The Rev. Jay Weldon and a mission team from St. Patrick's Albany are in the Dominican Republic from Monday, March 31, to Friday, April 4. They are continuing work they began four years ago with La Reconciliación in Azua (shown above on the map). Through the years, St. Patrick's years has partnered with St. Pauls and St. John/ St. Mark (both Albany), St. Anne's Tifton, and St. Michaels Savannah in this work, and they are always looking for more churches to join with them.  

Join the Mission Team Forming for June

Spaces are available on the mission trip to Camp Transfiguración in El Pedregal, Dominican Republic, June 7-14, for knitters/crocheters, light construction workers and others with servant hearts. The April 15 deadline is fast approaching. The trip is sponsored by Christ Church, Valdosta, and currently has 13 missioners signed up from five dioceses. We will work in the Camp on several small projects, just outside the Camp boundary in the village to building a "Habitat-type" block home, and in partnership with a team from Nebraska to install new playground equipment at the school.  

If you cannot go this year, you can be part of the "home" team, supporting another traveler or donating toward the $350/year scholarships for the children attending the Episcopal Day School. Whether you are able to go or not, please do consider this valuable gift to the children of El Pedregal.

Information is available on the Christ Episcopal Church, Valdosta, mission trip planning page at: 2014 Mission Trip Planning Page

The team leader is Fred Richter of Trinity, Statesboro (pictured at right in tan hat). You may contact Fred at fredrichter17@gmail.com or (912) 531-4021.

Christ Church Savannah hosted a successful Lenten event for the convocation drawing fifty Episcopalians from as far away as Brunswick and Augusta. In previous years, the convocation put on a Lenten School of Religion each week in the season of preparation for Easter. This year they wanted to try a different approach and opted for this one-day session on how churches can more effectively connect to the children in the pews. 

"The way we welcome children in church directly affects the way they respond to church and Christ," said Event organizer, the Rev. Sierra Wilkinson. She added, "And at the same time, children's enthusiastic expressions of faith can help transform the church and everyone in it." 

The Rev. Jeff Jackson gave the main address on engaging children in the worship life of a congregation. Four workshops were offered to expand on the topic. These were led by Misty Graham of St. Thomas Isle of Hope, and the Revs. Helen White, Frank Logue and Jeff Jackson. Wilkinson said, "Christ Church Savannah was honored to open its doors to the convocation for this significant discussion of how to best minister to our youngest congregants."

As part of this core event and prior to attending, workshop participants complete a comprehensive self-assessment of their emotional intelligence. Participants will receive a detailed, confidential report of their own Emotional Intelligence strengths and development needs. The content of the workshop revolves around the areas of emotional intelligence defined in the EQ reports, and will enable participants to learn about themselves and to immediately practice emerging skills.

• Improve awareness of the concepts of emotional intelligence and the impact of emotional intelligence on the participant and all with whom he or she interacts
• Enhance ability to identify, articulate, and reflect on various aspects of working and living in a faith community
• Strengthen understanding of how one is impacted by others in a group and one's own impact on the group
• Increase skills in pastoral leadership for lay and clergy
• Heighten awareness of the importance of constructive behavioral information about self and others as leaders
• Enhance awareness of the presence of God's Spirit in group life and ability to identify and reflect on that presence

This past weekend, sixty teens and adults gathered at Honey Creek for the diocese's 44th New Beginnings Retreat. The lead teen for the weekend was Jenny Way of St. Luke's Hawkinsville. Her rector, the Rev. Gary Abbott, served as a spiritual director together with Deacon Ri Lamb of St. John and St. Mark, Albany. Teens gave the main talks for the weekend on topics including families, siblings, prayer, and the church. With fifteen adults on hand for the weekend, a separate family group for "the Geritol crowd" was added. All the participants, adult and teen alike, were spiritually fed by the talks and the worship. This fall, we will mark 25 years of New Beginnings retreats in the Diocese of Georgia.