January 11, 2023 | Volume 13, No. 2

E.Y.E. Informational Meeting Next Week

Episcopal Youth Event, July 4-8, 2022

The University of Maryland, College Park MD

Information Zoom - Thursday, January 19, 7:00 p.m.

The Episcopal Youth Event is the second largest regular gathering of the Episcopal Church. Held every three years, this event is for youth in grades 9-12, and brings together youth, youth leaders, clergy, and bishops (including Bishop Logue) from all over the Episcopal Church. And the Diocese of Georgia will be there! Below are some of the details of our trip to the University of Maryland. For more information, contact Joshua Varner at jvarner@gaepicopal.org in order to join us on Zoom next Thursday, January 19 at 7 p.m.! You can also fill out this interest form and you will see the Zoom link on the confirmation page..

Here are the details of the trip as we currently know them. For more info, come to the Zoom meeting!:

Dates: July 4 - July 8, 2020
Cost: Approximately $800. Payable in one sum, or in two payments of $400 each.
Financial Aid is available on an as-needed basis.
Location: University of Maryland, College Park, MD
Participant Grades: Must be currently in Grades 9-12

Registration Instructions: After next Thursday’s meeting, Registration for EYE will open through the Diocese. Once youth and adult advisors are registered, Canon Varner will take their information register and register the group with the Episcopal Church.

Update your parish information

The Diocese is requesting that each parish fill out the form linked below with updated information on those in leadership roles at the church. The staff uses this information to make sure that critical communications are directed to the correct person in each parish.

To fill out the form, click here.

The Rev. John Lane (1933-2023)

The Diocese mourns the death of The Rev. John Lane. He passed away on Tuesday, January 3 in Americus. Deacon Lane is shown at left on the Resort Dock on Lake Blackshear, where he assisted for many years with Worship on the Water in the summer months.

"John Lane had a quick wit, a big smile, and a deacon's heart from those in need," Bishop Logue said. "I was honored to preach the sermon for his funeral as it gave me a chance to reflect on the impact of decades of ministry and the ways in which he, and his wife, Beth were such a ministry team."

Born November 11, 1933 in Clay Sink, Florida, he was a son of the late John Herbert Lane and the late Pearl Dean Robbins Lane. He graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in electrical engineering, and was a veteran of the United States Navy, having served four years during the Korean War. Having been ordained to the Episcopal Clergy on November 11, 1995, he was retired from Bell South and also from a self-owned construction company.

Survivors include his wife of 44 years, Elizabeth Lane of Americus; son Steve Lewis of Hagerstown, MD; daughter Rebecca Forrester (Ken) of Gainesville, GA; son David Lewis of Atlantic Beach, FL; daughter Tricia Lane of Pittsburg, PA; and sister Dolly Vincent.

Save the dates for clergy conferences

Save the dates for the Spring and Fall Clergy Conferences at Honey Creek for the deacons and priests of the Diocese.

The spring conference will begin with dinner on April 24 and end with lunch on the 26th. The fall clergy conference will begin with dinner on October 2 and end after lunch on the 4th.

These conferences offer a mix of retreat time and training. The heart of every clergy conference is time spent together in worship, in meals, and in fireside and other casual conversations that assist us in staying connected to one another.

1Book1Diocese for Lent

"Clear and compelling teaching on encountering God in prayer is all too rare in the Church," Bishop Logue said. "I find the stories used to illustrate the points in this book open up so much wisdom. The brief chapters are worthy of reflection. Beginning to Pray had a positive impact on my own prayer life and I am looking forward to the Diocese of Georgia studying it together."

The 1Book1Diocese read for Lent is a classic work, Beginning to Pray by Anthony Bloom. This simple and powerful book, gets at the vital importance of encountering God in prayer.

The 1970 book is readily available both in a new edition and in used copies. You can find the reading guide for the Diocese of Georgia here. The guide offers questions for groups to use for the weeks following the Sundays in Lent with an optional meeting in Holy Week.

National Virtual Cursillo Event

The ECMC (Episcopal Cursillo Ministry Committee) invites you to join us for our 2nd National Virtual Event on Saturday, January 28 at 1:00 p.m. (EST)! This year’s theme is “Jesus Is Just Alright With Me.”

We will begin the program with a thoughtful and motivating talk and follow by breaking out into groups where we will share with each other our relationships with Jesus today. Included will be the lively, professional music performed by the contemporary Christian band “Live Hymnal.” Our program will conclude with a prayerful summary of our group discussions.

This will be a grand opportunity to be spiritually fed and to be a part of a loving Christian community. Come join us on January 28th to celebrate JESUS! We look forward to seeing you all there!

Registration required. Click here to sign up.

GIPL's 20th Anniversary

2023 Green Team Summit

Sunday, February 26, 2023

@ 2:00 PM

Temple Sinai, 5645 Dupree Dr, Sandy Springs, GA 30327

Join us to celebrate GIPL's 20th anniversary! We will remember the work we have done, prepare for the work before us, and set the vision for the next 20 years of faithful climate action! Green Teams, faith leaders, and environmental activists from across the state are invited to gather with us for a time of fellowship and shared learning.

At the summit, participants will hear from speakers who will inspire a renewed love for Creation and remind us of our call to fight environmental injustices in our communities. We will also offer a series of workshops that will help equip congregations to build their green teams, combat climate change through practical climate solutions, and get involved locally and federally in climate advocacy.

Dinner and wine will be provided. A full schedule of events will be available in early 2023 at gipl.org/events.

For more information or questions, contact GIPL Program Director, Hannah Shultz, at hannah@gipl.org.

Ticket and Sponsorship Explanations:

General Admission ($35) - 1 GTS ticket, including dinner and wine
Student ($20) - 1 GTS ticket, inclduing dinner and wine (only available for currently enrolled students)
Table Sponsor ($500) - 6 GTS tickets, recognition in event program, website, and social media. Includes 2 bottles of wine during dinner.
Nonprofit/ Individual Sponsorship ($150) - 2 GTS tickets, opportunity to table at the event, include information in welcome packets, recognition on website.

Walk with the Diocese in the Savannah

MLK Day Parade

Join the Diocese as we participate in the MLK Jr. Day Parade through Savannah on January 16, 2023.

Those who would like to participate may park at St. Matthew's and be shuttled to the beginning of the parade route in front of East Broad Elementary School. There will be a trolley for those who are not able to walk the entirety of the route.

The parade ends near St. Matthew's where the parish will host a short service of Communion and a reception. The parade begins at 10 a.m. and participants will need to arrive at St. Matthew's no later than 9 a.m. to shuttle to where the parade will begin.

Other opportunities to walk

Groups of Episcopalians also gather for the parades in Brunswick, Statesboro, Tybee Island, and elsewhere. If your congregation would like to share information with the Diocese in advance of the day, please email lwilliams@gaepiscopal.org.

"LWG was a great experience! Through the different modules, I learned about my leadership style & personality traits and how to better work with others. This is an incredible networking opportunity, both with my fellow team members and with the other participants and facilitators!"-Dave Cranford, Trinity, Cochran

Program Registration is now available at https://bit.ly/LeadingWithGrace. Room reservations for each individual weekend will be available on the Honey Creek website in the coming weeks.

Leading with Grace is a Diocese of Georgia leadership program for clergy and laity. Facilitators include clergy and laity from around the diocese, from some of our largest parishes to some of our smallest. Each weekend begins Friday with Eucharist at

5 p.m. at Honey Creek, and concludes by 3 p.m. Saturday on the following weekends in 2023:

February 10-11
April 14-15
August 18-19
September 29-30

Honey Creek Retreat Center

As we approach the bicentennial of our founding in 2023, we will share the story of the Diocese of Georgia. This week we remember the start of Honey Creek.

The search for a new diocesan camp began with the decision to sell Camp Reese, the diocesan camp on St. Simon’s Island. Even in the interim, Summer Camp sessions continued. The Diocese rented Kolomoki Mounds State Park near Blakely each summer for several years. A successful fundraising drive provided funds to build a permanent camp and conference center on land provided by Brunswick Pulp and Paper Company on Dover Bluff Road in Camden County bounded on the East by Honey Creek; hence the common name for our retreat center.

In 1955 a young architect, Blake Ellis an Episcopalian fresh out of Georgia Tech, was approached by Bishop Albert Stuart to layout a master plan and design the buildings for a new camp and conference center in Camden County. Many names of buildings from the former Camp Reese were honored at Honey Creek. Ellis, a long-term communicant at Christ Church in Valdosta, designed the Chapel of Our Savior, three dormitories, a dining hall, and two cottages on the 100-acre maritime forest along the tidal creek. These buildings and a pool were completed in time for springtime retreats for adults and the first summer camp session in 1960. The Department of Christian Education of the Diocese planned programs which were participated in by 622 men, women, boys and girls. It was an invaluable experience in Christian living and Christian education. That the first year of use of the new Center proved to be such a smooth operation with such fine results was due to the careful planning and hard work of the teaching staffs and permanent staff, and above all to the devotion of Mr. and Mrs. Sherman Hammatt, the first resident Custodians. Bishop Stuart also facilitated a widely acclaimed free annual camping program for 400 underprivileged children at Honey Creek. Credit for the success of the program was widely given to the organizer, Commander Robert Clinton of St. John’s in Moultrie.

In the 1970’s, Reese Dining Hall and kitchen were expanded to allow for more indoor gathering space. The 1970’s also brought a new and larger meeting space named Stuart Hall for the Bishop. In the early days of the 1990’s, under the leadership of the Rev. Charles and Dot Hay, a successful environmental education program began, and a new campus office was built, along with twenty additional lodge rooms.

When prior debts threatened the center in 2010, Bishop Scott Benhase worked to bring to fruition the Honey Creek Commission’s plans to restructure the debt into bonds. He also hired Dade Brantley as the Executive Director and oversaw the restructuring of the staffing model to have as-needed staff for dining hall, cleaning, and maintenance to bring an end to the center losing money. Before stepping down as diocesan bishop, Benhase got a plan in place to pay off the bond debt through a three-year 2% assessment approved unanimously by the Diocesan Convention. That plan completed at the end of 2022 successfully paid off all debt. The Honey Creek Retreat Center continues to serve as the parish hall for the Diocese of Georgia.

Pictured: Bishop Stuart laying the cornerstone at the Chapel of Our Savior at Honey Creek on October 31, 1959 (top); and (below) Pam Guice leads singing with assistance from the Revs. Jim Parker, Henry Louttit, and others.

Feast of Feasts in its last week

The Diocese of Georgia is offering daily devotions written by Bishop Frank and Victoria Logue for a 7-week study from Advent through Epiphany. The short daily readings use the lens of Franciscan ideals including humility, simplicity, and peace as a focal point of each week. This is perfect to enjoy as a solo study, a small group, or as an offering for the whole congregation. The devotions are being posted online daily on our website and social media channels.

You can find each week's devotions, as well as the accompanying video for the week, on our website. Click on the day of the devotion, and it will expand with the day's reading.

You can find additional ways to acquire the full PDF online or the book on our website here.

Across the Diocese

Augusta area youth gathered this week for Cornerstone, their convocational youth meeting. Each month they gather at a different church. This month the Church of Our Savior and Saint Augustine’s hosted the group with a shared supper, a scavenger hunt, compline, singing, and a fire with s’mores.

The trainers for Leading with Grace gathered last week in the conference room at Diocesan House in Savannah to plan the upcoming year.

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord was commemorated with baptizms at St. Philip's in Hinesville (left) and at Saint Paul's in Augusta.

Holy Comforter in Martinez celebrated with the baptism of four members!

At King of Peace on Sunday, Joie was baptized into new life in Christ. She is just to the left of her parents in this photo taken during the liturgy.

Toni Blue (left) and the Rev. Guillermo Arboleda (right) mark the doorways at St. Matthew's in Savannah for Epiphany. 20 + C + M + B + 23 is the year 2023 with the message inserting initials for the Latin phrase, Christus Mansionem Benedicat, meaning “May Christ bless the house.” The CMB also fits the traditional names of the Magi, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar.

At St. John's in Savannah, Patrick Finnegan, Edward Lee, and Frank Peluso Jr. served as the Three Wise Men during this week's Epiphany Sunday celebration.

The Rt. Rev. Kai Ryan, Bishop Suffragan of Texas, contacted Bishop Logue about making a friendly wager on the National Championship Game. They settled on the loser making a donation to Episcopal Relief and Development in honor of the winner. Bishop Ryan was a gracious in TCU's defeat and did so. Bishop Logue declared the game a disaster for Texas and matched her gift to ERD's Disaster Fund.

We want to hear from you!

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.

Prayer 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 2023 one year prayer cycle is online here: 2023 Prayer Cycle .

January 15 - 21

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 22 – January 28

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).

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 Prayer Cycle and Clergy Spouses Prayer Cycle . (Updated 11/30/2022)

Diocesan Office Update and News

Bishop Logue will make his visitation to St. Peter's in Savannah on Sunday.

To view Bishop Logue's full visitation calendar, click here. (Updated for 2023 - 1/2/2023)

Picture: Bishop Logue with Andrew, Maggie, and Atlas Dade Lyons after Atlas' baptism at Honey Creek on Saturday.

Canon Katie Easterlin remains on maternity leave.

Canon Lasch will be on vacation January 13-22.

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.