By the time you read this, General Convention will be about to begin. Please remember to keep this gathering of our church, and especially our bishops and deputies, in your prayers.

Reports from General Convention will be posted to our diocesan website, www.diosef.org, and complete information can be found on the General Convention website (www.episcopalchurch.org/gc2003/) and the website of Episcopal New Service (www.episcopalchurch.org/ens/). A summary of each day’s events will be broadcast as streaming video on the GC website.

Episcopal Life produces Convention Daily at the General Convention and offers Episcopalians who do not plan to attend convention an opportunity to buy a set of the nine issues. Doreen Younglove at 1-800-334-7626, ext.6321 is handling all inquiries from subscribers.

COMING EVENTS:

General Convention — Jul. 30-Aug. 8, Minneapolis, MN

Youth Convention — Aug. 29-30, Duncan Center

Clergy and Spouse Family Picnic — Sept. 6, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., The Colony Hotel and Cabana Club, Delray Beach

Ordination to the Priesthood of Drew Bunting — Sept. 6, 11 a.m., St. Stephen’s, Miami

Ordination of Holly Ostlund to the Priesthood  — Sept.6, 6 p.m., St. Mary's, Stuart

Fall Convocations — Sept. 6, 10 a.m., St. Paul, Miami—ND; Sept. 10, 6:30 p.m., St. Christopher’s, Ft. Lauderdale—Bwd; Sept. 13, 9 a.m., St. Stephen’s, Coconut Grove—SD; Sept. 14, 7:30 p.m., St. Joseph’s, Boynton Beach—SPB; Sept. 20, 9 a.m., St. George’s, Riviera Beach—NPB; Sept. 27, 10 a.m., St. James, Islamorada--Keys

Fall Clergy Conference — Sept. 8-10, Duncan Center

Diocesan School Fall Semester begins  — Sept. 13 (Additional school dates for fall are: Sept 27; Oct. 11 & 25; Nov. 8 & 22; Dec. 6 & 13)

Transitional Ministry Course — Sept. 15-19, 2003 and Mar. 8-12, 2004, Duncan Center

“Faith Is Caught More Than It Is Taught” — Sept. 12-13, St. David's-in-the-Pines, Wellington; Sept. 19-20, All Angels, Miami Springs; Sept, 26-27, Holy Sacrament, Pembroke Pines

Florida Day at Washington National Cathedral  — Sept. 21

How to Develop a Mission Plan Workshop — Sept. 27, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., St. Mark’s, Ft. Lauderdale

Marriage Encounter Weekend — Oct. 3-5, Duncan Center

Diocesan Ultreya — Oct. 4, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Pompano Beach

Diocesan Convention — Oct. 10-11, Key West

Child in Our Hands Conference — Nov. 7-8, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Pompano

Clergy Spouse Wellness Day — Nov. 15, St. Mark’s, Ft. Lauderdale

Happening — Nov. 21 - 23, 2003

Bishop’s Awards Service — Nov. 22, 11 a.m.,Trinity Cathedral

Deacons’ Annual Retreat  — Dec. 19-20, Duncan Center

Youth Convention—The Youth Rallies previously scheduled for August will not be held. Instead, there will be a Youth Convention for youth in grades 9-12, Aug. 29-30 at the Duncan Center. This event, which begins with check-in at 5 p.m. on Friday, and ends at 4 p.m. on Saturday, will feature reports from youth and adults who participated in General Convention, and will provide an opportunity for youth to learn more about the organization and the ministries of our diocese, prepare resolutions for Diocesan Convention and elect their officers for the year. (Members of the Youth Commission, and anyone who intends to be nominated for Youth Commission, should be prepared to stay for a 5 p.m. meeting following the Youth Convention.) The Convention cost is $15. Online pre-registration for Youth Convention is required for participation in this event; there will be no registration at the door. For information on this or any diocesan youth activities, contact Deacon Terrence Taylor (800-268-9993 or 305-373-0881, ext. 28; email ttaylor@diosef.org) or Mary Cobiella at ext. 29 or by email, mary@diosef.org.

Net deadline—Due to the timing of General Convention, there will be no August issue of The Net. Instead, there will be an expanded September/October issue, which will include a special insert with reports from General Convention. The deadline for all material for the September/October issue is Aug. 15. In order to meet a very tight printing schedule, this must be an absolute deadline; a schedule conflict with the printer caused the drastic delay in printing and mailing the June issue, and we can’t let that happen again! We plan to devote several pages to reports from groups that have been on summer mission trips; in order to include as many as possible, these should be brief (200 words maximum), first-person accounts. Send photos, too (we’ll choose one for each report); please identify the people in each picture and give a brief explanation of where they are and what they’re doing—and tell us who took the photo. The best way to submit material for The Net is by email to episcorat@aol.com. Photo prints can be mailed to Mary Cox at the Diocesan Office, 525 NE 15 St., Miami, FL  33132; they will be scanned and returned.

VMSP Seminar—In May, our Executive Board passed a resolution requiring any congregation or “para-church” ministry requesting a grant or loan from the diocese, and any church requesting financial assistance or assessment reduction, to meet new criteria, including preparation of a Vision, Mission, Strategic Plan and Implementation Plan for the parish. On Sept. 27, the Diocesan School will offer a one-day seminar to assist rectors and lay leaders in this visioning process for parish ministry. Information has been sent to all rectors, and registration will be available soon on the diocesan website.

Bishop Gray Inns—At its June 17 meeting, our Executive Board approved a resolution from the Board of Directors of the Bishop Gray Inns, authorizing them to pursue a strategy for transition of the inns to new sponsorship. In a July 22 letter to BGI residents, their families and inn staff, the bishops of all three sponsoring dioceses (Central Florida, SE Florida and SW Florida) explain: “The original capability of the dioceses to own and manage retirement homes has been fulfilled. Now it is time for transition to a new sponsor that has the resources, expertise and efficiency of scale to provide the best care and services for the inns’ current and next generations of residents.” The complete text of this letter has been posted on the diocesan website, and additional updates on this transition process will be posted as they are received during the coming months.

Diocesan Convention—Materials for the Diocesan Convention, to be held Oct. 10-11 at St. Paul’s, Key West, will be mailed Aug. 1. As of July 24, more than 20 parishes still had not submitted the names of their delegates and alternates, and we must have these names in order to mail these persons their pre-convention materials, as well as their Fall Convocation packets. It is not necessary for clergy and delegates to register online this year. The deadline for resolutions for Convention is Aug. 28; these should be sent to the Secretary of Convention, Fr. Bernard Griffith, Christ Episcopal Church, PO Box 330006, Miami, FL  33133, or by email to chrepch@aol.com. For information on convention display booths, contact St. Paul’s Interim Rector, Fr. Thomas Shepherd, at 305-296-5142, or email Tmshepr@aol.com.

Smith Fund Grants—The Southeast Florida Episcopal Foundation recently mailed to all parishes the application materials for this year’s grants from the Blair and Agnes Smith Charity Fund. These grants of up to $5,000 are made to parish-based ministries that specifically provide for the well-being and material needs of children or the elderly. The deadline for grant applications is Sept. 15. A downloadable version of the application can be found on the Foundation’s website, www.episfoundation.org, in the “What’s New” section.

Position available—The Foundation is looking for a part-time program director (about 20 hours per week) to coordinate the activities of the Smith Charity Fund at the Palm Beach Gardens office. Please contact the Foundation office at (561) 799-6424, or email Charlie@episfoundation.org for more information or to obtain a more detailed job description.

St. Laurence Chapel - has finally been able to move into its new facilities! The new address is: 1700 Blount Rd. Pompano Beach, Fl, 33069, and the phone number is 954-972-2958. Email is st_laurencechapel@hotmail.com.

Marriage Encounter—For the first time in several years, a Marriage Encounter weekend will be offered in our diocese. The dates are Oct. 3-5, the location is the Duncan Center, and Fr. Steve Fregeau and his wife Pat are the contact couple (561-496-4130, or email safregeau@aol.com). Marriage Encounter is designed as an opportunity for couples with basically good marriages to enrich the quality of their life together. The weekend begins at 8 p.m. Friday (check-in from 4 p.m.) and ends at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. There is a non-refundable registration fee of $45 per couple, payable to the Duncan Center. (During the weekend, couples will be given an opportunity to make an additional freewill donation to help defray the expenses of future Marriage Encounter weekends.) The registration deadline is Sept. 1; space is limited, so register early. For more information, go to www.episcopalme.com. A Marriage Encounter is also scheduled in Orlando, Sept. 26-28; the contact couple for that weekend is Bill and Joann Snyder at 352-687-3364 or billyjo@quixnet.net.

Training for innovation--The most effective churches in the future will be those who know how to improvise...who understand about getting ready for what's next. Parishes participating in the Nehemiah Project, and any others who want to learn more about preparing for innovation, are encouraged to send representatives to Camp Improv, Leadership Network’s 2003 national learning experience, “a boot camp for improvisation that leads to innovation”. Held at the Hotel Intercontinental in Dallas, Texas, Sept. 30 – Oct. 2, 2003, Camp Improv features world-class speakers such as Jim Collins, Ron Heifetz, Ray Bakke and Mary Crossan plus more than 25 practitioners from local organizations. The cost is $595 per person.  For information and to register online go to www.campimprov.com

Bishop’s Awards—On Nov. 22, 2003, at Trinity Cathedral, Bishop Frade will present the first Bishop’s Awards for Lay Ministry. Each congregation is asked to choose one person it wishes to honor for outstanding ministry in the parish; this might be someone who has served faithfully for many years, or a relatively new parishioner who’s jumped right into a leadership role. You know who your outstanding ministers are—and although it may be hard to choose just one, remember, this will be an annual award, so there will be chances to honor many people. Names of those to be honored must be submitted to bishop Frade’s secretary, Mary Sinisi, by Oct. 15.

Human Needs Grant Reports--All ministries that have received a Human Needs Grant for 2003 are reminded to report the use of those grant funds by Sept. 1 to Fr. Tom Ryan, convener of Human Needs Ministries, 772-334-0610 or frryan@inetw.net. Eligibility for future grants requires reporting of all funds received through the Human Needs Grant program. The funds for 2003 have been expended. Ministries seeking a grant should look for an announcement for applications in October of 2003 for grants from the 2004 Diocesan Budget.

Training for Christian Educators—The diocesan Commission on Christian Formation and Education is offering new opportunities for Christian educators to participate in “Faith Is Caught More Than It is Taught: A Teacher Certification Program”:  Aug. 22-23, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Pompano Beach; Sept. 19-20, All Angels, Miami Springs; and Sept. 26-27, Holy Sacrament, Pembroke Pines. There will also be a Child in Our Hands Conference, Nov. 6-8, at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. For additional information, email the Commission at DiosefCCFEd@aol.com

Florida Day at the National Cathedral—There’s still time to plan to participate in the quadrennial Florida Day at Washington National Cathedral, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2003. The weekend will include a retreat on Friday, Sept. 19; tours of Cathedral and grounds on Saturday, Sept. 20; Holy Eucharist at 11 a.m. Sunday, with clergy and acolytes in procession, and reception following; evensong at 4 p.m. Sunday; Healing Service at 6:30 p.m. If members of your congregation are going to participate, contact Joanna Wragg (jwragg@wraggcasas.com) or Gail McShane at the Diocesan Office (gail@diosef.org). For more information on Florida Day, go to www.cathedral.org/cathedral/programs/fl.shtml.

Transitional Ministry Course—The Duncan Center will sponsor the Basics for Transitional Ministry course from the Interim Ministry Network, beginning this fall; the first phase of the program will be Sept. 15-19. For information, call the Duncan Center, 561-496-4130.

Helpful sites—For helpful information on church growth, Archdeacon Hobbs recommends the articles found on www.pastors.com; on this site you can also subscribe to Rick Warren’s Ministry Toolbox and have weekly articles and information emailed to you. Check out the articles in the Ministry Toolbox Archives for July 9 and July 16. Another good recent article is in the July issue of Explorer, an online newsletter of Leadership Network; the article is “Where giving is going”

EFM Mentor Training—will be offered at the Duncan Center again this year. The dates are Dec. 5-7, beginning Friday at 4 p.m., and ending Sunday by 3 p.m. All active mentors whose last training was 12 to 18 months ago, and anyone desiring to take Mentor training, are welcome to attend.  For information, contact Bill Thorstad, 561-392-3417, or by email, Mjollnir5@aol.com. 

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CLICK HERE TO VIEW UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS

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CLERGY CHANGE:

Howard, The Rev.  Mimi — Ordained to the vocational diaconate 7/26/03; serving at Good Shepherd, Tequesta.

Ronkowitz, The Rev. George — Called to be rector of St. John’s, Homestead.

Scupholme, The Rev. Anne — Retiring as deacon at Trinity Cathedral, effective 10/31/03 to pursue studies in biomedical ethics.

Sims, The Rev. Mark — Resigning as Canon Residentiary at Trinity Cathedral to be interim at St. Mary Magdalene, Coral Springs, effective 8/24/03.

Tirado, The Rev. Vincent — Ordained to the vocational diaconate 7/25/03; serving at St. John’s, Homestead.

Vernon, The Rev. Valerie — Ordained to the vocational diaconate 7/26/03.

Woodcock, The Rev. Bruce — Ordained to the transitional diacontate 7/26/03.

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Parishes in Transition:

Holy Redeemer, Lake Worth—Fr. David Sutcliffe, interim; Fr. Robert Carlson, Spanish service

All Souls’, Miami Beach—Fr. Richard Maholm, supply

St. Mary Magdalene, Coral Springs—Fr. Mark Sims, interim

St. Peter’s, Key West—supply

St. Christopher’s, West Palm Beach—Deacon Charles Cannon, interim

Holy Sacrament, Pembroke Pines—Canon Kenneth MacDonald, Fr. Bill Eaton, supply

St. Kevin’s, Opa-locka--supply

St. Paul’s, Key West—Fr. Thomas Shepherd, interim

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F.Y.I.—Information from our Parishes and Around the Church

St. John’s, Hollywood, is raffling a Caribbean Cruise for Two on Costa Cruise Lines to benefit the parish’s Organ Restoration Fund. Tickets are $5. The drawing will be held on Nov. 16, and the cruise can be taken anytime between November 2003 and December 2004. Call the church office, 954-921-3721, for information and tickets. St. John’s says, “The odds of winning are better than the lottery!”

All Souls’, Miami Beach, needs a Sunday School teacher for about six children in elementary grades (ages 8-12). The class lasts 30-45 minutes, beginning at about 10:45 a.m., after the children have received communion. If you’re interested, call parish secretary Martha Richards at 305-538-2244 or email allsolsepc@aol.com.

Holy Sacrament, Pembroke Pines, is offering a “Walk Thru the Bible” New Testament Seminar, Saturday, Sept. 13, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This interactive seminar is educational for new and mature believers, young people and adults.The cost is $26 per person, pre-registered, or $35 for those who pay at the door; the fee includes continental breakfast, lunch and seminar materials. There is a junior program for children ages 5-10 at a cost of $10 per child, and childcare is available for children under five. Call 954-432-8686 for more information, and register online at www.holysacrament.org.

A new website provides downloadable musical settings of the Psalms from the lectionary; go to www.songfulpsalms.net. These are not chants, but song settings, some to familiar hymn tunes. The composer, Dr. Thomas Hoekstra, offers this music free, without requiring any copyright license to download or reproduce the songs.

Additional Events and Opportunities
(click on links below for more information!)

• John Hines Preaching Award
  
• Growing Healthy Churches Conference, Diocese of South Carolina, Oct. 23-25, 2003
  
  

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Prayers are requested for--

Our country; for wisdom and guidance for our leaders and the leaders of all nations; for our armed forces, especially those now in combat; for our enemies; for peace, justice and reconciliation in all places where there is conflict;

Fr. Leonel Ortez, recovering from surgery;

Annabel Hobbs, wife of Archdeacon Bryan Hobbs, fractured shoulder;

Ben Brown, cousin of Deacon Holly Ostlund, facing long recovery from serious shark bite injuries;

Leah Rosato, secretary at Holy Spirit, West Palm Beach, healing;

Deborah Deshaies, wife of Fr. Bob Deshaies, recovering from spinal surgery; pray for relief from pain;

Millie Evans, mother of diocesan software consultant Bill Evans, healing;

Chuck Nickerson, brother of diocesan interim receptionist Sally James, pray for healing after major surgery;

Aspirant Peter Wallace, successful surgery; pray for continued healing;

Chancellor Emeritus Fred Stanton, healing;

Dorothy Wilbur, widow of Fr. Newton Wilbur, cancer:

Former COPE Chairperson Missy Rovinelli, breast cancer;

Fr. Gammon Jarrell, continued healing;

Cora Ferguson, sister of Executive Board member Al Ferguson and aunt of Executive Board member Jacquelyn Anthony, continued healing;

Edith Woodcock, mother of candidate for ordination Bruce Woodcock, removed from hospice care, pray for continued healing;

Fr. Miguel Restrepo, healing;

Florence Gray, mother of Rev. Mary Gray-Reeves continued healing;

Jim Gibson, husband of Mother Kate Gibson, continued healing;

Doris Dillenberger, sister of Diana Frade, healing;

Christie Hudspeth, daughter of Mother Denise Hudspeth, pray for complete healing;

Bridget Seward, sister of Deacon Jane Calderin, multiple myeloma;

Lisa Commette, niece of Gail McShane, diocesan coordinator, continued healing;

Mthr. "Punkie" Dennis, healing;

The Rev. SuzeAnne Silla's family: Daughter Stephanie, still in pain, will need additional jaw surgery; mother Iola Steeves, abdominal aortic aneurysm and many other health problems;

Cn. Max Salvador, continued healing;

for the repose of the souls of those who have died, and for comfort for the family of Fr. Raul Blasco, who died July 1, for Fr. Allen Downey and his family in the death of his wife, Margie, on July 22, for Fr. Bernie Pecaro, whose father, John Pecaro, died Aug. 2 and for seminarian Nancy Wynan, whose son, Alexander Mark Wynan, died Aug. 5; for all those who have lost loved ones in the continued conflict in Iraq.

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Anglican Cycle of Prayer

August 10--1X Pentecost

The Province of Melanesia

Abaco Island: St. John the Baptist, Marsh Harbour;        St. Martin, Sandy Point

St. John, Belle Glade

St. Martin, Clewiston

August 17--X Pentecost

For those who give of time, talent and treasure for the spread of the Kingdom of God.

Diocesan Parochial Schools

Communications Ministry

Task Force on Addiction & Recovery

August 24--XI Pentecost

The Church of the Province of West Africa

St. Margaret, Nassau

Transfiguration, Opa-locka

St. Kevin, Opa-locka

Aug. 31—XII Pentecost

The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia

St. Philip, Matthew Town, Inagua

St. Paul’s, Delray Beach

Sept. 7—XIII Pentecost

The Episcopal Church in the United States of America

Andros Island, Bahamas: All Saints’, Mangrove Cay; St. Alban, Drigg’s Hill; St. Barnabas, Long Bay Cay

All Saints’, Jensen Beach

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Last updated 08/19/03