July 26, 2023 | Volume 13, No. 30

New Mural at Christ the King

Honors Civil Rights Icons

Christ the King Episcopal Church in Valdosta has embarked on a new mural project that adorns one of the walls of their downtown church building. Christ the King has been a presence in downtown Valdosta for over 20 years, spreading their message of welcome and love: "Whoever you are and wherever you find yourself on life's journey, you are welcome." The late Rev. Stan White, founder of the congregation, believed that the church was open to all God's children, and after his death Christ the King's parishioners have kept that spirit alive.

The mural features portraits of Saint Anna Alexander, Martin Luther King, Jr., Howard Thurman, Marsha P. Johnson, and John Lewis. In addition, there will be two depictions of people who were victims of racial violence: a tree with a female body representing Mary Turner and a portrait of Ahmaud Arbery. Other portraits include Harriet Tubman, Malcom X, and Maya Angelou. Throughout the mural is a rainbow colored ribbon that includes lyrics and notes from the Billie Holiday song, "Strange Fruit".

Michael Noll, Christ the King's Junior Warden, said that this mural reflected the beliefs of the church, " In the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr., our church works toward a society that is based on justice, equality, and compassion for all members of the human race. To accomplish this, we must tell the truth about our communities and ourselves, dismantle racism and homophobia, repair breaches in our neighborhoods, and become reconcilers, justice-makers, and healers in the name of Christ."

Once the mural is completed, a display board with a QR code will be installed to allow visitors to learn more about the people and entities depicted in the art. Noll is hopeful that this will give the viewers a more in-depth appreciation and understanding of the art work.

The mural artists are Taylor Shaw, a former Valdosta State University art professor, and Shay Clayton, a current Valdosta State art student. The project has received the enthusiastic support of Valdosta's Public Art Advisory Committee, as well as from the Main Street Director, Brandie Dame. In an interview with the Valdosta Daily Times, Dame said the mural will be another statement piece for the city. "Everybody will love it...It's about time that something like this is coming to the Valdosta area that showcases these activists," she said.

There is an ongoing fundraiser for the project that will help support the completion of the work. To contribute to the fundraiser, click here.

Registration for Convention 2023 now open

Registration for the 202nd Convention of the Diocese of Georgia is now open!

Convention will be held at the Episcopal Day School at Church of the Good Shepherd in Augusta, GA on November 9-11, 2023.

To see a list of convention hotels, click here.

To register as a delegate, guest, clergy spouse, or vendor, click here.

Episcopal Campus Ministry at Georgia Southern

If your parish is sending students to Statesboro, Georgia in the fall the Episcopal Campus Ministry at Geogia Southern would love to welcome them and become their church home away from home, or conveniently available pastoral care as needed. Many Episcopal, Presbyterian, ELCA, Orthodox, and others have found a home with ECM over the years. All are welcome!

ECM is hosting a cookout on August 11 at 6:00 p.m. where new students can connect with one another and current Georgia Southern students and ministry staff. RSVP or refer students by emailing charles@trinitystatesboro.org.

Help build the faithful bridge from parish to campus; help your college students find their spiritual home!

*ECM at Georgia Southern partners with UKirk Georgia Southern, Trinity Episcopal Church, and First Presbyterian Church Statesboro.

Icon Workshop returning to St. Simons Island

The Annual Christ Church Frederica Icon Writing Workshop will be held Sunday, September 10 - Friday, September 15 in the Parish Hall. The event will begin late Sunday afternoon to get each workstation and materials set up. Each day participants will work from 9:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Thursday, and finish early afternoon on Friday. The cost will be $450 and includes all materials and instruction. The instructor will again be the amazing Kara Nelson. 

The icon participants will be writing is known as the Greek Wedding Icon because it is a traditional Greek wedding gift. The icon is two hinged 5×7 panels featuring Mary on the left and Jesus on the right (see photo). Each participant will have the option of doing both faces or simply one. If choosing one, participants may pick Mary or Jesus. There will be a small reduction in the fee for only doing one. 

The workshop is open to people of all skill levels. No prior artistic training or ability required. For more info, contact the Rev. Becky Rowell at Becky@ccfssi.org or 912-222-6724.  

Register for Happening #108!

Applications for staff and registration for candidates (participants) for Happening #108 are now open! To be a member of staff, you are required to attend the staff training lock-in on Saturday, October 7-Sunday, October 8 at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Thomasville. Candidates must currently be in 9th-12th grade to attend as a participant. The retreat weekend will be held at Honey Creek November 17-19, 2023.

The rector (lead teen) of Happening #108 is Evan Ariail, from St. Thomas in Thomasville. For any questions, contact Canon Varner at jvarner@gaepiscopal.org or Liz Williams at lwilliams@gaepiscopal.org.

To apply for staff, click here.

To register at a candidate, click here.

Free Choral Music at Christ Church Savannah

The music office at Christ Church Savannah is paring down its choral music library, and has a number of choral scores which are available for anyone to come take and add to their own libraries. This Google spreadsheet lists the current remaining inventory, as well as details such as number of copies available. Please email Director of Music George Fergus at george.fergus@ccesavannah.org to check availabilities of scores that you might be interested in, or to coordinate a time to visit the music office and pick up copies. Any scores left unclaimed by September 5 will be recycled.

Praying for Sheetrock discussion wraps up

This Thursday at 7pm, Racial Justice Georgia continues its Zoom-based discussion Melissa Fay Greene's Praying for Sheetrock--a gripping account of the struggle for civil rights in McIntosh County, Georgia. The discussion will be based on the end of the book (chapters 14-17). There is also a special session next week, on August 3rd at 7pm, where there will be special guests from older residents of McIntosh County who will share their own stories. 

Please join through this Zoom link (click here), and please email Karen Cote (kdcote61@gmail.com) if you have any issues logging in.

Job Openings

Christ Church in Valdosta is searching for a Director of Christian Education. Resumes and applications will be accepted until Friday, August 4th. Please call (229)242-5115 or email office@christchurchvaldosta.org for the application. To read the full job description, click here.

Across the Diocese

Members of Trinity in Statesboro work on preparing food for Rebecca's Cafe, a feeding ministry of Trinity.

Grovetown Mission in Grovetown held Summerfest, which included fun bounce houses and a meal.

Sally Adamson from St. Anne's in Tifton was honored for her 55 years of service to the music ministry. She was honored with a plaque, cake, and named Organist Emerita.

St. Paul's in Albany welcomed their new organist and music director, Dr. Forrest R. Parker, III (Trip)

to the parish.

Aletha Kleinheksel at Church of the Holy Comforter in Martinez celebrates her first day as an acolyte.

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.

Cursillo #127

When: September 7-10

Where: Honey Creek

Participant Registration

Team Application

New Beginnings #60

When: October 20-22, 2023

Where: Honey Creek

Participant registration here

Happening #108

When: November 17-19, 2023

Where: Honey Creek

Staff applications here

Candidate registration here

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

To register, click here.

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 31 - August 5

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation on Jekyll Island, St. Richard of Chichester. We also pray for our ecumenical partners on the island, especially Jekyll Island Methodist Church and St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Puerto Plata, especially Cristo Rey (Christ the King), San Francisco de Asís (St. Francis of Assisi), and San Simón Apóstol (St. Simon the Apostle).

August 6 - 12

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Sandersville, Grace Church. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Sandersville, especially St. William Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for Divine Providence (Divina Providencia) in San Antonio de Guerra. 

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. He and Victoria will be on vacation from July 20-31. He will be back in the office on August 1.

Photo: The Logues found the world's largest pistachio on the way from Roswell to Alamogordo, New Mexico.

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

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.

The Rev. Eric Biddy, Rector, and the Rev. Kimberly Dunn, Associate Rector, at Saint Paul's in Augusta enjoy on the Beach Party themed event the Outreach Committee held to raise funds.