A Note on My Sabbatical

Posted on Apr 21, 2017 in Blog, Onward and Upward |

 
Dear Servants of Christ,
 
What an amazing Holy Week! Special thanks to our altar guild and music team who served us so faithfully all week. Also, thanks to Susan Staley and Ramona Chance for organizing our readers for the Passion narrative on Palm Sunday. Two of our college students who had never attended a Palm Sunday service commented to me on how this service in particular moved them to worship the Lord. For me, the highlights were: a special foot-washing on Maundy Thursday, Fr. James’s sermon during the Tenebrae Service on Good Friday, and declaring the Easter acclamation to a small group of faithful Christians at midnight of the Easter Vigil. I challenged you in my sermon on Palm Sunday to enter into the experience of our midweek services. I think those who were there will attest to the rich worship of those services. Look for a survey shortly that will ask you to give us feedback on how those midweek services can be tweaked to better serve the spiritual growth of the parish.
 
I am now just a little over a week from the start of my ten week sabbatical. Sunday I will preach my last sermon to the congregation before sabbatical. Five years ago, I took three weeks and even such a short time was fruitful in shaping me for the ministry God has called me to here in Gainesville. I am very excited to see what the Lord wants to show and teach me during ten weeks of time away. For those unfamiliar with a sabbatical, here’s a quote from our diocesan policy: “A sabbatical gets [a priest] off the treadmill and provides an opportunity for renewal of vision and hope. It can be a life and soul changing time – a time when perspective and the Holy Spirit can come together.” My leave will involve formal and informal study, travel, listening prayer, and writing, as well as a good bit of exercise, rest, and family time.
 
The area of study during my sabbatical will center around beginning a Doctoral program from Trinity School for Ministry. I believe this degree will give me more tools and preparation for leading Servants of Christ in the future. Between the stack of books I want to read on my own and assignments for the doctoral class, the Lord will have lots of material to speak into my heart and mind. I want to limit my social media time while I’m out but I will make available the things I’m reading and of course there will be lots of stories to share when I return.
 
In my absence, Fr. James Manley will be leading our staff and serving as the primary preacher and worship leader on Sundays. Fr. Michael La Cagnina will be leading pastoral care. Ethan Stonerook, our senior warden will lead our vestry and handle any employee issues. As always, contact Mary Langeland for prayer requests to the prayer chain.
 
During my time away, I ask for your prayers for both Jody and myself. Unfortunately, Jody will not be able to come away with me for most of the time because of her job, though she deserves a sabbatical too! Unfortunately, life gets in the way. There are some of you who also deserve a time out. I realize that and pray that God will grant you times of sabbath in your week. I am praying for you, especially that you will be blessed from my time away. I have been so blessed with how willing the congregation has been to releasing me, and I’m so grateful for the team I leave behind that is completely competent to lead faithfully.
 
As I said Easter Sunday, if you need to talk to me prior to my leave I am available by phone, text, or email next week, even while attending the American Anglican Council’s Rector’s Summit. This week in Colorado will serve as my transition week into sabbatical. After that, the phone, Facebook, and email go into hibernation. If I don’t see you before April 30, I will catch up with you in July.
 
In Christ,
 

Provision in the Wilderness

Posted on Mar 17, 2017 in Blog, Onward and Upward |

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ Exodus 14:1-3
 
Dear Servants,
 
I’m so blessed to be studying and teaching through the book of Exodus this Lent. While Genesis is the “Book of Beginnings,” Exodus is itself a book of firsts in so many ways. God makes His people a nation rather than just a family. He makes them to know Him as the great “I AM” not only as His name but experiencing Himself as “the one who delivers you from bondage.” In Exodus the children of Israel know God for the first time as Redeemer! If you’ve meant to attend this study and got distracted, you still have three weeks. We will take this coming week off (March 22) and meet again March 29 when we will examine chapters 12-18 looking at how Israel is led by Divine Rule. Important to us will be how does Israel learn to discern and follow God to the place and purpose He has ordained for them?
 
I find particularly helpful how God uses the imagery of the abyss in Exodus to teach me about God’s provision in the face of what appears to be a dead end. This word was especially important to me when I heard from Harvest Christian Church this last week. Their pastor called to tell me that after a long search, they had decided not to sell us their buildings but instead to put capital resources into improving them for a long-term stay. You may recall that we had presented Harvest with an offer that they had accepted, contingent on their finding a suitable space to move their congregation. They were unable to find a space, so once again we find ourselves with no viable prospect for a building to purchase despite a wonderful start to our building fund and favorable relationships with our banker and architect. How will God provide? Where is He calling us given the property market in Gainesville? I don’t know that answer, but I know the God in whom I’ve placed my trust. I know God through His previous faithfulness, so I know He will be faithful in the future. This is also the testimony of Scripture.
 
Up against the frustration of no progress on our acquisition of a building of our own, I want to relate the joy of a pastoral experience I’ve recently walked through. Two Wednesdays ago while I was visiting Gainesville Community Ministry, I had just announced to the director, Michael Wright that I couldn’t stay for my normal 1½ hour shift because of a pastoral emergency at Shands. As I started to leave, Ms. Ruby saw me and said, “Pastor Farmer, you always come on just the right days.” This is usually code for she has a difficult or needy client. Sure enough, I was introduced to an elderly lady who was stranded downtown. She needed a ride back across town to one of the rough apartments off of SW 20th Street just west of I-75. I told her I could give her a ride, but she would have to wait for me at Shands while I visited a patient. And so she did and I found myself crossing town with this very rough-looking elderly lady. It wasn’t two minutes before we were talking church and her testimony of coming to Christ.
 
“I’m HIV positive. I used to be a prostitute and crack addict,” she said. At which point I said, “Wow, I was just preaching about the woman who cleans Jesus’ feet with her tears and dries them with her hair. You must really love stories about how Jesus affected those most outcast in society.” She loved that story and continued to witness to her love for Jesus. Then we began to compare the folks she’s known. She talked about the HIV clinic and how they saved her life (we shared people we both know in that ministry). We shared about friends we both have in recovery groups, we talked about the work of Created Ministry to Vulnerable Women which got her very excited. We talked about people we both know who live in the poverty and violence of her neighborhood; I shared about the police sergeant from our church who patrols her area. As we got back to her apartment and she walked away thankful to be home, I was thankful to God for Servants of Christ. I praised God that I wasn’t just another white, middle-aged pastor with an isolated middle-class congregation, safely detached from people like this women. Sure, all pastors help such people but it dawned on me that everything we discussed related to members of my church family, and their testimonies as people transformed by the Gospel and engaged in their community.
 
Friends, we don’t have our own building, we have no sense of permanence in Gainesville. But we have God’s promise to go with us into the future, and we have a clear call to purpose – a church engaged with its community. I just left a clergy meeting where one of our speakers challenged us, “If the Church is absent from the community, the community will be absent from the Church.”
 
May Servants of Christ’s congregation always be present in our community. God bless you as you continue to walk through a Holy Lent.
 
Onward and Upward,
Alex +

Having a Disciple: Sharing With Others in Need

Posted on Mar 9, 2017 in Blog, Guest Blogger |

 

 
Come, Holy Spirit. Help us hear Your words. Show us where the time You have blessed us with can be spent serving You and strengthening Your kingdom.
 
Here at Servants, our core purpose is to make disciples: learning to do all that Jesus said. I recently went to a discipleship conference where Archbishop Foley Beach spoke. He addressed eight characteristics of a disciple who follows Christ. A disciple loves others, not some people, but everyone. They have the Holy Spirit in their lives; they are serious about learning Scripture. A disciple knows how to pray and is learning to worship in a community, and of course, walks with Jesus. These were all great points and I could speak about all of them at length, but the one I want to talk about today is having a disciple: sharing with others in need.
 
I want you to think back to when you were in middle school or high school. Were you in a youth group at church or an organization at school? Now think back to the time spent there. Were there adults or teachers that helped in that group? What were the adults like? How did they make you feel? Was there one person who was always there to give you advice or just listen to you when they knew you were having a good or bad day?
 
In all of the groups that I was involved with during that part of my life, my parents were always there. At the time it drove me crazy. I couldn’t seem to shake them. I have this memory of my junior year in high school and my parents were chaperoning our drama district competition in Jacksonville. It was lunch time and I asked my mom if I could have my lunch. She said, “I need to set a few things up first.” Little did I know that she had brought enough food for the entire group (there were about 50 of us). I asked what she was doing. She told me last time we came most of the kids didn’t have enough money to buy lunch so she made sure we had enough so everyone could eat this time. Now mind you we did not have the money to feed everyone but that didn’t matter to her. She was going to make sure that anyone who needed it would have something to eat. At the time I was embarrassed. She had this giant table in the parking lot of the school set up with a sandwich and chip station. All of the kids loved it and it bonded us together. I saw my mother for the servant she was. She was blessed with the gift of hospitality.
 
I look back on that now and I want to be just like my parents in that way. They were always involved with our youth program at church even before my sister and I were old enough to be in ours. They would find a need where they were and jump right in. Once I was old enough I helped in our children’s ministry and as soon as I graduated from high school I got involved in our church’s youth group.
 
Now I know what you are thinking. I can’t work with kids that age. They are loud, smelly, and don’t listen. And all that is true some of the time, but the reality is that they are craving adult mentors. I loved my parents and they set a high bar of what service looked like, but there were other adults in my life as well. I needed an outside perspective. Someone to say the same things my parents were saying, but someone I felt like I could trust. Because who wants to take advice from your parents when you are 16?
 
Here at Servants, we have a group of young adults that desire to know who Christ is to them. They want to ask questions and really hear the answers. We also have a new group of young men who have no father figures in their lives and the women in their lives are doing all they can do to provide for their needs, so there isn’t a lot of quality time. They need men who are going to truly speak to their hearts and women to love them unconditionally. Who is going to show them what it means to be a man? Who will show them how to care for others, to serve others? Right now for most of them, it’s the youth in their neighborhoods and we know what that looks like. I pray each and every day that God would provide them with a positive mentor. Someone who is there for them when they feel like a failure or when they accomplish a new goal.
 
Why have I told you all of this? Nikki and I love our kids here at Servants but we can’t provide for all of their needs. And until their needs are met, we can’t teach them effectively about who Christ is, week in and week out. For some, those needs are food. For others it is time, and for most, it’s just an ear to listen. I pray that you will truly listen and pray to see if God is laying on your heart to help with our youth. No matter what stage you are in your life, your gifts are needed. God can use you. Think of that person who was there for you when you were their age. How would your life be different if they weren’t there? If there was no one like that in your life, how would that have impacted you differently? Now don’t think about what you would have to sacrifice to help, just listen to see if God is speaking to you to help and then go from there.
 
 
 
If you hear the Lord speaking to you through this, there are some immediate needs the youth have that you can help fill. First, come hang out! On Wednesday, March 22 the youth are having a movie night at the church from 6:00-8:00pm. This is the perfect opportunity to meet the kids in a low-key setting. Another way to help is to consider providing a meal for the youth group on any Wednesday between now and the end of the school year. With full bellies, their minds are free to listen and engage the Word. You can sign up here. Finally, if you have ideas for how to get involved, contact Kim at kim@servantsanglican.org or Nikki at nikki@servantsanglican.org.
 
 
About our guest blogger: Kim Harris has been volunteering with children and youth for nearly 20 years. She currently serves as Servants’ Director of Children’s and Family Ministries. Kim brings passion and energy to her work and she feels God has blessed her with a variety of relationships and experiences because of the time she’s spent in the ministry.

Should a Christian Observe Ash Wednesday?

Posted on Feb 27, 2017 in Blog, Guest Blogger |

 

 
Since the Bible nowhere explicitly commands or condemns such a practice, Christians are at liberty to decide prayerfully, whether or not to observe Ash Wednesday. If a Christian decides to observe Ash Wednesday and/or Lent, it is important to have a biblical perspective. In this summary of Ash Wednesday, I will provide a glimpse into some Biblical perspectives, as well as some history regarding the observance of Ash Wednesday.
 
For those who grew up in the Anglican Communion, as well as those who came to the Anglican Communion from other traditions, you probably became accustomed in short order to use the terms of the community, often without a full appreciation of the origins and meanings of the terms bandied about. For many, Ash Wednesday may be one of those mysterious terms; mysterious because although the physical manifestations of the day are recognizable, one may have little knowledge or understanding of why Ash Wednesday is observed.
 
Ashes are mentioned several times in the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments indicating their use to express mourning and penance. Now before we go any further, penance is one of those two dollar words we often hear and maybe even use without appreciating its full meaning. Penance is generally considered to be an act of religious devotion to reflect ones sorrow for having committed a sin. In the Roman Catholic tradition, it can be a religious devotion imposed by a priest during the sacrament of Confession.
 
Getting back to the use of ashes to express mourning and penance, consider the plight of Mordecai in the fourth chapter of the Book of Esther when he learned of Haman’s appeal to the King to have all the Jews in the kingdom killed, every man, woman, and child; and that their houses were to be plundered. We read from Chapter 4, “When Mordecai learned all that had been done, [he] tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.” A bitter cry of mourning for what awaited him and his fellow Jews.
 
And in Jeremiah 6 we read, “O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth, and roll in ashes; make mourning as for an only son, most bitter lamentation, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.”
 
And in Matthew 11, Jesus said, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.”
 
It is apparent that it is appropriate to associate ashes with mourning and repentance.
 
Around 160-220 AD, Tertullian in his book, De Poenitentia (meaning, “On Repentance”) wrote that the penitent must “live without joy in the roughness of sackcloth and the squalor of ashes.”
 
There were other practices that were employed later in the Middle Ages where those who were about to die were laid on the ground on top of sackcloth and were then sprinkled with ashes.
 
The use of ashes to mark the beginning of the Lenten Season is first recorded in the ritual for the “Day of Ashes” which is found in the earliest editions of the Gregorian Sacramentary circa 700 A.D.
 
While these are just a few of the events leading up to today’s observance of Ash Wednesday (there are many more), they provide you with a sense of the Biblical tie-in to the observance.
 
In our present liturgy for Ash Wednesday, we use ashes made from the burned palm branches distributed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. The palms are collected and then are burned and placed in a container until Ash Wednesday. Prior to the Ash Wednesday observance, a priest blesses the ashes and during a solemn service, imposes them on the foreheads of the faithful, making the sign of the cross and saying, “Remember, that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”
 
As we begin this penitential season of Lent in preparation for Easter, we must remember the significance of the ashes we have received in this our observance:
  • We mourn and do penance for our sins,
  • We renew the promises made at our baptism, when we died to an old life and rose to a new life with Christ, and finally,
  • Mindful that the kingdom of this world passes away, we strive to live the kingdom of God now and look forward to its fulfillment in Heaven.
 
Ash Wednesday takes place 46 days before Easter Sunday, it is a fasting period of 40 days (fasts are not observed on Sundays) which recalls Jesus’ 40-day fast following His baptism. Since it is exactly 40 days (excluding Sundays) before Easter Sunday, it will always fall on a Wednesday – there cannot be an “Ash Thursday” or “Ash Monday.”
 
While it is not required that a person wear the ashes for the rest of the day (they may be washed off after the service), many people keep the ashes as a reminder until the evening. It is important to remember that Ash Wednesday is a day of penitential prayer and fasting. Some faithful take the rest of the day off work and remain home. If you choose to have the ashes remain on your forehead until you arrive back home, recall that because it is a solemn and penitential observance, it is generally inappropriate to dine out, to shop, or to go about in public after receiving the ashes.
 
It is a good thing to repent of sinful activities, but that’s something Christians should do every day, not just during Lent. It is a good thing to clearly identify oneself as a Christian, but, again, this should be an everyday identification. And it is good to remember that no ritual can make one’s heart right with God.
 
How are ashes to be imposed?
  1. Palms are gathered to be burned. These should be burned prior to the Ash Wednesday service and the ashes placed in a small container.
  2. The priest will stand in a designated spot to distribute ashes. The congregation may be standing in a line ready to approach the priest or may be kneeling at the communion rail.
  3. The priests holds the opened container of ashes in the left hand and places the right thumb into the container of ashes to coat the fingerprint area of the thumb with ashes, making sure that there are enough ashes on the thumb to apply them properly to a person’s forehead.
  4. With the right thumb, ashes are applied in the shape of a cross to the first person’s forehead; first drawing the vertical member of the cross and then drawing the horizontal from the priest’s left to right. While applying the ashes, the priest says the following to the person: “Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.” (Genesis 3:19)
  5. Steps 3 through 5 are repeated until all have had ashes imposed.
  6. When finished, the ashes container is returned to the credence table.
 
 
About our guest blogger: Fr. Michael La Cagnina is a retired priest in the Anglican Church. A consummate doer, he serves as an assistant priest in our community, builds sheds, designs pulpits, writes poetry, gardens, and generally keeps himself as busy as his health allows.

Vision and Future

Posted on Feb 23, 2017 in Blog, Onward and Upward |

 
Dear Servants,
 
Sunday, February 12th, we had our Annual Meeting as our by-laws require. We selected new vestry members: Ann Shower, Cynthia Stehouwer, Bob Doak, and Justin Smith. Please pray for each of these amazing members of our body as they take on positions of leadership. In addition, we approved by-law updates to include language regarding our statement of faith as a parish and our core purpose statement. I encourage all of you to visit our website and read our statement of faith under the “About Us” section. We heard from our Treasurer, Adrienne Boada about the financial condition of the congregation (full financials were sent to members via email), an update on our Building Fund (which is now over $300,000) from Bernie Daquila, and discussed our hopes of future facilities.
 
During the sermon on the 12th, I shared my vision for the future of Servants of Christ and my plans for facilitating that future by taking the remainder of my sabbatical that I cut short five years ago. For those that weren’t around back then or who have forgotten, a sabbatical is “a healthy and effective means of preventing burnout and of renewing and enhancing a professional’s capabilities for dealing effectively with problems facing those who need help. […T]he overall goal is rest and renewal, not rigid adherence to a prescribed plan of action.” A sabbatical “might involve study, travel, writing or some combination of all three, blended with a good measure of relaxation and family time.” (source: Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh Clergy Compensation Guide)
 
I have discussed with the Vestry and have their support to take ten weeks starting after Easter for my sabbatical. In my absence, Fr. James Manley will be leading our staff and serving as the primary preacher. Fr. Michael La Cagnina will be leading pastoral care with Fr. James and Fr. Myron serving in support as available. Ethan Stonerook, our new senior warden, will lead our Vestry meetings.
 
During my sabbatical, I will begin a Doctoral program from Trinity School for Ministry. I believe this degree will give me more tools and preparation for leading Servants of Christ in the future.
 
Another part my vision for the future of Servants that I shared on the 12th is a goal to begin to look for and hire a second full-time priest to serve our parish. The reality is that while God has called me to remain in Gainesville for the foreseeable future, we should remember that “every pastor is an interim pastor” – a fact of which I was reminded in Next, a book Bishop Neil Lebhar had all the clergy read. (Next: Pastoral Success That Works, Vanderbloemen and Bird, Baker Books, 2014)
 
Because most churches do not spend time planning for this fact, they find themselves losing valuable momentum in the work God has called them to accomplish when a pastor leaves. For this reason, Bishop Neil has asked that every parish submit a succession plan to him by Easter. I am grateful for the accountability of reading this book. As I began to work with the Vestry on succession, I sensed a vision for cultivating a young priest who might one day succeed me as rector of Servants of Christ. This may be years down the road, but the reality is now is the time to think about it.
 
The timing of my sabbatical and mentioning succession might seem to some to be connected, but I assure you they are not. Some members of the congregation have asked me privately if I’m trying to tell the congregation I am planning to leave. No, that is not at all my plan. I do think the time has come to plan for the future of Servants of Christ, even while we are still waiting for our permanent facility. The plan our Vestry is developing would have provisions for sudden need for succession but anticipates a gradual process. Once the plan is finalized and approved by our Bishop, we will make the plan available to members.
 
Friends, God is establishing our congregation as a “city set on a hill” and a light in the darkness of our world. I am so thankful for each of you who make up the body of Servants of Christ. Enjoy the remainder of the season of Epiphany, Lent is coming!
 
Onward and Upward,
Alex +

When Persecution Arises

Posted on Feb 9, 2017 in Blog, Onward and Upward |

 
Dear Servants,
 
On Sunday, I preached on our Lord’s teaching about persecution and the challenge for us who live in the United States to identify with our sisters and brothers around the world who suffer so greatly for their faith in Jesus. We have to remember that our experience as 21st-century Western Christians is rather unique in terms of the treatment of Christians worldwide. It is estimated that 100 million believers live in countries where there is on-going persecution against Christians.
 
An excellent source of ongoing information about the persecuted church can be found at opendoorsusa.org. On Sunday I quoted from that site, “Christian persecution is any hostility experienced from the world as a result of one’s identification as a Christian. From verbal harassment to hostile feelings, attitudes and actions, Christians in areas with severe religious restrictions pay a heavy price for their faith. Beatings, physical torture, confinement, isolation, rape, severe punishment, imprisonment, slavery, discrimination in education and employment, and even death are just a few examples of the persecution they experience on a daily basis.” The U.S. Department of State says that “Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in Jesus Christ.” Each month 322 Christians are killed for their faith, 214 churches or Christian properties are destroyed, and 772 Christians suffer from some form of violence other than death for their faith in Jesus. (reference)
 
Can I suggest that the least we, who face so little in the way of persecution, can do is to go to Open Doors or Voice of the Martyrs and sign up for email updates? At these websites, you will also find links to videos of Christians who have undergone persecution for their faith. We can pray for our brothers and sisters to be true to Christ in the face of all they have to suffer. This is how the persecuted church asks us to pray.
 
Jesus explains the parable of the seeds to His disciples, who like us, often don’t quite understand what Jesus means. With regard to the “rocky ground,” Jesus says there is no root so when persecution arises, they lose their faith. How do we put down deep roots? Discipleship! Continue to read Scripture, meet together to share your prayer needs and receive counsel in the Lord, and attend church as much as possible. These, along with our prayer life, are gifts for discipleship. There is no guarantee that trials, temptations, and even persecution will not come to our lives or the lives of our loved ones. We must all be rooted in Christ. This is also a wonderful prayer for those 100 million Christians who face the real possibility for persecution right now: that they, too, may put down deep roots.
 
God Bless you all,
Alex +

What Does Membership Mean?

Posted on Jan 29, 2017 in Blog, Onward and Upward |

 

 
Dear Servants,
 
Writing about the above passage, renowned teacher John Stott once wrote, “For we are ‘the temple of the living God’ ‘a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.’ When the members of the congregation are scattered during most of the week it is difficult to remain aware of this reality. But when we come together as the Church (Ekklesia ‘assembly’) of the living God, every aspect of our common life is enriched by the knowledge of his presence in our midst.” (The Message of 1 Timothy and Titus, p. 104.)
 
I begin with this quote from Stott because I think it puts into perspective what is at stake when we talk about the Church. We know that to be a Christian is to be a member of the Church (universal). But why should we be a member of a church (local)? As we approach our annual meeting of the congregation, it comes up because only members can vote on changes to our by-laws. Beyond the right to vote at annual meetings, membership is also necessary to be in a position of leadership in the parish. For instance, serving on the vestry or heading up a ministry of the church. Now, you may or may not care about these things, so why become a member?
 
My short answer is spiritual accountability. To join a church signals to others in the church community that you are entering into a mutually accountable relationship with others in the parish with regards to the fundamental acts of a Christian. Our Anglican Church in North America canons actually do a great job of stating those acts, so I’m going to quote them here: 
 
  1. To worship God, the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit, every Lord’s Day in a Church unless reasonably prevented;
  2. To engage regularly in the reading and study of Holy Scripture and the Doctrine of the Church as found in Article 1 of the Constitution of this Church;
  3. To observe their baptismal vows, to lead an upright and sober life, and not give scandal to the Church;
  4. To present their children and those they have led to the Lord for baptism and confirmation;
  5. To give regular financial support to the Church, with the biblical tithe as the minimum standard of giving.
  6. To practice forgiveness daily according to our Lord’s teaching;
  7. To receive worthily the Sacrament of Holy Communion as often as reasonable;
  8. To observe the feasts and fasts of the Church set forth in the Anglican formularies;
  9. To continue his or her instruction in the Faith so as to remain an effective minister for the Lord Jesus Christ;
  10. To devote themselves to the ministry of Christ among those who do not know Him, utilizing the gifts that the Holy Spirit gives them, for the effective extension of Christ’s Kingdom (The canons are taken from the Anglican Church in North America Constitution and Canons, Title 1, Canon 10, section 2, p. 22.)
 
Now, having listed these items I realize that for some Christians it seems a bit scary to think about “spiritual accountability.” One of the principles Servants has felt called to as a congregation is to be a redemptive experience of Church (universal) for people that have been burned in the past by a church (local). This is why we are outspoken about the fact that you don’t have to be a member of Servants to be a part of us. For instance, our Fellowship Directory includes members, former members, and long-term visitors. However, having said that, I would say with complete peace, it should be the goal of every disciple to join a local church community. There are some members at SOC that never thought they would be a part of a church community, but God changed their hearts and minds about membership.
 
Still others, I imagine, would say: I’m already in accountable relationships with other Christians at Servants, why do I need to formalize that commitment? Can I suggest that it is because we need outward, visible signs of things we decide in our mind? I’m not suggesting that membership in the church is on par with Baptism and Communion as sacraments, but we are more committed when we make an outward sign, whether it is a marriage certificate, financial pledge, or volunteer commitment. By virtue of our Baptism we are made members of the Church (universal) of Jesus Christ, and yet Scripture commends to us the need to gather regularly with a church (local) community. And the apostle Paul reminds us that as we live out our lives together in community the living God dwells with us.
 
Living with each of you my sisters and brothers in Christ,
Alex +

A City and a Light

Posted on Jan 12, 2017 in Blog, Onward and Upward |

 
Dear Servants of Christ,
 
Welcome to the Season of Epiphany! Let me once again say how blessed we have been to read all the Advent/Christmas devotionals that members of Servants have offered to the parish. If you missed any of them, you can find them on our website here.
 
Having considered Jesus’ return during Advent, and worshipped at the wonder of His Incarnation during Christmas, we are now ready to share the message of Jesus in the New Year! Jesus reminds us that we are the light; our work is to make Jesus known. The key I believe is to let the light of Jesus reflect off us towards others. This is another reason why the vestry has placed so much emphasis on encouraging you to find a daily plan for reading Scripture with prayer.
 
During Epiphany I want to do a couple of things to assist you in your own renewed commitment to making Jesus known. First, I want to offer a teaching on Tuesday, January 24 on how we can effectively share our faith in Jesus with others. There is some material I learned about in preparation for last November’s Synod that I think you will find helpful.
 
Second, I want to offer sermons during Epiphany that will remind us of our core purpose as a parish to assist in our obedience to make Jesus known. These sermons will examine the “Sermon on the Mount” from Matthew 5 and will build towards our Annual Meeting on February 12.
 
Third, I’m excited to let you know that Bishop Martyn Minns and his lovely family will be with us once again to share this time on: “How are Christian leaders to respond in times like these?” This will be a one-day retreat on Saturday, February 18 starting at 9:00 am. I hope all of you will attend. Bishop Minns will also be our preacher on Sunday, February 19. 
 
Friends, my prayer is that God make Servants of Christ like a city on a hill in our city, and that as He continues to transform us into the likeness of His Son Jesus we might see many others glorifying God in 2017.
 
Onward and Upward,
Alex +

Parish Bible Challenge | The One Year Bible

Posted on Dec 31, 2016 in Blog, Devotions, Parish Bible Challenge 2017 |

parish-bible-challenge
 
Since I became a Christian in my teen years, I’ve known that reading the Bible regularly is something I should do. Like most of you, I’ve struggled over the course of my Christian life to find a way to be consistent and at the same time actually benefit in my walk with Jesus. I’ve tried lots of things from devotionals with Scripture passages, daily reading plans that come on a sheet to check off each day, and the daily office of the Anglican Church. Then in 2010 I was with our Bishop Neil Lebhar for one of those clergy events and noticed at breakfast that he was reading a One Year Bible. For those unfamiliar, this is a trademarked Bible from Tyndale Publishing that came out back in the ‘90s. It gives you an Old and New Testament reading that allows you to read through the Bible in one year, plus portions of Psalms and Proverbs so that you read these along with the other readings. Yes, four readings per day. I knew about the One Year Bible from years before but figured it was just a passing fad. Perhaps it was, but prompted by +Neil’s witness, I picked up a One Year Bible and started reading daily. Since 2010 I have read through the entire One Year Bible five times. I’ve only managed to read the Bible in a year once, but despite taking longer than intended, I’ve kept at it, and let me tell you I have been so blessed in the process.
 
I will warn those of you that might decide to try this plan for 2017: it’s a good bit of reading. I probability read 20 minutes straight each morning (except days I miss). What I love is that by reading through over and over again, I have grown in my understanding of the overall flow and connections of Scripture. It’s also remarkable to me that often the Old and New Testament portions connect with each other in some unexpected way. For example, you read about the struggles of Joseph in Egypt at the same time you are reading about Jesus’ instructions to the disciples about facing persecution. I’m also continually blessed by the Psalms which speak so powerfully to the struggles of everyday life, and the challenge of Proverbs to live as a person listening to true wisdom. I can’t speak for the ladies, but every man would benefit from simply reading through the book of Proverbs every month. 
 
My prayer is that some of you will purchase a One Year Bible, or use the free digital version available through the YouVersion app
(under daily reading plans) and challenge yourself to read through the whole Bible. Again, don’t get caught up in the “one year” thing. The benefit is really the process of reading the whole. For those who choose to try this plan, I am going to create a forum for sharing questions that are raised as you read through, particularly the Old Testament and some of the writings of Paul. Email me at alex@servantsanglican.org if you are interested in being a part of the group.
 
Happy reading…
 
Alex +
 
 
To read the vision behind the challenge, check out our previous post: http://bit.ly/2iput8Z

Parish Bible Challenge | Journey Through the Bible

Posted on Dec 30, 2016 in Blog, Guest Blogger, Parish Bible Challenge 2017 |

parish-bible-challenge
 
I have used the Gulf Atlantic Diocese’s Journey through the Bible program in the past and have decided to use this plan again for 2017. I love this program because I know brothers and sisters around the diocese are reading the same Scriptures daily.
 

Harris Willman, Lay Administrator for the Gulf Atlantic Diocese, sends an email daily containing the selected scriptures. This plan will lead you from Genesis through Revelation in three to four chapters per day and usually takes 15-20 minutes to read each day. I like reading the daily designated Scriptures directly from the Bible. However, there were occasions when I was traveling or when I only found time to read in the car pick-up line at school when it was convenient to read the Scriptures directly from the email. Since I last participated in this plan, Harris has also added an audio link to the email. Perhaps your quiet time is during a walk or a commute when this option would be the most convenient.

If you would like to participate with me in the Gulf Atlantic Diocese’s Journey through the Bible, you can sign up here.
 
Tracy La Cagnina
 
To read the vision behind the challenge, check out our previous post: http://bit.ly/2iput8Z

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