December 28, 2022 | Volume 12, No. 52

O come let us adore him!

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Sunday after Christmas Day, Book of Common Prayer pg. 213 Photo above: The Nativity Pageant at St. Anne's in Tifton.

Providing Warmth for Neighbors in Need

With the temperatures set to plummet, congregations of the Diocese of Georgia stepped up this past weekend to offer a warm place to stay. In Savannah, St. Michael and All Angels provided a midtown location, while St. George's offered a refuge on the south side. St. Luke's in Rincon also provided space for those who needed shelter. In Americus, Calvary opened their doors as a warming station. In addition, Epiphany in Savannah provided aid to those remaining outdoors.

At St. George's, 28 volunteers logged more than 100 hours as they provided overnight shelter for 15 guests. A local restaurant, Vincenzo's, assisted with serving 83 meals, including Christmas morning breakfast with farm-fresh eggs, hash browns, and sausage, as well as Christmas Dinner with roast turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans. The church also distributed (too many to count) blankets, clothing, shoes, hygiene kits, and food-to-go bags. The Rev. David Lemburg, Rector of St. George's, is shown above on the local news in Savannah.

St. Michael and All Angels kept around 40 men, women, and children warm, safe, and well fed over the Christmas weekend. The Rev. Kevin Kelly said "The support from other churches - some part of The Episcopal Church, some not - has been wonderful. The response of the local community has been overwhelming." He added, "We had one goal - prevent people from dying from exposure this weekend - and we have succeeded."

St. Michael and All Angels had so many donations flood in to assist, they delivered a trailer load of supplies to Emmaus House, an inter-faith ministry that serves persons who are homeless out of the parish house of Christ Church. These supplies will continue to be offered to those in need this winter through the clothes closet there run by the Church of the Epiphany.

Meanwhile, the Church of the Epiphany in Savannah was offering care of its own for those who would be missed if we provided shelter in our buildings alone. They distributed 60 sleeping bags, 80 cold weather care packages, 200 hand warmers, 100 emergency blankets, 100 packages of home baked cookies, and 75 hand written Christmas cards with gift certificates to persons who are homeless. Their priest, the Rev. Michael Chaney organized the effort. He is pictured above with the group taking the excess donations from St. Michael and All Angels to Emmaus House.

Gay Saunders Jacobs (1940-2022)

The people of the Diocese of Georgia mourn the death of Gay Saunders Jacobs, 82, of Valona, who died at home on Sunday, December 18. A past president of the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Georgia (1994-1997), she was an active member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Darien where she served as senior warden and clerk for many years.

Born in 1940, she was a lifelong resident of McIntosh County. Jacobs was co-owner and accounting manager for Jacobs Seafood for 48 years. She was a member of Georgia Fishermen's Association in the 70's and 80's. Jacobs enjoyed being active in the church, art, gardening, reading and writing poems, spending time with her family and friends, and especially time with her great-grandchildren. 

She was married for 66 years to Lawrence Jacobs, Sr. They had three sons who preceded Gay in death - Laddy, Tony, and Douglas. They also had a daughter, Claire "Meta" Willis and grandchildren Gina White and husband Brady of North Pole, Alaska; Kate Baker and husband Scott of Colonels Island, Georgia, Marly Jacobs and Sarah Jacobs, both of Jacksonville, Florida, and Brad Willis of Valona; as well as two great-grandchildren, Alexandria "Alex" Baker and Ava Grace White.

Her funeral will be this Friday, December 30, at 11 a.m. at St. Andrews Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Darien and designated for the Food Pantry. 

Convention reunited in 1947

As we approach the bicentennial of our founding in 2023, we will share the story of the Diocese of Georgia. This week we remember diocesan conventions being integrated once again in 1947.

From the Diocese’ founding until 1906, a single convention met each year, conducting business for all the clergy and congregations of the Diocese. In that year, just before the Diocese divided into two dioceses in one state, the convention approved a separate “Council for Colored Churchmen.” It was at the second such meeting in 1907 at Good Shepherd in Thomasville, that Bishop C.K. Nelson set aside Anna E.B. Alexander as a Deaconess. The separate church meetings continued all through the Episcopacy of Bishop Frederick F. Reese who was the first Bishop of Georgia after the creation of the Diocese of Atlanta.

In 1911, Bishop Reese reported to the all white convention of the Council for black Episcopalians, “every possible opportunity should be given this Council and responsibility laid upon it for the direction of the work among their own people.”

In his first Bishop’s Address in 1936, the Rt. Rev. Middleton Stuart Barnwell said, “I am particularly concerned about the relationship existing between the Convention of the Diocese and the colored churches.” Naming “manifest inconsistencies in our canon laws which deal with this relationship,” he called for a committee “to consider this matter seriously.”

He went on to add, “I have no desire to suggest at this time any change in the relationship existing between the Council of Colored Churchmen and the Diocesan Convention. I wish, however, to make myself perfectly clear in one respect. This committee may go as far as it pleases in the matter of granting recognition to the colored parishes on the floor of this Convention, without meeting with any opposition on the part of the ecclesiastical authority.”

The Diocese of Virginia had enfranchised black churchmen to vote in its diocesan convention in 1931. Bishop Barnwell wanted to gently lead the Diocese through this same change, so he made it clear that he would fully support meeting in a single convention. Yet, he added, “This is a matter which I intend, however, to leave entirely in your hands, as I realize full well that it is a matter upon which a comparative new-comer in your midst should walk warily.”

Diocesan conventions continued to be segregated as black Episcopalians met in a separate Council presided over by the Bishop of Georgia. In 1946, the Federal Council of Churches condemned discrimination as Mainline Protestant churches began to move towards the goal of a “desegregated church in a desegregated society.” The Federal Council of Churches named discrimination as a “violation of the gospel of love and human brotherhood.”

In 1947 the Diocese of Georgia took steps to end racial distinctions between clergy and lay leaders in the constitution, canons, and in other official references. This action followed trends among other southern dioceses as the Diocese of Southern Virginia had acted in 1946 and South Carolina and Arkansas would do so in 1947. The constitution and canons amended in 1947 provided that “future representatives of both races would attend the same assembly and have the same voting privileges.”

Pictured: Photos taken at two Councils for Colored Churchmen in the Diocese of Georgia with the top undated photo taken in front of St. Athanasius' Church in Brunswick and the bottom one from 1942 in Augusta.

Feast of Feasts continues online

The Diocese of Georgia is offering daily devotions written by Bishop Frank and Victoria Logue for a 7-week study from Advent through Epiphany. The short daily readings use the lens of Franciscan ideals including humility, simplicity, and peace as a focal point of each week. This is perfect to enjoy as a solo study, a small group, or as an offering for the whole congregation. The devotions are being posted online daily on our website and social media channels.

You can find each week's devotions, as well as the accompanying video for the week, on our website. Click on the day of the devotion, and it will expand with the day's reading.

You can find additional ways to acquire the full PDF online or the book on our website here.

Travis and Katie Easterlin with their Daughter, Amelia, and Katie's parents, Canon Mary Willoughby and the Very Rev. William Willoughby III. The photo was taken following the Christmas Eve Mass at the Collegiate Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Savannah during which Amelia was sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ's own forever.

The Spanish Language congregation San Pablo in Savannah had Christmas baptisms. Here their priest, the Rev. Leonel Polanco, prepares to baptize a parishioner and then give a candle to the sponsors.

Our Savior Episcopal Church's Nativity Pageant's script called for some very tall Wise Men.

A full cast and stage managers photo of the Nativity Pageant at Christ Church in Savannah.

The Nativity Pageant at St. John's in Savannah.

The Nativity Pageant at St. Paul's in Albany had a full house!

Angels galore at St. Thomas in Thomasville.

The Nativity Pageant at Holy Comforter in Martinez.

A children's choir sings on Christmas Eve at Saint Paul's in Augusta.

At right, the Rev. Larry Jesion preaches at St. Michael's in Waynesboro and at left, costumed choir members sing at St. Peter's in Savannah.

A children's choir sings at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Augusta.

The Church of the Epiphany held their Christmas Eve worship at The Wormhole, a bar on Bull Street in Savannah, as has become the tradition for this church without walls.

The congregation of St. John's in Bainbridge gathers in the Parish Hall after worship.

Calvary in Americus during the quiet before Christmas.

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. 

January 1 - 7

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Albany—St. John & St. Mark’s , St. Patrick’s, and St. Paul’s. We also pray for the Lutheran Church of Our Savior and and for our other ecumenical partner in Albany, St. Teresa Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for St. James the Apostle (Santiago Apóstol) in Angelina. 

January 8 - 14

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Americus, Calvary, and for our ecumenical partners in Americus especially St. Mary’s Catholic Church and for St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church in Plains. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Azua—Reconciliation (La Reconciliación) and St. George (San Jorge). 

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 11/30/2022)

Bishop Frank and Victoria are back in Savannah after visiting their daughter, Griffin, for Christmas. He and Daniel Garrick are in this office working with Honorary Canon Mary Willoughby on closing out the year's finances and other matters.

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

Picture: Bishop Frank and Victoria Logue with Griffin and her fiancé Chaz.



Executive Assistant to the Bishop Maggie Lyons and Canon Katie Easterlin are on maternity leave.

Canon Loren Lasch will be on vacation December 27-30.

Canon Joshua Varner will be on vacation December 27- January 2.

Communications Manager Liz Williams will be on vacation December 27-30.

The office will be closed on December 30, and January 2.

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.

An angel is down in the Nativity Pageant at St. Augustine of Canterbury in Augusta and yet the joy of Jesus is undimmed.