LENTEN
PRACTICE IN THE DIOCESE OF FLORIDA 2016
What is
happening in our churches across the Episcopal Diocese of Florida
this season of Lent? I posed this question to our clergy at the
start of the season and received an excellent number of responses.
A list of these from the various regions is found below in the
words of the clergy who shared their Lenten offerings with us. I
hope it might be helpful to us all to see what our brothers and
sisters in other churches are doing this Lent and give us ideas for
the future.
-
The Bishop's Lenten Bible Study
But first,
perhaps the most exciting news is that a large proportion of our
churches across north Florida are following our Bishop's Lenten
Bible Study series. Bishop Howard filmed a Lenten Bible Study
series based on the Book of Revelation. The series was filmed at
St. John's Cathedral. In each session Bishop Howard speaks
conversationally with The Rev. Deacon David Crabtree, Emmy-award
winning anchor of WRAL in Raleigh and Permanent Deacon of the
Diocese of North Carolina. The series was offered by
Flash Drive as well as YouTube links. Well over 30 churches and
laity requested the series. Plans are underway for future
bible studies to be offered to the diocese.
Mary Hamilton has recorded
some 29 requests for the Flash Drive and YouTube link and more than
that have been distributed. These include: St. John's Cathedral;
Emmanuel Episcopal Church; St Michael and All Angels; Trinity, St
Augustine; St James, Perry; St. Elizabeth's; All Saints; St Mark's,
Palatka; St. Alban's; Redeemer; Mediator; St. Thomas; Christ
Church, Monticello; St Paul's by the Sea; Grace Mission; St
Patrick's; St Joseph's, Newberry; Holy Comforter, Crescent City;
Resurrection; St Mary's, Green Cove Springs; Trinity, Melrose; St
Mark's, Starke; Chapel of the Chrysostom - Melrose; Advent; Holy
Comforter, Tallahassee; St. Andrew's, Jacksonville and St.
Bartholomew's.
-
And here is what individual churches are doing (listed by
region):
APALACHEE
REGION
Ruge Hall,
FSU
The Rev.
Brian Smith:
The
students at Ruge Hall this Lent have compiled their own student
written collects based on the Daily Office Lectionary for all of
Lent. For a copy email Fr Smith:
fb@rugehall.org
The FSU
chaplaincy will also follow the Bishop's Bible study series for
Lent.
Church of
the Advent, Tallahassee and St Michael and All Angels,
Tallahassee
Mr
Byron Greene (Senior Warden, St M & All Angels):
[We] are
engaging in a shared Lenten season with our sister parish at the
Episcopal Church of the Advent (Advent). We will alternate sites
between our church and Advent during Lent and have potluck dinners
along with a Lenten focused presentation and discussion. We will
begin the Lenten season with Ash Wednesday service at Advent. This
will be the second year that we have participated in a shared
program with Advent.
[Fr Carl
Goodlett kindly wrote as well re-iterating what the Senior Warden
has shared above.]
St John's
Church, Tallahassee
The Rev Abi
Moon:
Here are
some of the things that St John's is doing as we journey in
Lent.
1.
[our] "Guide to Lent and Holy Week"
we print each year and have available for all to take with
them.
2.
We have a parish-wide "Lenten
Prayer Partner" program where people sign up for prayer partners
for the season of Lent. They commit to praying daily for the person
they have been given and sending a card by mail each week. On
Easter morning they exchange gifts at the parish.
3.
We have begun a "Together in Lent"
noonday service on Thursdays with lunch following. The Tallahassee
downtown churches have collaborated to have each church host and
another preach each week (see more details in the guide to holy
week).
4.
We have the Episcopal Relief and
Development Lenten Devotionals out for people to take with them as
a free resource.
5.
The youth follow: http://videosforyoursoul.com/
a
daily video blog for reflection
6.
The Journey through Lent Posters
are available for all, especially the children, as a free
resource-
http://www.forwardmovement.org/Products/2322/join-the-journey-lent-calendar-2016.aspx
7.
The Society of St John the
Evangelist has also created this resource for creating and living
out a Rule of Life (we introduced this to our youth in
January): http://ssje.org/ssje/growrule/
St
Paul's, Quincy
The Rev.
John Wesley:
I
will be using my own book The Holy Spirit inThe Book of Common
Prayer for our St. Paul's Lenten Study Program. I had
specifically written the book with lay persons in mind, with
questions for study / reflection / discussion at the end of each
chapter.
SANTA FE
REGION
Trinity
Church, Melrose and St. Mark's Church, Starke
The Rev.
Anthony Powell:
[We] will
continue hosting our joint Lenten Soup Suppers on Wednesday
evenings. This year we have invited St. John's Baptist and Melrose
UMC to join us. Our focus this year will be on the Saints In Our
Lives, inviting members to share their stories of holy men and holy
women who made a difference in their life. We will also offer an
official "saint" each week such as John and Charles Wesley, good
Anglicans who began the Methodist movement.
St
Bartholomew's Church, High Springs
The Rev.
Lance Horne:
[We] will
be doing five Wednesday night programs using Bishop Howard's and
Dr. Crabtree's video reflections on Revelations. Soup and salad--
so y'all come. Personally I plan to get immersed in the Bishop's
presentations along with my congregation using them to guide my
studies and reflection. +John has insights to Holy Scripture that I
am very interested in hearing and inwardly digesting.
St
Alban's Church, Chiefland
The Rev.
Jim Parks:
We. .
. are going to be looking at the Apocrypha. We will be
looking at the different books to see if they can say something to
us as the canonical scriptures do. We will discuss why we think
they might not have been included in the Bible as we know it today.
We have tried to approach subjects that our folks have asked about.
To date we have 13 people lined up to join us for soup, crackers
and tea. Then discussion.
St Luke's Church, Live
Oak
The Rev. Phyllis
Doty:
We
are doing a study of the book of Ephesians for our Lenten Series.
For the Daughters of the King, I am recommending they read The God
Who Comes, by Carlo Carretto or Befriending Silence by Carl
McColman.
Church of
the Mediator, Micanopy
The Rev.
Les Singleton:
At Mediator, Deacon Diane [Whallon] is going to be leading the
Revelation Bible study of the Bishop at 10 am each Sunday am (an
hour before our 11 am service).
St Joseph's Church, Newberry
The Rev. Richard Pelkey:
At
St. Joseph's, we will be having weekly soup suppers followed by
Bishop Howard's video Bible study series on Revelation during
Wednesday nights in Lent.
Christ
Church, Cedar Key
The Rev.
Jim Wright:
We
are having a 5 week study/discussion group, open to the public, on
Pope Francis' recent Encyclical on Care of our Common
Home.
RIVER
REGION
St
Mark's Church, Palatka
The Rev.
Bob Marsh:
At
St Mark's Palatka we're going to use +John's teaching on the 7
churches in Revelation 2 & 3.
Church of
the Holy Communion, Hawthorne
The Rev.
Les Singleton:
Jay Jamison
will lead the congregation in Stations of the Cross for an evening
service, 2 or 3 times during Lent.
FIRST
COAST, WEST REGION
St
Mary's Church, Green Cove Springs
The Rev.
Celeste Tisdelle:
St. Mary's [administered] Ashes to Go at
the sidewalk at the Clay County Courthouse on Ash Wednesday,
February 10th, from 12n-2p.
St. Mary's is walking The Stations of the
Cross every Friday at 5pm-outdoors or in the hall-weather
permitting from February 12th.
St. Mary's is holding a Lenten Book Study
with Soup and Salad beginning February 17th at 630pm. We are once again reading the
Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book. This year it is "I AM With
You" by Kathryn Greene-McCreight
St. Mary's held a Lenten Quiet Morning
with the Spirituality Center at St. John's Cathedral on Sat.,
February 27th from 9am-11am at St. Mary's,
GCS.
Church of
the Good Shepherd, Jacksonville
The Rev. Wiley
Ammons:
Our
Wednesday night programming is focused on the lives of the saints,
where we're learning about the great men and women of the tradition
through Lent Madness, a March-madness basketball bracket style
program that the creators at Forward Movement describe as a silly
way to learn something serious. People in the parish fill out
brackets and we have a contest for who can guess the most correct
answers to the voting. It runs from the Thursday after Ash
Wednesday through Wednesday in Holy Week. Young and old find it
great fun here, and we leave the bracket up in church on Sunday so
people can keep track of the contests.
Online,
we're publishing Bishop Howard's Bible Study on Revelation on our
Facebook page, [I wrote a parish] newsletter articl for this
month that acknowledges how silly our Wednesday nights are and
gives some other resources for going deeper into the Christian
disciplines if people are looking for something meatier than a
saints-based bracket game.
St
Philip's Church, Jacksonville
The Rev. Jo Ann Ford
(on behalf of the Rector the Rev. Hugh Chapman and the
clergy):
I am helping to put
together the Wednesday night Lenten program with Pam Pierce.
The theme for this year is: "Lent is not a four letter word".
We will be using "Growing a Rule of Life", the series developed by
The Society of St. John the Evangelist and Virginia Seminary's
Center for the Ministry of Teaching. The evening will include
a meal, some music, a talk by a different lay person each night on
the four components of the series: Relationship with God,
with self, with others, and with creation. The dinner and
discussion will involve the same group of 10 eating and discussing
together each week to help foster trust and deeper
communication.
Our Sunday
morning program this year has focused on going through the
Catechism question by question and discussing the answers. It
has made from some great discussion as well as reflection on what
it is each of us really believes.
FIRST
COAST, EAST REGION
All Saints'
Church
The Rev.
Donavan Cain:
This
year's Lenten Series and Soup Supper, focusing on a new Bible
Study on the Book of the Revelation of John, begins this year on
February 18 at 6pm. Our Bishop, the Rt. Rev'd S. John Howard, has
produced a new five part Bible Study on the Apocalypse of the New
Testament just in time for Lent. With this great opportunity
to join with our Bishop, we will gather each Thursday in Lent for a
wonderful, enriching soup and bread dinner, followed by a 20 minute
video with Bishop Howard, and discussion and questions, led by Fr.
Donavan.
Stations of
the Cross for Lent begins on Friday, February 19 at All
Saints
In
addition to the articles below, All Saints has a "Thomas Merton
Book Study Group" that meets during the lunch hour on Tuesdays.
We are planning a Lenten Book Study to begin on Tuesday,
February 16th, at 12:10pm, here at All Saints. The group will read
C.S. Lewis' renowned novel on heaven and hell, The Great
Divorce.
St
Paul's by the Sea
The Rev.
Reed Freeman:
St. Paul's
by-the-Sea, Jacksonville Beach will offer a series of five programs
on Wednesday evenings during Lent at 6:00-7:30pm. These will
be on Feb 17, 24; Mar 2, 9, 16. The offering includes Taize worship
at 6:00; a light meal at 6:30; and a program "Final Words from the
Cross" (Adam Hamilton) at 7:00.
Operation
Hope
The Rev.
Bill Carroll:
… the
same Lenten book I've used for the last 15 years, Holy Island
[Lindisfarne].
St
Francis-in-the-Field
The Rev.
Michael Ellis:
St. Francis
in-the-Field will be offering The Crucified Life, a small group
study during Lent. If you do not know of it, it is the first part
of the Christian Life Trilogy developed by Fr. Charlie Holt in the
Diocese of Central Florida. We have been signing up people for
groups, and as of today have about 105 adults and teens committed
to groups. We hope that by the time we launch next week we will
have 120-130 participants.
Christ
Church, Ponte Vedra
The Rev.
Caroline Kramer:
[Our Lenten
Schedule includes the following]
Adult
Formation : Sundays 10:15am and Wednesday 7:00 pm will focus on
theories atonement/at-one-ment "How Jesus reconciles the World".
Begins sun 14th/Wed17th. Parish Center Classrooms 111-113. No need
to register.
Family Ministries: Begins Feb
17. Dinner at 5:45. This series will focus around child friendly
spiritual practices and will include a service project to assemble
care packages for Wolfson Children's Hospital. All welcome, nursery
available for younger children. Contact Catherine
Montgomery
Forgiveness
Works: 9:30-12:00 February 20th. This morning workshop will focus
on the theme of forgiveness. We will look at Peter and Paul, at the
vulnerability of forgiveness and think about what it means to be
forgiven and forgiving. The workshop is free but please sign up at
christepiscopalchurch.org as breakfast is included. Contact the
Rev. Caroline Kramer
Lectio Divina 7:00pm on
Wednesdays during Lent. This ancient method of reading Scripture
and meditating on it is led by Parishioner Leila Quinlan. Contact
the Rev. Leila Quinlan
Prayer Bead Workshop 7:00pm
Wednesday 16th March Come and make a set of prayer beads and learn
how to use them. Returning beaders welcome as these make great
gifts. Contact the Rev. Caroline Kramer
Quiet
Day for Holy Week March 19th at our San Pablo Campus. The Rev.
Wendy Billingslea will lead this day to prepare us for this most
sacred time of the year. Please register at
christepiscopalchurch.org Contact the Rev Wendy
Billingslea.
The Labyrinth in Holy Week.
Weather permitting we will be setting out a Labyrinth over the Palm
Sunday Weekend which will be available for use during Holy Week.
Contact Parish Office
NB: We have a very large
labyrinth available if folks would like to borrow it (you will need
to call for dimensions to make sure it will fit your space - it
really is that big). We might even be able to find someone to come
and run a workshop if you would like that. Contact Parish
Office.
The Rev.
Leila Quinlan:
I
would also like everyone to know that there is a service project
each week in the Family Ministries Lenten sessions on Wednesday
evenings and there are several small group studies which are being
firmed up as we speak! One from Wendy for Women Connecting and a
few will hopefully be flowing out from the Advent studies into new
Lenten small group studies.
-
What individuals (clergy) are doing for Lent:
In
addition to sharing what their churches are doing during Lent, a
number of clergy also kindly shared their personal Lenten
observances.
In the western half of the
Diocese Brian Smith at FSU is reading Understanding the Whole
Bible: The King,The Kingdom and the New Covenant by Jonathan
Welton. John Wesley and his wife Sandie in Quincy are following a
program called "An Ignatian Prayer Adventure" recommended on the
Ignatian spirituality blog dotMagis. If you are a fan of journals,
Abi Moon at St John's Tallahassee has a good recommendation from
her Lenten practice: Sacred Ordinary Days. She writes, "It is
lectionary based and allows for reflection, goal setting and
evaluation all within the context of the liturgical year. It is a
beautiful book to use". Deacon Phyllis Doty in Live Oak will
continue reading The Big Book of Christian Mysticism by Carl
McColman. For his own devotions, Richard Pelkey in Newberry is
using Show Me the Way by Henri Nouwen.
In the First Coast
area, Kate Moorehead at the Cathedral says she is going to memorize
a daily verse of Scripture. "Sounds very Baptist of me, but I want
to hold it closer and having verses memorized will be good for me."
Maybe so, (to the credit of our Baptist brethren) but it strikes me
as also very Medieval (to the credit of our monastic forbearers).
Jo Ann Ford at St Philip's, Jacksonville is completing The Four
Vision Quests of Jesus by the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston--retired
bishop of Alaska and a Choctaw Indian. Steve was a mentor to
Jo Ann in her first year in seminary in Minnesota. During
Lent Jo Ann and her soul friend and are both reading Kathleen
Norris' Acedia and Me. And finally, Donavan Cain at All
Saints', Jacksonville is reading a book recommended by Bishop Bill
Godfrey, The Road to Eternal Life by the Australian Cistercian
monk Michael Casey.
The
Rev. Dr. HD Dupree,
Rector, The
Bishop's Institute for Ministry and Leadership