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Hospitality House Blessing Held
On Sunday afternoon, Bishop Benhase blessed Casa Colibrí, a new hospitality house in Ocilla that welcomes families and individuals impacted by immigrant detention. The house is a project of the South Georgia Immigrant Support Network (SGISN), a nonprofit organization based in Tifton. Deacon Leeann Culbreath (St. Barnabas, Valdosta) is the founding Co-Chair of SGISN and a house coordinator and host for Casa Colibrí.
Three years ago, Culbreath learned about the immigrant detention center, just 30 minutes from Tifton, and began exploring ways to serve the immigrants and asylum seekers detained there, awaiting immigration court hearings or deportation. "Approximately 600 men and 200 women are currently held indefinitely in prison-like conditions at Irwin, separated from families and support networks," she said.
She began visiting and writing letters to detained persons and invited friends to do the same.
In time, others in the community connected and developed informal visitation and pen pal programs. They noticed that many families visiting loved ones at Irwin traveled long distances for a stressful, expensive one-hour visit. Also, detained persons released from the facility often needed a place to rest and wait before traveling home.
They envisioned a safe, supportive haven for them-a place for rest, care, homemade meals, and comfort items. Grant funding and a house became available in April, and six weeks later Casa Colibrí was fully operational, furnished by donations from across the state, and they began receiving guests. Local Episcopalians participated in work days, collected donations, and filled the freezer with delicious food.
The house is now open every weekend from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, managed by local volunteers. During the week, volunteer legal professionals, interpreters, and visitors utilize the house as well. All services are offered free of charge.
 Weekend host teams are needed to train together and serve together
4-6 weekends per year. Ideally, each team will have at least one Spanish speaker. Other opportunities to serve include visitation, writing
to a pen pal, collecting needed donations and gift cards, and coordinating educational talks to raise awareness.
For more information on volunteer or donation needs, contact
[email protected]
or visit the Casa Colibrí Facebook page. Those wishing to schedule a stay at Casa Colibrí can call the toll-free hotline at 1-877-LIL-BIRD (1-877-545-247
3) for assistance in Spanish or English.
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This Sunday's Lections
14th Sunday
After Pentecost
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1 Kings 8:[1, 6, 10-11], 22-30, 41-43
Psalm 84 or 84:1-6
Ephesians 6:10-20
John 6:10-20
or
Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18
Psalm 34: 15-22
Ephesians 6:10-20
John 6: 56-69
Go
here for the full text.
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Creation Care Retreat Scheduled
 Join the Creation Care Commission for a weekend camping retreat at Reed Bingham State Park in Adel, between Tifton and Valdosta. The retreat will include outdoor fun (hiking, fishing, swimming, campfires, paddling), delicious camp meals, and worship in God's natural sanctuary.
Attendees will also participate in a service project to beautify the park on Saturday and learn about the Creation Care Commission's ministry in the diocese. Several adjacent tent campsites have been reserved for the group to share (limit two tents per site), and individuals may reserve their own RV or tent campsites. Cost will be $10-$30 per person total for shared sites, depending on participation, plus a $5 park fee per vehicle. Evening meals will be potluck with a main dish provided by the CCC, and a shared camp kitchen will be available. Hotels are nearby in Adel for those who prefer indoor "camping." Come for the day or the whole weekend to renew your spirit in the beauty of Creation and fellowship with others interested in Creation care ministry. Families are welcome but may need to reserve individual sites because of campsite limitations.
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Sign Up for Booths at Convention
 A highlight of the convention for attendees is visiting the various booths of information and wares. If you have information or creations to share with others at the 197th Convention of the Diocese of Georgia, November 8-10th, the application for booths can be found
here. Download, fill out and mail to Anna Iredale, Director of Communications at the Diocesan office.
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The Loose Canon
Discovering the Power of Words Worth Dying For
 I knew that painting would insinuate its way into my life. The colors were too garish, the captions too graphic for it not to do so. I sat under that painting time and again as I studied during three years of seminary, it was bound to work its way under my skin.
The painting was a fairly crudely done piece of artwork on the Martyrs of Uganda. You didn't have to study the canvas to determine the subject matter; it was printed out in large letters across the top, "Uganda Martyrs 1885-1887" flanked by an image of the outline of Uganda and a cross. Beneath that headline, there is a central painting of a group 19 people being burned alive for their faith. Surrounding that group of martyrs are two other panels of slightly smaller size and then eight smaller scenes each showing martyrs being killed in various ways, with descriptions too graphic for a family newspaper. The painting is impossible to ignore and hard to forget.
My first year in seminary, I took Hebrew. I joined a study group and we grabbed a table in the back of the student lounge for the hour before class. We used the time to quiz one another on vocabulary and grammar. The painting was right over us as we worked.
I could never nail down the origin story for the artwork, but I found out that a student from Africa, probably Uganda, had painted it while studying at the seminary. Learning about the Ugandan Christians was straightforward. I discovered that a handful of Roman Catholic and Anglican missionaries went to Uganda sometime shortly after 1877. These missionaries preached the good news of Jesus to the court of King Mutesa, who was curious about the faith.
Mutesa's successor King Mwanga was suspicious of this strange teaching. Mwanga discovered an Anglican Bishop whose missionary work had penetrated to the Ugandan shores of Lake Victoria. Mwanga had Bishop Hannington's group tortured for a week and then put to death on October 29, 1885. The Bishop's last words were, "Go, tell Mwanga I have purchased the road to Uganda with my blood."
Mwanga found the Christians within his own court to be even more disturbing. The converts to Christianity placed their primary loyalty in Jesus Christ rather than in Mwanga as their king. Then on June 3, 1886, Mwanga forced 32 young men of his own court to renounce their faith in Christ or die. On the day the sentence was to be carried out, the young men walked to the place of execution singing hymns and praying for those who killed them. Those who looked on were inspired to seek out the remaining Christians for instruction in the faith. The number of conversions rapidly increased. Uganda became the most Christian nation in Africa.
In my second year of seminary, I studied Greek under the painting.
Sometime during that third and final year of seminary, the meaning of it all sank in. Deep within my bones I became aware of why I needed that painting watching over me as I deciphered ancient texts. These were not just any words I struggled to learn to translate. These were the ancient words of our Old and New Testaments. I was not giving myself a headache to understand some dusty old academic text. I was working to gain a deeper understanding of the living, life-breathing word of God.
In case I was ever tempted to think of my work as solely academic, with no on-going message of life and hope for the world, the Martyrs of Uganda were there to watch over me. My African brothers and sisters in the faith kept me focused on the cost that had been paid to share these words with the world.
I continue to study the very life-giving word that caused a group of pages for a Ugandan king to go to their deaths joyfully singing songs of praise to God. I remain humbled and challenged by their witness.
Peace,
The Rev. Frank Logue,
Canon to the Ordinary
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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.
August 19-25
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Savannah, especially Christ Church, the Mother Church of Georgia. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Savannah, especially the Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and Ascension Lutheran Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the Church of St. Paul and St. Luke (
San Pablo y San Lucas) in San Isidro.
August 26-September 1
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Savannah, especially St. Francis of the Islands and St. John's. We also pray for our ecumenical partners, especially the Lutheran congregations of Redeemer and St. Luke's. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in San Francisco de Macorís, especially The Good Shepherd (
El Buen Pastor).
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Diocesan Office Update and News
Bishop Scott Anson Benhase will officiate at the ordination of the Rev. Dr. Bunny Simon Williams to the priesthood on Saturday, August 25th at Church of the Good Shepherd, Augusta. The Bishop will make his annual visitation to Trinity, Harlem at 9 AM Sunday, August 26. The bishop's
full schedule is available
The Rev. Melanie Lemburg, Rector of St. Thomas' Isle of Hope
,
will officiate at the Thursday noon service at Diocesan House.
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Share your news in From the Field
Send your news, events and photos to
so we can feature them in upcoming issues of From the Field. Deadline for submissions each week is Monday at 4:30 PM.
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Tomorrow we open the doors to the new Diocesan House and welcome all to join us for an Open House and House Blessing. The Blessing will be held at approximately 4:30 but join us at any time between 4 and 6 PM. Limited parking is available on the street, so we recommend that attendees park at the Collegiate Church of St. Paul the Apostle, 1802 Abercorn Street. For information call 912-236-44279.
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Reserve Time at Saluda Clergy Cottage Today!
To reserve time, please fill out and email/mail the reservation form found
here.
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September 14-15
St. Luke's, Hawkinsville
Happening #101
September 14-16
Honey Creek
Grades 10-12
For information, go
here.
Project Resource Training with the Bishop
Southeast Convocation
Holy Nativity, St. Simons Island
September 22
9:30 AM to noon
Fall Clergy Conference
September 24-26
Honey Creek
Conflict Management
October 1-5
Honey Creek
Commission on Ministry and Standing Committee
October 5-6
St. Michael and All Angels', Savannah
Cursillo 125
October 11-14
Honey Creek Retreat Center
Contact Rita Spalding, 912-270-2725, for more information.
Project Resource Training with the Bishop
Albany Convocation
Christ Church, Cordele
Saturday, October 27
9:30 AM to noon
To register, go here:
http://bit.ly/AlbanyProjectResourceWorkshop2018
Project Resource Training with the Bishop
Augusta Convocation
St. Augustine's of Augusta
November 3
9:30 AM to noon
To register, go here:
197th Convention of the Diocese of Georgia
November 8-10
Albany, Georgia
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Ahhhhhhh!
Some of the fun at Christ Church Valdosta's Welcome Back Sunday.
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