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.

 

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.