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July 8, 2020
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Volume 10, No. 44
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Staying Connected: A Digital Youth Event
Grades 6-12
July 23-25, 2020
Online from 8 to 10 p.m. each evening.
Youth in Grades 6 through 12 are invited to come together each evening from Thursday July 23 through Saturday July 25. Each night we will gather together for games, for worship, and for large group and small group activities. We will also hear talks from high school youth about Relationships with friends and family, about our sense of Home in a time of COVID, and more.
We encourage youth to register in advance for this event. Early registration allows the staff to prepare in advance based on an estimate of numbers, and to communicate directly with people who have signed up.
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Mask Makers Unite!
These kids and the 8,000 children attending the 22 Episcopal schools in The Dominican Republic could use our help. School resumes in August, and the government is insisting that all children wear a mask. We can help Bishop Moises Quezada, the Diocese of the Dominican Republic and these children by making and collecting new masks for them. The most efficient way to ship them is to send them to the Dominican Development Group, C/O St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 13312 Cain Rd., Tampa FL, 33625, phone: (814-400-2722.)
Haydee and Jim Toedtman of St. Peter's in Savannah, help coordinate our diocese mission initiative in the Dominican Republic. Haydee is shown greeting students at Colegio San Pedro y San Pablo just outside of Santo Domingo during an exploration visit last fall. Any questions can be directed to Jim Toedtman by email (jstoedtman@gmail.com) or cellphone - 703-967-0652.
Submitted by Jim Toedtman
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The. Rev. Charles Todd Marries
On Saturday, July 4, the Rev. Charles Todd married James Weaver at The Collegiate Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Savannah. The Very Rev. William Willoughby presided with the Rev. Kevin Kelly preaching the homily.
A small group was gathered in person, with a larger viewing through a livestream.
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New Mask Making Ministry Takes Off
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Cam Mathis is ready to hand out masks!
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As we've ventured further in the time of COVID-19, a new mask ministry has started at St. George's, Savannah. St. George's members Claudia Griffis and Debbie Shumans have made many masks for both kids and adults. Volunteers have given them away to those coming to the food trucks that park at St. George's.
Both the mask give away and hospitality is staffed by the Vestry of St. George's, with members of the clergy filling in when needed.
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Paycheck Protection Program Update
The PPP Applications have RESUMED:
The Paycheck Protection Program resumed accepting applications July 6, 2020, at 9:00 AM EDT in response to President signing the program's extension legislation. The new deadline to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program loan is August 8, 2020.
Basics of the PPP UPDATED:
The loan will be fully forgiven if the funds are used for payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities (due to likely high subscription, at least 60% (changed from 75%) of the forgiven amount must have been used for payroll):
- PPP loans have an interest rate of 1%
- Loans issued prior to June 5 have a maturity of 2 years
Loans issued after June 5 have a maturity of 5 years
- Loan payments will be deferred for six months
- No collateral or personal guarantees are required
- Neither the government nor lenders will charge small businesses any fees
Forgiveness Application UPDATED (June 16th 2020):
Forgiveness is based on the employer maintaining or quickly rehiring employees and maintaining salary levels. Forgiveness will be reduced if full-time headcount declines, or if salaries and wages decrease. The loan forgiveness form and instructions include several measures to reduce compliance burdens and simplify the process for borrowers, including:
- Options for borrowers to calculate payroll costs using an "alternative payroll covered period" that aligns with borrowers' regular payroll cycles
- Flexibility to include eligible payroll and non-payroll expenses paid or incurred during
the 24-week period (updated from 8 weeks) after receiving their PPP loan
- Step-by-step instructions on how to perform the calculations required by the CARES Act to confirm eligibility for loan forgiveness
- Borrower-friendly implementation of statutory exemptions from loan forgiveness reduction based on rehiring by June 30
- Addition of a new exemption from the loan forgiveness reduction for borrowers who have made a good-faith, written offer to rehire workers that was declined
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Observing Copyright for Congregational Music
As many congregations continue to offer online worship opportunities, clergy and lay leaders need to be careful to observe copyright laws around music that is streamed online. Any music that is still protected under copyright law can only be streamed with permission, and, despite the myth that still makes the rounds, owning copies of the Hymnal 1982 does not grant permission, either to reproduce words or music or to stream music online.
For many congregations seeking permission for streaming or reproduction of words or musical notation the easiest solution is to purchase a license from one of several music licensing companies. The Diocese currently holds licenses from two companies, CCLI and OneLicense. Each of these companies offers scaled fees based on congregation size, so their licenses remain affordable even for smaller congregations. Once the licenses are purchased, specific language is to be included indicating composer, copyright holder, and the license company and specific license number. In addition, congregations need to report their usage through the company's online reporting mechanism as songs are used.
Ultimately, copyright is a matter of justice, intended to ensure that musicians are paid fairly for their work. Please take the time to ensure that your congregation is in compliance so that composers can be paid appropriately, and can continue to write music for us to enjoy in years to come!
Please contact Canon Joshua Varner at
jvarner@gapiscopal.org
with questions.
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Worship with the Diocese of Georgia on Sundays
This Sunday, we will stream Morning Prayer at 10 a.m. from Good Shepherd, Swainsboro, with music from other Episcopal Churches in the diocese. The Sunday service will continue at least through Labor Day.
These liturgies are stored on both
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.
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Around the Diocese - Flat Frank Edition
Begun by the Rev. Melanie Lemburg and the Rev. Aimee Baxter at St. Thomas, Savannah,
it was a fun way to stay connected and celebrate the ordination and consecration of Bishop Logue.
Flat Frank has had quite a few adventures this summer!
Just like Bishop Logue, Flat Frank loves a good hike!
Flat Frank getting some good snow hikes in (left), and the Rev. Melanie Lemburg and the Rev. Aimee Baxter get excited to hand out Flat Frank to members of St. Thomas (right).
After all that travel, Flat Frank just needed some good poolside R&R.
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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.
July 5-July 11
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Richmond Hill, St. Elizabeth of Hungary. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Richmond Hill, especially Spirit of Peace
Lutheran Church and St. Anne's Catholic Church. In our companion
diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for St. Mary the Virgin (
Santa María Virgen
) in Monte Llano.
July 12-18
I
n our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Rincon, St. Luke's. We also pray for
our ecumenical partners, especially the Lutheran churches in Rincon
-Jerusalem and St. John's. In
our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for Divine Grace (
Divina Gracia
) in Mozovi.
Additional Prayer Cycles
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Diocesan Office Update and News
This Sunday, Bishop Logue will officiate and preach Morning Prayer from Good Shepherd, Swainsboro for the livestream on the Diocese of Georgia Facebook page and YouTube Channel.
Maggie Lyons, Executive Assistant to the Bishop, is on vacation this week. All phone inquiries will be
forwarded to Assistant Administrator Daniel Garrick.
Canon Varner is working with youth and youth leaders on the upcoming digital youth event.
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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Bringing the Fire to a Screen Near You
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Alumni of Youth Programs in the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia formed a virtual choir
to sing Light the Fire for diocesan online services.
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