December 22, 2021 | Volume 11, No. 68

"Christmas is the story of human hopes and fears met in the night by the maker of heaven and earth coming to live as one of us. We invariably tell of Jesus’ birth as a night story. It need not be so as the Gospel writer Luke said of Joseph and Mary’s stay in Bethlehem for the census, “While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.” Meanwhile Matthew writes of Joseph having a dream and waking to resolve to wed Mary and that after she bore a son, he named him Jesus.

The birth itself need not have come in the night. I think there is an instinct that the longings of our sleepless nights are answered by a loving creator who does not stand back as righteous judge but enters into creation to reweave from within the tattered tapestry of a world turned from God. As Zechariah proclaims after the birth of his son, who we will know as John the Baptist, “In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

To read Bishop Logue's full Christmas message, click here.

Bishop Logue and the Diocesan Staff have been working with the Louttit family on plans the funeral for the Ninth Bishop of Georgia, the Rt. Rev. Henry I. Louttit, Jr. 

The Office of the Burial of the Dead will take place on Wednesday, December 29, 2021 at 10:00 am at Christ Episcopal Church in Savannah. The service will also be livestreamed on the Diocesan Facebook Page. Clergy who attend the service in Savannah are asked to vest in cassock, surplice, and white stole.

On Thursday, December 30, 2021, there will be an outdoor Committal service at 1:00 pm at Christ Episcopal Church in Valdosta. Clergy who attend this service will not vest or process.

Offering two liturgies in two locations provides the opportunity for more people to to pay their respects to Bishop Louttit. All are welcome to attend either service.

Clergy who plan to attend at either service are asked to RSVP by clicking this link.

“The Christmas stories are reminders that this Jesus came to show us how to love as God loves. And one of the ways we love as God loves is to help those who are refugees, those who seek asylum from political tyranny, poverty, famine, or other hardship.

“In the 1930s, Episcopalians did this to love as God loves, and today, ministries like Episcopal Migration Ministries, the work of this church, have helped to resettle some 100,000 refugees as of December 2021. And that work goes on for refugees from Afghanistan and from other places around the world.

“The Christian vocation as Jesus taught us is to love as God loves. And in the name of these refugees, let us help all refugees.

“God love you. God bless you. And, this Christmas, may God hold us all in those almighty hands of love.”

The Rev. Glen Palmer has been called to Church of the Holy Comforter in Martinez as Interim Rector.

Palmer and his wife, Pam, are originally from Maine. They have been married for more than 31 years and have 3 adult children and an 8 year old grandson who lives in Augusta.  Last summer, he retired from the Army as an active duty Chaplain with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He is a veteran of multiple combat tours in Iraq and is now serving as a Hospice Chaplain in Augusta. He enjoys reading, working out, mountain biking, mentoring and supporting the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots.

He will begin his new call on February 7, 2022.

The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia will again partner with the Diocese of Atlanta to co-sponsor the Georgia Public Radio broadcast of A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from Kings College Cambridge on Thursday, December 24 at 10 a.m. Find your local station on the radio by going here or listen online here.  

Click here to download the Order of Service for the 2021 Festival.

About the Service 

In 1918, the then-new dean of King's Chapel, 34-year-old Eric Milner-White, wanted to try something innovative and beyond the standard liturgy of the Church of England. He wove together scripture and song, called on readers of various ages from school and town, and made up this truly magical progression that carries us from prophecy to fulfillment, from Old Testament foretelling to a birthday celebration. 

The service was first broadcast in 1928 and, with the exception   of 1930, has been broadcast annually, even during World War II, when the ancient glass (and also all heat) had been removed from the Chapel. The opening carol is always 'Once in Royal David's City', and there is always a new, specially commissioned carol.

Desmond Tutu: A Spiritual Biography of South Africa's Confessor

February 6, 2022 at 4:00pm

A conversation with author the Rev. Dr. Michael Battle, Director of the Desmond Tutu Center

Drawing upon the three-fold stages of Christian mysticism, Dr. Battle’s talk will explore these three mystical stages of purgation, illumination and union for insights both into the life of Archbishop Desmond Tutu and our life today in the church. Tutu’s spiritual legacy is important because in his vision there is a need to redefine new models for being human that go beyond our conflicts today. Tutu’s spirituality moves beyond our culture wars and in so doing guards against the manipulation of religion.

This will be a one hour session via Zoom.

Clergy & Police: A Theological Approach to Policing Policy

February 10, 2022 9:00am-2:00pm

*Please note the change in date. It was incorrect last week.*

An online conference for the Diocese of Georgia, Atlanta, and the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, this will feature panelists and experts who will provide context and skills to equip clergy to engage with law enforcement within their community. This online clergy conference meets on February 17 in three Zoom meeting sessions with breaks between from 9 am to 2 pm. The Rev. Guillermo Arboleda will teach the plenary sessions and lead panel discussions with other clergy who are working in various ways with their local police departments.

These two events are sponsored by Racial Justice Georgia and the Diocese of Georgia.

More information about each event, including registration links, will be in later editions of From the Field.

• When: January 7-9, 2022
• Who: Youth in Grades 7-9
• Where: Honey Creek!
• Cost: $125 per person

New Beginnings, a retreat for youth currently in Grades 7-9, is open for registration. This event is led by older youth, with adult support. In a time of increased anxiety and uncertainty, New Beginnings offers young people a chance to gather at Honey Creek offers young people a chance to step back from their daily lives and reflect on some of the big issues of life, such as Family, Peer Pressure, Friends, and how the Love God has for all of us is unconditional and everlasting. Participant Registration is available here: https://bit.ly/NBParticipants. 

Clergy and laity, especially first-year vestry members, from the Diocese of Georgia are invited to a new diocesan training school called Leading With Grace (LWG) from what was formerly known as the Diocese of Georgia’s Church Development Institute (CDI). This change is much more than in name only. During the pandemic, the CDI team and Diocesan Council collected feedback, reflected on our ten years of service and considered societal shifts. All of this helped to create our new curriculum geared toward equipping clergy, vestry and lay leaders with the tools they need to grow their parishes. 

Leading With Grace comprises the essential components of CDI and some new material based on the team’s ministry experiences. A complete year will be four weekends, each of which will begin on Friday evening at 5 PM and will finish at 3 PM on Saturday, interspersed with prayer, small and large group discussion and practice. LWG will take place in one year cycles in four different regional centers around the diocese. It will culminate with a combined weekend at Honey Creek on August 19-20, 2022. 

• Augusta (St. Augustine’s)
• Feb 11-12, 2022
• March 18-19 or 25-26, 2022
• May 13-14, 2022
• Savannah (St. Peter’s)
• Feb 11-12, 2022
• March 18-19, 2022
• May 13-14, 2022
• Honey Creek (Waverly, GA)
• Feb 11-12, 2022
• March 18-19, 2022
• May 13-14, 2022
• Western Side of the Diocese 
• St. Paul's Albany on Feb 25-26, 2022
• St. Annes Tifton on Mar 25-26, 2022
• Christ Church Valdosta on May 20-21, 2022

We will:

• Ensure the time together is worthwhile, using our efficient and practical curriculum
• Create a welcoming environment to learn and meet new people from across the Diocese
• Coach each parish team to create a project to help our parishes grow
• Deepen leadership skills in inclusive group facilitation, leading worship, facilitating planned change and managing conflict
• Ask each parish team to help provide one meal for the group (excluding the weekend at Honey Creek)
• Pray and worship using The Book of Common Prayer, 1979
• Consider together “What does faithful leadership look like at this moment in the life of the church?”

We will not:

• waste time with models or concepts irrelevant to ministry 
• assign needless homework
• force anyone to speak publicly or be vulnerable 

The cost per parish team is:

For a team of four the fee is $ 225              

For a team of three the fee is $ 200                  

For a team of two the fee is $ 175                     

For an individual the fee is $125

Those individuals that started CDI and finished only 2 weekends will be given first priority at registration and will owe 50% of the fees above.

All fees are due upon registration.

Please sign up to participate by Feb 1, 2022. Look for the registration link in a future From the Field.

We’ll consider together, “What does faithful leadership look like

at this moment in the life of the church?”

The Progressive Religious Coalition of Augusta is pleased to announce their annual Interfaith Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Service to be held on January 10, 2022. The service will be held at Sacred Heart Cultural Center located at 1301 Greene in Augusta Georgia. We will gather at 6:45 PM with the service starting at 7:00 PM.

The keynote speaker this year will be one of the nation’s most prominent scholars, Dr. Eddie Glaude, Jr. His writings, including his most recent, the New York Times bestseller, Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for our Own, takes a wide look at Black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States and the challenges we face as a democracy.

In addition to Dr. Glaude, the Davidson Chorale and the Augusta Jr Players will be preforming during the service.

Contact Information:

President: Dr. Andy Reese

Email Address: andycreese@hotmail.com 

The Adult Ministries for Caring Fellowship at St. Augustine of Canterbury in Augusta read The Polar Express and enjoyed hot choclate and cookies.

Behind the scenes view of the St. Matthew's, Fitzgerald livestream.

The Rev. Walter and Gail Hobgood were honored at a praline and gumbo reception at St. Paul's in Albany as Rev. Hobgood concludes his time as Interim.

The Three Wisemen at St. Thomas in Thomasville are ready!

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 2022 one year prayer cycle is online here: 2022 Prayer Cycle.

December 26 - January 1

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our Bishop, Frank Logue, and our retired bishops, Henry Louttit and Scott Benhase. We pray for our ecumenical partners, especially, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah and their Bishop, Gregory Hartmayer; and for the Evangelical Lutheran Church’s Southeast Synod and their Bishop, Kevin Strickland. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for their Bishop, Moisés Quezada, and retired bishops, Julio Holguin, Telésforo Isaac, and William Skilton. 

January 2 - 8

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Albany—St. John & St. Mark’s , St. Patrick’s, and St. Paul’s. We also pray for the Lutheran Church of Our Savior and and for our other ecumenical partner in Albany, St. Teresa Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for St. James the Apostle (Santiago Apóstol) in Angelina.

Newly Revised 31-Day Prayer Cycles

We also offer 30-day prayer cycles for those who wish to pray daily for the clergy and clergy spouses: Diocesan Diocesan Prayer Cycle Cycle and Clergy Clergy Spouses Prayer Cycle Prayer Cycle. (Updated 9/25/2021)

Bishop Logue will celebrate the Funeral Mass at Christ Episcopal Church in Savannah for the funeral of the Rt. Rev. Henry I. Louttit, Jr. on December 29. He will preside at the Internment of the Ashes at Christ Episcopal Church in Valdosta on December 30.

To view Bishop Logue's full visitation calendar, click here. (Updated 12/2/2021)

Bishop Logue will be on vacation December 21-27.

Canon Varner will be on vacation December 22-28.

Daniel Garrick will be on vacation December 21-28



Holiday Office Hours

The office will be closed December 23-26 and 30-1. The staff will be working remotely December 27-29. Normal office hours will resume on January 3, 2022.

You may reach diocesan staff by phone at (912) 236-4279. Given staff schedules of meetings and travel, the best way to reach a staff member is via email as we will always get back with you promptly in many cases and in 24-72 hours when working on more pressing matters. 

Staff e-mails can be found here with a list of responsibilities so you know who to contact for what.

Bishop Logue created his newest art piece last weekend on plywood, using spray paint and a stencil he designed and cut.