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.

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.

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