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October 21, 2014Volume 5, Number 8
In This Issue
Diocesan Office Update
Bishop's Visitation
Convention Registration Closes Friday
Honey Creek Room Renovations
St. Thomas Isle of Hope
St. Augustine's, Augusta
St. Michael's, Waynesboro
Convention Volunteers Needed
Honey Creek Thanksgiving
Youth Mission Trip
New Beginnings
Convention Eucharist
The Loose Canon
Nominees Updated
Legacy
Convention Lock In
Green Summit
Calvary, Americus
Social Media Connections
Web Links
 
 

 


This Sunday's Lections
19th Sunday after Pentecost
Join Our Mailing List
Prepare for EYCS Ingathering 

EYCS November 16th is Episcopal Youth & Children's Services Ingathering. For over 50 years, the EYCS has worked to help provide need-based college scholarships for undergraduates and financial assistance for children and students in the Diocese of Georgia who might otherwise not be able to go to Summer Camp at Honey Creek, the Episcopal Camp & Conference Center of the Diocese of Georgia.   

 

 The Canon regarding EYCS says, "At the regular service, or on the Sunday immediately preceding or following Thanksgiving Day, an offering shall be taken for the EYCS."  Flexibility is also present in the option--  "A congregation may elect to place in its budget an item for the support if EYCS...in lieu of taking the special offering."  For much of the time, gold envelopes have served as a reminder of the day of ingathering.

 

"Streamlining the Ingathering process by writing a single check and using a budget option really makes sense for some parishes," board member, Erica Scales said.  She added, "Plus, Cuffy Sullivan, our board president has been instrumental in setting up paperless giving provided by safe online donations on the website." 

 

While some churches find that they prefer the ease of planning a budget line for EYCS and writing single check rather than using a gold envelope bulletin insert, others still like to use the gold envelopes for the ingathering.  Really, it is not an "either-or" proposition.  A parish can elect to do both budgetary giving and collect ingathering using envelops.  The Diocese of Georgia's office has them available. Sunday, November 16th is the Ingathering Day for EYCS, whether you use a gold envelope or not.

 

Your giving impacts the ability to fund scholarships to students in your parish!  

 

Watch our YouTube video to learn about how EYCS makes a difference in the lives of the youth of our Diocese.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD2kjGP-oOk&feature=youtu.be

 

Checks should be made out to the EYCS and mailed to 611 East Bay Street, Savannah, GA 31401-1296. Links to safe and secure online giving can be found at http://eycs.georgiaepiscopal.org
Diocesan Office Update    
On Sunday, Bishop Benhase will make his visitation to St. James', Quitman and St. Barnabas', Valdosta.
 
Canon Logue meets this evening with the vestry of St. John and St. Mark, Albany. On Saturday, he will preach at Calvary, Americus, for that parish's 150th anniversary. On Sunday, he presides and preaches at St. Luke's, Hawkinsville, and will lead a parish meeting following. On Monday, Canon Logue travels to Baltimore for a three-day meeting of The Episcopal Church's Program, Budget and Finance Committee.

Bishop's Visitations


Christ Church, Valdosta


St. Thomas, Thomasville

Convention 2014 
Registration Closes This Friday at 5 p.m.

Registration for the 193rd Convention of the Diocese of Georgia closes this Friday, October 24. If you have yet to do so, please complete the online registration by that day. Should you have questions, call the Diocesan office on 912-236-4279.

 

Click here to register online for the convention


 

Full information on the convention is online at:

http://convention.georgiaepiscopal.org

Honey Creek 
Lodge Receives Gifts for Five Room Renovations

Over the past months, the Honey Creek Commission and staff have been busy planning and overseeing room renovations.  Lodge One is close to being completely renovated. To date, five of the new rooms have been dedicated; there are many remaining naming opportunities.

 

Three of the rooms were renovated with gifts from parishes.  St. Peter's, Savannah made two donations--the first given by a member of the congregation who asked to remain anonymous; the second gift was given by the St. Peter's Endowment Committee.  Good Shepherd, Augusta's Endowment Committee gave funds to Honey Creek for a third room renovation.

 

Two additional named rooms were given in memory of loved ones. Jo Jones of St. Paul's, Albany named a room in memory of her late husband, Charles M. Jones, Jr. Charles was a lifelong Episcopalian and a  member at St. Paul's, Albany from the age of 7 until his death in 2001.  He introduced Jo to the Episcopal Church while they were students at the University of Georgia; they were later married in St. John's, Savannah and moved to Albany in 1947.  Until his death, Charles was an active members of St. Paul's. He served as Senior Warden on at least two occasions and also served on the Diocesan Council. Charles and Jo frequently chauffeured their five children from Albany to Honey Creek for the youth group events and were often there for events of their own. Making their Cursillo at Honey Creek was a highlight for both of them.  When the creek near Albany flooded in 1994, Charles hauled his beloved boat to Honey Creek to donate it.  He considered it a special place; Jo thought he would like knowing that there is now a room there dedicated to him.

 

Likewise, Pam McCaslin of Christ Church, Savannah requested that a  lodge room be renovated in memory of her late husband, Jay.  Pam and Jay attended Cursillo #1 in 1976 at Honey Creek; Jay later became the Observing Rector of #2 and #3. Together, the McCaslins remained very active in Cursillo throughout the years, most often at Honey Creek. In addition to serving as the Observing Rector, Jay and Pam were on staff many times--Pam, as recently as a few years ago. While on staff for Cursillo #5, the then-Presiding Bishop John Allin declared that, "If Jesus had made his Cursillo, he would have done so in the Diocese of Georgia!"  The McCaslin's twin children were enthusiastic campers at the St. Gregory's music camp at Honey Creek (where Pam was also a counselor), and both attended Happening as high schoolers. Jay continued to be a faithful member of his Cursillo reunion group until his death in 2006, and Pam's  group continues to meet every Monday afternoon, thirty-eight years later. And it all started at Honey Creek. 

 

When asked what Honey Creek has meant to her family, Pam said she thinks of the praise song, "This Is holy ground; we're standing on holy ground....."

 

With these generous donations,  the rooms in Lodge one are like new.   Before and after photos, along with a list of updates are shown above and the corresponding bronze plaques are  included below:

 Bronze Plaques 1 and Bronze Plaques 2

St. Thomas, Savannah
Unseen Guest Ministry Serves Tens of Thousands

Twenty years ago, The Rt. Rev. Bishop Stacy Sauls (then Rector of St. Thomas and now Chief Operating Officer of the Episcopal Church) and others organized a group of volunteers that became known as the Unseen Guest Ministry at St Thomas.  Bishop Sauls (pictured at left) was back in Savannah this past weekend to mark Unseen Guest Sunday. The group prepared meals each month for HIV/AIDS sufferers who could no longer provide for themselves.  Through Project Azuka, the Unseen Guest Ministry served women and their families for the next ten years.  When Project Azuka closed in 2005, the services of the Unseen Guest Ministry continued through My Brotharz Home, and currently is serving through Phoenix House.

 

The Unseen Guest Ministry has grown from preparing, cooking, and packaging 36 meals per month to around 350 meals per month. A total of over 92,000 meals have been provided since the program began.


 

Read more of the story of Unseen Guest from the Savannah Morning News article: http://savannahnow.com/news/2014-10-19/savannah-ministry-feeds-unseen-guests-20-years.

St. Augustine of Canterbury, Augusta
Choral Evensong for Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist

On Sunday October 19th, St. Augustine of Canterbury in Augusta offered a service of Choral Evensong for the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist.  The service incorporated prayers and anointing and blessing for health care workers, both professionals and those tasked with caring for family members or loved ones.  The Rev. Joe Bowden, M.D. preached on "the Word of the Lord in the words of St. Luke," reminding his hearers that "You, brothers and sisters, are all 'doctors of the Gospel' now," and assisted the Rev. Bill Dolen, M.D. and the Rev. Dr. Jason Haddox, co-officiants, in the rite of anointing and blessing.  A reception following the service provided opportunities for people to share their own experiences of both giving and receiving healing ministry, to and from others.

St. Michael's, Waynesboro
New Youth Director in Waynesboro 

St. Michael's Waynesboro called Simmons McGlone to serve as the congregation's Youth Director. Simmons grew up at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Augusta and has been involved at Honey Creek for years. He has been a counselor/staff member at Camp Gravatt Episcopal Summer Camp in South Carolina for a number of years and will be there this coming summer. His brother, Hughes, is youth director at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church in Augusta. He is currently a student at Georgia Southern. The Rev. Dr. Jim Shumard, Rector of St. Michael's , said "I am excited to welcome Simmons to St. Michael's!" Shumard is pictured at left welcoming Simmons on board the team.

Convention 2014 Volunteers Still Needed

The 193rd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia will be held on November 6 through 8, 2014. The Diocese is asking for volunteers help in various roles.  The meetings, workshops, Thursday Evening Prayer, will all be held  at the Jekyll Island Convention Center.  After the meetings end on Friday, charter buses will pick up guests from the Hampton Inn and the Jekyll Island Club and take them to Honey Creek,  for the outdoor Eucharist (weather permitting) and a tented dinner. Should it rain, the Eucharist will be in the convention center and buses will head to Honey Creek for dinner and music under the tent after the service.  Charlie and the Foxtrots will entertain during dinner and after; the buses will leave Honey Creek at 8:30pm  to  return guests to the hotels on Jekyll. 


The Diocese is asking for volunteers help in various roles.  Those are listed below; volunteers can sign up for two hour or four hour blocks at the link listed below - feel free to sign up for as many as your would like to work! 

 

Should you have any questions, please contact Annabelle Salter from Christ Church, Frederica on 912-602-2087 or at paul@salter.net. 

 

Thank you for your willingness to help out- convention can't happen without you!
  
VOLUNTEERS ARE  NEEDED AT THE CONVENTION CENTER
AND/OR HONEY CREEK AS FOLLOWS:

  • Thursday afternoon at the Convention Center ("JICC") between noon and 5 pm to help with set up-vendors, etc.
  • Thursday evening from 5:30 to 7 pm to usher at the Evening Prayer Service in the Oceanfront Ben Porter Room at the Convention Center
  • Friday  between 7:30 am and 2:30 pm at the Convention Center to help attendees find their tables, help distribute materials if needed; collect ballots if needed, etc.
  • Friday from 11:45 am to 1 pm at the Convention Center  to help direct attendees to the appropriate recycling or composting can with their remaining lunch items (*GREEN TEAM*)
  • Friday afternoon from 4 to 5:45 pm at Honey Creek to usher at the outdoor Eucharist
  • Friday afternoon from 6 to 7 pm at Honey Creek to oversee the bar area (guests will pour wine themselves but an attendant is needed as some youth may be present)
  • Friday evening at the end of the Honey Creek dinner to help direct guests to the compost and recycling cans (*GREEN TEAM*)
  • Saturday am  from 8:30 to 12 at the Convention Center as a floater; from 12 to 12:30 pm to help with break-down and helping vendors load up 


 Book your reservations for the annual Honey Creek Thanksgiving!

November 27 at noon

Let Honey Creek serve your family and friends this year. We'll do the cooking and cleaning, you do the quality time together.

Email or call Carolyn for reservations (912-265-9218 or carolyn@honeycreek.org ), and relax this Thanksgiving.
Youth Programs
Join Youth Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic
Next Summer the Diocese of Georgia will again sponsor a youth mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Led by the Rev. Joshua Varner and Liz Williams, this year's group will be returning to Iglesia Santa Maria Ilena de Gracia, in Mao (pictured here). In the summer a 2013 a group of 14 youth and 4 adults journeyed there and assisted the church with their summer Vacation Bible School, which had over 100 children participate. This year's group will again assist with VBS, both by providing supplies and by working and playing with children.

Our sign up deadline for this trip is December 15. A deposit of $300 is due at sign up, with regular payments scheduled throughout the spring. The total cost of the trip is estimated to be no more than $1,600. We are eager to work with anyone who wants to participate, in order to make the trip financially feasible! Other requirements include participation in a weekend retreat scheduled for March 20-22 at Honey Creek.
  

A flyer with more information about the trip is found here. Also, please contact Joshua Varner at jvarner75@gmail.comfor more information about this exciting trip.


 

Youth Programs 

New Beginnings 

New Beginnings  #45 was a huge success this past weekend with participants and staff taking part in the high energy disciple-making fun. Victoria Martin of Good Shepherd, Swainsboro, served as the Lead Teen for the event. The next New Beginings Retreat will be held in the spring. Click here to see all of the photos.

 

 

Convention 2014 
Celebrate with the Diocese at Honey Creek 

Even if you are not planning to attend the Diocesan Convention on Jekyll Island, we hope you will still join us on the  Honey Creek campus for a Eucharist under the stars* followed by a tented low country boil. Charlie and the Foxtrots will provide the music and entertainment.

 

The Eucharist will begin at 4:30; dinner will be served from 6 pm to 7:30 pm.  The Foxtrots will play until 8:30 pm. Tickets are $35 per person; you must be registered to attend.

 

*In the event of inclement weather, the Eucharist will take place in room B of the Jekyll Island Convention Center followed by dinner and music under the tent at Honey Creek

 

PLEASE NOTE: You will not pay for your reservation upon registration. You will receive an invoice shortly after registering directly from Pay Pal.  We apologize that we can not issue refunds should there be a change of plans.

 

 Click here to register online 

The Loose Canon
Why We Do What We to Grow a Church Matters Most

While I am interested in evangelism, welcoming visitors, and integrating newcomers into a parish, I am not interested in these things simply to grow a church. And I know that when pursued just to grow a church, these efforts will fall flat. More plainly stated, If our only goal is to grow church attendance or the budget, we should fail. 

  

All of our efforts in this area from inviting a co-worker to church to advertising in the local newspaper should be a response to God's call rather than a response to the needs of the budget or a desire merely for increased attendance. Budgets and attendance are helpful indicators (though not the only ones that matter) of the health of a congregation, but they are not ends in themselves.

  

The real goal is to be hospitable as Jesus taught us his followers are to show love for the stranger. We are to welcome others as if welcoming Christ himself as Christ does come to us in others. This is a very helpful perspective as newcomers will bring new perspectives which can (and perhaps should) challenge the status quo. Knowing that God may have sent someone to us just so that we can hear this new way of looking at how we go about being the Body of Christ can help us to better listen.

  

In any case, our invitation, welcome, and inclusion of newcomers is not about growing the church, but about being faithful to God's call to us. Whenever we move beyond trying to be faithful Christians to seek to grow the attendance or church budget, we move away from the Gospel and toward the business of the church. That is move God can't bless. But when we seek merely to be the Body of Christ and to welcome others as we if welcoming Christ, then this act of Christian hospitality is something that will bear fruit.

  

We do what we do because God did not leave us in sin on the path to death, but sent his Son to live among and to suffer and die that we might have life. And that life abundant is for all. Everywhere we go we are surrounded by people who desperately need this good news and will be caught in painful cycles of seeking redemption through everything from prestige at work to abusing prescription medicines until this Good News of God's love as found in Christ breaks through. For there are all kinds of oppression, pain, and suffering, but there is just the one cure. There is no health in anything else. That is why we do what we do, because the world needs Jesus.

  

When working with vestries, I like to delve beyond what we are doing to ask why as I think that understanding this dynamic matters. For when we are merely looking for more pledging units or more attenders for sake of numbers, this attitude infuses our welcome. But when we move to consider these actions as who we are to be as Christ followers, then I think that this allows us to see those our Lord sends us not as dollars or as bottoms in the pews, but as Children of God in need of the healing, redemption and wholeness that we all so desperately need. That difference comes through in everything we do. 

-The Rev. Canon Frank Logue, Canon to the Ordinary
Convention 2014
Nominees Announced, Nominations Still Open 

To date, the following nominations have been received:  

 

The Board of the Corporation (1 Layperson to elect):

Carolyn Eager

Neil Victor

 

Diocesan Council (1 Lay Person, Deacon, or Priest to elect):

No nominations to date 

 

Disciplinary Board (2 Lay Persons & 1 Deacon or Priest to elect):  

No lay person nominations to date

The Rev. Ellen Richardson, M.D.

 

Sewanee Trustee (1 Priest to elect):

The Very Rev. Ted Clarkson

The Rev. Al Crumpton

The Very Rev. Lee Lowery

 

Standing Committee (1 lay person and 1 priest to elect):

No lay person nominations to date

The Very Rev. Denise Ronn, Ph.D.

The Rev. Dr. Jim Shumard

 

The photos and biographies for these nominees are online now at the convention website's Elections Page  

 

Make Additional Nominations 

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  

 

Is your will keeping up with you? With your Christian commitments?

 

Please remember your church in your will.
High Schoolers Invited to a Convention Lock In 
High school students across the Diocese are invited to the lock-in for the 193rd Convention of the Diocese of Georgia. The event starts at 6 pm Friday, November 7th with a low country boil and entertainment by Charlie and the Foxtrots (pictured at right).

On Saturday, November 8th, lock-in participants will travel to the Jekyll Island Convention Center to lead morning worship and be a part of the youth presentation. The event will conclude at  12 Noon on Saturday, November 8th.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Where?
Everyone will meet at Honey Creek on Friday night and sleep in the dorms.  On Saturday, the group will have breakfast and Honey Creek and then travel to the Jekyll Island Convention Center.  Departure home will be at 12PM from the Convention Center at 75 N. Beachview  Drive, Jekyll .

Cost?
$49.  This covers the low country boil, Friday entertainment- including Charlie and the Foxtrots, lodging in the dorm at Honey Creek, and an event t-shirt.

Who are Charlie and the Foxtrots?
A melting pot of sounds, Charlie and the Foxtrots draws on its members' influences to create poppy, energetic writing intertwined with country/folk instrumentation reminiscent of Fleet Foxes and Local Natives.  Chas Wilson on vocals & guitar and Jeremy Webster  on Piano, Accordion, & jug are two members of they seven piece band.  They grew up in the Diocese of GA youth programs.

What is happening on Saturday at Convention?
On Saturday, participants will wake up, have breakfast and hit the road for the Jekyll Island Convention Center.  There they will lead morning worship for the Convention and present the youth video which they will film before the weekend and edit on Friday night.  After the presentation, the youth will get a play-by-play of what is happening at convention from Roger Speer and Misty Graham including what resolutions are being voted on and what goes into the budget that is later voted on.

Green Summit and Upcoming Green Workshop

A diocesan Green Summit will be held on Saturday, November 8, 1 - 4 p.m. at the Jekyll Island Convention Center. The Summit will gather green-minded lay leaders and clergy for learning, listening, and visioning to guide future environmental stewardship initiatives. Plans for the summit include an overview of current green projects across the Diocese; feedback on the Green Church Workshop series; assessment of resources; and project prioritization. All are welcome. Bring ideas, a deep love for God's Creation, and a re-usable water bottle.To register, click to here.

  

Attendees at the recent "GROW" workshop in Albany toured the St. Patrick's "Food for a Thousand" organic community garden and learned how to build a simple compost bin (pictured above) and raised garden bed frame. As of September, St. Patrick's had distributed over 750 pounds of organically-grown fresh produce to local agencies and families while also providing a haven for bees and other pollinators.   

   

EMPOWER

A fourth Green Church Workshop, EMPOWER, has been scheduled for St. John's, Bainbridge, on Saturday, October 25, 9 a.m. - 12 noon. The workshop will include an overview of current green projects across the Diocese, a presentation on energy audit and conservation opportunities led by Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL), as well as a discussion of challenges unique to rural churches. Click here to register. 

  

The workshop series, led by lay leaders and clergy across the Diocese, aims to help churches improve their stewardship of God's Creation. Each workshop includes a hands-on activity, presentations, resource sharing, a traveling worm compost bin, an optional local food lunch, and discussion. Workshop registration is free; a $5 donation is suggested for lunch. People of all denominations and faiths are welcome. 

  

For more information, contact Dcn. Leeann Culbreath at deacon@stannestifton.com.

Sesquicentennial Celebration

The Georgia Historical Society dedicated a new historical marker last week in front of Calvary, Americus. The congregation celebrates its 150th anniversary this weekend. 
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Sincerely,                                       
            
Diocesan Staff                             
The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia