Fr. Daniel Adkinson is Rector of St. Thomas Anglican in Athens, GA, and Chair of the Standing Committee for the Diocese of the South. He brings us an update from the Committee and encouragement as we begin 2021.
We are grateful for the parishes, clergy, and laypersons in our Diocese. 2020 was a year of significant disruption. Well done to our congregations that responded with such creativity and lead so well! We are continuing to work closely with Archbishop Foley, Bishop Frank, and the Diocesan staff. We are encouraged by some recent changes that will help us move forward in mission and ministry together. Also, we want to commend the faithful, ongoing generosity of the parishioners and congregations in ADOTS.
Almost every church in ADOTS is doing more online than they were this time last year. It has been essential for ongoing options for worship, formation in community, and pastoral connection. Most congregations have also done a great job thinking through what can be done digitally and what cannot.
For example, the congregation I serve has needed to be online only for the last few months. We have streamed our service online. But, in addition we have done two key things:
Continue monitoring the public heath situation in your local area. Talk with our Bishops and consult with your vestry. We would encourage our congregations to make prayerful, collaborative decisions. Also, we are hopeful that the public health situation will improve in 2021.
Easy and economical to print at home — or for churches to provide to parishioners — ADOTS has updated our Lenten printable PDF booklet for Year B and 2021 dates. This 4-page booklet (just 2-pages double-sided!) features historic quotes on fasting and Lent from sermons of ancient Church fathers and saints, along with the weekly scripture readings and collects — including daily readings and prayers for Holy Week.
It’s already set up as a booklet, making it easy to print, fold, and use. Click below to view and download!
Instructions for printing:
Use landscape mode, if your system does not automatically detect this.
Pages 1 and 2 should be printed together double-sided.
Pages 3 and 4 should be printed together double-sided.
The numbered page corners are simply for reference when assembling after printing.
This resource is for Ash Wednesday through the Fifth Week of Lent, providing guidance on what Lent is and how and why we observe the Lenten disciplines.
This resource complements the above Lent guide, with all the scriptures and collects for Holy Week.
“Quite simply, the workplace is the final frontier in the mission world today!” says Fr. Greg McBrayer.
An Anglican priest (Diocese of Fort Worth) and chaplain for American Airlines at their Fort Worth, TX headquarters, Fr. Greg will be one of three frontline chaplains featured at the 2nd Annual Faith@Work ERG Conference, Feb. 9-11, 2021. Held virtually this year, Fr. Greg highly encourages anyone interested in faith in the workplace to attend the conference. Registration is just $40.
“Today as never before, corporations are seeing the fruitfulness of Chaplaincy and Bivocational ministry being done by essential, front-line, spiritual first responders who are actively serving in the workplace through a worldwide crisis,” says Fr. Greg.
As Chief Flight Controller for American Airlines and Senior Chaplain, Fr. Greg has been in a unique position to continue ministering to essential workers during the pandemic, while unfortunately many clergy have been regarded as non-essential and barred from ministering in certain capacities.
“As an essential spiritual first responder, it has most compared with end-of-life grief ministry day in and day out. Airline colleagues and co-workers are grieving the loss of jobs, loss of loved ones, co-workers, and certainly the loss of human connection and civility,” Fr. Greg told the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation, the organizer of the Faith@Work Conference.
While the military has known the value of chaplaincy for decades, Fr. Greg says it’s only been since 9/11 that the corporate world has slowly begun to embrace faith in the workplace through ERGs or EBRGs – Employee Business Resource Groups. ERGs represent numerous employee interests, and their growing acceptance has allowed clergy to minister where people spend the most hours of their day.
Fr. Greg’s passion for chaplaincy in the workplace is evident on his website – Our Faith at Work – where his incredible photos tell the story of serving at Dallas/Fort Worth International, the world’s third busiest airport. He performs plane-side memorial services, leads midday prayer, prays with employees and travelers, walks alongside co-workers, celebrates the Eucharist, and much more.
In the consideration of work and ministry, Fr. Greg shares a quote “from one much wiser than I.”
“Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry. It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it.” – A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God
by Rachel Moorman
ADOTS Communications Associate
news@adots.org
Posted: February 10, 2021 by adotsadmin
Mission of Church Plants Doesn’t Stop during COVID
Canon Chris Sorensen is the Abbot of the Mission Abbey parishes of Chattanooga, TN and Canon for Church Planting for the Diocese of the South. He brings us an update on current ADOTS church plants, and how digital connection is impacting worship and membership at the Mission Abbey parishes and ministries.
What would you like to communicate to the Diocese about church planting in 2021?
The COVID season we have been in has impacted church-planting. Church-plants have all of the same struggles that mature churches have regarding COVID, however, the plants do not have longstanding relationships of collective histories to draw upon. Nevertheless, all of our church-plants are still forging ahead, and during 2020 we were able to move forward with three new planting projects (Springfield, MO; Clarksville, TN; and Newnan, GA). These three projects can all use our prayers!
How has an online presence been critical for ADOTS parishes? What has been your personal experience with this?
Online services and discipleship and fellowship cannot and will not ever be able to replace in-person experiences. At the Mission Abbey, our online experiences have been significant, however. Hundreds of people have worshipped and even had small groups online throughout COVID. Currently, there are more than 20 households at our church going through a new members class completely virtually. These households have all begun attending our church virtually.
Please pray for the church plants in the Diocese of the South!
A Collect for the Mission of the Church
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh; and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
–Book of Common Prayer 2019, p. 650