July 10, 2019
Volume 9, No. 46
IN THIS ISSUE
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This Sunday's Lections
FIFTH SUNDAY
after
PENTECOST
Track 1
Amos 7:71-17
Psalm 82
Colossians 1:1-14
Luke 10: 25-37

Track 2
Deuteronomy 30: 9-14
Psalm 25:1-9
Colossians 1:1-14
Luke 10: 25-37

Go  here for the full text.
The Search Committee
The Search Committee has completed web interviews with all of the potential candidates and are finishing conversations with the references provided.  Our candidates represent the depth and breadth of the Episcopal Church, and each of them clearly possesses numerous gifts for ministry. 

The Committee meets this Saturday at 10 AM at Christ Church, Dublin to decide whom among the candidates to invite to the Discernment Retreat in August. Between now and August the committee will also begin the required extensive process of background checks.

We ask your continued prayers for all of us, committee and candidates alike, as we enter into this next phase of our process.
The Search Committee

Transition Committee: Faces to Names



We introduced them by name and congregation in March, here's a chance to see their faces. Top row, from left: the Rev. Walter Hobgood,  Christ Church, Valdosta; t he Rev. Tom Purdy, Christ Church Frederica, St. Simon's Island;  t he Rev. Terri Degenhardt,  St. Mary Magdalene, Louisville; middle row: Molly Stevenson,  Christ Church, Valdosta; the Very Rev. William Willoughby, Collegiate Church of St. Paul the Apostle, Savannah; the Rev. Jim Said,  St. Augustine's, Augusta; bottom row: the Rev. Geri Nelson, Deacon; t he Rev. Dave Johnson,  Christ Church, Valdosta;  Julie Carico,  All Saints, Thomasville.

Please keep the Standing Committee, the Search Committee, the Transition Committee, the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, and the Candidates in your prayers:
The Administrator's Corner
New Features for My CPG Account 
Do you use Church Pension Group services for your benefits? Have you created a MyCPG account? If you haven't, it is a vital way of keeping track of your CPG benefits and status. Additionally, they've recently added some new features!

Instead of submitting a request to me, as the master administrator, you now can control updated to personal information. Now, in addition to viewing your benefits, you can update

Access MyCPG Accounts from any page on   CPG.org by clicking MY CPG (next to the home icon), or Sign In / Create Account at the top right of the screen. Sign in using your email address, username, or client number and password.

Current feature include: 
* Personal information
* Health plan & pension benefit details
* Additional available benefits

New features added! You can now update:
* Title / Preferred Name / Suffix
* Address
* Personal, mobile and business phone numbers
* Personal and business email addresses

CPG is continuing to develop online services and grow its self-service applications. For information, please follow the CPG website for news updates. If you are a parish administrator or volunteer, be on the lookout for updates to the Employee Roster. This system currently allows you to update employee information and submit benefit enrollments. If you are interested in learning more about going "paperless" reach out to me here: keasterlin@gaepiscopal.org


Katie Easterlin
Canon for Administration
The Bishop Knocks on the Door
St. John's Bainbridge
The history of St. John's Episcopal Church begins in 1859, when, for many months, services were held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. James E. Dickinson. The Rev. Epps of Tallahassee, Florida came to Bainbridge to lead the small congregation in worship.The first priest who was actually assigned to the congregation was the Rev. C. H. Grant, who served from 1868 through 1869. By that time, several buildings were used to hold services, while work began on a church of Gothic structure. The 1873 hurricane demolished this structure while it was still in the stage of construction.  Around 1880, a lot of was purchased and the congregation began to build the present church. Six years later the first service was held in the new sanctuary.

"St. John's remains an active Parish," said the Rev. Leslie Dellenbarger, Priest in Charge, "while membership has varied over the years, it has always been filled with faith-filled members."

One of the most active groups in the Church, throughout its history, has been the Episcopal Church Women (ECW). The ECW at St. John's is proud to boast that while it is a women's organization, the men of the church are always extremely involved in the group's various fundraising activities: the St. John's Bazaar held the Saturday prior to Thanksgiving, a Fall Card Party and Fashion Show, garage sales, and participation in an antique sale.

More recently, with the presence of both on- and off-site fig trees, as well as area pear trees, the group is accepting orders for batches of fig and pear preserves, pear relish and pear conserve; and also for rhubarb jam, which is made by a member from Wisconsin who resides in the Bainbridge area on a semi-annual basis.
Another new addition to the ECW fund raising efforts includes a booth at an area flea market where antiques and other marketable wares are sold. Proceeds from these activities are distributed to various non-profit agencies in the area such as the Salvation Army, the Still Waters Women Shelter (a home for displaced women), Family Connections of Decatur County, DFCS Foster Children programs and (above left) the Marley Memorial Spay/Neuter for Cats (established by St. John's parishioner Sally Miller).

Juliet Richards and Sally Miller inspect a china platter for sale in their ECW booth at an area flea market.

July 14-20 is the last week of camp at Honey Creek this summer. It's been a great summer in this beloved spot. To see more photos from the Creek, check out their Facebook page here. 
Around the Diocese

Connect Savannah published a story on outreach to the homeless community, featuring, from left: the Rev. Michael Chaney of Epiphany, Savannah, Kevin Veitinger of the Community of St. Joseph, and the Rev. Sharon Hardnett, pastor of Agape Empowerment Ministries. Read the article  here. 
The Men's Fellowship Group of St. Cyprian's and St. Andrew's Churches in Darien completed 13 ramps in the last year. Also lending a hand were members of the local Church of the Latter Days Saints.

  Members of the band Sinners Bench, above, provide the music for Worship on the Water at Christ Church Cordele, left.  























At Trinity Statesboro, three octaves of hand chimes given by Bill Price were blessed.
Zoom Vulnerability for MAC Users
We realize that many congregations and organizations use Zoom software for video-conferencing. 
This week it was announced that the software for MAC users has a security vulnerability which allows attackers to view a user's video feed. 

Read about the vulnerability here and find a patch that Zoom has created here. We urge you to update Zoom software if you use it.
Diocesan Office Update and News
Visitations by the Rt. Rev. Scott Anson Benhase, 10th Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia, will resume on August 18th. Weekly delivery of eCrozier will resume that week also. The Bishop's full schedule can be found  here.
 
The Rev. Canon Frank Logue will serve at Calvary, Americus this Sunday where, in addition to presiding and preaching, he will baptize Elizabeth, the daughter of Bryan Schroeder and Danielle Bonner. Bryan was part of the high school youth group that Frank and Victoria Logue led at the Episcopal Church in Rome, Georgia in the mid-1990s. Monday will be Logue's first day back in the office after his sabbatical.

The Rev. Joshua Varner, is preparing for the upcoming Diocesan Mission Trip July 13-20 and supporting camp at Honey Creek.

The Rev. Hunt Priest, Rector of St. Peter's Skidaway Island, Savannah, will officiate at the Thursday, noon service at Saint Anna Alexander Chapel, Diocesan House.
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. 

July 7-13

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Richmond Hill, St. Elizabeth of Hungary. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Richmond Hill, especially Spirit of Peace Lutheran Church and St. Anne's Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for Santa MarĂ­a Virgen (St. Mary the Virgin) in Monte Llano.

July 14-20
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Rincon, St. Luke's. We also pray for our ecumenical partners, especially the Lutheran churches in Rincon--Jerusalem and St. John's. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for Divina Gracia ( Divine Grace) in Mozovi.

Additional 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 .
Best Fellowship Hour

A young member of Saint Paul's Augusta enjoys the barbecue offered after church on Sunday.
Events  
Diocesan Office Closed
At noon Fridays during the summer.

Search Committee for the XI Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia Meets
10 AM, Saturday, July 13
Christ Church, Dublin

Diocesan Youth Mission Trip to Tennessee with Appalachia Service Project
July 13-20
 
Happening #102
Thursday, August 2 through Sunday, August 4; staff arrives August 1
Honey Creek Retreat Center
 
Ordination to the Priesthood of the Rev. Samantha McKean, Deacon
Christ Church, Savannah
10:30 AM, Saturday, August 17th

Bishop Search Transition Committee Meeting
St. Anne's Tifton
Wednesday, August 21

Acolyte Festival
Saturday, August 24 (morning) to Sunday, Augusta 25 (after worship)
Church of the Good Shepherd, Augusta
Grades three to 12.  

New Beginnings #55
September 6-8
Honey Creek Retreat Center

Diocesan Council
September 13-14
St. Peter's, Savannah

Search for the XI Bishop Walkabout
October 22, 23 and 24

Cursillo #126
October 17-20
Honey Creek
Go  here for more information.

198th Convention of the Diocese of Georgia
November 14-16
Georgia Southern University
To register, go here.
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