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Parishes form Anglican Alliance of North Florida
Six congregations in the Diocese of Florida that are in conflict with Bishop Samuel Johnson Howard have formed an alliance with two other Episcopal parishes, with a new congregation emerging from the diocese’s mother parish, and with two parishes of the Anglican Mission in America.
“Last weekend clergy from the ‘Florida Six’ met on retreat with other North Florida conservative Anglican clergy,” the Rev. Jim McCaslin wrote in a letter discussing the new alliance. “We prayed, sang, talked, broke bread, and relaxed together. Out of this retreat, the Anglican Alliance of North Florida was born. The Florida Six have joined together with certain other parishes and non-parochial clergy as well.”
The Anglican Alliance of North Florida consists of these churches and their priests:
The Florida Six — All Souls Church, Jacksonville; Calvary Episcopal Mission, Jacksonville; Church of the Redeemer, Jacksonville; Grace Church, Orange Park; St Luke’s Episcopal Community of Life Mission, Tallahassee; and St. Michael’s Church, Gainesville.
Other parishes — St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Tallahassee, newly formed by former priests of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Tallahassee; Church of the Advent, Tallahassee; Christ the King Anglican Fellowship (AMiA), Jacksonville; Emmaus Road Church (AMiA), Orange Park; and St. Teresa Parish, Wakulla County.
The alliance listed these priests as signing on their individual support: David Allert, Gary Blaylock, Marvin Boyd, Mark Eldredge, James Hobby and Sharon Hobby.
Other congregations and clergy in North Florida who wish to join the alliance may contact the Rev. Jim McCaslin, rector of All Souls, Jackonsville, at jimmccaslin@comcast.net.
In announcing the alliance’s formation, the congregations and priests affirmed this statement:
In light of the opportunities presented by the ongoing realignment in the Anglican Communion and for the sake of expanding the Kingdom of God, we have formed an alliance of Anglican congregations and clergy in North Florida committed to:
- the Lordship of Christ Jesus and the full authority of Scripture.
- a common vision of mission and ministry and cooperative initiatives in discipleship, church planting and global mission.
- mutual support and care through the sharing of our resources.
- full communion only with “Anglican churches, dioceses and provinces that hold and maintain the historic faith, doctrine, sacraments and discipline of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church” (from the Constitution of the Church of Nigeria).
The Rev. Eric Dudley and two associate priests — the Revs. Brad Page and Michael Petty — have left their ministries at St. John’s.
“I do want you to know how very thankful I am for the ten years of ministry I have enjoyed as rector of St. John’s Parish,” Dudley wrote in a farewell letter to his parish. “Several people have been to see me to suggest that I wage a legal battle for the property of St. John’s. I have made clear many times over that I would never do this, not because such a battle could not be won legally, but because to enter such a battle is not only unscriptural, but would leave us all losers spiritually. It is my heart’s desire to leave St. John’s respectfully, lovingly, peacefully.”