Bishop Samuel Lubogo Visits Mid-South Diocese

Bishop Samuel Lubogo of Source of the Nile Diocese Uganda is visiting the Mid-South Diocese after attending the International Convocation.  Bishop Lubogo is staying this week in Royston with Father and Mrs. Stanley Samuel.  He will minister this Thursday at 7:00 PM during the weekly meeting of St. John’s Eucharistic Fellowship and will then be our guest at St. Andrew’s Church on Sunday morning at 10:30 AM. 

Father Stanley extends a special invitation to all to come and join them in worship on Thursday evening to hear Bishop Lubogo.  For directions to St. John’s Eucharistic Fellowship, click here.

Convocation Begins TONIGHT!

International Convocation officially begins this evening.  For up-to-date reports on the events and happenings go to CECHome.Com  Also, please keep the Convocation in your prayers throughout the week.

Rector’s Council Meeting

This coming Sunday, the Rector’s Council will meet at 5 pm in the Nave.  As we meet for prayer and to discuss the business of the church, we bid the people of St. Andrew’s to pray for us that we would be led and guided by the Holy Spirit in all things.

What We Lost In The Fire

Grace and peace, 

I was scanning the movie titles with my remote control and I came across a title that jumped off the screen: What we lost in the fire.  The Holy Spirit immediately began to speak to about my [personal] journey these last 18 weeks and all the things I’ve lost in the Fire.  The Song of Songs 8:6-7 says

“…love is as strong as death, jealousy is strong as Sheol; its flashes are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord.  Many waters cannot quench love, nor will rivers overflow it…”

Psalm 79:5 [says]

 ”…shall thy jealousy burn like fire forever?”  

I have lost so many things these last few months under the heat of His affirming and furious fire that  
it would be impossible for me to number them.  Most of them were things I had become so accustomed to that I wasn’t even conscious of them.  I have no words to express my gratitude for the freedom the firestorm of His jealous love has brought to me as it has roared through my life.  To say yes to a repentant life, a life of holiness, is to stand with open arms and allow His Holy fire to envelope and consume you.  It is a glorious, intensely confirming, hilariously liberating, and yes heartbreakingly painful experience. In many ways the heartbreaking part may be the the most important part. I can tell you all that I am losing in the fire. All those things that have cluttered my life that have kept me from “…inheriting the earth.” 

I want to offer you this ancient prayer that represents the spirit of repentance.

I pray thee Lord Jesu, by thy sacred wounds, which thou didst suffer on the cross for our salvation, (whence flowed thy precious Blood, whereby we have obtained our salvation) : wound this my sinful soul, for which thou hast vouchsafed even to suffer death, with the fiery dart of thy exceeding and conquerable charity.  Pierce my heart with the javelin of thy love, that my soul may say unto thee: I am sore smitten with thy love ; that so from the very wound of thy love my tears may flow without ceasing both day and night. Strike, O Lord, I beseech thee, this my stoney heart with the mighty spear of thy gracious loving-kindness ; and pierce it to the inmost depth of thy mighty power. Who livest and reignest for ever and  
ever.  Amen.  

“ALWAYS!”

In Christ, 
+Chuck

Archbishop Charles Jones serves as Provincial Bishop of the Southeast Province of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church and is rector of the Cathedral of Christ the King, Selma, Alabama.  The above meditation taken from the Archbishop’s Weekly Word.

Congratulations Bp. Gene and Phyllis Lilly

This month, Bishop Gene and Phyllis Lilly celebrate 50 years of marriage and over 35 years of ministry together.  They have ministered in over 50 countries and have established churches in Russia, Africa, Philippines, South America, India, and the United States.  After 50 years together they are still deeply in love and going strong for the Lord and “looking forward to the next 50 years.”  They are a wonderful testimony to the beauty and power of a committed Godly marriage.

As an anniversary gift to celebrate their marriage and ministry, why not send a gift to support them in their ongoing missions work.  You may send your gift and anniversary cards to:  Love of Jesus Ministries, Inc., P.O. Box 237081, Cocoa, FL 32923-7081. 

Ordination Service Sunday at Christ the King

Letter from The Right Rev’d David Epps, Auxillary Bishop serving the Mid-South Diocese.

Dear Mid-South Diocese family:

I have been asked by Archbishop Douglas S. Woodall to ordain William Rian Adams to the diaconate and to the priesthood. Rian is a chaplain candidate and has been approved for active duty as a chaplain with the U. S. Army. He reports for duty in September and must be ordained by the end of July. He has already gone through the process in the Archdiocese of the Armed Forces and has been approved by that diocese. Because of Abp Woodall’s schedule, he has asked me to stand in for him and do the ordinations.

The ordination to the priesthood will be at Christ the King on Sunday, July 20 at 7:00 p.m.  U. S. Army Chaplain (Major), and veteran of the war in Iraq, Father Jonathan Landon will preach the ordination sermon.

The ordination to the diaconate will be the previous evening, Saturday, July 19 at 5:00 p.m. at Christ the King. This will, for the most part, be a “spoken service” with little or no music. You are invited to this service as well, although I especially invite you to attend the Sunday evening service.

I hope to see you … Sunday evening, if you can come, for this special service of ordination. 

Warmly,

The Most Rev’d W. David Epps
Auxiliary Provincial Bishop
Serving the Mid-South Diocese
4881 Highway 34 East
Sharpsburg, GA 30277
office 770-252-2428
cell 770-616-2092

email: frepps@ctkcec.org.

Like Rain Into A Fleece of Wool

In my time of prayer this morning there was a scripture that really ministered to me.  Ps.72:6 says “He shall come down like the rain into a fleece of wool, even as the drops that water the earth”.  What a remarkable description of being filled with the Holy Spirit.  We have been prophetically praying for the rain of heaven to fall; that is for a fresh soaking of the Spirit to come to our lives and to His Church.

                        

The phrase “Baptism in the Spirit” is the best metaphor to describe what is meant by “filling”.  We think of a cup being filled, but “Baptism” means “to immerse”, to “saturate”.  It comes from a word that means “to dip”.  The word was used to describe taking a piece of cloth and dipping it into a dye.  When you dip it you soak it with the dye.  Every fiber is filled with the dye, and the identity of the cloth is now changed for it is heavy with dye.  The dye is on, in, and around every molecule of that cloth. 

                      

Can you imagine how much water a fleece of wool can hold?  If you filled a fleece of wool with water so much that it couldn’t soak up one more drop that would be a good illustration of what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Also can you imagine how heavy that piece of wool would be.  This is what God is wanting to do in our midst.  This is what He is doing.  HALLELUJAH!!!!  He wants to send His rain on us personally and corporately until we are soaked with the Holy Spirit.  He wants us to be “heavy” with the Holy Spirit.  We just have to present Him our lives in absolute surrender (our fleece of wool that has been wrung dry through repentance) asking Him to make us “heavy” with the Holy Spirit. 

                               

May our minds, our emotions, our wills, all of desires, literally our entire beings be “heavy with the Holy Spirit.  ALWAYS”

                      

In Christ,

+Chuck

                   

Archbishop Charles Jones serves the Southeast Province of the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church and is rector of the Cathedral of Christ the King, Selma, Alabama.  The above meditation taken from the Archbishop’s Weekly Word.

Three Trained At Mid-South Diocese LLM Training

The Reverend David Monroe, Archdeacon for the Mid-South Diocese, conducted training for Lectors, Lay Readers, Chalice Bearers, and Lay Eucharistic Ministers during June. The class sessions were held at Christ the King CEC, Sharpsburg, GA and were attended by people from across the diocese. Each trainee had to have the endorsement of his or her pastor and those who completed the course received recognition as Licensed Liturgical Ministers. The licenses are valid for three years, as long as the license holder remains in good standing within the parish and the diocese. The classes were also attended by a number of clergy, including Bishop David Epps. who is currently serving the Mid-South Diocese.  Congratulations to our own Tommy Stubbs, Tom Cuson, and Mark Cuson for completing this LLM Training.

Foundation Day Celebration

This coming Sunday, June 29th, is Foundation Day in the Charismatic Episcopal Church.  On this day we celebrate the founding and mission of our communion.  The CEC marks her foundation from the consecration of our first Bishop and Patriarch, Archbishop Randolph Adler, June 26, 1992.  Every year, the Sunday closest to this date is set aside as Foundation Day.

Foundation Day is also the day we set aside a special offering for domestic mission endeavors.  The monies received go to support mission dioceses, churches, and clergy working to establish new parishes and ministries across the country.

This Sunday we ask all our parishoners to prayerfully consider the amount of their gift for Foundation Day.  The traditional gift is $10.00 per communicant.  However, I ask that we endeavor to give prayerfully and generously as our gifts go to advance the Kingdom and support our sister churches across the country.

See Archbishop Craig Bates Foundation Day Letter

New Supplement Page

St. Andrew’s Journal has added a new Supplement page.  The purpose of this page is to include materials that stand in addition to the general information posted on our main page.  At present we are highlighting two writers from the Mid-South Diocese:  Bishop David Epps and Canon Theologian Robert Wills.  It is our prayer that you will find these writings helpful and insightful.  Both men are great writers and tremendous thinkers.  

Check back frequently to as we will be updating the current pages included on the supplement page as well as adding new materials as we go.

All materials posted are used by permission.