Together, we are the body of Christ ~ transforming people from members into disciples, moving more deeply into God's call to life and ministry, and extending our mission beyond the status quo.

Bishop Russell's Easter Message

I’m not sure if it’s still true, but for most of my life, I remember that every year on Easter Sunday, one of the major television networks would wade into the waters of Christianity by airing one of the old classics—"Ben-Hur" or "The Ten Commandments." Both, oddly enough, starred Charlton Heston. Worse yet, they’d show one of those sanitized “life of Jesus” films where Jesus is portrayed as some sort of stoic plastic figure floating through life rather than the passionate liberator that we meet in the Gospels.

In my opinion, if there were ever a movie to watch on Easter, it would be "The Shawshank Redemption." It’s not explicitly Christian. There are no miracles or angels. But it is a story about freedom—about the triumph of life over the confining powers of death and despair. And that is the heart of our Easter faith.

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Ordinations to the Diaconate on May 3

Join us in celebration and prayer as we gather for the Service of Ordination to the Sacred Order of Deacons on Saturday, May 3, at 11 a.m. CT at Christ Church Cathedral in Mobile, Alabama. This joyful occasion marks a significant step in the lives of Jonathan Drew Downey, Antwon Cyril Lewis, Salem George Saloom, and Mark Allen Waddell, who are called to serve the Church and the world through ordained ministry.

All are welcome to attend in person or join via livestream.

Let us lift up our ordinands and give thanks for their faithful response to God's call!

Historic Mobile Pilgrimage

Saturday, April 26, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Mobile

Presented by the Commission on Racial Justice & Reconciliation.

Join us for a boat trip to visit the site of the Clotilda, visit historic Africatown, have lunch at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, and take the Dora Franklin Finley African-American Heritage Trail Tour.

REGISTER

Celebrate Beckwith Sunday with us on April 27

Every year, on the last Sunday of April, congregations are invited to celebrate the mission and ministry of Beckwith Camp and Conference Center. Help us highlight our beloved Camp Beckwith in your Sunday service by asking folks to wear their Beckwith gear to church and use the special liturgy found at the link below. Please consider donating your offering plate cash to Beckwith in support of its many projects and programs.

BECKWITH SUNDAY RESOURCES

WAYS TO GIVE TO BECKWITH

Worship in the Woods

Sunday, April 27, 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Saloom Properties, 2835 Bookers Mill Rd, Evergreen, AL

Join us for a wonderful day in the woods with a special Stations of the Resurrection with Eucharist and fun fellowship. Bring your lawn chair and/or blanket. Wear closed-toe shoes. A low "church" country boil will be provided. 

Come see the new chapel, too! Watch this flyover video of Saloom Properties!

PLEASE RSVP BY APRIL 25

UPDATE: The Slay the Stigma of Mental Health: For Youth and Those Who Love Them program scheduled for April 30, May 7, and May 14, at Holy Cross Episcopal Church has been cancelled. Thank you.

Rise Against Hunger Meal Packing Event

Saturday, May 17, 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. CT

Episcopal Day School, 223 N Palafox St, Pensacola

The Episcopal Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast is partnering with Rise Against Hunger to pack 20,000 meals that will go to help people facing hunger across the globe. Registration and full details are coming soon, but in the meantime, spread the news and gather your teams!

Event contact: The Rev. Lydia Knizley Johnson at lydia@diocgc.org.

REGISTER

Episcopal Night at the Ballpark

Sunday, May 25, 4 p.m. CT

Pensacola Blue Wahoos Stadium, 351 W Cedar St, Pensacola

Join us on the Winn-Dixie Party Deck at the Blue Wahoos Stadium for a fun evening of baseball and Episcopal fellowship as the Pensacola Blue Wahoos take on the Birmingham Barons!

Wear your Episcopal gear! We sell out quickly, so get your tickets today!

Tickets must be purchased in advance through the diocese. The price of the ticket includes admission, food, and non-alcoholic beverages. Children two years and under get in free.

Ticket sales close on May 12. Tickets will be available for pick-up on the day of the event at the Group Entrance to the stadium.

PURCHASE TICKETS

Becoming Beloved Community Sacred Conversations Workshop

Saturday, May 17, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CT

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 506 N Pine St, Foley

Presented by the Commission on Racial Justice & Reconciliation.

Join us for a workshop that will provide insights into the causes and effects of racism. We explore unconscious bias, prejudice, white privilege, and ways to work together to Become the Beloved Community. This offering is required for those in parish leadership (such as vestries) and at the diocesan level (including serving on commissions, committees, agencies, or boards). It also qualifies for eight hours of clergy training/education for those who complete the full-cay course. There is no fee to participate, but it requires the commitment to be engaged for the full day. Limited to not more than 30 participants, but we must have at least 12 registrants to hold the workshop.

DETAILS & REGISTRATION

School for Ministry Graduation

Saturday, June 21, 11 a.m. CT

St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, 3200 N 12th Ave, Pensacola

Join us as students of the School for Ministry (ordained and lay programs) will receive their diplomas and certificates of completion.

All are welcome to join. Reception to follow.

Easter 2025 message from Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe

Dear Friends in Christ:

Luke’s Gospel tells us that on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Joanna went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. When they got there, the stone had been rolled away, and they heard the message that transformed their world—and ours: “He is not here. He is risen.”

On that Easter morning, the women who had been the last protectors and pastors at the cross on Good Friday became the first to witness and proclaim the resurrection. Scripture tells us, however, that their good news was not met with joy. The news that Jesus had risen from the dead was received as an idle tale, as nonsense—in one dynamic translation, as nothing more than women’s trinkets. In the fraught and divided world in which these first evangelists lived, they were on the margins, and their word counted for nothing.

How quickly the apostles forgot what Jesus had modeled days before on Palm Sunday and at the Last Supper. The long-awaited Messiah fashioned himself not as a political conqueror but as a peacemaker. Our Savior upended notions of worldly power by taking on the role of a servant and washing the feet of his followers. For Jesus, the vulnerable and the marginalized are in focus, and his ears are attuned to their voices.  

As we proclaim the resurrection in our own time and place, let us always remember that the kingdom of God is revealed to us most clearly by those who are dispossessed by the powers and principalities of this world. Let us celebrate the joy of Easter by seeking and serving the resurrected Christ in the lives and the witness of those who have been silenced, persecuted, and marginalized.

May God bless you and all those you love this Easter.