May 10, 2023 | Volume 13, No. 19

Mental Health Resources for you and your congregation

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and a great time to remind the diocese about the multiple resources available to clergy, lay employees, and parishioners.

At the spring clergy conference in April, Clergy received eight hours of training in Mental Health First Aid. MHFA, which was developed by medical professionals, takes physical first aid, which provides help until medical professional arrive or until the situation is resolved. MHFA includes information about common mental disorders and best practices to provide support, intervention, and resources, and how they best serve their community. Katrina Robinson-Wheeler, Director of Outreach and Education at Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare in Fernandina Beach, FL, led the training. At the end of the training, all clergy who were able to participate in the full eight hours were certified as Mental Health First Aiders for two years.

"In our culture today, there is a high degree of anxiety, leading to all sorts of mental health challenges," said, Canon Joshua Varner, "but there are still obstacles to getting treatment, ranging from stigma around mental health to getting services covered by health insurance, to access to those covered services. Our hope is that this training will provide our clergy with additional resources to appropriately support and refer parishioners before a crisis comes."

In addition to the Adult MHFA training module that the Clergy received, there are also MHFA modules that focus on adults supporting youth, on youth supporting each other, and on support specifically in the workplace. All are available to sign up for through mentalhealthfirstaid.org.

Church employees, both lay and clergy, have access to the Employee Assistance Plan offered by Church Pension Group. This benefit allows those on the CPG plans 10 sessions with a licensed therapist per issue, per year, but it also provides many other resources, including 24/7 access to behavioral health support by phone, tips for balancing work and family, and referrals for legal or financial services. To learn more about EAP, visit the CPG website here or contact Canon Katie Easterlin at keasterlin@gaepiscopal.org. For a step-by-step guide on how to find your benefits on the Cigna page, click here.

There are also resources available through NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI has local chapters all over the country, and has a robust website where you can search for resources specific to your area. NAMI has the ability to provide multiple trainings and education sessions that may be helpful for your community.

Hurricane season prep begins now

As we inch closer to to hurricane season, the diocese encourages all parishes to be prepared in the case of an incoming hurricane. There are steps you can take to prepare your congregation, both the members and your physical space. These suggestions are not an exhaustive list, but a good start. 

Make an Inventory List

Forms like this set of Church Inventory Forms offer a way to get down serial numbers for your more expensive office equipment and other key data that will assist if the church suffers damage. Once forms are completed, make a few hard copies to share among leaders. The best practice is also to scan the forms and place as a Google Doc, in DropBox, or another online storage site so they can be accessible from any computer once the storm has passed. In addition to these paper forms, record a smart phone video of church offices, narrating the equipment, and get photos of the church organ or other high cost items and place these at an online storage site. These will be of invaluable assistance in making an insurance claim.

Identify Potentially Vulnerable Parishioners

Identify senior citizens, disabled persons, single parents, and those living alone. Add any families living in trailers, or in low lying areas prone to flooding. Have a plan for who will contact these persons in order to ensure that they are in safe areas. To the degree we can, the Diocese will assist in identifying locations in safe areas with churches and homes open to those who need assistance. Make sure everyone you assist in leaving their homes has needed medicines.

Update AlertMedia Contacts

The Diocese will once again use the  AlertMedia  system to remain in touch with parish leaders. Clergy, Senior Wardens, and Junior Wardens should always keep the Diocese up to date on email and phone numbers. If you have not already updated your information for 2023, please fill out this form.

The above are a few minimal steps you can take now. If a storm path looks like it could impact your congregation and you don't have a plan, we have an 11th Hour Checklist.

Creating a Better Plan

We do have time and every congregation needs a Disaster Preparedness Plan. To help in this process, we recommend this guide from Episcopal Relief and Development: Comprehensive Disaster Preparedness Planning Guide.

Upcoming Ordinations

The Diocese of Georgia is proud to announce the ordination of the following to Holy Orders:

Shayna Cranford will be ordained to the Sacred Order of the Diaconate (transitional) at Trinity Episcopal Church in Cochran at 11 am on May 20, 2023.

Noelle Raiford will be ordained to the Sacred Order of the Diaconate (vocational) at Trinity Episcopal Church in Statesboro at 11 am on May 27, 2023.

Casey Perkins will be ordained to the Sacred Order of the Diaconate (vocational) at the Chapel of the Apostles at Sewanee at 12 noon on June 12, 2023.

Summer Camp and Family Camp registration open now!

Early registration helps the staff and Spiritual Directors plan more effectively for a great session, so go ahead and sign up now! If cost is a concern, please contact the Canon Joshua Varner at jvarner@gaepiscopal.org. For other questions regarding camp contact either Canon Varner or Director Karen Bell at karenmackenziebell@gmail.com. 

In addition, we are once again offering a Family Camp weekend, which will take place July 14-16. Family Camp is for families of all types, grandparents and children, friends coming back to camp together, individuals coming on their own, or any other combinations! Unlike regular camp, at Family Camp families stay together in Honey Creek’s lodge rooms, which allows a greater flexibility of schedule to accommodate nap times for everyone as needed.

Our updated Summer Camp Schedule is below. Regular camp registrations are live at www.honeycreek.org/camps.  

• High School Camp (completed grades 9-12): June 4-10
• Camp St. Peter (completed grades 6-8): June 11-17
• Camp St. Joseph & Mary (completed grades 3-5): June 18-24 
• Family Camp: July 14-16

Time to apply for EYCS Education Scholarship

Educational Scholarships are available annually through the Episcopal Youth and Children's Services. College-bound Episcopal youth are encouraged to submit an application by going to www.eycs.georgiaepiscopal.org and selecting the Educational Scholarships tab at the top of the page. All applicants must be Episcopalian, 22 years of age or under, and legal residents of and members in good standing within the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. Funds are only available for undergraduate (not graduate) study and are awarded based on family need. Applicant must be, or intend to become, a full-time undergraduate student taking and passing at least 12 credit hours per grading period. Education scholarships are approved for one school year only. Applicants may reapply in successive years (for a maximum of 4 years). Completed applications should be submitted and/or postmarked by May 31^st. No exceptions.

Across the Diocese

Bishop Logue and the Rev. Tim Burger with those confirmed, received, and reaffirmed at St. Patrick's

in Albany.

Joy Yost (left) leads a Godly Play lesson, while youth take over the sound booth (right) for Youth Sunday at St. Anne's in Tifton.

Perry and Conner Smith at Saint Paul's in Augusta rounded out the last of the "Meet Saint Paul's" series when they visited the Children's Ministries to tell stories of their ministry and Perry's stories of his time as a fighter pilot was a hit!

Staff and ministry leaders at St. Andrew's and St. Cyprian's in Darien participated in a CPR and AED training at the parish.

King of Peace in Kingsland celebrated the Rev. Aaron Brewer's completion of his doctoral degree.

Canon Lasch hosted the meeting of the Province IV Canons and Transition Ministers in Savannah.

Group photo of those in attendance at the Clergy Spouse and Family Retreat at Honey Creek.

Update your parish information

The Diocese is requesting that each parish fill out the form linked below with updated information on those in leadership roles at the church. The staff uses this information to make sure that critical communications are directed to the correct person in each parish.

To fill out the form, click here.

Upcoming Events

SWGA Clergy Spouse Gathering

Spouses of clergy in the Southwest Convocation will meet for lunch on Saturday, May 20 at noon at the home of John and Rev Marcia McRae at 2701 Green Meadow Dr Valdosta 31602, spouses from other convocations are more than welcome to join. Lunch will be provided. This is meet and greet for new spouses to the convocation.

Please RSVP to John McRae at jhmcrae@bellsouth.net or 229-220-5619.

Summer Camp at Honey Creek

High School: June 4-10

St. Peter: June 11-17

Sts. Joseph & Mary: June 18-24

Family Camp: July 14-16

Register at honeycreek.org/camps.

Clergy Conference

Fall Clergy Conference: October 2-4

The Fall Conference will be a deep dive into the Gospel of Matthew with the Very Rev. Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, a New Testament scholar who is Dean and President of the Seminary of the Southwest. This is to prepare us for preaching Year B of the lectionary, with its readings from Matthew's Gospel. The conference will be held at Honey Creek.

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. 

May 14 - 20

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Jesup, St. Paul’s. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Jesup, especially St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for Mount of the Transfiguration (Monte de la Transfiguración) in Jarabacoa. 

May 21 - 27

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Kingsland, King of Peace. We also pray for our ecumenical partners, especially St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Folkston. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Jimaní, especially St. Paul the Apostle (San Pablo Apostól), St. Titus (San Tito), and St. Ignatius (San Ignacio). 

31-Day Prayer Cycles - Revised February 28, 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 2/28/2023)

Bishop Logue will make his visitation to Christ Church Frederica on St. Simons Island on Sunday.

To view Bishop Logue's full visitation calendar, click here. (Updated for 2023 - 5/9/2023)

Picture: Bishop Logue with members of Holy Spirit in Dawson.



Assistant Administrator Daniel Garrick is at Camp Allen in Texas this week for the CPG Benefits Partnership Conference.

Canon Varner will be celebrating and preaching at St. Michael's and All Angels in Savannah on Sunday.

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.

Youth and a few lucky adults spent Cinco de Mayo together at Calvary in Americus.