November 15, 2023 | Volume 13, No. 46 | |
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The 202nd Convention of the Diocese of Georgia met in Augusta November 9-11 to conduct the business of the diocese and to look ahead to the coming year. The clergy and lay delegates passed budgets for the diocesan operations and for Honey Creek; approved three resolutions; and elected people to various offices in the Diocese. Beyond this, the convention offered time for honest conversation about the challenges we face and inspiration for this work.
The convention met in three Augusta area churches, starting on Thursday with Evening Prayer at Our Savior in Martinez with a sermon by the Very Rev. Al Crumpton; then meeting for business sessions in the gym at Episcopal Day School on the grounds of the Church of the Good Shepherd; and a Convention Eucharist at Saint Paul's. Good Shepherd also hosted the exhibit hall, Honey Creek auction, clergy spouse breakfast, and a Eucharist on Saturday morning.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Lisa Kimball, the Vice President for Lifelong Learning at the Virginia Theological Seminary. A passionate advocate for lay ministry, she challenged the convention to be communities of ministers, rather than communities gathered around a minister. The shift comes in each follower of Jesus using the gifts God has given them both in and outside the church.
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Dr. Kimball said in her sermon for the Convention Eucharist, "As baptized leaders in the Church you and I are called to build up the Body of Christ by preparing people to receive and use the gifts God wants to give. And that always happens in community – messy, strange, inconvenient, awkward as it can be."
On Friday evening, we screened the movie "The Philadelphia Eleven" in the River Room at Saint Paul's. It is a powerful documentary on the story of the first women priests in the Episcopal Church.
The Rev. Susan Gage from St. Barnabas, Valdosta shared on Facebook how she felt on the day after convention, "I thought I was going to be exhausted but instead I woke up this morning feeling invigorated. How good it is to gather with your diocesan siblings and remember that we do this life better in community!"
Shannon Pojedinec, Senior Warden of St. Andrew's, Douglas said, "It was such a great weekend! Episcopalians make me proud to be an Episcopalian. There was so much laughter, love, and generosity of spirit."
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Bishop announces process toward a strategic plan | |
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In his Address to Convention, Bishop Logue named his deepest concern is that people in Central and South Georgia come to know Jesus, "I am concerned about the institution of the Church, I am far more concerned that people come to know that God loves them, that in Jesus we can not only discover that deep love, but we can also find the grace of repentance and the strength to forgive others and ourselves."
In order for the Diocese to best address the challenges of being the Body of Christ in this moment of the life of the church, he announced that in 2024 we will work through a process to create a strategic plan for the Diocese. The Executive Committee of Diocesan Council will work with the bishop on a process of listening sessions around the Diocese to give input to the plan.
Bishop Logue told the clergy and delegates, "I pledge to you that I will take the time to listen ever more in this coming year through a process that reveals our common goals. When we have a plan in place, we will know where we will head together, yet we will stay open to the Spirit’s ongoing guidance as we begin moving in that direction. In the process, I trust that we will be changed."
Read the Bishop's Address
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Convention passes three resolutions | |
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When the Diocese of Georgia met in convention, the delegates considered and passed three resolutions, with two receiving minor amendments.
Patron Saint of the Diocese
One resolution was to name Deaconess Anna Alexander the Patron Saint of the Diocese of Georgia. This gives every congregation in the Diocese the express permission to observe the Feast of St. Anna Alexander, with its assigned collect and scripture readings every year on the Sunday closest to September 24 if they choose to do so. The resolution also urges congregations to take up a special offering on that Sunday to benefit the St. Anna Alexander Center for Reconciliation & Healing and the preservation of the historic Good Shepherd Episcopal Schoolhouse.
Companion Diocese Relationship
A second resolution came to convention after extensive work by a Task Group of Diocesan Council to consider our Companion Diocese relationship. The Task Group studied the challenges and opportunities in continuing with this relationship or starting a new one and recommended a renewed commitment to the Diocese of the Dominican Republic with a term of five years, during which time it could be approved anew.
A call to reduce Episcopal Church assessments
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A third resolution calls on the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church to set a plan for lowering the diocesan assessments to 10% by 2033, which is during the full term of the next Presiding Bishop. The resolution specifically authorizes the Secretary of Convention to send the resolution to the 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church which meets next year in Kentucky. Several other dioceses have already passed similar resolutions to the one proposed by the Rev. David Rose and amended by the convention. Garnering support from multiple dioceses is a means to have the General Convention see that there is already broader, church-wide support for a resolution.
Read the full text of each resolution
The passed versions of each resolution can be found at the diocesan website: Convention 2023 Resolutions
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Videos offered challenge and hope | |
One video for the convention shared the stories of St. Thomas in Thomasville and St. George's in Savannah facing a shortfall in income. This brought to the floor of convention the challenge of church budgets and the hope that was found while addressing them. Following the video, Canon Lasch gave an update, "In St. Thomas’ case, though they had to reduce their operating expenses by 42% between 2018 and 2021, they have also increased revenue by 31% and pledging by 10% since 2019. They’ve raised over $200,000 for capital projects since October 2021." She went on to say "Again and again, leaders across this diocese, lay and ordained, in their own unique and faithful ways, are showing up, taking the next faithful step, and making room for the Holy Spirit to kindle their hearts and awaken hope." | |
A second video shared the fruit of ministry we are seeing among Spanish speaking members of St. Paul the Apostle in Savannah. The Spanish language mass started by the Rev. Charles Todd is thriving with the Rev. Leonel Polanco as Missioner. The parish is working intentionally to minister as one congregation across two languages. | |
Sparks kindled by the Holy Spirit | |
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"I am already seeing the sparks, the evidence of God doing something new," Bishop Logue told the delegates to convention in a closing talk picking up on the theme of "Kindle our hearts and awaken hope." He told of a couple concerned about the need for more priests who gave an anonymous donation to the Diocese this past year to set up the Great and Small Fund. Their $250,000 gift seeds this fund that will provide financial support to those studying for the priesthood. Bishop Logue said this support is vital as there are eight persons now in formation processes studying toward the priesthood. Six others are in the process of discerning calls to the priesthood. Beyond this, two candidates are about to be ordained deacons with six others in discernment for the diaconate. Photo: Convention ends in prayer with all holding hands as Canon Loren Lasch led the Litany for the Mission of the Church.
Circling back to the process toward the strategic plan mentioned in his address, Bishop Logue said, "If we want to return to the next convention with a strategic plan in place, we need to begin, continue, and end in prayerful discernment. First and foremost, the need is to pray and to wait. We need to ask God to reveal the next steps and we need to not take any action in absence of seeing God’s direction....But if we pray, really pray, and expect the Holy Spirit to guide us, there will be ways in which we see the sparks of a fire we never dreamed of kindling."
Read the Closing Remarks from Bishop Logue
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Thank you for those willing to be nominated for a position on a diocesan committee. Congratulations to the following for their elections:
Board of the Corporation
Whit Davis
Church Disciplinary Board
The Rev. Susan Gage
The Rev. Samantha McKean
Neil Dickert
Peter Kastner
Diocesan Council
The Rev. Bill Barton
Standing Committee
Lisa Gibbs
The Very Rev. Al Crumpton, IV
Trustee of the University of the South
The Very Rev. Tom Purdy
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Convention Honors Lay Leaders
The Deacons' Award for Service to the Community
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Deacon Joy Davis and Archdeacon Yvette Owens presented the Deacons' Award to Patty Woodall and Deborah Johnson from St. Paul’s in Albany for their support of those in need in the downtown and beyond. In 2019 an anonymous donor left the church a one-time gift to be used at by St. Paul’s for the down-trodden and poor. Patty and Deborah were serving at the St. Clare's Soup Kitchen three days a week when they accepted this call. It started out as an indoor seated soup meal served on Thursdays from 11 am-12 noon. This day was chosen to fill in a day on which other soup kitchens in town were not providing a meal. They studied and became certified by Georgia Servsafe to run the food handling and kitchen portion of the program.
When COVID shut down the ministry, they paused a few months and then went back to the drawing board and came up with the innovative idea of changing the format from a sit-down lunch to handing out portable bagged meals, fruit, and drinks from the covered portico in the back of the church from 9 am-12 noon. This has proven to be even more successful as a way to reach more hungry people, as many had been uncomfortable with coming inside. Ladles of Love has handed out over 4,000 meals already this year, each one lovingly prepared by hand.
The Deans' Award for Service to the Congregation
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In a moving tribute, the Very Rev. Al Crumpton presented the Deans' Award to Calvin Vrana on behalf of his wife, Linda, who died unexpectedly on August 11. Linda was an active parishioner of Our Savior in Martinez for many years. When she retired as the Richmond County Deputy Tax Assessor, she devoted herself ever more fully to her congregation. She served as a Lay Eucharistic minister, vestry member as both Junior and Senior Wardens several times, community soup kitchen volunteer, Epiphany Youth Prison Ministry team member, Cursillo team member, clergy search committees, and several times as a diocesan convention delegate. Always at the church and serving in any way she was needed, Linda was a tireless champion for her congregation.
The Bishop's Award for Service to the Diocese
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 |  | In giving the Bishop's Award to Dr. Fred Richter of Trinity in Statesboro, Bishop Logue recalled an incident when they were both in the Dominican Republic on a tour to see opportunities for the Diocese to serve. "We visited with a priest as she shared her ministry serving with two congregations and a school,” Bishop Logue recalled. "Fred asked a lot of questions and listened intently, smiled so much and was clearly enchanted with all she was doing. When we were back on the bus, he said, 'I’ve fallen in love.'” Bishop Logue named how he saw this gift for asking insightful questions and deeply listening serve the Diocese of Georgia well for years. Fred was a part of two successive Bishop Search Committees, that resulted in slates of candidates for election that led to electing the 10th and 11th Bishops of Georgia. He also served for many years on the Commission on Ministry, the group charged with interviewing those interested in Holy Orders, whether serving as a deacon or priest. Bishop Logue concluded, "I have watched Fred fall in love many times over the years as he has a knack for seeing people as God sees them and bringing that insight into the discussion.”
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Shannon Pojedinec, Senior Warden of St. Andrew's in Douglas, speaks to the convention during debate. She captured delegates answering the question "What does it mean to be an Episcopalian?" She shared the videos on the congregation's Facebook page: What does it mean to be an Episcopalian Videos | |
Dr. Lisa Kimball leads a visio divina exercise of seeing God's presence through images and the Very Rev. Billy Alford is shown holding one of the cards used in the exercise. Dr. Kimball was the keynote speaker and preacher for the convention Eucharist. | |
Victoria Logue draws laughter as she presents as President of Episcopal Youth and Children Services, even as she noted the need for support from more of the congregations of the Diocese. There is a canon calling for each church to support this scholarship program, but more congregations benefit from the scholarships than give to support them. | |
Dr. Bertice Berry (at left) and the Rev. David Wantland (at right) speak to the convention during discussions and debate. | |
The choir and clergy process into Saint Paul's in Augusta for the Holy Eucharist on Friday afternoon. | |
The clergy of the Diocese of Georgia in a group photo following the Convention Eucharist. | |
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Delegates hold hands as Canon Loren Lasch led the Litany for the Mission of the Church at the
close of convention.
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Happening #108
When: November 17-19, 2023
Where: Honey Creek
Candidate registration here
1Book1Diocese
For Advent, we will read and discuss Everything Happens for a Reason (and other lies I have loved) by Kate Bowler
Discussion Guide for Advent
In Lent 2024, we will read and discuss The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz.
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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.
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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.
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We want to hear from you! | |
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. | |
Prayer for Weekly Liturgies | |
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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.
November 19 - 25
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Waycross, Grace Church. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Waycross, especially St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Santo Domingo, especially St. Ann’s (Santa Ana).
November 26 - December 2
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Waynesboro, St. Michael’s. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Waynesboro, especially Sacred Heart Catholic Church and our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church in Sylvania. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Santo Domingo, especially St. Margaret (Santa Margarita).
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. (Updated 10/1/2023)
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Diocesan Office Update and News | |
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Bishop Logue is in Thomasville this afternoon for an announcement at Good Shepherd Church that we will share on social media and next week's From the Field. He will make his visitation to Calvary in Americus on Sunday.
To view Bishop Logue's full visitation calendar, click here. (Updated for 2024 - 6/20/2023)
Photo: Bishop Logue gets an ussie with the St. Gregory's Children's Choir before the 9 am procession at the Church of the Good Shepherd on Sunday. The day after the convention adjourned, he presided and preached at the three Sunday morning liturgies. He is shown below with the choir for the 11:15 service.
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Assistant Administrator Daniel Garrick is on vacation this week.
Canon Varner and Communications Manager Liz Williams will be at Honey Creek Thursday through Sunday for Happening #108.
The Diocesan office will be closed Wednesday - Friday for Thanksgiving.
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.
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Executive Assistant to the Bishop, Maggie Lyons, and Honey Creek Executive Director Dade Brantley, give Communications Manager Liz William a look when she wanted to take their picture before the Convention Eucharist at Saint Paul's. | | | | |
