May 11, 2016
Volume 6, Number 37
In This Issue
Diocesan Office Update
Visitations
Community Update
St. Luke's Hawkinsville
Companion Diocese
ECW Annual Retreat
Good Shepherd Thomasville
Ascension
Summer Camp
Prayers
Welcoming Refugees
Social Media Connections
Send us your news
Web Links
 
 





This Sunday's Lections
Pentecost Sunday
Acts 2:1-21
Genesis 11:1-9
Psalm 104:25-35, 37

Romans 8:14-17
or 

John 14:8-17, (25-27)
 
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Plans for Bishop's Sabbatical
From May 23 to August 23, Bishop Benhase will be on sabbatical. A sabbatical is intended as a time of renewal in the midst of a bishop's episcopacy or a priest's tenure in a parish. His initial plans involved some significant travel and study during the three months, but his plans shifted as his parents are both now in Hospice care. He will now focus the three months quite differently. He will use this gift of time to provide care for his parents as they approach the end of life.
 
In addition to the time spent with his parents, the Bishop will take opportunities for study. In June, he will join a small team from the Diocese for Project Resource Training offered by the College of Bishops and the Development Office of the Episcopal Church.
 
The Bishop and staff plan to debrief after the sabbatical as a team to review, discuss, and plan for the second half of his episcopacy. The September Diocesan Council meeting will hear a report on the sabbatical and discuss next steps to continue the work and ministry of the Diocese. Additionally, he plans to have a structured time of conversation with the clergy during the Fall Clergy Conference in September. The Diocesan Council meeting and Clergy Conference will offer opportunities for Bishop Benhase to reflect with diocesan leaders on insights gained while away from the day to day ministry of the Diocese.
 
The diocesan staff has plans in place for how to respond to the needs of the Diocese during his three-month sabbatical. While the Bishop is away, please contact Canon Frank Logue for matters that would otherwise go directly to Bishop Benhase.
Diocesan Office Update    

On Saturday, Bishop Benhase will ordain Donald Holland of Grace Church Waycross, Ian Lasch of St. Augustine's Augusta, Tommy Townsend of St. Mark's Brunswick, Ray Whiting of St. Alban's Augusta to the Sacred Order of Deacons at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 14 in St. Paul the Apostle, Savannah. Canon Logue is the preacher for the ordinations.

On Sunday, Bishop Benhase makes visitation to St. Alban's, August.

Canon Logue will preach this Sunday at Holy Comforter, Martinez, for their feast day, which will also be a celebration of the Rev. Cynthia Taylor's 30th ordination anniversary.
Bishop's Visitations

The Collegiate Church of St. Paul the Apostle, Savannah 

Bishop with confirmands and clergy from St. Paul's Savannah and St. Michael and All Angels, Savannah. 

Annunciation, Vidalia

Bishop with confirmands and clergy.  
Community Update 

The vestry of St. Matthew's, Savannah, announces they have called the Rev. Deacon Guillermo Arboleda as Priest in Charge. Arboleda currently serves as Missioner of Columba House Savannah and is serving an internship at St. George's, Savannah. He is married to Deacon Kelly Steele. Bishop Benhase will ordain them, together with Deacon Dale Jones, to the Sacred Order of Priests on May 21 at Christ Church, Savannah.

St. Luke's, Hawkinsville
Bank Offers Ongoing Building Use at No Charge
Thanks to an unusual partnership, St. Luke's Church has a new "North Campus" just across the street at no rental cost to the congregation. Planter's First Bank had a building sitting empty on the main road through Hawkinsville. Just across a side street, St. Luke's Church needed room for ministry. While the bank does intend to eventually use the site, those plans are years from coming to fruition. Now the church has free use of the bank building for the foreseeable future. 
 
The bank building is a duplex. The church will use the front entrance for its thrift store. The back side of the duplex will provide room for the youth and Sunday School. The church occupying the building and carrying liability insurance reduces the risk to the bank, while the church gets free use of a valuable asset for ministry in Hawkinsville.  
 
"We are grateful for the generosity from the folks at Planters First Bank," said St. Luke's Rector, the Rev. Aaron Brewer. "This new building provides St. Luke's more space for the growing needs of the congregation, and increased visibility of our ministries to the community."

Pictured above, the church is seen with the bank building in the foreground. At right, the duplex is viewed from the archway connecting the church's current church and parish hall.

Companion Diocese
Christ Church Mission Team Arrival  
The eight members of the mission team sponsored by Christ Episcopal Church (Valdosta) arrived safely in Santo Domingo on May 9 and are now working on their projects at the Campamento Monte de la Transfiguración in Jarabacoa, the "Honey Creek" conference center of the Diocese of the Dominican Republic. Those projects include installing insect screening in an open-air dining hall, installing fans in the K-8 Episcopal school on the grounds of the center, and teaching environmental awareness classes to the middle grade children at the school. They are scheduled to return home on May 16.


  
Episcopal Church Women
Annual Convention at Honey Creek
Coming from congregations, Episcopal Church Women gathered at Honey Creek for their annual annual retreat and meeting April 29-30. While the group conducts important business, the retreat is also a time 
of spiritual growth, fellowship, worship and sharing. The meeting started Friday evening with a jeans and pearls banquet. That night the keynoters Julia Becker and Bishop Scott Benhase addressed the gathering. In addition to worship and the annual business meeting, Saturday included workshops on topics from "Herbs of the Bible" to "The ABCs and 123s of running an ECW," and the "Spiritual Workshop." You can stay in touch with ECWs across the Diocese at the Episcopal Church Women in the Diocese of Georgia Facebook page.

Good Shepherd, Thomasville 
Hands on Heroes Award  
The Thomasville Chamber and Hands On Thomas Country honored the work of Larry Davis and Morrisce Dockett of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church with the Hands On Heroes Award.

For the past nine years, Larry and Morrisce have operated the Community Lunch Program at Good Shepherd, serving meals with love to neighbors in need, five days a week; January through March.  They regularly serve 60- 80 people each day with home-cooked meals, featuring fresh produce from the Oak Street Episcopal Mission community garden.
Community Ascension Service in Albany    
On the Eve of the Ascension, St. Patrick's, Albany hosted a community Ascension service. Five congregations were represented. This included Holy Spirit, Dawson, St. John & St. Mark's, Albany, St. Patrick's, Albany, St. Paul's, Albany, and the The Lutheran Church of Our Saviour. The Rev. Jay Weldon preached and his sermon can be found here. 
 A Wishlist for Honey Creek Summer Camps
Summer Camp changes lives, and that's the absolute truth. Here at Honey Creek, Summer Camp is what we do. While camp at "The Creek" is a special and intimate experience, providing this experience takes a communal and broad-reaching effort. If you feel called to help provide this incredible opportunity for youth in our diocese, please consider donating items from our Amazon Wishlist. All items on this list are those which are needed to provide a memorable camp experience, but not currently had. Please contact  our Summer Camp Director, Thomas Greneker, with any camp-themed questions.


 

2016 Summer Camp Schedule 
(with Registration Links for Individual Camps)
 
Prayers for Weekly Liturgies
Our one-year prayer cycle combines prayers for every congregation in the Diocese of Georgia with prayers for our ecumenical partners and for our Companion Diocese of The Dominican Republic. The 52 weekly prayers are available in one document: http://gaepiscopal.org/docs/oneyearprayercycle.pdf 

Prayers for May 8-14
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Hawkinsville, St. Luke's. We also pray for our ecumenical partners, especially St. Mark's Catholic Church in Eastman. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Jimaní, St. Ignatius (San Ignacio), St. Peter the Apostle (San Pablo Apóstol), and St. Titus (San Tito).

Prayers for May 15-21
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Hinesville, St. Philip's. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Hinesville, especially St. Stephens Catholic Church . In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in La Romana- The Incarnation (La Encarnación) and All Saints (Todos los Santos).
Welcoming Refugees

Parishioners of Trinity, Statesboro, set up an apartment for Congolese refugees in partnership with 
Lutheran Services of Georgia. The result is "one of the nicest, most homey apartment set ups they've ever had" according to local Lutheran staff.

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Sincerely,                                       
            
Diocesan Staff                             
The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia