Volume 29, May 2021
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.
Jesus said to his disciples, When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf . . . And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment . . .
 
These words, from the 15th and 16th chapters of John, formed part of the Gospel we heard on the Feast of Pentecost, sometimes called Whitsunday. For a feast day, at first glance, they look rather daunting and judgmental. They are in stark contrast to any image we may entertain of the Holy Spirit as warm and fuzzy. I laughed at what one commentator wrote:
 
The Holy Spirit has been in danger in recent years of becoming the soppy one of the Trinity. Think about it for a bit---the Holy Spirit doesn’t go off and do uncomfortable and challenging things like getting crucified. The Holy Spirit gives spectacular gifts that add a distinct touch of excitement to what otherwise become rather dreary religious lives . . . The Holy Spirit likes to leave things to the last minute, like us, and works best if you stand up unprepared and allow the Holy Spirit to take over. . .
 
And yet, and yet, in the Gospel for the Feast of Pentecost, Jesus talks about judgement. The Holy Spirit comes to tell us that the judgement of the world is all wrong and that Jesus is the one who knows the truth and that the truth he knows is the very same truth of God.
 
We tend to think of judgment in solely negative terms and as a threat. In the first instance it is a threat if our heart and mind are fixed on worldly, perishable things. But there is also something liberating about judgment if it is the judgment of Jesus imparted to our heart and imagination by the Holy Spirit.
 
I find these words of the wonderful wartime field surgeon turned priest and bishop, Anthony Bloom, vigorous and hopeful:
 
There is in the very notion of judgment something great and inspiring. We are not going to be judged according to human standards of behavior of decency. We are going to be judged according to standards which are beyond human ordinary life. We are going to be judged on the scale of God, and the scale of God is love: not love felt, not an emotional love, but love lived and accomplished. The fact that we are going to be judged, that indeed we are being judged all the time, above our means, beyond all our smallness must, should reveal to us our potential greatness.
Metropolitan Anthony’s words are complimented by those of another godly bishop, Pope Francis, who recently wrote:
 
Do not be afraid to set your sights higher, to allow yourself to be loved and liberated by God. Do not be afraid to let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit. Holiness does not make you less human, since it is an encounter between your weakness and the power of God’s grace. For in the words of León Bloy, when all is said and done, “the only great tragedy in life, is not to become a saint." (Gaudete et exsultate, 34).

There are so many things to contemplate, and to rejoice in and be glad for this Pentecost.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Douglas Dupree
Veni, Sancte Spiritus
 
Veni, Sancte Spiritus
 
If we think of our world which is to such a great extent alien to God, the Spirit is already the beginning of eternal life.

His presence is a decisive fact. He beats against the rocks like the sea, He breaks resistances.

He is the joy of eternity knocking at our door, forcing Himself into our lives, reminding us of God the Father, of Christ our Savior and of our greatness and dignity before God, showing us that all things are possible in the power of Christ who sustains us.

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
(1914-2003)

Thomas Frazer, Camp Weed Director on a nature walk with San Jose seniors.
Crow Calls and Owl Hoots!
 
On the Camp Weed Trail with 20 Six Graders from
San Jose Episcopal Day School

A late April ‘Ecology Adventure Week’ visiting some of the most beautiful outdoor sites in north Florida in bright sunshine and mild humidity sounds like the kind of sixth grade experience I would love to have experienced.
 
For some twenty years running the seniors at San Jose have spent an Eastertide week in nature at Kanuga in North Carolina. This year, due to Covid, Kanuga suspended their Mountain Trail Outdoor School. Not to be defeated, their teachers Natalie Inclan and Katie Foster, with school chaperones, planned a splendid week of alternative activities that included Marineland; Camp Chowenwaw Park on the Black Creek in Clay County; a river cruise with the St Johns Riverkeeper program and a day at Camp Weed.

Here are some highlights of the seniors’ visit to Camp Weed from Natalie Inclan’s report to the parents:
Beautiful! Over 500 acres in Live Oak. Very well maintained, fantastic amenities, nice conference center, cabins, recreational area, so nice!
We began our day in Mandy's Chapel: stunning architecture! Glass and wood, lofted ceilings, all glass walls, practically on top of the lake, very nice! Father Hodsdon really gave a very inspirational and special opening chapel chat specifically for our sixth graders. He touched upon their resilience, their foundational growth and roots in Christianity, and tied it into the four aspects of our Senior Prep compass rose: leadership, knowledge, service, and spiritual formation . . .

Our students rotated through the following 4 activities (two before lunch and two after lunch): Low ropes course led by Sam, their camp counselor as one station, a nature scavenger hunt where they worked in groups of two to find and take pictures of items such as a spider web, a squirrel, bird, ant, etc. and a nature collection activity to later use pieces for a craft as the second station. The third station involved playing Ga Ga ball, a crowd pleaser at camps! and free time with basketball and the last station (improvised!) was learning how to use a navigational 360-degree compass in our orienteering activity.  
Our meals were excellent, and we kept hearing wonderful reviews from our students! For lunch we had a full salad bar, chicken fingers, fries, peas/carrots, and cookies. For dinner, baked ziti, spaghetti and meatballs, fettuccine, broccoli, salad bar and chocolate brownies were served . . .

At 6:30 we rallied them back around the campfire (set up by the staff), and just enjoyed the views of the early evening. Mrs. Foster presented a very meaningful and special devotional for us, weaving in scripture verses about the words we use, being helpful and uplifting to each other, and then concluded by touching on those giant things in our life, and how we deal with them and overcome them, through help from God and prayer. We then loaded up on S'mores, had a great time and then loaded the bus, not wanting to leave so soon!

I had a separate but equally enthusiastic report of the San Jose visit to Camp Weed from Thomas Frazer, the Director of Camp Weed and Cerveny Conference Center. He reported:
 ‘My favorite part [of their visit] was the nature hike. We spotted a yellow-bellied slider off the bat; came upon a freshly dug fox hole; called up some crows; identified tracks and saw a number of bird species.
 
Natalie Inclan and Katie Foster said that the 6th graders were practicing their crow calls and owl hoots on the bus home and at recess the next day at school.
 
Their trip made me realize how ready everyone is to get outside and into nature. Camp Weed is full of wildlife and the kids are full of wonder. It is beneficial to everyone when we bridge that gap and educate the next generation about our natural resources.’
 
Camp Weed would welcome a visit from your school group or, indeed, your family. To inquire about a school or family visit, contact Mrs Gina Hoover: regina@campweed.org 
OLD MACDONALD HAD A FARM
(AT CAMP WEED)
Last month in the Newsletter we reported on the new chicken coup and stock of hens, roosters and baby chicks at Camp Weed. Spring turns to summer and time moves on a pace.
Book Review
The 1662 Book of Common Prayer,
International Edition
(InterVarsity Press, 2021)

The April edition of this Newsletter contained a review of a new book by Samuel L. Bray called Anglicanism: A Reformed Catholic Tradition. At the time we included it I had no idea Professor Bray was also bringing out this very fine new edition of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. On a visit to Savannah earlier this month a friend presented me with a copy of it. Since then I have made the book a present to a number of other people.
 
The promotional material for this new international edition tells us what we need to know about why it was deemed worthy of producing:
 
The Book of Common Prayer 1662 is one of the most beloved liturgical tracts in the Christian church, and remains a definitive expression of Anglican identity today. It is still widely used around the world, in public worship and private devotion, and is revered both for both its linguistic and theological virtues.
 
In order to continue to attract new readers to the treasures of this prayer book, the editors have made judicious (and gentle) updates: State prayers of England have been replaced with prayers that can be used regardless of nation or polity; obscure words and phrases have been modestly revised, but always with a view towards preserving the book’s own cadence and a selection of treasured prayers from later Anglican tradition has been appended.
 
This edition has received some very fine positive reviews by theologians, liturgists and others including this one from the distinguished church historian Diarmaid MacCulloch:
 
The Book of Common Prayer has kept its place at the center of Anglican identity in a remarkable way, considering the long and kaleidoscopic history of the churches that use it. This latest presentation of its riches is, like the original, marked by judicious common sense, but also by a sure instinct for how its many virtues can elegantly be augmented by the practice of later centuries. It is to be welcomed as a gift to Anglicans worldwide: not a trophy of antique display but a practical framework for everyday worship.
 
About the editors:
 
Samuel L. Bray is a professor of law at the University of Notre Dame, as well as a McDonald Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University.
 
Drew N. Keane is a lecturer in the Department of Writing and Linguistics, Georgia Southern University. From 2012 to 2018, he served on the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music for the Episcopal Church. Among the volumes he contributed to was Lesser Feasts and Fasts.
  
You can order a copy of The 1662 Book of Common Prayer International Version from any of our fine Diocesan bookstores or from Amazon.
May Quiz
‘Look to the rock from which you were hewn’.
 
Elsewhere in this May edition, our Editor Canon Dupree has given us a book review of the new international edition of the 1662 text of the Book of Common Prayer. This edition not only employs less archaic spelling and punctuation, but it includes a glossary that follows the text. The glossary is fun in itself-- while introducing us to the ways in which our Anglican forebearers used words that are rich in meaning and association even if quite strange to us today. Here are some Quiz questions based on the glossary of the 1662 Prayer Book text that I hope will whet your appetite to order your own copy of this treasury of spirituality and prayer.
 
Allison DeFoor +
 
1.    Which Biblical translator’s name do we associate most with the Psalter in the Book of Common Prayer, 1662?
 
a.    John Wycliffe (d. 1384)
b.    William Tyndale (1494-1536)
c.    Myles Coverdale (1488-1569)
d.    Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626)
 
2.    In Psalm 76.3 there is a reference to a battle: There brake he the arrows of the bow, the shield, the sword, and the battle. In this verse, a battle refers to:
a.    Fighting between armies
b.    An army or armies
c.    A bill for goods received that is due for payment
d.    A collection or colony of ants
 
3.      The word ‘lust’ as used in Coverdale’s translation of the Bible and the Psalter refers to:
a.    Sexual appetite or desire
b.    Any appetite or desire, friendly or immoderate and reckless
c.    A noun ‘the thing desired’
d.    A verb ‘to desire’ or ‘to long for’
 
4.    An ‘oblation’ in the Prayer Book refers to:
a.    A thank offering
b.    A sin offering
 
5.    There is a well-known Collect (or prayer) in the Prayer Book that reads:
Prevent us O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name.
In which ordination service is this prayer found in the Book of Common Prayer, 1662?
a.    The Form and Manner of Making Deacons
b.    The Form and Manner of Ordering of Priests
c.    The Form of Ordaining or Consecrating of an Archbishop or Bishop
 
6.    Who was the poet on the drafting committee of the translation committee for what would become the re-translation of the Psalter in the American Book of Common Prayer, 1979?
a.    J. Chester Johnson
b.    Toni Morrison
c.    Robert Bly
d.    Mary Oliver
 
Click here to find the answers
INTERVIEW WITH THE NEW DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION FOR MINISTRY (EfM)
Margaret MacNaughton,
St. Paul’s by the Sea, Jacksonville
EfM: Diocese of Florida

Margaret, we are delighted to welcome you as the new Coordinator of EfM for the Diocese of Florida.
 
How did you first get involved in EfM? What is your commitment to EfM? I ask knowing it is significant to you as you have agreed to co-ordinate EfM for the Diocese.
 
I became aware of EfM through a friend who, when she completed the program, started a Christian women’s book club. The club met under her nurturing leadership for over 15 years, discussing a wide variety of books about faith. I was impressed with my friend’s depth of knowledge, as well as her ability to lead our discussions in a way that made each person feel comfortable and valued. I intuited that she learned these techniques and attitudes in EfM. I wanted to be a part of such a group. Now, having just completed the four-year EfM program with the Tuesday evening group at Christ Church, Ponte Vedra Beach, I can report that my intuitions about my friend’s EfM experience were correct.
 
Tell us about EfM in the Diocese? How many EfM groups are currently active? And where?
 
There are now10 active groups in the Diocese of Florida. Traditionally, EfM groups meet in-person. Prior to COVID, three groups met at St. John’s Tallahassee, three at Christ Church Ponte Vedra Beach, two groups at the Jacksonville Cathedral, one at St. Paul’s by-the-Sea Jacksonville Beach, one at Holy Trinity Gainesville, and one at St. Peter’s Fernandina Beach.
 
With the advent of COVID, however, meeting in-person was not possible and our EfM groups took to Zoom. Although group members missed being together in-person, we soon found that Zoom has advantages not previously considered. If someone is traveling or recovering from illness or surgery at home, he or she can still log in for a session by Zoom. Commuting is no longer necessary when meeting by Zoom, so groups can be open to people in more distant locations or to those who want to join an evening group but may not want to drive after dark.
 
Currently, our groups are discussing how and where they want to meet this fall. Many are going to a “hybrid” model; that is, they will meet sometimes on Zoom, and sometimes in-person but with Zoom availability for those who want it.
 
Before COVID, participants chose a group based on its location and its meeting day and time. Now Zoom makes it possible to take location out of that equation. Participants do not have to be members of the church at which their group meets.
 
To see our diocesan groups’ meeting times, follow this link to the EfM page on the diocesan website:
 
What would a typical EfM session look like? What does the course involve in teaching content, courses covered, length of course?
 
EfM groups consist of six to 12 participants, plus a trained mentor, that meet weekly 36 times per year. Group participants decide their 36 meeting dates each year, and the length their sessions. Two-and-a half-hour sessions are typical.
 
Vital to each group is the development of community and relationships. We listen to one another’s life stories, share our insights and beliefs. Groups start each session with worship and prayer. Mentors lead their groups in a practice we call Theological Reflection, a discipline of looking at life experiences through a theological lens.
 
Participants are given opportunities to share their insights from their weekly study of the reading texts. EfM respects participants as adult learners, responsible for setting their own learning goals. Therefore, mentors are not there to teach or test; the mentor’s role is to facilitate.
 
What sort of lay person would be attracted to EfM?
 
People who see faith as a journey will love EfM. People who are lifelong learners will love EfM. People who cherish the kind of relationships formed in a small group, a community of trust, will love EfM.
 
What might EfM graduates say about doing the course and the impact it has had on their life in the Church and in their parish?
 
Listening and responding to God’s call to ministry in daily life is a practice that undergirds the whole EfM curriculum. We call it Vocational Discernment. My friend discerned a call to lead a book club. I discerned a call to coordinate EfM for our diocese. There are as many calls as there are people; each person’s call is unique. Some take on a leadership role in their parishes, some may feel called to serve in a pastoral care capacity, some may feel called to teach Sunday School or plan parish life events or to be a lay eucharistic minister or a greeter. I would say that all EfMers, having studied Scripture and interpretive texts about it in EfM, experience a deeper understanding of the Sunday lectionary readings as we listen from our pews. We joyfully live out our faiths in our congregations.

THE ARCHDEACON’S CORNER
 
A Eucharistic Visitor:
Explained
 
After a year of anticipation, a Eucharistic Visitor Training Workshop took place at St. John’s Cathedral on May 22nd, with 20 faithful people from the eastern part of the Diocese. in attendance. A similar workshop will take place in June for those living in the western side of the Diocese.

In his Gospel, Luke tells us about two disciples who are fleeing to Emmaus following the crucifixion of Christ. Jesus joins them on the way, but they do not recognize him. As they travel together, Jesus explains to them all the Scriptures concerning Him, yet they still don’t recognize Him. When they stop to eat Jesus takes the bread, gives thanks, and breaks it. Immediately they recognized Him, and He disappears from their sight. This is the first time that Jesus would make His presence known by the breaking of bread.
When I started volunteering at St. John’s Cathedral, one of the first things they asked me to do was to be an Usher. I got to greet people, help them find a place, and I got to sit in the back. But the best thing about ushering was conducting our members to receive the Eucharist. I was honored to be a small part of what to me, is the most holy of our sacraments.

One day Dean Kate asked if I would like to take the Eucharist to our shut-ins and become a Eucharistic Visitor. I didn’t know what that entailed, but if inviting folks to the altar was wonderful, I could only imagine what it would be like to take and share the body of Christ with someone in need. But what was a Eucharistic Visitor and how is that different from a Eucharistic Minister?
Undaunted, I looked it up - Canons of the General Convention 2006 Title III, Canon 4 Section 6 & 7:
Sec. 6. A Eucharistic Minister is a lay person authorized to administer the Consecrated Elements at a Celebration of Holy Eucharist. A Eucharistic Minister should normally act under the direction of a Deacon, if any, or otherwise, the Member of the Clergy or other leader exercising oversight of the congregation or other community of faith.
Sec. 7. A Eucharistic Visitor is a lay person authorized to take the Consecrated Elements in a timely manner following a Celebration of Holy Eucharist to members of the congregation who, by reason of illness or infirmity, were unable to be present at the Celebration. A Eucharistic Visitor should normally act under the direction of a Deacon, if any, or otherwise, the Member of the Clergy or other leader exercising oversight of the congregation or other community of faith.
So, basically a Eucharistic Minister helps the Priest or Deacon administer Elements in the church, and a Eucharistic Visitor takes the Consecrated Elements to shut ins. Both needed to be recommended by their Priest (forms are on the Episcopal Diocese of Florida Web site) and both need training. 

Dean Kate signed me up for a Eucharistic Visitor course at Christ Church which was taught by Deacon Marsha Holmes. We learned how to handle, and perform a small Eucharistic Visitor’s Service and to understand just how important our time and presence meant to our shut-ins.

After arrangements had been made in advance, I prepared for my first visit. Armed with a Eucharistic Visitor’s Kit, I went out both nervous and excited. I visited a long-term member of the Cathedral at a local nursing home. She had mobility issues and was losing her vision. I was so worried about making a mistake, and she was just so glad to see someone, hear about our church, listen and talk about the Gospel, and participate in a small service. In her room, I felt like the two of us, were just like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The presence of Jesus was made known in the breaking and sharing of bread. He was right there with us!

When I left, she thanked me and said what a blessing it was that I had come. But as I walked to my car, I realized that I was the one who had truly been blessed that day. I visited her many times after that, and since then I have made hundreds of visitations to others. In every case the greater blessing has always mine, and each time I could feel the presence of Jesus in the breaking of bread and in sharing of time with one another.

Each of us is called to serve. If you feel that this is something that you could do, or are called to do, speak to your local Priest. Training for Eucharistic Visitors will be conducted in May for the eastern region of the Diocese and in June for the western region. You might be amazed how blessed you will be on your own road to Emmaus. Remember that we are all one body because we share one bread, one cup.
Praying that our Lord finds you and yours well
Archdeacon
Mark Richardson
Mother's Day Event at Camp Weed
Click here to register.
To register, call the Cathedral Bookstore: 904-356-5507, ext. 152
or