Prison Re-Entry

June 13, 2021

Prison Re-Entry

by e Rev ' d W esley Owens, Curate

As the Canon for Missions & Evangelism, I have been so greatly encouraged by the number of great leaders that the Lord has raised up for work beyond the walls of our Cathedral. Deacon Wesley has shown both great passion and

unwavering dedication to bring Christ to men and women that are re-entering society after incarceration. After

appointing him to lead a new partnership with Good News Outreach, I could not be more excited to oﬀer the following

update on God’s work through him and his team below. –Father Bill

It is far too common for us as typical American churchgoers to remain nearsighted in our understanding of

God’s grace, and this is particularly apparent in our attitudes toward the incarcerated. We settle for retribution

when Christ calls us to be agents of his restoration. Hebrews 13:3 instructs us to “remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them…” is command is the application of a principle at the very heart of

our Lord’s incarnation. Jesus Christ did not keep the fallen world at arm’s length; he entered into the brokenness

of humanity to redeem us. He did not ignore the demands of God’s justice; indeed, he gave his life to fulﬁll it. But, his primary mission was one of mercy, forgiveness, and healing.

Much can be said about the harsh realities of an American prison, but too often we overlook the trauma

experienced by former inmates in the weeks, months, and years after prison. e road to stability after prison is

arduous and uncertain. Former inmates must ‘swim upstream’ before they can ﬁnd a foothold in a society that

is reluctant to receive them. ey struggle to regain access to basic privileges that you and I take for granted:

good employment, a driver’s license, safe housing, a reliable social network. In the absence of support, it is

no wonder that roughly one of every four inmates released from a Florida prison will return to prison within three years. e desperation brought about by PTSD, lingering addiction, unstable surroundings, and a lack of secure relationships can make prospects appear hopeless.

Since November 2020, St. Peter’s has been actively exploring new opportunities to share the Gospel with

former inmates and work to reduce recidivism in Tallahassee. Our Re-entry Leadership Team, which includes

Dave Mica, Frances Prevatt, and Jason White, has been engaging actively in relationship building and strategic

planning with the goal of engaging in mission through Christian mentoring, tutoring, trauma and addiction

recovery, and vocational help. In partnership with Good News Outreach, we are coming alongside the ministry

of Mercy House, a local transitional house for men, while assisting with the development of a parallel re-entry program for women.

Please pray for us and consider joining us in this important work. I am grateful to the team of Godly lay

leaders for their diverse contributions: Frances Prevatt, who is serving as our liaison for women’s re-entry; Scott

Marshall, who has agreed to oﬀer math tutoring to a resident of Mercy House; Sara Clausen, who has consulted

with us about volunteer training standards in the department of corrections; and others who are prayerfully discerning the call to serve as after-prison mentors. ere are many ways to serve and be the hands and feet of Jesus in the lives of men and women who desperately need hope.

Discipleship

COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION

REGISTER FOR SUMMER CLASSES!

Summer Classes for all ages have begun. Visit StPetersFL.com/Register to learn more. It's not too late to participate!

SUPER SUMMER NIGHTS BOUNCE HOUSE PARTY

Wednesday, June 16, 6:15–7:30pm | Join us for our

next Super Summer Night for a bounce house party!

Contact [email protected] for more information.

SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR ALL AGES

Sunday, June 13, 10:25–11:00am | Sunday School for INSTITUTION VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

all ages resumes today and will end on July 25.

ere will be a reception on the North Lawn following

the Institution service at 4:00pm next Sunday, June

20, and we still have a few volunteer slots left to ﬁll.

We would truly treasure your assistance - please visit

StPetersFL.com/events/institution-of-fr-marcus to sign

up to help today!

PLEASE PRAY FOR YOUTH MISSIONS WEEK

Please be in prayer for the youth and adults that

will be participating in Youth Missions Week this

week. ey will be partnering with Good Samaritan

Village, Riley Elementary, Chelsea House, Angel

Wingz, and A Women’s Pregnancy Center (AWPC).

ey will work on small construction projects like building a chicken coop and ﬂower boxes, provide

a mini-Vacation Bible School and fun day for elementary aged children, and hear from some

amazing people with some awesome life experiences!

ey will end the week with a well deserved pool

party at the Cooksey’s house!
Contact [email protected] for more info.

STEPHEN MINISTERS

Do you have a friend, neighbor, co-worker, or relative

going through a diﬃcult time? A Stephen Minister may

be able to oﬀer the support he or she needs. Stephen

Ministers are members of St. Peter’s trained to provide

emotional and spiritual care to people who are hurting.

To learn how you can help a friend receive care, email us

at [email protected] or speak with one

of our Stephen Ministers. ey will be in the Narthex

wearing a blue Stephen Ministry name tag.

MESSY MONDAY MORNINGS

Mondays in June and July, 9:00–10:00am | Open to all

children! is is a great opportunity to get the kids

out of the house and come share fellowship with other

families in our parish and community. We will have

lawn activities and messy art crafts each week.

SAVE THE DATE:

Visit StPetersFL.com/upcoming for more info:

▶▶▶

Annual Parish Meeting

June 27 @ 6:30pm

CONCERT AT ST. PETER'S - TRIO RIVA

Chorister Camp

Monday, June 14, 7:00pm | Come share an evening of

chamber music with the amazing Trio Riva. Pedro

Maia, Christina Lai and Vincent Leung will present

a live concert at St. Peter’s. Praised for their “cohesive energy, intelligent musicality, and technical prowess”,

Trio Riva’s members have extensive experience as

chamber musicians performing in Asia, Europe, North,

South, and Central America, debuting at the Palacio di

Piobbi in Italy. is is a free concert - come and enjoy!

July 26—July 30, for K–12^thGrade

Backpack Blessing

August 22

LITURGY 101

MAKE ART MONDAYS ARE BACK!

Monday, June 21, 6:30pm | Are you interested in learning St. Peter’s Artisans is bringing back their “Make Art

more about St. Peter’s and why we do the things we Mondays” summer series! Starting in June, one Monday

do here? Liturgy 101 provides the opportunity for the a month of the summer months from 6:00–8:30pm, you

clergy of St. Peter’s to explain all the particulars of a can enjoy an evening learning about art using diﬀerent

typical Sunday worship service in detail, including a mediums. e cost is $30 per class - choose one class

display of pieces used during the Eucharist and Baptism, or all three!

as well as vestments worn by Priests, the Bishop, Lay

• • •

June 21 - Flower Arrangements with Karen Mica July 26 - Festive Garlands with Christie Grant

August 30 - Intuitive Floral Painting with Suzanne

Conner

Eucharistic Ministers, Acolytes, and Vergers. Liturgy

101 is a time to learn the why and how of the Anglican

faith and tradition and ask questions.

Join us in the nave of the church to ﬁnd out the answer

to these questions, as well as much, much more! No

need to register, but childcare is only available upon

request. Contact Amy Cooksey at Amy@StPetersFL. com with any questions.

No experience needed. Class size is limited - register

today at StPetersFL.com/Register.

FAMILY BIBLE SCHOOL: “REDEEMING WATERS”

July 13—July 15, 5:00–8:00pm | Join us for Bible

School, Family Style! e whole family will gather on

the lawn for a picnic beginning at 5:00pm. en we will

worship together and meet and hear from Noah, Moses,

and John the Baptist. Families will be grouped in tribes

and will play games, make art, and learn about God’s

word together. Registration is now open to everyone

at StPetersFL.com/Register. Space is limited so please don't wait - register today!

CAMP ARAMINTA

July 19—24 | We are happy to announce that Camp

Araminta is happening in person this summer! It is

from July 19—24 at Camp Lake Swan in Melrose,

FL. It is open to all rising 4^th—12^thgrade students.

Register at gulfatlanticnextgen.org/camp-about to join

us for a week of fun! Contact Dcn. David at David@

StPetersFL.com or Page Curry at pagecurry@gmail.

com for more information.

Helpers needed! We need help with the diﬀerent

stations and extra hands and encouragement within

the tribes. Helpers are invited to the picnic and worship.

Contact [email protected] for more information.

Missions & Evangelism

PARTNERED EVANGELISM: HOLY SPIRIT

CONFERENCE

INTERNATIONAL: LOVE FOR THE LEAST

PRAYER REQUEST

Saturday, June 19, 9:00am | Please mark your calendars

to attend the Holy Spirit Conference on Saturday,

June 19 from 9:00am–1:30pm hosted by Evangelism

Global at Community Christian School. Learn how to

experience the miraculous life of following the Holy

Spirit. Adults and youth are invited and there is no

cost for the event.

is past week there was a massive ﬁre in the UN Camp

where Jerry and Stacy Kramer, with Love for the Least,

have been helping the Yezidi People for years in their

recovery from ISIS. One quarter of the camp burned to

the ground leaving 200+ families homeless and without

clothes, personal items, supplies, or money.

Please join us in praying for these families, many of

whom don’t know Jesus, and for relief eﬀorts.

For more information, or to register please visit

Evangelismglobal.com/coming-events.

The Curacy Program of

The Charles Simeon Institute

forming tomorrow's anglican leaders today

e Charles Simeon Curacy Program began in 2015. It provides seminary graduates an opportunity to begin

the transition from seminary to parish ministry. is transition can often be diﬃcult and the lack of larger

churches in the ACNA means there is little opportunity for recent seminary graduates to serve as associate rectors

and to be mentored. e Curacy Program is designed to meet this need. It provides for a one-year (renewable) internship during which a recent seminary graduate creates a learning program for enhancing parish ministry skills and then serves under supervision. Graduates of this program are now serving as priests in the ACNA in a wide variety of capacities.

Wesley Owens |

CURATE SINCE OCTOBER 2020

Dcn. Wesley Owens is the newest Charles Simeon Curate, having arrived at St. Peter’s

in October of 2020. He was ordained to the diaconate at Falls Church, Virginia, in the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic, soon after his arrival. is fall he will return to

Oxford, England for three months, to complete his theological education at Wycliﬀe

Hall, as his studies were interrupted by the pandemic. Dcn. Wesley will continue as Curate of St. Peter’s until October 2022.

Tyler Gongola |

CURATE FROM 2019—2020

Fr. Tyler Gongola, a graduate of Gordon Conwell eological Seminary, served as the Curate of St. Peter’s from August 2019 to June 2020. He was ordained to the diaconate in December 2019 and to the priesthood in July 2020, both at St. Peter’s

by Archbishop Emeritus Robert Duncan, on behalf of the Diocese of Cascadia.

Upon completion of his curacy, he accepted the call to serve as Vicar of the newly

formed St. Nicholas Anglican Church in Spokane, Washington. He and his wife

Megan are the happy parents of two young children, Gwyddion and Gwendolyn.

Wes Jagoe |

Fr. Wes Jagoe, a graduate of Trinity School for Ministry in Amherst, PA, served as the CSI Curate at St. Peter’s from 2018-2019. He is a Marine Corp oﬃcer, having

served in both active and now reserve duty. He was ordained to the diaconate in

the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic prior to becoming a curate. In November 2018

he was ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Emeritus Robert Duncan, at St. Peter’s. He then served as Canon for Worship under Abp. Duncan, for the rest of the Archbishop’s tenure as Bishop in Residence. Fr. Wes now resides in Greenville,

SC, serving as Canon to Archbishop Foley Beach and Chaplain for the ACNA.

(He holds these positions while the current Canon/Chaplain is deployed to Iraq).

Daniel Behrens |

Fr. Daniel Behrens, a graduate of Trinity School for Ministry in Amherst, PA, served

as the Charles Simeon Institute Curate of St. Peter’s from 2016 -2018. While at St. Peter’s he was ordained to the diaconate in May 2018 by Bishop Neil Lebhar. After

completing his curacy, he accepted an invitation to serve for two years as a Missionary

Curate at Trinity on the Border, an Anglican chapel and outreach ministry on the Texas/Mexico border. In June 2019 he returned to St. Peter’s to be ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Emeritus Robert Duncan. Fr. Daniel is now Missionary

Priest of Trinity on the Border. As such, he and his wife Rebekah chose to undertake

a year of immersive language training in Spanish and to live with neighbors from Latin America, to be better equipped to meet the needs of those within their ministry. Fr. Daniel and Rebekah have two sweet daughters, Sabal (who was born in Tallahassee) and Darcy.

Bryan Biba |

Fr. Bryan Biba, a graduate of Duke University Divinity School, served as the ﬁrst

Charles Simeon Institute Curate of St. Peter’s, from 2015 – 2016. He was ordained to

the diaconate at St. Peter’s by Bishop Neil Lebhar in October 2015. After completing

his Curacy here, he then went to Christ Church Plano to serve as Associate Rector for Adult Discipleship. ere he was ordained to the priesthood in March of 2017.

He now serves Christ Plano as Associate Dean for Family Ministry. In addition,

he also is serving as Interim Priest at Redemption Anglican Church and as PRN

hospital chaplain at Texas Health Resources Hospital, both in Frisco, TX. He and his wife, Laura McClain, have a precious son, Simeon Joseph, and a retired racing greyhound, Shadowfax.

A Look At Them Today!

In order from left to right: Fr. T y ler Gongola, Fr. Wes Jagoe, Fr. Daniel Behrens, Fr. Bryan Biba

Worship

When you enter a St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral worship service/event, you will be entering an area where photography, video,

and audio recording may occur. Nursery is available during Sunday morning services for children newborn through Kindergarten.

If you are new to St. Peter’s, please stop by and say hello to Amy or Tina on the front steps! ey will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

THE INSTITUTION OF FR. MARCUS

June 20, 4:00pm | Join us for an incredible service, formally instituting Fr. Marcus Kaiser, Sr. as our Dean and

Rector by Bishop Neil Lebhar. Archbishop Foley Beach and Archbishop Bob Duncan will also be with us!

Please note there will only be a Morning Prayer service that Sunday morning at 10:00am, and we will

celebrate the Holy Eucharist at 4:00pm at the Institution.

OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE GOD’S LOVE WITH THOSE WHO ARE ISOLATED

We are looking for individuals interested in being licensed as Lay Eucharistic Ministers (LEM-Vs) to take

communion to those unable to attend worship services in person. ey might be home-bound, in an assisted

living facility, rehab center, or hospital. ose interested must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. If you would

like more information or would like to sign up for training, please contact Deacon Jeﬀ Trostle, Director of

Pastoral Care, at Jeﬀ@StPetersFL.com.

PASTORAL CARE AND OUR CATHEDRAL PRAYER LIST:

During this trying time ﬁlled with uncertainty and challenge, we want you to know that our clergy are available to provide pastoral care as you have need. Please reach out to us at [email protected]. Please call the

Cathedral Oﬃce at 701-0664 or email [email protected] to be added to the cathedral prayer list. Please pray

for our military, relatives, and friends.

Military: Major Daniel Dean, Andrew Sanderson, Jose F. Betancourt, Gabriel Melendez (82nd Airborne) SFC

Dewey Spence, 1st Lt. Griﬃn Jax, 2nd Lt. Parker Jax, 2nd Lt. Carson Jax, Major Gen. John Richardson, Lt. Col. David Chichetti, Lt. Cmdr. Chris Smith, Capt. James Dilworth, Kurt Spitzer Jr., 1st Lt. Parry omas, Airman

Drew Edwards, Lt. Cmdr Blake Van Brunt Jr., Sgt., Capt. Oliver Rushing, Capt. John Easterbrook, Jr., NCC

Ryan Blackmer, Lucas Bell, LTC Burt Newman, Tommy VanLandingham MM4, SSG Corey Daws, Lt. Patrick

Swain Parishioners, Relatives, and Friends:

The Wardens and Vestry

of

St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral

request your prayers and presence at the institution of

The Very Reverend Marcus A. Kaiser, Sr.

as Dean and Rector of

by

The Right Reverend Neil G. Lebhar

Bishop of The Gulf Atlantic Diocese Sunday, the Twentieth Day of June
In the Year of Our Lord
Two Thousand and Twenty-One at Four o’clock p.m.