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February 1, 2017
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Volume 7, Number 22
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This Sunday's Lections
Fifth Sunday After
Epiphany
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Mission in the Dominican Republic
One Team Returns, Another Heads to DR
"
One of the pairs of glasses were bifocals given to a lady whose son and grandchildren have been coming to her home to read her the Bible. Today she read her Bible, on her own, for the first time in 20 years. This is why we do this work, Amen."
Optometrist Dr. Alan Peaslee, Medical Director of the Optical Clinic Mission Team
One mission team to the Dominican Republic has returned to Savannah and another left Tuesday, January 31st. The team sponsored by St. Peter's Savannah worked last week in the city of San Pedro de Macorís and saw 964 patients and dispensed 283 pairs of prescription glasses, 610 pairs of readers, nearly 500 pairs of sun
glasses, and ordered 50 pairs from home that will be mailed back to the clinic to distribute. They also referred 137 patients to a local eye hospital for surgical care. The 20-member team had 17 representatives from five Episcopal churches in the Diocese of Georgia and three from other denominations. They were also assisted by two Peace Corps volunteers and five Dominicans who worked as translators. The tea
m returned home safely on Saturday, January 28. This trip marks the fourth year in a row that they have conducted this optical clinic in this location. They left behind thousan
ds of pairs of eyeglasses and examination equipment for use in future trips. For an album of photographs from this trip, click
here
.
Another mission team sponsored by the Southeastern Convocation departs tomorrow and wi
ll continue work on a water system for the Episcopal school in the village of El Carretón. They will also check out commercial bakery equipment in the village of Jalonga that could be put into us
e to support the ministries of the Episcopal church in that location. This trip marks the sixt
h year in a row that this team has worked in the Dominican Republic. They plan to return home on February 8. For more information
about the four Dominican Republic mission teams from the Diocese of Georgia, click
here
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The second team arrived safely in the Dominican Republic earlier today. Note: the missioner in the wheelchair is not injured or handicapped, the team brought the wheelchair as a donation.
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Lead, Grow, Share!
To make your donation online, go
here
; text to give EDOG at 73256 or by mail to the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, 611 E. Bay Street, Savannah, GA 31404.
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Project Resource Stewardship Training
On Saturday, January 28, Canons Willoughby and Logue conducted a "training for the trainers" in Project Resource at Trinity Church, Statesboro. "Project Resource provided a great learning opportunity for those who attended," said Loretta Brandon of Trinity, Statesboro, "We learned some of the changing facets of today's stewardship." The Rev. Joan Killian agreed, noting that she had already begun putting it into action. Created by the College for Bishops, Project Resource gathers the best wisdom in our church on annual stewardship, major gifts, and planned giving campaigns. Click on one of the dates below to register for
your stewardship training!
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Help Our Falcons Win the ERD Super Bowl Challenge
Rise up, Falcons fans! The Dioceses of Georgia and Atlanta are teaming up to win a Super Bowl Challenge. We have been challenged by New England bishops to see who can raise more for Episcopal Relief & Development between now and the Super Bowl on Sunday. Contribute to Team Atlanta Falcons today. Look for the red donate button here:
#RealWinnersAreThoseInNeed
Super Bowl Party at Columba House!
Columba House Savannah will be hosting its 2nd Annual Super Bowl Party on Sunday, February 5th! It is open to all people in their 20's and 30's. CHS will provide a main course, but bring a side to share. Festivities begin at 6 PM and there is an optional Evening Prayer service that begins at 5:30 PM. CHS is located at 214 East 34th St, Savannah, GA 31401. RSVP to Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1885123295065483/
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Diocesan Community Update
More than 100 people attended a special liturgy for the dedication of a new chapel at St. Peter's Episcopal Church on Skidaway Island on January 26. The chapel was given by long-time parishioner Ned Smith in memory of his wife, Marcia Fobes Smith. The chapel's stained-glass rose window was given by Harold Bulman, in memory of his wife Eva Bunzel Bulman.
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The Rev. Deacon Janet Rohrbach Robinson, 1924-2017
Janet Rohrbach Robinson of Valdosta died Saturday, January 28, 2017 at Fellowship Home in Brooks County, GA.
As a faithful member of St Barnabas Episcopal Church, she served as organist from 1988-2014, and she became a Deacon in 2006.
For decades, Mrs. Robinson taught private piano and organ lessons to area students. She was a member of the Sigma Alpha Iota, the international music fraternity, initiated in 1943. She served as Tau C Province Governor from 1984-1993. She was also a member of the Hymn Society, Music Teachers National (Both state and local associations); was Senior Warden of the Mission Council for St. Barnabas Episcopal Church; an officer in the local Episcopal Church Women's group; State President of Georgia Music Teachers Association from 1980-1982; served as an Officer for the Sigma Alpha Iota South Georgia Alumni Association; and founded and served as an advisor to the college chapter. Mrs. Robinson received Honors from the Sigma Alpha Iota fraternity including: The Sword of Honor, the Rose of Honor and the Rose of Dedication from the National Chapter for 25 years of faithful service. In 2016, she was awarded the Wreath of Achievement. Her 50 Year Membership Certificate was awarded by the College Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota in Statesboro, GA She was born on January 14, 1924 in Selinsgrove, PA to the late Thomas Nelson and Hannah Faye Beistel Rohrbach.
Mrs. Robinson was a graduate of Sunbury High School in Sunbury, PA and Susquehanna University of Selinsgrove, PA. Her graduate studies were completed at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. She was the public school Music Supervisor in Mt. Caramel, PA, and the Executive Secretary to the President of Susquehanna University. Mrs. Robinson was the organist of Lee Street Baptist Church from 1960-1962, and organist at Christ Episcopal Church in Valdosta from 1969-1988.
Mrs. Robinson is survived by her sister, Margaret H. Gerst of Danville, PA, as well as several nieces and nephews and a host of dear friends. She is preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Lavan Ray Robinson, and her brother William M. Rohrbach.
Funeral services for Mrs. Robinson are scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday, February 1, 2017 at Christ Episcopal Church. Burial will follow at McLane Riverview Memorial Gardens. Flowers will be accepted or donations may be made St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 3565 Bemiss Road, Valdosta, GA 31605. Condolences may be conveyed to the family on the obituary page of www.mclanecares.com.
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Clergy Spouse Retreat Set for March 10-12
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| The 2016 Clergy Spouse Retreat included a boat ride. |
Hey Clergy Spouses--this one's for you! Sign up for a weekend away at the beautiful Honey Creek and enjoy a retreat lovingly planned by DoG spouses for DoG spouses.
When: March 10-12, 2017
Program and Worship: Fear Not: God's Gotcha
The Rev. Lauren Flowers Byrd (St. Francis of the Islands, Savannah) will be the guest speaker and worship leader. Explore the dreams of Mary and Joseph on the eve of becoming the Holy Family and ponder the challenges and hopes of your own holy dreams and holy households. Gather for worship in the morning and evenings, including a Sunday morning Eucharist with the youth going on the summer mission trip.
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Youth News
Happening #98 in February
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| A scene from Happening #97 |
Happening #98 will be held at Honey Creek February 17th - 19th and is open to those in grades 10 - 12.
During a Happening weekend, participants worship, play, sing, and talk about God's place in their lives. They make new friends who share similar concerns and questions, which can be a reassuring discovery. A teenager who acts as "rector" leads the weekend with the help of a staff consisting mostly of young people. This year's rector is Charlotte Moffett of St. Peter's, Savannah. Together, the staff and participants share in an exploration of the impact of Christian faith in their daily lives. Happeners who attend a weekend for their first time are called "Candidates." To be a Candidate, one must:
* Have completed the 9th grade and have not begun college.
* Fill out the application.
The cost to attend is $101 and financial assistance is available. To register or for more information, please contact Jody Grant directly at [email protected]
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1Book1Diocese
Living into God's Dream this Lent
 Bishop Benhase encourages the people and churches of the Diocese of Georgia to join together during Lent in reading
Living into God's Dream: Dismantling Racism in America. "This important book offers an invitation for us in the Church to have a serious conversation about race," said the Bishop. "It's high time we stopped talking at one another or passed one another by, and sat down and talked to and with one another.
Living into God's Dream: Dismantling Racism in America is an excellent study guide to help us have those deep conversations. I strongly urge all our parishes to use this resource for your Lenten study."
The authors discuss why dismantling racism in the 21st Century has to be different from the work of the past and offer ways for that journey to progress.
Living into God's Dream: Dismantling Racism in America
is available through any bookseller via the ISBN (
978-0819233219) or through Church Publishing and other online retailers. Information is online at
1book1diocese.georgiaepiscopal.org
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The Loose Canon
A Sign of Grace in the Tornado's Debris
I talked to the Rev. Johnny Tuttle soon after the tornado roared through on Sunday afternoon and I wondered aloud about the Stewarts. The Rev. Bill Stewart had once been rector of St. John and St. Mark's and now retired, he lived with his wife Sharon in the same neighborhood.
Johnny told me that whatever had happened when the tornado hit, Bill was probably more worried about his quail than his house at that moment. Bill had been raising 17 quail who lived in a two-foot high pen that sat on a three and a half-foot stand designed so that Bill could tend them from his wheelchair.
Later when I caught up with Bill, I passed on what Johnny had said about the quail. At that exact moment, Bill allowed, he was probably worried about his house which was enjoying more pine-scented freshness than usual with the trees that had been sheared about 15 feet off the ground and landed in his living room. But he added that within about ten minutes, he was worrying about his quail.
The only thing clear after the storm was that the whole pen and stand were buried under the debris of three oak trees. Either the storm lifted the pen and dropped it, or had just simply crushed it. By Monday, Bill's son, Ryan, and a friend decided that if a bird was hurt, but not dead, they needed to know and take care of it. The two decided to do what they could to find out.
 When they returned, Ryan's friend said, "Bill I've got something for you." He dropped a cold, wet quail egg in his hand and as Bill stared in wonder at the egg, Ryan told him that all 17 quail had survived the storm. Bill told me, "That egg looked like a rainbow." The birds were in mud, with no food or water and looked quite provoked by the whole ordeal. Yet every bird survived. They have been steadily producing eggs since then, every egg a new rainbow in the wake of a tragic storm.
Peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank S. Logue
Canon to the Ordinary
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Diocesan Office Update and News
Bishop Benhase will attend the 10:15 AM services Sunday at St. Francis' Savannah. The Bishop's full schedule is available
here.
Bishop Benhase,
Canon Logue and Director of Communications
Anna Iredale
will attend Diocesan Council from noon to 8 PM Friday, February 3.
Canon Willoughby will be sending an email to all clergy out shortly, similar to last year's, in which she requests information on vestries and lay leadership so that diocesan records may be updated.
Canon Logue meets in Augusta tomorrow with the Revs. Cynthia Taylor and David Perkins together with two Lutheran pastors and two members of the Bishop's Staff of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The group will discuss a possible joint church planting effort of the two denominations focused on the growth in the Grovetown area.
Canon Logue will be in Baltimore, MD, from February 4-8 for a meeting of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church. The Executive Council is the Board of Directors for our denomination.
The
Rev. Lonnie Lacy of St. Anne's Tifton will officiate at the noon Eucharist to be held at St. George's Chapel at Diocesan House on Thursday.
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Bishop's Visitations
Grace Episcopal Church, Waycross welcomes the newly confirmed: Rachel and Jim Snider (third and fourth from left, front row) and Carli Holland, second row, left. Also shown are, bottom row, from left Baileigh Tanner, Brandy Holland, and Peggy Lang. Second row, from left, the Rev. Donald Holland and the Rev. Kit Brinson, Rector at Grace Church, and back row, from left, Anna Mae, Dayton Lang, Bishop Benhase and Benjamin Strait. Not shown is Mike Lanier, also confirmed.
At St. Paul's Jesup, the Bishop with those he confirmed, received and reaffirmed: Danette Renard, seated with Kaden Carter next to her; standing, from left: Riggs Ammons, Deacon Marty Meuschke, Frank Parker, Kira Greer, Bishop Benhase, David Richardson, the Rev. Dee Shaffer, Tonya Miller of St. Mark's Brunswick and Thomas Renard.
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Behind this Week's From the Field Banner
Bob Fiorito, left, and his daughter Meagan Harris, parishioners from St. Paul's Albany, help clear the debris from St. John and St. Mark's Church following the storm.To make your donation online, go here; text to give EDOG at 73256 or by mail to the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, 611 E. Bay Street, Savannah, GA 31404.
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Share your news in From the Field
so we can feature them in upcoming issues of From the Field. Deadline for submissions each week is Monday at 4:30 PM.
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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. The 52 weekly prayers are available in one document
found here.
January 29-February 4
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Augusta, especially, Good Shepherd and St. Alban's. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Augusta, especially the Catholic Churches of St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Joseph, and St. Mary on the Hill. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Barahona - Jesús Peregrino (
Jesus the Pilgrim) and La Redención (
Redemption).
February 5-11
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Augusta, especially, St. Augustine's, St. Mary's, and St. Paul's. We also pray for our ecumenical partners St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Adel, and St. Ann Catholic Church in Alapaha. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregation in Boca Chica, De la Gracia (Grace), Monte
Sión (Mount Zion), and San José (
St. Joseph).
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Invite, Welcome, Connect
The Episcopal Diocese of Texas this week released
Juntos en Mision: Invitación, Bienvenida y Conexión,
a digital training series for Spanish-speaking congregations.
Juntos en Mision
was developed to help parishioners learn to invite, welcome and connect visitors and new members as well as strengthen their existing ministries. The five-part video series, redeveloped by the diocese's Commission on Hispanic Ministry from the popular
Invite Welcome Connect program, is available for online viewing or download with accompanying checklists and resource lists at no charge.
Juntos en Mision is meant to support newcomer ministries in congregational development, help to build relationships with new and existing parishioners and encourage members to be proactive about including others into their communities in the church's ministry and life of faith. No training is necessary to facilitate the program.
For more information on Juntos en Mision: Invitación, Bienvenida y Conexión please contact Paulette Martin, [email protected] or call 713.520.6444 or visit www.epicenter.org/juntos-en-mision.
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Crafting a Circle of Love
Stitchers of Love...that's the name of the ministry that meets the 1st & 3rd Sundays of the month at Christ Church, Valdosta to make knitted and crocheted items for people in need.
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Events
Diocesan Council,
February 3
St. Francis' Church, Savannah
Project Resource Stewardship Training, February 11
Church of the Good Shepherd, Augusta
Go here to register.
Happening #98, February 17-19
Honey Creek
Registration cloeses February 10
Go here for more information.
Cursillo #122, March 2-4
Honey Creek
Go here for more information.
Project Resource Stewardship Training, March 4
St. Anne's, Tifton
Go here to register.
Clergy Spouses Retreat, March 10-12
Honey Creek
Go here for more information.
Church Development Institute (CDI) March 17-18
Honey Creek
Go
here for more information.
Church Development Institute (CDI) Augusta March 17-18
Our Savior, Martinez
Go
here for more information.
Lenten Prayer Retreat, March 24-25
Led by the Rev. Liam Collins, the Rev. Canon Frank Logue and Victoria Logue
Honey Creek
Go here for more information
New Beginnings #50, March 24-26
Honey Creek
Go here for more information.
Project Resource Stewardship Training, April 8
St. Peter's Savannah
Go here for more information.
Missional Voices National Gathering, April 21-22
Virginia Seminary
Leading thinkers from around The Episcopal Church will discuss innovative ministries, missional communities, and how to participate in the mission of God in our neighborhoods. More details are available at www.missionalvoices.com.
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