Money held in trust by the Diocese for nearly forty years is helping to fund the new church at St. Patrick's, Albany. This past Sunday, the Rev. Jay Weldon, Rector of St. Patrick's, announced to the congregation that the sum of a fund invested in 1971 for new mission work in Albany will go to the building fund for the church now under construction.

The Albany Mission Fund

In the 1960s, Angus Alberson dreamed of an Episcopal Church being founded on the growing northwest side of Albany. A longtime member of St. Paul's, Albany, Alberson was also developer working to create the Doublegate development including a country club and homes. He hoped to have a new Episcopal Church for northwest Albany residents and sold the Diocese of Georgia two lots on Old Dawson Road at below market value as a location for that mission. Ten years passed and no church was founded. In 1971, Bishop Albert Rhett Stuart sought permission to sell the land and hold the money in trust for the next mission to be founded in Albany. Alberson and the diocesan Standing Committee agreed and the land sale netted $10,000.

As of 2014, no new church has been founded in Albany. During that time, St. Patrick's moved from its earlier location in a residential part of town to new property on Old Dawson Road. They built what was intended to become their parish hall and have more recently paid off that building and begun construction on the church. Conversations between Weldon and diocesan staff began in 2013 to explore opportunities to aid the church at this time. Bishop Benhase, Canons Willoughby and Logue investigated the founding documents for the trust and discovered that the purpose of the Albany Mission Fund was to fulfill the dream of an Episcopal Church on Old Dawson Road. As the current St. Patrick's is on the same road, close to Alberson's Doublegate community, the new church clearly satisfies the aims of the fund. The Chancellor and Vice Chancellor concurred that the construction meets the trust's objectives.

Going the Second Mile

Last week, the building committee at St. Patrick's met and determined that they have a six-week window in which they can give final approval on the finishing touches for the church now under construction. While the shell of the building, the organ and much of the final work can be funded, an additional $200,000 would be needed to fully pay for everything they hoped to accomplish with the building. The committee announced a Going the Second Mile campaign to close the gap. Then they learned that Alberson's $10,000 fund had grown to $115,023.77 with prudent financial management. 

Weldon told the congregation Sunday of receiving the message of the trust money going to St. Patrick's, "I would be untruthful if I told you I wasn't glad because now Going the Second Mile has gotten easier and I am even more sure now that we will reach our goal." He added that this news wasn't the important message he received saying that having the money from the Albany Fund arrive told him something more, adding, "The message was that God is with us, absolutely and without a doubt, God is with us."

The Board of the Corporation

The Albany Fund is one of funds of the Diocese of Georgia held under the stewardship of the Board of the Corporation, a group of lay persons from across the Diocese elected by convention who manage the diocesan investments together with funds churches invest in that pool. A third of the funds managed are held in custody for congregations of the Diocese. A third are for the support of the mission and ministry of the Diocese. The balance are special purpose, long-term trusts, such as the Byllesby Fund which supports ministry to the poor in Augusta through Christ Church Augusta where Deaconess Byllesby served. Bishop Stuart charged that group with overseeing the $10,000 in 1971 and they stewarded the investments to grow the Albany Mission Fund money to more than $115,000 during that time.

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We want to share your Vacation Bible School or other camps with the Diocese in photo album collecting pictures of our kid-friendly catechesis taking place around the Diocese this summer. Send your congregation's photo to newsandevents@gaepiscopal.org.

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 we will copy a selection of photos to the diocesan album.