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.

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.