Confirmation Sunday!
admin Yesterday, 1/11/26 at the Cathedral Church of Reconciliation, we had confirmation! Welcome to all of our wonderful confirmands! Kurtis, Sarah, Yurri, and Olivia!
Freedom Conference 2025 In Review!
The Freedom curriculum starts out with a reintroduction to our Lord; it helps us to see Him as our beloved, faithful Pursuer and to stop viewing Him as an angry God looking for a reason to damn us. The 12 week course teaches us to live a transparent, repentant, relationship fueled lifestyle; a lifestyle Freedom describes as living in “the Tree of Life.” Every week, my wife, Amber and I have had the pleasure of teaching, using the format of fellowship, prayer, worship, discussion, and Holy Spirit inspired, intentional individual prayer.
We were able to bring a group to the Freedom Conference in Midlothian, VA. To use a coffee metaphor, the curriculum is like good old fashioned drip coffee, picking up strength over time. The conference was like a few shots of espresso—strong and concentrated in a small amount of time. It was so powerful. The format was similar to the curriculum; praise, a teaching, a group agreement with truth and disagreement with lies, and individual prayer.
This curriculum alongside the conference was so powerful! The testimonies were abundant. Our group has unburied and repented of old weights and hindrances, forgiven wrongs, and had our eyes open to the promises of scripture. This is how God designed us to live. Freedom.
The Freedom Conference 2025 was a powerful weekend of growth, rediscovery, and healing. Sixteen members of the Cathedral Church of Reconciliation joined together at a church near Richmond, VA for nine deeply focused sessions aimed at uncovering the past and present burdens that can keep believers from fully experiencing the abundant life promised in Jesus Christ. Teams of believers—each of whom had previously walked their own journey of healing through past Freedom Conferences—devoted their time, prayers, and gifts to serve. They covered the event in intercession and led the room in heartfelt praise and worship. From the very beginning, the atmosphere was filled with expectation and reverence.
Throughout the weekend, participants were invited to lay down emotional baggage and trust that Christ—through His Word, united with faith and prayer—can truly transform anything. Many were profoundly touched and left feeling lighter, freer, and renewed. Praise God for the freedom found only in the Holy Name of Jesus!
2021 Clergy and Wives Retreat Recap
2021 Fall Clergy and Wives Retreat October 7th-9th (Synopsis by Fr. Jeffery Welch)
Early in October this year our Bishop Rob Northwood hosted all the clergy and their wives of our Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic CEC at a Spiritual Retreat at Solomon Island’s Holiday Inn. The Lord gave us beautiful weather on the ride there and all through the Retreat. We were blessed with several guests especially our Patriarch Bp. Craig Bates and his wife Cathy and Rev. Dr. Bob Engle From World Vision and The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI).
Bishop Rob led us in Holy Communion Friday morning bringing us the first message through the sermon. He emphasized our Church’s mission to take the full gospel into all the world through signs and wonders as well as preaching and teaching. We do this because “our” Church is not ours! It belongs to our Lord Jesus. As in the story of the Samaritan Woman at the well, we are called to find ‘key’ people who will help open up whole communities to the gospel. He concluded that we needed to form small discipleship groups within the parish to minister and reach outside our parish.
Bob Engle taught the next two sessions. He shared his experiences as a World Vision missionary to the inner city (with his family) since 1982 and how God called him to learn different cultural languages. It was not always easy. But just like Jesus’ example there is no ‘gain without pain’! His talks were filled with ‘truth nuggets’ such as “If you want people to learn to build a ship, teach them to love the lonely immensity of the sea;” All the while emphasizing we are in an invisible spiritual war between two Kingdoms; How the currency of the galaxy is souls; and Jesus is LORD of all. This means the Church is central to our Christian life, the gospel is the basis of discipleship, the Holy Spirit empowers us for action, and we need to embrace and share the Kingdom of God. He added there is no great commission without a great submission to Christ.
Our Patriarch Bishop Bates preached at the Holy Communion on Saturday morning as the Retreat ended. He shared extensively of his personal spiritual journey including how God led him into the CEC and it’s early growing pains (as any creature of God experiences). He emphasized our need to re-commit to all three “streams” of the CEC, particularly true revival through our evangelical efforts. He emphasized the priesthood of all believers, not just the ordained clergy, and that true revival comes from committed laity involved in liturgy, charismatic ministry and going out to make disciples of all nations (including differing cultures). He left us with this golden truth-nugget: We don’t bring people to Christ… we are to bring Christ to the people where they live.
Great fellowship was enjoyed by all at meals and times of relaxed sharing while seated outside each evening. It was a refreshing and wonderfully challenging Spiritual time. Thank you Bishop Rob.