways, we are left with only mystery and that is something we must take on faith.

and longing for the love they share. These are mysterious feelings so deep that words can hardly describe. In our human limitations, we cannot know everything about even the persons with whom we are most intimately connected. In fact, it is the very depth of our own mystery that sometimes is most evident to us. When we speak of God, in some ways, we are left with only mystery and that is something we must take on faith.

“God Incarnate” is our claim that God is fully and truly present and active in and through Jesus of Nazareth.

Through the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we come to know the depth of the love between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the prayers, the miracles, the life, the faithful death on the cross, and the glorious resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we witness the everlasting love of God, but not as merely revelation. It is an invitation as well. By the mystery of the life of God, we are called to join in the dance of love between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Christ, we are able intimately to know God, and we are invited to commit our lives to and with God as Lord.

When it comes to The Lordship of Jesus Christ, knowing and committing are not the same. Many of those who followed Christ knew him. Many who rejected Christ knew him as well. For some who came to know God in Jesus Christ, Continued on page 27

they left all to follow Him. For others, their response was that of cautious optimism. For others, they responded with blind indifference. Some were living in darkness and even though the light of Christ shone brightly the path to grace, they rejected him.

Mary Magdalene risked it all to follow. So did James, John and some of the other apostles. There were also those who preferred the shadows and dimly lit places in which they could live in both darkness and light. Peter struggled with darkness at Gethsemene and in the courtyard at Jesus’ trial. Some followers preferred to reject Our Lord because the darkness was more comfortable and less risky. Judas Iscariot, the rich young ruler, and others chose the dark places. When in darkness we may ask, “Why did they avoid the light?” Why do we avoid the light?

Light penetrates and shines on truth.

It reveals our failures. For some of Jesus’ followers, they failed to get to know him, and failed to realize that even in their darkness, they could still see glimmers of God’s grace and mercy. We too can see God’s grace. We are grace-filled creatures whom God loves. God desires that we come to know him. God calls us to live into the mystery of God’s revealing grace and mercy. Accepting the mysterious nature of God’s love fully revealed in Jesus Christ is simple.

We open our hearts, we open our hands and we receive it. We accept that which we cannot fully explain. By letting go of our desire to have it all locked up, to have it all fully explained, we are enabled to fully receive the greatest mystery of all; the mystery that we are children of God adopted into the family of God, and that we are called to participate in the mystery of the inner life of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. X

Advent

Quiet Day at Diocese

Time with Bishop Smith to prepare for Christmas.

Snowflake Prayer From Bishop Smith

PARRISH - Over 110 clergy and laity came to DaySpring Episcopal Center from across the Diocese for the first Advent Quiet Day on Tuesday, Nov. 29. It was a teaching day for Bishop Smith; the gathered, which included a large group from Church of the Ascension in Clearwater, spent the day listening to four meditations, each followed by a time meditation on the campus of DaySpring. The key subject for the day was our personal calling, and God’s will for us. Smith asked the gathered to reflect on who is actually called. “It is the church who is called and not just you and me,” said Smith. Part of being in God’s presence gives one an ability to gain perspective on God’s will. “If you are watching for God there are just some things you are going to rule out of your life,” said Smith.

Toward the end of the day, Smith asked about personal will. He said that watching for God has to do with using the will God gave you. Surrendering to God’s will, then, conquers brokeness.

A highlight of the day was Smith’s discussion of the Snowflake Prayer, a personal devotional habit he revealed to attendees. X

“I heard this prayer somewhere a long time ago, I don’t even remember the source; and, I have prayed it daily since then. It is called the Snowflake Prayer and it is based on the premise that one snowflake doesn’t amount to much, but as snowflakes compact against each other on a mountainside, they grow in density and size.

Ultimately, they form a sheet of ice that will crack granite rock. It is that strong.

“This Snowflake Prayer is like one snowflake falling upon another.

If you say a prayer of surrender of will one time, it’s “poof” gone like one snowflake; but, if you pray to surrender your will to God’s will as a constant attribute, it can form such a power that it can conquer the brokenness of human will that refuses to meet with God’s will.

I give you my will this day, For what you will For why you will For when you will For where you will For how you will.

All that I have, All that I am, I offer to your will.

Amen 27

DaySpring

A Commitment to Nature The construction of a new Program Center allowed for formal surveys of the natural and historic resources at DaySpring, reports Garland Pollard.

AN ASTOUNDING 20,000 people moved to the Sarasota/Manatee County region from 2014 to 2015; about 11,000 to Manatee County. This level of population growth, which bodes so well for the future of the church in our Diocese, also means a strain on public services and pressure on nature, particularly in our coastal areas.

Many of those new residents are moving to the US Route 301 corridor, which parallels the Manatee River, and is the home of DaySpring Episcopal Center.

Just surrounding the DaySpring area are thousands of new houses, many made more accessible by the construction in 2017 of the Fort Hamer Bridge, which will connect U.S. 301 and Lakewood Ranch, so that Manatee County residents can avoid treacherous Interstate 75.

In December of 2015, Manatee County approved a new master plan for DaySpring Episcopal Center, which enabled the construction of a new Program Center; that will celebrate an official opening this February. Manatee County planners looked at the surrounding area, and gave the project extra scrutiny, as it contains wetlands and acres of unspoiled frontage along the Manatee River.

Environmental and historic resources were important in the construction process. Prior to the beginning of the Program Center, archaeologists conducted surveys of the whole property, to ensure there were no burial grounds or other 28

important relic sites. Test holes were dug at 160 foot intervals along the river, and throughout the property, and none were found.

The property was also surveyed for natural resources. Surveys documented a number of typical Florida soil types, including the EauGallie-Floridana fine sand and the Estero-Wulfert-Kesson soil types, as well as Okeelanta muck, Palmetto sand and Wabasso fine sand. They are all characterized, according to the Archaeological Consultants Inc. report, as soils that support a wide variety of native plants. During construction, animal habitats were preserved; thankfully an active bald eagle nest, well known to staff, was outside of the construction area.

DaySpring is 97 acres; the acreage in the property has grown slowly since the first property was acquired from the Hall family in 1979. In approving the plan, the county cited a number of factors: • The building area is largely located internal to the site and will maintain the large separation distances and vegetated buffers which will provide extensive screening for the majority of the site.

• The facility has existed for approximately 30 years and operated without impacting or being detrimental to surrounding community.

• The site and facility are appropriate reflections of the desired “Old Florida” or “Rustic Florida” appearance that the

An aerial view of the construction surrounding DaySpring, which is outlined in blue. As development in the area expands, into green areas, a majority of DaySpring will remain untouched through the latter phases of the master plan.

North Central Overlay intends for the area. The current program center was constructed smack in the middle of DaySpring, in one of the few large clearings in the property.

None of the rural paths or natural areas will be disturbed. To further keep the feeling of Old Florida, the parking area is crushed shell, not paved, and the design fits in with existing buildings. X

Trails at DaySpring DaySpring has trails, Stations of the Cross and a Canopy Walk that allow visitors to explore our pristine waterfront campus. Find out more at DaySpringfla.org.

Mission

Called to the Food Pantry At St. George’s, getting involved in the parish life came soon after joining. A personal testimony from food pantry volunteer and parishioner Rose Cicero.

BRADENTON - NOVEMBER

marks my second anniversary of being co-coordinator for the Food Pantry.

I frequently reflect on how I came to be at St. George’s Episcopal Church, as I had been in nondenominational churches for over 30 years. I moved from California to Florida in 2013, and went to several churches trying to find my niche.

When I passed St. George’s, I would see on the marquee that there was a Healing Service on Wednesday evenings. Many times I thought that I would attend, as I like to be in corporate worship, and in the presence of the Holy Spirit. However, I just made a mental note, and whenever I seemed to remember going, it was either before or after a Wednesday.

Finally, one Wednesday evening in late August 2014, I did remember, and I went. I was quite offput when the service started because the people attending seemed to have sidebars going on that were very distracting.

Inwardly, I decided that was the first and last time I would attend that Healing Service. But as Fr. Bryan spoke that night, he mentioned the needs of the Food Pantry at the church, which piqued my interest. When the prayer time came, I hesitated to go up for prayer, but in spite of myself, I did. As Father Bryan prayed for me, I suddenly knew that I was being called to

St. George’s is notable for its contributions from nearby individuals and businesses, and making do with what is supplied. Pictured here, Chiquita banana containers lined with excess Tropicana juice cartons.

St. George’s. After the service I went to his wife Susan and inquired about the Food Pantry. She told me that they distribute at 9 a.m. on Thursdays.

The next morning I showed up to volunteer. I could not have imagined what the Lord had in store for me.

Pat Sircy, who had been in charge for years, had resigned and one Thursday after the distribution, a group of women were sitting at the round tables and they called me over to join them.

What I did not know is they were discussing the reorganization of duties for the Food Pantry. One of the ladies asked me if I would consider ordering the food, and I said yes. I had no idea

what I was getting into and what the job entailed, but I would still say yes again even knowing what I know now.

It has been my pleasure to serve in this capacity at St. George’s and I am ever mindful that as Jesus said “of myself I can do nothing I can only do the things I see my Father do.” I can do nothing without all the people who are involved in this ministry the seen and the unseen. There are those that give of their time and money and those that just give time or money.

All of us together is what makes St. George’s a very special place and why the Food Pantry has survived for 13 years. God Bless all of You. X 29

Ordinations

The Diocese had one of its busiest summers of ordinations this year, with five deacons ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests. Pictured here, clockwise, are a selection of photos from those events. Clockwise from top left, The Rev. Maggie Sullivan ordained Saturday, July 9 St. Mark, Venice; The Rev. Chase Ackerman ordained Saturday, June 18 at St. John, Tampa; The Rev. Christian Wood ordained Wednesday, June 29 at Church of the Redeemer, Sarasota; The Rev. Robert Douglas ordained Saturday, July 16 at St. Mary, Bonita Springs and the Rev. Daniel Lemley ordained Friday, July 1 at Church of the Ascension, Clearwater.

30

Around the Diocese Noah’s Ark, Deanery Service and a St. JohnVisit

SANIBEL - NOAH’S Ark, a pop-

ular island thrift shop and charitable outreach program for St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church, reopened for the winter season, 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Friday, October 4. The shop closed for 6 weeks for maintenance and restocking.

The Ark offers for sale, at bargain prices, merchandise of all kinds, including women’s and men’s apparel, children’s clothes, bedding, bicycles and sports equipment, kitchen goods and housewares, furniture and home furnishings, and a varied selection of books—including excellent vacation reading—in its own special book station, “Barnes and Noah.”

The Ark’s Summer Chair Susie Scutakes reports that the Ark’s loading dock fills every day with donated goods. “Our island neighbors have been very generous with their lightly used possessions.”

Pictured at center, Bishop Dabney Smith at St. John’s in Tampa.

Smith regularly visits our Diocesan Schools. Here he poses with students after a Nov. 17 visit.

At bottom, the Very Rev. Fred Robinson of Church of the Redeemer and the Rev. Wayne Farrell of St. Boniface at Resurrection House. Director Bill Wilson took a shot of them serving the homeless as part of their Manasota Deanery clergy “clericus” meetings. X 31

Obituaries The Rev. Dr. Stephen Ankudowich

TAMPA - The Rev. Dr. Stephen Ankudowich died on Nov. 28, 2016.

Ankudowich has been with the Diocese of Southwest Florida since 1990, where he has served as Dean of the Tampa Deanery and vicar at St. Anne of Grace in Seminole. He served from 1990-2003 as rector of St. Andrew’s, Tampa.

Born in Northampton, Mass. in 1948, his undergraduate degree was from Trinity College, Hartford. He attended Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Mass. from 1970 to 1974, where he received his Masters of Divinity. In 1974 he was ordained deacon and then priest by the Rt. Rev. Alexander Doig Stewart.

In 1972, Ankudowich married Denise Anne Clay, who survives him.

They have three children, Michael A., Elizabeth and Alexandra.

Funeral services are pending and anticipated to be held in early 2017.

The Rev. Lester Durst VALRICO - The Rev. Lester Earle Durst, a priest in the Diocese of Southwest Florida, died June 22, 2016.

Durst, born in Sarasota in 1951, achieved a B.A. from Stetson University in 1973. In 1976 he received a J.D. from the University of Florida, and practiced law before his call to the priesthood. He married his wife, the former Carolyn Fleischman, in 1973.

In 1990, he was awarded an M. Div. from the Virginia Theological 32

Seminary and was ordained a priest January 18, 1991 by Bishop Rogers Harris. Durst began active ministry

in the Diocese of Southwest Florida and transferred to the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast in 2002. He served as assistant, Church of the Redeemer, Sarasota; Assistant, St. John’s Tampa; rector, St. Peter’s Plant City; rector, Christ Church, Pensacola (Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast) and chaplain, Order of St. Luke.

Durst retired from active ministry in 2008. After retirement, he served part-time at St. Mary’s, Tampa. He was preceded in death by his parents, Marion and Mildred Durst. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn; his daughter, Lauren; his son, Michael (Alison); his granddaughter, Margaret; his sisters, Mildred Dana (Noel) and Amanda Durst; his niece, Virginia Thrift (Glenn); and his nephews, Leon Dana (Tania), Paul Blackwell, and Todd Blackwell. X

Anne Sheree Graves AUBURN, ALABAMA - Anne Sheree Graves, 61, died in the early morning hours of August 12, 2016, in her family

home in Auburn.

Graves served the Church in many capacities, as a member of St. Peter’s Cathedral, as a leader in the Diocese of Southwest Florida and as a Lay Deputy to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church.

Graves’ service to the Cathedral included the Cathedral Chapter (Senior Warden) and assisting in the Cathedral’s development efforts, as well as verger for ordinations.

She will be especially remembered for her work in establishing a partnership between the Cathedral and the Diocese through the Annual Acolyte Festival. The festival brought 350 youth and adults from across Southwest Flor-

ida to learn about worship and liturgy.

Her Diocesan ministry included the Standing Committee (President), Diocesan Council, Finance Committee, DaySpring Development Committee. She served for several years as the voting secretary for Diocesan Convention. In that role, she became known to convention attendees for her supervision of the voting process.

Sheree’s work with the wider Epis-

copal Church began with her election as Deputy to the 78th (2015) General Convention.

In 2015, Sheree began to formally discern a call to serve the Church as a Deacon. The Cathedral nominated her for discernment and on August 9, Bishop Smith appointed her as a Postulant for Holy Orders.

He writes: “Sheree was an energetic and creative leader at both the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and in the Diocese. I am grateful for her friendship and ministry, and I pray for her entrance into the larger life of Christ.”

A graduate of Auburn University with a degree in psychology, she was an entrepreneur and healthcare innovator.

She founded the first e-learning company in the behavioral healthcare space in 1998, called ContinuedLearning. In 2008, she founded VeReality to create online and blended training content in health and human services.

She co-founded Platos Table, a company that sought green solutions to food product waste. The company created ReUser, an environmentally friendly take out box. X

The Rev. Ray Kress ST. PETERSBURG - The Rev. Raymond Paul Kress, a longtime priest in the Diocese of Southwest Florida, died Aug. 30, 2016 at St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.

A native of Newark, New Jersey, he was born in May 8, 1935 to John and Rose Kress. A 1965 graduate of General Theological Seminary, he was made deacon on June 9, 1962 by Bishop Leland Stark, and priest Dec. 9, 1962 under Bishop Benjamin M. Washburn.

Kress had a long career in educa-

tion and chaplaincy. After seminary he became chaplain at Trinity-Pawling School from 1962-1965 and chaplain at St. Andrew’s in Boca Raton from 1965 to 1970. He was headmaster and chaplain at Admiral Farragut Academy in St. Petersburg from 1970-1984; where he also served as headmaster from 1970-1977.

He served many parishes in the Diocese of Southwest Florida, including St. Raphael, Ft. Myers Beach; St. Giles, Pinellas Park; and St. George, Bradenton. For four years from 19982002, he was the chaplain at DaySpring Episcopal Center and priest-in-charge at St. Edmund’s the Martyr, Arcadia.

He followed that with a 2004 chaplaincy at Kent School, Conn.

Most recently he served as priest in charge at St. Bede, St. Petersburg. His wife, the former Barbara Doyle Valentine, died in 2013.

Other survivors include his six children, Beth, Sue, Mark, Nancy, Paul, and Karen, and their spouses, nine grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. X

The Rev. Roland Rose ST. PETERSBURG - The Rev. Roland Rose, a Deacon serving at St. Augustine’s, died Saturday, July 9, 2016.

Born Oct. 1, 1939, The Rev. Rose was ordained Oct. 28, 2001, and was canonically resident in the Diocese of Northwest Texas. He and his surviving wife, Josepha “Josie”, resided in Midland, Texas, where she became an Episcopal priest.

He was married on May 30, 1964 to Josepha “Josie” Rose; they were both teachers before ordained ministry. Deacon Rose became active in art

camps and programs for the incarcerated in Texas, and the Santa Maria Jubilee Center, among many other ministries. They have a daughter, Laura Elena, who served in the US Air Force during Operation Desert Storm and now resides in Collinsville, Illinois, and a son, Noel Christopher who with his wife, Christine, resides in St. Petersburg. X

The Rev.Wayne Sistrunk BROOKSVILLE - The Rev. Robert Wayne Sistrunk, a deacon in the Diocese of Southwest Florida, died Thursday, June 14, 2016. Born April 4, 1939 in Miami, he was a deacon and served St. John’s, Brooksville. Sistrunk was ordained as a deacon on June 10, 2006. Prior to ordination, he was a Lay Catechist at Holy Innocents’, Valrico and also assisted at St. Cecilia’s.

After ordination he was assigned to serve at St. John’s in Brooksville.

He worked as a manager of the University of South Florida’s Chinsegut Hill Conference & Retreat Center.

He has two daughters and three grand daughters. X 33

Glancing Back

Plans for Opening Bishop Haynes Lodge AS THE DIOCESE prepares to dedi-

cate a new Program Center and Pool complex at DaySpring on Sunday, Feb. 26, let us look back at the Special Convention Issue of the DaySpring newsletter.

In the fall of 1989, the Diocese was preparing to open Bishop Haynes Lodge. The Lodge was an addition to the original DaySpring building Curry Hall, where DaySpring’s dining room, offices and reception area are located.

The Lodge was built to tie into Curry Hall, with the addition of dormitories bunk rooms, The Upper Room and Bishop Haynes meeting room and the Bishop Haynes Lounge. Today, each of these additions is still in its original configuration.

The newsletter contains a few facts that show that much is the same at DaySpring almost 20 years later, and a few things that are different.

Much of the furniture for the Bishop Haynes Lodge is still in use. The newsletter stated that DaySpring was in need of donations for furniture, which included $5,000 for lounge and meeting room furniture from the furniture retailer Cargo. That pine furniture, which resembles crates, is heavy and indestructible, and still in use.

Summer camp from 1989 had some 343 campers, and a returning staff of 13. The theme was Jesus the Bread of Life, and activities included 34

The Diocese of Southwest Florida is taking an intentional approach toward gathering materials concerning the history of DaySpring. Thankfully, many of those involved in the beginning of DaySpring are still active, and have contributed to our history archive. At top, two photos of the Fluharty family, for which our St. Thomas Chapel is named. At left, Steve Fluharty (member of St. John’s, Tampa) sits on the banks of the Manatee River with his son Thomas Fluharty. At right, Thomas Fluharty, his daughter Parker Fluharty and Steve Fluharty in the St. Thomas chapel, which was named for the late Thomas N. Fluharty, pictured behind them.

archery, crafts, canoeing, team sports and the ropes course. The camp then was led by lay leaders Flossie Adams and Ellen McDaniel during those five week sessions. It featured a letter from Director Jim Cox and his wife, Jamie.

Jim Cox reported on a visit from Bishop Rogers Sanders Harris, meeting at 8:15 on a Saturday morning in order to become familiar with DaySpring, as it was his first visit. In addition to concerns about continuing education and training for lay ministers and clergy, Harris sought to put together a program committee, to expand programming at DaySpring. In addition to events, Bishop Harris felt that young people and adults would need a swimming pool.

The newsletter also showed the staff and board of DaySpring. Dr. James

McIlwain was President, The Rev. John Hiers was vice president, Mr. Nelson Jones was corresponding secretary and Mr. George Bloodworth, treasurer.

Those serving on the board included Dr. Pat Adams, Dr. Eddy Burns, Mr. Reid Farrell, The Rev. Raymond Kress, Susie Raber, Mariechen Smith, Roxanne Smith, Col. Jesse Wiggins and Sharon S. Miller.

Events that were upcoming included many of the same sorts of events as today, including Stewardship with the Rev. Pat Sanders, a silent retreat with Fr. Tilden Edwards of the Spiritual Growth Committee, a 12-step retreat, upcoming Cursillos and Happening #28, a youth committee winter event and the ECW event Inspirations ’89. That year, Christi Helms was rector of Happening. X

support the

Bishop’s Annual Appeal

Assist DaySpring Endowment or DaySpring is a sacred place that seeks to enrich and empower its visitors in Christ through prayer, worship and fellowship. Your gift to DaySpring, however large or small, will help support DaySpring in perpetuity.

Assist Episcopal Charities of Southwest Florida Episcopal Charities is the funding support organization for congregation-based community outreach and special needs.

TEAR HERE

I Would Like To Be a Part of the 2016 Appeal After prayerful consideration, I/we wish to contribute: □ $5,000 □ $1,000 □ $500 □ $100 □ $50 □ $20 □ $__________

USE MY GIFT □ For Episcopal Charities Endowment Fund □ For DaySpring Endowment Fund □ Share my donation equally between the two funds

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS □ I would like to include the Diocese in my estate plan □ My company matches; the matching form is enclosed □ Donate my gift in honor of _______________________________ □ I wish to remain anonymous

NAME: ________________________________________________ ADDRESS: _____________________________________________ CITY: _____________________ STATE: ____ ZIP: _____________ PHONE: ____________ EMAIL: __________________________ PARISH: _______________________________________________

MAIL A CHECK Please make payable to: Diocese of Southwest Florida, 8005 25th St. East, Parrish, FL 34219

DONATE ONLINE AT EPISCOPALSWFL.ORG The Diocese of Southwest Florida has a safe, secure online donation page at episcopalswfl.org/appeal.html

LET’S TALK MORE □ Please contact me at the above address about the plans for DaySpring Episcopal Center.

Christmas 2016

GIFT LEVELS

35

THE SOUTHERN CROSS THE DIOCESE OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA DAYSPRING EPISCOPAL CENTER 8005 25TH STREET EAST PARRISH, FLORIDA 34219

At the Offertory, 30th Anniversary New Beginnings Eucharist, Nov. 15, 2016

From the closing Eucharist at New Beginnings #60. The middle school event celebrated 30 years of renewal in Southwest Florida. It was also the final Eucharist in the New Pavilion, which has served DaySpring since 2001.

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