Diocesan Council (1 Layperson, deacon or priest)
One at-large member of diocesan council to serve a three-year.  This person may be a layperson, deacon or priest. Additional representatives will be elected at convocation councils in the six convocations of the Diocese. Council serves much like a vestry in a parish and is charged with acting as the convention in recess. Council carries out the programs and directives of the Convention; deals with contingencies as they arise; approves programs of commissions & committees and conducts an ongoing evaluation of these programs. The group meets three times each year around the Diocese.

Disciplinary Board (2 Laypersons and 1 Priest)
Two lay persons and one priest will be elected to the Church Disciplinary Board to serve a three-year term. This group of five deacons or priests and four lay persons handles clergy discipline matters in keeping with the Canons of the Church.

Sewanee Trustee (1 Priest)
One priest will be elected to serve as a Trustee for the University of the South (Sewanee) for a three-year term. This person will serve as one of three elected representatives to the Board of Trustees (one priest and two laypersons). The Board is made up of representatives from the 28 owning dioceses and meets in Sewanee each October for a two-day meeting.

The Standing Committee (1 Layperson and 1 Priest)
One lay person and one priest to the Standing Committee to serve a four-year term. The Standing Committee, consisting of four lay persons and four priests, is the Bishop's council of Advice. At times when there is no bishop, the Standing Committee is authorized by Canon Law to act as the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese for all purposes declared by General Convention. The group also has other canonical duties including approving persons for ordination and approving indebtedness of a congregation.

To Make a Nomination

Persons may nominate oneself or another person for any of the elections listed above. You must have the permission of the person you wish to nominate in order to use this form. Nominations will go to our Nominations Chair, Liz Williams of St. Anne's, Tifton. 

 

Nominators use the following form: http://www.formstack.com/forms/gaepiscopal-2014_nomination_form 

 

Nominees are to provide a brief bio and photo by using this form: http://www.formstack.com/forms/gaepiscopal-2014_nominee_form  

 

Committee Appointments
Bishop Benhase also annually appoints members to the Commission on Ministry, the Finance Committee, and the Honey Creek Commission. Persons interested in serving on a diocesan committee appointed by the bishop should express their interest in a letter sent to the Bishop at Diocesan House, 611 East Bay Street, Savannah, GA 31401.  

 

 

Helping Churches save Energy and Money through Energy Efficiency
Led by Georgia Interfaith Power & Light

Vestry Basics-The Work of a Vestry
Led by the Rev. Frank Logue, Canon to the Ordinary

Website Design and Administration
Led by Rudy Reyes, Program Manager for the Diocese
 

Does your congregation want to encourage its children and youth? The Acolyte Festival is the perfect place to not only lift up this important ministry, but to also build up your congregation's kids by gathering them with others from across the Diocese. Acolytes from as far a Augusta, Kingsland and Darien have already registered for the festival coming to Albany in two weeks. Registration remains open, but time is running out.

The Acolyte Festival is open to 3rd through 12th graders. This year's festival will be hosted by St. Paul's, Albany and will be held Saturday and Sunday, August 16 & 17.

Participants process during the Sunday morning Eucharist. Please bring vestments and the congregation's banner.

This event for 6-12 graders kicks off youth programs at Honey Creek for a new school year. The theme for the event comes from the young adult book series Divergent, which was written on Christian themes. We will explore our unique gifts and the place each of us have in the Body of Christ through the lens of this fiction. The spiritual director will be Canon Frank Logue.

Come enjoy The Creek with singing, games, worship, and more.

The Food for a Thousand garden program at St. Patrick's, Albany, recently passed a milestone, of 1,000 pounds of  fresh vegetables produced, harvested, and distributed to local food pantries such as Neighbors in Need and The Lord's Pantry. To date, the garden has provided almost 1,300 pounds of healthy food.

  

Physical work on "Food for a Thousand" actually began in early 2013 on the project envisioned by Juby Phillips of Albany and carried out through the donation and volunteer-recruitment efforts of Brenda Gray.  Numerous laborers from the parish's congregation have also donated many hours both initially and on a weekly basis harvesting crops of tomatoes, squash, okra, peppers, broccoli, beets, and others to help feed people in need.

  

The first couple of years have been an educational experience for the organizers and volunteers and they hope to utilize lessons learned in the future. Also, blueberries bushes have been planted to add a new aspect to future harvests.  Additional fundraisers, such as March's "Lap a Leprechaun", are also expected in the future.

 

The photo above shows St. Patrick's Marian White harvest okra from this year's stand in the "Food for a Thousand" garden at the church. (Special photo by Norris Wootton)