The Solid Rock Church consists of committed believers who affirm the worship and doctrine of Anglicanism as it was constituted nearly five hundred years ago. We are, simultaneously, a friendly, welcoming congregation whose prime objective is to show Christ’s love to one another, the local community, and the world beyond. Our direct connection to the 100 million members of the Worldwide Anglican Communion, located in 165 countries, is through our affiliation with the Bishop Patrons of the Anglican Union for the Propagation of the Gospel (AUPG).  

We sincerely hope that your personal ministry’s vision and objectives align with ours, and that you can envision yourself as the future spiritual leader of TSRC.  

Our worship is unmistakably liturgical and faithful to the historic Anglican traditions of Christ’s
One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.      

Holy Scripture, as it has been received from the Prophets and the Apostles, is preeminent as the foundation of our worship. We receive the liturgy as it is set out in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer (1662, 1928, 1979).  At the Solid Rock Church, the institution of Holy Communion is the principal act of worship for the church.      

The music that is utilized during our services is a combination of classic traditional hymns and contemporary Christian praise and worship songs.   

The Solid Rock Church’s worship style follows the broad church traditions of Anglicanism while striving to remain alive and relevant to our current time. We are always in discernment with the Holy Spirit in this crucial component of parish life.   

This parish oratory has 55 persons committed to being part of this worshipping community.  This oratory includes all ages, but as this is a church in Florida, we reflect an older demographic.     

We are a welcoming and caring people, for our own as well as others outside of our immediate parish family. We enjoy worshipping together.  

• Our fellowship events are a high value for our community.  

• We have two active Bible Study groups.   

• Pre-service adult Christian education occurs nearly every week. 

• We also have children’s Christian education each week during the first half of the worship service.  

Our core parish oratory values align with the charisms of the Anglican Union for the Propagation of the Gospel with whom we are a member parish oratory:  

• Prayer - Inviting God to guide, heal, inspire, restore, revive, and transform us is essential to our common life.  

• Worship - Praising and glorifying God through His Word and Sacraments is fundamental.  

• Christian Unity (Ecumenism) – We are dedicated to building bridges of understanding and engaging in shared ministry with like-minded Christians.  

• Works of Mercy - We are passionate about helping the poor, the needy, the disenfranchised, and the neglected amongst us.  

• Formation - We are committed to identifying, training, and supporting laypersons who feel the Spirit’s call to enhance their own personal discipleship or pursuing it through ordained ministry.

The Solid Rock Church is located in Winter Haven Florida, which itself is one of 17 municipalities comprising Polk County. According to data from the U.S. Census, the Lakeland/Winter Haven metropolitan area of Polk County is one of the fastest growing regions in the country for the past three years consecutively.   

 Winter Haven is approximately equidistant from Tampa to its west and Orlando to its east. The population of the city is currently 62,000. This represents a 21% increase since the last census taken in 2020. Just like people, many new businesses of all types are opening or expanding their operations in the metro area and surrounding communities of Polk County. Winter Haven is also home to Legoland Theme Park. The city is also known as the “Chain of Lakes” city because it has 50 lakes within or bordering it.  

The racial composition of the city equates to approximately 50% white, 26% African American, and 24% Hispanic. The age range of the population is 27% <18 years, 52% 19-64 years, and 21% 65 years and older.  

Works of mercy (Outreach) is an area that TSRC’s members are especially passionate about.  

Twice a month our Blessing Others ministry team prepares and serves seventy (70) home cooked meals for the homeless and needy population of Winter Haven.  

This ministry is completely self-supporting through earmarked parishioner donations of funds, food, and beverages.  

Another totally self-supporting initiative is our annual Operation Christmas Child project. For the past several years our parish has been able to fill well over 100 shoe boxes and also cover the shipping costs associated with them.    

Over the years we have also financially supported many worthy nonprofit Christian organizations such as the Life Choice Pregnancy Center in Winter Haven and the Good Samaritan Orphanage in Tanzania Africa. We also continue to support the outreach efforts of the Anglican Union and its Bishop Patrons through our monthly oratory tithe to AUPG.  

In addition, our knitting ministry has produced dozens of beautiful baby blankets, full length adult blankets, and prayer shawls. These items have been received with great joy by needy mothers, the homeless, our area veteran population at Tampa’s V.A. Hospital and TSRC’s members.  

Our annual actual operational expenses for 2024 were $124,000 and would have been nearly identical for 2025 had the rector not retired at midyear.  Operational revenue is budgeted at $124,000 for 2025, so our budget would be balanced for 2025.  As of June 30, 2025, parish operations are running a surplus.  Revenue for specialized ministries will approximate $10,000 in 2025.    

We received 21 pledges for 2025 totaling $92,000 or $4,380 per annum per household. In addition, we have 10 households who can be considered contributors, but do not pledge. With an operations budget in the mid $120,000’s, a new rector could expect a standard clergy compensation and benefits package approximating $60,000 to $65,000.  We anticipate a 5% revenue increase from 2025 level.  

In order for the Solid Rock Church to promote and preserve Orthodox Anglicanism in Eastern Polk County, we must grow.  Our current base of dedicated Christians is solid.  However, our age demographic is such that it is imperative that we begin to attract younger individuals and families to bolster our ranks.  This will be among the highest priorities for our new rector.    

Given this focus, we recognize that a number of responsibilities and functions that have historically come under the purview of our rector must now be absorbed by members of the congregation.  One such example of this is the recent establishment of a Lay Pastoral Care Team that will be assisting with visitations and distribution of Holy Communion when warranted.   

 We are also committed to establishing an oratory chapter of Anglicans for Life and the Mothers’ Union.  And we are actively pursuing adding a deacon to our clerical worship team.  Indeed, we have a possible candidate from our midst for entrance into the discernment process.   

According to feedback obtained from our Parish Clergy Profile surveys, the following are qualities that we deem to be important for our next rector:   

1. He leads a godly, spiritual, and prayerful lifestyle.   

2. He has prior success with church growth.   

3. He loves people and demonstrates compassion and empathy for them.   

4. He is a decisive (yet flexible) leader and communicator.    

5. He is an articulate preacher and informed teacher of God’s Holy Word.  

6. He is an active participant in AUPG’s local leadership as well as at the international level.