News and Updates

Dear Friends, Gratitude hits you in different ways at different times. On Wednesday it kept smacking me in the face. First, with a glorious sunrise over the beach while walking our dog Cooper. I mean, it was one of those moments when the clouds were beautifully...

Almighty and eternal God, so draw our hearts to you, so guide our minds, so fill our imaginations, so control our wills, that we may be wholly yours, utterly dedicated unto you and then use us, we pray you as you will, and always to your glory and the welfare of your...

In Palm Beach we have two seasons: (1) positively delightful, and (2) heat and humidity. We’re still in the delightful season, which makes Lent here a little different from the rest of the country. Friends up north are enduring gray skies and snow. Here we revel in...

There’s been a lot of talk about the idea of community at Bethesda over the last few months. Whether it’s the excellent work of our Invite, Welcome, Connect committee ushering new members into our fold, the extremely successful Palm Beach Empty Bowls event hosted at...

Dear Friends, On Ash Wednesday, the liturgy includes these words said by the priest: “I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent.” As I said in my Ash Wednesday sermon, “Popular misconceptions aside, we are not invited to keep...

Dear Friends, I am delighted to share the news that Joseph E. Sanelli has answered the call to serve as Bethesda’s new Parish Administrator. Joe is warm and engaging, an experienced administrator, a committed Christian, and someone I am excited to work with as a...

The Austin Organ Co. is at work in the church as I write this article. They are “voicing” some of the new sounds we’ve just added to the organ so that they will balance just right with our acoustic and the many other sounds we enjoy. The beauty of such a large...

February has arrived, and with it, thoughts turn to Valentine’s Day. The Feast of St. Valentine was established around the year 500 but was removed from the Roman calendar in 1969. There is no official observance for Valentine at all in the Episcopal Church calendar....

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) This verse, which has sustained me through the years, is displayed in a watercolor in my home. As my spiritual...