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Welcome The Rev. Roy Tuff to
Holy Trinity, Gainesville
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Please join us in welcoming The Rev. Roy Tuff as Rector of Holy Trinity, Gainesville, who joined on February 18.
Father Roy comes from The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Punta Gorda, where he served as priest-in-charge and rector from 2010 to 2025.
He brings a rich ministry background, including roles at Christ Episcopal Church, Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School, and various leadership positions within the Diocese of Southwest Florida.
We wish him a warm welcome and blessings as he begins this new chapter!
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Camp Weed Volunteer Day Recap | | |
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A note from Lauri SoJourner, Interim Executive Director of Camp Weed on
Volunteer Day:
Camp Weed's volunteer weekend was an amazing time of fellowship, fun, and work for over 35 participants. Volunteers ranging in age from 15 to 80 split into teams that cleaned up brush around the conference center pods, painted inside and installed new toilets inside camper cabins, cleaned out the sacristy in Mandi's Chapel and the YP storage closet, stuffed a fundraising mailing, and so much more.
We are incredibly grateful for everyone who joined us and look forward to announcing our next volunteer weekend soon.
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St. Augustine Dedication Ceremony | | |
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On February 1, Holy Trinity, Gainesville, hosted a historic event honoring the legacy of the St. Augustine Episcopal Mission Church and School.
The ceremony, held at the original church site, celebrated its rich history as the first Anglican/Episcopal Mission Church in Gainesville for "persons of color," established by the late Bishop Weed.
Keynote speaker The Rev. Hayden Crawford, an Afro-American Episcopal priest with deep family ties to the church, shared inspiring words. The event also featured eight-year-old child prodigy Master Wayne, from the Caring and Sharing Learning Center in Gainesville. Bishop Benhase also attended.
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Historical Society of The Episcopal Church & the 2025 Tri-History Conference | | |
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The Historical Society of the Episcopal Church has promoted preservation of Episcopal Church history since 1910 through many means: a quarterly peer-reviewed journal, a feature focused newsletter, research grants, networking and conferences. For the past five decades, it has cooperated with the Episcopal Women's History Project and National Episcopal Historians and Archivists in co-hosting a history-themed, triennial conference of speakers, panels, presentations, workshops, worship, and fellowship.
The 2025 Tri-History Conference focus is the history of Latino Ministry in the Episcopal Church. It will be held at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C. from Tuesday, June 17, through Saturday, June 21, 2025. The theme "Caminemos con Jesus (Let's Walk with Jesus): History of Latino Ministry in the Episcopal Church" provides opportunity to explore the rich, and largely unknown, history of Latino ministry in the Episcopal Church and Anglican world.
This includes the contexts of local churches, leadership, liturgy, music, Latinx ministries, translation, regional histories, organizations, and social movements. The Society welcomes participants from our diocese!
Information is available in both English and Spanish at trihistory.org/2025. To minimize finances as a barrier to attendance, the Society offers scholarships. The Society’s website is found at the button below.
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Eucharistic Visitor Training: March 15
Date: March 15, 2025
Time: 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Location: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
1391 11th St SW, Live Oak, FL 32064
Registration Deadline: March 7, 2025
Join us for Eucharistic Visitor Training led by Dn. Lydia Bush. This training will be offered both in person and via Zoom.
If you plan to attend, please contact Hannia Reyes at hreyes@diocesefl.org with your name, email address, church, and the name of your sponsoring priest.
Before attending, please make sure you complete the following four modules:
- Keeping Your Church Safe
- Policies: Episcopal Diocese of Florida
- Preventing Sexual Harassment for Workers
- Preventing Sexual Harassment for Managers & Supervisors
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Author Talk & Book Signing for Spires in the Sun: March 16
There will be an event on March 16 at St. James Episcopal Church, Lake City from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
For more information on the event and to purchase the book please click the buttons below.
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The Art of Discernment Workshop at St. John's Cathedral
Date: Saturday, March 22
Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Location: St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral
Cost: $25 (includes lunch)
What if the key to a deeper, more connected faith life isn’t found in a sermon or a book, but in a small group of people helping each other discern God’s will in their lives?
Join St. John's Cathedral for a transformative one-day workshop on The Art of Discernment, featuring the Rev. Christopher Martin, rector of St. Paul’s, San Rafael, CA, and author of The Restoration Project. Christopher will explore how small groups not only cultivate deep faith, foster authentic relationships, and strengthen church communities, they help us live out God’s will in our daily and weekly lives.
He will be joined by the Very Rev. Kate Moorehead Carroll, dean of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, and the Rev. Douglas Dupree of the Bishop’s Institute, Diocese of Florida, for engaging discussions on the power of small groups in discipleship, spiritual formation and discernment.
Whether you’re leading a small group, thinking about starting one, or simply curious about their impact, this workshop will provide practical insights and encourage you to be in a small group that helps you discover God’s will for you.
Register now and discover how small groups can transform lives!
The Restoration Project by Christopher Martin and The Vital Signs of Faith by Kate Moorehead Carroll provide valuable insights for this workshop. The books are available in the St. John’s Cathedral Bookstore and Gift Shop.
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High School Upperclassmen Ministry Retreat: April 5-6
There will be a High School Upperclassmen Retreat at Chapel of Incarnation on Saturday, April 5-Sunday, April 6! This retreat is an opportunity to connect with others and deepen your faith.
Students will arrive at the Chapel on the morning of April 5 and depart after the evening worship service on April 6.
You can find the registration form below.
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Save the Date: P.O.S.T. Conference: June 1-3, 2025
Get ready for P.O.S.T. (Professional Office Staff Together) at Camp Weed on
Sunday, June 1 - Tuesday, June 3, 2025!
This annual gathering is a must-attend event for church staff, parish administrators, secretaries, treasurers, and volunteers—anyone who plays a role in the life and ministry of the church.
Join us for a time of learning, fellowship, and spiritual renewal in a beautiful setting.
Stay tuned—more details are coming soon!
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Recent Bishop Church Visitations | | |
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On February 2, Bishop Benhase visited Chapel of Incarnation for a special service, performing confirmations and baptisms.
The following were confirmed: Stephanie Tyler, Gabriel Register, Ben Register, Isabella Santana, Emily Southwell, Parker North, Alex Tongue, Drew Cistola, Bo Garcia, Wesley Hargrove, and Julian Paciardi.
Frank Ascencio was baptized.
Congratulations to all those confirmed and baptized!
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Holy Communion in Hawthorne had a wonderful visit with Bishop Stokes on February 2. | |
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Bishop Stokes visited St. Matthew's, Mayo on February 9
St. Matthew’s, Mayo received their first bishop’s visit in over 20 years, making Bishop Stokes' visit on February 9 a truly special occasion for their congregation! His ministry was warmly welcomed and deeply appreciated, made even more meaningful by the confirmation of Andrew Steel. Blessings to all!
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On February 16, Bishop Benhase visited St. Philip's in Jacksonville for a service that included two baptisms and two confirmations. Congratulations to all! | |
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Episcopal Diocese of Florida
Instagram Activated
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We're back on Instagram @dioceseofflorida! We'll be sharing updates there along with Facebook, so be sure to follow us on both platforms. | |
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Episcopal School of Jacksonville
Shane Finn and Enzo Paez, students at Episcopal School of Jacksonville, founded the Fairway Foundation, a mission-driven organization with the simple but powerful goal of supporting communities within our greater community.
On February 23rd, their vision took shape at the inaugural charity event for the St. Augustine Deaf Club. Together, Shane and Enzo raised an incredible $17,000 for the St. Augustine Deaf Club, a nonprofit that supports Deaf, Blind, and Deaf/Blind individuals in our tri-county area. This funding will directly transform lives, providing new opportunities, greater access to essential resources, and renewed hope for an often overlooked community.
Over 40 American Sign Language students from Episcopal School of Jacksonville volunteered at the event, showing up eager to serve and be part of something larger than themselves. The event, held at the Ponte Vedra Club and Inn, featured a golf tournament where two teams of Deaf community members were given the rare opportunity to play their dream course.
This event not only changed lives but also served as a powerful reminder of the impact kindness, leadership, and community can have in creating lasting change.
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The Episcopal Church of the Advent Bowls & Brews
The Episcopal Church of the Advent held its fifth BOWLS & BREWS chili cook-off on Saturday, January 25.
Over 200 guests voted for 15 chefs and a great time was had by all. Their first place winner was James Wright, who dished up his "Chillion Dollar Beans" chili and was the first contestant to run out of chili! In addition to competing for himself, he also represented St. Paul's Quincy for the church prize and won the Episcopepper Award as well!
Second place went to Megan Phillips, serving "Meg's White Chicken Chili." Third place went to Ken Mills for his "It's a Devil's Dip" chili.
Congratulations to ALL of the winners!
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St. Mark's, Jacksonville Spiritual Renewal Conference
St. Mark's, Jacksonville held a spiritual renewal conference on February 21-23. The event delved into the beauty and depth of love through the lens of C.S. Lewis’ timeless wisdom.
From friendship to divine grace, this gathering inspired individuals to reflect, grow, and strengthen their relationship with God and others.
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Celebration of Music Ministry Event at
St. John's, Tallahassee
St. John's Episcopal Church, Tallahassee hosted three amazing events as part of their Celebration of Music Ministry from Friday, February 14 to Sunday, February 16.
It was a weekend dedicated to music, worship and education featuring guest speaker and composer Richard Webster.
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Spring Clergy Conference: Thursday, March 6 - Friday, March 7
This is a 24-hour retreat offering the opportunity to come together as fellow clergy in the Diocese of Florida for prayer, continuing education, and fellowship with one another and our bishops assisting.
Bishop Benhase will lead the retreat with talks for reflection and discussion on the theme “Parish Leadership and the Benedictine Promise.”
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Family Fun Day with Easter Egg Hunt: Saturday, April 12
This exciting event is packed with activities for all ages, including a chili cookoff (with a chance to win the coveted wooden spoon trophy), an Easter egg hunt, live music, an archaeological dig with Joe Chamberlain, campfire stories, and classic camp games.
Don’t miss out on hot dogs, chips, and a delicious bake sale, plus the chance to support camp programs by purchasing voting spoons for the chili cookoff.
Mark your calendars, gather your family, and come experience the magic of Camp Weed!
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Mother's Day Lunch: Sunday, May 11
It’s not too early to start planning for Mother’s Day, and you can honor the mom in your life with a delicious lunch at Camp Weed & Cerveny Conference Center!
The buffet menu will include an assortment of salads, mains, vegetables, and desserts. Each mom in attendance will receive a flower. You can take family photos by White Lake.
Make reservations early for this special day for that special mom!
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Please mark your calendars for other Camp Weed events below. More information coming soon.
The Grand Ultreya: March 21-22
Chrism Mass for Clergy: Monday, April 14
Happening #153: April 25-27
Camp Weed Sunday: Sunday, May 4
Camp Weed Day of Giving: Wednesday, May 8
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