July 12, 2023 | Volume 13, No. 28

E.Y.E. Message to Youth

"You were made for such a time as this."

Last week 17 youth from the Diocese of Georgia traveled to College Park, Maryland for the Episcopal Youth Event. Held every three years, this event brings young people together from all across the Church, allowing them to worship, play, sing, dance, and live together for a week.

Georgia's group included youth from Augusta, Saint Simons, Savannah, Waycross, Thomasville, Albany, and more. The adult leaders were Liz Williams, Communications Manager, Jody Grant, from Our Savior, Martinez, Shayna Cranford, from Trinity Cochran, and Joshua Varner, Canon for Program and Liturgy.

Highlights of the event included a sermon by the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry at the Thursday morning Eucharist, a presentation by the President of the House of Deputies of the General Convention, Julia Ayala Harris, on Friday morning, and a sermon by the Rev. Nancy Frausto, Director of Latinx Studies at the Seminary of the Southwest. The guiding scripture for the whole event came from the Book of Esther, in which Mordecai encourages Esther to intervene on behalf of her people by saying, "And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14).

"E.Y.E. was an experience I will never forget" said Adair Weston, from the Church of the Good Shepherd, Augusta. "A great part of the whole week was meeting other people from across the world." Addi Cochran, from St. Thomas, Thomasville described the sense of connection in music and in worship when "when everyone comes together and are supporting or comforting each other no matter the differences we all may have."

Jake Diamond, from Christ Church Valdosta summed it up this way: "E.Y.E. was a great recharge for my spiritual battery, and if anyone has the chance to go, they should!"

Bishop Logue said, "At E.Y.E., I came to value not just our teens meeting others from around the Episcopal Church, but I also saw how good it is for the church to get to know the teens and youth leaders we have in the Diocese of Georgia. I was not the least surprised but quite delighted to hear folks from across the church tell me good things about our delegates. We were represented well."

Above: Jake Diamond and Garrett Grant stand with Julia Ayala Harris, President of the House of Deputies of the General Convention. Taylor Thornhill shows the gifts she has received from other E.Y.E. participants, while giving them Diocese of Georgia Narwhal stickers.

Below: Ben Varner takes an "ussie" with Ezra Pearson, Eva Purdy, and Luke Varner in front of the dining hall.

Registration open for Cursillo #127

Registration for both team and participants for Cursillo #127 is now open!

Cursillo (pronounced ‘kur-see-yo’) is a Spanish word meaning ‘little’ or ‘short course’. This is the name given to the Short Course in Christianity which first developed after World War II with Roman Catholic men. The short course has now been given to men and women around the world and in the process has assisted generations of Christians to more faithfully follow Jesus in their daily lives. There is no real secret here, just the basics of the faith with an emphasis on how would you like to live it out in your life.

Cursillo begins on a Thursday evening and ends the following Sunday evening. During those three days the participants engage in listening to talks given by priests and lay people, and small table discussions, while worshiping and playing together.

The next Cursillo weekend will be held at Honey Creek September 7-10, 2023.

To register for team, click here.

To register as a participant, click here.

Episcopal Cursillo Ministry National Conference

The national commission for the Episcopal Cursillo Ministry presents the first annual conference since 2019, Come to the Holy Hill. The conference will take place September 21-23, 2023 at Virginia Theological Seminary. To view all conference details, including the schedule and workshop sessions, visit episcopalcursilloministry.org.

Any cursillistas or fourth day group like Walk to Emmaus are welcome and encouraged to attend. Can't wait to see you there!

Across the Diocese

Pajama wearing kids at Saint Paul's in Augusta joined our teens returning from EYE (see article above) for breakfast.

King of Peace, Kingsland, parishioner Jim Harrison puts food donations in the trunk of his car to support the community ministry Ravens of Elijah, in providing food for those in need in Camden County.

Vacation Bible School is underway this week at St. Peter's in Savannah.

Upcoming Events

Funeral for the Rev. Judy Jones Keith

August 5 at 11 a.m.

Bishop Frank Logue will officiate and preach the funeral for the Rev. Judy Jones Keith at St. Thomas in Thomasville. Clergy are encouraged to to vest in cassock, surplice, and white stoles.

Clergy Conference

Fall Clergy Conference: October 2-4

The Fall Conference will be a deep dive into the Gospel of Mark with the Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, a New Testament scholar who is Dean and President of the Seminary of the Southwest. This is to prepare us for preaching Year B of the lectionary, with its readings from Mark's Gospel. The conference will be held at Honey Creek.



Diocesan Convention

November 9-11, 2023

Registration will be open this summer.

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

July 9 - 15

In 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. 

July 16 - 22

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in St. Marys, Christ Church. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in St. Marys, especially Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for St. Timothy (San Timoteo) in Nizao

31-Day Prayer Cycles - Revised February 28, 2023

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 2/28/2023)

Bishop Logue has completed his Fall 2022 through Early 2023 visitations.

To view Bishop Logue's full visitation calendar, click here. (Updated for 2024 - 6/20/2023)

Picture: Bishop Logue serves in a Holy Eucharist during the Episcopal Youth Event at the University of Maryland.

The office has instituted summer office hours of closing at noon on Fridays.

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.

Spencer Cantrell, who grew up at St. Michael and All Angels in Savannah, spoke to teens at the Episcopal Youth Event about how she discovered her vocation. She shared how serving in Hong Kong with the Young Adult Service Corps (YASC) led to her career as an attorney.

YASC is for those 21-30 years old. To find out more go to their website at: Young Adult Service Corps