August 3, 2022 | Volume 12, No. 31

In every congregation of the Diocese of Georgia, I know people who disagree with each other profoundly on politics (and sports which is even more difficult) who are grateful to worship together and miss one another if someone is not in church. I value this so much. We differ in many ways, but we all know that we need Jesus and we need each other. I have seen this writ large in gathering with more than 650 bishops from 165 countries at the Lambeth Conference. 

One reminder that kept popping up throughout the Conference is the Five Marks of Mission, which are a common framework for Anglicans from the Melanesian Islands to Angola to Brazil but virtually never referenced in the Episcopal Church. The content will not surprise you:

The mission of the Church is the mission of Christ

1. Tell: To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
2. Teach: To teach, baptise and nurture new believers.   
3. Tend: To respond to human need by loving service.
4. Transform: To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation.
5. Treasure: To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth .

And this is what binds us when unanimity fails: one Lord, one faith, one baptism. We are all reformed and catholic, we love the scriptures and the sacraments and at our best we love one another.

When we gathered here, Archbishop Welby said, “You are the shepherds of your flock as I am the shepherd of the flock that I serve. Let us not act in a way that disgraces our witness. Speak frankly, but in love.”

I know we have been candid with one another. I know deep division remains. Yet, we spoke in love and honored our witness to that first proclamation, “Jesus is Lord.” While on retreat in Canterbury Cathedral, I saw graves and monuments all around, the site where an Archbishop of Canterbury was martyred and a king repented. I found myself contemplating the differences that must have existed between all the people those monuments honor. What came to mind was the praise song, “Jesus, Jesus, there is something about that name. Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away, but there is something about that name.”

Last evening, in a bit of serendipity, I came back to the dorm from the Eucharist walking, holding hands, and talking with the Archbishop of South Sudan, on a lovely late evening in Kent with Canterbury Cathedral at our backs and a return home in front of us. Two bishops from very different contexts with different views of a Jesus shaped life, but with the most important thing in common: we are both beloved children of God, united by one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

The Anglican Communion and the Lambeth Conference are contingent, temporary. As is our Diocese of Georgia. The degree to which we keep Jesus at the center determines the eternal significance of what we do. This time away has me longing to be with y’all as we continue following Jesus in this Anglican way that connects us to siblings around the globe.

pax et bonum,

+Frank

You can see more photos from the Lambeth Conference on Bishop Logue's Facebook page.

To learn more about the Lambeth Conference and events surrounding the conference, visit Episcopal News Service for their coverage of the conference.

The Rt. Rev. Charles Lovett Keyser (1930-2022)

The diocese mourns the death of the Rt. Rev. Charles Lovett Keyser.

A Northeast Florida native, Bishop Keyser graduated from the University of the South, Sewanee, and was ordained as a priest in 1955 by Bishop Frank Juhan. He served our Diocese in that capacity from 1954-1960.

In 1960, Bishop Keyser answered a call to active Naval service with assignments including Naval surface and sub-surface units, Fleet Marine Force units and Training Commands. During his service, he received multiple awards including the Legion of Merit and Gold Star. 

Upon his naval retirement, he moved to the Diocese of Virginia where he remained until his consecration as fourth Bishop Suffragan for the Armed Forces of the Episcopal Church in 1990. 

His canonical retirement in 2000 was not the end of his story. In the years following his retirement, he served as the Interim Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Montana, as well as an Assisting Bishop for both the Diocese of Georgia and Florida.

"I recall well Bishop Keyser making a visitation to King of Peace when I was the Missioner and his gracious encouragement and insight were most helpful to a young church," Bishop Logue said. "I know his serving in Georgia was also a real support to the Louttits, which was a gift to the whole Diocese."

This is a reminder that audits are due to the Diocese by September 1^st. If your congregation is running into challenges meeting that deadline, please reach out to Canon Easterlin to notify her. 

Per Diocesan Canon, congregations are required to submit an audit annually. You can review the language here. The referenced language is canon 9, section 4. 

Key considerations when conducting or planning for an audit: 

• Congregations with operating revenue of $500,000 or more shall be reviewed or audited by an independent Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
• Congregations with operating revenue less than $500,000 may be reviewed or audited by an independent CPA or, alternatively, may be reviewed by a person or committee knowledgeable in financial matters and chosen from within or outside the entity. Many congregations partner with each other to swap reviews. To facilitate the review, the Diocese has a checklist.
• Treasurers and bookkeepers are not allowed to review or audit the financial record of their entities. 
• In addition to submission of the checklist or audited statements, a memoranda should be issued by the auditors/reviewers detailing the internal controls and summary of recommended actions related to the financial protocols of the congregation. 

Please submit questions to Canon Easterlin at keasterlin@gaepiscopal.org. While daunting, this is an important part of governance and helps our congregations each year as they think through their financial health and stewardship. 

“Baptized for Life: A Lay Ministers’ Conference” will take place September 9-10 at Honey Creek! This conference is intended for any lay person in the Diocese who is in any active ministry in their congregation. Examples of such lay ministries include those who assist or lead worship, serve on the Vestry, serve on committees, teach Sunday School or lead youth activities, serve on the Altar Guild, care for the buildings and grounds, lead outreach activities, and more. This conference will be led by Dr. Lisa Kimball, the Vice President for Lifelong Learning and the James Maxwell Professor Chair of Lifelong Christian Formation at Virginia Theological Seminary. “Dr. Kimball has focused her teaching and research on lifelong, life-wide, and life-deep discipleship and Christian vocation…She is a passionate advocate for lay ministry, the full inclusion of all generations, digital literacy, and leaders who are confident teachers of the faith.” For more information about Dr. Kimball’s background and history, click here.

This conference will focus on the ministry of the laity, including its joys and challenges especially over the past two years. It will frame our various calls in the context of our Baptismal identity and the vows we make at Baptism, and will give participants an opportunity to think toward the future in their own specific contexts. 

There will also be time to rest, relax, worship together, and enjoy simply being together at Honey Creek! The event begins with Evening Prayer at 5:30 p.m. on Friday and ends at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. Registration is available here. You may choose to register for a single or double occupancy lodge room. If you choose double occupancy, be sure to name your roommate in the registration.

Contact Joshua Varner, Canon for Program and Liturgy, at jvarner@gaepiscopal.org with any questions about this conference.

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.

Registration now open!

Each delegate, guest, and clergy spouse must register individually. This is an important step and is a necessary step in order to have the appropriate contact information for each person registered. Early bird registration is open until August 31.

To register for convention, click here.

Vendor Application

All exhibit requests are subject to approval by the Bishop's office. Applications are due no later than September 16, 2022. Vendor applications must be approved before registering for convention.

To fill out a vendor application, click here. 



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.

Resolutions

Resolutions are due to the Secretary of Convention, Canon Katie Easterlin, by September 2, 2022, in order to be considered by the convention. The rules of Convention governing resolutions are found in the Canons of the Diocese of Georgia and are reproduced here for reference:

• Resolutions on non-budget items to be placed before Diocesan Convention, except those from Diocesan Council and Convention Committees, must be submitted to the Secretary of the Diocese in writing at least sixty days prior to said Convention.

• The Secretary will make the resolutions available to the convocations of the Diocese for study and response before the Convention and will provide for their publication in From the Field, at the latest, in the issue next preceding Convention. The Canons of the Diocese are coordinating to visit pre-Convention convocation meetings.

• Any proposed alteration or addition to the Canons proposed on the first day of the meeting of the Convention, shall be submitted in writing to the Chairperson of the Committee on Constitution and Canons at least sixty (60) days prior to the opening of the Convention. No such proposed alteration or addition shall be considered by the Convention until it has been referred to and reported upon by the Committee on Constitution and Canons. Every amendment or alteration proposed on any succeeding day of the Convention session shall be similarly referred and reported upon but may not be adopted without the consent of two-thirds of the delegates present. The Committee on Constitution and Canons may propose alterations on its own volition at any time. Changes approved at Convention shall go into effect immediately following the adjournment of that Convention.

• So that content and intent may be clearly understood, any resolution submitted, except those of a laudatory nature, shall be titled and include a summary of its content and purpose. Said summary shall be read when resolutions are presented for referral or vote.

A reminder that amendments to the Canons from last year's convention are due by August 15, 2022.

Mark your calendar for September 16 & 17 and make plans to attend the Celebration of Women's Ministries and the Daughters of the King Annual Meeting at Honey Creek! This will be the first diocesan-wide ECW meeting since 2019 and will be a great opportunity to see old friends and make new ones. The keynote speaker on Saturday morning will be the Rev. June Johnson from All Saints' on Tybee Island. 

There will be lots of time for catching up, lots of time to walk the labyrinth, Bible study, reflection, and sharing sessions. All are welcome to bring knitting, needlepoint, etc for peaceful aids while listening and sharing. 

The price of attending includes all meals and lodging from 3:00pm on Friday through 1:00pm on Saturday. New officers will be installed during the Eucharist at noon on Saturday. Registration forms can be found on the ECW webpage here.

Hosted by the Rev. Kevin Kelly from St. Michael and All Angels in Savannah, a new retreat focused around those dealing with addiction or mental health issues, either themselves or with a loved one, will be at Honey Creek. There will be a focus for those who have encountered these issues specifically during the pandemic. The retreat is intended to provide a safe space to talk about what's happening, to learn that no one has to face them alone, and that the Church is a place where we can be honest about it.

The retreat is begins on Friday, September 23rd and will conclude on Sunday, September 25th with a closing Eucharist at 11:00am. Registration will open soon. 

For more information, contact the Rev. Kevin Kelly at kevink94@gmail.com. To register, click here.

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew Province IV is hosting a 24 hour Men's Retreat at the Cerveny Conference Center November 4-5, 2022. The theme for the retreat is Renew, Recharge, Rejoice.

National officers of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew will be leading the retreat. Mark the date on your calendar and join us for 24 hours of fellowship, fun, and information in the beautiful natural setting of north central Florida at the Diocese of Florida's camp and retreat center.

Registration forms will be made available after Labor Day on the Camp Weed/Cerveny Conference center website, wwww.campweed.org.

The Protestant Episcopal Church in the

Confederate States

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 complicity of Episcopalians in the sale and ownership of enslaved persons.

Clergy and laity in the north were increasingly strident in pushing for the abolition of slavery, in the decades leading up to the American Civil War. These abolitionist desires led to splits within denominations. The first occurred during the General Conference of the Methodist Church in 1844 that decided a bishop who enslaved persons “should not exercise his office as long as the situation of slaveholding persisted.” This schism resulted in the creation of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South.

As many influential Episcopalians in the north saw slavery as a political or legal question rather than a moral one, no such rancorous debate took place in our church. When southern states seceded from the Union, the situation changed. In 1861, Bishop Stephen Elliott of Georgia joined Bishop Leonidas Polk of Louisiana in writing a letter to southern dioceses calling for a church council. In that letter, the bishops said, “We rejoice to record the fact, that we are today, as Churchmen, as truly brethren as we have ever been; and that no deed has been done, nor word uttered, which leaves a single wound rankling in our hearts.”

During the 39th Convention of the Diocese of Georgia, held in Macon that same year, Bishop Elliott said of the southern states, “These States are no longer, in any sense, a part of the United States, and consequently the Bishops of these States or Dioceses, for in this connection those words are synonymous, are no longer Bishops of any of the United States. They are now Bishops of the Confederate States.” Expecting the Confederate States to exist in perpetuity, Elliott saw no choice but to create the new denomination and the diocesan convention agreed. 

The Diocese of Georgia sent Bishop Elliott, as well as three clergy and three lay delegates to the meeting in Montgomery. Bishop Stephen Elliott, Jr. became the first and only Presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America (PECCSA). The Pastoral Letter PECCSA issued said, we southern Episcopalians are “a very large proportion of the great slaveholders of the country” and added, “Hitherto have we been hindered by the pressure of abolitionism; now that we have thrown off from us that hateful and infidel pestilence, we should prove to the world that we are faithful to our trust and the Church should lead the hosts of the Lord in this work of justice and of mercy.”

In November 1862, the first General Council of the church met at Saint Paul’s in Augusta. Most of the bishops in the Confederate States gathered there again in June 1864 as Bishop Elliott preached at the funeral for Bishop Leonidas Polk, who served as a general in the war and died in battle.

Meeting in October of 1865, the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States approved adoption of the actions of the PECCSA including making Arkansas into a diocese and consecrating as bishop Richard Hooker Wilmer in Alabama. The second and final General Council of PECCSA met in Augusta the following month and resolved that any bishop and diocese could, in good faith, vote to rejoin the Episcopal Church. They all did so and the PECCSA came to an end.  

Pictured above: Bishop Stephen Elliott (above); Saint Paul's in Augusta (below).

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.

Please note : the deadline to submit your your amendment will be August 15.

During the 2021 Diocesan Convention that met in November, delegates considered a package of changes to the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese. After passing two amendments and postponing a third, the Convention passed the resolution on a first reading. The proposed changes will come before the Convention this November.

Bishop Logue is appointing a Task Group to shepherd the process this year, allowing time for due consideration and a a way to propose additional amendments. The Constitution and Canons as voted on by Convention in 2021 can be viewed here.

The Constitution and Canons as voted on by Convention in 2021, with all changes tracked from the previous version, can be viewed here.

Propose amendments online

The Diocese will use a Google Form to facilitate the collection of proposed amendments to the Canons. Any member of the clergy or delegate to Convention (2021 delegates remain in effect until a congregation names new delegates) may propose an amendment using this form: Proposed Amendments to Canons.

If you have any questions, please contact Canon Loren Lasch at llasch@gaepiscopal.org.

Convention will be held November 10-12, 2022 in Savannah.

Hurricane season officially begins on June 1, and the diocese will once again use AlertMedia to stay in contact with parishes who may be affected by natural disasters. 

Send your updated information of Clergy, Senior, and Junior Wardens to Liz Williams at lwilliams@gaepiscopal.org.

St. Thomas in Thomasville held their Blessing of the Backpacks before school kicked off.

Youth and Teachers lined up for their Blessing of the Backpacks at Our Savior in Martinez.

Church of the Good Shepherd students and teachers were excited for their Blessing of the Backpacks!

St. Thomas Isle of Hope in Savanah held their annual Holy Crab event.

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Darien is seeking a part-time organist for Sunday worship and special occasion services. Hymns and service music are typically from the 1982 Episcopal Hymnal. There is also a Tuesday evening rehearsal requirement with the choir, all to total approximately 3-4 hours per week. Candidates should be familiar with an organ with 2 manuals and a pedal clavier, be music literate, and be willing to work collaboratively with the Rector and Music Director. Pay will be commensurate with experience. Interested parties should email their resume to standrew@darientel.net.

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.   

August 7 - 13

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. 

August 14 - 20

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Savannah, especially Christ Church, the Mother Church of Georgia. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Savannah, especially the Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and Ascension Lutheran Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for St. Barthlomew (San Bartolomé) in San Cristobal. 

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)

Please note that diocesan staff members will be traveling this summer for both work and personal time. Those updates will be noted in this section, along with the corresponding staff member to contact if there is a need.

Bishop Logue is returning from the Lambeth Conference this week. Please direct any scheduling questions to his Executive Assistant, Maggie Lyons, and other correspondence with the bishop to Canon Loren Lasch.

To view Bishop Logue's full visitation calendar, click here. (Updated for 2023 - 7/19/2022)

Pictured: Canon Lasch enjoyed her to-go cheese crackers in between services for Atonement and St. Alban's in Augusta on Sunday.

Canon Easterlin will meet with the Finance Committee today and the Board of the Corporation on Friday.

Canon Lasch will be in Augusta on Sunday celebrating and preaching at St. Augustine of Canterbury.  

Canon Varner is on retreat this week. Contact Communications Manager Liz Williams for any questions at lwilliams@gaepiscopal.org.

The office's summer hours of operation include closing the office 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.

Saint Paul's in Augusta held their End of Summer cook out after Sunday's service.