This blog contains the thoughts of those serving on the pastoral staff of Grace Anglican Church. We are an Anglican church following Jesus and trying our best to obey his commands, especially the Great Commission (Mat. 28:18-20) and the Great Commandments (Mat. 22:37-40).
June 4th will mark the 15th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. I marvel at how fast the time has gone. I'm also a bit surprised that it has already been 7 years since I took my first sabbatical in the summer of 2016.I often thank God that he lets me serve him as a pastor in such a strong and faithful church. I love our church family! I continue to tell the Lor...
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It's now Thursday of the GAFCON Conference in Rwanda and tomorrow is our final day. I am blessed to be a witness to this historic moment. I'm honored to stand with representatives of 85% of the global Anglican denomination, who are clear about the authority of Scripture and the centrality of Jesus as Lord. The conference theme is "To whom shall we go?" in reference to Pete...
Keep ReadingDear Grace Anglican Church, Later today (4/14) I am flying to Kigali, Rwanda as a delegate from the Gulf Atlantic Diocese to the worldwide gathering of Anglicans for the fourth GAFCON Conference (Global Anglican Future Conference). Here's a statement from the GAFCON website: The GAFCON movement is a global family of authentic Anglicans standing together to retain and res...
Keep ReadingI like being a part of the sacramental and liturgical church because the Sunday services emphasize Christ's presence in both word and sacrament. Meeting with God using the liturgy is participatory and experiential. Rather than observing something, we are doing it. The changes forced upon us by COVID19 have really diminished the experience and joy of worship. I have especia...
Keep ReadingDear Grace Anglian Church, I have good news. Despite the pandemic, the Kingdom of God is still not in trouble and the Gospel of Jesus Christ is still the power of salvation for all who believe. I know you've heard me say similar things often in the preceding months. That's because we need constant reminders to keep our focus on the most important things."But seek first th...
Keep ReadingNew Book of Common Prayer Teachings The BCP is short for the Book of Common Prayer. Note that the book itself is not common, but rather the prayer. Anglican worship has been defined by common prayer and the BCP its defining characteristic. The beliefs of the Anglican church are found within the language of our worship. We are able to believe and pray in common because of ...
Keep ReadingAlleluia! Christ is risen! The truth of this proclamation has never been more urgent. As Gus Richard said to me recently, "nothing is virtual for Jesus." It's true. While we may be doing things using the tools of virtual reality, Jesus is always real and present by his Spirit. He will receive glory through this sickness. I think of his words concerning the man born blind, ...
Keep ReadingDear Grace Anglican Church, When Jesus began his public ministry, the first thing he spoke in Mark's gospel was "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand" (1:15). What was true in those days remains true for us, namely that God's kingdom is here. Its presence, power and advancement are all around us and accessible by faith. Furthermore, the kingdom of God ...
Keep ReadingDear Grace Anglican Church, I love you and I am praying for you! I am thankful that so many people are taking advantage of the online worship services we've been broadcasting over Facebook Live. Technology can be an amazing tool for God's kingdom. This is a confusing time with seemingly constant changes in mandated protocols.Above all, I care that you remain safe and...
Keep ReadingPlease make plans to participate in prayer and worship from your homes this Sunday, March 22nd and next Sunday, March 29th.We will again live stream a Sunday service of morning prayer on our Facebook page at 9 AM. In an effort to protect the most vulnerable among our community and to adhereto governmentrestrictions, I am asking you to please stay home this Sunday and worsh...
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Dear Grace Anglican Church, I'm looking for individuals and households who are willing to make a financial sacrifice to see God's kingdom advance in another part of our city. I'm certain that many of you have heard me and others say that God is a missionary God and he sends his church on mission. You will likely be familiar with these words of Jesus: "Follow me and I wil...
Keep Reading This Sunday we welcome back Lenny Konschewitz as our preacher at all three services. He has preached here in the past, but this Sunday is particularly special. Lenny has accepted a call to come as our first church planter starting in January 2020. This announcement is the result of much discussion, prayer and discernment going back to his last visit in January of this year...
Keep ReadingA Public Reaffirmation of Faith For Adults I recently heard the testimony of a woman describing how, in her late twenties, she and her husband changed from being nominal church attenders to people of active faith in God.They had been baptized as children, raised in the church and confirmed at the standard age. They even made a habit of church attendance together, but real...
Keep ReadingAs we transition to a new preaching focus, our Archbishop has asked me to resume using the lectionary to select our Sunday readings. I'm glad to do so because it is rich in content and will give us much to consider concerning God's grace to us. We'll take the appointed readings from Luke's gospel as our focus. Specifically, we'll be considering how and why we must not ...
Keep ReadingThis Sunday marks the annual Feast of Pentecost. The name literally means "fiftieth," a title that was taken from the Jewish Feast of Weeks that occurs approximately at the same time. This is yet another example of God fulfilling themes from the Old Covenant. The Jewish feast was given the Greek title "Pentecost" because it occurred 50 days after Passover (cf. Deut. 16:9...
Keep ReadingUpcoming Summer SabbaticalFrom Senior Pastor, Mike McDonald Dear Grace Anglican Family, I thank God that he has counted me faithful enough to entrust me with leadership of his people. June 4th will mark the 8th anniversary of my ordination as a priest. Serving God in this way brings me a deep sense of fulfillment and joy. I love ministry and I love our church. I also fee...
Keep ReadingOver the next six weeks, we'll be looking at topics related to things "Coming Alive." In selecting our preaching texts from the lectionary, I noticed topics related to "Coming Alive" as a recurring theme. Lent is perfectly positioned on the calendar to help us think about life coming through death. Winter often feels harsh and cold and barren, but spring is full of glimp...
Keep ReadingIt may be splitting hairs, but have you ever noticed that the first day of existence for mankind was a day off? For six days God created everything, with people being made on day six. Then, God rested the Bible tells us (see Genesis 1:31 2:3). I once heard someone make that point that while God rested from his work, mankind ought to work from their rest. I like the point ...
Keep ReadingWhat a great Sunday to have been in church this past week! There was one big service combining elements from our usual 9AM 11AM formats. The service felt packed and there was an electric feel in the room. It was a combination of God's presence and a full house. The communion count was 530 people, which is about 50 more than a usual Sunday. A large attendance alone does no...
Keep ReadingYou may know that our name changed on December 15th from New Grace Church to Grace Anglican Church. I am excited about this for several reasons: It's time to update our website, logo and signage. It could help build on the great momentum we have right now. It's helping us clarify our identity for ourselves and others curious about us. It's a step of obedience to God's ...
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