From Valor to Virtue

Bishop Northwood and the CEC Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic wish to offer their most heartfelt congratulations to Father Michael Pacella iii, Vicar of Saint Michael’s and All Angel’s Parish. He has completed an immense work on his book From Valor to Virtue: The Moral Development of the Brave. Father Pacella serves as the Campus Police and ROTC Chaplin, as well as an adjunct professor at the College of William and Mary, has offered up a guide to the often complicated issues of valor and virtue. A veteran of both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy, he holds a Masters in Theology from Harvard University Divinity School and a Masters in Divinity from Yale University Divinity School, and he has published multiple papers on theology and philosophy.

To learn more about the author and the book please visit www.fromvalortovirtue.com  It is available for purchase on Amazon.com

Bishop Northwood expresses his great admiration for Father Michael and his achievement and is thrilled at the insightful nature of the work. It is always a joy to see God’s people sharing their personal gifting and building the kingdom from the place they’ve been given.

White Fields & Three Stream Women

“The fields are white unto harvest…”
John 4:35

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;  therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Matthew 9:37-38

The 2019 Diocesan Womens’ Retreat was themed around the mission of evangelism. Not natural evangelism, but rather supernatural evangelism. The mission given to us by Jesus to go and make disciples, is an impossible task. It is daunting, immense, limitless, and unapproachable without divine intervention. Even the most outgoing individual may find themselves making no headway. There has been more than one top-notch pastor asking themselves “Why don’t the people come flocking?” The ministry of evangelism requires a surgeon’s steady touch and an eagle’s longsighted vision.

The only hope we have of helping the sinner to navigate the obstacles to salvation, is to ask for the eagle eyes and the surgeon hands of the Holy Spirit. Charismatic evangelism is Spirit-led. He decides who we speak to and when we speak. Rather than bombarding the lost with ceaseless invitations and condemnations, we allow the Spirit to speak through us.
Three stream evangelism is fulfilled as we celebrate and inundate the evangelistic with the sacraments. Bringing the lost to the church and allowing the sacraments to flow in and through them. Confession, Eucharist, Baptism, the apostolic office, etc. all have a role to play in the renewing work of the Spirit and the saving work of Jesus Christ alive today and reigning forevermore.

The retreat was lead by the Bishop’s wife, Sarah and several other women from the Cathedral Church. Teaching, ministry, prayer, and praise were the unified practice of the ladies as they came away from their everyday lives to that most noble pursuit, namely seeking God.

God thoroughly blessed this retreat from start to finish. Where there was tension, He released peace, where there was trepidation, boldness, and when He spoke, many heard.  Below are several quotes from women who were blessed on retreat this year.

“Feeling I’m not alone in my struggles and that I can relate with those who’ve been walking with the Lord
way longer than me…gave me even more peace with where I’m at right now and that pressing in will
only strengthen my relationship with (God)!”

“The amount of love, acceptance, and support we all seem to have for one another even without
knowing everyone is absolutely wonderful.”

“Knowing a priest would be available for confession help set the tone up front for getting serious with the
Lord.”

The retreat will be held again in Fall 2020 November 19-21 at Sandy Cove Resort. If you would like to get information as the retreat approaches, please signup for email at www.riversmerge.org

Are You On Mission?

Bishop Rob Northwood July 7, 2019

Christians are a people on mission. The Christian mission is to make visible the Kingdom of God while reconciling men to God and one another. The Patriarch has called us this year to focus on Convergence Evangelism. Jesus, in Luke’s gospel (chapter 10) sends out His disciples on mission, two by two, into the cities and into places He Himself was about to go. Not unlike John the Baptist, they, as forerunners, would go ahead and stir up spiritual things where He wanted to work.

The harvest is great. (Luke 10:2) There is a literal world of people waiting to hear the gospel-  The Good News. The news that God has brought salvation and is forgiving and is not angry. To understand the concept of this great harvest, you might imagine that suddenly you alone were responsible to go out and manually harvest every crop in your entire county. You would begin to realize the amount of labor required to bale each bale and cut every stalk by hand. The tricky thing about a harvest is that you MUST bring it in when it’s ready. It’s not going to stand in the field forever.

Herein lies the problem- the laborers are few. (Luke 10:2)  Jesus commands His people to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers into the harvest. He tells us to call for help. If we’re on mission, then we are all laborers. It’s His harvest. It’s His mission. He says, “Go your way, I’m sending you out as lambs among wolves.” (10:3) This is a battle of unusual combatants. You don’t usually see wolves being confronted by lambs, but rather the other way around. This teaching begins to sound like a sendoff into enemy territory. Jesus’ message is that you don’t need to take money and provision, but rather, you must learn to trust God to lead you to the place you must go and trust that He will provide. If you go to a house and there’s peace there, stay there. You are a laborer and a laborer is worthy of his hire. We aren’t paid by men, but by God. It’s His harvest.

Christians are to go and proclaim this fact: the Kingdom of God is here! Whether those who hear receive it or not, the fact is, the Kingdom of God has come. Heal the sick and tell them that the Kingdom of God is come. Healing is a big deal, especially if you’re the one that get’s healed. This said, in the kingdom, healing is not as big a deal as you would think. In His hometown, Jesus says He couldn’t do much, but “only heal a few people.” (Mark 6:5). He sees it as a minimal event. Why? Because what He wants to do is save you forever! Just because your headache or disease is gone, doesn’t mean you have eternal life.

The disciples return with joy saying, “Even the demons are subject to us in your name!” Jesus obviously has a heart for these cities and the lost and tormented souls within, but even as they rejoice that the demons are subject and healing is abundant, He tells them that that’s not why they should rejoice. He is seeing the Kingdom from another vantage point. Similar to when he said to Nathaniel, “I saw you sitting under the fig tree before you ever came to me.” (John 1), He says here, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” He sees the reversal of the Garden’s curse. He sees the reversal of authority stolen in the fall. He gives them the authority to trample on serpents. The actions they take are immense because Satan himself is shaken as they plunder the strongman’s house. Yet again, he says that this isn’t the biggest thing. He is moved more by the salvation of the disciples and to those whom they proclaim the Good News. He says, “Never-the-less rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

The work of the church is outside the church walls. The battle is outside the walls. First you must be sent, and then you must go. Part of evangelism is helping those bound up, to get free of what’s binding them up. Don’t worry about the people who think you’re crazy, worry about what you’re gonna do when they think you have the answer, when they believe you’re right. Something our Bishop Davidson frequently says is that you have to have a place to stand, to run. You need a base of operations, a church that you can be established in, from which to be sent out and to return. We aren’t guilty if we try and fail and we aren’t credited if all goes well. That’s the security that is provided being under the church’s authority.
 Here’s what you can do to get on mission: pray for the mission of the church. We aren’t trying to build a bigger church. We are trying to depopulate Hell. A healthy church is a church that is depopulating hell, and a healthy church grows. If we are on mission we will grow and then plant another church and another church. So pray for this parish and her mission.

Give your time. The church will always have mouths to feed, toilets to clean, and floors to sweep. Don’t miss your calling by assuming that others will do the work without you. Get on mission. Give your time.

Learn to testify. Testify of what Jesus is doing and has done in your life. Testify about how He has set you free. We, as Christians, are called to grow, not just be planted, but to grow and keep growing. We must learn to know His voice. The sheep should know the voice of the Shepherd. The more you come to know His voice, the less likely the enemy will be to insert his own counterfeit.

Another thing we do is to share the gospel. To read it has power; To speak it has power and to digest it is most significant.

Are you on mission? One way you can determine this is to consider whether your decision to attend a church meeting is based on whether it personally benefits you. Are you avoiding Bible study Class because you don’t feel like you are going to benefit? A good person comes to the Healing Service to receive and be healed. A good Christian comes to the Healing Service to help others grow and to give of themselves. You should be determining your involvement based on your ability to give and build. Participate in the work of the church. When a person is going through hard times and they receive a meal or a card, that is a tangible sign of the love of God in their lives.

The harvest is ready. The workers are few. This is the mission. Are you on mission? Go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit!

My Spiritual Home

My Spiritual Home
Deacon Larry Rieger

I came to the CEC in middle age, forced to leave my prior denomination when they abandoned scriptural authority in pursuit of social relevance.  My journey was one of searching the marketplace for a liturgical church using a traditional Eucharist of the Lord’s presence, with a desire also to find a church where I could enjoy worship music.  I was a lifelong liturgical Christian, and very comfortable with the liturgical framework of the Catholic/Anglican traditions. I was comfortable with the Lutheran service I looked at, but desired weekly Eucharist.  The CEC provided the liturgy and weekly Eucharist, but I was very unfamiliar with, and a little discomforted, by the Charismatic part of worship, which I had experienced in lesser degrees in times I had worshipped with more evangelical friends.  My friends who welcomed me to the CEC assured me I would be more comfortable over time, and I also took a small group teaching in the Charismatic part of worship, and was soon at home.

What I found most appealing about the CEC was that not only did I feel very much at home in a theological orthodox faith well expressed within a familiar and comfortable liturgy, but I found the continued reliance and teaching of Holy Scripture, together with spiritually uplifting praise music filled a spiritual void within me.  Yet even as all my traditional spiritual desires were being met, I was both challenged and intrigued by those around me who were enlivened by the various expressions of the Holy Spirit. I could see others being fulfilled and comforted by the Holy Spirit, but I was not feeling it myself, and I knew that I wanted it and needed it.

I had just been in the CEC for two years when troubled times came to the denomination, and my own small parish, which had more than tripled in size in two years, dissolved.  Again I looked for a new home, but every place I went, there was a sense of something missing. After several years of drifting from denomination to denomination, I was able to meet with some other former members and reconnecting with a CEC bishop, started a new CEC parish, which has now doubled in size in the last two years, and is looking ahead.

Although I am still in a relatively small parish, and have been asked why I don’t move to a larger church with all the facilities and activities, that I would like to see, I would not want to journey away from the CEC again.  There is a rightness to my being part of this group, and a spiritual fullness in our worship and fellowship. In travel to where there is not a local CEC church to worship in, I always find a significant aspect of my worship missing regardless of which other church I visit.  The full three streams of worship which the CEC provides has returned me to the complete authentic worship that characterized the undivided Christian church, and I have found my spiritual home.

Deacon Larry Rieger
Saint Michael and All Angels CEC
Williamsburg, VA

New Wine & The Charismatic Stream

-Sarah Northwood
6/5/2019

“The old wine is good enough” but is it? This is the question that the Lord asked me after I had been walking with Him in what I thought was a strong committed relationship for several years. I want to explain how I related with God, what I realized was missing, and how it has changed the way I live as a Christian now.  

Sarah Northwood

I turned over management of my life to the Lord Jesus Christ 33 years ago. I learned many things about the Lord and the Christian life in a sound Bible believing Evangelical church.  I had come out of a lifestyle of worldly behaviors and foolishness. I was convinced to the point of being willing to be taught and led, however, some of those things I was taught were contrary to the truth. One of those beliefs was the teaching concerning the Holy Spirit.

My church at the time loved the Lord, we sought to “carry our cross daily” we learned to serve our brothers and sisters and reach the lost as we were eager and compelled by Love to “Go therefore and make disciples…” For all those teachings and especially the godly examples of those pastors who were servant-leaders to us, I am grateful. However, much of what we lived out in our Christian lives could be done without the need for the supernatural empowering and direction of the Holy Spirit. 

We applied Biblical principles, we disciplined ourselves to follow those principles rather than our own feelings, and we even shared the gospel with others based on carefully laid out spiritual laws and gospel presentations. We learned to praise God thorough all afflictions, but we were relatively unaware of Spiritual warfare. We didn’t believe that God would do supernatural healing or give prophetic direction. We didn’t learn to “hear God” except through the abundance of counsel (prayers of those around us) or the Scriptures. Believing that God was supernaturally empowering us or leading us or even working a miraculous sign through us was not one of our experiential beliefs. 

A dear friend asked me to join her at a Charismatic healing service. I went with her to make sure that, when He didn’t do what she was seeking, I would encourage her to remain faithful to the Lord.  Trouble is, she got healed that night! This was a little crack in my theological armor, but because it wasn’t in my own experience, I wasn’t persuaded that it really happened. However, God began to reveal many things to me as I became increasingly willing to believe that He was showing me things that I hadn’t been taught. He wanted to show me that He does still use people to heal others- sometimes miraculously! He wanted to show me that He is still giving people prophetic words and revealing words of knowledge to them and speaking through them in a heavenly language. I have been able to follow Him into conversations that, before would have led nowhere only to find that, as He leads it, they are open to words of truth that He provides. I have been led by Him to pray for strangers and see them healed of physical as well as emotional hurts.

All this change wasn’t an easy transition for me, however. I had to be willing to let go of the teaching that didn’t line up.  Instead of believing that the Holy Spirit is not currently doing miracles or healing people, I needed to reevaluate that in light of what God was trying to show me.  This caused a lot of growing pains.

What did I learn? That the old wine isn’t good enough.  There is a joy and an excitement as we are “filled with new wine”. There is an empowerment which comes when a person is yielded to the Spirit and allowing God to supply them with His words, His knowledge, His inspiration, His love and counsel. 

 We can follow the teaching of Jesus Christ as indicated in the Bible, we can mature in our character as we apply those principles to our lives.  We can even lead others to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ without necessarily being “filled with the Spirit”, but we will only be teaching them what we have “learned”- i.e. The lessons and teachings we have given mental ascent to. As for experiential knowledge of God and His presence, and the supernatural gifting that He wants to give His children to equip them for ministry and growth, these are only available as the Holy Spirit fills us and works through us.  This is the Charismatic Stream that creates a distinction between those who “know Him” and those who are in Him. Is it WWJD (What Would Jesus DO?) or WIJD? (What is Jesus Doing) What is He doing through you, not what has he taught you to do. This is the difference between the new wine and the old wine. So, you can ask yourself, “Is the old wine good enough?” New Wine into Old Wineskins is a parable of Jesus. It is found at Matthew 9:14-17, Mark 2:18-22 and Luke 5:33-39.

2019 Mid-Atlantic Clergy Retreat

 

“Hear the word roaring as thunder
With a new future to tell
For the dry season is over
There is a cloud beginning to swell”

This message, which is from the song called, “There is A Cloud”, was the underlying theme of the Clergy and Clergy Wives Retreat for the Mid-Atlantic Diocese led by the newly consecrated Bishop Rob Northwood this past weekend in Solomon’s Island, Maryland. Attended by a large number of priests and their wives representing the following CEC churches: The Cathedral Church of Reconciliation in Bel Air, MD, the Church of the Good Shepherd in Catonsville, MD, Saint Andrews in Petersburg, VA, Christ the Redeemer in Baltimore, MD, Holy Apostles Church in Westminster, MD, and Saint Michaels and All Angels in Williamsburg, VA.

“Every seed buried in sorrow
You will call forth in its time”

We were excited to have Dn. Mark Bradley and his wife Ann, who had been part of the CEC many years ago, we also had Fr. Joseph and Regina Trollinger back with us again! 

We missed Fr. Jeffrey Welch and his wife Debbie as Fr.Jeffrey has suffered some setbacks in his health and we were also sorry that Barbara Ball and Gwen Eppard as well as Fr. John Jackson and his wife Margie and Fr. John McNally and his wife Cindy could not be with us.

The first night we enjoyed some really sweet fellowship as we dined together in an upper room of a restaurant called The Pier.  Surrounded by water on Solomon’s Island, the location was the perfect physical backdrop for the spiritual picture God was trying to impart to us as a Diocese.  

There were prophetic words about the nets that God has been mending, and the importance of being ready for the flood which is going to come. Boats that are only suitable for the harbor are not seaworthy, but God is telling us that we, as a diocese, are going to need to be ready to go on a journey- a cruise.  It won’t be a pleasure cruise, however. The headlines in the local paper were about the “Anti-Abortion Wave” that has been making its way through the United States. The next headline told of the transgender issues that are upon us and, finally, the remake of the movie “Chuckie” is about to be released. What is that a story about? It’s about perversity and horror that is being unleashed through a child. 

It was not coincidental that the date that we were away on retreat was June 21st– the longest day of the year, the beginning of a new season, marking the day when light is longer than darkness. There were many prophetic words which were shared through the clergy and for the clergy. We remembered fondly the words of Bishop Mike Davidson,”Teleios” we need to be fully mature, ready to go forth boldly, leaving a wide path of destruction in the enemy’s camp. 

Bishop Rob reminded us that this is the year for Prophetic Evangelism

To the skies heavy with blessing
Lift your eyes offer your heart
Jesus Christ opened the heavens
Now we receive the “Spirit of Go!”

This last line is supposed to say “Spirit of God”, but the typo seemed to be another way that the Lord was emphasizing His special message to the Mid-Atlantic Diocese.  I have given you the Spirit of GO!! It is time! We are a special group that God has called together to do this work that is in His heart for this region. It is time to GO!

“You are Lord, Lord of the harvest
Calling our hope now to arise”

The next morning we met for Eucharist and a message from Bishop Rob Northwood.  The message was one of hope and unity. We are a group that God is going to be using mightily.  That evening we met for dinner again and were blessed to have Bishop Elmer and his wife Cita join us. They had been attending the Patriarch’s Council in Malverne, New York and they took the train to join us for the remainder of the retreat and then on to Bel Air where the cathedral would be having their annual Corpus Christi March through the town of Bel Air.

 

2019 Mid Atlantic Diocese clergy and wives Retreat was a real joy! Solomon’s Island was an awesome place and the hotel was great. More then that was a great group of Godly men and women who have weathered many storms to come together in this newly reformed diocese to renew their commitment to forging ahead. Like a switch has gone off a sense of direction and bidding form the Lord has bound us together for a future that has great promise from heaven. We are a happy few looking for those that are to join us as we call to the various parts of the geographical diocese! I am proud to be the Bishop of such a hearty group of Spirit filled people.

Bishop Rob

The Liturgical Stream

By Fr. Jeffrey Welch
June 9, 2019

Our Liturgical/Sacramental Stream Comes from Jesus

    Our Liturgical/Sacramental “stream” comes from Jesus.  “Christianity is Christ” John R. W. Stott wrote. Who Jesus Christ is (the Eternal Son of God who became human without losing any of His divinity, in one Person); And what He has done for our salvation and the redemption of the world makes Him our Lord.  He is head of the body, the Church and Lord of all time. (*1)

    So our faith in Jesus calls us to turn our time over to the Lord and follow all the events of His life each year.   We prepare for His prophetic birth (Advent), celebrate His birth (Christmas), His revelation to the world through His signs and wonders (Epiphany), His temptation and fasting for us in the desert (Lent), His death and resurrection from the dead (Palm Sunday, Passion week, Easter), His Ascension to intercede for us at the right hand of the Father (Ascension-tide ) and His pouring out of the Holy Spirit ‘birthing’ the new covenant Church (Pentecost), which is His body, the Church.
 In the same way we in the ICCEC follow Jesus as His disciples have from the very beginning, Acts 2:42 (ESV) And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  “The prayers” were the traditional set prayers of the Jews, now focused on God through Christ our Lord.  Thus the Liturgy we use each Sunday is literally “the work of the people” in service to God; And the “breaking of bread” is the Holy Communion Jesus instituted in the Upper room just before His passion. Likewise we follow Jesus through the whole ‘arc’ of our living, receiving His outward and visible signs and seals of His inward and invisible work of grace in our hearts and lives.  These holy events are called the seven sacraments.
We enter the Church washed by Holy Baptism (*2). We’re strengthened with the spiritual food of His body and blood (*3), for our daily and weekly life (The Eucharist or Holy Communion).  When we stumble into sin and need a cleansing by Jesus through Confession of our sins He gives us that grace(*4). When we grow into adulthood we declare faith in Jesus Christ from our hearts by the laying on of hands in Confirmation and receive gifts from the Holy Spirit (*5).   When we are sick or need healing we ask the elders (priests and bishops) to anoint us with holy oil and Jesus heals us by His will (*6) and to help prepare us for the transition to heaven at the end of our lives (termed extreme unction). When we are called to marry, husband and wife come together in Holy Matrimony and receive grace to live being “fruitful and multiply”(*7).  If we are called to serve Christ in Holy ministry we receive special grace through Ordination to represent Christ to the Church, administer His sacraments and protect “the flock.” (*8).

Our Liturgical and Sacramental “stream” of worship is simply our Church stepping along side the earliest Christians and walking by faith onward with them, as we all follow our Lord Jesus.

 

 

*1 (Ephesians 1:19-23)

*2 (Matthew 28:18-19 and John 3:5-8)

*3 (John 6:51-58)

*4 (John 13:3-10 and James 5:16)

*5(Acts 8:14-17)

*6 (I Peter 2:24-25 and James 5:14-15)

*7 (Genesis 1:28 and Ephesians 5:21-33)

*8(Ephesians 4:11-12 and 2 Timothy 1:6 and Acts 6:5-6)

A Year of Evangelism

by
The Year of Evangelism

The North American House of Bishop met in Bel Air, Maryland just prior to the consecration of Bishop Rob Northwood. A great deal of the meeting centered around our morning time of prayer. Following this time of prayer, the Bishops decided to call for a year of evangelism.

Every year should be a year of evangelism. The call for a year of evangelism is not suggesting that at the end of the year we stop evangelizing. Rather, that together we are taking a year with every parish, mission, and ministry in the North American Church to pray, listen, reflect, and evaluate the churches evangelist works. Bishops have committed themselves to; teach evangelism at our clergy gatherings, to engage in conversation with every Rector/Vicar and his councils, to develop a diocesan plan of evangelism, and to engage is spirit directed evangelistic efforts. It also is calling for every pastor to engage his congregation in the work of evangelism.

They recognized that every region of North America is different and will call for different types of activity. They recognized that every parish is different with a different demographic. They recognized that every person is unique and yet, they believe that every one of us, every parish, and every region is called to evangelism. 1 Timothy 2.4 informs us that the will of God is that every person is saved and comes to know the truth.

There are many definitions of evangelism, but I think Archbishop William Temple gave the best definition. He said, “Evangelism is to so present Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, that men shall come to put their trust in God through Him, to accept Him as their savior and serve Him as their King in the fellowship of the Church.”

Evangelism is fulfilling what our Lord Jesus commanded in Matthew 28.16-20. This is the Church’s mission statement.

I am excited about what God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, is going to do within our communion and among us as a people. I am excited because when people set their heart towards the presence of Jesus and His Kingdom, the Holy Spirit moves in miraculous and supernatural ways to fulfill the purposes of God.

Let us pray every day, a simple prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hardwood of the cross that everyone might come within reach of your saving embrace. So, cloth us (me) in your Spirit, that we (I), reaching forth our (my) arms in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of you name.”

Under His mercy,

+Craig, Patriarch, Primate

Seminary Class Graduates At Cathedral

Ascension Day 2019 marked the Commencement of studies for the Saint Michael’s Diploma program that has been faithfully administered by Bishop Rob Northwood and Fr. Martin Eppard of The Church of the Good Shepherd, for the past two years. Graduating with the Diploma as well as a developed skill set in leadership, pastoral care, preaching, teaching, scriptural study, and church administration, are: Bob Brown, Rob Schott, Eli Northwood, Dcn. Mark Carico, Avery Northwood, Samuel Huff, Levi Pekarek, and Caleb Northwood. The Cathedral and the Diocese in general wish to thank and celebrate these dedicated men and their teachers for their hard work and intent to build God’s kingdom on earth. Please continue to pray for vocations and for those seminarians that continue to study and press toward ordained and lay ministry leadership in Christ’s one, holy, and apostolic church All for the Glory of God!

 

The Cathedral Church of Reconciliation
June 3, 2019

Easter Blessings!

Easter Blessings!

As is said way to often, is it Easter again already? It comes so quickly as we know. Reflecting on the resurrection should make us all joyous and incredibly overwhelmed by the love and grace of our heavenly Father. His love and the work in giving us the Lord Jesus transforms us. We are not made just a better version of ourselves, we are rather, as Saint Paul says, we are a new creation! We are a completely new work of his great workmanship; a new birth, a new start, a new creature. As we enter into this season of Easter let’s reflect on our new life in the One who made us and then made us new.

May you have a blessed Easter!

Bishop Rob
The Cathedral of Reconciliation
4/16/2019