November 29, 2023 | Volume 13, No. 48

Lay Ministers' Conference this weekend

This Friday and Saturday we will have our annual Lay Minsters' Conference at Honey Creek. This year the topic, The Church Post Christendom, will give leaders the opportunity to explore what the Church looks like now and how it will need to evolve for the future. What does church mean in a world where Christianity is no longer the dominant cultural cornerstone? How do we, as lay leaders, continue to be the hands and feet of Christ is an ever changing world?

Participants will be able to engage in multiple discussions around their own ministry, where they've seen success, and the hopes and joys of being a lay minister. There will also be time to rest, relax, worship together, and enjoy simply being together at Honey Creek! 

The retreat will be led Dr. Scott Bader-Saye who serves as the Academic Dean and the Helen and Everett H. Jones Chair in Christian Ethics and Moral Theology at Seminary of the Southwest. His work focuses on theological formation and the life of the church in a time of cultural change and political division. His work focuses on theological formation and the life of the church in a time of cultural change and political division. His most recent academic writing looks at theology and transgender identity. He is the author of Following Jesus in a Culture of Fear, Formed by Love, and Church and Israel After Christendom. He has contributed to The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics, The Cambridge Companion to the Gospels, and The Routledge Companion to Christian Ethics. Scott is an active lay leader in the church, serving for many years as Theologian-in-Residence at St. Julian of Norwich Episcopal Church in Austin and, prior to coming to the seminary, co-founding and leading Peacemeal, a missional Episcopal community in Scranton, PA.

The event begins with Evening Prayer at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 1 and ends at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 2. 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.

Happening #108: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things

not seen."

Candidates and staff of Happening #108

Hebrews 11:1 was the guiding inspiration for Happening #108. Together with the image of the sun rising, they provided a way for participants and staff to reflect on the constant power of God's love. The theme was selected by Evan Ariail, from St. Thomas, Thomasville, who served as the Rector of Happening #108. The rest of the staff came from Savannah, Augusta, Valdosta, Thomasville, and even farther afield! The Revs. Wallace Marsh and Samantha McKean served as the Spiritual Directors at the invitation of the Rector.

Happening #108 was driven by a dedicated youth staff who were willing to jump in wherever needed. Many of them were Candidates at the previous Happening in March, and were eager to offer the newest Candidates a transformative experience, such as the one they had in the spring. As Diocesan Youth Programs continue to build momentum, we are grateful for the care and love that is passed on from one generation to the next.

The Observing Rector for Happening #108 was Maddie Yarbrough, of Christ Church, Valdosta. She will serve at the Rector of Happening #109, which will take place April 7-9, 2024! Applications to serve on Staff for that event will be available soon, and Candidate Registration will open after the new year!

Ordination of the Rev. Shayna Cranford to the Sacred Order of Priests this Saturday

1Book1Diocese begins

This year's Advent choice for 1Book1Diocese, Everything Happens for a Reason by Kate Bowler, traces her journey from her need for certainty in her life, to learning that life is just as beautiful without it. As we have only three full weeks of Advent, with Christmas Eve on the night of Fourth Advent, you will need to either start this study this week or have a final session in the week before the Epiphany on January 6.

Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School who specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God’s disapproval. At thirty-five, everything in her life seemed to point toward “blessing” when she was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer.

As the days shorten and the lectionary considers the Second Coming even as we prepare to celebrate Jesus' first advent in Bethlehem, Bowler brings home the depth of our incarnational faith.

Week One - Read the preface and Chapters 1-3

When you, or someone close to you, experienced the grief of an illness, divorce, death in the family, or job loss what do you wish friends and family had said or done?

The prosperity gospel offers one way to see pain and suffering, attributing them to unconfessed sin and a lack of faith. What do you think is the root or source of loss, suffering, or pain? How does your faith inform this view?

Kate wonders about letting go of the part of the American Dream that says, “You are limitless,” in order to acknowledge that not everything is possible. If we are simply people with Good News— God is here; We are loved; It is enough—how is life different?

Have you ever buried a St. Joseph statue to sell a house, prayed to St. Anthony to find a lost item, or done something else that might be considered superstition or magic? What happened?

Kate describes a friend whose loved-one died young and a group gathered and to pray fervently for resurrection. When have you prayed hard and the prayer seemed to go unanswered?

The discussion guide for small groups is now online here:

Everything Happens for a Reason Discussion Guide

Across the Diocese

Parishioners at St. Barnabas in Valdosta created their Advent wreaths.

King of Peace member and volunteer with Ravens of Elijah Food Ministries, Jim Harrison, with the donations from King of Peace.

Parishioners at St. Peter's in Savannah create their own Advent wreaths.

Crowns for everyone at St. Mark's in Brunswick on the last Sunday after Pentecost.

The Rev. Gary Abbott (right) of the Diocese of Georgia received the Bishop's Cross in the Diocese of Atlanta from Bishop Rob Wright. Abbott serves tirelessly as a supply priest for churches in both dioceses in Middle Georgia.

Upcoming Events

Lay Ministers' Conference

This conference is intended for any lay person in the Diocese who is in any active ministry in their congregation. Led by Dr. Scott Bader-Saye, the Academic Dean and Professor of Christian Ethics at the Seminary of the Southwest, 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 living them in a world in which "Christendom" is no longer the dominant culture (if it ever truly was!).

When: December 1-2, 2023

Where: Honey Creek

Click here to register.

Clergy Conflict Transformation Workshop

Who: All clergy

Where: Honey Creek

When: March 4-8, 2024

Contact the Rev. Becky Rowell (browell221@gmail.com) and the Rev. Melanie Lemburg (revmelanie@stthomasioh.org) to RSVP.

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.    

December 3 -9

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).

December 10 - 16

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for Diocesan Youth Programs and our Episcopal Campus Ministries at Augusta, Valdosta State, and Georgia Southern Universities. We also pray for our ecumenical partners, especially those in Springfield—St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and St. Boniface Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for Jesus the Teacher (Jesús Maestro) in Tamboril. 

31-Day Prayer Cycles - Revised October 1, 2023

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.

Bishop Logue and Victoria will be at Camp St. Christopher in South Carolina for a Province IV meeting of Bishops and Spouses Wednesday through Friday. He will be at Trinity in Cochran on Saturday to ordain the Rev. Shayna Cranford to the Sacred Order of Priests. On Sunday he will make his visitation to St. Matthew's in Fitzgerald.

To view Bishop Logue's full visitation calendar, click here. (Updated for 2024 - 6/20/2023)

Photo: Bishop Logue with the congregation of Christ Church in Cordele.

Canon Varner will be at the Province IV Youth Ministries Leadership & Network Gathering at Camp St. Christopher in South Carolina this weekend.

Canon Lasch and Communications Manager Liz Williams will be at the Lay Ministers' Conference at Honey Creek Friday and Saturday.

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.

Your Diocesan Staff enjoyed moments with good food and family over the Thanksgiving break. Pictured l-r: Bishop Logue and Victoria with Victoria's family in Tennessee; Assistant Administrator Daniel Garrick's Thanksgiving meal checklist; Canon Varner with his family in Atlanta; Canon Easterlin and her family in Savannah; Dolly Williams, dog of Communications Manager Liz Williams, enjoys her day at Jekyll Island, Executive Assistant Maggie Lyons in Savannah with her family, and Canon Lasch with her family enjoying Thanksgiving with Mickey Mouse. Not pictured: Executive Director of Honey Creek Dade Brantley and his bronchitis (don't worry - he's much better now!).