Greetings from Florida - Shrove Tuesday 2009
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ!
I am writing from the home of Horace and Fay Johnson, who, for those of you who don't know them, are former Trinity members and Horace was Assistant Rector before his retirement in 2006. Horace and I have been performing excavation on some of the local golf courses since Friday.
For the past week I have been doing a lot of driving. I left Debbie's aunt and uncle, Eleanor and Brian, in Punta Gorda on the West Coast of Florida and drove across the state for a brief visit with Bruce and Nancy Whitcomb in Sebastian. While Bruce and I had planned to go on a fishing excursion, that was cancelled by 10 foot seas on the day we were going. So we visited some of the sites in that area. They are doing well (along with their dog, Laddie, a beautiful labradoodle who provided hospitality by being persistent in bringing us various items from my room) and send their regards to everyone at Trinity.
Next I drove up to Horace and Fay's, where Horace and I have been catching up on each other's news and making our best efforts at golf. On Sunday morning, I worshipped at St. Thomas where Horace is a Priest Associate and was the celebrant at the 8:45 service. This is styled as a "contemporary" service, with a praise band that consists of several guitars, a bass, bongos, and a small group of singers who provide some harmony. The diversity of the congregation was not unlike Trinity, and the entire service was in a three-ring binder that contained all of the songs that were sung. An interesting addition was that the woman who is in charge of the youth ministry assembled all of the young people in the front of the church before the Gospel and told them what to listen for in the Gospel lesson -- it was about a 5 minute mini-homily, and after they Gospel they all processed to the back of the church to listen to the sermon, which was offered by a visiting priest from Food for the Poor.
After meeting some of the St. Thomas parishioners, I then drove north to Jacksonville to visit another clergy friend, Rev. Vincent "Chip" Seadale and his wife, Colleen. Chip, like yours truly, is a lawyer-turned-Episcopal priest, whose home parish is St. Peter's in Cheshire, CT. For thepast 14 months, Chip has been the rector of Church of the Redeemer in Jacksonville, where much of the congregation and the previous clergy left the Episcopal church to affiliate with a church from Africa. It was wonderful to meet some of the members of the congregation (I arrived in time for fellowship hour), and to catch up with Chip and Colleen on their exciting ministry in this new setting. He asked that we pray for them as they continue in their ministry of helping to rebuild that congregation.
Today, after a walk ont the beach (with windbreakers) and lunch with Horace, I will drive back to Punta Gorda for a last couple of days with Debbie's aunt and uncle. I will attend Ash Wednesday services at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Punta Gorda, where I have worshipped for more than 20 years, and then return to Connecticut on Thursday. As satisfying and enriching as it has been to be away, it will be good to get back home.
Prayers for a blessed day, and a prayerful beginning of the season of Lent.
Your brother in Christ, Don+
I am writing from the home of Horace and Fay Johnson, who, for those of you who don't know them, are former Trinity members and Horace was Assistant Rector before his retirement in 2006. Horace and I have been performing excavation on some of the local golf courses since Friday.
For the past week I have been doing a lot of driving. I left Debbie's aunt and uncle, Eleanor and Brian, in Punta Gorda on the West Coast of Florida and drove across the state for a brief visit with Bruce and Nancy Whitcomb in Sebastian. While Bruce and I had planned to go on a fishing excursion, that was cancelled by 10 foot seas on the day we were going. So we visited some of the sites in that area. They are doing well (along with their dog, Laddie, a beautiful labradoodle who provided hospitality by being persistent in bringing us various items from my room) and send their regards to everyone at Trinity.
Next I drove up to Horace and Fay's, where Horace and I have been catching up on each other's news and making our best efforts at golf. On Sunday morning, I worshipped at St. Thomas where Horace is a Priest Associate and was the celebrant at the 8:45 service. This is styled as a "contemporary" service, with a praise band that consists of several guitars, a bass, bongos, and a small group of singers who provide some harmony. The diversity of the congregation was not unlike Trinity, and the entire service was in a three-ring binder that contained all of the songs that were sung. An interesting addition was that the woman who is in charge of the youth ministry assembled all of the young people in the front of the church before the Gospel and told them what to listen for in the Gospel lesson -- it was about a 5 minute mini-homily, and after they Gospel they all processed to the back of the church to listen to the sermon, which was offered by a visiting priest from Food for the Poor.
After meeting some of the St. Thomas parishioners, I then drove north to Jacksonville to visit another clergy friend, Rev. Vincent "Chip" Seadale and his wife, Colleen. Chip, like yours truly, is a lawyer-turned-Episcopal priest, whose home parish is St. Peter's in Cheshire, CT. For thepast 14 months, Chip has been the rector of Church of the Redeemer in Jacksonville, where much of the congregation and the previous clergy left the Episcopal church to affiliate with a church from Africa. It was wonderful to meet some of the members of the congregation (I arrived in time for fellowship hour), and to catch up with Chip and Colleen on their exciting ministry in this new setting. He asked that we pray for them as they continue in their ministry of helping to rebuild that congregation.
Today, after a walk ont the beach (with windbreakers) and lunch with Horace, I will drive back to Punta Gorda for a last couple of days with Debbie's aunt and uncle. I will attend Ash Wednesday services at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Punta Gorda, where I have worshipped for more than 20 years, and then return to Connecticut on Thursday. As satisfying and enriching as it has been to be away, it will be good to get back home.
Prayers for a blessed day, and a prayerful beginning of the season of Lent.
Your brother in Christ, Don+
posted by Don+ @ 11:09 AM
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