November 24, 2021 | Volume 11, No. 64

In response to today's verdict in the McMichael-Bryan trial, Bishop Logue, together with Bishop Wright of the Diocese of Atlanta and Bishop Kevin Strickland of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America issued a joint letter, which includes the prayer below. For. the full letter, visit https://gaepiscopal.org/bishopresponse.

This past weekend 11 participants and 16 staff gathered for Happening #104! This was only the second in-person youth event since February 2020, and the first in-person Happening! Participants and staff came from all over the Diocese and beyond. During the weekend they heard staff offer reflections on Faith, Reality, Piety, and more. They gathered in small groups to reflect together, played games, sang songs, and wrote prayers.

At the closing Eucharist Adair Weston, from Good Shepherd, Augusta, said “I could feel the Spirit with me.” Evan Ariail, from St. Thomas, Thomasville, said, “I’m so thankful for the opportunity [to be here] and will forever remember the impact of [Happening],” and Jackson Beckham, from St. Anne’s, Tifton, said, “These experiences, and especially the people here, is what makes Honey Creek Honey Creek.”

Ellie Copeland, from Christ Church, Valdosta, was the Rector of Happening #104. She selected John 1:5 as her theme for the weekend: “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”  When talking about the participants and staff at the closing Eucharist, she said, “these Candidates are the light.”

Canon Loren Lasch elaborated on the same theme a little later, in her sermon, “You are the Light of Christ now. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, or tell you that you are not prepared, or not good enough. You have Christ’s light in you and you are called to share it to the world now. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it, no matter what.”

Our intention is that Happening #105 will take place in the spring. Staff applications will open soon, so be on the lookout!

Top photo: Group photo of the staff and candidates (participants) of Happening #104.

Middle photo: the Rev. Canon Loren Lasch celebrates at Closing Eucharist in the Chapel of Our Savior at Honey Creek.

Bottom photo: Ellie Copeland, Canon Lasch, and Mary Margaret Lemburg administer the bread and wine during the Closing Eucharist.

For the eighth year in a row, #AdventWord will gather prayers via a global, online advent calendar. Forward Movement, the new home of AdventWord, will offer 28 daily meditations and images during this holy season beginning Sunday, November 28. 

Gathering a worldwide community, #AdventWord provides a daily meditation, visual image, and invites your personal reflections via social media to share your own Advent journey. Thousands have participated each year, responding to the words with photos, written responses, crafts, drawings, poems, found art, and Holy Spirit-filled posts.

We want to share your photos

Each year the diocese participates by sharing photo or videos that invoke the word chosen for the day. This year the diocese is asking for photo submissions from you! If you have a photo you'd like to submit, email them with the word choice to Communications Manager Liz Williams at lwilliams@gaepiscopal.org. The photos will be featured on our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook pages.

Looking for additional Advent resources?

The Society of Saint John the Evangelist in Cambridge, MA are providing a series of six recorded sermons for Episcopal congregations. Interested congregations can find more information here.

The Episcopal Church has curated multiple resources on their website, including Journeying the Way of Love: Advent Curriculum, digital Advent and Christmas invitation kits, and more. To see the full list, click here.

The Episcopal Church invites young leaders ages 21 to 32 interested in a transformative outreach and discernment experience to consider applying to the Episcopal Service Corps for its 2022-23 service year.

Applications open online Nov. 15. Potential applicants can also take an online discernment quiz.

Every year, 80-100 young leaders serve more than 120,000 hours in local and community-based nonprofits and churches through the Episcopal Service Corps, helping in rural ministries, homelessness support, healthcare, immigration and refugee resettlement, housing justice, education for at-risk youth, and much more. Participants live together in community, creating and living by a household “Rule of Life,” and committing to regular spiritual direction and prayer in addition to service.

“Our core values are service, prayer, justice, vocation, community, and leadership,” said Wendy Johnson, manager of the Episcopal Service Corps network for The Episcopal Church. “These values shape and inform every aspect of a service year, and they are what set us apart from other post-graduate options.”          

The service year structure helps guide many participants as they discern their next steps vocationally and spiritually. Many Corps members move into positions of leadership within their churches, the wider Episcopal Church, and community organizations.

Corps members receive housing, health coverage, and small stipends to cover living expenses, transportation, and food. Questions? Please contact Wendy Johnson.

• When: January 7-9, 2022
• Who: Youth in Grades 7-9
• Where: Honey Creek!
• Cost: $125 per person

New Beginnings, a retreat for youth currently in Grades 7-9, is open for registration. This event is led by older youth, with adult support. In a time of increased anxiety and uncertainty, New Beginnings offers young people a chance to gather at Honey Creek offers young people a chance to step back from their daily lives and reflect on some of the big issues of life, such as Family, Peer Pressure, Friends, and how the Love God has for all of us is unconditional and everlasting. Participant Registration is available here: https://bit.ly/NBParticipants. 

Applications to serve on New Beginnings Staff are also available! Any youth who has attended either New Beginnings or Happening is eligible to serve on staff. Serving on staff includes a commitment to attend the entire weekend, and to attend the staff lock-in, which is scheduled for December 4-5, 2021. The staff application is here: https://bit.ly/NBStaff. 

Job Openings Across the Diocese

St. Francis of the Islands Episcopal Church in Savannah, GA is seeking a part-time organist and choir director (approximately 8-10 hours per week) to provide music and direct the choir at the 10:30 am service on Sunday morning and other special services as required. Special services primarily follow the liturgical calendar, to include Principal Feasts of the Church, Ash Wednesday, and the services of Holy Week.  

Candidates are to have proficiency at the organ to lead congregational singing and perform organ repertoire. Candidates should also have a demonstrated ability to rehearse and direct choral music. Knowledge of or experience in the Episcopal Church preferred. The ideal candidate will be interested in teaching and mentoring students in the choir's inaugural class of choral scholars, and also serving as a resource for music education in the parish.

For more information and the full description, click here. 

The Feed My Sheep Food Pantry at St. Athanasius began over 20 years ago and continues to serve their Glynn County neighbors. Last week the ministry distributed Thanksgiving items. Pictured left to right are Velma Crosby of St. Athanasius, John Jackson of Christ Church Frederica, a Glynn County neighor, and Dr. Marty Carnes of Christ Church Frederica.

Participants from St. Augustine of Canterbury spent time at Kanuga for an icon writing workshop. Pictures left to right: The Rev. Sandy Turner, Deacon, Marsha Jones, Donna Tumm, and the

Rev. Terri Degenhardt.

Bishop Logue confirmed and received 20 people at Church of the Good Shepherd in Augusta on Sunday.

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 2021 one year prayer cycle is online here: 2021 Prayer Cycle  

November 28 - December 4

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Waynesboro, St. Michael’s. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Waynesboro, especially Sacred Heart Catholic Church and our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church in Sylvania. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Santo Domingo, especially St. Margaret (Santa Margarita).

December 5 -11

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Woodbine, St. Mark’s. We also pray for our ecumenical partners, especially the Catholic congregations of Holy Family in Metter and St. Bernadette in Millen. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Santo Domingo, especially Holy Trinity (Santísma Trinidad).

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 Diocesan Prayer Cycle Cycle and Clergy Clergy Spouses Prayer Cycle Prayer Cycle. (Updated 9/25/2021)

Bishop Logue, Canon Lasch, and the Rev. Lauren Byrd will be in in New Orleans at the Province IV Bishops and Bi-Vocational Conference next week. Bishop Logue will be there all week, and Canon Lasch and Rev. Byrd will be there Tuesday and Wednesday.

To view Bishop Logue's full visitation calendar, click here. (Updated 11/15/2021)

The Diocesan Office will be closed this Wednesday through Friday for Thanksgiving.

Canon Easterlin is on sabbatical until December.

You may reach diocesan staff by phone at (912) 236-4279. Given staff schedules of meetings and travel, 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.

Happening Staff members decorated a wall in Stuart Hall with paper plates with all of the past Rectors of Happening in the diocese written in order from Happening #1 to #104!