Pledge Time for Diocese and Churches 

As churches are working on their budgets and collecting pledges, so is the Diocese of Georgia. The deadline for appealing the 2012 asking has passed, but pledges are still coming in for the Diocese. So how does all this work? How is it that churches and the diocese can begin planning for the budget, without having all the pledges in hand?

First, it is the mission of the church that drives the budget at local and diocesan level. Leadership needs to share its planned mission for the coming year together with the budget requirements to realize that mission. Placing the mission first gives a vision for what will be done with the funds. Planning is possible as both at the diocesan and parish levels, there is a track record of past and current giving to serve as a basis to project giving. Generally speaking budgets rise gently over time and so planning for giving levels that are constant works well when there is neither unusual growth or decline. Then as the pledges are all in, it is possible to make the typically minor adjustments needed.

All budgets are experience based as they come from giving and spending trends. All church budgets are also faith based as even with pledges in hand, things can change for better and worse during the year. Putting the vision first and getting a budget process underway with what is known helps organize thinking and supplies details to a larger vision.

Appeals to Diocesan Council for 2012 asking were due September 15. All pledges should be in now, but many are remain outstanding. Vestries should be passing resolutions now and getting their commitments to the Diocese for 2012.

 Bishop Benhase speaking to the clergy at the conference going on now at Honey Creek. 

Diocesan Office Update

Honey Creek Update

The clergy of the Diocese are currently at Honey Creek for the Fall Clergy Conference with the Episcopal Preaching Foundation (pictured above are clergy gathering for dinner on Monday). Tonight, they will celebrate together the Easter Vigil, with lighting new fire, a renewal of baptismal vows and the full vigil liturgy. 

Coming soon to Honey Creek   

10/28-29: Grounded in God Spirituality Retreat 

11/11-12: Clergy Spouses Conference

The Rev. Jason Haddox tells his fellow clergy about the worst sermon he ever gave (and what he learned from it) as part of a discussion at the clergy conference going on now at Honey Creek. Below, The Rev. Liam Collins and others listen to the discussion.

Clergy Updates

The Rev. Mark Jones has announced that he is resigning as rector of St. Paul's, Albany, effective January 28, 2012 in order to live closer to his children.

The Rev. Nancy Mills has announced she will retire early in 2012 as the Vicar of Good Shepherd, Thomasville, as she and Luther move to the Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community in Asheville, North Carolina.

The Rev. Anne Schnaare has accepted a call to serve as the Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Marshall, Michigan.

Help Us Keep Our Directory Current

The diocesan website has a "Parishes" page which lists contact information for every congregation in the Diocese. These contacts change frequently and we do not always know of the changes here at Diocesan House. Check your listing at the webpage here: http://georgia.anglican.org/?page_id=80 

Send any corrections to Rudy Reyes at rreyes@gaepiscopal.org

Integrity Georgia 10th Anniversary 
The Church of Saint Paul the Apostle, Savannah, will host a Eucharist marking the 10th anniversary of Integrity Georgia on Saturday, October 8 at 11:30 a.m. The liturgy will be followed immediately by lunch in Bishop Brady Hall.  Bishop Benhase will be the Celebrant and Preacher. The choir of St. Paul's will also be supported by Randy Moss and opera singer Trina Renay (pictured here), who is known for her Gospel singing as well as classical work.    

Integrity is a nonprofit organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender [LGBT] Episcopalians and our straight friends.  Since its founding in Ft.Valley, Georgia in 1974, Integrity has been the leading grassroots voice for the full inclusion of LGBT persons in the Episcopal Church and our equal access to its rites.  However, advocacy is only one facet of Integrity's ministry.  At the national and local levels throughout the country, Integrity's primary activities are: worship, fellowship, education, , outreach, and, service to the church. Please check the website for more information integrityga.org.

The Loose Canon

Welcoming Visitors to Worship 

The ministry of greeting those arriving to church for worship requires sensitivity. Some visitors will enjoy a greeter showing them around, asking questions, and offering lots of information. Other visitors want to get in and out of church with as little contact with others as possible. This is true as visitors bring their own expectations, and often some emotional baggage to church with them. Greeters need to be trained not to offer the same welcome to all, but to pick up on the clues offered by the visitor as to how best to welcome them.

The visitor who arrives early and begins by looking around is asking to be engaged in conversation. Early arriving persons not known to the official greeters, or other regular attenders, should be greeted with something like "Hi, My name is Frank. I don't believe we've met." This won't offend the long-time member who usually attends the early service, but popped in for the 11 o'clock this week. It is also the perfect opening for the newcomer with questions.

The visitor who makes a beeline for the nave without hardly making eye contact if at all, should not be stopped and made to talk.  Remember always that someone may not quite be sure they want to be in church yet, and so may not be ready for a conversation on their first visit. Folks in this category, will often, though not always, arrive close to time or just after the liturgy has started.

After the Eucharist, the greeters should be on the lookout for visitors. Perhaps the person who zipped into the service is now going slow and looking around on the way out. This is the time to welcome him or her, to offer to go with them to the coffee and refreshments and connect them to others.

For those who are not greeters, remember the five-minute rule. For church members with a gift for hospitality, the first five minutes after the liturgy are your time to introduce yourself to those you don't know. Take the time to get to know the person and to connect them to others in the church, including the clergy. After that you can talk with friends who will still be there, while the visitor may slip out if not greeted. Then on later weeks, look for the visitor to return so you can greet them again.

The goal is to balance a genuine welcome  with not wanting to overpower visitors. We do not do this in order to grow a church. We do this because hospitality is part of who we are to BE as Christians. This is the God's House on the Lord's Day and all who come should be welcomed as if we are welcoming Christ. 

The Loose Canon is a regular column in From the Field whose content is gathered together with other items of interest to those concerned with congregational development at loosecanon.georgiaepiscopal.org

Feasting on Gratitude  

Episcopal Church Stewardship Series  

Achieving Progress and Impact

NetsforLife Fights Malaria in 17 Countries
With over 247 million cases of malaria occurring annually, NetsforLife continues to be an innovative global player in the fight against this deadly disease. Through community engagement, education, and monitoring and evaluation, NetsforLife works in 17 malaria-endemic African countries and collaborates with international agencies, national programs and local malaria stakeholders to combat malaria by instilling a 'net culture': a community-wide understanding of the protective value of nets and the right way to use and care for them.

Churches are often the only functioning institutions in communities located "at the end of the road," and utilizing this long-standing, trusted delivery system to empower and unite people to bring about lasting results is essential to success. This strategy has led to widespread change in attitudes and behavior around malaria nets, and also helped NetsforLife gain a reputation for effective community outreach.  These outcomes have made the program a valued partner that is routinely solicited to participate in formal country-wide strategic planning, and often tasked with technical leadership of these key components to ensure better overall results. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has one of the highest rates of malaria cases and deaths in Africa, the initial baseline survey showed net use by children under five - the most vulnerable group - to be 9.2%. Currently, monitoring and evaluation analysis points to an impressive net use rate of 82.5%, which exceeds the World Health Organization target. 

The goal for the current phase (2008-2013) of the NetsforLife program partnership is to distribute 7 million nets in sub-Saharan Africa. So far, the program has distributed over 4.8 million nets, trained nearly 43,000 malaria control agents, and directly reached almost 9 million community members. From net use to symptom recognition and treatment-seeking behavior, all NetsforLife metrics show significant progress in malaria prevention in program areas. Nevertheless, challenges in malaria control continue as the world races to achieve universal coverage (defined as one net for every two people) and the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of reducing malaria-related deaths by 75%.

In 2009, the Episcopal Church renewed its support of the MDGs by pledging 0.7% of its annual budget to the new NetsforLife Inspiration Fund inspiring Episcopalians to help fight the spread of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa by increasing awareness and raising $5 million for the campaign. The NetsforLife Inspiration Fund is now the official channel for the Church's support of the MDGs in the 2010-12 triennium

 

Please visit www.netsforlifeafrica.org for more information about NetsforLife, Episcopal Relief & Development's program partnership. Donations can also be made over the phone by calling, toll free, 1.855.312.HEAL. Gifts can be mailed to Episcopal Relief & Development, PO Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058. Please put "NetsforLife/Malaria" in the memo line of all checks.

2011-2012 Concert Series at St. Peter's

Svetlana and Milana Strezeva to Perform at St. Paul's, Augusta

Tuesdays Music Live, Inc. presents "the Great Russian Nightingale," Svetlana Strezeva, whose concert last season had to be cancelled due to a snow storm in Augusta that diverted her flight to NYC. Ms. Strezeva, one of Russia's greatest singers, will appear with her daughter, pianist Milana Strezeva as "Duo Lana."

The free concert is at 12:00 Noon on Tue 11 Oct at St. Paul's Church, 6th & Reynolds at the Riverwalk in downtown Augusta. Lunch following the concert is $10 per person and is catered by Crum's on Central. Lunch reservations can be made online at www.TuesdaysMusicLive or by calling the Box Office, 706-722-3463.

For further information visit www.strezeva.com

Education for Ministry Program

Opening for EFM Mentor at Pulaski State Prision

Central Convocation

Lay Eucharistic Ministers Training

St. Matthew's, Savannah

Celebrating 156 Years

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