January 17, 2024 | Volume 14, No. 3

Congregations Gather for MLK Day

Congregations across the diocese gathered in their respective cities to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. over the weekend. In Brunswick, all five Episcopal congregations in county were represented. Bishop Frank and Victoria Logue traveled to march in the Glynn County parade for the first time this year, and came away with joy and encouragement for the growing Glynn Episcopal Ministries.

"In the1950s, the people of the Diocese of Georgia were not of one mind regarding the Civil Rights Movement," Bishop Logue said. "Yet Bishop Albert Rhett Stuart, boldly led the Diocese, often appearing on TV news to speak in favor of integration saying 'This church is open to anyone who wishes to worship.' It remains important for us to offer this public witness as we 'strive for justice and peace among all

people, and respect the dignity of every human being.'"

Top photo: a member of St. Mark's in Brunswick marches in the parade with the St. Mark's banner; top left: members of Glynn Episcopal churches with their banner in the parade.

In Savannah, members from Christ Church, Epiphany, St. Peter's, St. Matthew's, and St. Patrick's in Pooler joined in the Savannah parade. The group enjoyed walking, riding in the trolley, and even scootering through downtown Savannah. The Rev. Guillermo Arboleda, rector of St. Matthew's, is proud of the long tradition St. Matthew's has held with their parade participation. "This annual event is a profound witness, where we display our unity as Christians from different parishes and from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, coming together in the name of our loving, liberating, and life-giving God," said Rev. Arboleda.

After the parade, St. Matthew's hosts a Eucharist and lunch for the parade participants. This year Rev. Arboleda invited the Rev. Dr. Delpherd "Del" Barksdale, Pastor of Savannah Church of God, as preacher for the service.

Left: Members from Savannah Episcopal churches and beyond march in the Savannah parade; right: the Rev. Dr. Del Barksdale preaches at St. Mattthew's in Savannah.

St. Cyprian's in Darien honored Dr. King with a detailed display in their parish hall. Items included posters, photos, and other memorabilia and information about Dr. King and his civil rights work (pictured right).

Other celebrations and parades will be held in the upcoming weeks around the diocese. If your parish participates in local MLK Day events, please send photos with a description to Communications Manager Liz Williams at lwilliams@gaepiscopal.org.

Click here for the full Flickr album of photos from across the diocese.

Click on the image above to watch the movie trailer on YouTube.

Episcopal Film in Theaters on January 23 only

A nonprofit movie company led by Episcopalians will screen a feature-length documentary inspired by Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s message of unselfish love in a nationwide theatrical release on January 23.

The film, “A Case for Love,” will appear in more than1,000 theaters for the one-day initial release, and more dates could be added if large numbers of moviegoers turn out for the premiere. The locations set for the 23rd include Augusta, St. Simons Island, and Valdosta. In addition, there are theaters near our diocese in Bluffton, SC, and Jacksonville, FL, that will also offer the film.

Click here to find the theater closest to you

and purchase tickets in advance.

“There’s a hunger for stories like this,” director Brian Ide said in an Episcopal News Service article on the film. He founded Grace-Based Films with fellow members of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills, California, some of whom worked in the film industry. Grace-Based Films started as an All Saints’ ministry. Now, as an independent nonprofit, it plans to devote revenue from “A Case for Love” to funding future storytelling projects.

The new film is structured as seven chapters featuring 14 individual stories of people from a wide range of backgrounds, whom Ide described as “ordinary people doing ordinary-to-extraordinary things.” Though “A Case for Love” isn’t a profile of Curry, who was interviewed for the movie, Ide was grateful to the presiding bishop for providing “the spiritual heartbeat” of the film.

Remember to submit 2023 Parochial Report

The Episcopal Church has launched parochial reports for 2023 data. They are due by March 1^st, 2024. The report is one of two mandatory reports due annually, including audits in September. 

The Parochial Report is completed online at: https://reports.dfms.org. You will login with a unique login (usually a church or individuals’ email) and password. The diocesan office can reset the login information for a congregation if needed. Reach out to Maggie Lyons or Daniel Garrick for support as needed (mlyons@gaepiscopal.org and dgarrick@gaepiscopal.org). 

You’ll need to gather attendance, membership, and financial information to complete the report. If you are unfamiliar with the process of completing the parochial report, please visit the detailed website here.

An online option to collect information for next year's report

The General Convention Office has collaborated with WorshipTimes to develop an online version of the service register book that automatically connects to the Parochial Report filing site. The online Register App is available here, as well as a video preview. Beginning January 1, 2024, you can enter your service information online following a worship service, and at the end of the year all the of the tracking and math of your worship services will already be in the Parochial Report database. You will also have the ability to access ongoing analysis and reports throughout the year.

St. Peter's in Savannah hosts Market for 25th year

For 25 years, St. Peter's Skidaway in Savannah has hosted a fundraiser for local organizations called The Market at 3 West Ridge. The Market brings together carefully selected vendors from across the country offering unique merchandise for purchase.

This year the two recipients of the funds will be Brightside Child and Family Advocacy (formerly CASA) and Coastal Children's Advocacy Center. The Market will be at 3 West Ridge on February 6 from 4:30pm-7:30pm, February 7 from 10:00am to 5:00pm, and February 8 from 10:00am-4:00pm.

Save the Date for Convention 2024

The 202nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia will be held November 8-9, 2024. We will return to the UGA Tifton Campus and will be hosted by St. Anne's in Tifton. As mentioned at the 2023 Convention, the Convention Task Group formed by Bishop Logue through Diocesan Council continues to meet and think through our current schedule for the meeting and how we can improve.

Registration will open in September. Hotel blocks will be announced soon.

Leading with Grace Workshop #1 at St. Paul's in Albany on January 27

Workshop #1—Leading with Grace in Church Ministry—January 27 in Albany, GA, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Facilitators: The Revs. Tar Drazdowski and June Johnson; Carey Wooten.

In this workshop, participants will

1. learn and use models for examining and enriching congregational development;
2. discover their different leadership styles and learn the value of sharing ministry leadership;
3. practice using facilitation skills in small groups; and
4. practice leading prayer practices and Bible studies.  

Registration is $35 and limited to 50 participants. Sign up today!!!

The following link includes descriptions of each workshop: Workshop Descriptions.

To register, click here.

For more information about Leadership Ministries, click here.

Episcopal Communicators Conference

The 2024 Episcopal Communicators Conference registration is open! Join communicators from across the Episcopal Church in Portland, ME April 16-18, 2024. This year's keynote speaker, Nancy Marshall of the PR Maven podcast, will bring her years of experience in public relations and communications to attendees. Workshops centered around crisis communications, public relations, content creation, and more will give attendees the opportunity to learn from their colleagues.

If you are not able to attend the in-person conference, an online conference will be the first four Thursday afternoons in May. You will get to hear the same workshop presenters, as well as a new keynote speaker. If you attend the in-person conference, you will also be granted access to the online conference.

The term Episcopal Communicators covers a variety of professionals, from those who have 'communicator' in their title to those who just happen to be the one creating communications for their parish or organization. All are welcome!

To register and learn more about the conference, visit the Episcopal Communicators website here or email Communications Manager Liz Williams. Conference scholarships are available through Episcopal Communicators.

Early bird registration will be open until February 14.

RJGA book study in January

On the evenings of January 18, and 25, Racial Justice Georgia will continue hosting a Zoom-based discussion of Anne C. Bailey's book The Weeping Time: Memory and the Largest Slave Auction in American History. The book tells the story of a major event in US history, on the Georgia coast, with Episcopalians as key figures. The book is divided into three parts, and we'll discuss one part per session. Please join us, at 7pm, at this link: Zoom link.

Across the Diocese

Bishop Logue with the four people he received into the Episcopal Church during his visitation to All Saints on Tybee Island on Sunday.

Members of King of Peace in Kingsland enjoy their weekly pickleball game.

Senior Warden Cameron Nixon and Junior Warden Erick Montgomery at Saint Paul's in Augusta were the guests for "Meet Saint Paul's" with the younger Sunday School class. Part of their visit was a field trip to the sacristy!

An aerial view of the labyrinth at Christ Church Frederica on St. Simons Island.

Upcoming Events

New Beginnings #61

Who: 7th-9th Graders

When: February 9-11, 2024

Staff Application

Participant Registration

Clergy Conflict Transformation Workshop

Who: All clergy

Where: Honey Creek

When: March 4-8, 2024

Contact the Rev. Becky Rowell (browell221@gmail.com) and the Rev. Melanie Lemburg (revmelanie@stthomasioh.org) to RSVP.

Happening #109

Who: 9th - 12th Graders

Where: Honey Creek

When: April 5-7, 2024

Staff Application

Cursillo #128

Where: Honey Creek

When: April 25-28, 2024

Team Application

Participant Registration

Spring Clergy Conference

Who: All clergy

Where: Honey Creek

When: April 29 - May 1, 2024

Summer Camp

High School Camp

June 2-8, 2024

Registration

Middle School Camp

June 9-15, 2024

Registration

Elementary School Camp

June 16-22, 2024

Registration

Fall Clergy Conference

Who: All clergy

Where: Honey Creek

When: September 30 - October 2, 2024

Diocesan Convention

Where: UGA Tifton Conference Center

When: November 8-9, 2024

If you would like to have your submission considered for From the Field, it needs to be sent to Communications Manager Liz Williams (lwilliams@gaepiscopal.org) by noon on Tuesday.

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 2024 one year prayer cycle is online here: 2024 Prayer Cycle. 

January 21 - 27

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Augusta, especially, the Church of the Atonement and Christ Church. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Augusta, especially Advent Lutheran Church, Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church, and The Church of the Resurrection Lutheran Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the Church of the Transfiguration (La Transfiguración) in Banî.

January 28 - February 3

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Augusta, especially, Good Shepherd and St. Alban’s. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Augusta, especially the Catholic Churches of St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Joseph, and St. Mary on the Hill. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Barahona — Jesus the Pilgrim (Jesús Peregrino), Redemption (La Redención), and Lamb of God (Cordero de Dios). 

31-Day Prayer Cycles - Revised January 1, 2024

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.

Today Bishop Logue will attend the EYCS Annual Meeting in Savannah where he will induct new members to the board. On Sunday he will make his visitation to St. Luke's in Hawkinsville.



To view Bishop Logue's full visitation calendar, click here. Updated 1/16/2024

Photo: Bishop Logue with the Rev. Tommy Townsend from Holy Nativity on St. Simons Island and the Rev. DeWayne Cope from St. Athanasius in Brunswick at the MLK Day parade in Brunswick.

Executive Assistant Maggie Lyons will be attending the annual EYCS meeting today and will be inducted as a new board member.

Canon Varner will be at Christ Church Frederica Saturday and Sunday for the New Beginnings Staff Lock In.

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.

You may also reach diocesan staff by phone at (912) 236-4279.

All modes of transportation were accepted in the Savannah MLK Day Parade.