2018 Easter Southern Cross

EASTER 2018

VOLUME 49 ISSUE 1

SouthernCross

MAGAZINE OF THE DIOCESE OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

THE NEXT GENERATION OF YOUTH LEADERS LEARNING FROM GROWTH OUR ISLAND & BEACH CHURCHES ST. MARY’S CELEBRATES 40 YEARS

POV: HAPPENING

YOUTH SUMMER CAMPS

SUMMER CAMP SNEAK PEEK Visit DaySpring on Saturday, March 10th for our Summer Camp Sneak Peek! Bring your family and friends to meet our counselors, tour our newly renovated cabins, enjoy the DaySpring campus and fellowship over lunch in Curry Hall. Counselors will be on hand to guide tours and talk to parents about each of our camp programs, and as always, past campers are welcome. Enjoy a morning of canoeing or kayaking from 10 am to noon, lunch at 12:30, and an afternoon swim in the new DaySpring pool or games on the lawn.

SATURDAY, MARCH 10 10 am to 4 pm

WWW.DAYSPRINGFLA.ORG PERFECT SUMMER: DAYSPRING YOUTH CAMPS

SCENES FROM THE

CAMP 2018

Our campers participate in a Christian program designed to deepen their faith and strengthen their friendships through a variety of activities. Campers learn team-building skills and are challenged on our ropes courses, enjoy canoeing and kayaking on the Manatee River, and get a chance to just be themselves playing games and creating arts and crafts. Come experience God’s love through great music, worship and food this summer! Six sessions are planned for 2018.

Clockwise from top left: Elementary Breakout Camp, Mission Camp, High School Camp, Mission Camp out in the community

From the Bishop YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND FOREVER My dear friends, As our Lenten discipline comes to a close and as we anticipate the joys of the Paschal Mystery of Easter, may the words and the images of this magazine remind all of us Jesus Christ, “the same yesterday, today and forever”, is alive and among us and in the work we share. This edition of Southern Cross tells of but some of the full richness our diocesan community as reflected in that Hebrews 13 phrase.

As we approach the anniversary of our 50 years as a diocese, we look back to yesterday at some of the founding days of our historic congregations before we were the Diocese of Southwest Florida. While many of the people are different, the same common threads of liturgy and worship from that time are still present today. And in many cases, the children and grandchildren of those pioneers are still at work in our parishes, as youth leaders, lay leaders and clergy.

We find ourselves reflecting on some of the seminal work of John and Wanda Adler as we report on our newest parish initiatives in Wesley Chapel. Beginning this year with small meetings at a Mercedes dealership in the booming city of Wesley Chapel, the groundwork is laid for a new congregation – one that will be of its time, yet incorporate the enduring elements of our Church.

The ministries of our island and beach churches reflect both our todays, yesterdays and tomorrows. These congregations, so important to the unique identity we currently share here in Southwest Florida, point us to the tomorrow as each Sunday, they welcome strangers to our common church family. In the Easter Vigil, we pray on the renewal of “the earth by your Spirit.” This prayer is reflected in each of these congregations, as new visitors join our family for Baptism, refreshment and renewal. Our “forever” is also seen with our youth leaders, as they begin to claim their own legacy with their personal witness and leadership.

In the Easter Vigil in the Book of Common Prayer, we pray that that the “God of unchangeable power” will look favorably on the whole Church, that “wonderful and sacred mystery.” That prayer, on page 291, continues by talking of our current lives. The full prayer reads: “O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Bishop Dabney Smith is Fifth Bishop of Southwest Florida

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SOUTHERN CROSS YEAR 49 | ISSUE 1 | LENT/EASTER 2018 FIRST PUBLISHED AD 1970

The Rev. Michael Durning | Canon to the Ordinary mdurning@episcopalswfl.org

Bishop | The Diocese of Southwest Florida The Rt. Rev. Dabney T. Smith

Marilyn Erfourth | Receptionist merfourth@episcopalswfl.org

Assisting Bishops The Rt. Rev. J. Michael Garrison, The Rt. Rev. Barry R. Howe

Martha Goodwill | Director of Congregation Support mgoodwill@episcopalswfl.org

Canon for Finance & Administration Anne M. Vickers

The Rev. Christopher Gray | Canon for Stewardship cgray@episcopalswfl.org

Editor & Director of Communications Garland Pollard

Adrienne Hymes | USF Chaplain, Missioner Church Ext. ahymes@episcopalswfl.org | 813-418-1281

Managing Editor & Creative Director Shannon Weber

Barbara Leonard | Bookkeeper bleonard@episcopalswfl.org

Contributing Writers Hayes Chatham, The Rev. Canon Michael P. Durning, The Rev. Virginia Herring, The Rev. Adrienne Hymes, Annette Leahy-Judkins, The Rev. Kathleen Moore, Garland Pollard, Greg Randall

Michelle Mercurio | Administrative Assistant mmercurio@episcopalswfl.org The Ven. Dr. Kathleen Moore | Archdeacon kmoore@episcopalswfl.org Jan Nothum | Bishop’s Administrative Assistant jnothum@episcopalswfl.org Carla Odell | Executive Director - DaySpring execdirector@dayspringfla.org Garland Pollard | Director of Communications gpollard@episcopalswfl.org Greg Randall | Director Youth Ministry & Programming grandall@episcopalswfl.org Tana Sembiante | Administrative Assistant to Canon Durning tsembiante@episcopalswfl.org Anne Vickers | Canon for Finance & Administration | CFO avickers@episcopalswfl.org

Advertising Inquiries Garland Pollard | 941-556-0315 | gpollard@episcopalswfl.org

18 OUR ISLAND CHURCHES

The unique geography of Southwest Florida helps to define our diocese. This is especially true of our island and waterfront congregations, which serve locals and thousands of visitors annually.

23 LEARNING FROM GROWTH As the diocese embarks on a new church plant in Wesley Chapel, we look back with the Rev. John Adler at two of his church plants, St. Monica’s and Iona-Hope.

27 A WRINKLE IN TIME

As the diocese celebrates 50 years, we look back at what the diocese was before it was officially created.

DEPARTMENTS

Subscriptions | The Southern Cross is mailed to parishioners of the Diocese of Southwest Florida from member parish lists. Contact merfourth@episcopalswfl.org to subscribe or update delivery preferences Editorial Submissions | The editors welcome submission of articles for every section of the magazine, including features, news and departments. Please submit articles to gpollard@episcopalswfl.org On the cover View of the marble Virgin Mary in the gardens at St. Mary, Bonita Springs. The garden, open to the public, includes a Spanish tile fountain, a labyrinth for meditation and prayer and a covered area for outdoor group events.

Cover photo by Garland Pollard

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FEATURES

YOUTH

Around the Diocese Meet the Priest | Rev. Ronald Johnson of Christ Church Missions | A Food Pantry Revival at St. Wilfred Music | Deconstructing the Organ at St. Andrews

6 7 9 11

Experiencing a Happening Youth Leadership in the Diocese Meet our Youth Leaders Summer Camp Sneak Peek

12 13 14 15

16 Events Calendar | What’s Happening this Spring 30 Parish Life | St. Mary’s Celebrates 40 Years Books | Sri Lanka: Through My Eyes; Love Heals; The Faith of Dogs 32 33 Briefly 36 Looking Back | Two Decades of Diocesan Websites

Around the Diocese ST. PETERSBURG - The Rt. Rev. Barry Robert Howe celebrated the 50th anniversary of his Ordination to the Priesthood on Sunday, Jan. 14, at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter. Bishop Howe is one of two assisting bishops in the diocese; he was ordained Jan. 13, 1968 by Bishop Robert Lionne DeWitt. The Rt. Rev. Howe, the retired bishop of the Diocese of West Missouri, was dean of the cathedral from 1987-98. He has also served at parishes including Christ Church in South Hamilton, Mass., St. Richard’s in Winter Park, St. David’s in Radnor, Penn. and was a priest associate at St. Boniface, Siesta Key. He also served as canon of the Cathedral in Orlando.

DUNEDIN - Diocese of Southwest Florida parishes reached out to homeless neighbors with the unseasonably cold weather, including Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd. “Some of these people have been on the streets for 10 to 20 years,” said Chris Schombs, outreach coordinator and vestryman for Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Dunedin. Schombs and members of Good Shepherd assisted Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church in Clearwater with their efforts to house the homeless overnight when the weather goes below 40 degrees. The members of Good Shepherd assist with registration and other tasks.

ST. PETERSBURG – On Sunday Feb. 4 vocalist, teacher and performer Natalie Renee Perkins came 6

Meet the Priest

THE REV. RONALD “R.J.” JOHNSON,

to St. Augustine’s. Natalie’s passion centered around the examination of racism and other social ills in the arts and religion. She works as a chaplain at NYU and with two religious institutes– the Tanho Center and the Westar Institute.

BRADENTON - A group from St. George Episcopal Church borrowed a mobile soup kitchen from From His Grace Ministries and drove it to the K&S Food Store on 15th Street and 44th Ave. to feed the homeless this January. They served hotdogs, nabs, oranges, chips, cookies and water. The goal is that eventually they will be feeding the homeless physically and spiritually twice a week. They are currently searching for a heavy duty truck, as well as a food truck license.

SANIBEL - St. Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church announced a major initiative designed to benefit families in Immokalee still suffering from flooding caused by Hurricane Irma in September. As of February, St. Michael’s Rector Ellen Sloan reported that over 300 families are still displaced from their homes and are sleeping in tents. The Church’s dynamic outreach ministry has joined with the Coalition of Immokalee Farm Workers and the Mission Peniel “to explore ways that we can assist with housing and other basic needs.”

up in winter clothes when it is 50 degrees. So, we’re enjoying the Florida life.

Q. You may well be the first priest in the diocese with an undergrad degree from Oral Roberts, and a divinity degree from Nashotah House. Have these different perspectives formed your theology?

Some of the Spanish-speaking clergy at Diocesan Convention. From left, The Rev. The Rev. Hipolito Fernandez-Reina, St. Giles; The Rev. William de la Torre, St. Mary, Palmetto; The Rev. Mario Castro, Church of the Redeemer; The Rev. Livan M. Echazabal, St. Francis; The Rev. Alexander Andujar, St. Vincent, St. Petersburg.

PINELLAS PARK – The Rev. Hipolito Fernandez-Reina is the new Priest-in-Charge at St. Giles.

The Rev. Hipolito came to the diocese in 2015 to respond to a call from St. Monica's Episcopal Church to be their associate rector and to develop a Latino congregation there.

He stayed on as the pastoral leader for 14 months after the former rector, the Rev. Kathy Schillreff retired in 2016. During that time, he served both Anglo and Latino communities at St. Monica's.

This Feb. 1, he accepted a call from St. Giles to be their Priestin-Charge, following the Rev. Debbie Self. “I'm looking forward to work in growing this family, strengthening both the Englishspeaking congregation and the Spanish-speaking congregation in their leadership and identity as Christians and Episcopalians.

The Rev. Hipolito FernandezReina, and his wife Lilian Perez de Fernandez have two daughters, Lilian Maria, Rosanna and one son, Gabriel.

The Rev. Ronald Johnson, his wife Lisa, daughter Rose, and son CJ on vacation this summer.

Q: What do you see as the opportunity at Christ Church?

Q. How is your family adjusting to Bradenton?

A: Christ Church has tremendous resources among its people to expand the Kingdom of Heaven.

There are a number of ministries that are essentially lay led. The Lord’s Pantry is organized by lay volunteers. At least part of the budget for the pantry is funded by our thrift shop, which is also run primarily by lay people. There are several lay led Bible studies and small groups. I think the greatest opportunity is to continue empowering the people of the parish to do the work that the Holy Spirit has put on their heart. In this way we can spread the good news of God in Bradenton.

A. My daughter attends Boston College, so she likes coming to the Gulf Coast for breaks. It is much more appealing than North East Ohio in the winter. My son is settling in to life at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School. He has made a number of friends, and is enjoying the atmosphere there. My wife practiced law for a number of years prior to our first move from Wisconsin to Virginia. She is now working as a legal assistant at a firm downtown in Bradenton. My wife and son both love the beach.

It’s great for them to be living 10 minutes from the Gulf. We’re still not used to seeing people bundled

A. The Department of Theology and Missions at Oral Roberts is much more diverse than most people imagine. My faculty advisor and Systematic Theology professor was an Episcopalian.

The Professor of Homiletics was a Presbyterian pastor. The Old Testament professor was from the Assemblies of God. My Church History professor was a priest in the Charismatic Episcopal Church. It was my Church History professor who first brought me into the Anglican tradition. Several of his students joined either the Charismatic Episcopal Church or the Episcopal Church.

After spending four years in the Theology Department, I had a fairly good handle on Evangelical and Charismatic Theology. I decided that it would be good to round out my education with a school that taught liturgy well. My bishop said if I wanted to get good training in liturgy, Nashotah House was the best place to go. It was at Nashotah that I met Fr. Joel. We were both in the class of 1998. I had no idea at 7

the time that we would be working together again almost 20 years later.

I would like to think that I have held onto the best of all three streams of theology, Evangelical, Charismatic, and Anglo-Catholic. Having this diverse experience of the church allows me to relate to people from almost any Christian tradition. This diversity is serving me well at Christ Church with our three very distinct services.

Q. You have already been involved in youth programs in the diocese.

Did you have an experience with good youth programs during your formative years?

A. I was never really part of a youth program growing up. The Methodist Church my family attended did not have an active youth program. While I was in high school, my family attended a charismatic mega-church.

The youth group there had over 300 in attendance each week, and I was not really comfortable there. I was much more comfortable in the adult small groups, and was welcomed into several of those groups. It’s been great to see the Diocesan youth program building strong relationships with the youth from the parishes. I wish that I had had a similar experience when I was in junior high and high school.

Q. You spent some time in the rural waterfront town of Onancock, Virginia.

A. Holy Trinity, Onancock was my first full-time parish call. I served as the rector there for about 6 and a half years. The Eastern Shore of Virginia has a very unique culture.

Prior to 1964, when the Chesapeake 8

Missons

FOOD PANTRY REVIVAL

Bay Bridge Tunnel was opened, connecting the Eastern Shore to Virginia Beach, the Eastern Shore was isolated from the rest of Virginia.

There is even a distinct Eastern Shore accent.

Holy Trinity was a “Rite 1 only” parish with an eastward facing altar.

The descendants of the same families who founded the parish in the 1800s are still active in the church. Standing in the pulpit when the church was empty, I could see where the varnish had been worn off the pews from the families that occupied those places every Sunday for as long as anyone could remember. Having been founded in the 1800s, Holy Trinity was one of the newer parishes on the Shore.

Perhaps the most difficult adjustment to make was the slower pace of life.

If a conversation started, it would last for at least thirty minutes. This included conversations between drivers who were passing each other on the main street through town.

There was nothing more important than taking the time to hold a good conversation, especially if someone new moved to town, and you needed to find out who they were, where they were from, and who their people were, if they had any people who had any people on the Eastern Shore.

Q. One closing question: What is your favorite hymn?

A. My favorite hymn is 327, the hymn Bangor Antiphoner, “Draw nigh and take the Body of the Lord,” set to the tune Palmer Church.

St. Wilfred in Sarasota moved a food pantry from a nearby church when it could no longer operate the facility. The Rev. Virginia Herring, parish rector, details the new effort, which was supported by a 2017 grant from Episcopal Charities Fund.

St. Boniface clergy: The Rev. Allan Rogers, at left, with the Rev. Elisa Hansen, the Rev. Wayne Farrell and the Rev. Jonathan Evans

OBITUARIES The Rev. Allan D. Rogers SARASOTA - The Rev. Allan Rogers of St. Boniface Church died suddenly and peacefully at his home Friday night, Feb. 2, 2018. He was ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons on January 18, 2003, recently celebrating his 15th year of service at St. Boniface Church.

Pamela D. Backhaus

SARASOTA – In 1989, Beneva Christian Church began a food pantry with the hope that through cooperation with churches and other ministries, the need for food pantries would soon disappear.

Instead, the need has simply grown.

As that need grew, St. Wilfred began supporting the work in 2014. Many faithful volunteers at Beneva Christian had "aged out" and new folk were needed. By 2015, St. Wilfred had over 25 people involved, and one of our members had become co-chair. In 2016, Beneva Christian needed to find a new location for the pantry. We knew that with fairly minimal work, accommodation could be made

at St. Wilfred, a small parish in suburban Sarasota.

We opened at St. Wilfred on Friday, September 1, 2017. On Friday, September 8, we couldn’t complete a distribution because the entire city was closing down, in expectation of Hurricane Irma. On September 15, we still had no electricity in our building, but we opened in the circular drive in front of the church and handed out bottled water and meals ready to eat to anyone who showed up. Within two weeks, we were back in operation.

We have seen an increse in those who need us as we move into 2018. Fifty families used to be a

VENICE - Pamela D. Backhaus, the wife of The Rev. Keith Backhaus of St. Mark's, died Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2018. The Rev. Backhaus is deacon at St. Mark's, Venice. She was devoted to St. Mark’s and served in their church choir for many years.

The Rev. Canon David Rike Mosher SEMINOLE - The Rev. Canon David Rike Mosher died Jan. 5, 2018 at the age of 93. Bishop Paul Haynes named Father Mosher Canon Evangelist of the Cathedral Church of St. Peter in 1979. While canonically resident in Southwest Florida, he served at Church of the Holy Spirit, Osprey, the Cathedral, and St. Anne of Grace, Seminole. Canon Mosher was preceded in death by his wife Maureen.

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Music

fairly standard Friday number, but last week we served over 60. Previous weeks have been higher than average.

DECONSTRUCTING THE ORGAN

Our volunteers range from high school students getting community service hours to a 92-year-old former Tuskegee Airman. Most are in their late 70's and early 80's, but you would never guess it to see them schlepping tables and chairs to create an orderly "flow" for our "shoppers." A group of anywhere from 3 to 20 usually come on Thursday to help set up, unload and put out the shipment that comes each week from the local food bank.

It is amazing to see 2000 pounds of food appear and then disappear within 24 hours - food that would be thrown away, or otherwise wasted.

Every one of us are quite clear that so much more than food is exchanged, and we all get more than we give.

We are all very grateful for the opportunity to serve God in this way.

A new Lenten music series at St. Andrew’s sheds light on the roots and traditions of church music, and provides a new perspective on its importance in worship.

TAMPA – At our Episcopal churches, we do not always pay close attention to the organ. That is in spite of the fact that organs are a significant part of our Anglican worship, and they are becoming far less common in every sort of church.

“They view that instrument as perfunctorily there,” says St. Andrew’s Organist Haig Mardirosian, a scholar of music and former dean of academic affairs and professor of music at American University in Washington and dean emeritus at University of Tampa. He says that often in scripts, there is the line “the organ will play” which indicates that it’s taken for granted, and also assumed that the person playing will be able to set the scene with some sort of music.

That the organ is connected to the church harks back to the age of Charlemagne, who popularized the use of the organ at his cathedral in Aachen, which began Western church music. But our music tradition in churches is far more complex, Mardirosian says, and it uses styles including chant, the polyphony of composers like Thomas Tallis and elements of popular music to create a full worship service.

To explore aspects of church music, Mardirosian created a Lenten series to actually deconstruct our current church music traditions, in the hope that attendees can better appreciate and understand, and support what we have.

St. Wilfred’s Food Pantry is just one of the 12 outreach initiatives that were funded through the Episcopal Charities grant program in 2017.

Congregations across our diocese are involved in a variety of ministries serving the poor and marginalized in our communities; the Charities program aims to support those ministries.

The grant program funds stand-alone congregational ministries and partnerships among churches within a deanery or the diocese, as well as partnerships between Episcopal congregations and nonprofit community organizations or churches of other denominations. The only requirement is that the grant application be submitted by an Episcopal congregation.

While the majority of funded projects are related to food and nutrition - such as food pantries or backpack programs for children - the Episcopal Charities program also funds projects related to health care, literacy training, eldercare, transitional housing and veteran services. Projects that meets a human need, especially those that offer a hand up rather than a handout, are considered for funding. Awards made in 2017 ranged from $750 to $4,600.

The 2018 application deadline is August 31, 2018. For more information, contact Archdeacon Kathleen Moore at 10

kmoore@episcopalswfl.org

SCHEDULE MUSIC IN EVANGELICAL AND POST-EVANGELICAL CHURCHES | March 6

Choirmaster Dr. Rodney Shores explores the phenomenal rise of new musical languages common to the Evangelical movement and what has now become the “post-Evangelical” church.

WHY THE ORGAN? | March 13

March 13, Why the Organ: Is it a coincidence that the pipe organ became the “standard” instrument in Christian musical practice nigh on 700 years ago? Where did this instrument originate? Will it endure?

THE MUSICAL NARRATIVE OF THE PASSION & RESURRECTION | March 20

March 20, The Musical Narrative of the Passion and Resurrection: There is no liturgical and musical drama as powerful as the violent and glorious juxtapositions commemorated during Holy Week for which composers have been compelled to create a musical framework. The series concludes with a taste of the narratives of light and dark, triumph and shame, death and resurrection.

Each lecture begins at 5:30 p.m. with Holy Eucharist, with dinner at 6 p.m. and a 6:45 program. For more info, visit

saintandrewstampa.org9 11

Youth

incredible.

EXPERIENCING A HAPPENING Happening is the weekend program for highschoolers at DaySpring. Hayes Chatham gave this testimonial last fall at Happening #75; in Happening lingo he was “rector,” or leader of the youth for the weekend.

I almost never came to Happening in the first place. I was really first introduced to it after going to this diocese-wide barbeque in Bradenton.

Before that I didn’t even know there was a diocese, there were diocesan events or that retreats were such a big thing. I met a couple awesome people at the event, who were so excited and passionate in talking about Happening that I thought it “sounded like something worth giving a shot.”

I think though, that God pushed me to go to that event. I knew it was happening, and I knew it was close to my house but I wasn’t planning on going. But when I woke up on Saturday morning the hootenanny popped into my head. My mom walked into my room as I was still in bed and I mentioned it to her. She said it was fine if I didn’t go and that I should probably get some sleep.

I liked that answer so I layed back down. But something nudged me, I felt some whisper of a pull to just go 12

show up. And I followed that nudge, I met those people and a month later I ended up at my Happening Weekend.

I came off my Happening fired up about this community of people I find that were passionate about faith and living life in a way I wanted to — living it abundantly. I went into my first team meeting, still only knowing

“

God called you to this specific moment, this specific time...know that you have a God who is excited for you, is thinking about you and is eager to enter the next chapter with you.

“

It wasn’t that long ago that I was sitting in those pews, still processing the weekend and trying to figure out what this weekend meant in terms of my life as a whole. At the time I really had no idea how important the choice to come this weekend would be, and it’s by God’s crazy hand that I’m here rector at this weekend at all.

Honestly, I should not be standing here as rector on this weekend. If a normal course of events had played out over the last few years, I wouldn’t have even visited DaySpring.

my three friends but cautiously ready to meet more. I served on one Happening last fall, and then was blessed with the opportunity to be observing rector for my friend Ian Scharf ’s Happening in the spring. Serving on team has been incredible, and has produced side effects I would never have imagined. I’ve met incredibly fantastic adults, some of my best friends and somehow, someway ended up in the Dominican Republic with a group of people I barely knew at that point. The Happening community has invaded my life in a way I never expected, and I’m so thankful for that.

I run cross country, and every year

the State Meet, the pinnacle of our season, falls on the Happening weekend. Every year we spend the first weekend of November competing in Tallahassee. I was beaming coming off the weekend as observing rector until I heard the news that my Happening would be on Nov. 4. I immediately knew what that meant, and was devastated. I quickly called my coach, just in an effort to confirm the date, to confirm the conflict.

Inwardly, I was divided. How can I choose between leading my team in our senior season and serving on this Happening? Either way I chose, I would be missing out on the peak of one of two communities I love so dearly. I got the call back from my coach. He told me that due to a scheduling conflict in Tallahassee, the state meet would be moved from its traditional date, to the week after.

That’s how I’m here today.

A last second nudge to go to some random barbeque and a Florida State University football game are the reasons why I’m able to serve you all and can be here this weekend. That astounds me every time I think about it. I can’t help but attribute those coincidences to God. Maybe that’s not true, but I think God’s been calling me to this specific weekend since I woke up that Saturday morning. The sheer improbability of me being here this weekend leads me to think it’s so important. And the explosive impact Happening has had on my life is just

You all just partook in an experience the thousands of others have had. But you also experienced your own Happening, unique to you and so I don’t want to try and label this weekend for you, or tell you how you should feel about it. What I can say though, is that this weekend is not the end. This weekend is also not the beginning.

God called you to this specific moment, this specific time. Whether or not you willingly came is irrespective of that. You’re here. This exact group

of people will probably not ever all be together again. And I’m confident that each one of you, and each one of these team members, was hand selected by God to be here, to fulfill his plan.

For many of you, this weekend may have been incredibly powerful. For others, maybe it hasn’t been. Regardless of what place you’re in now, I encourage you to know that this weekend is just a small part of your journey. Coming off of my weekend, I had no clue what sort of long lasting impact it might have on me. In fact,

I didn’t really realize it until almost a year later. Perhaps you’ll see its importance on your car ride home, or potentially it’ll be years until you look back on this weekend. Either way, know that you have a God who is excited for you, is thinking about you and is eager to enter the next chapter with you.

I encourage you to face the rest of your journey with Christ the same way you’ve faced this weekend. With hands wide open.

DIOCESAN YOUTH LEADERSHIP TEAM YOUTH

Thomas Chase | St. Petersburg | St. Peter’s Cathedral Christen Crosby | St. Petersburg | St. Peter’s Cathedral Joeisha Cruz | Temple Terrace | St. Mark’s Rebecca Davis | Largo | St. Anne of Grace Dominic DiRienz | Seminole | St. Anne of Grace Savina Koda | Nokomis | St. Mark’s Shelley Lunsford | Ft. Myers | St. Hilary’s Sarah Mankowitz | Ellenton | St. Mary Magdalene Kylie Matney | Venice | St. Mark’s John Patterson | Riverview | St. John the Divine Alexannie Segura | Seminole | St. Giles Devon Shank | Wesley Chapel, St. Clement’s Paige Toth | Valrico | Holy Innocent’s Isabella Valencia | Marco Island | St. Mark’s Donald White | Bradenton | St. Mary Magdalene Jennifer White | Nokomis | St. Mark’s

YOUTH LEADERS

Courtney Crosby | St. Petersburg | St. Peter’s Cathedral Jackie Overton | Parrish | St. Mark’s Greg Randall | Parrish | Diocese of SWFL Alicia Schmid | Tampa | St. Andrew’s Emily Walker | St. Petersburg | St. Peter’s Cathedral Justin Walker | St. Petersburg | St. Peter’s Cathedral

CLERGY Rev. Chase Ackerman Tampa | St. John’s Rev. Dan Lemley Clearwater | Church of the Ascension Rev. Bryan O’Carroll Valrico | Holy Innocent’s Rev. Michael Todd Osprey | Church of the Holy Spirit

ADULT LEADERS Katie Arp Wimauma | St. John the Divine Susan O’Carroll Valrico | Holy Innocent’s Elaine Patrick Indian Rocks Beach | St. Thomas Anthony Primiano Temple Terrace | St. John the Divine Brittney Traudt Spring Hill | St. Andrew’s 13

Youth

YOUTH IN THE DIOCESE Our youth leaders are growing in the diocese. Today, a network of youth leaders (see sidebar) meets regularly to support each other, plan programs and attract new youth to diocesan events such as Happening, New Beginnings, DaySpring Summer Camp, Acolyte Festival and the Summer Camp Sneak Peak, set for March 10. Below, some of our youth leaders in parishes across the diocese.

Ayana Grady Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries St John’s Episcopal Church, Tampa Ayana is a life-long Episcopalian who grew up at St Michael’s Episcopal Church in Gainesville. Before starting at St John’s in October 2017, she spent 11 years as Director of Youth Ministries at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Jacksonville. Ayana has a zest for life, and a desire for children and youth to experience the love of Christ in a way that inspires them to change the world. Outside of the church, she enjoys going to Disney World, Broadway shows, and watching University of Virginia sports, particularly basketball— Wahoowa! Ayana is very excited to serve in the Diocese of Southwest Florida, and is eager to meet and build relationships with other youth leaders.

Courtney Crosby Youth Coordinator St. Mary’s, Bonita Springs

From Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, Emily Walker and her husband Justin began attending the Cathedral Church of St. Peter in January 2017.

Later that spring they were hired as the Children and Youth Ministry Coordinators. Emily’s focus on Children’s Ministry includes coordinating volunteers for the Nursery and Children’s Chapel, developing curriculum for these ministries and planning monthly family ministry events like a wreath making lunch and an Epiphany party in December and January. Emily also supervises the website and social media of the Cathedral. In addition to her work with Cathedral Children and Youth, she can be found painting over old paintings, reading perspectives on Episcopal theology and ministry, or enjoying yoga in sunny St. Pete.

She is a graduate of the College of William & Mary. Emily and Justin met while they were studying at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. From Montgomery, Alabama, Justin brings a background in education and a degree from Eckerd College. He assists with Children’s Ministry at the Cathedral while his primary focus is on Youth ministries. He is motivated by the seasons of change and challenge that mark Youth ministry, recognizing the importance of positive relationships, agency and faith. He enjoys volunteering at Sweetwater Organic Farm in Tampa, swimming and swinging kettlebells, & games of Catan or shuffleboard.

Emily and Justin are excited to serve at the Cathedral and are eager to coordinate with the Deanery and the Diocese. They are interested in growing new ministries with other parishes and community groups in the Diocese while continuing to support and share such integral ministries of the Diocese as those at DaySpring.

SUMMER CAMP SNEAK PEEK

Courtney (pictured at left with Presiding Bishop Curry) was born in St. Petersburg, where she attended St. Peter’s Cathedral. She is currently a junior, studying communications at Florida Gulf Coast University in Estero.

This past December, and after many summers as a DaySpring Summer Camp counselor, she began her time at St. Mary’s Church in Bonita Springs as their Youth Coordinator. At St. Mary’s, she leads the teen Bible Study and their Sunday School program. She continues to be part of the diocesan Youth Leadership Team.

Samantha “Sam” Sanders Youth Leader St. George, Bradenton

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Justin & Emily Walker Cathedral Church of St. Peter Emily Walker, Children’s Ministry Justin Walker, Youth Ministry

Currently, Sam is one of two youth leaders at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Bradenton. She has been with St. George’s as a frequent attendee and parishioner for five years. Last year, she and fellow parishioner and friend Lauren Diulio felt the calling to serve youth and created a youth group. She enjoys working with kids and finding new ways to share what she learns through Sunday service and her own study time with the youth of her church. She is currently taking online classes at Colorado State University to obtain a Bachelors in Human Development and Family studies with hopes of taking what she learns there and applying it to her life and career.

SATURDAY, MARCH 10 Visit DaySpring on Saturday, March 10 for our Summer Camp Sneak Peek! Bring your family and friends to meet our counselors, tour newly renovated cabins, enjoy the DaySpring campus and fellowship over lunch in Curry Hall.

Counselors will be on hand to guide tours and talk to parents about each of our camp programs, and as always, past campers are welcome.

Enjoy a morning of canoeing, kayaking from 10 a.m. to noon, lunch at 12:30, and an afternoon swim in the DaySpring pool or games on the lawn.

for more information, visit

dayspringfla.org

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Events Calendar MARCH March 2-4 March 6 March 7 March 10

New Beginnings #63 (Middle School) College of Presbyters, The Rev. Barbara Crafton Ret. Clergy Lunch, The Rev. Crafton Altar Guild Annual Meeting

March 10 Summer Camp Sneak Preview March 16-18 Happening #76 (High School) March 27 Chrism Mass, Church of Redeemer

DIOCESAN VESTRY RETREAT WORK, PRAY, GIVE: CONGREGATIONAL LIFE & THE SPREAD OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

COLLEGE OF PRESBYTERS The annual gathering of priests in the Diocese of Southwest Florida.

The Rev. Barbara Cawthorne Crafton is a precher, retreat leader, and the rector of St. Clement’s Church in Manhattan’s Theatre District. She served as a chaplain on the waterfront of New York, in the historic Trinity Church, Wall Street, and St. John’s Church in Greenwich Village.

APRIL April 4 April 13-15 April 21 April 26-28 April 28

DaySpring Eucharist & Lunch: The Rev. Maggie Sullivan, St. Mark, Venice Clergy Spouse Assoc. Weekend, Dr. Fredrica Harris Thompsett Daughters of King Spring Retreat Food for the Journey, John Bell, Valerie Tutson, Fran McKendree Senior High Baccalaureate

Over the centuries, the Church’s mission has been to serve as witness to the reconciling love of Christ in an evolving culture. Technology, social media, and an increasing “religiously unaffiliated” culture create new challenges and opportunities for the church in the 21st century. For this local mission field, the church must embolden gifted leaders who can prayerfully develop a vision for church vitality and a renewed commitment to evangelism.

The retreat will focus on leadership-specific concepts and ideas you can apply within your own parish. The Diocesan staff will share resources, practices, and tools to support the development of “Adaptable Leadership” and Bishop Smith will focus particular attention on practices and tools for “Congregational Vitality and Evangelism in the 21st Century.”

MAY May 2 May 5 May 17-19 May 17-20 May 18-20 May 22

DaySpring Eucharist & Lunch: The Rev. Janet Tunnell, All Saints, Tarpon Springs Vestry Retreat, Adaptable Leadership Education for Ministry Mentor Training Cursillo #139 CURSILLO Recovery Ministries “A Short Course in Christian ACS Users’ Day

Living”, a weekend opportunity to grow in faith and in spirituality. De Colores, Spanish for “The Colors”, signifies being in God’s grace. Find out more at cursilloswfl.org

FOOD FOR THE JOURNEY A CONFERENCE TO REIMAGINE, RECONNECT, REJOICE!

HAPPENING Happening is a unique high school experience weekend which helps teens foster a more personal, meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. During a Happening weekend, participants experience the love of Christ through music, talk, prayer, group worship and community. Led by fellow students and supported by clergy and lay adults, Happening is open to anyone in grades 9-12.

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An opportunity through music, reflction and nature to be nourished, to stir creative juices, to ask questions, to get inspired.

Our speakers for this year’s 3-day event are John Bell, a hymnwriter and Church of Scotland minister; Valerie Tutson, a vibrant storyteller who infuses age-old Biblical stories with new life; and Fran McKendree, a musician, music leader and mentor.

EDUCATION FOR MINISTRY: MENTOR TRAINING Do you feel a call to lay ministry or teaching? Become an Education for Ministry mentor. EfM is a four-year adult education program with groups meeting throughout the Diocese. During this training, you will discover whether you are called to be an EfM mentor and gain the knowledge and skills you need to successfully mentor an EfM group. This training is open to anyone with a working knowledge of the Bible, church history, and theology.

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OUR

ISLAND CHURCHES When the Rev. Michelle Robertshaw answered the call to lead St. Andrew’s in Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island, she knew many peculiarities would arise from being an island church in a popular resort area. She never imagined that one of the greatest benefits would be the cooperation of all the island churches, including the Catholic Our Lady of Mercy and First Baptist.

“During Holy Week, there is an island-wide Stations of the Cross that moves through the town,” said Robertshaw. “And there is an Easter sunrise service in the park at the south end of the island.”

St. Andrew’s is one of 10 island resort churches in the Diocese of Southwest Florida. These include large parishes, like St. Boniface on Siesta Key, to mid-size parishes such as Church of the Annunciation, Holmes Beach. Trying to define an island church is a bit of a challenge here, as many churches are located on the waterfront - St. Petersburg’s St. Matthews and Trinity-by-theCove, Naples, to name a few. In addition, there are island churches such as St. Thomas’ in St. Petersburg, which is located on Snell Isle close to the Vinoy Golf Club. St. Thomas functions more as a city parish, and has a less seasonal component than others. Further still, there are 18

parishes such as Church of the Good Shepherd in Dunedin and Church of the Redeemer in Sarasota that are located in waterfront areas.

Being a church in a popular tourist area offers many evangelism opportunities, but they must fit into the tourist schedule and vernacular.

For instance, St. Andrew’s has a Compline service on the beach at a time when dozens gather to watch the sunset. Since almost no one knows what compline is, or what it means, the church calls it the “Green Flash” Service, named after the popular activity of looking for the green flash of light at sunset over the Gulf of Mexico.

“It’s a great way to drag in the stragglers,” said Robertshaw, who said that many of the visitors do need prayer and fellowship, and some of those are people who just happen to be on the beach, and want to come over to join the event. Recently, she

found out that one of the visitors there was suffering from cancer, and needed prayer. After they went home, Robertshaw continued to stay in touch.

Boca Grande’s island mentality makes for an interesting mix of visitors, and a totally unique set of church events. While the church has been known for being home to presidents, politicians, duPonts, Rockefellers and newly made onepercenters, the island mentality and ethos is very laid back and egalitarian. Boca Grande is where the ultra-privileged go to be anonymous, and a level of equality on the island has survived from its days when the local celebrities were the fishermen guides who knew the best spots. The newcomer orientation event - a boat trip to Useppa Island - reflects the island vibe.

A point of resistance? The easy temptation to become a marriage

chapel, which is historically part of the Florida tourist tradition, and has grown as an idea with the marketing invention of the “destination” wedding. Robershaw often gets visitors who say “Oh, you have such a pretty church. My daughter would love to get married here.” This opens up a pastoral opportunity, Robertshaw said, and she has counseled couples from afar who do indeed end up getting married at the church.

There was a time in Florida’s history when the local postcards featured many of our Episcopal churches, which were often among the more distinguished architectural buildings in town. Local chambers of commerce had little to attract tourists, so they promoted what they had: handsome local churches. In that era, the visitor arriving by rail would be expected, and indeed be looking forward to attending local churches in Tampa, St. Petersburg,

For all churches that have seasonal visitation, finances are a challenge as plate offerings drop off substantially after Easter. Most churches will have a lull in pledges in the summer time; in Boca Grande, 70 percent of the budget is received in the first quarter.

Attendance is around 250 each Sunday but in summertime, it hovers around 30.

Churches Popular With Visitors

Before Florida had welcome centers, the church was the primary place visitors could go to find community.

The idea of church as Florida Sunday entertainment persisted through much of the 20th century, as tourism in the “Sunshine State” evolved. The Rev. Gigi Conner remembers the end of that era while growing up in Florida. “I was raised in Ocala in the 40s, 50s and 60s. The church was the only game in town as far as the community went.”

As shopping centers opened, resorts expanded and other activities arose, the church lost its central place as the center of Sunday activity. Even today, however, all of the Episcopal churches in Southwest Florida function as meeting places for travelers. The island churches in particular play a key role for many families as an integral part of the beach experience.

At Siesta Key’s St. Boniface, the Rev. Wayne Farrell said that the church’s proximity to the nation’s number one beach means that during busy days, they charge for parking; revenue supports mission and ministry, including the parish’s growing youth program. The parish also has a Friday Fish Fry during the Lenten season which has become an institution for the parish and for visitors.

While the parish has a strong attendance of about 350, it is at Easter and Christmas when the population of the church transforms.

“Who comes to the church is all driven by the weather, and the season,” said Robertshaw of St. Andrew’s. “Most of the people who come to Christmas and Easter services are visitors.”

Sarasota and Punta Gorda. Most hotels still keep a list of local churches in the lobby or at bedside, expecting that a significant number of visitors will actually go to a local “house of worship” during their stay.

From top, blessing of the shrimp fleet, St. Raphael, Ft. Myers Beach. Center, St. Matthew’s, which overlooks the Sunshine Skyway.

Bottom, an early view of St. Raphael’s.

On a recent Sunday, Conner said that a Methodist Church preacher came to visit St. Alban’s and stayed on for the annual meeting and dinner. He enjoyed seeing how Episcopal church elections worked, and said he was “impressed” with the leadership of the senior warden. On a recent Sunday, St. Alban’s counted visitors from South Carolina, Michigan and Connecticut. “The fact that they show up at church is very impressive,” said Conner. “Every Sunday there is somebody from somewhere else.”

Seasonal visitors from Canada and the U.K. are an important part of 19

the crowd at St. Alban’s, as well as other parishes. For instance, St. Anne of Grace in Seminole even holds Canadian-style breakfasts, due to the numbers in attendance. At St. Alban’s, seasonal visitors affect the music of the service. While they still sing hymns from the 1982 Hymnal, hymns from Hymns of Praise, Hymns of Glory are used as well, as Canadian Anglicans are more familiar with them. This mix of international travelers makes it a fun atmosphere; Conner said most of her visitors introduce themselves, and come to fellowship hour.

On big holidays, there is a slightly different dynamic; the congregation usually stays for fellowship and refreshment, rather than rushing off.

Easter is a busy time for St. Alban’s, and thanks to seasonal visitors, enough children to warrant an easter egg hunt.

At Anna Maria Island’s Church of the Annunciation, the church is so small they have a Saturday evening Eucharist. The Rev. Matthew Grunfeld says that he truly feels most like a chaplain to tourists on Christmas Eve, when he looks out to the congregation largly comprised of faces unknown to him.

Island Time Short The Rev. David Danner of All Angels, Longboat Key said that the church has unique aspects because of its seasonal nature, including the abbreviated amount of time many of the parishioners visit. His season runs from Thanksgiving to Easter, with varying patterns, some unique to Longboat Key, where boat slips have $100,000 price tags and houses are in the millions.

On Longboat Key, a large portion of the parish comes to Florida 20

its parking for beachgoers, many of whom are locals from off island.

Who the churches attract is also a function of real estate and tourism marketing. In the 1960s, 70s and 80s, word-of-mouth advertising was key. At Anna Maria and other island churches, the tax code is also a factor in attendance: Canadians, Grunfeld observes, stay one day less than six months; any longer in the U.S. and they lose healthcare. Those from other states often stay one day over six months, to maintain their Florida residency.

Baptism on Easter Sunday at Sanibel’s St. Michael and All Angels.

before or just after Thanksgiving, but often goes back up north to be with family during the holidays. By Christmas, only about 30 percent of the attendees are regulars; the other 70 percent are visitors. Easter is the complete opposite, as extended families come south to Longboat Key, and almost all of the All Angels attendees have some family connection to the parish.

Danner has served at two island churches; from 1986-88 he served at Calvary, Indian Rocks Beach, where they offered a Saturday evening service that was geared toward the tourists.

The biggest challenge island churches face is squeezing in additional events during the busy season, which seems to run counter to the expected slower pace on an island. Because of the abridged season, All Angels plans all their events a year out, as their calendar fills up quickly. For instance, the church wanted to offer a lecture session to help the parish understand the details of the new tax law, but it did not have a date where

it could squeeze it in. “The period just becomes insanely busy,” said Danner. “Trying to find a date to do that becomes virtually impossible.”

Today at Calvary, a large part of the parish comes across the Intercoastal.

Calvary is one of two parishes that have docks; The Rev. Jon Roberts said that during his tenure, he has not seen parishioners arrive by boat, which is an option: worshippers would need to be able to dock themselves as there are no waterfront ushers.

Roberts said many of his visitors come from a wide variety of places – in particular Canada, Virginia, Michigan and New York. This is different from his time in Naples, which had visitors from Boston and New York, and Venice, where most of the visitors hailed from Michigan and Ohio.

The swelling of guests that happens at Christmas and Easter is just as much about locals and guests who are visiting for a short time. Calvary, Indian Rocks Beach is generous with

A True Island Church For the year-round parishioners in any island congregation, each new “season” on the island is a time of anticipation. The southernmost parish in the diocese is St. Mark’s, Marco Island, which opened in 1967 and became a full parish in 1973. It occupies a key corner on North Collier Boulevard, right across the street from the Chamber of Commerce. Although Marco Island’s population has grown, its “seasonal church” status has lessened only slightly. Seasonal visitors bring family and friends, and invariably come to the church with good cheer and enthusiasm for worship and fellowship. “St. Mark’s comes to life when the seasonal people return,” said parishioner Lana Fitzgerald.

The highlight of the year - and one of the most island-like events - is the parish’s annual Easter Sunrise service. The service is held on their labyrinth, as the gathered watch the sun rise to the music of steel drums.

After the service, the parishioners and guests move to the parish garden, where the church offers an Easter breakfast brunch. “All these people look to St. Mark’s as their home,” said Fitzgerald.

BARGING INTO CALVARY How one church began its life afloat One parish in our diocese owes its early roots to a barge. Literally. Calvary Indian Rocks is a church plant of Church of the Ascension in Clearwater.

In 1954, the church began worshipping in an American Legion hut at 14th Avenue and Gulf Boulevard, obviously temporary quarters.

The original 14 families grew, and eventually found land at the end of a canal at 1615 First Street, where the church is located today. It was lucky for the start-up church that they already had a building on the property.

This building was part of the superstructure of a World War II submarine transfer barge from Key West Naval Base. Then-owner Robert Brown, who had a sand and gravel hauling business, needed the barge for his work. The building atop the barge was a leftover. Being creative and practical, Brown removed the superstructure, which had living quarters in the top and open work area in the bottom, and in 1950 put it on his canal-front property for a house. He and his family lived there before selling the parish to Calvary, Indian Rocks Beach for the sum of $24,000. The barge served the startup mission well; the bottom of the structure was converted into a sanctuary and classrooms. In later years, the wooden frame needed replacement. However, today the parish treasures the history and holds many events, including youth events, in their aptly named Barge Hall waterfront room.

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OUR island churches

Growt h

Below is a list of our island parishes, many of which have special programs and services during Lent and Easter. For more information, please contact the church you wish to visit.

ALL ANGELS BY THE SEA, LONGBOAT KEY

CALVARY, INDIAN ROCKS BEACH

563 Bay Isles Road, Longboat Key 941-383-8161

1615 First St., Indian Rocks Beach 727-595-2374

Sunday services October to May 8 a.m. & 10 a.m.; summer 10 a.m.

Sunday services at 8 a.m and 10 a.m. in season; summer 9 a.m.

ST. ALBAN, ST. PETE BEACH

ST. JOHN, PINE ISLAND

330 85th Ave., St. Pete Beach 727-360-8406

7771 Stringfellow Rd., St. James City 239-283-1920

Winter services at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.; summer 10 a.m.

Sunday services 8 a.m. & 9:30 a.m.

ST. ANDREW, BOCA GRANDE

ST. MARK’S, MARCO ISLAND 1101 N. Collier Blvd., Marco Island 239-394-7242

allangelslbk.org

stalbanstpetebeach.org

4th St. and Gilchrist Ave., Boca Grande 941-964-2257

calvaryirb.org

stjohnspineisland.com

Sunday services: January to April, 8 a.m and 10 a.m.; summer 9:30 a.m.

Nov. to April, 8 & 10:30 a.m.; summer 9:15 a.m.

ST. BONIFACE, SARASOTA

ST. MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS, SANIBEL

5615 Midnight Pass Rd., Sarasota 941-349-5616

2304 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel 239-472-2173

Winter 7:45, 9 & 11:15 a.m.; summer 8 a.m. & 10 a.m.

Sunday services 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.; summer 9:30 a.m.

standrewsbocagrande.org

bonifacechurch.org

stmarksmarco.org

saintmichaels-sanibel.org

CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION, ANNA MARIA

ST. RAPHAEL, FT. MYERS BEACH

4408 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach 941-778-1638

5601 Williams Dr, Ft. Myers Beach 239-463-6057

Sunday services Oct. to May 8 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.; summer 9 a.m.

Winter services 9 a.m, 11 a.m.; summer 10 a.m.

episcopalchurchoftheannunciation.com 22

saintraphaelschurch.org

Learning

Growt h from

When the Rev. John Stuart Adler received his call to open a new church in the Naples area in 1998, the deanery group charged with assisting him in the launch gave him a last-minute, and unwelcome warning.

“Please understand that we don’t understand anything about church planting.”

The challenge was that Adler, who was then serving as an assistant at St. Boniface, Siesta Key, knew little to nothing of church planting, either. While he was experienced and successful in parish issues in the established and successful congregation where he had served since 1989, starting a new church was something completely new, even with the support of then Bishop Rogers Harris and the parishes

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Growt h of the Naples area, including lead launch church, St. John, Naples.

“It was totally scary,” said Adler, 75, who today is the vicar at St. Raphael, Ft. Myers Beach, and helped launch St. Monica in Naples, opening in 1992, and later Iona-Hope in North Ft. Myers, which he led from launch 1998 to parish status in 2014.

Furthermore, Adler learned he would receive the calling only after only a cursory visit with the Naples startup committee, which quickly told him that he was found “acceptable.” While he did not have church planting experience, the launch group saw additional skills that would be needed in a start-up, as Adler had been an Army pilot in Vietnam and had had a career as a successful trial lawyer in Illinois before answering his call to ministry, and attending seminary at SeaburyWestern and ordination in 1989.

January of the next year. They quickly began meeting with people.

“We drove up and down the street, checking names on mailboxes,” said Adler.

Many church plants take time before they launch services, but the launch moved quickly. Early on, they found a place to meet, a training room in North Collier Community Hospital, and jumped at the opportunity. “I was amazed they gave it to us,” said Adler, who remembered that each Sunday, they brought to the hospital a six-by-eight covered trailer, with all the pieces of the church, from altar to table. The church start quickly went to two services, mostly a result of the size of the lecture room at the hospital.

“Every day was a surprise,” said Adler. “We were pulling people out of the bushes. It was wonderful.” The

church plant found a supporter in the late Robert S. Hardy, a generous Canadian-born developer who built out an office building space to suit the church. Hardy, in addition to developments in Ontario, came to Southwest Florida and built golf courses and subdivisions. At Quail Creek, they found one of Hardy’s office buildings in a location off of Immokalee Road. “He was a very nice guy. He built out the space to suit us.”

It did not seem abnormal to be in an office building. One of the early members was a Naples golf pro who later relocated to Ohio. The startup would occupy the office building until October of 1994, when the parish would move to its planned site on Immokalee Road, and begin services in what is now St. Monica’s parish hall.

The solution? Attend a nondenominational church planting boot camp, where over a few days, The Rev. Adler and his wife Wanda would gather with about 30 others to learn the basics and craft of a congregation startup. There was only one other Episcopalian in the group; the rest were from every type of church background, all consumed with learning the best new, workable methods for church planting, all making their plans outside the structures of denomination and liturgy styles.

“It was a ball,” said Adler. “There were people from all over, from everywhere.”

Move to Naples

The Adlers began almost immediately to build what would become St. Monica’s, heading in 24

At the 2011 Annual Convention, The Rev. John Adler and his wife Wanda celebrated the arrival of Iona-Hope as a parish.

Through the launch period, they moved from residence to temporary residence until they sold their house in Sarasota.

Worship and Liturgy

For a church launch, the style of worship needs to both express the Episcopal Church liturgy while reflecting the community. Adler came to the Episcopal Church as a priest in the tradition of the high church. However, the worship style for both of his church launches ended up being very different from his tradition.

“I have not found that helpful and effective for me,” said Adler.

Instead, the worship style evolved from the needs of the Prayer Book and Hymnal, and the audience, which was about half Episcopal, half from other traditions. “I think that the worship style can be just about anything but it needs to be something that can makes sense to the people you have gathered.”

Iona Hope, his next call, was the first church in the diocese to use overhead projection screens for liturgy. “I thought I was doing it to attract a younger crowd,” said Adler. Instead, the overhead was equally appreciated by some of the older members, who could see the words easily. In addition, some of the elderly, or even those with back problems, had trouble standing and holding the Prayer Book at the same time. At one point, he angrily remarked, at the end of a service with a failed projector, that he might need to go back to the Prayer Book.

Mrs. Bigsby, a parishioner, said otherwise. “Well I hope you enjoy your next call.”

The projector stayed.

Church planting continues. The first service at our new Wesley Chapel Episcopal Church.

What a church plant becomes is determined by calling on local businesses and homes. In both cases, there were many young families searching for a place, and the look and the feel of the church developed on a daily basis, organically, out of the people it was charged with serving.

Nearby Church Support

One key factor in the success any church plant is the support of churches in the area. In the case of St. Monica’s, the key to success was to complement the other parishes, and attract a large portion of the new congregation from outside the Episcopal world. It had the effect of introducing the Episcopal way of doing church to a larger audience, and expanding the pie.

“We never cut in on them,” said Adler. “We sent them people.”

plant business, though he wishes that the wider Episcopal Church would get back to having more new church starts.

“We are missing the boat by not doing more planting,” said Adler.

The hardest part of the church plant for the priest is being the priest, alone. While there is always a committed group that supports the new ministry, often if the priest does not do it, often the task does not get done. And because of the peculiar nature of Southwest Florida the church is not always the first priority, and tasks often get interrupted by daily life, and things like weekly golf dates. That is a small price to pay, says Adler.

“For myself and Wanda, it was some of the most enjoyable years of our lives.”

Looking back on those successful plants, at a time when the diocese is launching a new parish in Wesley Chapel, Adler is encouraged that the diocese is back in the church-

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Planting the Seed in Wesley Chapel

EVENING PRAYER AT A LOCAL DEALERSHIP

WESLEY CHAPEL - In September of 2017, the first pioneer missioners committed to building up the foundation of a congregation not-yet realized. Local media coverage of a soon-to-come Episcopal Church in Wesley Chapel quickly followed.

When The Laker published a front-page article in November with the title, “Episcopal Church Branching into Wesley Chapel,” the Rev. Adrienne Hymes, Diocesan Missioner for Church Extension, recalled that her email inbox reflected Episcopalians’ hunger to have their church where they lived.

The high-visibility of the initial article resulted in an expanded core group. The community is also blessed by Wesley Chapel residents who remain in their own Episcopal churches, and who wish to support the community’s early formation efforts.

After one year of regular discussions with the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, local congregational engagement, and ongoing oneon-one meetings with residents, businesses and civic leaders, the generously-scattered seeds of a church plant are showing signs of taking root.

“Living with the unknown and walking by faith, with hopeful 26

expectation of what God is doing in the hearts of people who have yet to show up to our community, have led me to expand the image of the church planter as the seed sower to the one who scatters seeds while jumping out of a plane,” said Hymes.

Since November, the group has been blessed with monthly meeting spaces in the conference rooms of local Nissan and Mercedes-Benz car dealerships. The monthly meetings currently take the shape of Evening Prayer, fellowship and a meal, and a skill-development teaching.

Topics have included evangelism and invitation, the Five Marks of Mission and the look of a future Parish of Wesley Chapel. “God has called leaders, entrepreneurs and adventurers to this ministry.

I am equipping these courageous and faithful pioneers to go into our parish of Wesley Chapel as bold instruments of God’s mission, already at work, in order to build up His Kingdom,” said Hymes.

The faith community, currently identified as Wesley Chapel Episcopal Church, will share its first Ash Wednesday service in a newly rented location. Hymes said that the church space is already configured for worship, and will enable the community to comfortably grow.

The organizing group at Wesley Chapel.

“There is no blueprint for how to build a church, and that can be intimidating for some,” said Hymes.

“As I serve the Lord and His people in this ministry, I cling to our Baptismal Covenant, supplemented by the Anglican Five Marks of Mission, which offers me a blueprint for shaping the community of faith and engaging missional activity.”

During these months of incubation, the group will transition to weekly discipleship offerings and expanded worship services with the launch of public worship anticipated by the end of the year.

For more information contact: The Rev. Adrienne Hymes at ahymes@ episcopalswfl.org and follow the Facebook page at Wesley Chapel Episcopal Church.

A WRINKLE IN TIME

On Oct. 13, 2018, the Diocese of Southwest Florida will hold its 50th Annual Convention, where our congregations will celebrate five decades of life together. However, the diocese is much older than 50 years; our first church, St. Andrew’s in Tampa, dates from 1871. It was organized under the Diocese of Florida, which until 1892 encompassed all the Episcopal Churches of Florida, and now represents the northern part of the state.

Before the creation of the diocese and from 19221969, the Episcopal Churches in Southwest Florida were organized as the Diocese of South Florida, which encompassed both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, and headquartered in Orlando. Because of the growth in Florida, the diocese was divided in 1961 into three formal administrative areas, the East Coast Archdeanery, the West Coast Archdeanery and the Gulf Coast Archdeanery. On April 28, 1969 the Diocesan Convention of South Florida voted to split this region into three separate dioceses.

In preparation for this celebration, we take a look at how we got to where we are, with these assorted photos and images from our archives at Diocesan House at DaySpring Episcopal Center. They are by no means comprehensive or encyclopedic; instead they are but a representation of some of the history of the Episcopal presence in Southwest Florida before the creation of our own Diocese of Southwest Florida.

An undated postcard of St. Edmund the Martyr, Arcadia. The parish still uses the building today.

St. Edmund the Martyr The choir at St. John’s, Tampa is seen in this undated photo that appeared in the diocesan magazine, The Palm Branch. The photo was by Robertson & Fresh.

It reads, “During the service, showing Morehouse and the Rev. Richard I. Brown.”

ST. JOHN, TAMPA

ST. BARTHOLOMEW, ST. PETE St. Bartholomew, St. Petersburg The 1950 confirmation class of St. Bartholomew, St. Petersburg, in March of 1950. Photo by Thomas Masterson.

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ST. PETERSBURG ST. AUGUSTINE,

St. Mary’s Tampa on Easter Day, April 4, 1958. From left: Ray E. Elliott, lay reader; The Rev. Warren Densmore, rector; the Rev. Robert G. Sharp, curate; George A. Mills, lay reader.

The St. Mary’s Parochial School building, which was purchased from Hillsborough County Commissioners.

It was a reclaimed Air Corps Chapel that was refurbished and redecorated by the men and women of St. Mary’s for $14,000.

st. boniface, SARASOTA A view of the storefront church at St. Boniface, with early members.

At St. Boniface, Fr. Leon Bryan and his wife, Mrs. Bryan at the organ, in a photo used to illustrate new mission in the diocese.

View of Clearwater’s Church of the Ascension after the massive Tampa Bay Hurricane of Oct. 25, 1921.

The hurricane was the first major hurricane to directly strike Tampa Bay since the 19th century.

church of the ascension, clearwater

the REDEEMER, SARASOTA

church of

St. Mary’s Capital Campaign in the 1950s, where pledges are marked on the wall. From left, William P. Davis, special gifts chairman; The Rev. Warren Densmore, rector; William H. Reynolds, general chairman.

At St. Augustine, St. Petersburg, a baptism on April 3, 1955. A Sept. 4, 1955 photo shows the All Converts Baptism Class, with parents and Vicar Fr. Moore.

ST. MARY’S, TAMPA

ST. VINCENT, ST. PETERSBURG Good Shepherd Punta Gorda, as seen in this 1922 postcard. At left is the old rectory. The postcard was by McClelland & Co, Punta Gorda.

church of the GOOD SHEPHERD, PUNTA GORDA 28

The original interior of the old Church of the Redeemer, Sarasota.

A mission of St. Peter’s, now the Cathedral Church of St. Peter. On March 13, 1955, Rev. Charles Langlands thanks firemen for the use of the fire station where the first service was held for the congregation - 95 adults and 31 children - which later became St. Vincent’s.

At St. Mary, Tampa, Fr. Benton talking to a children’s class on Jan. 16, 1949

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Parish Life

ST. MARY’S CELEBRATES 40 YEARS

What began as a mission by Trinity-by-the-Cove is now a Bonita Springs institution. Parishioner Annette LeahyJudkins talks about how the church has grown.

BONITA SPRINGS - This January, Bonita Springs’ City Council provided an unexpected anniversary capstone to the 40th anniversary celebration of St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. At a council session, Mayor Peter Simmons gave a Certificate of Recognition from the city to St. Mary’s for their work in the community. The award was accepted by the Rev. Dr. Michael Rowe, on behalf of the church and its members.

The idea for a church in the Bonita Springs area began in the 1970s, through the efforts of the Diocese of Southwest Florida and Naples’ Trinity-by-the-Cove, and other local churches. Established by the diocese on Oct. 26, 1977, it held its first services in 1978. Like so many parishes, St. Mary’s began its new life as an organized mission, with only 34 parishioners holding services in temporary space at Bonita Springs First United Methodist Church.

With that small group, St. Mary’s established its foundation as a caring, supportive Christian community.

Throughout its 40-year history, St. Mary’s has continued this tradition, attracting full-time parishioners, seasonal congregants and vacationing Episcopalians who increasingly returned to the beauty of southwest Florida and this place of traditional worship. Within this growing parish, seniors and young families found a vibrant church family, now with more than 400 members, 30

where…Word and Sacrament come together in celebration and service.

The talents of this diverse and supportive membership are generously spread over the fabric of parish life.

The various ministries and activities cover a wide spectrum and have broad appeal including involvement in liturgy and pastoral care; Christian formation…a journey of education, Christian growth and enrichment; inter-faith community projects and international outreach; support and staffing of Penny Wise Thrift Shop; special men’s and women’s ministries; and, management of church property and financial stewardship.

Outreach & Growth St. Mary’s Episcopal Church continues its steadfast resolve to offer opportunities for learning and individual spiritual needs. A choice of weekend services is available throughout the year along with weekend activities of worship and education.

As part of its response to the community’s changing demographics, St. Mary’s also offers regularly scheduled services and communion at several retirement and assisted-living facilities in Naples and Bonita Springs. St. Mary’s strong partnership with AA and other Twelve-Step Programs dates back

to the 1980s. The Church’s commitment to recovery continues stronger than ever and attracts people from beyond the local areas of Bonita Springs and Naples to their monthly Recovery Eucharist.

40 Years in 2017 In 2017, the church celebrated its 40th anniversary. With nearly a year of special events, St. Mary’s highlighted its decades-long history and welcomed back their first Vicar, the Rev. Robert Schriber, as well as honoring long-term parishioners, hosting several guest preachers, and holding a special recognition for many of its seasonal members.

A well-attended Harvest Pie Sunday was a heart-felt opportunity to introduce, and thank, the church’s Outreach Partners at the end of a difficult hurricane season which greatly impacted southwest Florida.

A Feast of Founding with Bishop Dabney Smith as primary Eucharist celebrant welcomed guests from local churches and city government; it concluded with an anniversary luncheon for parish members.

St. Mary’s chose this special year to thank Naples’ Trinity-by-theCove Church for its significant role in helping to establish St. Mary’s Episcopal Church more than 40 years ago. They were presented with a commemorative gift in November, given by a grateful Bonita Springs congregation.

Views of the 2006 garden at St. Mary’s, which are an important part of the campus.

TIMELINE

1976

Trinity-by-the-Cove Episcopal Church of Naples purchases a 5 ½ acre site on Bonita Beach Road and donates it to the Diocese of Southwest Florida to build a new church for the growing region.

1978

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church is incorporated as an organized mission church.

1980

St. Mary’s holds its first service All Saints Hall. The church and parish fellowship center is now their Penny Wise Thrift Shop.

1988

St. Mary’s Penny Wise Thrift Shop opens in a local rented storefront.

1990

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church designated as a parish on Oct. 12, 1990.

1993

The new church is dedicated and consecrated.

2000 The Order of St. Luke Ministry begins providing comfort and healing in body, mind and spirit.

The entrance to St. Mary’s, dedicated in 1993.

2002 The Parish Life Center is dedicated.

2003 Penny Wise Thrift Shop moves to the “old” church building.

2006 The Flora Linda Garden/Pavilion is dedicated.

2013 2016

The St. Francis Pet Cemetery opens.

All Souls Memorial Garden is created and dedicated.

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Books

SRI LANKA PHOTOGRAPHY; LOVE HEALS The publisher of the book is the Sri Lankan printer Gunaratne Offset.

Currently, her book “Sri Lanka: Through My Eyes” is selling in Sri Lanka and she is shipping copies to the United States for those interested. All profits will be donated to the orphanage.

In Tampa, Berkeley Preparatory School sophomore Anuksha Wickramasinghe has possessed a passion for photography for as long as she can remember; she also has a compassion for her ancestral home of Sri Lanka. “From a young age, I’ve loved taking photos and capturing moments to be able to convey a story. Sri Lanka is a place that has many facets and many stories, most of which aren’t often told. It’s a place of great beauty, but it also has a darker past of bloodshed and violence. I’ve always wanted to create a piece that reflected the allure of Sri Lanka.”

Anuksha published Sri Lanka: Through My Eyes” in Sri Lanka in order to further connect with her target audiences and gain more support for a place very near and dear to her heart, the Grace Girls’ Home, which is located in Trincomalee.

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“The girls at Grace Girls’ Home are some of the most loving, kind, grateful, and deserving children ever, but because of the lottery of birth, many of these children have had to suffer atrocities that no human being should ever endure,” she said. “There are girls who have had to beg on the streets and sleep in local graveyards, living a day-to-day life with little to no hope before they were taken into this home.”

Her parents came to the U.S. after civil war in Sri Lanka. “My parents came to the United States and attended college, leaving behind the only place that they had ever known,” she said. “While the story of my family has a happy ending, the same is not so for many others. As both a girl with a Sri Lankan heritage and a human being, I feel a deep connection to this cause.”

Florida, describes how real women have overcome their circumstances to create lives that overflow with hope. Healing may mean finding peace after trauma, feeling hope in the midst of grief, forgiving after being hurt, or simply relief from the daily wear and tear of living in a broken world.

In The Faith of Dogs, Father Andrew Heyes, Rector of St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Tampa, has created both an easy read and a unique tool for evangelism. Toby, Barney, and Winston – three dogs with distinct voices – introduce us to different perspectives on God’s creation and our faith.

“When God came into my life (although, strictly speaking, He was never out of it – I just didn’t see Him) I saw creation as if for the first time,” writes the Rev. Andrew Heyes, rector of St. Clement, Tampa.

“It was as if I’d previously taken everything for granted – the planet, the stars, and everything in between – and, all of a sudden, my eyes had been opened to the wonder and diversity of it all. And the guy by my side became more than the ‘little pal’ who followed me around; he became a source of the ‘otherness’ of

creation – a way of seeing the world through a different pair of eyes, using a different kind of brain.”

“Each of them brought a different voice and a different perspective to the faith that is as much an interwoven part of my life as have been my dogs, and they bring it with insight, humor – and a certain amount of disrespect for their clerical ‘boss’ (me).”

The title comes from an observation from January, 2003, that a dog has “endless faith – faith that, however bad things may seem, they will always turn out for the good.

Faith doesn’t mind having a leash attached and being taken one knows not where.”

At The Hound’s Meow in Lutz, as well as other vets, pet stores and bookstores. At BOTA@stclement. net, 813-932-6204.

Briefly In her book Love Heals (Thomas Nelson, $15.99), out this past September, The Rev. Becca Stevens features stories from her life and from the survivors at Thistle Farms, the nonprofit community she founded that supports women healing from prostitution, trafficking & addiction, describing how love heals and transforms lives.

The Nashville, Tennessee priest, who began her work with Thistle Farms in 1997, believes that we all have a story; whether written from the hardships of deep wounds, or longing for justice. Stevens, who has been a frequent visitor to Southwest

VENICE - The Rev. Joe Hudson, a deacon in the Diocese of Southwest Florida, was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests on Friday, Jan. 12 at St. Mark's. The Rev. Hudson was ordained a deacon in the diocese last June. He grew up in Colorado before joining the Marine Corps, stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Okinawa, Japan. At the service, the Rt. Rev. Dabney Smith celebrated and the Rt. Rev. George Wayne Smith of the Diocese of Missouri preached.

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Briefly (con’t)

a uniquely sensitive discernment process, therefore Bishop Smith removed Canon Cooter from the transition oversight of St. Monica as they began the discernment process with 12 names. For the sake of transparency, the Bishop assigned the Rev. Canon Michael Durning to oversee the process.

faith. He believes that the church is full of often confusing language for those who are not in it; even words like advent and nativity do not have much meaning.

“They don’t know any of those words,” said Andujar, who joined St. Vincent in 2016, with an eye toward not only building up the congregation, but evangelizing to many who are completely outside the church.

ST. PETERSBURG – An Internet savvy, newly minted priest in the diocese has revived an old evangelism idea to take the Gospel to new audiences. The Rev. Alexander Andujar, 38, of St. Vincent’s has launched a series of modern day Bible tracts entitled Translating Jesus: Ancient Stories for Modern Ears.

As with the old fashioned tracts of earlier church eras, these tracts are sold in bundles of 10, so that they can be distributed cheaply to those who have basic questions about the Christian faith. Tech savvy Andujar, who has a podcast and shoots and edits his own church videos, still believes that it is important to hand something to people when they are talking about or asking questions about their

find out more at

The idea for the stories is to place the Gospel in Florida, in the likely sort of place Mary and Joseph might have sought a room, namely a toolshed behind a NO VACANCY roadside motel. He says that the booklets are never meant to replace the divinely inspired word of God, instead they are “another tool to help people discover the Father who loves them, the Christ who redeemed them, and the Holy Spirit that seeks to set their heart on fire.”

He says that he began doing the series when he learned of many people who, surprisingly, didn’t know the story of Jesus and found it outside their context of understanding.

The booklets are edited by The Rev. Chester Trow, a Southwest Florida deacon serving in the Diocese of Central Florida, and J.D. Richards, a St. Vincent’s parishioner.

translatingjesus.org

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PUNTA GORDA - Each year, the Diocese of Southwest Florida gathers for Diocesan Convention, held the second weekend of October. This year, the diocese is celebrating its formation and first 50 years. To mark the occasion, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Michel Curry, will come to Punta Gorda to mark the occasion.

The Diocese was one of three Florida dioceses organized in 1969, made up from the old Diocese of South Florida. At that time, the Diocese of Southeast Florida, the Diocese of Central Florida and the Diocese of Southwest Florida were all created. The organizing convention of the diocese was on Oct. 16, 1969 at the Bath Club in Redington Beach. The first actual convention of the diocese was Nov. 19, 1969, at St. Mark’s, Venice.

Presiding Bishop Curry, the former Bishop of North Carolina, was elected in 2015 at General Convention. The 2018 convention will be held Friday Oct. 12, with official business session on Saturday, Oct. 13. It will be held, as in past years, at the Charlotte Harbor Event and Conference Center.

NAPLES - The Rev. Canon Eric Cooter, Canon for Ministry Development of the Diocese of Southwest Florida, will join St. Monica’s Episcopal Church in Naples on March 1 as rector elect.

Cooter has served at the Diocese of Southwest Florida since 2013, after serving almost three years at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Englewood after his 2010 ordination. Canon Cooter’s diocesan responsibilities have included congregation transition processes.

“There were many times when I was getting nudges from people to consider returning to parish ministry,” said the Rev. Cooter, who views the call as a return home, as he began his church career and priestly discernment as a Generation X lay minister at Lamb of God in Ft. Myers.

In the parish profile for St. Monica’s, the Rev. Cooter saw an “absolute commitment” to outreach and local ministry, which was reinforced by his time with them. “I saw it in who they were,” said the Rev. Cooter.

His interest in this position created

While in the diocese, he has supervised congregation transitions, the ordination process, the Fresh Start program and the mutual ministry review process. He has also led vestry retreats for parishes. In 2013, he began a process to revive all of our diocesan campus ministries. At our Annual Convention, he has served as the chair of the Committee for the Dispatch of Business and Nominating Committee. In the wider church, he has served as President of the Conference of Diocesan Executives.

This year he will be a Deputy to General Convention. He served on Diocesan Council from 2010-12.

In his volunteer life, he holds a Commercial Pilot Certificate and is a Certified Flight Instructor. He serves as Wing Chaplain with the United States Air Force Auxiliary’s Florida Wing. He first served in the Civil Air Patrol from 1980 to 1986.

He serves as a mission pilot, actively flying Charlotte County Composite Squadron’s weekly Harbor Patrol missions. Throughout the state, he actively supports the wing’s cadet program as chaplain, orientation pilot, and occasional aerospace instructor.

“I am grateful for both St. Monica and Canon Cooter in this mutual decision,” said Bishop Smith.

You can follow him on his personal blog, ericcooter.com.

ST. PETERSBURG - A new, high school and young adult ministry program will celebrate the accomplishments of graduating high school seniors and connect them with university chaplains, clergy and youth leaders in the areas where they will live the following years.

The Baccalaureate service and luncheon will be held at the Cathedral of St. Peter in St. Petersburg from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 28.

University chaplains and representatives from Florida State University, University of Florida, University of South Florida and Florida Gulf Coast University will be present for the Baccalaureate service and luncheon. During lunch, they will share opportunities for students to engage in various ministries as well as initiate relationships for a strong and supportive future.

Register at

dayspringfla.org 35

Looking Back

2001

TWO DECADES OF DIOCESAN WEBSITES

In October of 2001, the website reacts to Sept. 11, with links to a Forward Day by Day booklet on the terrorism and special litany for use after an act of terror. There are also prayers of the people from the Cathedral written by high school youth. The 33rd Annual Convention is also featured, set for Oct. 13.

We go “wayback” beginning 20 years ago in 1997, to see the first efforts at diocesan websites. Thanks to the Internet Archive, a non-profit, many of the different incarnations of the diocesan presence on the web are archived, at least in basic form, so we can see how the diocese has evolved, even in just 20 years. This past fall, we debuted a new DaySpringfla.org website, and we now look back to see many of the incarnations of websites’ past. Take a peek yourself at archive.org to see what your parish website resembled in those early Internet days.

That year, St. John’s Tampa has their website indexed by the Internet Archive; it features links and as art, the beloved rose window at the rear of the choir. Trinity-by-the-Cove also has their website up; the first archived version, which has a photo of the parish on the front, shows up in August 2001.

1998

DaySpringfla.org has a very simple website with the old DaySpring entrance sign and links to a calendar and programs. As with other embryonic web efforts, www. dioceseswfl.org has information about clergy and churches, the only artwork being a diocesan shield.

1997 The first image of the diocesan website, then at www.dioceseswfl. org, includes features like a “chat room” and ministry resources.

The scripture on the front is from Matthew 28, calling the diocese to make disciples. That year, the website also mentions the death of the Bishop of Chicago, the Rt. Rev. Gerald Francis Burrill, who dies in Sarasota July 17, 2001.

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2000 By 2000, the diocese is actually putting news online. In December of 2000, the Bishop John Lipscomb appoints the Rev. Canon Michael Durning as Canon to the Ordinary.

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2002-03

In February of 2002, our diocesan website becomes more of an electronic directory, with basic links back to clergy, ministries and resources.

DaySpring has gone more graphic, with a photo of a crane at the pond, a very similar image to today’s new website, albeit a lot less slick.

By 2003, DaySpring has expanded their website to include the St. Thomas Chapel, with new pages with rates and accommodations.

2007

In the summer of 2007, the diocese prepares for the investiture of Bishop Smith and looks forward to our 39th Convention, with the theme of “Live in the Spirit.” The font for the convention is Papyrus, which would be used in the 2009 movie Avatar and made famous this fall in a Saturday Night Live skit with Ryan Gosling. That year, the Cursillo website is first archived.

They offer a Back to the Mountain retreat and a music workshop.

38

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From left, Jackie Bowman of Resurrection Episcopal Church and Marilyn Clark of Calvary Indian Rocks Beach brought Christmas parcels to Diocesan House to be distributed by The Rev. Mario Castro to families in Arcadia and at other Latino ministries. This year the Clearwater Deanery cooperated in the annual effort.