What is "Ordinary Time"?

John Hodges • Jun 24, 2023

An excerpt from a piece written by The Rev. Stephen D. Pecot, Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Apalachicola

An excerpt from a piece written by The Rev. Stephen D. Pecot, Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Apalachicola:

In our church calendar we are now in “Ordinary Time”, which started the Monday after Pentecost and ends the Saturday before the First Sunday of Advent. The liturgical color for this period is green, so you will see the church adorned with that color for some time.

But that word—ordinary—doesn’t mean plain, simple, and predictable; no, it is about having order. The word originates from Latin (ordinarius) and means regular, customary, or numbered. I like to think of it also as structured, which, being a creature of habit and stability, is right up my alley. Ordinary Time is considered a time in the church in which we challenge ourselves to grow and mature in our walk with Christ. Where do you need to grow? Do you need to do something new, or put something away? Because sometimes the best growth and the best fruit comes after pruning (John 15:1-5).

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A Rainy Day at the Cabin

By Harry Parsell • 28 Jul, 2023

Wow! What a beautiful week it’s been. Hate to brag but it is the truth! The sun has come up every morning from the beginning of the week up until just two days ago. The humidity has been low up until two days ago, when we got a blast from the Gulf. But I guess with what’s been happening at home and all over the Southern tier of the country. My sister-in-law Jodi arrived as I mentioned with Lucy and Leo, her two Lab dogs and she said she brought the sun. So true until Mother Nature trumped her prediction. She is working hard from here and stays busy most days except the weekends. I try and work around the place and fix some of the things that have fallen apart with age and things that pop up that need some attending. My brother, Bill, her husband, is arriving tomorrow and they will be with me until Monday when they must return to Florida for work. This morning, I was able to clean the grill that had been stored for some time. I cooked hamburgers for lunch with tomato and cucumber salad and it was just what we needed. Last evening, we had a great time with some old friends that have even known my parents, and have taken care of this place for about 20 years. Will and his wife Christine met us for dinner in Burnsville at a quaint though informal restaurant called the Snapdragon, and we had a blast. I see them every year that I come up and Will, who does our exterminating of bugs, spiders, squirrels, bats etc., will watch this place throughout the winter. He is joined by another set of friends, Fred & Betty Lyda who live down the hill and assist us as needed. Later in the afternoon the heaven’s opened up again, and the wind and rain just like in Florida pounded us with lightning for the better part of the afternoon. The lightning sounds different since it bounces between the mountains and makes booms from all around. Weird. I took some pictures of the entrance to our property, the little bridge we cross and how it looks after its been soaked. Hope you will enjoy and I have put out more food for the deer but they haven’t come yet, I guess they need to dry off before they’ll have dinner! See you soon! Say hi to Fr. Jeff for me!