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July 27, 2021
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Volume 11, No. 47
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Safeguarding Online Updates, New Modules Now Available
Safeguarding God's People is the training that offers child and vulnerable adult abuse awareness and prevention education in The Episcopal Church, also known as "Safe Church." This training is required by those who work with children, and must be updated every three years. The company that provides this online training has recently conducted a major update to its systems, including a rebranding of its online training portal. The new name is Praesidium Academy, located online at https://www.praesidiumacademy.com/. Previous participants who provided a current email address should have received an email with instructions on how to log in to the new site.
Thanks to the work of the Task Force for Safe Church Training, created by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church, there are also newly updated training modules available. Three have been released, and seven more will become available this fall. The Diocesan Staff is in the process of completing these new modules now, and encourages everyone who works with children or vulnerable adults to complete them, even if it has not yet been three years since their last training. For more information on the module updates, please view this press release from The Episcopal Church.
Self-enrollment for new participants in the training is still available; however, each congregation now has an individual self-enrollment code. To receive your congregation code, contact Canon Joshua Varner at [email protected]. Once you have the correct code, you may sign yourself up at https://www.praesidiumacademy.com/redeem.
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The Rev. Eric Biddy called to St. Paul's in Augusta
After a year of prayer and hope, the Vestry of Saint Paul's, Augusta is overjoyed to share that they have unanimously accepted the recommendation of the Search Committee to issue a call to the Rev. Dr. Eric Biddy to be their next Rector.
Eric Biddy grew up in Powder Springs, Georgia, and was baptized as a young adult at St. James, Marietta. Before ordination, he spent several years kicking around the very bottom rungs of academia, as an adjunct instructor and seminary library sub-sub librarian. He was educated at Lee University, Candler School of Theology at Emory, and Chicago Theological Seminary. He was formed by his marriage and excellent mentors and churches in the Diocese of Chicago. Eric comes to Saint Paul's from Oak Park, Illinois, where he has been rector at St. Christopher's since 2016. There, he was active in local interfaith groups, diocesan committees, and immigration ministry. He is especially passionate about helping groups of Christians discern and deploy their gifts for ministry. When he isn't at church, he is usually parenting Isaac (6) and Lucy (2) with his wife Jackie, or reading and continuing to pretend that he is going to write.
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Clergy Memorials
The people of the Diocese of Georgia mourn the recent deaths of two clergy of the Diocese, The Rev. Chad Chaffee, Deacon (1939-2021) and the Rev. Freeman Cross (1935-2021), Priest. The Rev. Chad Chaffee, Deacon, last served at at St. Phillip's in Hinesville. His memorial service will be limited to family. The Rev. Freeman Cross was the former rector of Holy Spirit in Dawson.
Full memorials will be in next week's edition of From the Field.
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Diocesan Council - Task Force on Constitution and Canons
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| | Task force members the Rev. Nick Roosevelt, the Rev. David Lemburg, Nancy Moak, Cuffy Sullivan, and Pat Burau |
At the start of 2021, Bishop Logue asked the Diocesan Council to break into four working groups as he began his Episcopate. One of these four groups was the Task Force on Constitution and Canons, to which he appointed Pat Burau, Nancy Moak, Cuffy Sullivan, The Rev. David Lemburg, and The Rev. Nick Roosevelt (chair).
In setting our goals, we asked "How might the Constitution and Canons..." - read more consistently and flow more easily (more user friendly);
- better define the organization of the Diocese;
- better align Constitution and Canon with practice (and vice versa);
- clarify election powers of Convention as well as vacancies;
- allow for more flexibility to ministries in their governance;
- increase representation from the different convocations;
- be generally cleaned up and made more efficient in language.
The ministry of governance is largely a task of honoring an inherited past and anticipating a yet foreseen future. Our hope was to get this balance right in offering the amendments before you. To review the Constitution and Canons, as proposed (along with other helpful documents), go to bit.ly/2021GACanonsNC or copy that link in a browser.
Notice and Comment Period As you review these proposed amendments, we ask that you, as a stakeholder in this Convention and in our shared governance, offer comment on some or all of our work thus far. We commit to continue in prayer as we receive these comments and apply them to our final offering submitted to the Committee on Constitution and Canons. Thank you so much for your comments and feedback! Comments will be received for 30 days, beginning Wednesday, July 28 and continuing through Saturday, August 28. Please have your comments submitted to the following form by 11:59 PM EDT, Saturday, August 28.
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United Nations Climate Conference Delegation
Applications are due by Aug. 20, and the presiding bishop's delegation will attend daily virtual events during COP26, which takes place in Glasgow Oct. 31 to Nov. 12. "This year's online platform will allow for wider representation on the delegation," said the Rev. Melanie Mullen, director of reconciliation, justice, and creation care for The Episcopal Church. "Episcopalians who are young adults, people of color, Indigenous, LGBTQ identifying, and from communities affected by climate change and environmental injustice are especially invited to apply." Organizers underscored the vital importance of decisions from the annual COP gatherings in the effort to reverse the worst effects of climate change. Already this year, June was recorded as North America's hottest on record  and the fourth hottest globally; the western U.S. is experiencing its worst drought in two decades. "Non-governmental organizations, including religious bodies like The Episcopal Church, participate in these UN meetings by advocating for our own needs and concerns, especially giving voice to vulnerable populations within our Church," said the Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California and head of the delegation. "As delegation members, we stand in solidarity with smaller nations, such as those in the Pacific Ocean, who already feel the leading-edge effects of climate change." During the conference, delegates will be expected to attend two to five hours of events per day and follow a particular issue within the climate negotiations. They will have the opportunity to speak at Episcopal Church COP events and write and publish blog posts about their engagement with the event. "We bring our values and beliefs into the room at the COPs," Andrus said. "The world religions hold the earth to be sacred, respect the rights of vulnerable populations, and have sacred paths for people to travel that lead us from disintegration to wholeness." The presiding bishop began sending a delegation to the COP with the historic Paris Agreement meeting in 2015 and has done so every year since. Delegates bring back what they learn to share with the wider church and also carefully monitor the major workstreams of the COP. These workstreams include mitigation, finance, adaptation, loss and damage, and raising ambition, which means accelerating progress to achieve emissions reduction goals and involves building consensus and partnering strategically at local and global levels. "Our local communities can learn from what others are doing in these important themes of climate change action around the world," Andrus said. The presiding bishop will announce his nominations for the delegation by early September. Members will meet monthly ahead of COP26 via video conferencing as well as daily during the November event. To learn more and to apply by Aug. 20, click here.
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Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2022
 Join the Rev. Cindy Taylor for a trip of a life time to a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. The pilgrimage is not limited to members of Church of the Holy Comforter but to all who want to have a deeper experience of God by walking in the footsteps of Jesus. It is a spiritually life changing experience.
The trip will be from May 11, 2022 to May 20, 2022.
Click here for more information and to download the brochure.
This is Rev. Taylor's second time leading a pilgrimage and her third trip to Israel. If you have questions, contact her at [email protected].
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Change Begins Here
Author, Seminar Leader, and Christ Church Frederica parishioner, Randy Siegel, has written a new book, entitled, Change Begins Here: Adopt the Mind of Christ and Build a Better World.
In Change Begins Here: Adopt the Mind of Christ and Build a Better World, Randy shows us how to become architects, ambassadors, and workers for a new age of unity, sustainability, peace, and love by embracing Christ or Unity Consciousness. Most books of this type are long on information but short on practical application; this book provides both. Complete with compelling stories, real-life examples, powerful questions, and impactful exercises, this book gently guides readers through a process that is highly informative, engaging, inspiring, and empowering. "Change Begins Here" is a book for these troubled times. By offering practical, how-to steps, the wisdom from a wide range of holy texts, and personal experience, Randy Siegel shows us how to substitute love for fear and emotional reactivity to change the world one action, one encounter, and one person at a time.
Change Begins Here: Adopt the Mind of Christ and Build a Better World is available for purchase at Amazon.com, here.
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Applications for Happening Staff and Candidates Open
Happening #104 is scheduled to be IN PERSON at Honey Creek September 17-19, 2021, and we are so excited!
Staff Applications are still being accepted online, and Candidate registration is open. Links to each form are below. In order to apply to serve on staff you must have attended Happening at least once. Remember that applying for staff does not guarantee selection. In order to allow for some spacing, especially in the dorms, we are limiting the total number of Candidates and Staff to fifty people. In addition, as we ease back into the in-person aspect of youth events, we strongly recommend that everyone who wishes to participate receive a Covid vaccine if eligible. Applicants who are selected for Happening Staff will be contacted via email by Happening Coordinator Sarah Brittany Greneker ( [email protected]). We are so excited to finally be able to meet again and hope will help us take the necessary precautions to continue to do so. The Georgia Happening website is updated and will continue to be updated as we move closer to our Happening date!
Remember the BEST is yet to come!
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Open job positions across the diocese
St. Patrick's in Albany is hiring for multiple positions:
- Part-time Organist/Choirmaster (can be split into two roles)
- Part-time Parish Administrator
- Part-Time Nursery Staff
Church of the Good Shepherd in Augusta is seeking to employ a Nursery Caregiver for the infant nursery Sundays, 8:30 am - 12:30 pm. The ideal candidate has experience working with infants and/or young children. Applicants should possess a love for working with children, be dependable and flexible and willing to follow all guidelines of the Church of the Good Shepherd. Applicants will be required to complete an application, interview, provide references, and submit to a background check. Send your resume to [email protected] .
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Prayers for Weekly Liturgies
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.
August 1 - 7 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 8 - 14
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
Additional Prayer Cycles
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Diocesan Office Update and News
Canon Easterlin is on vacation this week and will return on August 2.
Canon Joshua Varner and Communications Manager Liz Williams will be at the Back to the Creek Youth Event this weekend at Honey Creek.
Bishop Frank and Victoria Logue will be at St. Athanasius, Brunswick, for a Celebration of New Ministry this evening at 6 pm with the Rev. DeWayne Cope, the 14th priest to lead the congregation in its 136 year history. Cope began serving as Rector in July 2020. The congregation delayed this celebration due to the pandemic. To view Bishop Logue's full visitation calendar, click here. (Updated 7/21/21)
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.
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Let Us Know!
What are you doing to keep community right now? Send any updates or photos to our Communications Manager Liz Williams at [email protected]. We want to hear from you!
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The Joy of a Busman's Holiday
The Rev. Tommy Townsend holds Jane Connolly Ralston, an infant he baptized in the Chapel of the Transfiguration at Kanuga, the Episcopal Camp and Conference Center near Hendersonville, North Carolina, while there for a week of vacation. Townsend officiated Jane's parents' wedding their a few years ago.
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