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February 17, 2021
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Volume 11, No. 24
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Ash Wednesday Worship and
Daily Reflections for Lent
At noon today, the Diocese will offer an Ash Wednesday service from the St. Anna Alexander Chapel at the Diocesan House. The service is officiated by the Rev. Canon Joshua Varner with the Rev. Canon Loren Lasch preaching.
This year the Diocese will be offering daily reflections during Lent, written by both clergy and laity throughout the Diocese. Monday through Friday will be reflections on the Daily Office Readings. Saturday reflections will be focused on a spiritual practice that you may be able to incorporate into your personal routine. On Sundays the reflections will be based on different pieces and experiences of music. These reflections may be used as a resource for your congregation or as a personal guide through Lent. The reflections start with on Ash Wednesday and carry through to Easter Sunday. These reflections continue with the theme for this past November's Diocesan Convention: "Thriving in the Vine." Jesus gave this image of himself as the vine and us as the branches to his followers on the night before he died, as he knew they would face tremendous hardships and he wanted them to see how life-giving connection to him is for each of us. The Diocese of Georgia's social media pages ( Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) will post a piece of each day's reflection, along with a link to the PDF with the full reflection.
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During Lent, Prepare an Easter Virtual Choir Celebration!
Most of our in-person singing is still restricted this Lent. So instead, I invite you to join your Diocesan community in singing the Easter hymn "Jesus Christ is Risen Today" together virtually! Don't worry that this recording will have you singing "alleluia," a word the Church traditionally abstains from during the season of Lent. One of the challenges for musicians in ordinary years is that during Lent they rehearse music for Easter! This year, you can live into the Mystery of Easter by singing in joy and hope, trusting that your music will come together with others' offerings, and through the grace of the Holy Spirit, will create new life!
 In order to sing this hymn, all you need is a pair of earbuds, a computer, and a smartphone that can record video. You will download the appropriate guide track and then sing along with the guide track in your earbuds while you video yourself using your phone.
We need your submission no later than Monday, March 22, in order to incorporate it into the final choir.
In order to participate, you need the full instructions, which can be found here: https://bit.ly/JesusChristisRisenTodayVirtualChoir. The instructions include links to written music, guide tracks for melody, various harmony parts, and descant (if desired), and instructions on how to submit your video once you're done. Many thanks to Kathleen Turner, Organist and Choirmaster at Christ Church, Frederica, for creating these tracks.
Please read the instructions carefully before you record anything! Contact Canon Varner at [email protected] with your questions.
Please note that while singers sometimes feel like they are singing a solo during this process, and therefore choose not to participate, your offering will be mixed with others, creating the sound of many voices singing together through the miracle of technology. So go ahead and sing and submit your music. Your song will join with everyone else's offerings to create something glorious!
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Come Away by Yourselves and Pray A While
For Youth
In our Ash Wednesday service, we are invited to the observance of a holy Lent through, among other things, prayer. But for many of us, personal prayer is not something we have ever thought about. Prayer comes in many forms, and what deepens and enriches one person's relationship with God may not do so for someone else.
Next week, the Diocese will offer youth a three-week series on prayer. The series will introduce a few different types of prayer, both active and contemplative, and will offer a chance to practice each one. We will gather on Zoom at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, February 23, March 2, and March 9. Each meeting will last no more than an hour.
This series is a chance to set aside an hour each week to ground yourself, to explore different forms of prayer, and to connect with others who are able to take part. If you (or any young person you know) are interested in participating in this offering, please contact Canon Varner at [email protected] with your questions. Instructions and links will also be sent to lay youth leaders and clergy who work with youth across the Diocese.
Come away during this season of Lent, and pray for a while.
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In 2021 Honey Creek Summer Camp is for Families
(with and without children)
"How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!" - Psalm 133:1
It's hard to imagine summer camp without thinking about children from around the Diocese sleeping in dorms away  from their parents, and having a great time! In a world in which an airborne virus can cause potentially lethal illness, however, bringing young people together and having them stay in the same place is simply too risky. So we are exploring alternatives!
This summer we are anticipating offering several weekend "family camp" sessions, each led by Joshua Varner, Canon for Children and Youth, and Diocesan staff. Families will come to Honey Creek and stay in lodge rooms, thus reducing the risk of large groups of campers staying in the same place overnight. For families that include children, there will be masked and distanced activities during the day that will allow parents and children some time apart from one another, as well as activities that families can do together.
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You're Invited to the Grand Ultreya!
All are welcome to join the Grand Ultreya for our Diocese, virtually via Zoom, on Sunday, March 14, at 1 p.m. There will be music, special guests: our Bishop Frank Logue, Patrick Andersen, president of Episcopal Cursillo Ministry,and Rob Richardson, Southeast district representative for ECM. You will hear a Lay Witness Talk and responses, and more Cursillo music. Experience the Love of God alive in the Cursillo Community in Georgia! Watch for our email to you with the login information to join our Zoom gathering. If you need to get your new email address to us, contact Rose Wilson at [email protected].
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The Rev. Mark Jefferson to preach at St. Athanasius
The Rev. Mark Jefferson, Ph.D. from Virginia Theological Seminary will preach at St. Athanasius on Sunday! Dr. Jefferson, is the assistant professor of Homiletics (preaching) at VTS. His research includes homiletics and black church studies. Jefferson holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Religion focusing on Homiletics from Emory University in Atlanta. He is an ordained Baptist minister, a well-regarded teacher and a highly-sought after preacher.
The 11:15am service will be live on the St. Athanasius Facebook page and via Zoom. You can find the Zoom link and more information on their website.
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Discussion Guide Available for 1Book1Diocese this Eastertide
 Beginning Monday in Easter week, the Diocese of Georgia will offer a 1Book1Diocese read of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry's Love Is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times. Picking up on the theme from his sermon for the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Bishop Curry grounds his teaching in scripture and offers experiences from his own life to challenge the reader to make the ethic of love a guiding principle for their lives. Available as a hardback, Love Is the Way is also an audiobook read by Bishop Curry.Book Discussion Guide Now Available A book discussion guide for the Diocese of Georgia's 1Book1Diocese read of Love is the Way is now online here: Discussion Guide PDF
Bishop Curry to meet with us online We will offer a discussion guide for groups that want to meet online for a discussion at the congregation level. Individuals may also read the book and then join us for online meeting with Bishop Curry to discuss the book.
Look for more news on this study in upcoming issues of From the Field and at the Diocese of Georgia's Facebook page.
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Livestream Calendar Update
 We are collecting updates for our newly organized Live Stream calendar. Please list your updated live stream services including any services throughout Lent and Holy Week. For any future updates to the Live Stream calendar, you can send them to [email protected].
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The Rev. Terri Degenhardt gives out communion packets during the St. Augustine of Canterbury's drive thru communion pickup (left), and the St. Augustine's Adult Ministry of Caring Fellowship hosts a Virtual Beanie Construction via Zoom (right).
The children of Church of the Holy Comforter in Martinez made homemade Valentine's Day cards for the elders in the parish and shared their talents with the Rev. Cynthia Taylor.
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Worship with the Diocese of Georgia in Martinez on Sunday
 On Sunday we will stream Holy Eucharist at 10 a.m. from Our Savior in Martinez with Bishop Logue as officiant and preacher.
Find Livestream Worship
There are a lot of options each day for Episcopalians in the Diocese of Georgia to worship online and now they are listed in one place. The Livestream Services calendar tells the time, location, and which liturgy the congregation offers for the whole Diocese. Click the image above or this link: Livestream Services Calendar.
Have you adjusted your livestream schedule? Let us know! We have a running calendar that you can find here. Check to see if your schedule is correct, and if there are any changes, email Administrator Assistant Daniel Garrick at [email protected]. |
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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.
February 21 -27
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Blakely, Holy Trinity, and for our ecumenical partners in Blakely, especially Holy Family Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for St. Cornelius (San Cornelio) in Cabarete.
February 28 - March 6
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregations in Brunswick, Good Shepherd, St. Athanasius', and
St. Mark's. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Brunswick, especially St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and
St. James Lutheran Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for Church of the Holy Name (El Santo Nombre) in Catalina.
Additional Prayer Cycles
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Diocesan Office Update and News
This Sunday, Bishop Logue will officiate and preach Holy Eucharist online at 10 a.m from Our Savior in Martinez. To view the service, visit the Diocese of Georgia Facebook Page or the Diocese of Georgia YouTube page. In order to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Diocesan staff are not all in the office at the same time with some working remotely. Email will be the quickest way to get in touch with the staff, although you are still welcome to call us on the phone! If we miss your call, please leave a voicemail with a detailed message. Staff e-mails can be found here.
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Let Us Know!
What are you doing to keep community right now? Are you gathering for virtual coffee hours, delivering groceries to your neighbors - let us know! Send any updates or photos to our Communications Manager Liz Williams at [email protected]. We want to hear from you!
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Coble family keeps memory alive
The Coble family built a new gathering deck in front of the dining hall at Honey Creek. Their son, Daniel, passed in 2020, and the family built a gathering deck in his memory. The family plans to make this an annual project to add and replace gathering decks around campus to honor Daniel and the love he had for Honey Creek.
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