A New Chapter
2016 opened on a very tumultuous note for us last year, as we almost lost our house and things were a real mess. But, when man has disappointments, God makes appointments, and we were on his schedule this year in a very big way! 2016, which opened in chaos, was also the setting for one of the most dramatic miracles we had seen in our lives. When we were about to lose our house last year, God intervened by putting it on his people's hearts to help us, and the overwhelming love and support we received from family members, our friends, our church folks, and even our bishop, was something that we still marvel at almost a year later. However, that miraculous turn of events in our lives also entailed a revelation - God was also telling us it was time to move on, and we began preparing to do something I never thought I would do, but it is turning out to be one of the best decisions we have made, and God was with us every step. Let me explain that.
Barb came to Florida in 1984, which means she has been down here 32 years of her life. I came down here to attend college in 1989, which makes 27 years for me. At one time, we were meant to be here, but over the past 20 or so years it is as if something has been missing for us. Although those years had their highlights, it was as if we had that voice in the back of our minds saying "you don't belong here any more - it is time to move on." Temporal success and an unwillingness to move out of our comfort zones (complacency - I ain't too proud to say so!) kept us here far past our welcome, and it took almost getting our butts tossed into the street to make us finally listen to that still small voice and what it was saying. When you are brought to a place in your life where you have no other options, you start listening to those convictions you ignore, and thankfully for us we did. Back around the first week of January, both Barb and I were unable to sleep one night due to this restlessness we felt, and so we just sat up and talked. We both knew that it was time to go forward into the next chapter of our lives, but were not sure what that was to be - actually, we probably did know, but refused to face up to the facts. So, as we talked about it, we decided it was time for us to get the hell out of Florida, as it was as if since we have been here, we had been in a cycle of frustration and not getting anywhere. As we talked, we both came to the same conclusion as to where we needed to go, and boy, was that an unexpected revelation! The answer we got was to move back to where my roots are, close to West Virginia - maybe not in West Virginia, but close. When we came to accept this, for the first time in many years we both were at peace, and we began to plot the course to make it happen. We weren't sure when the move would take place, but we knew we were to make the move. So, the planning began, and over the course of this whole year it has been a progressive thing.
The first thing that happened was when we met with the bishop of our Mid-Atlantic Diocese, Bishop Donald Lerow. Bishop Lerow, in addition to being the bishop of DMAS, also pastors a parish in North Carolina, and when at the DOS Synod this year, we got to sit down and talk with Bishop Lerow about West Virginia. Being part of a small Continuing Anglican jurisdiction called the Anglican Catholic Church, we do not have any current parish work in the state of West Virginia at all, and when we mentioned to Bishop Lerow that we were moving to the area and may be interested in pioneering work in my home state, he got ecstatic and glowingly told us that West Virginia had been in his prayers for many years, and then we began talking. I had been struggling with a calling for many years, and finally listened when the opportunity arose for me to be ordained to the permanent diaconate in our Church. Any rate, we came back from Synod that May, and all was quiet for about a month until sometime in June I got an email from Debbie Weaver, Bishop Lerow's secretary, with the application paperwork to initiate preparation for Holy Orders. So, as I began filling that out, and submitting the supporting documentation, things went pretty quietly through the rest of the summer until about mid-August, when I got this summons from Bishop Lerow to appear before their diocesan Commission on Ministry (the first step in the process after filing paperwork). That meant a really short-notice trip to Alexandria, VA, the following week, and of course resources were a bit scarce, but then God moved again - a few days before we left, two envelopes arrived in the mail, one for me and one for Barb. It turns out that we had won a small class-action settlement involving our Verizon accounts, and we were both awarded checks of around $169 each, which financed the trip! This was yet another sign that God was in the midst of our plans, and that we were at the right place at the right time. I got to Alexandria, and had a very pleasant interview with the Commission on Ministry, which consisted of roughly 12 people (6 clergy and six laity). I was accepted into the formation program as an aspirant, and after a couple of other items are taken care of, I will be in full postulancy probably sometime at the beginning of next year if all falls into place. Again, God's timing was perfect, and all fell into place.
As the year progressed, it became evident that we really needed to focus on an area to live, and after some research and deliberation we began to zone in on the Cumberland, MD, area. Cumberland is the ideal location for what we need to do - it is within reasonable distance of everything we need access to, and it is very affordable to live there. Therefore, we began to research properties to look at there, and as of this coming week we have a scouting mission for a couple of days to secure the house we will be settling in. And, that entails yet another miraculous intervention. My sister-in-law in Indiana, who is a very sweet-natured lady, recently came through a very nasty divorce with her ex, and from it she received a substantial settlement that she was able to get at just the time she needed it too. When she learned of our plans, she offered to spot us what we needed for our moving expenses, and being our income is tied up in our living expenses, that itself was an answer to prayer. She was true to her word, and this week we got a check from her for what we needed, and that was a huge blessing as well. It is of course a loan, but still a blessing. All this being in place, we are set to move now by December 17th, and at this time we are in the midst of packing and organizing everything, this amidst school and work for me. But, it is coming along nicely, and I cannot be happier.
Suffice to say, this will be the last thing I write from the state of Florida, as 2017 will be written from our new home, far away from here, and will herald the start of a new chapter.
Working and Studying
2016 was a blessing to us in another way, as God has provided continuous employment for the entire year for us. At the end of 2015, I got a call from my old agency, Randstad, about a Communications Associate job which opened up at the corporate offices of Publix Supermarkets, and I was a perfect fit for the job. I interviewed with Dena Gregory and Ana Veteto, the two ladies who would be my manager and supervisor respectively, and within a couple of days I was told I had the job, which I started on January 12th. I managed to stay there into mid-October, although my hours were reduced somewhat in the summer, but it was a good experience - both Ana and Dena, as well as my co-workers, were great people to work with, and Publix has a good working environment. But, God was still at work, and after looking at the job postings my university had on its website, there was an opening for a company called Web4U Corporation, which is based in Atlanta, for a Remote Assistant. The owner of the company, Michael Tigue (who is a fellow alumnus of my university) hired me on, and I have been working since. However, the best part of the job is I work at home - I have a set schedule, and essentially what I do is research denominational websites to gather contact data on churches for a database he is building. It is not work that will get me in the Fortune 500, but I am happy with it and it is perfect for my study schedule as well. My job will also be moving north with us soon, which means I may be there for a long time, Lord willing.
As for school, it is hard to believe that in less than a year I will have my MACE finally! Being at Franciscan University has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and there is just so much good stuff I have learned and have been able to apply practically. My program finishes in the Summer 2017 term, which means I have about 8 months of school left before I have a Master's degree. It will, of course, be a busy eight months, as at the end of the program I have to take a comprehensive exam of all the material I had over my tenure, but I plan on starting that early. Any way I look at it, the future is busy.
Church Work This Year
It is no doubt that the Anglican Catholic Church is my home now, and it is a great communion to be part of. Our involvement with our local parish, St. Mary's in Winter Haven, FL, has been quite entailing. For the majority of the year, I taught a parish Bible study on Sunday mornings on Genesis, and I was also able to post the lessons on Sacramental Present Truths, all 38 of them! With the upcoming move, the Bible study concluded on October 16th, but I plan on publishing another series on the Creeds after we get all moved in and settled. Our parish is small, it struggles, yet it stays strong - some have passed away this past year, we have one man who was incarcerated for a while, and another of our elderly members got to the point that she had to move to North Carolina with her daughter, and she will be greatly missed. Also, there is still no full-time vicar as of yet, even though Fr. Guy is doing a fantastic job of flying down from Indiana at least once a month to celebrate Mass for us - as an attorney, he has a taxing schedule, and it is a real labor of love for him to do this as faithfully as he has, and the parish is really blessed to have a dedicated vicar like him. With our moving away, it remains to be seen how things will play out for St. Mary's, but they are a tough little parish - they have survived over 30 years now, and it seems that they find a way to keep going even when membership fluctuates. So, I anticipate good things for them as well. I was able to also serve several times by leading the parish in the Morning Prayer Office, and although I was a little iffy about doing that at first, it has become much easier to do as I practice it more. Upon our move, our new parish will be St. Michael's in Frederick, MD, where the priest there, Fr. Pothin Ngyele, will be my supervising priest as I prepare for the permanent diaconate. St. Michael's will be sort of our base for working in West Virginia, where I already have the potential of two nursing homes to perform chaplaincy duties (one of them is in Virginia, and is owned by a dear friend of mine I have known since childhood, a sweet lady).
St. Michael's Anglican Catholic Church, Frederick, MD - our future parish home
Interior, St. Michael's, with Fr. Pothin celebrating Mass
My church work will probably be more pronounced as we begin to integrate into St. Michael's, and in time when I start to do parish work in my home state of West Virginia, and that is all part of God's plan as well. It is a sign of many great things to come.
Other Things
The tragic news this year was the loss of our little female tuxedo cat Oreo. Oreo became part of our family when she was a little kitten back in 2001, as Barbara surprised me with her as an early birthday present that year. Although she was a bit temperamental (I often compared her to the cartoon character Slappy Squirrel from Animaniacs, as she could have a similar personality), she also was clearly my cat, and I adored her. She was getting very old though, and she became sick at around Christmas time last year, and not long after we lost her. She currently is resting outside our house in a nice little grave I laid her in, beside her sister Isis who passed away back in 2012. We also had some issues too this year with our Snowshoe Siamese, KitKat, who had almost lost all his hair and he also was having issues with vomiting profusely all over the house (a big mess we still deal with). However, he has overall recovered nicely, grew back his hair, and if his vomiting would get under control, he'd be perfect. It should prove fun trying to move him with his little brother and sister some 1200 miles north in a couple of weeks!
Our Oreo (2001-2016)
That essentially wraps up my reflections on the year, and I am hoping that next year will be as blessed and busy as this one. Have a good holiday, and if you are one of the few people who love fruitcake, eat sparingly! Also, remember why we celebrate the season too, as we owe a lot to the God who came to us, gave His life, and then conquered death to save us, so that we might be where God has intended us to be.
