February 9, 2015Volume 5, Number 24
In This Issue
Diocesan Office Update
Episcopal Migration Ministries.
Cursillo Closing
Mission Team Home
Loose Canon
Confirmation Retreat
Young Adult Retreat
New Beginnings
Uplifted Spirit
Social Media Connections
Web Links
 
 

 



This Sunday's Lections
Last Sunday after
the Epiphany
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Draffin Named Diocesan Treasurer 

Bishop Benhase has named Judy Draffin Diocesan Treasurer. 

 

After raising two children to middle school and high school ages, while working part time in a variety of bookkeeping positions, Judy returned to school and attended a variety of colleges and universities as she followed a military husband.  She ultimately received her degree in accounting and sat for the CPA exam that same month.  Judy has been a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and worked in the public accounting arena from Washington DC to Brunswick, Georgia for 15 plus years.  In the late 90's, she left the public accounting arena and moved to the financial/banking sector with Synovus Financial Corp.  In 1997, she was approached by a group of professionals who were forming a community bank and, as their CFO & COO, assisted with the opening of a new community bank in Darien.   In 2005, in an attempt to provide greater support to the lending portion of the bank, Judy took the real estate licensing training and exam.  Intrigued with real estate and the law associated with it, Judy ultimately left the bank and moved fulltime into the real estate and development arena.  She served as the financial officer for two development companies over the next three years, while continuing to build a real estate following.  


Judy brings a wealth of experience to her new role as Diocesan Treasurer. Canon Willoughby noted, "I am very excited and pleased to be working with Judy. Her sage advice, leadership in the diocese, and strong financial background will enable a continued culture of stewardship within the Diocese." The Diocese thanks Judy for her service.
Diocesan Office Update    
Canon Logue is on vacation through February 12.

Canon Willoughby will be participating in the Board of the Corporation meeting today and tomorrow she is hosting the Finance Committee meeting to discuss draft year end financials.

This Sunday, Bishop Benhase makes his visitation to Christ Church, St. Simons Island. 
Episcopal Migration Ministries
Three from Georgia will Share Refugee Jouneys

You can #ShareTheJourney with Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) and a few Episcopal pilgrims from the Diocese of Georgia as they participate in an 11-day pilgrimage to the Great Lakes region of Africa. The Rev. Canon Frank and Victoria Logue were selected for the eight-person team. Also among the pilgrims will be Spencer Cantrell. Though participating in the trip from Diocese of Washington, Cantrell grew up at St. Michael and All Angels, Savannah.

 The hope for this journey is that pilgrims will give the wider Episcopal Church an experience of refugee camps, processing, transition, and resettlement through written, video, and photographic storytelling. So you will be able to follow the trip here in From the Field and at the Diocese of Georgia's Facebook page and more.

 

The group will travel to Nairobi, Kenya and Kigali, Rwanda. Among the planned visits are the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre and the Gihembe Refugee Camp in Rwanda as well as operations supported by Church World Service's Resettlement Support Center (RSC)-Africa, and the UN refugee agency UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees). The pilgrimage is funded through a Constable Fund grant awarded last year by the Episcopal Church Executive Council.
Save the Date for Closing Service of Cursillo

Please save the date for the Closing Service of Cursillo 119. This joyful worship will celebrate a milestone for those attending and also for Cursillo alumni across the state. The closing service is set for 4 PM on Sunday March 22, 2015 at the Chapel on Honey Creek. So mark your calendars, get your voice warmed up to sing, and support our Diocese's newest class of Cursillo pilgrims!


 

Episcopalians from Holy Trinity Episcopal Church (Santo Domingo) in a chartered bus on the way to the optical clinic. The Rev. Hipólito Fernández from Holy Trinity, pictured in the orange pullover, who hosted another mission team from Trinity Statesboro in 2012.

Companion Diocese
Optical Mission Team Home from Dominican Republic

The optical clinic mission team sponsored by St. Peter's (Savannah) returned home on February 7 after a busy and successful week in the Dominican Republic. Working in an Episcopal medical clinic in the southern coastal city of San Pedro de Macorís, they admitted 780 patients to their eye clinic during the course of the week. 527 had full examinations by a doctor, 463 received reading eyeglasses, 197 received prescription eyeglasses and 93 were referred for surgical consultation. 

 

  This was the second year that this team has worked in this location. In 2014 they concentrated on seeing patients in the nearby Episcopal school and in the neighborhood of the clinic, but this year they sought to expand the reach of their services by arranging for 10 chartered busses to bring in people from several Episcopal congregations as far away as Santo Domingo (50 miles). This transport was coordinated by the Mission Team Support Office of the Diocese of the Dominican Republic with the help of local Episcopal priests. One innovative method that the Dominican diocese got the word out was to set up a Facebook "event" page about the clinic, where people could read about the clinic's services and find out about transportation details. 

 

Some heavy-duty equipment, including an optical exam chair and support arms, was shipped to the DR in advance of the clinic's work by the Dominican Development Group. This equipment has been donated to the Dominican Episcopal medical clinic, which did not offer optical services earlier. The team hopes that the donation of this equipment will make it possible for the clinic to add optical exams in the future along with their regular pattern of medical examinations and lab tests. 

 

This was the second mission team from the Diocese of Georgia at work in the Dominican Republic in 2015. Four more teams are scheduled, and the next one is from St. Anne's Tifton that will work constructing a church building during March 7-14. For more information on the Diocese of Georgia's extensive work with its Companion Diocese of the Dominican Republic, check this Companion Diocese webpage .

The Loose Canon

Churches always seem to have more needs that dollars to meet the needs. Even when finances are doing well, there is always more that can be done than any congregation can do. Unfortunately, buildings tend to suffer for it. It is rare to speak up for the roof, or the heating and air system until somewhere just before or during a crisis. Yet, there is no need for surprises. Setting up and funding maintenance reserves can assist a congregation in avoiding most surprises.


The vestry needs to be assured that the money will be on hand to replace the air handler, water heater and so on when they go out. As these and other pieces of equipment come with typical life expectancies, it is possible to plan for the future and set aside money at a steady rate, rather than dealing with issues arising when maintenance has been differed. Pictured at left is a crew installing an HVAC unit on the roof of Stuat Hall at Honey Creek.

Vestries can plan for eventual maintenance issues with a maintenance reserve study. Set up a task force of 2-3 people headed by the Junior Warden to tour the building, making note of areas of possible concern including the parking lot and the building from roof to foundation with all significant electrical and plumbing issues in between. Seek input from professionals (often available in the parish) who can estimate the remaining life and replacement costs at the time action is needed. Then budget to set aside a little money each month toward the maintenance reserve fund. Then when the water heater tank ruptures or the heat pump dies, funds will be ready to apply toward their purchase. Revisit the study each year and adjust the maintenance reserve line item as a apart of the budget process.

This practice keeps maintenance of your building a small, routine line item in the budget, which is as it should be. I know there is no money for this lying around waiting to be allocated to a future need. But considering the high cost of leaving an old roof in place, you can't afford not to set aside a little each month toward this eventual need. If Jesus does not return first, your congregational WILL face these maintenance issues. If Jesus does come before the heating and air system gives up the ghost, imagine how pleased our Lord will be to see you had prepared to care so well for his house.


-The Rev. Canon Frank Logue, Canon to the Ordinary

Confirmation Retreat at Honey Creek
Whether you want to deepen your understanding of the Episcopal Church or are preparing for confirmation, we hope that you will join us for this exciting weekend! The Confirmation Retreat this year is open to both youth and adults. It will be held at Honey Creek from February 20-22, 2015.

This year's retreat will be led by Maggie Bloodworth, and the Revs. Kevin Kelly and Charles Todd. Topics covered will include Scripture, Creeds, Sacraments, Prayer, Church History, and an Instructed Eucharist. 

We have a great showing of both youth and adults.  Please join us.  The deadline to register is this Sunday, February 15th.


If you need further assistance with registration, please contact: Maggie Bloodworth at (478)892-9373 or maroush@cstel.net
Still Time to Register for a Young Adult Retreat Weekend
Vocare #24 will be held February 27 - March 1, 2015 at Honey Creek. Vocare in Georgia is an Episcopal young adult ministry serving both the Diocese of Georgia and Diocese of Atlanta. Through weekend retreats and community building, Vocare in Georgia provides opportunities for self discovery and the beginnings of spiritual discernment. God is calling each one of us into deepened faithfulness and more clearly defined ministries. The weekend is filled with fun and games, serious reflection and discussion, and familiar, relaxed worship. 

 

The Pilgrim registration form can be accessed via the link below. 

 

 

For more information, visit Vocare in Georgia's website or contact Program Manager Rudy Reyes at rreyes@gaepiscopal.org 
Youth Programs
Register for New Beginnings Participants
New Beginnings will take place during the weekend of March 6-8, 2015, at Honey Creek. New Beginnings is a weekend retreat for teenagers in grades 7-9 led by a team of mostly teenagers, with a few adults, and two clergy spiritual directors. The weekend takes participants through a discovery about ourselves, our friends, our families, our faith, and how to live out our faith in our daily lives.

How might this discovery happen?
Through making new friends and sharing with old ones, through singing, skits, talks given by teens, videos, games, worship, and conversation with each other! You are encouraged to bring friends from your church and an adult who will stay through the weekend. Everyone will take an active part in the program. You can go to New Beginnings as many times as you'd like...as long as you're in grades 7-9. We know once you go, you will want to go back. There is even an opportunity to serve on the team...you'll hear more about that at the weekend.
Archives
Bishop Beckwith Led Diocese in Reconstruction
In the previous six editions of From the Field, we shared brief histories of some of the Bishops of Georgia. The series continues with the Second Bishop of Georgia.

Known for both a beautiful speaking voice and a strong dislike of ritual, the second Bishop of Georgia grew the Episcopal Church in Georgia from 31 to 59 congregations in the difficult period after the Civil War. Born 1831 in Raleigh, North Carolina, John Watrous Beckwith was graduated from Trinity College, Hartford in 1852. Two years later was ordained as a deacon and later priest in the Episcopal Church. Before the American Civil War, he served in North Carolina and Maryland. During the war, he served as a chaplain on the staff of Confederate General William J. Hardee. Following the war, Beckwith served churches in Demopolis, Alabama and Deer Creek, Mississippi. Late in 1865 accepted a call to serve Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in New Orleans as its rector. He served that church for three years before being elected as the second Bishop of Georgia. He was consecrated as Bishop on April 2, 1868 in St. John's Church, Savannah. 

Though he had a deep love for the Eucharist, Beckwith was known for his concern about increasing ritual in the church and the "Romish" doctrine that was sure to follow. His 1889 Address to Convention was our longest on record at 22 pages. In fairness to the Bishop, the addresses in those days began with a rehearsal of the year in which the Bishop told his daily calendar since the last convention. This takes up the first 6 pages.

Bishop Beckwith then tells of the state of the Appleton Church Home, the diocesan missions and touches on some other diocesan topics. Finally, he launched into a defense of uniformity in worship, making a reasoned defense against the introduction of "Romish" doctrines through practices such as having lit candles on the altar for communion, reservation of the Blessed Sacrament and other things now considered traditional in the Diocese he led from 1868-1890.

But perhaps you don't have to pity his listeners as those who knew Bishop Beckwith always refer to his beautiful speaking voice. The Rev. Dr. Jimmy Lawrence in writing a history of the Diocese of Georgia in the early 1900s put it, "His wonderful voice, bringing out the full meaning of the services, at once arrested the attention of his hearers. When Bishop Beckwith read, people listened. His oratory in the pulpit attracted large congregations wherever he went, and the course of his episcopal visitations was like a royal progress."

Bishop Beckwith's nephew, Charles Minnigerode Beckwith, began his ministry in the Diocese of Georgia and went on to serve for 26 years as the Bishop of Alabama. His great-great-great granddaughter, the Rev. Sarah Brockenbrough was ordained to the priesthood in December 2014.

Beckwith served as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia for 23 years during the difficult period of reconstruction. There were 31 churches in the diocese at the time of his consecration. At his death, there were 53 churches and five missions. Beckwith was married to Ella Brockenbrough, who was born in Virginia August 11, 1837 and died in Atlanta, April 26, 1887. He died in Atlanta, November 23, 1890, at the age of 59. The couple are buried in Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah. Bishop Beckwith was succeeded by Cleland Kinchloch Nelson as Bishop of Georgia.

Thirteen of Bishop Beckwith's Addresses to Convention are found in the  Diocese of Georgia's Online Archives. 

Uplifted Spirit 


It is quite likely that acolytes have been carrying the Gospel Book in procession for most, perhaps all, of the 144 years of Christ Church Valdosta's history. Today, that tradition of steady hands, secure confidence, and an uplifted spirit continues, Sunday after Sunday..
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Sincerely,                                       
            
Diocesan Staff                             
The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia