News and Updates

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...

One of my favorite images of leadership is the concept of getting “up in the balcony.” The whole idea is that in order to see the big picture, it’s important to occasionally get off the dance floor and see things from the balcony. Getting up in the balcony means...

“If there's something strangeIn your neighborhoodWho you gonna call?Ghostbusters! If there's something weirdAnd it don't look goodWho you gonna call?Ghostbusters! If you're all alonePick up the phoneAnd callGhostbusters!” Soon after the Ghostbusters movie was released...

January is officially in full swing—and this month ushers in the Season of Epiphany. South Floridians could easily mistake the word “Epiphany” to mean “gridlocked traffic,” as the two arrive at about the same time. However, I assure you: they are not the same thing....

Sunday, January 1st, was a landmark day in both the secular world and in the church. The night before, champagne corks popped as glasses clinked and fireworks filled the sky. We rang out the old and in the new, a ritual as old as time. Some of us made resolutions,...