A Young Priest in the Mid-Atlantic Diocese

A Young Priest in the Mid-Atlantic Diocese

Our growing diocese has been yet again richly blessed. The Cathedral Church of Reconciliation is proud to announce the upcoming ordination of Deacon Samuel Foss to the office of Priest in the Spring of 2022. Following years of seminary work and prayerful dedication to his calling, Deacon Foss (26) will honor Christ’s Church with his service as priest. Deacon Samuel was raised in the Methodist Church and received a calling to ministry in high school. He attended college at Towson University and after attending a semester of Saint Stephen’s Certificate Program through the Cathedral church, discerned a calling to the CEC and to ordained ministry therein. He has been a faithful servant to the church since his ordination in 2020 and looks forward to what God has in mind for the coming days. Please be in prayer for our brother as he readies his heart for the next step in his journey.

This is My Body…

This is My Body…

Christ the Redeemer Mission, located in Pigtown, Baltimore, will soon celebrate the installation of a tabernacle in their worship space. To this point Mass has been celebrated and no reserve sacrament has been kept in the facility, but now, on this unassuming and often deadly street in Baltimore, the real presence of Christ will reside day and night. This represents for those with a sacramental understanding or even those with a sacramental imagination, a shift in the atmosphere of this little church and it’s neighborhood.

Where the living presence of Christ is, there is change. When one steps into a space already inhabited by the consecrated host, there is a warmth and peace that emanates from the tabernacle. As prayers rise from Christ the Redeemer for the street, neighborhood, and city, please join them in asking God for His Kingdom to come in that place.

An Archdeacon Appointed

An Archdeacon Appointed

Bishop Northwood has appointed an Archdeacon, which is a role of recognition as well as a mark of honor. The role has been appointed to Deacon Larry Rieger of Saint Michael’s and All Angels Church, Virginia. He is being recognized for his dedicated service to his church, to his Diocese and previously, his district. He has served since it’s formation, on the Bishop’s Council as well as on the board of his local parish. He has been faithful in trivial tasks and matter of great import. Deacon Rieger has graciously accepted his new role and will be publicly installed in the Spring of 2022. The role is both a great honor and a great responsibility as our diocese has in mind a vision for further establishing the Kingdom of God in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., and Delaware. This is no small undertaking and the Archdeacon will be pivotal in this regard. Thank you Deacon Larry from the people of the Diocese of the Mid Atlantic for your continued service.

Deacon Rieger is the resident Deacon and parish administrator for Saint Michael and All Angels. He is a graduate of a Benedictine college (Belmont Abbey).  Separate from a secular bachelors and masters education, the Deacon also holds a Masters of Theology from Kings College, has completed his coursework at Saint Michael’s Seminary of the CEC. He was ordained to the ancient and apostolic order of the Diaconate on 24 June, 2017.

Deacon Rieger had a successful secular career, starting as an Infantry Officer in the 82d Airborne Division. He remained in the reserves both in the US and overseas before he transferred to the retired reserves as a Major. He served the Army as a civilian for 36 years before retiring in 2015 to pursue full time ministry work.

Meet Our Diocesan Pro-life Coordinator

Mrs. Ruth Yorston, Praise Leader, Musician, wearer of many hats, has been appointed by Bishop Northwood as Pro life Coordinator for the diocese. The wife of Father Ian Yorston of Saint Andrew’s Parish in Petersburg, VA, she has served the pro life cause since her young days as an activist, event coordinator, and outspoken representative for the unborn. Ruth is a former abortion worker turned pro-life advocate and educator. She is former director of Greater Columbus Right to Life and personally organized a cohesive sidewalk counseling ministry. She has spoken locally and nationally regarding the fight for life in the United States. 

Ruth will serve as a resource and aid for any parish or parish member who is interested in joining the pro life cause, starting a pro life ministry, or anyone who is simply looking to be connected with an ongoing pro life effort in their region. She asks that you reach out to her via the diocesan office.

The diocese is blessed to have such a driven, capable, and passionate person leading one of our most valued and central efforts. The CEC was born in the midst of the United States Pro Life movement and will continue to fight for the rights of the unborn and of all living souls. All life is sacred.

2021 Clergy and Wives Retreat Recap

2021 Fall Clergy and Wives Retreat October 7th-9th (Synopsis by Fr. Jeffery Welch)

Early in October this year our Bishop Rob Northwood hosted all the clergy and their wives of our Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic CEC at a Spiritual Retreat at Solomon Island’s Holiday Inn. The Lord gave us beautiful weather on the ride there and all through the Retreat. We were blessed with several guests especially our Patriarch Bp. Craig Bates and his wife Cathy and Rev. Dr. Bob Engle From World Vision and The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI).

Bishop Rob led us in Holy Communion Friday morning bringing us the first message through the sermon. He emphasized our Church’s mission to take the full gospel into all the world through signs and wonders as well as preaching and teaching. We do this because “our” Church is not ours!  It belongs to our Lord Jesus. As in the story of the Samaritan Woman at the well, we are called to find ‘key’ people who will help open up whole communities to the gospel.  He concluded that we needed to form small discipleship groups within the parish to minister and reach outside our parish.

Bob Engle taught the next two sessions. He shared his experiences as a World Vision missionary to the inner city (with his family) since 1982 and how God called him to learn different cultural languages. It was not always easy.  But just like Jesus’ example there is no ‘gain without pain’! His talks were filled with ‘truth nuggets’ such as “If you want people to learn to build a ship, teach them to love the lonely immensity of the sea;” All the while emphasizing we are in an invisible spiritual war between two Kingdoms; How the currency of the galaxy is souls; and Jesus is LORD of all. This means the Church is central to our Christian life, the gospel is the basis of discipleship, the Holy Spirit empowers us for action, and we need to embrace and share the Kingdom of God. He added there is no great commission without a great submission to Christ.

Our Patriarch Bishop Bates preached at the Holy Communion on Saturday morning as the Retreat ended. He shared extensively of his personal spiritual journey including how God led him into the CEC and it’s early growing pains (as any creature of God experiences). He emphasized our need to re-commit to all three “streams” of the CEC, particularly true revival through our evangelical efforts. He emphasized the priesthood of all believers, not just the ordained clergy, and that true revival comes from committed laity involved in liturgy, charismatic ministry and going out to make disciples of all nations (including differing cultures). He left us with this golden truth-nugget: We don’t bring people to Christ… we are to bring Christ to the people where they live.

Great fellowship was enjoyed by all at meals and times of relaxed sharing while seated outside each evening. It was a refreshing and wonderfully challenging Spiritual time. Thank you Bishop Rob.

Let’s Pray

In late October the clergy and several lay persons of the diocese gathered at the cathedral church in Bel Air, MD to pray. That was the entire agenda, just pray. Bishop Northwood called the event a mountaintop prayer gathering and gave no agenda to the prayer, although he did state that it was neither politically driven or topically inspired. The purpose of this gathering was to hear God’s voice and to pray and call upon His name in the year so many have called “A year of foresight” “A year of 20/20 vision”.

Of the gathering Father Michael Pacella of Williamsburg, VA wrote:

 There was great anticipation in the air because we have not been able to meet regularly since the eruption of Covid-19. The Bishop provided great leadership and guidance which enabled the Holy Spirit to flow freely. Truly it was the fire in the fireplace! The worship and preached words were rich and up-lifting. I received a word from the Book of Ezekiel about the dry bones living again and being resurrected into a great people. This can be found in Ezekiel 37. 

Many similar words were given which brought much edification to all.

The fellowship was excellent and fruitful too. We are truly a team and a growing family. The honor of having so many young people among us was also a blessing. I was refreshed spiritually and affirmed by the ministry that the Bishop provided for all who desired prayer. 

God is moving mightily in the Mid-Atlantic Diocese. We are truly blessed to have such a fine and spiritually sensitive leader, as we do in Bishop Rob Northwood.

Father Terry Murphy of Christ the Redeemer in Baltimore:

As we were praying after our lunch, I had a vision of a memory from my past. I was in the backyard on the alley side of our row home in the city. When a saw a familiar sight of a man carrying a bag and wearing a knapsack, with his tools. This man would occasionally come through the neighborhood and ask if anyone wanted their knives sharpened. I then saw Jesus stopping by each church asking if they wanted their “knives” /gifts sharpened. The impression I got was some churches were not interested.

During worship and Fr. Jim singing “Power in the name of Jesus “ I saw the Bishop take his crozier and smash the chain in the center of the link…and the link exploded with force…Bishop Rob asked me to wait after Fr Jim sang “O Come to the Altar” and worship at Jesus feet. The Bishop Rob asked me to share…I did and I said we all have chains…and asked him to break mine…The Bishop asked me to come forward….it was powerful and Bishop Rob prayed over me in proxy for Fr. Rob and Meg….later I saw Bishop Rob use his crozier again breaking another enemy stronghold.

The prayer began on Friday morning and concluded Saturday. Both days it continued well into the late afternoon, with words being given and confirmed, praises being sung, and ministry to many individuals. Praise God for a powerful movement in such a strange hour as this! It was refreshing for all to see and receive a fresh wind from the motion of the Holy Spirit and inspiring to see such fire within the sanctuary and “the fireplace” of apostolic authority.

Mission Day 2020

November 1, 2020

Missions day is a dedicated Sunday each year, during which the CEC takes up an offering for the express purpose of funding missions and projects to bless the greater world. Currently 80% of the missions fund is dedicated to Africa and the goal of establishing micro businesses. This one goal currently empowers hundreds to grow small businesses that provide for themselves and their community. These businesses provide jobs for locals, money for the owners, and support to the churches and church schools in the area. When the business owners are awarded by the local church leaders, they are further able to support the church and her mission with ongoing income. It all starts with you. If you give even a little, it is joined by the gifts of others and begins a powerful work for the kingdom of God.

 

Building a Cathedral I

This is an update on the current status of affairs for the construction of the Diocesan Cathedral.

2020 has been anything but accommodating. It has thrown curve balls and obstacles left and right. The coronavirus pandemic has limited the flow of business on all fronts and has siphoned off momentum across the spectrum on diocesan projects and affairs. That being said, the cathedral construction project is still on track and in progress, with victories almost every week.

The bishop and his team currently consist of the Cathedral Rector’s Council, a civil engineer, an architect, a construction firm/general contractor, and will soon include a liturgical designer. The latest addition to the team, the contractors, are CAM Construction who have a wide variety of finished projects across Maryland and the D.C. area.

The cathedral will sit on roughly 4o Acres of rolling hills that, until now, have been farmland. The bishop and his team have purchased a massive marble altar, an ornate tabernacle and rear doss, a set of marble stations of the cross, and are in the process of considering floor plans for the sanctuary space. The sanctuary will be a cruciform design with considerations for modern technology, lighting, and sound equipment, while also facilitating nearly 300 seated persons. The property will have a pond, pavilion, two cemeteries, a rectory, and a sports field.

The bishop hopes to break ground as soon as possible and perhaps even before 2020 ends. He asks for the prayers of those that wish to support the cause and the diocese is asked to pray for funding and benefactors. The project is estimated to cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 million dollars.

The property itself, is almost paid off in entirety and the cathedral, through God’s grace and generous gifts, has been able to pay in cash for the altar, stations of the cross, and most of the surveying, planning, permits, and state mandated research. As we approach the digging and building phase, we are bold in the promises we have received from the throne room and prayerful in light of the challenge set before us.

Please visit: https://belairchurch.com/building-a-cathedral-in-forest-hill/ to learn more and follow the timeline of blessings that God has provided. Alla re invited to become a part of this developing story.

Order of Rights Movie

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Order of Rights (Movie)  |  Cathedral Update  |  Covid in 2021  |  Your Monastery  |  Bishop's Note

ORDER OF RIGHTS

"I am the father and I will fight for the rights of my child"

order of rights

A young man finds himself in a legal battle to protect the life of his unborn child. He must battle public opinion, cultural stigma, and current political standards. The mother struggles to decide what she will do. Watch the trailer below and be sure to stream it when it drops!

This is a Pro life movie being released October 2 on streaming platforms by our very own Fr. Jim Ball. He has written, directed, and produced this film from its inception with help from hundreds of people and has arrived now at the release period. Watch on AppleTV, Prime, Google Movies, and iTunes!

CATHEDRAL UPDATE

We're building a cathedral that will say to the eye "this is heaven" and to the heart "this is home"

We are not looking to build a modern auditorium for show, a museum of church history, nor a humble chapel. We are looking to raise a haven for the broken, a lighthouse for the lost, and an epicenter of massive, unifying, revival in the country. We are looking to combine elements of ancient cathedrals, and modern technology. We are looking to create a cathedral that says to the eye, this is heaven and says to the heart, this is home. Come and be a part of what God is doing!

Currently, the county government is at a crawl because most of its workforce is at home and the project is bottlenecked upon a half dozen approvals. Please pray for a breaking loose of the needed permits and the Lord's timing on all planning and designing. The Bishop and his team have added to their number recently with a stone and marble company out of Virginia and a Sound engineer from Florida. The process is still moving ahead and God has been good.

Fear Vs. The Church

Covid, Riots, Disasters, Elections...

Have you considered how the Christian church today should manage fear? Imagine this scenario: Your pulse quickens, your breath becomes shallow and shakes, you’re overwhelmed by the task to take even one more sip of oxygen, as it is no longer an autonomic response. Tailing those symptoms, even blinking becomes a conscious effort while the reels playing in your mind’s eye overtake your current visual. There are rioters, a global pandemic, fiery political situations, violence, hate and many more "every day" scary things that are happening in the world. What should a churchgoer do in such circumstances?
The response may appear to be an oversimplification, but the best response the church could ever make is this:
Be still, and know that I Am is still God.
We find Psalm 46:10 declares, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." And in Job 6:24 "Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray." Furthermore in Exodus 14:14 it reads "The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." Many more verses expound on this subject of stillness, some of which will be included below, however, the intention is made clearly and simply even in these few verses. God is calling His church to stillness.
He isn’t accidentally orchestrating the masterpiece which is the cumulative tale of Creation to Revelation, and He wants us to pay attention. He wants stillness in us that causes us to pay attention to His detailed handiwork. He has called each of us to work according to His purpose. Have you ever worked for an employer at a job where your time on the clock meant nothing at all and had no direction? It is just as improbable that God almighty has a purpose that He called us to, and that He would not care if we are involved. So the church has excellent excuse to obey His call to stilling our hearts, even if the world is whirring with activity.
He calls us to meditative prayer, a fervent and intentional clearing of our minds, and to settle in for a good, lengthy, and holy time of prayer. If you think you do not have time, I’m a mother of three boys under three years old. Believe me when I say I FEEL that I do not have the time. But our reality is obvious; if fear grips at you similarly to the opening example, it takes away your ability to move, think and function in a productive manner. Thereby it consumes much greater quantities of your time. So I’m the middle of a world that has no shortage of possible fears, let our response be one of quieting our spirit before the Lord.

 

New Deacons

The Diocese was reinstated a little over a year ago and already we are blessed. Two new deacons have been added to our clergy this past Saturday, Jul 11th. Deacon Samuel Foss and Deacon Caleb Northwood have completed years of study and ongoing discernment to pursue the vocations that God has placed on their lives.

In early 2017, a call was given to the men of the Mid-Atlantic Diocese (then district) to rise up and heavily consider the possibility of seminary and leading God’s people. Foss, Northwood, and nearly a dozen others responded. Since that time, the Mid-Atlantic Diocese structured Saint Stephen’s certificate program, a training environment for those interested in expanding their leadership capacity in their own church or considering holy orders through the CEC’s Saint Michael’s Seminary. The program, now a certificate administered by Saint Michael’s Seminary, was and is open to men of differing denominations and attracted men of all ages and backgrounds to further their learning and growth as spiritual leaders.

Both Deacon Samuel and Deacon Caleb completed two years of study with the certificate program, before continuing on to Saint Michael’s to pursue the necessary background for clerical ordination. Both deacons are excited to further the mission of the kingdom and to serve the people of God.