Diocesan Office Update

The Rev. Cheryl Parris completes her tenure as the Rector of St. Matthew's Savannah this Friday, November 30. There will be a service of Evening Prayer at 6 p.m. with Parris officiating and Canon Frank Logue preaching. A reception follows.

The Rev. Tony Powell celebrated his final Sunday with the yoked congregations of St. Richard of Chichester, Jekyll Island and  Holy Nativity, Saint Simons Island, this past Sunday. He has accepted a call to Rector of Trinity Church of Melrose, Florida.

The University of the South, at Sewanee, Tennessee, and often referred to simply as "Sewanee," is owned by the Episcopal Dioceses of the southeast United States, including the Diocese of Georgia.  As a partial owner, the Diocese of Georgia sends four members to the Sewanee Board of Trustees.  The Bishop is one member, and the other three, one presbyter and two lay, are elected on a staggered basis for three year terms by the Diocesan Convention at its annual meeting.  One lay position will be filled by election at the forthcoming Diocesan Convention in Tifton on February 7-9, 2013.  The deadline for advance nominations for this position is December 9, 2012, which will allow for distribution of bios and pictures; however, nominations also may be made from the floor.
   
The Board of Trustees sets the policy of the University, and elects its principal officers; there also is a much smaller Board of Regents which makes day-to-day decisions as a sort of executive committee of the Board of Trustees.  The duties and expectations of a Sewanee Trustee include the following:

• To become familiar with Sewanee's governance, including its Constitution, Ordinances, and other organizational documents.
• For new Trustees, to attend a Trustee Orientation session, which generally precedes the Annual Meeting.
• To attend the meetings of the Board of Trustees, usually at Sewanee.  There is an Annual Meeting in October of each year (two or more days), and when required there are special meetings.
• To participate in at least one of the standing committees of the Board.
• To make a monetary donation to the Sewanee Annual Fund each calendar year.
• To participate in and represent the University at the Diocesan Convention and, where appropriate, in other venues.
• To be a Sewanee booster, including participation in "Trustee-in-the-diocese" programs, hosting or sponsoring Sewanee events in the local community or parish, helping to identify potential students for the University, helping to identify potential donors and friends for the University, becoming active in news promotion of the University in the local community, becoming well informed about the University and its mission, and the like.   

 Neither the Diocese nor Sewanee provides expense reimbursement to Trustees for attendance or participation in Sewanee events.  With regard to financial contributions to the Sewanee Annual Fund each year, Sewanee expects 100% participation by its Trustees, and even has adopted this Board resolution: "Be it further resolved that those who do not financially support the University on an annual basis reconsider their commitment to the University."

     
More Sewanee information is available at http://about.sewanee.edu/  Trustees are invited to various University events and convocations, which are both fun and instructive.  The Trustees are a key part of the governance of a great University, which includes an acclaimed School of Theology that claims a large percentage of the clergy in the Diocese of Georgia.
  
Respectfully submitted, Bill Bruce, lay Trustee, term expiring 2014

Anticipation

 
Terri Bridges captured this moment of anticipation just before
the liturgy started at St. Margaret of Scotland in Moultrie.