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July 21, 2021
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Volume 11, No. 46
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Family Camp Finishes on a high note!
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| | Gabriella Tutan-Gonzales (right) joins Canon Varner and the Rev. Steve Clifton for worship. |
Over the past two months, Honey Creek has successfully hosted three Family Camp weekends! There were approximately 80 Participants and 10 staff, who ranged in age from 4 to over 80. Participants had opportunities to do Arts & Crafts, to participate in a self-guided Prayer Walk, to swim in the pool, and to participate in Nature programs. Daily worship was offered, with reflections focusing on the opportunity to "come away...and rest a while" (Mark 6:31) and on the experience of the Kingdom of God that "is among you" (Luke 17:20-21).
In addition to the scheduled activities, participants met others from around and beyond the Diocese, often making new friends and reuniting with long-time friends and family. At each weekend there were silly games and moments of deep peace and reflection.
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Shayna Cranford (left) works on her tie dye with Liz Williams (right).
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The weekend-long sessions had all of the elements that make Honey Creek Summer Camp a memorable experience. Several participants expressed the hope that Family Camp would become a long-term part of Diocesan Summer offerings, and that possibility is being explored for next summer!
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Camp is only camp when Phyllis Hiers leads a nature walk!
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In order to make the summer camp experience work, existing staff and volunteers made time in their schedules so that both the work of the Diocese and Family Camp happened without adding staff this year. Camp was supported by Canon Joshua Varner, Bishop Frank and Victoria Logue, Canon Loren Lasch, Communications Manager Liz Williams, Summer Camp Director Karen Bell, and Ecology Team members Phyllis Hiers and Laura Evans, as well as the staff of Honey Creek.
Many thanks to all of them, and most especially to all the participants who made Family Camp happen!
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A new book by a Georgia Episcopalian
Dr. Westina Matthews latest book gathers the wisdom of a unique group of leaders in the Episcopal Church. A parishioner of St. Peter's, Savannah, Matthews had a seemingly chance meeting in an airport with Bishop Phoebe Roaf in 2019. Roaf is the Bishop of the Diocese of West Tennessee. As the two talked, Matthews began to see how the challenges and joys the bishop had experienced were a story that could benefit our church. Following that airport encounter, Matthews says, "I felt Spirit led to pursue this idea for a book, and things began to move quickly."
For This Band of Sisterhood, Matthews later spoke at length with Bishop Roaf and with four additional Episcopal bishops in charge of a diocese - Bishop Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Diocese of Indianapolis; Bishop Carlye J. Hughes, Diocese of Newark; Kimberly Lucas, Diocese of Colorado; and Bishop Shannon MacVean-Brown, Diocese of Vermont. At the time of the interviews last year they were the five African-American women to serve as a diocesan bishop. Matthews writes, "With such an important role in the Episcopal Church, I believed that these amazing women had much to offer ecclesiastically, spiritually, and practically." 
Bishop Logue said, "Knowing both Dr. Matthews' insight as a spiritual director and the five gifted bishops she interviewed, I look forward to reading This Band of Sisterhood and benefitting from the experiences of these colleagues in ministry."
Matthews grew up in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) denomination in which her father, uncle and grandfather served as ordained ministers. She jokes that she kept the "E" when she became an Episcopalian about 15 years ago. Since then, Matthews has served on the Trinity Church Wall Street vestry; written three books and numerous articles; and serves as an adjunct professor at the Episcopal Church's General Theological Seminary. A trained spiritual director, she teaches contemplative living through "holy listening."
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Bishop Logue's Visitation Schedule
The visitation schedule for Bishop Logue has been set through May 2022. In planning the schedule, we took into account those parishes who had gone the longest without an official visit, as well as parishes with special occasions such as celebrations of new ministry and anniversaries.
Please note that this is a working document and subject to change. Bishop Logue would like to be as accommodating as possible regarding the time of his visit. Please email Maggie Lyons, Executive Assistant to the Bishop at [email protected] to confirm your worship time.
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Cursillo #127 to be held in October
Cursillo weekend #127 in the Diocese of Georgia will be at Honey Creek, October 21-24. We are expecting a time filled with the Holy Spirit, fellowship, music, worship, great food, and fun. It is time to pray about who in your Church Community will be blessed by this experience. Applications for participants are available on the Diocese website. Further information is available from the registrar, also listed on the website. If you are so led, Team Applications are there, also.
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Only a few spots left for the Back to the Creek Youth Retreat!
Grades 6-12
Cost: $125
Registration Now Open!
At the end of July, after a hiatus of almost 17 months, the Diocese is excited to start offering in-person gatherings for youth at Honey Creek! Our first event will take place Friday, July 30 - Sunday, August 1 and will be for youth in Grades 6-12. This "Back to the Creek Retreat" will allow our young people to take a break before their school year begins. Because Covid-19 is still a risk, participant numbers will be limited for this event. Smaller numbers will enable everyone to spread out in the dorms and during worship and other activities. Sign up soon, because spots are filling up fast!
Please contact Canon Varner at [email protected] with questions about this event. We strongly encourage all participants who are able to do so to get vaccinated before the event!
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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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Across the Diocese
St. Anne's in Tifton kicked off their week of Vacation Bible School.
 St. Athanasius in Brunswick celebrated being back in the church with a baptism.
Oliver gives the sign that he is ready to go as crucifer this past Sunday at Christ Church, Savannah.
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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 seeks a full time (or part time) administrative assistant for a busy office. The ideal candidate must be personable, professional, dependable and detail oriented. Candidate should have a working knowledge of office equipment and Microsoft Office. Experience in Adobe Indesign, Photoshop,and Illustrator preferred but not required. Please send resume to Emily Mumford, [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.
July 25 - 31 In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation on St. Simons Island, Christ Church and Holy Nativity. We also pray for our ecumenical partners on the island, especially Lord of Life 6 Lutheran Church and St. William's Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for St. Barnabas (San Bernabé) in Pizarrete.
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).
Additional Prayer Cycles
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Diocesan Office Update and News
Canon Varner will be leading music and preaching at the Children's Service at Christ Church, Frederica on St. Simons Island this Sunday.
Canon Lasch will be preaching and celebrating at St. Anne's, Tifton this Sunday.
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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Summer Camp fun outdoors in Waynesboro
The group from Middle School Summer Camp offered by Wimberly House Ministries pose for a photo on their red lava slide. In 1995, St. Michael's, Waynesboro, founded the ecumenical community center and their parishioners continue to lead and take part in the ministries, including this summer camp.
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