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November 2, 2016
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Volume 8, Number 9 |
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This Sunday's Lections
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost
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Track 1
Haggai 1:15b-2:9
Psalm 145: 1-5, 18-22
or
Psalm 98
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5,
13-17
Luke 20:27-38
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Track 2
Job 19:23-27a
Psalm 17:1-9
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5,
13-17
Luke 20:27-38
Go
here for the full text.
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Episcopal Youth Event, July 2017
Youth Travel to Oklahoma This Summer
Every three years, in accordance with a General Convention Resolution, the Episcopal Church convenes an international youth event so "that the energy of the youth of the Episcopal Church can continue to be utilized in active ministry as members of the Body of Christ."
"In other words," said Diocesan Missioner for Youth, the Rev. Joshua Varner, "every three years there is an incredible gathering of hundreds of Episcopal youth from all over the world...and our youth have a chance to go this summer!" Approximately 1,000 young people will come together for worship, play, workshops, small group discussions, and presentations designed to help young people claim their call to leadership in the Episcopal Church
at
the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Oklahoma.
The 2017 Episcopal Youth Event (EYE17) will focus on the theme Path to Peace, based on Matthew 5:1-12.
"This year, the Diocese of Georgia delegation will be making a pilgrimage and mission experience out of our journey to and from EYE17," said Varner. "Our trip will take place July 8-18, and will include EYE17 itself, which takes place July 10-14. We will travel from Georgia to Oklahoma and back, stopping along the way to experience the Church in many different forms and offer our service to the world around us."
The estimated cost will be $1200 per person. Financial aid is available from the diocese, and congregations are strongly encouraged to support their young people's participation in EYE17.
For more information about EYE17, follow this
link.
Applications are due by January 9, 2017, and applicants will be notified by January 17, 2017. Click
here
to apply for the trip!
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The 195th Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia will be held at the Church of the Good Shepherd November 10-12, 2016. Here are the latest updates:
Resolution
The 195th Convention has a single resolution to consider: a second reading on the resolution to move the Church of the Holy Comforter, Martinez, to parish status. The text of the resolution is online here:
Parish Status Second Reading
Workshops
Here are the offerings for Thursday, November 10:
2-3 PM
- Investing through the Diocese of Georgia--US Trust and Board of the Corporation
- A Taste of Project Resource--Canon Frank Logue
- Composting at Church and Home--Creation Care Commission
3-4 PM
- Administrator/Vestry Basics--Canons Willoughby and Logue
- Deacons: Who are they and what do they do?--Venerable Archdeacon Sandy Turner and fellow deacons
- By the Hand of David--Create icons with the Rev. David Holland
Go here to register: http://bit.ly/RegisterforConvention2016Workshops
Additional Nominations Needed
We have not received any nominations for the Board of Corporation. While we have received four nominations for lay deputies and alternates to the General Convention, we will elect a total of eight and so need four additional nominations. The persons nominated to date are:
- Church Disciplinary Board (1 lay person) - Neil Dickert
- Church Disciplinary Board (2 clergy) - The Revs. Becky Rowell and Cynthia Taylor
- Diocesan Council (1 lay or ordained) - Dave Ronn and Deacon Yvette Owens
- General Convention Deputy (four lay deputies and four lay alternates) - Jody Grant, Drew Keane, Molly Stevenson, and Mary Willoughby
- General Convention Deputy (four clergy deputies and four clergy alternates) - The Revs. Joe Bowden, Ted Clarkson, Frank Logue, Hunt Priest, Tom Purdy, David Rose, Kelly Steele, Cynthia Taylor, Deacon Sandy Turner, and the Very Rev. William Willoughby III
- Standing Committee (1 lay person) - Mike Penn, Robert Soeldner, and Carey Wooten
- Standing Committee (1 clergy) - The Revs. Ted Clarkson and Kevin Kelly
Read more about these elected positions and brief
biographies of the nominees here.
Registration
Register by Sunday to ensure that you receive a printed name tag.
If you have not received a postcard (at right) please register!
If you have registered and have not signed up for workshops, please do so.
If you paid a deposit when you registered, please pay the remainder prior to arrival at Convention.
For information on all things Convention 2016 including accommodations, how to register, and more, go here.
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Diocesan Community Update
 The vestry of St. Augustine's, Augusta, announces their call to
the Rev. James (Jim)
T. Said to serve as their Rector. He will begin work on December 1. Said is a graduate of the Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), where he was the recipient of the 2013 Virginia Seminary Ford Chair for his strong commitment to the community life and mission of the Seminary. Said was ordained to the priesthood at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in College Station, Texas in 2014 by his father the Rt. Rev. John L. Said, retired Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of Southeast Florida.
In addition to being the Associate Rector for the past three years at St. Thomas, College Station, Said has been a Chaplain and a member of the Ethics Committee for Baylor Scott and White Hospital; the Treasurer and now Chairperson of the Brazos Interfaith Immigration Network; he assists in teaching a US Civics Class in Spanish, and has served on the VTS Alumni Association Executive Council.
A lifelong Episcopalian and son of Episcopal missionaries, Said had a long career in business and most recently was the North American Regional Vice President of Sales for a data technology company.
Kim Said has been the Newcomer Inclusion Minister for St. Thomas and has been responsible for the Gathering Tree Hospitality ministry, the Oakbrook Elementary School Reading ministry and teaches Sunday School and a yoga class at the church. She also serves as a Lay Eucharist Minister. The Saids have two adult daughters and three grandchildren they describe as "perfect."
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Good Shepherd, Brunswick
Celebrating the Ministry of Deaconess Alexander
A large group gathered recently at Good Shepherd in the Pennick Community west of Brunswick to celebrate the life and legacy of Deaconess Anna Ellison Butler Alexander (1865-1947). Named a Saint of Georgia by Bishop Henry Louttit in 1998, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church moved the feast to study by the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) in 2012 and then approved that her feast be added to Holy Women, Holy Men at its 2015 meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. On September 17, 2017, the Episcopal Church's Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will preach on the grounds of Honey Creek in a revival also set to celebrate Deaconess Alexander's ministry.
 
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Loose Canon
How to Welcome the Different Types of Visitors
The ministry of greeting those arriving to church for worship requires sensitivity. Some visitors will enjoy a greeter showing them around, asking questions, and offering lots of information. Other visitors want to get in and out of church with as little contact with others as possible. This is true as visitors bring their own expectations, and often some emotional baggage to church with them. Greeters need to be trained not to offer the same welcome to all, but to pick up on the clues offered by the visitor as to how best to welcome them.
More than one type of welcome 
The visitor who arrives early and begins by looking around is asking to be engaged in conversation. Early arriving persons not known to the official greeters, or other regular attenders, should be greeted with something like "Hi, My name is Frank. I don't believe we've met." This won't offend the long-time member who usually attends the early service, but popped in for the 11 o'clock this week. It is also the perfect opening for the newcomer with questions.
The visitor who makes a beeline for the nave without hardly making eye contact if at all, should not be stopped and made to talk. Remember always that someone may not quite be sure they want to be in church yet, and so may not be ready for a conversation on their first visit. Folks in this category will often, though not always, arrive close to time or just after the liturgy has started. Then there is the family who is looking around and will need assistance in finding restrooms, the nursery, and the nave. Another visitor will announce that they are visiting Episcopalians from another town and would appreciate a chatty introduction to your church while having a chance to share about their own.
After the Eucharist, the greeters should be on the lookout for visitors. Perhaps the person who zipped into the service is now going slow and looking around on the way out. This is the time to welcome him or her, to offer to go with them to the coffee and refreshments and connect them to others.
The Five-Minute Rule for church members
For those who are not greeters, remember the five-minute rule. For church members with a gift for hospitality, the first five minutes after the liturgy are your time to introduce yourself to those you don't know. Take the time to get to know the person and to connect them to others in the church, including the clergy. After that you can talk with friends who will still be there, while the visitor may slip out if not greeted. Then on later weeks, look for the visitor to return so you can greet them again.
Genuine hospitality
The goal is to balance a genuine welcome with not wanting to overpower visitors. We do not do this in order to grow a church. We do this because hospitality is part of who we are to BE as Christians. This is God's House on the Lord's Day and all who come should be welcomed as if we are welcoming Christ.
-Frank
The Rev. Canon Frank Logue, Canon to the Ordinary |
Around the Diocese
The Church of Our Savior, Martinez, held a Trunk or Treat alongside their Holy Ghost Wienie Roast.
Two families at St. Anne's, Tifton, dressed in matching costumes for Trunk or Treat.
Trunk or Treat fills the parking lot at Christ Church, Valdosta.
Face painting and a magic trick are all part of the
annual All Hallows' Eve Family Fun Fest at Christ Church Frederica, St. Simons Island.
Youth and adults from all three Albany Episcopal churches gathered for an All Hallows' Eve celebration with fun and games on the lawn at St. Paul's, Albany. This photo is from the Service of Light in the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament.
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The Rev. Luke Wetzel Ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests
Bishop Benhase and clergy from the Diocese of Georgia gathered with clergy from the Diocese of Atlanta and a congregation of lay persons from both dioceses at Trinity, Columbus, to ordain the Rev. Luke Wetzel to the Sacred Order of Priests. A graduate of Emory University and Duke Divinity School, Wetzel served at All Saints, Thomasville, and worked with the Oak Street Episcopal Mission prior to taking a call to serve as Curate in Columbus.
The Rev. Luke and Natalie Wetzel with their children Andrew and Frances. At right, Luke blesses his son.
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Diocesan Office Update
Your whole diocesan staff is keeping our regular work going as we also prepare for the 195th Convention of the Diocese of Georgia.
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A too-good-not-to-share photo of the Benhase family at the celebration of John and Sarah's wedding.
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Bishop Benhase travels to Chicago today where he meets through Friday with the Episcopal Church's Task Force on Clergy Leadership in Small Congregations. This Sunday, he will make his visitation to Christ the King, Valdosta. For the Bishop's complete visitation schedule, go
here.
Canon Willoughby and
Rebekah Stewart travel to Augusta tomorrow to meet with the staff of the Church of the Good Shepherd on a run through of the diocesan convention.
Canon Logue is on the road this week wrapping up convention videos. This weekend, he will gather with family in Alabama to celebrate his mother's 80th birthday.
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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. The 52 weekly prayers are available in one document
found here.
Prayers for October 30 to November 5
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation in Tifton, St. Anne's. We also pray for our ecumenical partners in Tifton, especially Our Divine Saviour Catholic Church and for Holy Family Catholic Church in Willacoochee. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Santo Domingo, especially Sagrada Familia (Holy Family Church).
Prayers for November 6 to 12
In our diocesan cycle of prayer, we pray for our congregation on Tybee Island, All Saints. We also pray for our ecumenical partners on the Island, especially St. Michael's Catholic Church. In our companion diocese of the Dominican Republic, we pray for the congregations in Santo Domingo, especially
San Andrés (St. Andrew).
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Bringing Joy to Worship
The Children's Choir sings at Christ Church, Valdosta.
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Upcoming Events
Living Freedom and Wholeness Women's Retreat: November 4-6
Go
here to register
Down to the River to Pray: POSTPONED
More information about events in the Spring will be forthcoming!
195th Convention of the Diocese of Georgia: November 9-12
For more information, go
here.
Thanksgiving at Honey Creek: noon, Thursday, November 24
Cost is $25 per person, $12 for children eight and under. Lodging available also.
For more information, go
here.
New Beginnings #49, December 2-4
Retreat led by youth for youth in grades seven to nine. Go
here to register.
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 The Diocese of Georgia also has a YouTube Channel where you can watch past videos and subscribe to get updates when new videos are posted. |
so we can feature them in upcoming issues of From the Field.
Sincerely,
Diocesan Staff
Episcopal Diocese of Georgia
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