Like most church planters, even before we planted Holy Spirit by God’s grace, my wife Ginger and I had a vision to plant new churches out of our church.

On September 19 at All Saints’ Church in Woodbridge, VA, Bishop John commissioned the Franconia-Springfield Mission.

There are around 150,000 people (!) who live in the Lake Gaston area — that's almost nine times the population of Emporia/Greensville County. The next closest Anglican (ACNA) congregation is in the Raleigh/Durham area. It behooves us to reach out to make new disciples around Lake Gaston and to minister to the many Anglicans who have retired to the lake from Raleigh/Durham, Hampton Roads, and Northern Virginia.

Sitting this morning at my desk I was ‘remembering’ this past Sunday (September 13) in the park when Incarnation gathered and celebrated two years from ‘going public’ on Sept 9, 2018. Two years of unity.

As the summer winds down and college students head back to their campuses, many students will be reflecting on their summers and how different they were from what they expected. For many, the primary reason for this was Covid-19. But, for eight of them, the reason will be very different. These were the eight young adults that spent their summer ministering in their congregations as interns. This is a summer they will long remember and may possibly be one that changes the course of their lives.

When Jesus builds the church, it is never closed, and His kingdom will never be stopped. This theme was preached last Sunday and was put on display in the turnout of people who came to worship at the very first pre-launch Eucharist service at the Franconia-Springfield Mission. I'm pretty sure they were smiling because of their eyes, but everyone was wearing masks when they arrived!

Ted is a dynamic speaker that combines the experience of an archaeologist, the mind of a Christian apologist and the heart of a pastor. Please join us! Be sure to mark your calendars. This is a FREE EVENT!

More than Charlottesville, more than Richmond, perhaps more than any other place in Virginia, Emporia would appear on the surface to be a place ripe for violent protests.

“One of our goals has been to help provide intercessory prayer cover for our church planters who are already “out in the field,” as well as praying in new planters for the Diocese. So, as churches are planted, we develop an ongoing prayer relationship with the planters and the churches, praying for each one on a regular basis.”

The Lord is at work in our midst, as His people. Jesus is still standing among the lampstands, holding the stars in His right hand, speaking that two-edged sword. If you think about this western DOMA outpost, pray for us. Thank the Lord for the “now,” and ask Him to keep moving us into His “not yet.” Ask Him to open our eyes to see as He does. We will pray the same for you.

With a great deal of mixed feelings, I’d like to announce that I’ll be retiring at the end of this year as Canon for Church Planting. It’s been a great privilege for me to serve Bp John and all of you in this role.

What ultimately kept us from canceling was recognizing the need that people have for human interaction — even if virtual is the best we can do. 

Please come virtually to the first ever welcome brunch for the Franconia-Springfield Mission!

The need will get worse. Who will come to rescue? Who will come to lift them up? Who will share what they have for those who have lost everything? We who are comfortable or wealthy must find ways to help those who are poor in this time of great need.

We are having the first ever welcome brunch for the Franconia-Springfield Mission! Come enjoy good food, community, and discover more about the vision for this new church. The brunch is potluck style, so bring a brunch favorite, but if you cannot bring anything please come anyway!

As we passed by the house, Ashley looked at me and said, “Wouldn’t it be crazy if we raised a family where my mom grew up?” That question, although it was said half-jokingly, was actually prophetic. Little did we know that years later God would call us to begin a new work in this region with a fresh vision for a church!