|
|
|
October 10, 2019
|
Volume 10, No. 7
|
|
Get Ready for the Walkabout!
The Walkabout is right around the corner, and we want you to attend one of the sessions! As our five candidates for bishop travel around the diocese the week of October 21, they will stop at various places, allowing all the members of the Diocese of Georgia a chance to meet them. Reading about the candidates and watching their videos is helpful, yet seeing and hearing them in person will be even more informative as we discern who God is calling to be our next bishop. One note upfront, we have listed start times for the sessions as 6:00 pm, and 11:00 am, respectively, and we hope attendees will plan to arrive at least 15 minutes early.
At each of the five public stops, the format will be the same: a plenary session during which all five candidates will address the group, and then a series of smaller group gatherings in breakout rooms, through which the candidates will rotate. During the small group rotation, anyone and everyone can ask questions of the candidates to get to know them better. Through our questions and the hopes and concerns we share, our candidates will be learning about us too. How we engage in this process will determine how helpful the process will be for both the candidates and those in attendance.
Having a broad representation from around the diocese at the Walkabouts will enrich the process. We will be learning from each other as we listen to the sorts of things our brothers and sisters ask. Broad participation will also show the candidates who we are! With that in mind, we want to be sure to extend an invitation for youth and young adults to attend the Walkabouts. Young people tend to have an interesting perspective on the church and the future, and it's one the candidates, and we need to hear and engage in. While we won't have a separate session for youth and young adults, we will group them together (if they choose) at each site to facilitate a higher level of comfort for our younger participants. Please encourage your young adults to attend one of the sessions, and help them prepare for the event ahead of time.
At each of the Walkabout sessions, we will address norms and expectations for how we will facilitate the small group sessions but know that our overall goal will be to model beloved community. We will have group facilitators in each room who will work to create an atmosphere of mutual respect and trust, as we ensure that all voices are heard and honored. Please come ready to ask questions of our candidates and with open hearts as we share this experience with others who very well may think differently than we do. Those who may not be comfortable asking a question will have an opportunity to provide a question to a facilitator in writing as well. Those watching a session on Facebook Live will also be able to ask questions.
Please plan to join us for these special opportunities!
The Rev. Tom Purdy
Walkabout Coordinator
Transition Committee
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
This Sunday's Lections
EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY
after
PENTECOST
|
Track 1
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7
Psalm 66:1-11
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Luke 17:11-19
Track 2
2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c
Psalm 111
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Luke 17:11-19
|
|
|
|
|
Leaflets Help Get the Word on Walkabout Out!
Help get the word out on the Diocese of Georgia's search for the 11th Bishop with these leaflets designed to be used either as an insert for 5.5 by 8.5 inch bulletins or as individual flyers to keep on hand for distribution before and after services, at events and whenever two or three are gathered in your church.
The Search and Transition Committees encourage all to attend a session of the Walkabout, a handy schedule with locations is included in this handy PDF, as well as information and photos of the five candidates!
The leaflets have been updated this week to include news that childcare will be available at most of the stops on the Walkabout.
|
|
Childcare Offered at Walkabout Locations
Spread the word: free childcare will be offered at the following Walkabout locations: Christ Church St. Simons Island; St. Thomas's Isle of Hope; Good Shepherd Augusta; and Calvary Americus.
|
|
|
Good Shepherd and Saint Anna's Join for Feast Day
[Episcopal News Service] A California congregation named for one of The Episcopal Church's newest saints, St. Anna Alexander, celebrated its namesake at a Sunday worship service that included a visit from two members of the church that Alexander helped establish in Pennick, Georgia.
Dwala Nobles, 59, and Zora Nobles, 65, cousins and longtime members of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Pennick, brought with them century-old relics from Alexander's work at Good Shepherd Church and its school, including Alexander's Book of Common Prayer. On Oct. 6,
Saint Anna's Episcopal Church in Antioch, California, welcomed them as the congregation celebrated Alexander's legacy as the only black Episcopal deaconess.
"It was almost like coming home," Dwala Nobles told Episcopal News Service in a phone interview the day after the service. "We felt like we were home among family and friends."
Saint Anna's, the first Episcopal church to be named after an African American woman, was formed in March through the
merger of two former congregations, St. George's in Antioch and St. Alban's in Brentwood in the Diocese of California. Alexander had only a year earlier been confirmed as a saint in The Episcopal Church, when General Convention in July 2018 voted to add her and her feast day, Sept. 24, to the church's calendar of saints.
Deaconess Anna Ellison Butler Alexander was born in 1865 to recently freed slaves and died in 1947. She ministered in rural Georgia, focusing on the education of poor black children. Photo: Church of the Good Shepherd, Pennick
Alexander was born in 1865 and died in 1947, and she spent much of her adult life ministering to poor black residents of Glynn and McIntosh counties in rural Georgia, particularly through education. She became a deaconess in 1907 in an era before the church allowed women as priests or deacons. Among those she taught at Good Shepherd were Dwala Nobles' father and Zora Nobles' father.
Among the items they brought with them to California were Alexander's hymnal from 1878 and a Sunday school ledger from the early 20th century. Some of the materials include Alexander's handwritten notes on teaching methods.
"St. Anna was indeed the persistent force encouraging and urging her students to aim high," the Rev. Jennifer Nelson, a deacon in the Diocese of California, said in her sermon for the Oct. 6 service. Nelson is originally from Guyana and said Alexander reminded her of the caring teachers who encouraged her in her education.
"She had God's blessing as she continued to forge onward, blazing a path that gives us a window that now shows us the courage and tenacity she would need to overcome the bigotry and discrimination in her time."
During the service, Alexander's Book of Common Prayer and other relics were placed on the altar. The cousins from Alexander's Georgia church presented the congregation at Saint Anna's with a framed picture of Alexander that was propped against the altar. Saint Anna's reciprocated by giving Dwala Nobles and Zora Nobles a silver chalice that had been used by one of the two congregations that merged to form the new church.
St. Anna Alexander's relics, including her Book of Common Prayer and hymnal, are placed on the altar during a service Oct. 6 at Saint Anna's Episcopal Church. Photo: Kazuhiro "Kaz" Tsuruta
Alexander was "imbuing us with her spirit," the Rev. Jill Honodel, the congregation's long-term supply priest, told ENS. She described it as an emotional and joyous day, centered around highlighting the life and works of an Episcopal saint who is only beginning to receive the full recognition she deserves.
"It felt like together, from coast to coast, we are taking what has been hidden and invisible all these years and we have the privilege and the honor of revealing it," Honodel said.
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, who visited Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in January 2018, also addressed those gathered at Saint Anna's, through a brief video he recorded for the service. He alluded to a resource center established by Saint Anna's.
"I rejoice in the fact that you, Saint Anna's Episcopal Church, have focused on the needs of children and families in your community with a resource center for children and families," Curry said. "That indeed is God's work. That indeed is the work of Anna Alexander, deaconess of The Episcopal Church."
Honodel and other local leaders spent the following day showing their two visitors from Georgia around the San Francisco Bay Area, including a sightseeing stop at the Golden Gate Bridge. They were scheduled to return home with Alexander's relics on Oct. 8.
"It was just really critical that we come for this. We know this is just the beginning of the relationship," Dwala Nobles said.
David Paulsen is an editor and reporter for Episcopal News Service. He can be reached at
dpaulsen@episcopalchurch.org
. Reprinted with permission from Episcopal News Service.
|
|
Episcopal Church Young Adult Service Corps:
Applications Accepted for 2020-2021 Placements
 Applications are now available for 2020-2021 placements with the Young Adult Service Corps (YASC), the international missionary program of The Episcopal Church. YASC offers Episcopalians ages 21-30 the opportunity to follow the Way of Love into deeper relationship with God and the global Anglican Church while spending a year living and working with communities around the world. From Guatemala to Oman, the Philippines to England, El Salvador to South Africa, and dozens of countries in between, YASC volunteers are building relationships that transform their lives and their faith.
These young adults serve as teachers in church-run schools, work alongside development professionals who seek to empower their local communities, and participate in the daily life and ministry of churches and cathedrals around the Anglican Communion.
"We see this ministry as a way to support young adult leadership while also offering them opportunities to explore their faith in new ways. They truly cross boundaries, engage with diverse viewpoints, listen deeply, and live like Jesus in new ways and new places," said Elizabeth Boe, Episcopal Church mission personnel officer, and former YASC volunteer in Tanzania from 2008-2010. "As Presiding Bishop Curry shared with YASC and Episcopal Volunteers in Mission members earlier this year, 'relationships really are the key to everything.'"
Madeline Roberts, who recently finished her YASC year in the Diocese of Liverpool, said, "I chose to serve because I wanted a year to grow not only as a young woman, but to also grow in my faith. I knew that choosing a job that would require me to live in a completely different country, in a different corner of the world would be challenging, but after finishing university, I wanted to challenge myself. I was interested to see how the church can function not just as a place of worship, but also as a place of community, and a place of work."
Potential placements for 2020-2021 include (but are not limited to) Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Oman, Panama, the Philippines, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Tanzania. Additional information, as well as the application form and instructions, for a 2020-2021 placement is available here. The application deadline is Friday, January 10, 2020.
Lydia Pendleton reflects on her YASC year in the Episcopal Diocese of Puerto Rico, "YASC has given me the opportunity to continue God's work in the world, furthering the work of the church that has always been an important part of my life, expanding my own faith community and family. I will always be grateful for this experience YASC has given me to truly be a part of the Jesus Movement."
The Rev. David Copley, director of Global Partnerships and Mission Personnel, and a former missionary in Liberia and Bolivia, noted, "YASC offers young adults the opportunity to build on the foundation of faith, knowledge, education, and experience that they bring with them when they serve. Living with, working alongside, and being fully present in a community in another part of God's world creates space for personal transformation and deep relationship building. Missionary service is first and foremost an act of faith and a way of being Church."
For more information contact the Mission Personnel Officer, Elizabeth Boe, eboe@episcopalchurch.org.
Additional information about YASC, videos, and blogs are available at https://tinyurl.com/yxr8aqxu.
|
The 198th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia will be held at the Nessmith-Lane Building on the campus of Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, from 2 PM Thursday, November 14 through 11 AM Saturday, November 16th. This convention will serve as
an electing convention for the 11th Bishop of Georgia, while also conducting the usual business of the annual meeting including approving budgets and electing persons to diocesan offices.
Workshops
Presenters: Creation Care Commission, Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL), Botanic Garden at Georgia Southern University
Location: Botanic Garden at Georgia Southern University, 1503 Bland Avenue, Statesboro. The workshop will begin at 2 PM at the Heritage Pavilion and will be mostly outdoors. Arrive early to explore the gardens; admission is free!
One of the best ways to heal and restore God's creation is to plant trees. This hands-on workshop will explore how trees heal creation and teach successful tree planting and tending techniques. Experts from the Botanic Garden will demonstrate tree planting, and participants will go home with a tree to plant on church grounds or in their community. The workshop will conclude with a brief prayer service and refreshments. Sign up for
Planting Trees to Heal Creation
here.
Godly Play is one of several Montessori-based ways to approach Christian formation. Godly Play assumes as its starting point that children have their own spirituality, defined as "an initially natural capacity for the awareness of the sacred quality to life experiences" (Rebecca Nye, Children's Spirituality: What it is and Why it Matters. Church House Publishing, 2009, p. 6). The task of adults and children together, then is not to implant spirituality, but to enable that spirituality to grow and develop, in both children and adults, by learning to experience and use "classical, Christian language" (Berryman, Jerome, The Spiritual Guidance of Children. Morehouse Publishing, 2013, p. 1). Godly Play approaches this challenge through the medium of story, play, and wonder. Godly Play stories come from the Bible, from Christian history, and from our liturgical tradition.
In this workshop, participants will hear and reflect upon a Godly Play story together and as individuals. They will then have the opportunity to discuss both the theological underpinnings of Godly Play and some practical aspects of working with Godly Play in individual contexts. Come to hear a story, to listen for the Spirit, and to find out more about this particular approach to Christian Formation.
Canon Varner has been working with Godly Play since 2006, and has attended both Core and Advanced Trainings offered by the Godly Play foundation. He has experience with Godly Play in both large and small congregations, and has had success using Godly Play stories and methodology outside of congregational settings.
Sign up for Godly Play in the Congregation by going
here.
Opportunity to learn about the structure of the Board of the Corporation and current investments through Private Bank (formally USTrust). The session will include highlights on administrative components, sub fund accounting,and the Private Bank's investment practices.
Led by : Canon Katie Easterlin and Private Bank Representatives
Church Communications 101
Don't let the size of your congregation prevent you from getting the message out about your church!
Often it is a matter of figuring out your audience and the best way(s) to reach them. We'll briefly cover the basics of church communication, including social media, bulletins, websites, and media outreach and help determine which tools belong in your church's toolbox. It is hoped that participants will leave inspired and enthusiastic about this important ministry!
Led by: Director of Communications Anna Iredale
Run for Office
In addition to electing the 11th Bishop of Georgia, the 198th Convention of the Diocese of Georgia is charged with electing persons to serve on the Board of the Corporation, Diocesan Council (at large), Disciplinary Board, Sewanee Trustee, Standing Committee, and delegates and alternates to the 2021 General Convention of the Episcopal Church.
While nominations for all offices remain open, by the canons of the Diocese, until the floor of convention,
the deadline to be included in the official printed book was Tuesday, October 8.
Bios and photos will be available on the website after that date, but not in the book.
Liz Williams of All Saints Thomasville is the Nominations Chair and will oversee the nominations for the offices up for election other than diocesan bishop.
Nominations so far include:
For Board of the Corporation
Edward Field, St. Peter's Savannah
For the Disciplinary Board
The Rev. Dr. Donald Hands, St. Peter's Savannah
The Rev. Becky Rowell, Christ Church St. Simons
For Diocesan Council at Large, Lay Person, Priest or Deacon
The Rev. Ashton Williston, Christ Church, St. Simon's Island
For Sewanee Trustee, Lay Person
Ned Murray, Good Shepherd, Augusta
For General Convention Deputy, Lay Person
Cissy Bowden,Good Shepherd, Augusta
Dade Brantley, St. Mark's Brunswick
Katie Easterlin, Collegiate Church of St. Paul the Apostle Savannah
Jody Grant, Our Savior Martinez
Molly Stevenson, Christ Church Valdosta
Elizabeth Williams, St. Thomas Thomasville
For General Convention Deputy, Deacon or Priest
The Rev. Ted Clarkson,
St. Andrew's and St. Cyprian's Darien
The Rev. Tom Purdy,
Christ Church St. Simons
The Rev. Nicholas Roosevelt, St. Patrick's Albany
The Rev. David Rose,
St. Luke's Rincon
The Rev. Dee Shaffer,
St. Paul's Jesup
The Rev. Kelly Steele,
St. Peter's Savannah
The Rev. Cynthia Taylor, Holy Comforter Martinez
The Very Rev. William Willoughby III, Collegiate Church of St. Paul the Apostle Savannah
For Standing Committee, Priest
The Very Rev. Tar Drazdowski,
Christ Church Cordele
The Rev. David Lemburg, St. George's Savannah
The Rev. David Rose, St. Luke's Rincon
The Rev. Jim Said, St. Augustine's of Canterbury Augusta
The Rev. Kelly Steele
,
St. Peter's Savannah
For Standing Committee, Lay Person
Pat Leslie,
St. George's Savannah
Hughes Threlkeid,
Annunciation Vidalia
While nominations for all offices other than bishop remain open, by the canons of the Diocese, until the floor of convention, submitting a nomination as soon as possible will assist the Diocese in publicizing the nominees in advance of the meeting. Go
here
to read more about specific offices and to submit a nominee or nominator's form.
Early registration ended on August 15, the cost to register now is $85 until October 31 after which registration is $95. The registration fee covers the cost of audio-visual and print production; excellent coffee along with breakfast on Friday and Saturday morning; a catered lunch on Friday, and more. Go here to register:
The exhibit area is a popular destination for convention-goers each year. Are you planning to have an exhibit at the 198th Convention? Fill out this form and send it in to the Diocesan Offices before October 25th.
It's in the Details
Attendees are encouraged to car pool to GSU from hotels or area churches.
Creation Care Commission suggests you bring your own water bottle and mug. Put your name on it!
|
Blessing of the Animals Around the Diocese
|
|
|
The Very Rev. Billy Alford with pets and members of Church of the Atonement and St. Alban's, Augusta.
|
 |
|
|
The Rev. Terri Degenhardt blesses animals at St. Mary Magdalene, Louisville.
|
|
|
|
|
St. Anne's, Tifton offered treats to the blessed animals.
|
|
The Rev. Galen Mirate blessed animals on her first official Sunday at St. John and St. Mark's, Albany
|
|
|
The Rev. Reed Freeman blessed animals at St. Paul's, Albany.
|
|
Know Your Delegate Count for 198th Convention
From the Standing Committee
Regarding Delegates to the Diocesan Convention
and Election of the XI Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia:
T
his is a reminder that the new Article III, Sec. 2 of the Canons of the Diocese of Georgia will be in effect at the upcoming Convention and Bishop Election of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia on November 14-16, 2019. This Article states that the calculation of each congregation's READ MORE
|
|
Rooted in Jesus Conference
Attend the Rooted in Jesus Conference, January 21-24 in Atlanta, Georgia where a diverse group of presenters will speak on discipleship. This is a collaborative effort of the Episcopal Church Foundation, Missional Voices, Forma, Episcopal Evangelism Society, Forward Movement, Episcopal Preaching Foundation, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, Evangelism Matters, and The Episcopal Church.
Featured speakers include the Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; the Very Rev. Dr. Kelly Brown Douglas, Dean of Episcopal Divinity School at Union; the Rev. Dr. William Barber II, President, Repairers of the Breach; the Rt. Rev. Robert C. Wright, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, and Lisa Kimball, Ph.D., Virginia Theological Seminary Associate, Dean of Lifelong Learning and the James Maxwell Professor for Lifelong Christian Formation.
Tracks reflecting the various aspects of discipleship will be offered: formation, mission, stewardship, evangelism, preaching, leadership, and communications, or chart your own course from a long list of workshops, panels, and plenaries.
Group discounts are available! For more information, please visit:
rootedinjesus.church.
|
|
Diocesan Office Update and News
T
he Rt. Rev. Scott Anson Benhase,
10th Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia, will make his annual visitation to St. Thomas' Thomasville on Sunday, October 20th. To see the Bishop's complete visitation schedule, go here.
The Rev. Canon Frank Logue will preside and preach on Sunday at
The Rev. Canon Joshua Varner will be at the Walkabout sessions in Augusta, Savannah, and Valdosta to serve as an available resource to facilitate youth.
will
officiate at the Thursday, noon service this week at Saint Anna Alexander Chapel, Diocesan House.
|
|
Augusta Guild of Organists to Meet
The Augusta Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, a 25,000 member interdenominational national organization with chapters around the country, will meet at 7 pm on Monday 21 October 2019 at Advent Lutheran Church, 3232 Washington Road in Martinez. The event begins with dinner and will be followed by a presentation by Dr. Julie Neish, the new Director of Choral Activities and Assistant Professor of Music at Augusta University. Dr. Neish will speak on "Choral Techniques & Tips" with emphasis on church choir volunteers. Dinner is $15 per person and advance reservations should be made by notifying the Dean of the Augusta AGO Chapter, Keith Shafer, kshafer@saintpauls.org or 706.724.2485. This event is open to the community.
|
|
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
found here.
October 6-12
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Statesboro, Trinity. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Statesboro, especially St. Matthew's Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for The Annunciation (La Annunciación) in Santiago.
October 13-19
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Thomasville, All Saints, Good Shepherd, and St. Thomas and for their work at the Oak Street Episcopal Mission. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Thomasville, especially St. Augustine's Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for St. Luke (San Lucas) in Santiago.
Additional Prayer Cycles
|
|
Friendly Reminder
 Pics of people from the 197th Convention with their mugs and water bottles. This year the Creative Care Commission is again encouraging people to bring their own mugs and water bottles to the 198th Convention and help save the environment!
|
Events
Cursillo #126
October 17-20
Honey Creek
Go
here for more information.
Walkabout with Candidates for the XI Bishop
6 PM Tuesday, October 22: Good Shepherd, Augusta (child care available)
6 PM Wednesday, October 23: St. Thomas, Isle of Hope (with live Spanish interpretation and child care)
11 AM Thursday, October 24: Christ Church, Frederica
(child care available)
6 PM Thursday, October 24: Christ Church, Valdosta
6 PM Friday, October 25: Calvary, Americus
(child care available)
198th Convention of the Diocese of Georgia
November 14-16
Georgia Southern University
Diocesan Convention Youth Presence (for grades 6 to 12)
November 15 (all day) through November 16
Hosted by Trinity Church, Statesboro
Register
here.
Winter Youth Retreat
January 10-12, 2020
Honey Creek
For students in grades 6 to 12
Happening #103
Thursday, February 20 (for staff, participants arrive Friday) to Sunday, February 23, 2020
Honey Creek
For students in grades 10 to 12
Consecration of the XI Bishop, Diocese of Georgia
11 AM Saturday, May 30
Johnny Mercer Theater
Savannah, Georgia
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry Preaches in Forsyth Park
11 AM Sunday, May 31
The Bandshell, Forsyth Park
Savannah, Georgia
|
|
Like Us on Facebook
Follow Us on Instagram
The Diocese of Georgia posts photos from our churches as well as diocesan events at
Follow Us on Twitter
The Diocese of Georgia also shares news 140 characters at a time through
Twitter
@GA_Episcopal
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
The Diocese of Georgia also has a
YouTube Channel
where you can watch past videos and subscribe to get updates when new videos are posted.
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
