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EYCS Awards Scholarships to 48 Students
The Episcopal Youth and Children's Services (EYCS) has awarded $84,300 in scholarships to 48 students from the Diocese of Georgia for the academic year 2018-2019. For a list of the students who received awards, their schools and their attendant parishes, please go
here
.
In addition, the EYCS made a contribution of $11,000 to Honey Creek to provide scholarships for campers.
The EYCS will begin accepting applications for 2019-2020 scholarships after January 1, 2019. The form and more information will be published in
From the Field
closer to that date.
EYCS Board members include: Sherry Holtzclaw, St. John's Savannah, Chair; Sally Minis, St. Thomas Isle of Hope, Treasurer; Cam Mathis, St. George's Savannah, Scholarship; Patricia Glover, St. Patrick's Pooler, Publicity; Carol Woodcroft, St. Francis Savannah; Beth Johnson, St. Francis Savannah; Pam Smith, St. Thomas Savannah; Anne Salley, St. Michael's and All Angels Savannah; Sarah Jones, Christ Church Savannah; George Anne Inglis, All Saints Tybee; Claudia Griffis, St. George's Savannah; Marie Centgraf, St. Michael's and All Angels; Lisa Priest, St. Peter's Savannah, and Cathy Baxter.
Congratulations to all of the students and many thanks to the Board!
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This Sunday's Lections
17th Sunday
After Pentecost
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Proverbs 1: 20-33
Psalm 19
James 3:1-12
Mark 8:27-38
OR
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 116:1-8
James 3:1-12
Mark 8:27-38
Go
here for the full text.
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Christ Church Celebrates 10 years with Rector & Choirmaster
Last Sunday, Christ Church celebrated the 10th anniversary of its rector, the Rev. Michael White, and choirmaster, Timothy Hall.
"My family and I have been blessed beyond measure," said White. "I remember the day so vividly when Bishop Louttit called me about this opportunity. I met with the bishop and vestry soon thereafter and witnessed God's hand working with this faithful community."
Almost immediately after White's arrival, Timothy Hall became the church's choirmaster. "Tim is one of the most gifted musicians with whom I have had the privilege of working. He is a deeply spiritual person who understands the orchestration of our liturgy. He also organizes our annual 'Carols for a Cause' concert for Emmaus House and does so much more for the community."
Since their arrival, Christ Church has grown to be one of the largest churches in the Diocese of Georgia and has recently completed a restoration of the church's interior including its iconic 115 year old Ascension Window.
As part of the celebration at the Charles H. Morris Center, the congregation presented White and Hall with letters of appreciation from the Most Rev. Michael Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church.
 Everyone also enjoyed specially commissioned cookies from Byrd Cookie Company (owned by fellow Episcopalian Stephanie Lindley), listened to the choir's serenades and watched a video (which included a cameo appearance by Bishop Benhase) produced by church members Bertice Berry and her daughter Fatima. At the conclusion of the event, the congregation gave Fr. White and Tim a standing ovation and chanted, "10 more years! 10 more years!"
Bishop Benhase will make his annual visitation to Christ Church on October 7. During the 10:30 a.m. service, he will confirm a number of youth and formally receive others into the fellowship of the Church.
Christ Church is the Mother Church of Georgia and was founded in 1733. Michael White is the Church's 41st rector. Previous rectors include John Wesley, George Whitefield, Bishop Stephen Elliott and F. Bland Tucker.
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Administrator's Corner
Hurricane Preparedness is the Key
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CBS image of Hurricane Florence |
While Hurricane Florence looks to leave Georgia out of its path, the Diocese is still tracking its trajectory. With the lessons of Hurricanes Matthew and Irma behind us, the Diocese strongly encourages each of our congregations to review the Disaster Preparedness Plans they have in place. It is particularly important to determine how each of our congregations would stay connected with the most vulnerable people in our communities should a hurricane occur.
The Diocese will once again use the AlertMedia system to remain in touch with parish leaders. Clergy should always keep the Diocese up to date on email and phone numbers. If you haven't completed the form for Wardens and Vestry please do so now as it will permit us to add the Junior and Senior Warden to the contacts for that system.
In addition to the suggestions below, the Church Pension Group has compiled a Hurricane Preparedness checklist that can be found
In the event of a hurricane, here are some high-level recommendations for congregations:
- Secure important records high off the ground in dry and fireproof locations
- Structure a call list through vestry members
- Back up IT and files on the cloud or in safe locations
- Move as many valuables off ground levels as is possible
- Secure all doors, windows, and entryways to minimize wind damage
- Identify insurance POCs to make calls post storm for claims adjustors
For more detailed resources on Disaster Preparedness for your congregation please visit our website
here.
Here are the recommendations for those in the path of a storm. Please review and see if any can be taken care of now, while not in the path of the storm, for example, video-taping and photographing church property and contents.
- Monitor evacuation announcements and establish plans to evacuate as necessary. Many counties and organization have apps to send push notifications to your phone- consider downloading them
- Communicate your evacuation plans with another individual
- Secure and travel with all important documents (i.e. health records, social security card, passport and other critical files)
- Video and photograph the contents of property and rooms in your dwelling
- Back up IT equipment and travel with small and manageable valuables
- Travel with food, water, medication, and back up chargers for your phones
- If evacuations are not called, secure 3-4 days' worth of food that does not require cooking and water. Ensure you have an emergency hand-crank or battery operated radio to hear updates and announcements in the event of loss of power
- Review Ready.gov for more best tips on disaster preparedness https://www.ready.gov
Online Resources
In the event of a hurricane, the Diocese will provide communications and updates through social media and on our Diocesan website at www.gaepiscopal.org
The Disaster Prepardness manual can be located at the bottom of our resource library page,
here.
Diocesan Disaster Preparedness Coordinator
The Rev. Charles Todd,
frcharles@stpaulsavannah.org, our Diocesan Disaster Preparedness Coordinator, is ready to assist you with any questions you may have.
Katie Willoughby
Canon for Administration
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The Community of St. Joseph is an Episcopal congregation that worships each Sunday in a field alongside one of Savannah's homeless camps.
Help the Community of St. Joseph During the Storm
Hurricane season is upon us and with Florence bearing down on the East Coast, all of our collective memories harken back to the recent storms that have caused a lot of damage in our Diocese. There are no people in our communities affected more than our friends who live outside. The Community of St. Joseph in Savannah, the Diocese's ministry with homeless persons in Savannah, is prepping for the potential threat of Florence and the storms that will likely threaten later in the season. "For our friends in camps around Savannah," says Kevin Veitinger, Missioner with the Community of St. Joseph, "any strength of tropical system can create dire circumstances. Wind speeds and storm surge levels that might not be a problem for those of us living safely in homes, can be catastrophic for people living in tents."
The last two hurricanes season saw significant loss of property for some of those served by Community of St. Joseph. Even with the storm likely to only graze the Hostess City, Veitinger expects there to be significant need post storm. "I do not expect the storm to hit us directly, but I do expect the wind to be strong enough and the flooding high enough that we will be getting requests to replace everything from tents, to bedding/sleeping bags, to clothing, and so on."
To give, send a check made payable to the Diocese of Georgia with "Community of St. Joseph" on the memo line or click this link and choose Bishop's Fund to give online.
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Learning with the Diocese of Central Gulf Coast
Bishop Benhase, the Revs. Tar Drazdowski, Denise Ronn, Walter Hobgood, and Ms. Carey Wooten drill down on the data during Tuesday's training on DataStory demographics. Canon Logue also attended the training.
 On Tuesday, a six-person team from the Diocese of Georgia joined a team from the Diocese of Central Gulf Coast for an initial round of training in using DataStory demographic data led by the Rev. Ken Howard. The Church Development Institute will use this robust demographic tool as part of its work with congregation teams. Additionally, the Bishop and Canon Logue are looking at how this data can assist congregations in their ongoing engagement with Invite-Welcome-Connect. Both the training and the license for DataStory are supported by a $10,500 grant the two dioceses received from Province IV of the Episcopal Church. St. John's Episcopal Church in Tallahassee, Florida, graciously hosted the group, offering a central meeting point for both teams.
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Around the Diocese
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Clean up Day at St. Luke's Rincon
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All Parish Breakfast at St. Peter's Savannah
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The Savannah convocation of churches held a Convo for youth this past Monday. The next Convo will be held at St. Matthew's Savannah October 7th, 6-7:30 PM.
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After a retreat weekend held at All Saints Tybee Island, members of the RISE (Revolutionary and Inspiring Singing Experience) Chorale sang for the congregation on Sunday and held a concert at the church Sunday afternoon.
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Bishop's Visitation
Clay Anderson (second from left) was received into the Episcopal Church during Bishop Benhase' annual visitation to Trinity, Harlem. Gathered after the service are the Rev. Ray Whiting (left) Priest-in-Charge at Trinity, Anderson, his children Alice and Haley, his wife Robyn, and Bishop Benhase.
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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.
September 9-15
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Savannah, especially St. Thomas Isle of Hope and St. Matthew's. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Savannah, especially Holy Spirit Lutheran Church and St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Sanchez especially Christ the King (
Cristo Rey) and St. Simon the Apostle (
San Simón Apóstol).
September 16-22
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Savannah, especially St. Peter's. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Savannah, especially Messiah Lutheran Church and St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for Holy Cross (
Santa Cruz) in Santa Fe.
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Diocesan Office Update and News
Bishop Scott Anson Benhase, the Rev. Canon Frank Logue, the Rev. Canon Joshua Varner, Canon Katie Willoughby and
Director of Communications Anna Iredale will attend Diocesan Council meeting this Friday and Saturday at St. Luke's Hawkinsville.
Bishop Benhase will make his annual visitation to St. Luke's Hawkinsville at 10 AM Sunday, September 16. The bishop's
full schedule is available
The Rev. Joshua Varner, Canon for Children and Youth, will be attending Happening #101 at Honey Creek this weekend.
The Rev. Canon Frank Logue will officiate and preach at St. Patrick's Pooler this Sunday.
The Rev. Guillermo Arboleda, Priest-in-Charge at St. Matthew's Savannah, will officiate at the noon, Thursday 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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Reserve Time at Saluda Clergy Cottage Today!
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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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@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.
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