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A Place to Call Home
The Rev. Jamie Maury and church musician, Ben Austin, flank the new housemates in photo after bringing some additional items over to the home.
The Rev. Jamie Maury, Priest-in-Charge for the Community of St. Joseph at the newly purchased home for members of the community in Savannah. "
This Church home of The Community of St Joseph is now open and three men who have been sleeping on the streets of Savannah, are now living together in community without the use of alcohol and/or other drugs," said Maury. "It is handsomely furnished with donated furniture, pots and pans, food, etc from the loving people of the Episcopal Church Convocation of Savannah plus several other loving people. The home is located less than a mile from where we worship every Sunday at 8 AM off of Louisville Road at Pritchard Streets down along the canal." Praise be to God!
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This Sunday's Lections
Palm Sunday
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Liturgy of the Palms
Mark 11:1-11
or
John 12:12-16
Psalm 118:1-2,19-29
Liturgy of the Word
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 14:1-15;47
or Mark 15:1-39 [40-47]
Psalm 31:9-16
Go
here for the full text.
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Swords New Summer Camp Director
 Elizabeth Swords of Savannah has been named the new Summer Camp Director at Honey Creek Retreat Center. A Savannah native, she attends worship at St. Michael and All Angels Savannah and first served on the summer camp staff in 2015. Swords graduated from Armstrong State University in 2017. She succeeds Thomas Greneker who will be attending Augusta University School of Dentistry.
Swords said "Honey Creek summer camp is an experience like no other. In my opinion it is the best place on Earth. Each year camp is a bit different but the feeling of community, love, and God's presence never changes. I have seen and felt God all over campus, from the Frisbee games to the dining hall conversations to worshiping in the chapel and singing Honey Creek music. I never expected to love a job or place as much as I love Honey Creek, but with everything that happens during summer camp how can I not?"
The Rev. Canon Joshua Varner said, "Liz has done amazing work as a camp counselor in the past and we're excited that she will serve as Director this summer! She brings a strong sense of call to the position and her attention to detail, her care for the campers' welfare, and the depth of her spiritual vision for camp will make this summer truly transformative."
Dade Brantley, Executive Director of Honey Creek said "It's been a joy to have Elizabeth on our team. Serving as a summer camp counselor is tough, and not for everyone. Elizabeth was born for it! She works great with a team...a natural leader. Plus, the campers just love her. It really is going to be a great summer."
To register for camp go to honeycreek.org/camps.
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Bishop's Visitations
Bishop Benhase made his annual visitation to Grace Sandersville. Here he is with, bottom row, from left: the Rt. Rev. Dwight Irons and Suzanne Irons and Eloise Davis who was received into the church, and acolyte Juniah Walls. Back row: the Rev. Carlton Shuford, the Bishop and Deacon Steve Darby.
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Register for ECW/DoK Retreat
Go Share the Spirit
, the Episcopal Church Women/Daughters of the King of the Diocese of Georgia 2018 retreat which will be held at St. Patrick's Church, Albany April 27-28. The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Kelly Steele of the Church of the Epiphany, Savannah.
Members who register and pay in full by March 31 will be entered into a drawing for a prize with a $200 retail value. The last day to register is Friday, April 20th.
For information on accomodations, go here.
To register and pay online by going
here.
To download the registration form and pay by mail, go
here.
To download the event schedule, go
here.
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Cost for Toil 'n Sweat Goes Up on April 1st
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| Hurry and register before April 1st! |
All youth in grades six through 12 are encouraged to come to Honey Creek April 13-15 for a youth weekend focused on caring for this place that is so special to so many of us.
We will gather Friday night and spend time playing and singing together. Then on Saturday we will take on different tasks to help care for the Creek! Those tasks, which will be organized by the Honey Creek staff, will be led by adults and older youth, and may include items such as clearing sticks from paths, raking, cleaning the outside of buildings, painting, and other things that the Honey Creek staff request! "Humorous name aside, there will be work available for all skill levels and physical abilities," said the Rev. Canon Joshua Varner, Canon for Children and Youth. "After work, we will take time to reflect on the experience, to worship together, and, as always, to try to bring the experience back into our lives outside the Creek!"
Early registration is strongly encouraged as after April 1, the cost goes up from $115 to $125. Go
here to do so. The Diocesan policy is that cost should never be a reason for not participating in youth events. Please contact the Rev. Joshua Varner at
jvarner@gaepiscopal.org with questions about both scholarship and either the event itself.
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Around the Diocese
St. Matthew's, Fitzgerald with their booth at the Wild Chicken Festival held March 17. Ann Jordan, Lydia Martin and the Rev. Hallock Martin, Priest-in-Charge at the church booth selling homemade/handmade items, from Lydia's fused glass to crocheted items, Father Martin's Now Famous Sugar Cookies and magic wands; marble cutting boards etc. Part of their mission was to advertise St. Matthew's Taize' service on Thursday, March 22.
Parishioners from Holy Nativity St. Simons Island's with the more than 50 lunches they've packed in a new ministry led by the parish's new deacon, the Rev. Dcn. R.V. Cate. They work alongside other local churches in the community to feed the homeless population that gather each day at a local shelter, The Well.
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Lent Madness
Three More Chances to Support Deaconess Alexander
A week from today, on Wednesday in Holy Week, a vote will determine the Golden Halo winner for Lent Madness.
The next match-up for Deaconess Alexander in Lent Madness will be Friday, March 23rd. If she prevails over Save the Children founder Eglantyne Jebb in that vote, she will face the winner of today's match up between the lesser known Phocas the Gardener and Anglican theologian Richard Hooker on Monday or Tuesday in Holy Week. If she wins each of those match ups, she will face Esther, Martin de Porres, or Maria Skobstova in the final round a week from today.
 Do you feel inspired to join Team Deaconess? Not just to vote but to share some energy and creativity on social media, much as the students from the Episcopal Day School did in videos shared last week. Record a poem, or a cheer, perhaps gather your congregation to shout "Go Deaconess!" and share it on social media. Let us know about it too:
newsandevents@gaepiscopal.org. Use the hashtags #Team Deaconess and #LentMadness and we will share it too!
To learn more about Lent Madness in general, go to
LentMadness.org
and sign up for the daily email, or visit the website or Facebook page, daily in Lent.
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The Loose Canon
Evangelism isn't about growing churches. Why not?
"We are truly in the End Times," the man said laughing as he opened his front door to find me standing there in my black clergy shirt and white collar. I was out knocking on doors in Kingsland some years ago as I often did in Lent and Advent, when the man who answered explained that he was a Church of God pastor, and if the world has come to the point that an Episcopal priest is knocking on his door, Jesus must be coming back any moment. I wonder what that pastor would have thought of the Evangelism Matters Conference the Episcopal Church held last week which brought together more than 400 attendees from more than 80 dioceses across our church. Together with Betsey Bell a member of the host church St. Paul's in Cleveland Heights, I co-convened the Planning Team for the conference.
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Presiding Bishop Curry at Evangelism Matters |
One of the recurring themes in presentations and in the sermon by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry was evangelism is not about growing the church. Some in attendance and others engaging on social media found this idea troubling. "What's wrong with growing the church?" they asked. "Won't our churches die if they don't grow?"
Getting the right order and motivation are central to how we go about this effort. If we make evangelism about the church, we will lose both the church and the life transformation we long for others to experience. I agree that I want to see our churches thriving and new parishioners are wonderful. Yet, the principal undergirding the emphasis of presenters, including myself, that this is not about growing the church. If we share the Good News of Jesus
for the purpose of growing our churches, that motivation changes everything in a negative way. Then we have a measure of success or, heaven forbid failure, as we measure the body count, how many people did we gain in worship. That goal changes how we go about sharing our faith.
Evangelism is about being transformed by Jesus and we trust that when that happens, those faithful followers will transform our churches. So if we focus solely on faithfully sharing our faith when the Holy Spirit gives us opportunity, usually with those we already know well, then faithfulness is the goal, not a given outcome. This acknowledges that bringing someone to faith is God's job, not yours and mine. This is the work of the Holy Spirit.
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Canon Logue presents the closing with Sandra Montes |
And we need to make room for the person who needs changing is me and you. Evangelism begins with listening. Listening is essential. We start with the other person and their needs, move to really listening, and then continue with being changed by what matters to the person we are encountering. That is a way of sharing the liberating joy of Jesus that when it speaks, speaks very differently from evangelism that is about growing the church, the institution. Evangelism culminates in telling Good News and that will be different each time it is shared for both the bearer and the hearer of the Good News will need to hear about Jesus Christ in a unique way.
Want to find out more? The Presiding Bishop's Sermon and 22 other presentations are available online at www.evangelismmatters.org. I will share here a short video with highlights of Bishop Curry's sermon.
Peace,
Frank
The Rev. Canon 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.
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Cordele, Christ Church and for our ecumenical partners in Cordele, especially St. Theresa Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Consuelo, the Grand Commission (La Gran Comisión) and St. Gabriel (San Gabriel).
March 25-31
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Dawson, the Church of the Holy Spirit. We pray for our ecumenical partners, especially St. John Vianney Catholic Church in Camilla, and St. Christopher Catholic Church in Claxton. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for Holy Spirit the Comforter (Espíritu Consolador) in Dajabon.
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Diocesan Office Update and News
Bishop Scott Anson Benhase will attend the Commission on Ministry and Standing Committee meetings at Grace, Waycross March 23-24. He will make his annual visitation to Grace Waycross on Palm Sunday. The bishop will also officiate at the Chrism Masses on March 26th at Christ Church, Valdosta and March 27th at Trinity Statesboro. His full schedule is available
The Rev. Canon Frank Logue will meet with the Commission on Ministry and Standing Committee this Friday and Saturday in Waycross. He is serving this Lent, Holy Week, and Easter at St. George's Savannah. On Monday, he will preach for an ecumenical Holy Week service at White Bluff United Methodist Church in Savannah on behalf of St. George's.
The Rev. Melanie Lemburg, Rector of St. Thomas' Isle of Hope, will officiate at the noon Thursday service in St. George's Chapel 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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Commission on Ministry and Standing Committee
March 23-24
Grace, Waycross
Chrism Masses
Holy Monday, March 26
11 AM
Christ Church Valdosta
Light lunch to follow
.
The event is at no charge, but we need you to RSVP using the following links so that we will have the right number of lunches, including the correct count on those who need a vegetarian option.
Register
Holy Tuesday, March 27
Trinity Statesboro
Light lunch to follow.
The event is at no charge, but we need you to RSVP using the following links so that we will have the right number of lunches, including the correct count on those who need a vegetarian option.
Toil 'N Sweat Work Weekend for youth in grades 6-12
April 13-15
Honey Creek Retreat Center
Hometown Missions
June 1-3
Augusta, Georgia
For more information go
here.
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A New Leash on Life
The Rev. Cynthia Taylor, Rector of Holy Comforter Martinez blesses Chauncey Cox, the leader dog for Mike Cox who will be retiring as Mike gets a new dog. "We will miss seeing him on Sunday," said Taylor,"but to help Chauncey celebrate we gave him a Kong toy and some treats. Mike will be getting a new leader dog this week while Chauncey will stay on with him and enjoy living a dog's life."
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