Volume 18, May 26th, 2020
From the Rector
The Bishop’s Institute for Ministry and Leadership was established in 2015 in the Episcopal Diocese of Florida to provide opportunities to develop lay and clergy leadership in the Diocese; to prepare candidates for ordination to the vocational diaconate and the local priesthood; to prepare candidates for licensed lay ministries and to be a focus for the continuing education for laity and clergy alike.
I’ve seen some amazingly predictable (just occasionally clever) bumper-stickers since I re-settled in Florida some five years ago and started to commute daily to work after thirty-some years of reliance on walking or public transport. Recently someone sent me what counts as a bumper sticker but is a meme that has been doing the rounds on social media. It reads: ‘Tradition is just peer pressure from the dead’ . The meme cannot be very old as the expression ‘peer pressure’ dates only from the 1970s. The meme immediately and persistently irritated me.

By coincidence, about the same time I received it, I was re-reading, with one of our excellent candidates for ordination, an article about Anglican ‘standards’ by the doyen of (Episcopal) church historians, Professor John E. Booty. With his marvelous gift of summary, Booty wrote about tradition in its vital relation to Scripture and reason and summarized a whole, dense subject in one perfectly balanced sentence: ‘Anglican divines on the whole regard Scripture interpreted through tradition and reason as authoritative in matters concerning salvation'.
May 29th marks the 146th anniversary of the birth of the essayist, journalist, novelist and Christian apologist G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) who is particularly popular for his detective ‘Father Brown’ series. Chesterton was larger than life in thought and in his affections and also in physical stature—-over six feet tall and very wide of girth. His friend George Bernard Shaw once remarked of him as being “a large, abounding gigantically cherubic person who .... seems to be growing larger as you look at him”.

Chesterton comes to mind because he was a great champion of tradition—tradition especially in reference to democracy. He wrote this about tradition in relation to democracy:

Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merrily happen to be walking about. All democrats object to men being disqualified by the accident of birth; tradition objects to their being disqualified by the accident of death.

I wish every blessing to you and your loved ones during this Ascension-tide and as we celebrate the birthday of the Church at Pentecost.

Yours sincerely,

Douglas Dupree
Heroes Work Here
Each day I drive past the Orange Park Hospital en route home I see a large sign on Kingsley Avenue outside the hospital entrance that reads: ‘Heroes Work Here’. Indeed, they do.

I thought the sign took on added poignancy in the latter half of the month as May 12 th marked the observation of International Nurses Day recognizing the many contributions nurses make to society. May 12 th was chosen for the observance as it is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth in 1820. This year is the 200 th anniversary of the gifted nurse and social reformer’s birthday.
Florence Nightingale was a beautiful, gifted young woman born into an intellectual, well-traveled and extremely well-connected family. Endowed with wit and beauty, she had many suitors. But marriage was not chosen. Nightingale had a clear call from God at 17. It would shape her life and also the future of nursing. She established the first modern nursing service in the midst of the Crimean War (1853-6). Her stringent health rule during the conflict dramatically reduced the death toll and curbed the rampant spread of infection. Years later, the school of nursing she established at St Thomas’ Hospital London was a significant factor in elevating nursing to the profession it is today.

The Church’s healing ministry has been blessed by the establishment of hospitals and by the dedication and self-sacrificing vocation of Christian nurses. The current Bishop of London, Dame Sarah Mullaly was the UK’s Chief Nursing Officer before entering the ordained ministry. Our own Chair of the Diocesan Commission on Ministry, (COM), Canon Nancy Suellau, is a former Head Nurse.
Collect for Nurses

Life giving God, thou alone hast power over life and death, over health and sickness: Give power, wisdom, and gentleness unto those who follow the lead of Florence Nightingale, that they, bearing with them thy presence, may not only heal but bless, and shine as lanterns of hope in the darkest hours of pain and fear, through Jesus Christ, the healer of body and soul, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Prayer Service During a Pandemic
Churches across the Diocese of Florida have met the challenge to continue ‘being church’ amidst the challenges of self-isolation and social distancing over the last months. Here is one example of a parish’s lay-led prayer group meeting these challenges. The article is by James Pierce of St Philip’s Church, Jacksonville and graduate of the Licensed Lay Ministry School of the Diocese.

The Prayer Group at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Jacksonville is a small but integral part of our parish life. We have been meeting regularly on Monday evening for several years. We have prayed at the church, in a parishioner’s home, hospitals, nursing homes, and locations suited to those in need of prayer.

We found it even more important to strengthen our prayer life since parishes have been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Prayer Group met and determined we could expand our prayer opportunities by establishing a teleconferencing line and inviting a larger number of participants. We chose teleconferencing as a means to meet while social distancing, so we did not have to travel, dress up or comb our hair. Responses we received confirm that several people agree, because over the past weeks we have grown from our regular service of six or seven prayer warriors to approximately thirty to forty participants, both within our parish as well as throughout the Diocese. 

Several people were asked why they attend the prayer service. Here is a sample of what they said:

I received a personal invitation from a friend. It allows us to be in touch prayerfully with members of my parish who I might not be in contact. You don’t have to get dressed and travel or risk contamination to attend. It allows many more participants to call in and feel a part of the prayerfulness in our church. There is a variety of age groups and you hear participants who can’t attend or participate in the normal activity of the church. It is the spirit of knowing, although we are not together, that there is a sense of community, and you can hear genuine and humble prayers. The prayers are also suitable for the times we are going through. I love to hear the prayers and petitions of others and who they pray for.

This indicates there is a thirst for nurturing our fellow Christians, while lifting others up in prayer in a very special way. It also allows individuals to hear others in prayer, and quietly receive comfort during these stressful times.  

Quiz: Traveling Churches
Canon Allison DeFoor’s quiz topic for us is about Traveling Churches.


1- St. Clement’s Chapel, at Church of the Advent in Tallahassee was originally located where?

a- Chattahoochee
b- Crawfordville
c- Lloyd

2- St. Mark’s, Starke church building was originally located where?

a- Waldo
b- Picolata
c- Magnolia Springs


3- San Marco Preservation Society Hall on Atlantic Blvd. was previously the church building of which church?

a- St. Andrew’s, Jacksonville
b- St. Paul’s-by-the-Creek
c- San Jose Church


ANSWERS:

1-St. Clement’s Chapel was built in 1890 in the then thriving railroad town of Lloyd, which was one train stop East of Tallahassee. Designed by William Benton, it was named for the chapel of the same name in NYC, and cost $3,500 to build. In 1959 it was relocated to the present site, and was the worship space for Church of the Advent until te building of their new building in 1996. Chattahoochee and Crawfordville also had Episcopal churches in the past, and perhaps in the future.

2-The current church building at St. Mark’s, Starke was originally in then thriving town of Fairbanks, a spot off the US 301 now between Starke and Baldwin. IT was relocated, but the cemetery remains on the University of Florida property there. Waldo and Picolata once had Episcopal churches-- and may yet again in time.

3-San Marco Preservation Society Hall was the original building for what is now St. Paul’s-by-the-Creek and was built in 1888. It was relocated first to what is now the Museum of Science and History, then to its current site and use. Similarly, St. Paul’s-by-the-Sea is now on the grounds of the Jacksonville Beach Historical Society.


Solicitation: If you or your Church have an interesting piece of historical trivia worth sharing with the Diocese, kindly send it in to your humble writer at adefoor@diocesefl.org . My suspicion is that Dr. Dupree has now made this a Tradition, and we all know what that means to Episcopalians...Allison+


Erratum : One small erratum from the April 2020 column: We know that Miami is not in the current bounds of the Diocese of Florida, but that slipped past the writer and editors. Sorry.  
Leadership Corner
9 Simple Ways to Practice Self-care
During the Pandemic
An article by Dale Beaman, MPH, PCC, Executive Coach and Leadership Development Expert and a member of our Diocesan family
For several weeks we’ve been finding ourselves trying to gain footing and get used to our new realities, which present differently for each person. It’s natural to feel stressed, worried, anxious and overwhelmed during this difficult pandemic, but there are steps you can take to feel better and be more resilient as you live and lead your life and ministries. 

Self-care is about honoring ourselves and our potential, however, it does not come naturally or easily for many. Yet, not practicing self-care has a price on our mind body and spirit – and ability to lead others. Below is an easy tool that you can use with yourself and with your team or ministries to get people thinking about self-care practices. This is an invitation to take a few minutes to reflect on your own self-care practices and what you might need in this very moment.
To download the printable guide for reflection or to share with your team and friends, click here.
Annual Deacons Day
Each year in the Spring Bishop Howard calls a gathering of all the Deacons serving in the Diocese of Florida. The meeting is convened by Bishop Howard with the support of the Archdeacon, the Ven. Jeanie Beyer. The day of prayer, teaching and fellowship is usually held at the Diocesan Office. Due to this year’s special challenges, the meeting gathered in a ZOOM conference. The Bishop led the meeting in prayer. Canon Dupree gave a talk on the response of the early Christian Church to the first recorded pandemics in the Roman Empire from an article by Tom Holland, author of Dominion. The Bishop then facilitated a very fine discussion by asking a series of encouraging and thought-provoking questions to the group.

Here are two reflections on the Deacons Day by two of the participants:

A reflection by the Rev. Deacon Saundra Kidd, St. Mark's, Jacksonville



When I first learned we would be Zooming instead of meeting face-to-face for our annual Deacon’s meeting with the Bishop, I was disappointed. It seems Zoom always has its technical difficulties so I wondered if it would be better to wait until a later date to assemble in person. However, I am glad we moved ahead. The experience was a true delight and the technical issues were few.
Fr. Douglas’ informative presentation on the book Dominion led nicely into the three questions posed by Bishop Howard: What did you give thanks for in your prayers this morning; Who is one person who has blessed you during this time; What new friend have you made in the last 6 months? I had a difficult time narrowing my own responses and it made me focus on how God has truly blessed me during this most disturbing pandemic. What a joy to hear from others how God had blessed them. This time of sharing brought us closer together.

The good news is we realized how much we had to be grateful for and how much we needed and valued community. To that end we will continue our zoom gatherings. Thank you Bishop Howard, Jeanie, Douglas, and Vickie for making this time together possible.
A reflection by the Rev. Deacon Lydia Bush, St Luke’s, Live Oak

Thanks Be to God for our virtual Deacons Day 2020 with our very own Bishop John Howard! This was to be my very first meeting of my deacon sisters and brothers. In a numbed anticipation, I thought that not much would surprise me at this point. For you see, my deacon ordination was in January. Then in February- came the surprise retirement of my parish priest. Yet, there was to be an even more interesting twist on my deacon's journey. 
I do not believe that anyone could have predicted what my life as a new deacon would be like in March and April or for that fact anyone's life. The world blew up with the Covid-19 Pandemic, which led to Facebook Live for our Worship services, ministries put on hold and "quarantine" for virtually Everyone! Throughout it all, God has, as always, remained faithful in His Abundant Provision for not only this new deacon but for us all. Listening to each deacon share about their quarantine lives touched and embraced my troubled heart. It was indeed, a balm of Gilead so to speak and for me, it was a God Moment indeed! It felt heavenly to be in community with God's deacons!  

Bishop Howard asked each of us to reflect upon three things to share with each other on our virtual call:
 1. To Name who or what we prayed for that morning 
 2. To Name someone who had blessed us in the past six months and 
 3. To Name one new friend we had made in the last six months.  

"Easy Peasy", I thought as Deacon Jeanie reflected upon her choices. And to my surprised heart's delight, I was named as her blessing! " And in my ADHD brain, I was thinking "Also with YOU" when somehow I gratefully heard Bishop Howard call my name to be next.  My answers came straight from my troubled heart with tears flowing as I reflected upon how God has continually provided for my journey and for us all. 

I do so pray that we will all meet up again soon, both virtually and in person in the months ahead! Thank You Lord for Thy Faithfulness! God's Joy and Peace Be With You All!