September 21, 2022 | Volume 12, No. 38

Canon Joshua Varner introduces Council members to a new Safe Church policy and walks them through next steps for congregations, with a year for churches to comply with the policy. 

Diocesan Council holds quarterly meeting

This past Saturday Diocesan Council met at Trinity in Statesboro for a full day of discussion and decisions. The morning began gathering together for Holy Eucharist with Canon Lasch celebrating and Bishop Logue preaching. The morning session allowed time for Diocesan staff to present to the Council the Honey Creek and Diocesan budgets, new Safe Church policies, a nominal benefits plan for Deacons, and additional policy updates. 

After lunch Council had the opportunity to ask more questions, make any amendments to what was presented, and vote on each presentation. The Council did vote to endorse both budgets to the convention and to approve the Safe Church policy effective January 1, with congregations having until Convention 2023 to comply with the provisions. Look for more information on that policy in From the Field as well as at the convention.

The Council members also spent time reconsidering a prior decision to include Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds in the calculation for the diocesan assessment. After a presentation by leadership from St. John's in Savannah and then discussion after lunch, the Council approved a resolution stating, “PPP funds are included in the calculation of normal operating income (NOI), but a congregation can request a pre-approved waiver by Diocesan Council to eliminate the inclusion of PPP funds in NOI.” Canon Katie Easterlin has since communicated this by email to all congregations that received PPP funds together with the process for notifying the Diocese by October 31 if the vestry votes to request the waiver.

The Council also unanimously voted to approve a proposal offered by Bishop Logue that will have all active, regularly serving deacons enrolled in a new plan offered to deacons by the Church Pension Group. A plan description is online here: CPG for Deacons. The Diocese will cover the $354 per year cost for all deacons whose congregation can not otherwise do so to assure every deacon has access to the modest benefits offered in this plan.

“Our deacons' commitment to servant ministry is such an important witness to the Gospel," Bishop Logue said. "I want to make sure that our deacons benefit from this program.”

Council serves as the convention in recess to keep the business of the Diocese going throughout the year. The membership of Council consists of two lay persons and one clergy from each convocation, voted on by the convocation, as well as three at-large members that are voted in during convention. 

You are invited to celebrate the life and legacy of Saint Anna Alexander on September 25, 2022 at 3:00 pm at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Pennick. The church will also express their appreciation and well wishes to the Rev. John Butin who has faithfully served Good Shepherd, Pennick for 18 years! Seating will be limited per the size of the sanctuary, and the COVID mask protocol will be in place.

The Good Shepherd Episcopal Church and Racial Justice GA Team would greatly appreciate your church’s generosity in donating its September 25th open-plate offerings to: The Saint Anna Alexander Schoolhouse Restoration Project. Donations will be used to restore the original church/schoolhouse built by Anna and her brothers and other members of the community more than 120 years ago. Once completely restored, the building will be used to serve as a multi-purpose community and social justice center for the Glynn County area, the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia and other organizations, thus bringing together all peoples who desire to be actively engaged members of The Beloved Community.

Give online: https://onrealm.org/EpiscopalDioces91807/Give (select the St. Anna Alexander Center in the drop down) or text EDOG to 73256, followed by your gift amount, to give online through text. Select the St. Anna Alexander Center fund in the drop down.

What: Commemoration of the Feast of Saint Anna Ellison Butler Alexander and Celebration of the 129th Anniversary of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church

When: September 25, 2022 at 3:00 pm

Where: Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, 780 Pennick Road, Brunswick, GA 31525

To learn more about the life and legacy of Saint Anna, visit deaconessalexander.georgiaepiscopal.org

All invited to Convention Eucharist

Anyone may attend the Holy Eucharist at 5:00 pm on November 11 at St. Peter's in Savannah that is part of the 201st Convention of the Diocese of Georgia. We’d love to have a good turnout from Episcopalians who are not otherwise taking part in the convention. There is, of course, no charge to attend the Eucharist and no registration is needed. The church is at 3 W Ridge Rd, Savannah, GA 31411

You may register for dinner

A dinner will follow the liturgy and there is a registration for those who want to attend the dinner who are not otherwise registered for the convention.

There will be indoor and outdoor (covered) seating, outdoor dancing (under tent). To register, follow the link below and select in the dropdown menu “Convention Eucharist Supper ONLY” which will cost $25 per person for the dinner to follow with a DJ and dancing. If you are registered for the convention, the cost of the dinner is part of your registration fee.

Follow this link to register for the dinner if you are not otherwise registered for the diocesan convention: Register for the Dinner only

Registration now open!

Each delegate, guest, and clergy spouse must register individually. This is an important and is a necessary step in order to have the appropriate contact information for each person registered. Parish administrators may register a delegation, but will need to use the delegate's cell number and email address in the registration. 

To register for convention, click here. If you are receiving an error message when you click on the link, switch to a different browser.



Convention Reports

Convention reports that are to be printed in the convention booklet are due to Communications Manager Liz Williams by Friday, September 23. Email them to lwilliams@gaepiscopal.org.

Elections

The following have accepted a nomination to rusn for a position in the Diocese. Please note that we are electing deputies for the next General Convention, which will be held in 2024 in Kentucky. To be included in the printed convention booklet, nominations must be submitted by September 23. Nominations are open until they are closed on the floor of convention and will continue to be updated in From the Field and online until November 8.

This year's Nominations Chair is Ms. Katie Grant from Church of the Good Shepherd in Augusta. We will elect persons to the following:

Board of Officers of the Corporation – 1 lay person

Church Disciplinary Board – 2 clergy persons & 1 lay person

Diocesan Council – 1 lay person or clergy

Standing Committee – 1 lay person & 1 priest

Clergy

The Rev. Becky Rowell

Trustee of the University of the South – 1 lay person

Kristen Weston

General Convention Deputies – 4 clergy deputies and 4 clergy alternates; 4 lay deputies and 4 lay alternates 

Clergy

The Rev. Michael Chaney

The Rev. Ted Clarkson

The Very Rev. Al Crumpton

The Rev. Kelly Steele

Lay

Cissy Bowden

Jody Grant

Liz Williams

To make a nomination, click here.

Once nominated, nominees will need to fill out the nominee form that can be found here.

To view full nominee bios, click here.

Anglicans from the islands become Georgia's first black Episcopal clergy

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 impact Black clergy had on the Diocese.

Better known in his later years as a politician, journalist, and physician, Dr. Joseph Robert Love was the first black clergy person to serve in the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. Born in the Bahamas on October 2, 1839, Love was educated at St. Agnes Parish School and Christ Church Grammar School in Nassau. He worked as a teacher before moving to Florida in 1866. In 1871, Bishop John F. Young of the Diocese of Florida ordained him a deacon. Later that year, he moved to Savannah, becoming the Deacon in Charge of St. Stephen’s Church. In 1872, citing discrimination in St. Stephen’s against those with darker skin color, he founded St. Augustine’s Church. Love moved to Buffalo, New York in 1876 to accept a call as Rector of St. Philip’s Church. While there, he was ordained a priest and then studied in the medical school at the University of Buffalo. In 1880, he was awarded his Doctor of Medicine degree, becoming the first black graduate of the school.

The Rev. Richard Bright was the first black Episcopal priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. He was born in 1866 in St. Thomas, then part of the Dutch West Indies. Bright was educated at St. Augustine Collegiate Institute in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the General Theological Seminary in New York, where he graduated in 1891. Bishop Henry C. Potter ordained Bright a deacon the same year and he passed examinations for the priesthood and could have been ordained later the same year, but he had not yet attained the minimum age for a priest of 25.

He was ordained a priest in St. Stephen’s in Savannah on June 10, 1892, by Bishop C.K. Nelson of Georgia who noted he ordained him on behalf of the Bishop of New York where Bright was still canonically resident. 

His wife, Nellie, was born in Louisville, Kentucky, and educated in Europe as a teacher after she was denied entrance to schools in the United States. Together, Richard and Nellie established the first private kindergarten and primary school for blacks in Georgia in 1892. In 1909, he accepted appointment by Bishop F. F. Reese as “Archdeacon for the colored Work of the Diocese.”

The Bright family’s friendship with Caroline Rathbone, a white woman who later became his daughter’s godmother, appears in an article detailing Rathbone’s funeral, held in Evansville, Indiana. A black man’s officiating at a white woman’s funeral raised eyebrows. “Colored Man to Take Part in Funeral at St. Paul’s Church” announced in The Evansville Courier, December 23, 1901. The article mentions Bright was once Rathbone’s Sunday School student in New York.

Bright was a respected writer of religious pamphlets, and he wrote for the Episcopal newspaper, Church Advocate. The Library of Congress has an entry dated March 2, 1900, registering “St. Stephen’s Catechism” prepared by Rev. Richard Bright in 1892. After serving the Diocese of Georgia for almost twenty years, Bright moved his family from Savannah to accept an appointment in Philadelphia. 

Other deacons and priests of the Diocese of Georgia came from the Caribbean, including The Revs. Samuel Minns and Joseph S. Atwell, who arrived here in the late 1800s already ordained.

Pictured: Dr. J. Robert Love (top); Excerpt of the St. Stephen's Catechism written by the Rev. Richard Bright (bottom). The articles in this series are also online here: Bicentennial of the Diocese of Georgia

Annual Open Enrollment for Health Insurance

October 12 - November 2

The Diocese of Georgia continues to outperform several states and Diocese in terms of usage rates for health insurance. As such, the premiums increased on average from 4-4.7% across all available plans. The national average is expected to be over 5.6%. If you are enrolled or need to enroll, read the details in its entirety and make your changes by November 2^nd. If you do not desire to change your existing coverage, you are not required to take action and your plan will roll over into the coming year.

If you are turning 65 in 2023 you will become eligible for the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) Plans. It is recommended that you make the shift into the corresponding PPO plan to speed up the transition to the corresponding MSP plan. However, this is not required. Please be in contact with Canon Easterlin for any questions at keasterlin@gaepiscopal.org.

What You Need to Know About Annual Enrollment

During the Medical Trust’s Annual Enrollment period:

· Current plan members may change their plan selections for the following year

· Eligible non-participating employees have the option to join a plan

· Eligible non-participating dependents may be added to a member’s plan and participating dependents may be removed from a member’s plan without the need to demonstrate a qualifying event

Medical Plan Costs

 To find more information about the cost of plans, please visit the Diocesan website here: https://gaepiscopal.org/medical-insurance/.

For any questions please reach out Canon Easterlin (keasterlin@gaepiscopal.org) or Daniel Garrick (dgarrick@gaepiscopal.org).

We are now lifting the mandatory mask mandate at youth events; masks are now optional. As each event gets closer, we reserve the right to reinstate the mandate depending on the current covid rates in the diocese.

New Beginnings #58 will meet October 14-16, 2022 at Honey Creek! This conference is for youth in grades 7-9 and is led by youth who have previously attended either New Beginnings or Happening. 

Registration is open for all participants, using this link. If you are not certain that your registration successfully went through, email Canon Varner at jvarner@gaepiscopal.org and ask!

Happening #106 registration for candidates (participants) is now open! Happening, held at Honey Creek, is a weekend retreat for youth, led by youth. The weekend is focused on discovery and learning about yourself and your faith, all while enjoying fellowship and fun with youth from across the diocese. All youth and adults must follow the diocesan guidelines for youth events, which can be found here.

Who: Youth in 9-12 grade

When: November 17-20, 2022

How: Register here!

For more information, contact Happening Coordinator Sarah Brittany Greneker at sbgreneker@gmail.com.

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.

Members of All Saints' in Tybee Island share a meal together after a Sunday service.

Jenna Ramer of Christ the King in Valdosta wrote a new icon of Deaconess Anna Alexander for the parish. 

Members of St. Matthew's in Savannah celebrated their 167th anniversary together at Good Times Jazz Bar & Restaurant in Savannah.

The Rev. Glenn Palmer at Holy Comforter in Martinez takes an "ussie" during the Newcomer's Welcome meal for the 25% of the parish new to Holy Comforter.

The Episcopal Campus Ministry at Georgia Southern meets together with the Presbyterian UKirk in the campus ministry house on Fair Road in Statesboro.

St. Francis of the Islands in Savannah is seeking to hire a new part-time Parish Administrator. Job duties include welcoming people to the parish office, general office support, worship bulletin preparation, and accounting. Qualified candidates should have solid computer skills, including experience with MS Office Suite. Interested individuals can find a more detailed job posting at the following link: https://bit.ly/stfrancisparishadmin.

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.   

September 18 - 24

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Savannah, especially St. Paul the Apostle and St. Bartholomew’s Chapel. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Savannah, especially the Catholic congregations of St. Frances Cabrini and Saints Peter and Paul as well as St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for Christ the Savior (Cristo Salvador) in Santiago. 

September 25 - October 1

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Swainsboro, Good Shepherd. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Swainsboro, especially Holy Trinity Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for Emmanuel (Emmanuel) in Santiago. 

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 7/1/2022)

Next week, Bishop Logue, Canon Lasch, and Canon Varner will be at the Clergy Conference at Honey Creek Monday through Wednesday. 

On Sunday, Bishop Logue makes his visitation to Christ Church, St. Simons Island. He will join Good Shepherd in Pennick for their celebration of St. Anna Alexander's feast day.

To view Bishop Logue's full visitation calendar, click here. (Updated for 2023 - 8/30/2022)

Pictured: Bishop Logue with the Diocesan Council in the background at Trinity in Statesboro.

This week Canon Varner is attending the Diocesan Youth Leaders' Conference at Chapel Rock in Prescott, AZ.

Canon Lasch is celebrating and preaching at Holy Nativity in St. Simons Island on Sunday.

Executive Assistant to the Bishop Maggie Lyons is on maternity leave.

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.

Executive Assistant to the Bishop Maggie Lyons and husband Andrew welcomed baby Atlas Dade Lyons into the world on Sunday afternoon.