April 18, 2019
An Easter Message From Bishop Howard
Upcoming Evangelism Workshops
Mark your calendars to join us beginning Tuesday, April 23 (in Tallahassee) and Thursday, April 25 (in Jacksonville) as we begin our monthly evangelism workshops series. The topic will be "Anglican Impulse for Evangelism" and we look forward to having some meaningful discussion about what the Lord is doing in our Diocese. 
Contact Aaron Smith, Canon for Evangelism and Growth for more details .
Tallahassee Workshop:
Tuesday, April 23, 2019
(Happening every third Tuesday of the month)

7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Holy Comforter Episcopal Church
2015 Fleischmann Rd
Tallahassee, FL 32308

Jacksonville Workshop:
Thursday, April 25, 2019
(Happening the last Thursday of each month)

6:00 pm - 7:00 pm

2202 San Pablo Road
Jacksonville, FL 32224


Celebration of Your Marriage of 50 Years or More

The Episcopal Diocese of Florida Older Adult Ministries invite those who are celebrating 50 years of marriage or more to a celebration event. The celebrations will take on Saturday, May 4 at 1pm at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Tallahassee and St. John's Cathedral in Jacksonville . If you did not receive an invitation and would like to attend, please contact Melody Marshall at [email protected] or call 352-214-9896
Invite, Welcome, Connect - May 18
Saturday, May 18, 2019
9am - 2pm

Christ Episcopal Church
400 San Juan Drive
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082

 
“We are called to be fully engaged in living out God’s transformative mission of hospitality to the world”
The Evangelism Commission of the Diocese of Florida presents this transformational workshop at Christ Episcopal Church on May 18. Registration fee is $25. Breakfast and lunch are included.
 
Invite Welcome Connect equips and empowers clergy and lay leaders to cultivate intentional practices of evangelism, hospitality, and belonging, rooted in the Gospel imperative to “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). It is a ministry of relational evangelism and congregational empowerment allowing churches to become places of genuine connection for inviting the faith journeys and stories of everyone, enabling deeper journeys of Christian discipleship, and enabling the Spirit of Christ to be at the heart of each church’s hospitable mission of spreading the Good News. Invite Welcome Connect has been presented in in 50 Episcopal dioceses, Episcopal seminaries, universities, the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe and the Anglican Church in Canada. This transformational relational evangelism method has brought new energy and spirit to congregations and sustained real growth where the essentials of Invite Welcome Connect are followed.
 
Invite Welcome Connect was born out of Mary Parmer’s 10-year experience as Director of Evangelism & Adult Ministries at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Beaumont, Texas, where she began creating and developing a newcomer ministry. This initial framework, entitled “Sacred Connection” and then “Invitation, Welcome, Connection” was piloted in 2010 in four Episcopal Diocese of Texas congregations through the Newcomer Ministry Project.
About Mary Palmer
Mary Parmer, creator and director of Invite Welcome Connect, formerly served as director of the Gathering of Leaders, a leadership group for young Episcopal clergy. Mary has served as a Lay Deputy to the last four General Conventions and served on the Task Force on Clergy Leadership Formation in Small Churches (GC 2015-A045). 
She holds a degree in Religious Studies from St. Edwards University in Austin and formerly served as Director of Adult Ministries & Evangelism at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Beaumont, Texas. Ms. Parmer has two grown children and six young grandchildren, builds stone labyrinths, and spends her time away from work hiking and reading.
Camp Weed Summer Camp Welcomes New Leaders
Our Summer Camp programs are just around the corner! This year our programs will be led by 2 familiar faces, Sam Marxsen and Kylle Cahill Patray. These longtime staff members will serve as our camp leadership, working closely with Thomas Frazer, executive director of the camp and conference center. We're so excited to have them lead us for the summer!

Sam has been attending Camp Weed for as long as she can remember. She served as an LIT for two years as soon as she was able to apply, and the summer before her senior year of high school was asked to join staff as an intern. She then spent two years as a cabin counselor and the following two years as the office manager. Sam’s favorite part of camp is watching camper’s challenge themselves and grow in their relationships with God and each other. 
 
Sam is a senior at Florida State University and will graduate with Bachelors degree in Psychology next month. She has spent the last three years as a research assistant, helping on projects focused on learning disabilities such as dyslexia as well as individual differences and development in twins. Because of this time spent in research she wants to back to school in a few years for a Masters Degree in School Psychology. Outside of camp and school, Sam enjoys laying on the beach, playing guitar, and driving to explore new places. 

Kylle first attended Camp Weed when she was a freshman in high school and immediately fell in love. She served as a Leader In Training (LIT) for two summers which allowed her passion for camp to grow. After graduating high school, she officially became a member of Camp Weed Summer Camp staff. Since then, she has served as a Cabin Counselor, Head Lifeguard, Activities and LIT director, CIT director, and Assistant Director. Kylle’s favorite thing about camp is the relationships that form. Her favorite activities are the lake and Camp Weed 500. 
 
Kylle currently attends the University of Florida and will graduate with a Bachelors degree in Biological Sciences in December 2019. She hopes to one day be a veterinarian and currently works as a veterinary technician in Gainesville. Kylle has two dogs named Garth and Harley. When Kylle is not at camp or hanging out with her dogs, she enjoys scuba diving, surfing, watching football, and spending time with friends.

Click here to learn more about our Summer Camp programs, there's still time to sign up!
Diocesan Happenings
St. Paul's Episcopal Church at Federal Point Dedicates County's First Designated Trailhead

St. Paul's Episcopal Church at Federal Point dedicated Putnam County's first designated trailhead on Saturday, March 30. Hundreds of residents, volunteers, bicyclists, kayakers and local officials were there to celebrate the site, which can now serve as a place for weary kayakers to dock or eager bicyclists to pass through. The landing was named in honor of longtime St. Paul’s parishioner and former Hastings Mayor Charles Stanton Jr. and his family, who helped finance projects related to the trailhead. Stanton Landing is now included as part of the Bartram Trail in Putnam County, Palatka-to-St. Augustine State Trail, St. Johns River-to-Sea Loop, Putnam County Blueway Paddling Trail and the St. Johns River Blueway.
Members of the Stanton Family
Helpful Links
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