The General Convention of The Episcopal Church is now underway in Salt Lake City, Utah. While the official start date is June 25th, but committee work in advance of that first meeting is now underway. The Convention will meet daily through July 3rd. The General Convention is the governing body of The Episcopal Church (TEC) that meets every three years. The Convention is a bicameral legislature that includes the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops. The work at Convention is carried out by deputies and bishops representing each diocese.

Links to the General Convention

The Diocese of Georgia Deputation's Journal - Includes a list of the Georgia deputation and a Diocese of Georgia take on the Convention in daily posts. The deputation will also share these photos and stories at the diocesan Facebook page and in our online photo album.

General Convention Media Hub - This site offers livestreaming of worship and legislative sessions so you can watch the General Convention on the web. For example, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time today, the livestream will show the four Presiding Bishop nominees each speaking to the House of Deputies and then answering questions by deputies.

General Convention website - Includes the official resolution text and stays updated on where in the system a resolution is at any moment.

#GC78 is the hashtag to follow the action on social media.

After a deputation meeting ending with Compline, the Georgia group gathered for this photo.

Diocesan Office Update

Bishop Benhase and Canon Logue are with the rest of the Georgia deputation in Salt Lake City for the General Convention of the Episcopal Church which continues through July 3.

Diocesan Community Update

The Rev. Rian Adams has accepted a call as Assistant Rector for Christ Church Frederica on St. Simons Island. Rian comes to the Diocese of Georgia with eight years of ordained experience as a chaplain in the United States Army and the United States Air Force, where he currently holds the rank of Captain. A recipient of the Bronze Star, Rian is leaving military chaplaincy as the result of a combat injury he received while in Afghanistan. Rian is currently stationed at Edwards Air Force Base as the Senior Protestant Chaplain. In the Air Force's Chaplain Corps, Rian's duties are parish based, so that in addition to his unit assignments, he also leads the Protestant chapel community with several hundred members and manages the other Protestant chaplains on the base. His chief area of ministry at Christ Church will be in the area of Pastoral Care ministries. Rian will begin his ministry among at Christ Church in December of this year after completing his military service.

Rian is relatively new to the Episcopal Church and is eager to learn more about Episcopal traditions and worship. Rian says, "I began my ministry in an evangelical church. However, combat experiences in Afghanistan challenged my spirituality and theology in ways that ultimately led me to our new home in The Episcopal Church." Rian is a graduate of Wesley Biblical Seminary, and is currently studying for his Doctor of Ministry at Sewanee. Rian is married to Amber, his wife of 15 years, and they have one son, Brody, who will enter the first grade in the fall. Rian is married to Amber, his wife of 15 years, and they have one son, Brody, who will enter the first grade in the fall.

The Rev. Daniel Shoemake, who joins the staff of Christ Episcopal Church, Valdosta as Associate Rector on July 1, had a full week last week. Bishop Brian Prior ordained Shoemake to the Sacred Order of Priests on June 20th as a part of a group of diocesan ordinations for the Diocese of Minnesota. Then on June 22, he married Nicolette Emmelia.

Companion Diocese

Youth Mission Team on the Ground in the DR

The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia began its Youth Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic on Sunday evening. 10 youth and 4 adults from 13 different congregations were represented. The group will be serving with Iglesia San Mat�as, in Santana, helping with Vacation Bible School and helping to put a concrete floor in a church member's home. They will return to the U.S. on Tuesday, June 30. Please keep them in your prayers!

Christ Church Mission Team Home from Trip

The mission team sponsored by Christ Church (Valdosta) returned to the United States yesterday after a week of working at the Campamento Monte de la Transfiguraci�n in the Episcopal Diocese of the Dominican Republic. During that week, they constructed the first stages of a home for a village resident and a day care center for the children of the village. They also conducted sewing, crocheting, and fabric arts classes for the local women and teenage girls. As the Christ Church team was leaving, a partner mission team from the Diocese of Nebraska arrived to complete the second stages of both construction projects. The two teams had been planning on these joint projects for the past 12 months, following a similar successful partnership in June 2014.

Among the members of this Christ Church team were five missioners from St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Orlando. They had signed up for this trip to help discern whether their church might sponsor a mission team to the Dominican Republic in 2016. To help make their decision, while in the Dominican Republic their rector, the Rev. Sonia Sullivan Clifton, was able to meet and discuss mission opportunities with both Karen Carroll, the coordinator of all Episcopal mission trips in the Dominican Republic, and with Bill Kunkle, the Executive Director of the Dominican Development Group, an organization that coordinates projects sponsored by the twelve dioceses that have companion relationships with the Diocese of the Dominican Republic.

Photos show us in front of a school playground we built in June 2014 in partnership with another mission team from Nebraska; one of our team members, Bill Querin, working alongside two Dominican villagers on the construction of an Episcopal day care center; another team member, Julia Ariail, with a village girl who has just completed a skirt in a sewing class using sewing machines that we brought and donated to the Episcopal camp and conference center in El Pedregal.

St. Patrick's, Albany

Congregation Hosts Red Cross Blood Drive

An inaugural Red Cross Blood Drive on June 17, launched what its hoped to become an annual event for St. Patrick's, Albany. The afternoon drive attracted a dozen or more donors from the parish and Albany community. Vestry member Bob Parker initiated the activity, which was also aided by the cooperation of Deacon Joy Davis. Many thanks to all those who turned out to support the worthy effort. Sponsored blood drives will become increasingly vital with the announced June 19th closing of Albany's Red Cross Blood Donor Center. (Photos by David Shivers)

Free Camp for Children of Incarcerated Parents

Kamp PHUN is to be held at Honey Creek on July 26 - July 31. This is a FREE Camp for Children 9 - 11 who have had are do have a parent incarcerated. It is a fun, loving and caring week and Hope we can help break the cycle. If you would like to help, we need Children. Also we provide for the children who might not have:

Disposable cameras, Battery's AA for flashlights, Deodorants, Small tissues, Children's Bibles, combs, small cups for water, paper towels, multi color constitution paper, coffee filters for art, white pillow cases, Sara wrap, plastic table cloths, large black bags, spray starch. We have a fun time planned for this children who comes from all areas and religions and some have no religions. We also provide a Bible School for Christian education of the campers.

So let me know if you would like to help in some way. A little goes a long way for us. Thanks, Cindy Coward goofycindy@gmail.com (912) 355-0398

Register for Summer Camp at Honey Creek

Summer Camp is now underway, but it is not too late to register for upcoming camp sessions.

Remaining Camp sessions
July 5-11 St. Peter I Completed Grades 6-8
July 12-18 St. Joseph & Mary II Completed Grade 3-5
July 19-25 St. Peter II Completed Grades 6-8

Tuition for regular session is $430 per camper.
For more information visit HoneyCreek.org.

Click here to register

Parent and Child Summer Camp

A group photos of moms and their kids taken during the first of two Parent and Child Summer Camp sessions this summer.

There is still room in the July 12-14 Parent and Child Camp. Tuition for each session Parent & Child session is $320 for one parent and one child ($85 for each additional child). Tuition covers room and board in a private lodge room, special activities, art supplies, camp photo and camp t-shirt. For more information, or to register, go to honeycreek.org

Rector on a Stick?

During Vacation Bible School at St. Thomas Isle of Hope in Savannah, the kids enjoyed a cut out photo of the Rector, the Rev. Richard Nelson which they could put in their photos. Thanks to Youth Minister Misty Graham for sharing the fun.

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Sincerely,

Diocesan Staff

The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia