21 May 2014  

MARK YOUR CALENDAR now for Saturday, Aug. 9, and join with Episcopalians from Georgia, Alabama and more for the Jonathan Daniels and Other Martyrs for Civil Rights. Read more here.
ABOVE:  Alabama and Atlanta bishops (left) address a gathering in August 2013 in front of the Lowndes County courthouse, which was part of a walking pilgrimage to remember an Episcopal seminarian and other civil rights martyrs. Photo: Bill Monk  Read more about this year's pilgrimage here. 
@ HOLY INNOCENTS' SCHOOL. Bishop Rob Wright shakes the hand of his son Noah during an Honors Chapel end-of-the-year program for fifth graders at Holy Innocents' School. (The handshake dissolved in a big hug.) HIES photo


OUT & ABOUT  

+ There are no parish visits this weekend for the bishops, who will be observing the Memorial Day holiday. The Offices of the Bishop will be closed Monday, May 26.

 

+ Bishop Rob Wright will visit St. Paul's, Macon, on Sunday, June 1. Sunday morning worship is at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. 

 

+ Bishop Wright and Assistant Bishop Keith Whitmore will participate in a meeting of bishops from Province IV at Kanuga Conference Center in Hendersonville, N.C., starting Tuesday, June 3. The synod's clergy and lay representatives continue the annual gathering through Friday, June 6.

 

+ Bishop Wright will preside and preach Friday, June 6, for The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS), which is meeting in Atlanta June 6-7. The conference will be held at Emory University. He will also lead a plenary session, as will Bishop Whitmore.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  


 

 

 

  
RESOURCES

 


Deadline for submitting news items for Connecting is noon Mondays. Send news and photos to

 

Please include location address for all events. 

 

This newsletter is published weekly by the Diocese of Atlanta except for occasions involving Thanksgiving, Christmas and the editor's vacation. It is distributed most Tuesday evenings.

Nan Ross, Editor 
Office of the Bishop 404-601-5348
 
   
Diocesan news

6 new priests scheduled for ordination June 21 

Bishop Rob Wright will ordain six new priests at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 21, at the Cathedral of St. Philip, Atlanta. The ordination liturgy is open to all. The six are:

  • James Joshua Case, who will become curate at Holy Innocents' Church, Atlanta;
  • James Brandon Duke, who will become priest in charge at St. Julian's, Douglasville, beginning July 1;
  • Nicholas Andrew Hull, who will become curate at Trinity Church, Columbus;
  • Gregory Blake Tipton, who will become campus missioner at University of Georgia Center, Athens; 
  • Peter Marsden Wallace, who will serve as part-time assisting priest at St. Paul's, Newnan, as well as continue as executive director of the Day 1 ministry; and
  • Jane Mitchell Weston, who will become priest in charge at St. Simon's, Conyers, beginning July 1.

New guidelines for safe Vacation Bible Schools 

New guidelines for Safe Church practices at Vacation Bible Schools are posted now on the Diocese of Atlanta website. View or download here. 

 

Next issue of e-newsletter is June 4 

The next issue of Connecting will be published June 4 while the editor takes a short break. Deadline for submissions is noon Monday, June 2. 

People
+ Vicky Partin of Columbus will retire in December as director of the Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministry, which she organized 33 years ago as a missioner on behalf of then-Bishop Bennett Sims. Partin announced her plans May 4 to the CVEM board, which will collaborate with Bishop Wright on developing a job description for a successor. An event will be held later this year to celebrate Partin's years of ministry.

 Photo by Nat Gurley, The Times


+ Grace Church, Gainesville's "Godspell" team earned the top prize May 13 competing in an annual spelling bee sponsored by the Gainesville-Hall County Alliance for Literacy and The Gainesville Times.  The effort raised $15,000 for literacy programs. Nancy Richardson (far left) correctly spelled sesquipedalian.
Read more
Memorial Day: Monday, May 26
Resources for Memorial Day

 

By Peter McCall

Executive Director, CareForTheTroops and Episcopalian

 

With Memorial Day coming upon us, CareForTheTroops wants to provide you with some reading and watching material appropriate to the season.  We hope you find it informative, material to reflect upon, and inspire you to continue your support of all members of the military families, veterans, and also the families of civilian contractors who have served overseas. more     

Music
SPOLETO BOUND. The St. Paul's Choir performs at the 2013 Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C., They'll present a preview concert in Atlanta Saturday. Photo: Bill Monk

St. Paul's Choir presents Spoleto preview concert  

The St. Paul's Choir of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Atlanta, will present a preview concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 24, at the church before its trip to perform May 31 at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C.  Last year, the choir became the first African-American church choir to perform at the prestigious festival, and it has been invited to return this year. Trey Clegg, organist and choirmaster, will conduct.  more 

Special Worship

Conyers parish to mark 50 years on Pentecost 

St. Simon's, Conyers, will celebrate its 50th anniversary on the Day of Pentecost, Sunday, June 8, with a visit from Bishop Rob Wright. The bishop will preside and preach at 10 a.m., bless the refurbished prayer garden and the planting of trees, and attend a reception. All are welcome, especially former St. Simon's members.

 

Cumming parish to introduce Vigil of Pentecost
A Vigil of Pentecost is planned Saturday evening June 7 at Church of the Holy Spirit, Cumming. Using liturgy from The Book of Common Prayer (page 227), its form will be similar to an Easter Vigil.
     Pentecost is the day the church commemorates the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of Christ's church.
     Rector Keith Oglesby said worship will begin at 7 p.m. and will be followed by an on-site prayer vigil through the night. "We will be praying about three main issues," he said: "First, healing for people who are sick. Then planning, giving and work needed for the parish's building and mission expansion. And ongoing renewal throughout the Diocese of Atlanta.
   "All are welcome to join the vigil at Church of the Holy Spirit," Oglesby said. "Or, parishes may want to plan their own vigil."
Spotlight


Share on social media:
What does living gratefully mean to you?

What does living gratefully mean to you? That's the theme for Pathways, the diocesan journal, to be published in June.  We're  looking for content from you that can extend the conversation on social media - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, even Pinterest. Keep it short (140 characters per tweet, of course) and help us promote gratitude as a way of life that Episcopalians share. Post what you're grateful for on any of the Diocese of Atlanta social media ministries. We're on facebook (episcopalatlanta), twitter (@episcopalatl), instagram (episcopalatl) and pinterest (episcopal-diocese-of-atlanta). Don't forget to include #episcopalatl and #grateful in your posts.

Opportunities

Spanish as a Second Language for clergy, lay ministers 

A class for Spanish as a Second Language will be offered daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. during week of July 28-31 and each Saturday in August from 9 a.m. to noon at Christ Church Episcopal in Norcross. The course is geared toward clergy and laypeople who work and minister with Hispanic-speaking congregations.

     The course will be taught by Rosario Madison, a trained teacher of the language, with mentor support from Spanish-speaking clergy. Students will have the opportunity to learn and practice speaking Spanish both in the classroom and in visits to either the Mexican Consulate or the Latino-American Association. The cost per student is $500, and space is limited to 10 students. Please respond to Beth Holland (770/447-1166 x 222 or office@ccnorcross.org) no later than Tuesday, June 3.
This is a fantastic opportunity to be inspired, informed and involved in "Walking the Way" of Christian stewardship. Both Bishop Wright and Bishop Whitmore are among the speakers, as is renowned author Sister Joan Chittister, Order of St. Benedict.  Early-bird registration continues this week. Get details and register  here.

Trainings

Safe Church guidelines for Vacation Bible School
Special guidelines regarding safe church practices for Vacation Bible Schools have been posted on the Diocese of Atlanta website. To view or download, please click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

   

 

Questions may be directed to  

the Rev. Deborah Silver, director of safe church practices, dsilver@episcopalatlanta.org, or leave a message at 404-601-5358.

  

Job postings
+ CHURCH ADMINISTRATOR (part-time) for St. Simon's, Conyers

+ PARISH ADMINISTRATOR for St. Gabriel's, Oakwood

+ DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN'S MINISTRY for St. Peter & St. Paul, Marietta

 

Read about an Episcopal summit on human trafficking  here > 

  

Read the ENS Blog

 

Reports from Episcopal News Service