It’s time to make sure you’re registered for “The E Church”, the Bishop’s Spring Conference, Mar. 26-27, at St. Mark the Evangelist, Ft. Lauderdale. The conference will offer two full days (9 a.m.-3 p.m.) of presentations by author and consultant Tex Sample and the Rev. Charles Fulton, director of Congregational Development for the Episcopal Church and president of the Church Building Fund. The Friday presentations are particularly for clergy, church staff and lay leaders; Saturday’s events are for everyone, lay and clergy, adults and youth. Childcare (for pre-registered children, ages 5-12) will be offered on Saturday for $5. Complete information and registration are available on the diocesan website or from your parish “E-church” coordinator.

COMING EVENTS:

 

Wardens’ & Treasurers’ Conference — Mar. 6, St. Mark the Evangelist, Ft. Lauderdale

Women’s Cursillo (Spanish) — Mar. 11-14, Casa Manresa, Miami

Train the Trainers Conference — Mar. 12-13, Courtyard by Marriott Orlando Airport

Benedictine Experience — Mar. 18-21, Duncan Center

The ‘E’ Church — Mar. 26-27, St. Mark the Evangelist, Ft. Lauderdale

Holy Week Chrism Eucharist — Apr. 6, 10 a.m., Trinity Cathedral

Daughters of the King Spring Retreat — Apr. 16-18, Duncan Center

Happening (Grades 9-12) — Apr. 16-18, Dominican Retreat House, Miami

ECW Annual Meeting — Apr. 22-24, Trinity Cathedral & Radisson Hotel, Miami

Women’s Retreat — Apr. 30-May 2

Diocesan Acolyte Festival — May 8th, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., St. Benedict's, Plantation

Clergy Spring Conference — May 11-13, Duncan Center

Twelve-Step Retreat — May 14-16, Duncan Center

Episcopal Marriage Encounter — May 21-23, Duncan Center

COPE (Parish Lay Staff) Conference  — May 21-22, Duncan Center

Note: The Diocesan Offices will be closed Apr. 9 and 12, Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Wardens and Treasurers Conference--The annual Wardens and Treasurers Conference is scheduled for Saturday, Mar. 6, at St. Mark the Evangelist, 1750 East Oakland Park Blvd., Fort Lauderdale. The day begins with registration at 8 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. The cost is $9, which includes lunch. Register online at http://www.diosef.org/register.htm. Everyone who plans to attend must register by the Mar. 1 deadline. Lunch reservations cannot be guaranteed for late registrants. This annual conference provides essential information for both new and experienced parish officers and their rectors. "Housekeeping" details for parish administration change from year to year, so it's important for parish leaders to have the latest updates to help them fulfill their responsibilities for managing the business of the congregation.

Train the Trainers Conference—If you plan to attend the Church Pension Fund’s Mar. 12-13 conference in Orlando to provide training for use of the new CPG training material aimed at preventing child sexual abuse, you need to register NOW. The conference is filling up, and space may not be available after the announced Mar. 1 registration deadline. Some who should probably attend are: sexual misconduct trainers, children's and youth ministry trainers, parochial school personnel and those considering integrating these materials into diocesan educational and training programs. The registration fee is $90; this does not include transportation or lodging. Complete information is available at: http://www.cpg.org/registration/safeguarding2/dsp_intro.cfm

Parochial Reports and Key Personnel Lists—These reports are now due, and the forms for filing are on the website—the Parochial Report form is at http://www.diosef.org/LoginParochialRpt.php and the Key Personnel is at https://www.amerisurf.com/diosef/keypersonnel.html. Posted with the Parochial Report form are printable worksheets and instructions; please print these first, and do your work on them before completing the online form. Also, please check the forms carefully before hitting “submit”; we don’t yet have the system set up for you to retrieve and correct a form once it’s been submitted. If you do need to make a correction, you will have to resubmit the entire form, and let us know you’re doing that. Note: Parochial Reports must be filed online. Even if you were unable to download the form and asked to have one mailed or faxed, someone must submit the data on the online form, so that it can go directly into the programs that generate the charts and graphs of your Parochial Report data, now available on the website at http://diosef.org/parochialrep.html.

Online registration--Credit card payment is now available again for all online registration. Working with our service provider for online payments by credit card, our "techies" and our accounting department have resolved the problems some of you were having with this. If you ever do have difficulty with any online registration, always let us know specifically what error message you're receiving--that helps us to help you.

Registration reminder—Registration deadlines for diocesan events are necessary so that we can have an accurate count for whatever meals, rooms and materials are required. When people show up without registering, it’s not always possible to provide for them—and when people who have registered DON’T show up, we are still charged for the meals and rooms requested and the materials purchased. This is wasteful! There are last-minute emergencies, of course, but you can help us exercise better stewardship of diocesan resources by registering on time for events you plan to attend, and letting us know as early as possible if you are not going to able to attend an event for which you are registered.

A Medical Coverage reminder—Clergy and lay employees with health coverage through the Medical Trust should review very thoroughly the information they received at the time of open enrollment last fall. You’ll need to be prepared for significant increases in deductibles and co-pays when you go to any health care provider or order prescriptions. If you have difficulties with your coverage that cannot be resolved by one or two phone calls to the provider and/or the insurance company, contact the Medical Trust at 1-800-223-6602.

Benedictine Experience—In conjunction with the Friends of St. Benedict, the diocese will offer a Benedictine Experience at the Duncan Center, March 18-21, 2004, with the Rev. Lynn Ramshaw, formerly of this diocese, as the presenter. The cost for the weekend is $325, or $150 for commuters. For more information, call Patricia Wald, 954-752-4066.

Women’s Retreat—Holy Sacrament, Pembroke Pines, is again opening its annual Christian Women’s Retreat, April 30 (evening)-May 2, to all women of the diocese and their friends and neighbors. The retreat will be held at Lake Placid Conference Center in Lake Placid, FL. The Rev. Denise Hudspeth will be the spiritual leader and Susan Carmichael, who spoke at the clergy spouse wellness day last fall, will be the keynote speaker. Cost is $85 (all-inclusive). Registration and 50% deposit are due by March 28. For more information or to register, call the church at 954-432-8686 (daytime) or Tish Burgher 954-430-9611 (after 6 p.m.) or e-mail:holysacrament@holysacrament.org. Click here for a downloadable registration form.

Twelve-Step Retreat—The annual Twelve Step Retreat sponsored by the Task Force on Addiction and Recovery will be held at the Duncan Center, beginning the evening of May 14 and continuing through lunch on May 16.  The cost is $150 for all six meals and two nights' lodging, double occupancy.  For information, contact Archdeacon Paul Rasmus, 561-656-0868 or paul@diosef.org.

Episcopal Marriage Encounter--An Episcopal Marriage Encounter weekend will be held at the Duncan Center May 21-23. Check-in is after 4 p.m. Friday (dinner is optional, $26 per couple extra); the program starts at 8 p.m. and ends Sunday at 4:30 pm. The registration deadline is April 15; space is limited. There is a non-refundable $45 registration fee when you sign up for an Episcopal Marriage Encounter (E.M.E.) weekend and that is the only fixed cost. You will be given an opportunity to make a free-will confidential donation. Couples will have the opportunity to experience a weekend-regardless of their financial circumstances. Make checks payable to the Duncan Conference Center. For additional information or to register, contact Mary at the Duncan Conference Center @ 561-496-4130 or email duncancenter@adelphia.net.

Resources on The Passion—Several congregations are planning to take groups to see the film The Passion of the Christ, or have already done so. Some excellent resources for discussion of the film are available from the National Council of Churches, http://www.ncccusa.org/interfaith/passionfilmresources.html
Resources are also offered by the Boston College Center for Christian-Jewish Learning,
http://www.bc.edu/research/cjl/meta-elements/texts/education/PASSION_resources.htm and
http://www.bc.edu/research/cjl/meta-elements/partners/CSG/passion_guide.htm
Click here for a thoughtful reflection on the film by a rabbi.

Summer Camp—Diocesan Youth Ministry is co-sponsoring with the Diocese of Southwest Florida four summer camp sessions in June at DaySpring, the camp and conference facility of the Diocese of SW Florida in Ellenton, FL. Save these dates: June 6-11, Middle School Camp; June 13-18, Elementary Camp, High School Camp and Extreme High School Camp. The theme for all four session is “It’s All god’s World”. For more information contact Diocesan Youth Missioner Fr. Terrence Taylor, 800-268-9993 or 305-373-0881, ext. 28, ttaylor@diosef.org or Mary Cobiella, ext. 29 or mary@diosef.org.

Two more youth opportunities—“Come to the Feast: A Gathering to Renew and Inspire Young Adult Ministry” will be held May 28-31, at the Wyndham Harbour Island Hotel in Tampa, FL. More information and a downloadable brochure are available at www.cometothefeast.org. The Province IV Provincial Youth Event will be held July 20-25, 2003 at Berea College, Berea Kentucky.  Please contact the Youth Missioner, Fr. Terrence Taylor, for more information.

Musicians wanted--The Offices of Youth Ministries and Young Adult and Higher Education Ministries of the Episcopal Church are accepting applications for Music in Christ (MiX), a program for new singers, songwriters and musicians. It will be an opportunity for 8-10 new artists, ages 16-28, to further develop their music and leadership expression. Selected musicians will attend a conference in Nashville, TN in July. The application deadline is March 31, and the applications are available from the Diocesan Youth Missioner's office at (305) 373-0881.

Keep us informed—when clergy, members of clergy families or lay leaders in the parish or diocese are in the hospital. We’re reminding you, just as rectors remind their parishioners--please have someone call to let the bishops know when any of our clergy or lay leaders are ill. (Remember, Bishop Frade says we don’t do telepathy!)

Seminary seniors—Seven seminarians from our diocese are scheduled to graduate this spring:  Christina Encinosa, Venerable Bede, Coral Gables—General Seminary (GTS); Donna Hall, Holy Spirit, West Palm Beach—Seminary of the Southwest; Hyvenson Joseph, St. Nicholas, Pompano Beach—University of the South; Tyler Jones, Trinity Cathedral, Miami—GTS; Kevin Morris, Venerable Bede, Coral Gables—Berkeley at Yale; Corinna (Cori) Olson, St. Paul’s, Delray Beach—GTS; and Deborah Self, St. David’s in the Pines, Wellington—University of the South. Please keep these persons in your prayers as they seek a call to begin their ordained ministries. If you know of a position that might be available for a seminary graduate, contact Archdeacon Paul Rasmus at 561-656-0868 or paul@diosef.org.

An opportuniy for discernment—The Pathways to Ministry National High School Conference, an opportunity for high school students to explore possible vocations to ordained ministry, will be held Apr. 16-18 at St. Michael and All Angels Church in Dallas, Tex. For brochures and registration information, contact Martha Lang in the Pathways to Ministry office, (214) 363-5471, ext. 269, or mlang@saintmichael.org.

Know a good upholsterer? The Diocesan Office needs to find an upholsterer to refurbish the chairs in the conference room, which have become badly worn with heavy use. If you know someone who does good work and would help us make these repairs as frugally as possible, please contact Chief Operating Officer Cris Valdes, cris@diosef.org or 800-268-9993, ext. 31.

******************************************

CLICK HERE TO VIEW UPCOMING PARISH EVENTS

******************************************

- top of page -

CLERGY CHANGES

Bell, The Rev. Hugh — Interim at St. Mark’s, Palm Beach Gardens, effective 3/8.

Celestin, The Rev. Louis Dickens — Died 2/5.

Wilt, The Rev. David  — Called as rector of St. Paul’s, Key West, effective 3/15.

Woodcock, The Rev. Bruce — Ordained to the priesthood 2/17.

- top of page -

Parishes in Transition:

Holy Redeemer, Lake Worth—The Rev. Bonnie Jones, supply; Fr. Robert Carlson, Spanish service

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

St. Peter’s, Key West—Fr. Ed Winsor, supply

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

St. Paul’s, Key West—Called Fr. David Wilt as rector, effective Mar.15

Trinity Cathedral—Fr. Bob Libby, interim dean

St. Gregory’s, Boca Raton—Fr. Birk Stathers, interim

St. Mark’s, Palm Beach Gardens—Fr. Hugh Bell, interim, effective Mar. 8.

St. James in the Hills, Hollywood—Using supply clergy

-top of page-

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

The annual Joint Lenten Services, sponsored by parishes in the North and South Dade Deaneries, continues on Sundays at 5 p.m. for the remaining Sundays in Lent: Mar. 7, Church of the Ascension; Mar. 14—Christ Church; Mar. 21—Trinity Cathedral; and Mar. 28—Historic St. Agnes.

Beginning Sunday, Feb. 29, The Chapel of Saint Andrew, Boca Raton, began offering a new weekly 9:15 a.m. service, aimed at people with little or no Church background. The service is held in the Parish Hall and features current themes, contemporary live music and dramatic performances. www.chapelsta.org

The Concert Choir of Phillips Exeter Academy will sing in concert at Trinity Cathedral, Miami, on Monday, Mar. 15, at 7:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The cathedral’s weekly mass in Spanish is now on Saturday evenings at 6:30 p.m., with the Rev. Cruz Zenaida Cardona as celebrant. For information on Hispanic Ministry at the cathedral, call Rev. Cardona at 786-487-7157.

The Church of the Incarnation, Miami, is looking for a part-time secretary with good computer skills. If you are interested, please call the parish office at telephone number: (305) 633-2446.

St. Christopher's, Key Biscayne, is looking for a new parish administrator for the church and Montessori school, to begin June 1, 2004. The ideal candidate would be a bilingual Episcopalian with very good computer skills, but much is negotiable. Contact Fr. Gabe Sinisi, 305-361-5080 or gabe@priest.com.

Balere, Inc., a non-profit organization established to promote, encourage, and facilitate the teaching and learning of foreign cultures and languages, will offer a Summer Language Camp at St. Faith's, Miami, July 14-Aug. 6. Cost is $70 per week. Register online at www.balere.org/summer camp.htm or call 305-232-9797 for more information.

Recovery Ministries of the Episcopal Church will hold its annual Gathering in Cape Cod, MA, June 3-5. The registration fee is $195 and includes meals, workshops and special events.  The cost of rooms at the Seacrest is $149 per room.  Reservations may be called in to 1-800-225- 3110.  For further information, call Joyce Hofstra at 508-533-6378 or contact Recovery Ministries at 1-888-306-1542, episcopalrecovery.org

The University of the South is seeking a lay chaplain to work as a team member with its Chapel staff. This is a term appointment from May 2004 to June 30, 2007. Primary responsibilities of the position would include sharing in the design and implementation of Chapel programming such as the Catechumenate, Bible studies, outreach projects, student-led events, and special events, and assisting in the preparation of the liturgy. Participation in services is a weekly expectation. The ideal candidate would have a bachelors' degree with some experience and/or training in youth ministry. A solid grounding in the life of the Church is vitally important, as well as an ongoing interest in theological education and spiritual development. The interview process will begin March 29, 2004 and continue until a suitable candidate is located. Resumes accompanied by a letter of interest and with names and contact information for at least three references should be sent to: The Reverend Thomas R. Ward, Jr., Chaplain, c/o Carlene Bain, Personnel Services, 735 University Ave., Sewanee, Tenn. 37383-1000. The University of the South is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.

Nashotah House, an Episcopal seminary, is offering a two week pilgrimage May 28-June 10, 2004, to holy sites of Celtic, Viking and Anglo-Saxon Britain. The cost is $2799, including airfare from Chicago. For further information contact Fr. Arnold Klukas at Nashotah House, 262-646-8941 or arnold@klukas.net.

 

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

• Summer Continuing Education Program at Seminary of the Southwest
• National Happening Leadership Conference
• Training Seminar for PREPARE/ENRICH Marital and Premarital Counseling Program

- top of page -

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 places of danger; for our enemies; for peace, justice and reconciliation in all places where there is conflict;

Allison O’Brien, wife of Executive Board member Tom O’Brien, knee replacement surgery scheduled for Mar. 22;

Fr. John Mangrum, healing;

Fr. Roy Strainge, healing;

Lillian Ottley, healing;

Pat Evans, wife of Fr. Ralph Evans, recovering from foot surgery;

Mazel Medley, provincial (and diocesan) president of the Mothers’ Union, continued healing;

Janice Ronkowitz, wife of Fr. George Ronkowitz, diagnosed with kidney tumor;

Père Maud Paraison, continued healing;

Fr. Tom Ryan, continued healing;

Fr. Steve Fregeau, continued healing:

Diocesan transition consultant Susy Miller, healing;

Lee Parker, brother-in-law of Canon Jim Rasnick, diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma;

Ken Hobbs, Jr., brother of Archdeacon Bryan Hobbs, recovering from heart attack;

Deacon John Wicks, recovering from gallbladder surgery;

Logan McCormack, father of Ann Said, wife of Bishop John Said, recovering from stroke;

Angela Palmer, daughter of Martha Richards, secretary at All Souls', Miami Beach, recovering from knee surgery;

For safety for Deacon Gigi Brewer’s son, Spc. Tim Reed, serving in Iraq;

LaDonne Neds, wife of Fr. Walter Neds, lung cancer;

Eason Evans, son of Fr. Ralph Evans, pray for successful treatment for severe back pain;

Fr. Sam Frock, continued healing;

Fr. Leonel Ortez, continued healing;

Annabel Hobbs, wife of Archdeacon Bryan Hobbs, continued healing;

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, healing;

Chuck Nickerson, brother of diocesan accounting clerk Sally James, colon cancer;

Aspirant Peter Wallace, continued healing;

Chancellor Emeritus Fred Stanton, healing;

Fr. Gammon Jarrell, 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;

Mthr. "Punkie" Dennis, healing;

Canon 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 for the family of Fr. Louis Dickens Celestin, who died Feb. 5; and for Assessment Appeals Committee member LaVerne Turck, whose husband, Norman Turck , former treasurer of St. Laurence Chapel, died suddenly on Feb. 8;  for all those who have lost loved ones in the continued conflict in Iraq.

Give thanks for the continued recovery of Fr. Sam Thomas.

 

-top of page-

Anglican Cycle of Prayer

March 14—Lent III

The Anglican Church of the Central American Region

Abaco Island

          St. Peter, Green Turtle Cay

          St. Saviour, Blackwood

          St. Simon, Treasure Cay

St. James, Islamorada

St. Paul’s, Key West

St. Peter’s, Key West

March 21—Lent IV

The Anglican Church of Canada

Christ the King, Freeport

Holy Spirit, West Palm Beach

St. Patrick's, West Palm Beach

St. John's, Lake Worth

March 28—Lent VI

The Province de L’Eglise Anglicane du Congo

Crooked Island:

          All Saints’, Church Grove

          St. Michael & All Angels, Moss Town

St. Clement, Spring Point, Acklins

Commission on Church Architecture and Allied Arts

Stewardship Commission

The Nehemiah Project

April 4—Palm Sunday

The Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East

Exuma:

          St. Margaret, Harts  

          St. Andrew, Georgetown

          St. Christopher, The Ferry   

          St. John the Baptist, Moss Town

Guardian Angels, Lantana

St. Cuthbert's, Boynton Beach

Holy Trinity, West Palm Beach

- top of page -

Last updated 03/16/04