The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection sits on the shore of Lake Brantley in Longwood, Florida, and has become a recognizable presence in the neighborhood for two things in particular: a warm, liturgical Sunday morning liturgy and the joyful noise of a children's theater that fills its campus several weekends a year. The congregation describes itself as a family of caring ministries rooted in the Episcopal tradition, where people of all ages, cultures, and stages of life are welcomed at the table.
Sunday Mornings at 8 and 10:30
The weekly rhythm of parish life centers on two Sunday services. Holy Eucharist is celebrated at 8:00 a.m. and again at 10:30 a.m., both in the main sanctuary. The 10:30 a.m. service is the larger gathering and is livestreamed on YouTube each week for those who cannot attend in person. Worship follows the liturgical tradition of the Episcopal Church, with spoken liturgy, scripture readings, congregational hymnody, and the celebration of Word and Sacrament.
The congregation describes itself as "a welcoming congregation of joyful Christians, rooted in the liturgical tradition of the Episcopal Church." Members and visitors are received with the parish's stated mission in mind: "to bring the love of Christ to all who seek Him."
Wednesday Midday Worship
In addition to the two Sunday liturgies, the church offers a Wednesday service at noon. This brief midweek gathering gives parishioners and visitors a way to break up the week with prayer, scripture, and Eucharist, complementing the Sunday cycle without duplicating it.
The Resurrection Players: A Children's Theater With a Two-Decade Run
If Sunday morning is the parish's spiritual center, its cultural center is the Resurrection Players. Founded by Music and Fine Arts Director Tim Hanes, the Players is a children's theater program for young performers from kindergarten through twelfth grade that produces full-scale musicals year-round in Grace Hall at the church. The program is open to children throughout the community, not just members of the parish, and productions require an audition.
Past productions have included Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Alice in Wonderland, Into the Woods Junior, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, among many others. The Players produce multiple shows each season in age-divided casts. Recent and current productions on the calendar have included The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical for grades 8 through 12, The Addams Family Musical Jr. for grades 3 through 7, and Trolls the Musical Jr. for pre-kindergarten through third grade. Each show is staged multiple times over a single weekend.
Rehearsals take place on Sundays on the church campus, with different casts meeting at staggered afternoon hours. The program has reached a milestone: it is celebrating its 20th anniversary, marked by a ticketed evening of dinner, entertainment, awards, and dancing. The anniversary event notes that the Players has grown into a year-round operation that develops confidence, creativity, and teamwork in its young cast members. Interested families can audition by emailing a one-minute song to Tim Hanes.
Music Ministry: Children's Choir, Adult Choir, and Instrumentalists
The music program that fuels the Players also undergirds Sunday worship. Tim Hanes directs the entire music ministry, and the choirs rehearse on Wednesdays so the Sunday morning offering is freshly prepared.
The Children's Choir is open to singers in second through seventh grade and rehearses Wednesdays from 5:00 to 5:45 p.m. Choristers sing in church monthly and at special events, including the annual Festival of Lessons and Carols in December. The Adult Choir, for ages sixteen and up, rehearses Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. and sings at the 10:30 a.m. service each Sunday. No formal training is required; each member is given a rehearsal CD for at-home practice, and the choir's repertoire ranges across classical, gospel, and contemporary praise music.
Instrumentalists are also welcomed into the worship life of the parish, from prelude music before services to orchestral accompaniment for concerts. The Music Ministry also produces the Festival of Lessons and Carols each December, which features the Resurrection Choirs alongside guest choirs and instrumentalists from Lake Brantley High School, as well as a spring Children's Musical and Youth Musical.
Tim Hanes's broader credentials include founding the Orlando Youth Theatre and Orlando Kids on Stage, serving as musical director for Valencia Community College, and having his Resurrection Children's Choir selected to perform at Carnegie Hall in both 2009 and 2013 with the International Children's Choir Festival. His choirs have performed at the White House on multiple occasions, and in 2006 he received the Presidential Scholar in the Arts Teacher Recognition award.
Faith Formation for Children
Children are not sidelined during worship at Resurrection. The Faith Formation program, also called Sunday School, serves children from age three through fifth grade. Rather than meeting separately before or after the service, children begin in the sanctuary with their families at the 10:30 a.m. liturgy and follow along through the readings. After the Children's Sermon and the Collect, the children step out together to the Choir Room for a lesson that includes scripture reading, a snack, and a craft. They return to the sanctuary at the Passing of the Peace and remain with their families for the completion of the Holy Eucharist.
This approach keeps children integrated into the worshipping assembly while still giving them their own age-appropriate teaching time.
A Web of Ministries: Worship, Fellowship, Pastoral Care, and Outreach
The church organizes its ministry life under four headings, and the breadth reflects a parish that takes seriously the call to serve one another and the wider community.
Worship ministries are the backbone of Sunday mornings and include acolytes, audio technicians, the Altar Guild, Eucharistic Ministers, greeters, the Flower Guild, the music program, the Tract Rack, and ushers.
Fellowship ministries focus on belonging: a New Members ministry welcomes newcomers, Daughters of the King provides spiritual fellowship for women, Foyer Groups organize smaller gatherings in members' homes, the Prayer Shawl Ministry knits and prays for those in need, Sunday Refreshments keep coffee hour running, the Youth Group gathers middle and high schoolers, and "Young at Heart" is a fellowship for the parish's older members.
Pastoral Care ministries include a Care Team, a Meal Ministry that brings food to families in difficult seasons, and Journey Through Grief, a support ministry for those who have lost loved ones.
Outreach ministries extend the parish's work beyond its walls. Loaves & Fishes feeds the hungry locally, the Senior Intervention Group supports isolated seniors, the Back to School Supply Drive collects school supplies for children in need, Journey's End Animal Sanctuary is a partner in animal welfare, and Rise Against Hunger is supported through meal-packaging events. The staff also note that the office assistant, Gay Taft, has been involved in Kairos Torch Prison Ministry, mentoring youth who are incarcerated.
The Memorial Garden
On the north side of the church, a Memorial Garden is available to parishioners for the burial of cremains at a modest cost. Cremains are placed directly in the ground in a biodegradable container without an urn, giving families a simple and natural resting place for loved ones on the church's grounds.
Book Club and Other Recurring Gatherings
Outside of formal worship and ministry, the parish hosts a monthly Book Club that meets on the third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. in the Conference Room at the church. It is open to anyone in the parish or community who enjoys reading and conversation.
Clergy, Staff, and Vestry
The parish is led by The Very Rev. Dr. Dave Johnson, Rector. The Very Reverend title reflects his role as Dean within the Diocese of Central Florida, a relationship the parish notes has grown in recent years.
Supporting him is a small staff. Leslie Titorenko serves as Administrator and is a longtime member of the parish; Jill Chester is the Financial Administrator and has served the parish full time since 2006; Tim Hanes is the Director of Music and Fine Arts; Gay Taft is the Office Assistant; and Ron Rhinesmith serves as Maintenance Director.
The Vestry, the elected lay leadership body of the parish, for the 2025-2026 term includes Senior Warden Mark Ahrens, Junior Warden Mark Manfre, Treasurer Randy Perry, Secretary Danette Fuller, and members Hallie Elduff, Steph Locks-Hartle, Hannah Peavey, Kevin Pierson, Laura Podschun, Will Rivard, and Trevor Southworth.
A Second Chance Story
The parish has been transparent about a difficult chapter in its recent history. According to letters from the Rector, in 2021 the church nearly closed due to debt, but a combination of congregational generosity and the Diocese of Central Florida acquiring the balance of the mortgage kept the doors open. Since then, a "Second Chance" campaign led by a dedicated team of parishioners has been steadily retiring the mortgage. The principal balance has fallen from roughly $2.1 million in 2021 toward a goal of finishing below one million dollars. Stewardship at the parish is conducted with confidentiality; pledge amounts are known only to the giver, the financial administrator, and God.
Visiting and Getting Involved
The Episcopal Church of the Resurrection is located at 251 East Lake Brantley Drive in Longwood, Florida. The church office can be reached at 407-788-3704. The 10:30 a.m. Sunday service is livestreamed on the church's YouTube channel for those watching from home. Charitable giving, including one-time donations and annual pledges, can be made online, and prayer requests may be submitted through the church's online form. Those interested in joining the Resurrection Players, auditioning for a show, or supporting the program through sponsorship or in-kind donations can contact the Director of Music and Fine Arts directly.