Cathedral Building Update

The cathedral has recently completed a campaign to raise the money needed for the church facilities, equipment barn, and the construction of the barn is just complete this week. Floors were poured, and the last money came in within the same week. Praise the Lord, and thank you to all who supported this campaign. The “10 7s” campaign as the barn funding was called was a huge success with generous donors taking on portions of the barn funding and helping the church to establish a needed foothold in the process. The Church building basement is complete with walls and wooden flooring is being put in for the first floor this week. Next it will be stud walls for the first floor and the roof before long. Please continue to support the building project with prayer and tell others you know what we’re doing and how important it will be to have a Mid Atlantic Cathedral hub for convergence worship and healing. Updates posted at FHcathedral.com. If you or someone you know feel called to support the project, please contact the diocesan office: 410-838-6444.

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.

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

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