February 12, 2020
Volume 11, No. 24
The Rev. Nancy Thompson Mills
We mourn the loss of the Rev. Nancy Mills, who died at 11:50 PM at Deerfield Episcopal Retirement Community, Asheville, NC on February 5, 2020 at age 75 years. Wife, painter, priest, poet, spiritual director, she was predeceased by her beloved husband, Dr. Luther Rice Mills IV on May 1, 2017. A memorial service will be held 10:00 AM Saturday February 22, 2020 at St. Giles Chapel at Deerfield Retirement Community, 1617 Hendersonville Rd, Asheville NC 28803.

Nancy grew up in North Wales PA and graduated North Penn High School. She attended Philadelphia College of Art, Moore College of Art and Design and later Sewanee School of Theology.

Nancy Mills painted all her life and was an accomplished artist. Her work has been represented by commercial galleries throughout the Southeast from Atlanta to New Orleans. She exhibited her work nationally and internationally from Japan to Canada, with examples in permanent corporate and public museum collections across the country.

Mills was ordained a deacon in June of 2003 and to the Sacred Order of Priests on December 20, 2003 by the Rt. Rev. Henry I. Louttit, Jr. She served as Assistant Rector of St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Tifton, and as the Vicar of Good Shepard Episcopal Church, Thomasville GA, a historic African American mission church 116 years old. After moving to Asheville, NC, she became Adjunct Priest at All Souls Cathedral. Being intrigued by the spoken word, Nancy took up poetry after retiring and published her first book BRINK in 2018.

Memorial gifts may be made to Asheville Humane Society and/or St. Giles Chapel at Deerfield in Asheville, NC. The image shown here is Mills oil on canvas with mixed media collage, The Messenger. Click the painting or follow this link to read more about it.
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Parochial Reports for 2019 are due by March 1
Online filing is open for the annual Parochial Reports, which are the way the Episcopal Church gains annual insight into its life, ministry, finances, and membership. While the Parochial Report is not the complete portrait of congregational life or vitality, the data you provide is indispensable.

The Episcopal Church no longer uses a Unique Episcopal Identifier (UEID) and PIN as login credentials. That change began with this year's reports, so every congregation will have to create a new login. To change it, you will need to use your previous login (UEID and PIN). If you do not have this information, call the diocesan office at (912) 236-4279 or email Ms. Maggie Lyons, Assistant to the Canons, at mlyons@gaepiscopal.org to get this previous login and pin for your congregation. The new login name will need to be an email address. Use an email address for the church that is likely to remain stable for years to come, such as office@christchurch.com.  

The site for filing the reports online has moved. The website is now  https://reports.dfms.org/ 
 
Canons require each congregation to complete the parochial report and file it online or mail it to the Diocese by March 1. Click here for the required forms and instructions.

Wonder what the data looks like for the Episcopal Church? You can see the results online here:  episcopalchurch.org/research/parochial-report-results
Information on the Bishop Ordination and Consecration
Find out all about the May 30th Ordination and Consecration of the 11th Bishop of Georgia at consecration.georgiaepiscopal.org. The website has the schedule for the weekend, a way to sign-up to sing in the choir, hotel information and more.
    Clergy Spouse Retreat 2020:  Deep Roots and Strong Branches
Join us March 13-15 for our annual retreat at the beautiful Honey Creek! All Clergy Spouses are invited to a time of fun, rest and renewal. Our theme evokes the image of a tree- reflecting the spirit of the clergy spouse community here in the Diocese of Georgia. We are deeply rooted in our families and faith, but we also have strong branches connecting us one to another. 

During our time together we will deepen our connections through fun shared activities, worship and spending time outdoors. And there is always plenty of free time in the schedule! Come strengthen your roots and grow your branches as we enjoy time together (and celebrate Kelly Benhase, too). 

Single rooms $288 in Lodge 1 and $266 in Lodge 2.
Double rooms $195 in Lodge 1 and $184 in Lodge 2.
Commuters are $120. 

Email
bishop@gaepiscopal.org to request a scholarship.
Bishop's visitation to St. Paul's, Jesup.

Confirmands and those being received and their sponsors with Rev. Dee Shaffer,
Deacon Chad Chaffee, and Bishop Benhase.
Youth Programs
Register Now for Happening and New Beginnings 
The Diocese of Georgia offers two retreats led by the youth of the Diocese for their peers. New Beginnings is for those in 7-9 grade and Happening for those in 10-12 grade. While the weekends differ quite a bit, each offers a chance for middle and high school students to dig deeper in their faith in a setting apart from their family and home church, surrounded by students going through similar life experiences. While every youth event we offer matters, these retreats are consistently cited by those who attend as helpful in making their faith in Jesus their own.


Happening #103
Grades 10-12, February 21-23, 2020
  • Registration closes February 14
63 candidates and team members are already registered for Happening #103, but there is still room for you. registration closes this Friday, February 14.  Happening offers high school youth a chance to consider the deep questions about God, Jesus, the Church, Faith, Prayer, Love, and more. All of this is done in a way that allows youth to learn from each other, and to experience the love of God throughout the weekend. The cost for this life-changing weekend is just $115 and scholarships are available. For more information about Happening, visit   georgiahappening.com

New Beginnings #56
Grades 7-9, March 27-29, 2020

New Beginnings allows high school youth to work with middle school youth as they encounter the daily realities of growing up in the 21st century. Youth reflect on their relationships, with God, with their families and friends, with their peers in school and beyond, and more. They support each other in prayer and worship, through small group work, led by high school staff, and by playing and praying together! The cost is $115 and scholarships are always available.
  
Since 1992, Project Smile has worked out of a permanent dental clinic in an otherwise unused classroom in St. Mary the Virgin Anglican School in Belize City, Belize.

Project Smile
Team from Christ Church Savannah home from Belize
This past week Project Smile Belize had an 18-person mission team including 4 dentists, 4 hygienists, 2 physicians. These included participants from  Christ Church Episcopal, Savannah and St. Lukes in Rincon;  a  dental team from Cleveland, Ohio;  Dr. Chip and Ruth Goldsmith; and  Dr. Bob and Harriet Sewell from Nashville via a Kanuga connection. 
         
The team rebuilt many desks and tables for the school, while the dental team saw 198 dental patients, and the hearing team distributed  100 hearing aids distributed with batteries courtesy of Dr. Bertice Berry, and the team gave out hundreds of books and  McDonalds toys (Courtesy of Nina and Mark Gompels of St. Thomas, Savannah). The team also brought s chool supplies and soccer balls for 16 classrooms, p aint to repaint the school, and they made hundreds of new friends, gave and received thousands of smiles, while h undreds of lobster, shrimp, and conch sacrificed their lives for the good of the team.
-Steve Acuff


The 2020 Mission Team
Around the Diocese
 
Jamie Clark Johnson (left), lead teen in 2007, and Annabel West (right), lead teen for the upcoming New Beginnings weekend at the New Beginnings team lock-in. The team celebrated Eucharist with Trinity, Statesboro on Sunday.
New Beginnings team lock in at Trinity, Statesboro.
   
The engagement with Invite Welcome Connect continues to bear fruit around the Diocese. At left, Kim Said speaks to members of the St. Augustine of Canterbury, Augusta, ECW St. Clare Guild while at right Canon Frank Logue talks to parishioners at St. Peter's, Savannah, after worship this past Sunday. Click here for resources for your congregation.

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew (and a few sisters) from St. Marks, Brunswick,
did some amazing clean-up work at Honey Creek.


The Rev. Richard Nelson (at left above) and Calvary, Americus, hosted "Gather Around the Table"
for their Sumter Area Ministerial Association (SAMA).

Christ Church Frederica on St. Simons Island held its annual Frederick Cousins Guild Oyster Roast
and Barbecue on Friday, February 7 in the Parish House and on the church grounds.
All proceeds go to support local and international charities. 

  
Scout Sunday at King of Peace, Kingsland.
Diocesan Office Update and News
T he Rt. Rev. Scott Anson Benhase,  10th Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia, will make his visitation to  Our Savior, Martinez this Sunday. To see the Bishop's complete visitation schedule, go here:  Visitations Calendar

Gayle Dawson is on short-term disability leave until her upcoming knee surgery. Please forward all requests to Maggie Lyons at the Diocesan House.

Canon Joshua Varner will be out of the office this week on retreat.

The Rev. David Lemburg, rector of St. George's Savannah, will preside at the noon service at St. Anna Alexander chapel, Diocesan House, on Thursday, February 6, 2020.
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 2020 one year prayer cycle is now online here:  2020 Prayer Cycle

February 9 - 15 
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Bainbridge, St. John's. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Bainbridge, especially St. Joseph Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Bonao, especially Pentecost ( Pentecostes) and St. Joseph of Arimathea ( San José de Arimatea).

Additional Prayer Cycles
We also offer 30-day prayer cycles for those who wish to pray daily for the clergy and clergy spouses:  Diocesan Prayer Cycle and  Clergy Spouses Prayer Cycle .
All God's creatures got a place in the choir

Rory rests his head on a kneeler at St. Paul's, Augusta.
As the song lyrics say, "All God's creatures got a place in the choir, Some sing low and some sing higher,
Some sing out loud on a telephone wire, Some just clap their hands, or paws, or anything they've got now"
Events

Happening #103
Thursday, February 20 (for staff, participants arrive Friday) to Sunday, February 23, 2020
Honey Creek 
For students in grades 10 to 12
Register  here.

Clergy Spouse Retreat
March 13 to March 15, 2020
Honey Creek

New Beginnings #56
March 27 to March 29, 2020
Honey Creek
For students in grades 7 to 9
Toil 'N Sweat: Caring for Honey Creek
April 24 to April 26, 2020
Honey Creek
For students in grades 6 to 12
Register  here or at  http://bit.ly/ToilNSweat2020 

EQHR for Clergy Only
April 27 to May 1
Honey Creek

Spring Clergy Conference
5:30 PM, Monday, May 4 to 1 PM, Wednesday, May 6, 2020
Honey Creek

Ordination and Consecration of the 11th Bishop of Georgia
11 AM Saturday, May 30
Johnny Mercer Theater
Savannah, Georgia

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preaches at Eucharist in Forsyth Park
11 AM Sunday, May 31
The Bandshell, Forsyth Park
Savannah, Georgia

High School Camp at Honey Creek
June 7-13, 2020
Register  here.

Camp St. Joseph & Mary I at Honey Creek
June 14-20, 2020
For those who have completed grades 3-5
Register 
here.

Parent & Child session I at Honey Creek
June 14 - June 16, 2020
For those who have completed Kindergarten thru 2nd grade
Register here .

Camp St. Peter I 
June 21-27, 2020
For those who have completed grades 6-8
Register 
here.

Camp St. Joseph & Mary II
July 5-11, 2020
For those who have completed grades 3-5
Register  here.

Parent & Child session II at Honey Creek
July 5-7, 2020
For those who have completed Kindergarten thru 2nd grade
Register  here .

Camp St. Peter II
July 12-18, 2020
For those who have completed grades 6-8
Register here
.

Episcopal Youth Event
July 6-14, 2020
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
Participants must be in grades 9-12
Register by going here:

Happening #104
Thursday, July 30 (for staff, participants arrive Friday) to Sunday, August 2, 2020
Honey Creek
For students rising into Grade 10 through Grade 12

Conflict Transformation, Clergy Only
October 19-23
Honey Creek 
Contact:  the Rev. Walter Hobgood

199th Convention of the Diocese of Georgia
November 5-7
Jekyll Island Convention Center
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