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 <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank">[email protected] </a>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 <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank">[email protected] </a>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 <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank">[email protected] </a>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–12th Grade Backpack Blessing August 22 <ul style="display: flex;"><li style="flex:1">LITURGY 101 </li><li style="flex:1">MAKE ART MONDAYS ARE BACK! </li></ul>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 4th—12th grade 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 <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank">[email protected] </a>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 | CURATE FROM 2018—2019 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 | CURATE FROM 2016—2018 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 | CURATE FROM 2015—2016 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 <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank">[email protected]</a>. Please call the Cathedral Office at 701-0664 or email <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank">[email protected] </a>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 St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral 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. St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral 4784 Thomasville Road Tallahassee, Florida 32309 Clergy: CassoCk and surpliCe with red stoles Clergy should rsVP by June 18th to [email protected] reception to follow

Prison Re-Entry

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