From the Field
News & Events of the Church in Georgia
July 2, 2013Volume 3, Number 45
In This Issue
Diocesan Office Update
Diocesan Community Update
St. Paul's, Albany
EfM Mentors
Youth Mission Trip
CREDO
Good Shpherd, Augusta
Music Director
Happening #91
Young Adult Council
Hometown Missions
Camp Scholarships!
VBS
Web Links
 
 
 

July 7th
Readings
Proper 9C
Track 1 Old Testament
2 Kings 5:1-14
Psalm 30  
or
Track 1 Old Testament
Isaiah 66:10-14
Psalm 66:1-8
  
and
Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 

Deacon Purks Honored in Albany
The Rev. Deacon Jim Purks was honored at a reception at St. Paul's, Albany, this past Saturday following his last liturgy prior to retiring as a Deacon.  At the reception, Deacon Purks was presented a gift and named the Honorary Chairman of the 2014 Barney's Run for K9s for Warriors (as noted in the framed certificate he is pictured holding above).    

 

Deacon Purks served as a reporter for two newspapers and the Associated Press for whom he covered the Civil Rights Movement out of the Birmingham Alabama Office (he is pictured above taking notes while interviewing the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.). His coverage of the Movement included reporting in September 1963 when four young girls were killed at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church by members of the Klu Klux Klan. He went on to work as a Press Secretary in state government and as an Assistant Press Secretary for the White House and as a speech writer for a number of Fortune 500 Companies. He was serving in marketing at Habitat for Humanity in Americus at the time of his call to the diaconate. While working in Americus, he collaborated on two books with Habitat founder Millard Fuller.
 
Purks is a member of the Order of Saint Luke, an Anglican healing order, and has long been active in working with HIV/AIDS patients and survivors support groups as well as a Hospice chaplain. He also served for many years as a mentor in Education for Ministry (EfM) and served as a volunteer chaplain Sumter Regional Hospital when in Americus and later for Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany. He is volunteer at St. Clare's Kitchen on the days when local Episcopal congregations serve at that community feeding ministry serving the poor.

In all these ways and too many others to enumerate, Purks has been an icon of service, calling other baptized Christians to their own baptismal ministry and keeping the needs of the community before the members of the Body of Christ. The reception is pictured below.

 

Diocesan Office Update  

Bishop Benhase is in Ohio visiting his parents. There is no visitation this week.
 
Diocesan House is closed on Thursday for July 4th. 

Diocesan Community Update  


The Rev. Kedron Nicholson gave birth to two boys on July 1.  The newborns Mills and Walt are both healthy and happy as is their Mom. The proud dad, James Nicholson, shared the photo at right of the twins.

Please hold Kedron, James, Mills and Walt in your prayers as they grow together as a family in the days ahead. 

 

St. Paul's, Albany

A Celebration of Mutual Ministry   

Bishop Benhase presided at the Celebration of New Ministry at St. Paul's, Albany, which in which the people of the congregation affirmed a mutual ministry covenant with the Rev. H. Lee Lowery as their 19th Rector. The congregation also celebrated the new ministry of the Rev. Deacon Mollie Roberts as Curate and marked the retirement of Deacon Jim Purks (article above).  The photo below shows some of the clergy gathered with the event with Roberts just to Bishop Benhase left and Lowery to his right.
   

 

Education for Ministry Mentors Trained

Pictured above are Education for Ministry Mentors and Trainers at the EfM Mentor Training session held June 20, 21 and 22nd at Honey Creek. This session was sponsored by the Diocese of Georgia and had participants from the Dioceses of Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

 

Education for Ministry is a four year program from the University of the South at Sewanee which  include studies in the Old Testament, New Testament, Church History and personal Ministry. It's fundamental purpose is to discover the continued gifts God gives to us and how we can identify and experience our own personal ministries.

 

For any parish who does not offer this program and wishes to, please contact our Diocesan EfM Coordinator, Al Jackson at [email protected] for more information.

The Youth Programs Mission Team for 2013 is back home in Georgia after a fulfilling week of work in our Companion Diocese of the Dominic an Republic. 

 

Diocesan Youth Programs  

Youth Mission Trip Back Home from the DR 

Our team from Youth Programs of the Diocese of Georgia is now made it back safely after presenting a VBS for 100 children at Iglesia Episcopal Santa Maria Illena de Gracia in Mao. The group just made it home last evening and a more complete report will be shared in next week's issue of From the Field.

At left, the Rev. Joshua Varner is pictured walking along the street with a VBS participant. Varner was playing the strumstick and the two were singing "Walk with me, for the journey is long."


 

Wellness for Part-time and Bi-Vocational Clergy  
CREDO is the clergy wellness program of the Church Pension Fund which has helped hundreds of priests across the church. The Pension Fund is now reaching out to part-time and bi-vocational clergy with a retreat patterned on the foundational eight-day CREDO Conference, with particular attention to the specific issues that part-time and bi-vocational clergy encounter in their ministries.  During this eight-day conference, priests will explore the four component areas - financial, physical and emotional health, spiritual, and vocational - to understand more fully how wellness in these areas leads to a well-blended life and ministry.  Through plenary presentations, small group interaction, faculty-led workshops, one-on-one consultations, large group gatherings, and small intimate conversations, clergy will find an environment that supports and encourages learning, listening, sharing reflection, worship, silence, laughter, and socializing. For information see http://episcopalcredo.org/conferences/conference-types/bi-vocationalpart-time-conference/ 

If interested, contact Canon Logue in the diocesan office. 

Good Shepherd, Augusta  
Taking Care of Kids in Need in Summer  
The kids of Good Shepherd, Augusta, made and packed 401 lunches for Central Savannah River Area children who normally depend on school lunches for a daily meal. They report that with music by the Rolling Stones and a great group of volunteers, many hands made light work!

Trinity, Statesboro 

Part-Time Music Director Sought

Trinity Episcopal Church is seeking a part-time music director to begin fall 2013.  Trinity is a rural parish of approximately 260 active members located in Statesboro, GA.   

 

Duties will include: 1.) Recruit, rehearse, and conduct the parish choir in Sunday services as well as in special services as needed.  2.) Grow and maintain a music library. 3.)  Coordinate all musical activities pertaining to the worship service including choice of hymns and service music, Handbell Choir, and soloists and other special music. 4.)  Hold occasional sessions directed toward improving congregational singing. 5.)  Other relevant duties as assigned by the parish priest.   

 

Qualifications are:  1.) A post-secondary degree in music.  2.)  Experience as a church choir director, preferably in a liturgically-oriented church.  Salary is competitive and negotiable.  

Diocesan Youth Programs

Happening #91

Happening will be held at Honey Creek August 2 - 4 and is open to those in grades 10 - 12.

 

During a Happening weekend, participants worship, play, sing, and talk about God's place in their lives. They make new friends who share similar concerns and questions - a reassuring discovery. A teenager who acts as "rector" leads the weekend with the help of a staff consisting mostly of young people. Some staff members give challenging talks, after which there's time for discussion and activity. Together, the staff and participants share in an exploration of the impact of Christian faith in their daily lives. Happeners who attend a weekend for their first time are called "Candidates." To be a Candidate, one must:

Happening costs $113 to attend, and financial assistance is available. For more information, please visit the Georgia Happening website. 

 

 Click here to register online for Happening #91

Diocesan Young Adult Programs

Diocese Forming Young Adult Council

The Diocese is seeking to form a Diocesan Young Adult Council composed of young adults (18 to 30-something) to provide leadership in young adult ministry across the diocese. Young adults, although they're grouped together, are often at very different stages in their lives. They're married, partnered, single, with children, divorced, widowed. They leave high school and enter the work force, the military, or college. 

 

The Young Adult Council will seek to build community and provide ways for young adults to grow and serve together. Young adult ministry encompasses campus ministry, parish based young adult ministry, Vocare, and Columba House. Each member of the Young Adult Council will be designated an area of focus. Young Adult Council will meet quarterly in person or via the web.

 

Diocesan Young Adult Council will work on several areas related to young adult ministry in the diocese. This would include:

  • Strengthen the bonds between the various campus ministries
  • Support the transition from youth to young adult ministry
  • Recruit for Vocare in Georgia ministry
  • Plan, implement, and lead a yearly young adult retreat
  • Grow parish based young adult ministry
  • Facilitate community amongst young adults in the diocese

 

You can find out more information about diocesan young adult programs at the new diocesan young adult website at youngadult.georgiaepiscopal.org.

 

If you are interested in serving on Young Adult Council or know someone who might be, please contact Program Manager Rudy Reyes at [email protected] or 912-236-4279. 

Diocesan Youth Programs

Hometown Missions Work Day

Hometown Missions 2013 work day is Saturday July 20 at Columba House, and is open to 6th through 12th graders. There is no cost associated with this Hometown Missions work day. Food will be provided. 

 

Hometown Missions is helping prepare Columba House for the young adult Interns, who will be living as a intentional community and begin their year of service this August.

 

Hometown Missions is a event that allows participants to engage in small-scale, mission-focused projects in and around a selected church in the diocese. Participants are divided into work groups according to ability/age. 

 

For more information on Hometown Missions 2013, please email Liz Williams at [email protected].

 

Click here to register online for this event.


A group photo from last week's Camp Joseph & Mary I.

 

Summer Camp Takes a Week Off

The Summer Camp takes this Fourth of July week off. The remaining camp sessions still have some limited spaces available:

 July 7 - 13, 2013 / Camp St. Peter I (completed grades 6-8)

  

July 14 - 20, 2013 / Camp St. Joseph & Mary II (completed grades 3-5)
  
July 21 - 27, 2013 / Camp St. Peter II (completed grades 6-8)  

 
Scholarship Assistance Available

Thanks to generous donations from our diocesan community, including Episcopal Youth and children Services (EYCS), we have a healthy pool of scholarship assistance available. If you have or know kids who would enjoy the summer camp experience, but who might not be able to afford to go, please encourage them to apply. Generally, the Diocese expects even when a scholarship is granted that a third of the fee will come from the family, a third from the church and a third from the Diocese. But because of the generosity of others we can, in some cases award first come, first serve scholarships even in cases where the need is greater. 

 

Full information is online here: Honey Creek Summer Camp  With any additional questions, contact Summer Camp Director, Elizabeth Burns by email at  [email protected]    

 

   

 

 
Participants in the joint St. Mark's Brunswick-King of Peace Kingsland VBS held earlier this summer at Honey Creek and on Jekyll Island.

     

Vacation Bible Schools Across the Diocese 

As we head into the Fourth of July, it's a down time for Vacation Bible Schools, but if your congregation has been through a VBS and we haven't share the photos, please send them on. It's not too late to share. We have a diocesan photo album collecting pictures of our kid-friendly catechesis taking place around the Diocese this summer. Send photos from your congregation's VBS to [email protected] 

  
The photos will be added to a VBS album and used at the diocesan website. You can visit this summer's VBS album online. Some of the photos will be shared here in From the Field. If you create a Facebook or other online album, you may also just send a link to that album to the address above and our online photo gallery curator, Julius Arial, will copy the photos to the diocesan album.
 
Offerings 
 
Collecting the offerings this past Sunday at St. Margaret of Scotland, Moultrie. 
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Sincerely,                                      
            

Diocesan Staff                                
The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia