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October 21, 2020
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Volume 10, No. 59
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Thriving in the Vine: Convention 2020 Deadline TODAY
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Click to see a very short video to get you hyped for the 199th Convention of the Diocese of Georgia!
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Have you registered for Thriving in the Vine: Convention 2020? Today is the last day to register!
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Send us a picture of a saint or two you have known
 On November 2, the Diocese of Georgia will mark All Souls' Day with a service of Evening Prayer. All Souls' is an extension of All Saints' Day. While All Saints' is to remember all the saints, popular piety felt the need to distinguish between outstanding saints and those who are unknown in the wider fellowship of the church, especially family members and friends. All Souls' Day then is when we remember, for example, a beloved grandparent or a teacher or mentor who has died.
Send a digital photo to our Communications Manager Liz Williams (lwilliams@gaepiscopal.org) and we will print the file and place it on the altar. We want to include the faithful departed of the Diocese and those dear to our parishioners in this liturgy.
Photos are due by Wednesday, October 28.
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Do Virtual Meetings Count?
Some parishes around the Diocese have begun thinking about their upcoming annual meetings and vestry elections. The Canons of the Diocese require that we hold vestry elections, but how can we do this in an ongoing pandemic? Because the Canons of the Diocese do not prescribe a particular procedure for elections (just that they happen before January 31 each year), a vestry resolution calling for a virtual meeting and election would be appropriate, unless the bylaws of the parish dictate otherwise. Of course, any such resolution should take care not to disenfranchise any particular segment of the congregation, such as the elderly or at-risk persons who might otherwise be present to participate and vote at a meeting.
Parishes might also consider a plan for early voting some days or weeks in advance of the scheduled annual meeting. Vestries should consider their particular context and congregation when adopting a plan to move forward with vestry elections in a non-traditional manner. The Chancellor of the Diocese, The Rev. Jim Elliott, has indicated his willingness to consult with clergy and/or wardens regarding these important issues. He may be reached at jelliott@ebbglaw.com.
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Happening Virtual Reunion Group
 When: Monday, November 16 & Tuesday, November 17 in the evenings on Zoom. Who: For All Happeners from any time! How: Register now at http://bit.ly/GAHappening Happening, for youth in grades 10-12, is one of the Diocese of Georgia's most successful and long-running youth programs. Many adults in this Diocese and beyond its borders have been deeply impacted by their experiences of Happening weekends. Often groups of youth from the same area have formed Reunion Groups for renewal, to touch base, and to support future weekends. As with all other Diocesan youth programs this fall, Happening has had to pause in-person gatherings. While we are sad that Happening #104 will not take place in November, several of the staff of Happening #104 are coming together to offer an online Happening Reunion experience instead! The virtue of being online, in this case, is that all Happeners (i.e. - those who have attended a Happening as a Candidate), regardless of their age or physical location, are able to join! While there is no cost for the Happening Reunion, registration is required. This lets the staff know approximately how many participants to expect and what ages. If you register before November 1, you can order a special Happening "The Best is Yet to Come!" T-Shirt at a reduced cost! |
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A Season of Prayer Begins Next Week
 The 9 days of prayer start in just one week! All resources are now available, including PDFs of the prayers and images suited for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Feel free to share the images on your own page or that of your church. We are glad and grateful that you will be joining us in prayer as we lead up to the US election.
The PDF for the prayers can be found here. Additional resources can be found here.
Forward Movement and The Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations are calling Episcopalians and all others to join in A Season of Prayer: For an Election.
Join us October 27-November 4. Sign up for email updates below.
We come together, asking God for courage and wisdom, thanking God for love and joy. As we move toward the election of leaders for the United States, may we all join in a season of prayer, committing to offer to God our fears and frustrations, our hopes and dreams.
A novena is an ancient tradition of nine days of devotional prayers, often with a specific intention. In this case, we pray for discernment in voting and for the well-being of our nation.
Starting October 27 and continuing through the day after the election, we invite you to pray for the election of leaders in the United States. Materials are available below in English and Spanish for use at home or to share with you congregation. These prayers, drawn from The Book of Common Prayer, can be printed out and tucked in a Bible or prayer journal.
The prayers will also be posted daily on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, #seasonofprayer. You will soon be able to download the images to share on your own social media accounts.
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St. Thomas, Isle of Hope Offers Sacred Ground Curriculum
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|  | | Sacred Ground group meeting via Zoom | |
Earlier this month, St. Thomas Savannah began an official partnership with Isle of Hope United Methodist Church as the two churches joined together across ecumenical lines to begin talking about racism. The churches are offering the Sacred Ground Curriculum from The Episcopal Church to church members via Zoom on Wednesday nights for 6 weeks. Trained facilitators from both churches are working together with participants in small groups, and the clergy of both churches are offering opening reflections on scripture. The Rev. Aimee Baxter, who is a United Methodist Deacon serving on staff at St. Thomas said of the program, "Sacred Ground has provided us a way to come together as faith communities to educate, encourage, and equip our people to listen to the stories of others while sharing their own. I cannot think of a better way to bring multiple churches together than in conversation around how to better love our neighbor."
If you would like more information about Sacred Ground and how St. Thomas is using it, contact the Rev. Aimee Baxter at revaimee@stthomasioh.org.
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Nominations for Diocesan Convention
The following have been nominated and are up for election at Diocesan Convention. Full biographies and photos will be in tomorrow's Thriving in the Vine newsletter.
If you have been nominated, fill out your information here.
Board of Officers of the Corporation (1 lay person)
Becky Cheatham
Church Disciplinary Board (1 clergy & 2 lay persons)
Lay:
Bill Bruce
Phillip Davies
Clergy:
The Rev. David Lemburg
Diocesan Council ( 1 lay person or clergy)
Lay:
Sarah Eubanks
Peggy Hamlin
Lee Kinnamon
Ted Wright
Standing Committee (1 layperson & 1 priest)
Lay:
Dave Cranford
John Michael Rowe
Clergy:
The Rev. Leslie Dellenbarger
The Rev. David Lemburg
The Rev. David Rose
Trustee of the University of the South (1 priest)
The Rev. Tom Purdy
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Diocesan Online Godly Play this Sunday
Godly Play is a Montessori-based curriculum that focuses on telling stories using physical materials and allowing participants to play and work with the stories at their own level.
 This coming Sunday, October 25, Canon Joshua Varner will tell the story of The 10 Best Ways from Godly Play. This story will be shared on Sunday on the Diocesan Facebook Page .These sessions are appropriate for young people of all ages, and many adults find that the Godly Play method allows them to think about stories they have known for a long time in new and different ways.
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Disc Golf Fundraiser for Honey Creek
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Saturday was a popular day to get outside and show church grounds some love! Workdays were held at King of Peace, Kingsland (left) and Church of Our Savior, Martinez (right).
St. Anne's, Tifton spent the morning cleaning up along a local highway and found their biggest piece of litter yet - a car bumper!
Members of both the two and four-legged variety were ready for the outdoor pet blessing at Church of Our Savior, Martinez.
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Worship with the Diocese of Georgia in Augusta on Sunday
This Sunday, we will stream Morning Prayer at 10 a.m. from St. Paul's, Augusta with Bishop Logue officiating and preaching Morning Prayer.
Find Livestream Worship
There are a lot of options each day for Episcopalians in the Diocese of Georgia to worship online and now they are listed in one place. The Livestream Services calendar tells the time, location, and which liturgy the congregation offers for the whole Diocese. Click the image above or this link: Livestream Services Calendar.
Have you adjusted your livestream schedule? Let us know! We have a running calendar that you can find here. Check to see if your schedule is correct, and if there are any changes, email Administrator Assistant Daniel Garrick at dgarrick@gaepiscopal.org. |
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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.
October 18 - 24
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Thomson, Holy Cross, and for our ecumenical partners in Thomson, especially Zion Lutheran Church in Guyton and Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Lakeland. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Santo Domingo, especially the Cathedral of the Epiphany (La Catedral de la Epifanía).
October 25 - October 31
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Tifton, St. Anne's. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Tifton, especially Our Divine Saviour Catholic Church and for Holy Family Catholic Church in Willacoochee. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Santo Domingo, especially Holy Family (Sagrada Familia).
Additional Prayer Cycles
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Diocesan Office Update and News
Sunday, Bishop Logue will officiate and preach Morning Prayer from St. Paul's, Augusta offered online at 10 a.m. To find the service, visit the St. Paul's, Augusta Facebook page Facebook page or the Diocese of Georgia YouTube page.
Throughout the remainder of 2020 Bishop Logue will continue to record Diocesan worship from different congregations across the Diocese. To see the calendar for the remainder of 2020, click here.
In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Diocesan staff are not all in the office at the same time with some working remotely. Email will be the quickest way to get in touch with the staff, although you are still welcome to call us on the phone! If we miss your call, please leave a voicemail with a detailed message. Staff e-mails can be found here.
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Let Us Know!
What are you doing to keep community right now? Are you gathering for virtual coffee hours, delivering groceries to your neighbors - let us know! Send any updates or photos to our Communications Manager Liz Williams at lwilliams@gaepiscopal.org. We want to hear from you!
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#BetterThanNicea
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| | Convention 2020 is going to be EPIC! |
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