July 27, 2022 | Volume 12, No. 30

As the Bishops of the Anglican Communion meet together for the first time since 2008, Bishop Frank and Victoria Logue are representing the Diocese of Georgia at the historic meeting. First convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1867, these conferences are an essential part of establishing and maintaining connections with Anglicans around the world. With the theme of ‘God’s Church for God’s World - walking, listening and witnessing together,’ the conference will explore what it means for the Anglican Communion to be responsive to the needs of a 21st Century world.

The conference takes place across venues at the University of Kent, Canterbury Cathedral, and Lambeth Palace from July 26 through August 8. The more than 650 bishops and 460 spouses represent dioceses from around 165 countries of the Anglican Communion - one of the largest Christian communities in the world.

Victoria is on the leadership team for the “House of Spouse” as the spouses of the House of Bishops are known. She will take part in a variety of events at Lambeth that will include any of the spouses of the Episcopal Church who will be present for the conference as well as spouses from around the Communion. The spouse gatherings are an important part of the meeting.

Bishops of Georgia have made the trip since our second bishop, the Rt. Rev. John W. Beckwith (1831-1890) attended two Lambeth Conferences. Bishop Logue began his preparation last August when he started meeting online monthly with a group of 15 bishops from northern India to the Yukon, including the primates of the churches of Scotland and Canada. This week, that group will meet in person for a Bible Study and then a retreat within Canterbury Cathedral to begin the meeting.

The announced goal of the conference is to resource, inspire, and encourage Bishops in their local ministries; supporting their pastoral and leadership roles in church life and mission as we all follow Jesus. In an unexpected move, the Archbishop of Canterbury sent out a 58-page document to affirm as a body. The text is problematic as it asks for clear stands together where there are deeply held differences. Most notably, it initially asked those in attendance to reaffirm Lambeth resolution I.10, from 1998, which is against extending all of the sacraments to all baptized Christians. The concerns many bishops raised, including Bishop Logue, led to a revision, which itself may be the subject of further debate. This late change is shifting the character of the meeting even as bishops are checking in on site for the conference. Please hold the Logues in prayer as they worship and discern alongside their colleagues from around the world a faithful way to continue to walk together given these differences, while honoring the dignity of all God's children.

The Very Rev. Billy J. Alford to retire after 30 years

of ministry

The Very Rev. Billy Alford is the Rector of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Augusta, GA and priest-in-charge of the Church of the Atonement, Hephzibah, GA, as well as the Dean of the Augusta Convocation.

Billy was born in Sylvester, Georgia and grew up in Albany, Georgia where he attended the public schools of Dougherty County. Billy earned a Liberal Arts degree from Darton College, a BA in Speech and Theatre from Albany State University, and is a Veteran of the US Navy.

He was baptized in the Missionary Baptist Church and confirmed at St. John’s Episcopal Church, (Saint John & Saint Mark) Albany and attended the Virginia Theological Seminary. Billy was ordained a deacon at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Albany on June 11, 1992, and ordained to the priesthood on March 25, 1993, by Bishop Harry W. Shipps. He was installed as the sixth rector of St. Alban’s Augusta on June 6, 1993, where he presently serves as well as the priest-in-charge at Church of the Atonement, Augusta.

Billy has served on the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Georgia, General Convention Deputy, The Racial Healing Committee, president of the VTS Alumni (AAEC), Trustee to Virginia Theological Seminary and Dean of the Augusta Convocation.

Billy is the father of two adult sons, Christopher, and David and five granddaughters and one grandson of whom he is enormously proud.

In a letter to St. Alban's and Atonement, Billy said, "While it will be challenging for me to wake up and not come to work for you and especially to be in community with you on Sundays; the prospect that I will no longer be your pastor will be hard for me. I have come into this building each day with excitement about the possibilities of the day ahead of me, but I know it is time for me to take my leave, and frankly, after 30 years of priestly ministry, I know the time is right. This will be a massive change for me but one that I am excited about."

“Involved in every level of our church for decades, our brother Billy is so well known and loved across the Episcopal Church that I feel blessed that we get to count him as our own here in the Diocese of Georgia,” Bishop Logue said. “And here at home, he has been a force for Jesus in Augusta and across central and South Georgia. Fortunately, we don’t have to miss him as he retires among us and his ministry is significantly changed, but not ended.”

Pictured: Alford with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry during the Bishop's visit to Good Shepherd in Pennick (top), Alford with Bishop Shipps at his ordination to the priesthood on March 25, 1993 (middle), Alford with Bishop Logue and Dr. Donyelle McRay at the Virgnia Theological Seminary Convocation in October 2021 (bottom).

The Rev. Al Crumpton has served as a priest in the Diocese of Georgia since 2011, after graduating from the University of the South School of Theology in Sewanee, TN. For the past eleven years, he has served at St. Mark’s – Brunswick, King of Peace – Kingsland, and is currently the rector at Our Savior Episcopal Church in Martinez, GA. 

On a diocesan level, the Rev. Crumpton has also served as the past president of the Diocese of Georgia Standing Committee, as chairperson of the Southeast Convocation Discernment Committee, and on the Cursillo Commission. In addition, the Rev. Crumpton was also active in the communities where he served as a chaplain at Hospice of the Golden Isles and the International Seafarers’ Center in Brunswick. He did a weekly show on a local Christian radio station in St. Mary’s, GA, delivered homilies and led prayers at inter-faith and inter-denominational services in Camden County. In the last few years at Our Savior, he worked with parishioners in finding ways to stay connected through the pandemic by implementing online platforms for worship, and in completing a successful capital campaign for major renovation work around the parish campus.

In response to Bishop Logue’s invitation to follow the Very Rev. Billy Alford as the next dean of the August Convocation, Rev. Al said, “I am honored and humbled to be considered by Bishop Logue for this position. With deepening bonds of friendship and fellowship in the Augusta Convocation, I am excited to see where our Lord will lead my clergy colleagues and me in forming new ways of collaborating in our shared ministry.”

“In appointing the Reverend Al Crumpton as Dean of the Augusta Convocation,” Bishop Logue said, “I am acknowledging a proven leader in our midst with a heart for sharing in my oversight and pastoral care for the clergy and congregations of the city where our Diocese was founded.”

Happening #106 registration for candidates (participants) is now open! Happening, held at Honey Creek, is a weekend retreat for youth, led by youth. The weekend is focused on discovery and learning about yourself and your faith, all while enjoying fellowship and fun with youth from across the diocese. All youth and adults must follow the diocesan guidelines for youth events, which can be found here.

Who: Youth in 9-12 grade

When: August 12-14, 2022

How: Register here!

For more information, contact Happening Coordinator Sarah Brittany Greneker at sbgreneker@gmail.com.

The Brotherhood of St. Andrew Province IV is hosting a 24 hour Men's Retreat at the Cerveny Conference Center November 4-5, 2022. The theme for the retreat is Renew, Recharge, Rejoice.

National officers of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew will be leading the retreat. Mark the date on your calendar and join us for 24 hours of fellowship, fun, and information in the beautiful natural setting of north central Florida at the Diocese of Florida's camp and retreat center.

Registration forms will be made available after Labor Day on the Camp Weed/Cerveny Conference center website, wwww.campweed.org.

The Ogeechee Mission created lasting community

As we approach the bicentennial of our founding in 2023, we will share the story of the Diocese of Georgia. This week we remember the establishing of churches with the sole purpose of preaching to enslaved Africans on plantations.

The Rev. Bartholomew, then Rector of Christ Church, Savannah, petitioned the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel for a catechist to teach enslaved Africans in the Christian faith. They sent Joseph Ottolenghe (1711-1775) to serve in the role. Zouberbuhler died and left much of his estate, consisting of more than 3,000 acres of land and 52 enslaved persons, to fund the effort. The sale of persons as property then funded the work of the Episcopal mission to the roughly 1,000 enslaved persons working on rice plantations south of Savannah. The catechist who would later be described as “hindered by his own prejudices” soon ceased his teaching duties.

Bishop Stephen Elliott personally trained and then ordained the Rev. William C. Williams to serve as the pastor for what became the Ogeechee Mission. Williams established a school and a chapel on each of the three plantations he then served. Williams reported to diocesan convention on his work in 1846 saying,

“I am engaged by several planters to labour among their negroes. There are not a dozen whites within the limits of the parish, so that my whole time is devoted to the blacks. I have had service twice on Sunday, besides a weekly lecture, alternating between the different plantations. It has also been my practice to read one evening in every week to such as felt disposed to attend. On each of the plantations, schools have been established for the oral instruction of the children…The number of children connected with the schools is about eighty. The children learn and retain much better than is generally supposed, and any one who will devote himself to the work, with the determination not to be discouraged, will in the end find their labour amply rewarded.”

Williams added, “The Liturgy has been introduced as fast as possible. The negroes seem much interested in the responsive parts of the service and I am convinced that the constant use of the Liturgy among them would be of the greatest benefit.” 

By 1860 his congregation was the largest in the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. This was not the only congregation founded on plantations. In 1851, Bishop Elliott reported to convention on the work of the Rev. James H. George, a Deacon, who took charge of a mission in the Albany area. The deacon divided his time among three stations on neighboring plantations owned by Episcopalians. First St. Paul’s and later St. John’s in Albany were the result of that work.

St. Bartholomew’s became the name for the church built in the Burroughs Community south of Savannah for those who had been part of the Ogeechee Mission prior to emancipation. The church was a vital center for the community with more than 400 members in the early 1900s. The church is now a parochial mission of St. Paul the Apostle in Savannah and continues two Sunday afternoons a month with a handful of active members with family ties to the earliest parishioners.

Pictured above: Enslaved laborers in the rice field (above) and St. Bartholomews (bottom).

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.

Please note : the deadline to submit your your amendment will be August 15.

During the 2021 Diocesan Convention that met in November, delegates considered a package of changes to the Constitution and Canons of the Diocese. After passing two amendments and postponing a third, the Convention passed the resolution on a first reading. The proposed changes will come before the Convention this November.

Bishop Logue is appointing a Task Group to shepherd the process this year, allowing time for due consideration and a a way to propose additional amendments. The Constitution and Canons as voted on by Convention in 2021 can be viewed here.

The Constitution and Canons as voted on by Convention in 2021, with all changes tracked from the previous version, can be viewed here.

Propose amendments online

The Diocese will use a Google Form to facilitate the collection of proposed amendments to the Canons. Any member of the clergy or delegate to Convention (2021 delegates remain in effect until a congregation names new delegates) may propose an amendment using this form: Proposed Amendments to Canons.

If you have any questions, please contact Canon Loren Lasch at llasch@gaepiscopal.org.

Convention will be held November 10-12, 2022 in Savannah.

Hurricane season officially begins on June 1, and the diocese will once again use AlertMedia to stay in contact with parishes who may be affected by natural disasters. 

Send your updated information of Clergy, Senior, and Junior Wardens to Liz Williams at lwilliams@gaepiscopal.org.

Seminarian Shelley Martin preaches at St. Augustine of Canterbury in Augusta while home on a visit from Sewanee.

Volunteers at King of Peace in Kingsland have been spending time at the Camden Community Family Center working on a large mural for the center.

The Rev. Patricia Marks, Deacon, is the featured writer for the month of August in Forward Movement's Day by Day booklet. To order yours or receive the daily reflection emails, visit forwardmovement.org.

St. Thomas Isle of Hope in Savannah wrapped up a great week of Vacation Bible School.

The newest acolytes at Trinity in Statesboro!

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Darien is seeking a part-time organist for Sunday worship and special occasion services. Hymns and service music are typically from the 1982 Episcopal Hymnal. There is also a Tuesday evening rehearsal requirement with the choir, all to total approximately 3-4 hours per week. Candidates should be familiar with an organ with 2 manuals and a pedal clavier, be music literate, and be willing to work collaboratively with the Rector and Music Director. Pay will be commensurate with experience. Interested parties should email their resume to standrew@darientel.net.

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 2022 one year prayer cycle is online here: 2022 Prayer Cycle.   

July 24 - 30

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation on St. Simons Island, Christ Church and Holy Nativity. We also pray for our ecumenical partners on the island, especially Lord of Life Lutheran Church and St. William’s Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for St. Barnabas (San Bernabé) in Pizarrete. 

July 31 - August 6

In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation on Jekyll Island, St. Richard of Chichester. We also pray for our ecumenical partners on the island, especially Jekyll Island Methodist Church and St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Puerto Plata, especially Cristo Rey (Christ the King), San Francisco de Asís (St. Francis of Assisi), and San Simón Apóstol (St. Simon the Apostle).

Newly Revised 31-Day 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. (Updated 7/1/2022)

Please note that diocesan staff members will be traveling this summer for both work and personal time. Those updates will be noted in this section, along with the corresponding staff member to contact if there is a need.

Bishop Logue is attending the Lambeth Conference this week. Please direct any scheduling questions to his Executive Assistant, Maggie Lyons, and other correspondence with the bishop to Canon Loren Lasch.

To view Bishop Logue's full visitation calendar, click here. (Updated for 2023 - 7/19/2022)

Pictured: Bishop Logue is at a marker for the site of the Rt. Rev. Samuel Seabury’s Consecration as America’s first bishop together with Bishops Craig Loya (Minnesota), Glenda Curry (Alabama), and Deon Johnson (Missouri).

The office's summer hours of operation include closing the office at noon on Fridays.



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.

St. George's in Savannah held it's monthly Family Game Night, which brought out the competition for those Bingo prizes!