A note about this journal. What follows captures much of my work done in service to God as the Chief Pastor of the Diocese of Georgia. To preserve confidentiality, I don’t even mention many concerns my staff and I addressed this year as in a small diocese it is difficult to even characterize a concern without revealing more than is appropriate. I use names when the information was otherwise made public. I offer what follows as I have enjoyed time exploring the history of this Diocese and wish I had a similar record from my predecessors.

+Frank
The Rt. Rev. Frank S. Logue, Bishop of Georgia

This Journal may also be viewed as a PDF that has photographs of the year as well as the text below: 2023 Bishop’s Journal PDF

January 1-2
For many in the Diocese of Georgia, the year began with the University of Georgia’s win over Ohio State which happened right at midnight. The 42-21 victory will likely have many devoted fans sleeping in on this first Sunday of 2023. A bishop’s visitation is to be an occasion for the congregation and scheduling one for today would not have been helpful. To set a good pattern for the year, I took Monday off.

January 3
The year begins with COVID still a concern. Daniel Garrick, Assistant Administrator, is recovering from a case he got just before Christmas. Canon Loren Lasch, Canon to the Ordinary, is working from home as she spent Christmas with her family and her sister-in-law has just learned she has COVID and her sister has not tested positive, but has the symptoms. We have no guidance in place at the diocesan level. Individuals choose to wear masks or not. I met on Microsoft Teams with Canon Lasch and Canon Joshua Varner, Canon for Program and Liturgy, as we set further plans for the year. Following up with Diocesan Council members to learn who wants to serve on the Task Groups that will look at the Companion Diocese relationship; the Clergy Cottage in Saluda, North Carolina; and a third to consider our diocesan convention schedule. The Rev. John Lane died today. Bishop Harry Shipps ordained him to the diaconate in 1990.

January 4
We held the first staff Eucharist of the year followed by a staff meeting, planning ahead on youth events including summer camp, Diocesan Council, and other upcoming events. In the afternoon, I met with Jim and Haydee Toedtman who are our representatives on the Dominican Development Group.

January 5
The General Convention elected me last year to the Court of Review, which is a churchwide body that serves as a court of appeal for matters of clergy discipline and is charged with investigating and reporting on objections made to the election of a bishop. In May of last year the Diocese of Florida elected the Rev. Charlie Holt as Bishop Coadjutor on the fourth ballot from a field of four candidates. He readily received a majority of the lay votes and won by a narrow margin in the clergy order. More than 10% of the voters objected to issues with the election. The Court of Review serving then found that the quorum had not been established in keeping with the canons. Holt rescinded his acceptance of the position and the Diocese held a second election last November. Once again, more than 10% of those voting filed objections to the election process. Today, the Rt. Rev. Phoebe Roaf, Bishop diocesan of the Diocese of West Tennessee, and I interviewed the Rt. Rev. John Howard, Bishop of Florida, on Zoom asking questions from the Court as part of our determining the facts. We wrote up a report and met on Zoom from 7:30-10 pm to go over all of the work to date on determining the facts of what happened in the election as we address five specific objections. We have made good progress toward a report to the church due later this month. The trainers for our Leading with Grace leadership training met in the conference room today and I spent some time talking about that program with the group.

January 6
At lunch, we had a staff party for Epiphany. Victoria was with us as were Canon Katie Easterlin and her daughter, Amelia, and my Executive Assistant, Maggie Lyons, and her son Atlas. They are both on maternity leave and those filling in for them, Mary Willoughby and M.J. Harris, were also with us for a total of twelve. It was so good to have the two babies in the office together. Canon Loren Lasch was back in the office after continuing to test negative for COVID following her exposure at New Year’s.

The joy continued as Bishop Sadock Makaya stopped by my office with his son, Dr. Jacob Makaya, who teaches mathematics at the Savannah College of Art and Design. I met the elder Makaya in 1998 when he was in charge of Kusulu Bible College in the Tanzanian Diocese of Western Tanganyika where I served that summer as an intern. I knew his predecessor Bishop Gerard Mpango and I met his successor Bishop Emmanuel Bwatta, at Lambeth. It was great to talk with these two men who know many people who influenced my ministry.

January 7
Victoria and I were in the Chapel of Our Savior at Honey Creek for Atlas Dade Lyons’ baptism. His grandfather is Honey Creek Executive Director, Dade Brantley, and his mother is my Executive Assistant, Maggie Lyons. Maggie and Andrew were married in the chapel. In the afternoon, I met with the vestry of Trinity in Statesboro in advance of my first visitation of the year.

January 8
Victoria and I were back with the congregation that sent me to seminary in 1997 for my second in-person visitation. I blessed the new outdoor altar at Trinity in Statesboro and confirmed and received 11 persons.

January 9
I drove to Americus to officiate and preach the funeral for the Rev. John Lane. Bishop Harry Shipps ordained him a deacon on November 11, 1990. Since then, John served at Calvary, St. Stephens in Leesburg, St. John and St. Mark in Albany, and at Christ Church in Cordele, where he was their Deacon in Charge of the summertime Worship on the Water worship services on the Resort Dock at Lake Blackshear. Raised a Baptist, he became an Episcopalian when he married Beth, a cradle Episcopalian. The two were great partners in ministry with food pantries and soup kitchens and other ways of reaching those in need in the communities they served. I drove home after the funeral.

That evening, the Rt. Rev. Kai Ryan, Bishop Suffragan of Texas offered to make a friendly wager on the National Championship game with Texas Christian University facing the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia won 65-7.

January 10
On Tuesday morning, I felt bad about the huge difference in score and matched Bishop Ryan’s gift to Episcopal Relief and Development, which was to be the beneficiary no matter who won the game. The day was full including meeting by phone with a Senior Warden and Treasurer of a congregation needing to make a critical decision this week. From 7-9 pm, I met on Zoom with the Court of Review as we continue to consider the objections made to the November 2022 election of a Bishop Coadjutor for the Diocese of Florida.

January 11
Canon Loren Lasch presided and preached for our staff Eucharist. The staff meeting followed.

January 12
Sometimes the match between clergy and congregation is not a good fit and that is difficult for everyone. Canon Loren Lasch and I met with a Rector where there are significant issues between the parish and priest and after working on this for seven months it is clear this will not get better. We are working out the details on the end of the call as we care for the congregation and the priest.

January 13-14
Friday and Saturday off at home, included several text exchanges and phone calls with a Senior Warden dealing with a difficult situation. We benefit from so many committed lay leaders who bring real gifts to serving the church. I am concerned for the Senior Wardens in particular at congregations with no clergy. I see such steadfast faithfulness. I know a lot rests on them.

January 15
A fun, full, and fulfilling morning at St. Peter’s on Skidaway Island in Savannah with 18 confirmations, receptions, and reaffirmations. The congregation benefits from a real team with a lot of gifted lay leaders who do so much. The Rev. Kelly Steele is thriving as their Rector and the Rev. David Wantland is an excellent associate and they work well with Kathleen Turner, the organist/choirmaster. This is one of many occasions where having served in the Diocese a long time before becoming bishop creates depth of relationships. Ginger Vasquez carried the Gospel today and she told me how the two of us have enjoyed serving together since long before I was bishop. She is right. This is not unique to St. Peter’s, but common in my visits.

January 16
On this holiday honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Victoria and I joined Episcopalians from a number of Savannah congregations in walking in the MLK Day Parade in Savannah on this cold day. St. Matthew’s Church is at the end of the parade route and they have sponsored a diocesan group for years. At the parade’s end, I celebrated the Eucharist and the Rev. Guillermo Arboleda, Rector of St. Matthew’s, preached a thoughtful sermon on our own need to engage in ways to make our nation and world more just. A nice conclusion to the morning. Then time off at home.

January 17
A typical mix of emails, calls, and meetings through the day. In the evening, I met for three hours on Zoom with the Court of Review considering the Bishop of Florida election.

January 18
I started the day at St. Paul’s in Savannah for the Board Meeting of Episcopal Youth and Children Services. We also had a Eucharist during which I inducted a new Board Member and the new officers. My wife, Victoria, is beginning a two-year term as President of this group that gives college and Summer Camp scholarships. In the afternoon, we had a Zoom meeting working on plans for next month’s bicentennial Eucharist. I also met on Zoom with a group of bishops, reflecting together on our work.

January 19
The day included Lutheran Bishop Kevin Strickland and me, discussing with Pastor Devin Strong and the Rev. Dwayne Varas, the Lutheran and Episcopal ministers in Richmond Hill, about their proposal for the Synod and Diocese to assist in funding a shared Outreach Minister. The area is experiencing a population boom that will be further fueled by a Hyundai plant coming to their county.

January 20
An unforgettable day with the amazing students at Episcopal Day School in Augusta. We began with Morning Prayer across the street at Reid Memorial Presbyterian. Then I spent a class session with 3rd and 4th graders talking about the role of a bishop. The 7th graders are preparing for an outdoor adventure trip and I spoke about my experiences in hiking and backpacking. Lunch with some 5th and 6th graders and a visit to the nature preschool on the Flowing Wells Campus followed. The students have classroom space, but spend a lot of their day in the woods. The new Head of School, Dr. David Perkinson, joined me in swinging from a tree on a vine. The dedicated and creative staff offer an exceptional learning environment.

January 21
In the morning, I emailed the priests whose formation was for bi-vocational ministry letting them know that I have asked the Rev. Becky Rowell to interview them. As I put it in the email, “We have never stopped to ask you how this experience has been for you. We have never asked what you have learned along the way that you need your Diocese and me, as your bishop, to hear. We have benefitted so much from your being a priest. Your Diocese has not benefited from the wisdom born of the sacrifices you have made to offer that service.” I look forward to what we will learn as we glean wisdom from those who stepped forward to be a priest while continuing full-time employment.

After lunch Saturday, Victoria and I made one of our two longest drives across the Diocese to Bainbridge on an overcast day that turned to rain late in the trip. Our daughter is named Mary Griffin Logue for her great-great grandmother, Mary Griffin Kramp, who lived in Bainbridge. A parishioner at St. John’s Church now lives in her old house. This is where Victoria’s beloved grandmother, Hulda Kelly grew up.

January 22
Such a meaningful liturgy as I confirmed Wyatt, Katherine, and Sabrina at St. John’s in Bainbridge, the first confirmations here since 2017. The congregation is thriving with their Rector, the Very Rev. Dellenbarger, and a great team of lay leaders. They are showing compassion to their community while going deeper in discipleship. On the rainy drive home, we finished the book Shutter by Ramona Emerson, listening to the whole novel in our two-day trip.

January 23
A day off at home.

January 24
A busy day in the office as I will be out of pocket for a couple of days on the road.

January 25
I stopped by the office in the morning briefly and then drove to Hixson, Tennessee, to visit with my Mom and my Aunt Emily who have independent senior living apartments down the hall from each other. Mom has been having some increased symptoms an ongoing problem with a heart valve and it was good to spend time with her.

January 26
Breakfast and more time with my Mom. After lunch, I took part in the election of a new Vice Chancellor for the University of the South. I thought I would be present for the election, but more time with Mom and a need to drive home today led to me attending the meeting on Zoom as I drove and stopping at an exit to vote for a new Vice Chancellor for Sewanee. Dr. Robert Pearigen will be returning to Sewanee after 13 years as President of Millsaps College and is well suited to the new position.

January 27
A slow Friday in the office. Writing a sermon. Answering emails and mail.

January 28
I met with the vestry and search committee of St. Augustine of Canterbury in Augusta in the afternoon to discuss the transition they are going through as they search for their next Rector. Then after grabbing dinner with Victoria, I went to the Church of the Good Shepherd to spend an hour with the staff for Happening #107. I will serve as the Spiritual Director in March.

January 29
We enjoyed a sweet visit to St. Augustine’s, which is doing so well with the Rev. Terri Degenhardt leading them in an interim period. There was one child baptism and the provisional baptism of an adult, whose Mom and Aunt were with her and unsure if she had been baptized. I also received Jacqueline who said the first time she attended, she turned to greet another parishioner and realized she had found her home. Behind her was a fellow choir member from St. Thomas Church in Kingston, Jamaica. Victoria and I had a very rainy drive back to Savannah.

January 30
A day off at home.

January 31
I received one person into the Episcopal Church in the context of a Eucharist in the chapel at Diocesan House, with her husband, sons, and a staff member who has known her for years as a congregation. A pastoral need arises occasionally when someone can’t take part in the liturgy at their church and I find such small services quite meaningful. The Court of Review I have been serving on considering alleged irregularities in the election of a bishop coadjutor for the Diocese of Florida filed its final report today with the Presiding Bishop. I served with a group of committed Episcopalians and trust our work will benefit the Church through our investigation and findings.

February 1
Our diocesan staff Eucharist and staff meeting were followed by a noon meeting of the Board of the Corporation of the Diocese. The stock market has been quite volatile, and our diverse portfolio has fared better than we might have. Our return over the years is quite good and I am grateful for expertise of the board members and our professional managers as we seek handle well the funds entrusted to our stewardship. We did agree with our managers to move more into bonds and cash in keeping with our existing investment policy statement.

February 2
A full day of varied concerns in the office, while also trying to deal with some changes in my mother’s health that means she will need to move relatively soon.

February 3
Friday morning starts with a call with the Rev. Canon Justin Holcomb, Bishop-elect of the Diocese of Central Florida. The College for Bishops assigned me to be his 90-day companion, assisting him in the transition to episcopacy as we work toward his consecration. On consecration, he will get a coach for the first three years that he serves as bishop. In the afternoon, we had an online meeting to organize the Church Disciplinary Board for the coming year, a board we hope will have no work to do, but one that is essential to have at the ready.

February 4
I met with the St. Thomas Isle of Hope vestry in the morning as they start a vestry retreat. In our worship for the retreat, I also received Mary into the Episcopal Church. She was sick the day of my visitation. Then I was to take the rest of the day off at home, but a letter sent overnight to the Standing Committee President needed more time to assist in clearing up a misunderstanding concerning a vestry’s request to encumber church property.

February 5
Our drive to church this week was just 10 minutes as I made my visitation to Christ Church in Savannah, which included confirming and receiving 14 people. The music sounded great with their relatively new organist George Fergus and I enjoyed serving with our Assistant Administrator, Daniel Garrick, who is an amazing tenor in the choir here. I love the way children and teens are integral to worship, not just in a large acolyte crew, but as greeters and readers. In the afternoon, I followed up on the issue from yesterday with the Standing Committee President, the Rev. Tar Drazdowski. I met online with the Court of Review from 7-9 pm as we reconsider one point in our findings. A very full day.

February 6
A Monday off at home included looking into a new place for my Mom to live.

February 7
Back in the office, continuing to work on some concerns that arose over the weekend, while pushing forward on plans for the spring and fall clergy conferences. I visited another possible place for Mom.

February 8
Today is our daughter, Griffin’s 32nd birthday. The staff Eucharist and staff meeting made for a typical Wednesday. I also met in person with two priests and had a phone appointment with a third. I completed my visits for a possible place for Mom to live.

February 9
I worked in the office on the usual variety of concerns.

February 10
I appointed several Task Groups of Diocesan Council as we look at our Diocesan Conventions, the Cottage the Diocese has owned since the early 1900s in Saluda, North Carolina, to provide an inexpensive vacation option, and our Companion Diocese relationship. The Court of Review turned in a report with some revisions made to our initial draft of findings about the Diocese of Florida bishop election. I am also working with my Mom now on where she will live as she is here this weekend to look at possibilities.

February 11
A Saturday off with my Mom deciding where she wants to move to live near me. She loved Harmony at Savannah, picked a room, and I signed an initial agreement, with more paperwork to follow. I am so glad she will be in Savannah. I tried to get her to move here when we sold her home in Winterville, Georgia, but she has spent the past year down the hall from her sister in independent living. Her aortic valve issues are deteriorating and she is ready to be nearby. This change is a relief.

February 12
I made my visitation to the closest church to our home at St. Michael and All Angels, which is just .6-mile from The Bungalogue. It was fun to celebrate Scout Sunday with Troop 1, which was chartered at the church in 1939. As an Eagle Scout I enjoyed joining them in uniform for the reception following our worship, and it was nice to have my Mama with me. After church, I drove her back to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and made it two hours toward home before stopping for the night. She will move to Savannah in 15 days.

February 13
I arrived back in Savannah at 8:30 am for a day off. I finished the paperwork for Harmony at Savannah and completed everything to secure Mom’s room.

February 14
I worked in the office through the early afternoon, then met on Zoom with the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Structure, Governance, Constitutions, and Canons. In the evening, Victoria and I were at the Mansion on Forsyth Park for a Church Pension Group meeting for Chaplains to the Retired.

February 15
A typical Wednesday with a staff Eucharist and staff meeting continued with a Finance Committee Meeting at Noon. Canon Mary Willoughby (an honorary canon for life in thanks for her prior service as Canon for Administration) assisted me in presenting initial draft financials for 2022 as Canon Katie Easterlin remains on maternity leave. In the evening, I had a vestry meeting out of town, returning home late.

February 16
A Thursday morning full of check-in phone calls with clergy and a Zoom meeting in the afternoon to get organized to be the Chair of the Episcopal Church’s Advisory Group on Church Planting and Revitalization.

February 17
More phone and Zoom meetings end a full week.

February 18
A Saturday morning off at home. Drove to Tifton after lunch and met with the Vestry of St. Anne’s. They are in a transition after more than a decade with the Rev. Lonnie Lacy as their Rector. The Rev. Leeann Culbreath is doing great work with their lay leadership to lead them through this time of discernment.

February 19
An awe-full morning at St. Anne’s in Tifton as I preached on times that fill us with awe on this last Sunday of the Epiphany. I confirmed 11 youth and received 12 adults. Like many congregations as the COVID virus has become endemic, they are seeing how some long-term members have not returned to worship in person. St. Anne’s has seen an influx of visitors particularly as they are a rare LGBT+ affirming congregation in their part of the state.

February 20
A Monday off at home.

February 21
I started the day taking the new Safe Church courses online, completing five of the nine courses. We celebrated Fat Tuesday in the office with Communications Manager Liz Williams making pancakes from scratch as we prepare for Lent. Met on Zoom with the Standing Committee President, the Rev. Tar Drazdowski on some property issues and bishop election consents.

February 22
Victoria and I began Ash Wednesday in 7 am worship at St. Thomas Isle of Hope. Then, I went to The Sentient Bean coffee shop to be with the Rev. Michael Chaney who was offering Ashes to Go (shown below). I also completed the remaining four courses to be current on my Safe Church training. I find the new online classes to be a helpful improvement over the prior training.

February 23
A rare appointment/meeting free Thursday in the office. Working on my sermon for Sunday and following up on various matters.

February 24
Friday began with me meeting with Canon Katie Easterlin and her daughter Amelia as Katie looks at returning from maternity leave in mid-March. I also had a coaching call with Canon Justin Holcomb, the Bishop-elect of Central Florida, who I am assisting in his first 90 days after his election.

February 25
We celebrated the Bicentennial of the Diocese of Georgia today with a Eucharist at Saint Paul’s Church in Augusta, where the founding convention gathered on February 24-28, 1823. The Rt. Rev. Rob C. Wright, Bishop of Atlanta, preached and my predecessor, Bishop Scott Benhase, was on hand to assist in the liturgy. In the year leading up to this event, I shared our history in weekly articles for our email newsletter, From the Field. Some I edited from Bishop Henry Louttit’s booklet Saints of Georgia, some from what Bishop Harry Shipps wrote for our online archives, and others I used Henry Malone’s History of the Episcopal Church in Georgia 1733-1957 as a primary source. Today was a culmination of that year-long journey. I left the reception to meet with a couple considering a significant anonymous gift to create a fund to support our seminarians as they know our church needs to raise up more priests. It was a great conversation as I discovered how we share concerns and hopes for Episcopal Churches in our corner of the vineyard.

February 26
I spent the morning hanging out at Saint Paul’s in Augusta with time with those being confirmed and received, talking to a large group of teens and adults, visiting with kids who were learning what a bishop does (shown above with us all in mitres the kids made), and then we enjoyed worshipping together on this first Sunday in Lent. It was great to be able to spend some time with lots of the parishioners.

February 27
A Monday off at home.

February 28
I worked in the office on Victoria’s birthday. I planned the Diocesan Council with Canon Lasch and Canon Varner as they assisted me in getting out an agenda and beginning to fine tune how to lead conversation this Saturday. My sister and brother in law are packing up my Mom’s things in Chattanooga to start this week’s move.

March 1
I took the day off to meet my sister who drove the moving truck to my Mom’s new independent living apartment at Harmony here in Savannah. We got her apartment set up with pictures hung on the walls and everything in place.

March 2
My cousin, Fred Hardwick, had his pilot and jet pick up Mom in Chattanooga. I met her at the executive terminal side of the Savannah Airport and we went to her new apartment. She was pleased with what Leigh and I had gotten done in making it into her home. I am glad to have her close. I was also in the office for a few hours to give Mom time to be with residents at Harmony and then check back by with another visit.

March 3
In the office on Friday writing the last thank you notes from last weekend’s bicentennial, finishing preparation for the weekend, catching up on some phone calls, and finishing Sunday’s sermon. I visited with Mom at lunch and at the end of the day, nineteen people overflowed out of the St. Anna Alexander Chapel onto the back porch for a confirmation service. I confirmed four persons who were not able to be at their church when I confirmed others. It was such a sweet liturgy with friends, family, and their priests with the confirmands.

March 4
I drove to Tifton for the Diocesan Council meeting. We began in Little St. Anne’s, an historic chapel, with a Rite I Eucharist that Canon Loren Lasch celebrated and I preached. After introductions and the financial report on the year end for 2022, we moved to a discussion of the issue of the changing model of ministry for our churches. All of our congregations are experiencing the impact of the loss of generations of parishioners who gave generously to their church. For a few, this means fewer priests on staff. For others, it means difficulty having a full-time priest. For eighteen of our congregations, it means they currently do not have a priest. We did a question burst exercise to look for the questions that get at the root issues. In four minutes, we generated twenty questions such as: Are we more concerned with parish self-interest and survival or Gospel mandate? What’s non-negotiable? What does church look like? and What do we prioritize?

We returned to the discussion after lunch. It showed me how the reality check we did at the convention last November helped and we need to keep the information flowing to the Diocese on how we are responding to the issues that arise from decreased attendance and giving. We do have to keep Jesus at the center and not lose our focus on being disciples and bringing people in, and as we do so, we have to look at how we are to be the Body of Christ in the coming decade. I always love when people want to have the difficult conversation and engage with concerns that have no simple answer. We will continue to come back to this discussion at every meeting. An additional part of our work today was considering appeals to the diocesan assessment from two congregations. Our assessment is a tithe of the average of the previous three years of normal operating income from a congregation. This number is meant to be conservative as when income is increasing, the average of previous years sets the assessment slightly lower. But with congregations experiencing significant decline in offerings due to the death of significant givers, that way of calculating the assessment no longer works. We agreed to set up a Task Group to look at our funding Canon in light of these changes.

March 5
I made my visitation to St. Francis of the Islands in the morning with a discussion in the parish hall between presiding and preaching at their two Sunday services. The Rev. Ian Lasch is doing a great job as their Rector and is elevating the exact issue Council discussed yesterday. St. Francis is fine for now as they still have some reserve funds, but if nothing changes, they will not be able to afford a full-time priest in two years. He is assisting them in seeing this reality and facing the challenge before they get to that decision point. I then drove to Darien to taking part in a Weeping Time Memorial Service at St. Cyprian’s. This occasion marks the largest sale of enslaved persons in US history to cover the gambling and bad investment debts of Pierce Mease Butler on March 2-3, 1859. 436 men, women, and children were auctioned. Butler requested that no families be divided, but it dispersed a close community with too many ties to be acknowledged at the auction block and once sold, later sales further divided families. Among those he did not sell, were the Alexander Family, the parents and older siblings of Deaconess Anna Alexander, who would not be born for another six years. After the commemoration, I met with the co-chairs of the RacialJusticeGA team.

March 6
A Monday off in Savannah.

March 6
Tuesday was my last day in the office before vacation with myriad concerns to attend to including Canon Loren Lasch and I meeting with a Rector and Senior Warden of a congregation experiencing conflict.

March 8-14
Victoria and I flew to Trinidad, California, for our daughter’s wedding. Griffin and Chaz were married in Redwood National Park (shown above). Officiating the sacrament was an ineffable experience. This rare Lenten wedding came as this is her only time off in a year of rotations, serving in animal clinics and hospitals as she completes her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Fifteen of us walked out on the Lost Man Creek Trail for a wedding under massive trees. The park has a beach on the Pacific and we stopped by for some photos on the way back to the campground where we stayed in cabins. The reception was a taco bar cooked by the two families. On Sunday and Monday we also visited Victoria’s sister and brother-in-law, Laurie and Dean in Orangevale, before returning home with our hearts full.

March 15
An 11-hour day on my return offered time to catch up on a number of matters as Canon Loren Lasch and Canon Katie Easterlin (who is just back from maternity leave) kept working on other concerns. Among us, we were working today with leaders from one in seven of our congregations. In the afternoon, I met with the Standing Committee in the office and at 7 pm, that group and I met with the vestry of St. Michael and All Angels in Savannah. We approved their selling their Rectory on Washington Avenue. It is a potentially wonderful home, but decades of deferred maintenance on the house and the church leave them without enough money to tend to both. They are moving to a part-time rector. The sale of the house will fund hundreds of thousands of dollars of work on the church to deal with significant roof issues and rot inside and out of the church building. I know that years from now, one would wonder why we let a beautiful 100-year old home on Washington Avenue go, but the house and church both need so much work and the church does not have the resources to renovate both. Selling the house will permit us to make the significant repairs to the church essential for preserving it for worship and their significant outreach to the community through a food pantry, Scouting, AA groups, and more.

March 16-18
Thursday, March 16, began with phone and in person appointments and ended in the Emergency Room at Memorial Hospital with my Mom who had a low heart rate. It was Saturday before she got into a room in the Heart and Vascular Center as they seek to control her heart rate with medications. With her stable and urging me to leave, Victoria and I drove to Augusta.

March 19
A full church at Holy Comforter in Martinez supported the 26 people being confirmed and received today. What a delight to be with this church planted Christmas Eve 1999 as they continue to thrive. The Rev. Cynthia Taylor planted. The Rev. Glenn Palmer is watering well. God is giving the growth. I arrived back in Savannah to meet with a specialist about a pacemaker for Mom.

March 20
A day off with Mom at Memorial included checking in briefly with Canon Loren Lasch who had two meetings with vestries, which we knew would be difficult. They were hours apart. Yet, I could be present here with little interruption, which shows how this call I have is a shared one.

March 21
A full Tuesday of meetings, mostly in person, and a phone call with a priest serving in another diocese, who remains canonically resident here. Finally, in the late afternoon, my Mom was called for the procedure to put in her pacemaker, which went more quickly than anticipated and all went well medically.

March 22
A Wednesday out of the office, being with Mom at Memorial. The hospital released her in the afternoon. She was so relieved to be back in her apartment by early evening. Mama Kitty was glad to have her back as well. She is much improved since last Thursday afternoon.

March 23
A full Thursday in the office included an afternoon Zoom meeting to organize the Episcopal Church’s Advisory Group on Church Planting and Revitalization. The Presiding Bishop and President of House of Deputies appointed me the chair of the group that will evaluate church planting efforts over the past decade even as we give grants for ongoing and new work. The revitalization efforts received no grant funds from the General Convention, so we are limited to $775,000 in work on infrastructure and support, which is very disheartening, given the need we see everywhere. The team is an excellent one for this work and we shall do what we can with what we have been provided, but it seems like so little. Then I drove to Honey Creek as the team gathered to prepare for Happening #107. The Rev. Joe Bowden is the other Spiritual Director and he, and his wife Cissy, are always fun to work with and take teens and their faith seriously. Aidar Weston from the Church of the Good Shepherd is the well-prepared Rector for the weekend.

March 24
All day Friday at Happening is in preparation for the weekend. For me, it meant hearing the moving talks the teens have prepared. Dean Lacy is bringing it with the reality talk and Charlotte Vaughn with the talk on Jesus Christ. I could go on and on. They looked at the sample talks and have done well at making it their own with stories from their lives. This is the heart of Happening, teens getting real with each other about their lives and their faith, including their doubts. We got off to a strong start this evening. Just before 11 pm, I learned of veterinary emergency with my Mom’s cat and given the staff and the proximity, I was able to get her to a 24-hour vet in Savannah.

March 25
The night/early morning was not without its drama, with Mama Kitty in critical need of care, but we were the only patient at the large Vet practice, and I got her home with medicines and aimed at a full recovery. I even got back to Honey Creek and slipped in a little sleep before the sun woke me up in time for breakfast. Happening is going very well as the weekend unfolded through the day with the small groups bonding well and the staff working together. It was rewarding to work with the Rev. Joe Bowden on the Church and Grace talk that I began and he ended, when we got real about the problems we face and how God is present, not always as we wish in the moment, but truly present in our lives, even on our worst days. A sudden, and quite violent thunderstorm put off the Stations of the Cross and all that followed. The complete arc of a rainbow spanning from marsh to marsh was gorgeous. The Moms and Dads for the weekend have been doing such an awesome job at bringing good energy and great care to those roles.

March 26
After spending the early morning through breakfast with the Happening Candidates and Staff, I enjoyed such a wonderful morning at Saint Athanasius in Brunswick, as I confirmed DJ, the son of the Rev. DeWayne and Lakeshia Cope, and received Mike into the church. I also got to serve at the altar where I first celebrated the Eucharist 23 years ago this August. A nice lunch together in the parish hall rounded out my several hours at the church and I was back at Happening for the closing Eucharist. Teens have so much going on in their lives at any time, but those in 10-12 grade now experienced school at home and other disruptions of the pandemic during their middle school years and are growing up in a text and social media landscape so unlike my own adolescence. So much in their lives tell them they are not enough. I value this weekend with the unconditional grace and love they need. None of us is perfect and we all need to turn to God more fully and amend our lives. Yet, that should come out of a response to the love God has for us. The Gospel is not that if we get our act together, God might be okay with us, but that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. I arrived home fully wiped out and thoroughly grateful.

March 27
A Monday off in Savannah.

March 28
I spent the morning catching up with staff. Nothing slows down if I am not in the office and so there is a great variety of issues from a denied insurance claim to conflict in a parish to pushback on our Safe Church Training to all the upcoming events we need to make sure we prepare. Fortunately, the work is not mine alone and we touch base and each follow up on the concerns in our area, leaving the rest of the staff with more on their To Do list and me writing thank you notes. One example: Canon Loren Lasch spends the evening in a three-hour vestry meeting before a long drive home. Many times the to do list needs face to face meetings across the Diocese and we are always ready to make the trip when needed.

March 29
The staff Eucharist and staff meeting including prayers for a spouse in surgery as the diocesan prayer list is for us as well as for our clergy and congregations. Preparing to preach in four very different contexts next week in Holy Week is also part of today’s work.

March 30
Thursday included a Zoom meeting with the Archdeacon and the Deans of the six convocations. They assist in my oversight of the clergy and congregations. This check in meeting proved invaluable. Every dean named the changes they see with fewer full-time priests serving in the diocese. We discussed one model from a group of congregations in South Carolina and another with a group of congregations near Sewanee. I see how my plan for change is too methodically slow. I hoped to get some new models of ministry working in practice here and then point to them as examples in videos and stories to inspire other congregations toward shared priestly ministry and increased lay leadership. My means of doing this is far too slow an approach at this moment in the church. Canon Loren Lasch will contact her colleagues in the southeast and work toward discovering a variety of ways of being the Body of Christ that are thriving. We will begin sharing those as soon as we can gather examples.

March 31
In making a last check of how I will bless the oils in the liturgies on Monday and Tuesday, I discovered that the newly published Book of Occasional Services 2022 has a new and very well-crafted Reaffirmation of Vows liturgy for clergy. The previous one was brief and had the bishop asking questions of others, but only speaking for oneself. The current one has a lay person ask the bishop to affirm her or his vows before the bishop asks first priests and deacons to do the same. I am pleased to find this improved liturgy and to offer it on Monday and Tuesday in Holy Week to the deacons and priests who can gather. This evening and tomorrow, Canon Lasch is at Honey Creek leading a retreat for two leaders each from nine of our congregations that do not have a priest serving regularly.

April 1
A Saturday morning off and then a drive westward.

April 2
Such a Blessed Palm Sunday at St. Thomas in Thomasville as the Rev. Wallace Marsh baptized Mazi, a sweet six-year old who took the rite seriously, walking herself up to the font alone, hopping up on a step they have to get someone her height to the font, and leaning forward to get over the water. I was grateful to mark her with the sign of the cross in chrism oil and say, “Mazi, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.” We also had lots of confirmations/receptions/reaffirmations at this church that is doing so well with a bi-vocational priest. Victoria and I were so glad to start Holy Week in Thomasville.

April 3
Some of the clergy gathered today at the Church of the Annunciation in Vidalia to reaffirm their ordination vows as I did the same. We had lunch after and I returned to Savannah.

April 4
More of the clergy of the Diocese gathered today, this time at Christ Church in Cordele, to reaffirm our ordination vows and bless oil of Chrism used in baptism. I returned to Savannah after lunch.

April 5
Wednesday in Holy Week included an evening meeting with a vestry.

April 6
Maundy Thursday in the office writing sermons. In the evening, I presided and preached at St. George’s in Savannah with the congregation of St. Michael and All Angels present with them.

April 7
Good Friday morning I was in the office signing paperwork for the Very Rev. William Willoughby III’s retirement later this month. He has served as the Rector of St. Paul the Apostle in Savannah for just shy of 36 years. With no officiating duties, Victoria and I sat together in the pews for the Good Friday liturgy.

April 8
A Holy Saturday off other than final preparations for tomorrow, getting vestments together and going over my sermons. The texts and contexts are different and so I need three sermons for tomorrow’s four liturgies.

April 9
A joyfully full Easter Sunday began in the dark, inside St. Paul the Apostle in Savannah with wind and rain outside. I lit the new fire in the back of the church and we shared the light, continuing by candlelight for this Easter Vigil with one confirmation. I presided and preached for this Queen of Feasts. The Very Rev. William Willoughby III presided and I preached for the 10 am High Mass so he could officiate on his last Easter at the church. Then at 12:15, I presided and preached for the Spanish language Mass with a congregation kind with a bishop whose ability to read Spanish makes officiating challenging. The church was full and the nine confirmations and seven first communions were so meaningful. With well over 100 parishioners present, this congregation has more than doubled since my last visit. The Rev. Leonel Polanco is doing great work in building up this community of faith. He is a native of the Dominican Republic growing a congregation that includes parishioners from many Latin American countries. After the photos were taken for that service, Victoria and I went straight to St. Bartholomew’s in the Georgetown area of Savannah for Easter with the handful of parishioners who grew up in that church and attended school there through the fourth grade in the two-room schoolhouse. It was a lovely conclusion to a day filled with joyful worship.

April 10
A day off on Monday in Easter Week.

April 11
Tuesday in Easter Week included meeting with the Canons as we prepare for Canon Loren Lasch to take a short sabbatical (three weeks) to go to the Holy Land. The day ended with a 3-hour evening Zoom meeting with the Commission on Ministry and Standing Committee interviewing three applicants to be candidates for Holy Orders—two in the process of formation to be deacons and one to be a priest.

April 12
Wednesday in Easter Week meant a staff meeting after not meeting last week in Holy Week. There were also more than the usual amount of phone calls and texts on a wide variety of concerns.

April 13
On this Thursday in Easter Week, I met on Zoom with Dr. Catherine Meeks and the Rev. Tom Bracket who are soon to begin mediation with a vestry and rector after a vote to dissolve the pastoral relationship. I also met with the Grants Review Committee for the Advisory Group on Church Planting and Revitalization.

April 14
Friday in Easter Week began at 7 am at Savannah Toyota for service the Camry I use for my diocesan work. The day included a call from a United Methodist District Superintendent who was hoping to find a church in Valdosta where they can have a group meet to organize itself. Methodists are going through an upheaval as congregations hold votes on whether to disaffiliate from the United Methodist Church in order to join the newly formed Global Methodist Church, which has declared it will never ordain or marry LGBTQ people—the crux of the conflict. Several congregations in Valdosta have had votes with the required more than two-thirds of the church deciding to disaffiliate, which has left groups of Methodists who want to remain United Methodists looking to their Conference to assist them. We have groups of Methodists meeting in our churches in Thomasville and Douglas. We already had a group meeting at St. Barnabas on the north side of Valdosta. The Venerable Yvette Owens, Archdeacon of the Diocese, assisted me in making Christ the King available to the group.

April 15
I met on Saturday in Easter Week at Annunciation in Vidalia with a Diocesan Ultreya offered by the Cursillo Commission. I spoke on having a rule of life and presided and preached at the Eucharist.

April 16
On Sunday, I made my visitation to the Church of the Annunciation in Vidalia. They hosted two recent diocesan gatherings, so that today’s visitation was my third time at their altar in two weeks, even as the visitation came 16 months after the previous one. Ken Shrader also completed an internship today as he continues his formation for the priesthood. The congregation really welcomed him and his wife, Kristina, while he served here. I am so grateful for the Very Rev. Denise Vaughn and her loving congregation for working with Ken. Two confirmations today—Len and Shannon. Shannon was on duty as a Police Detective today 30 hours into a shift that included solving a murder case, but she came in for her confirmation. That is dedication! My first time confirming someone with a gun on their hip seemed more like a British TV show with a confirmation and a case solved.

April 17
A Monday off at home.

April 18
Tuesday in the office in the morning. A Zoom meeting in the afternoon for a new advisory group at Sewanee for the Alternate Clergy Training at Sewanee program. In the evening, I made my visitation to the Episcopal Campus Ministry at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. The Campus Ministry works together with the Presbyterian UKirk. The Rev. Charles Todd is the Campus Missioner, who has served in this role since before he became the Rector of Trinity in Statesboro. We enjoyed a meal, I celebrated and preached in the Chapel, and then we had a good discussion with great questions about the Episcopal Church and our faith in Jesus.

April 19
A typical Wednesday with a Eucharist with diocesan staff followed by a staff meeting. In the afternoon, Canon Joshua and I were working on toward next week’s Clergy Conference.

April 20
I woke up with a stomach bug and did not go into work. I did keep one Zoom meeting with mediators assisting a congregation in conflict.

April 21
Writing my sermon on Friday and catching up in the office. One priest called saying he is ready to fully retire, having served many years at a small congregation after his retirement. Another priest and I talked about her next call as her current congregation can no longer afford for her to be an associate.

April 22
A morning off at home. In the afternoon, Victoria and I drove to Honey Creek to spend the night in Jonnard Cottage, our home at our Retreat Center.

April 23
I started the morning speaking to a congregation about the mediation process underway and answered questions from parishioners. I drove back to Honey Creek arriving close to time for my visitation with St. Mark’s in Brunswick, who celebrate their church’s Feast Day at Honey Creek. The Rev. Alan Akridge is the ever energetic and creative Rector. We had 18 confirmations and receptions and a chapel and dining hall full of joy.

April 24
Last minute packing up and preparing for the Spring Clergy Conference at Honey Creek. I began with a couple of meetings with priests before we started with Evening Prayer in the Chapel, then dinner, and my time to speak with the clergy. I made a number of announcements about upcoming events and then we continued the ongoing discussion begun in earnest at our last convention on the loss of attendance and giving to our churches. I also told the group of the survey the Rev. Becky Rowell conducted with bi-vocational priests, a handful of whom were present. The discussion surfaced some of the grief present as the church is changing with more part-time calls as well as with the concerns about our means of forming priests for bi-vocational ministry. I prefer to center our discussion on our faith in Jesus rather than on the institution of the church as I think if we focus on the institution, it takes us from the Gospel. Yet, these discussions are how we discern how to be faithful to God’s call.

I also shared concerns raised by an Episcopalian I know who is looking at the end of his life and thinking about the church. I said that he raised the concerns of the need for preachers to speak to the seekers in the community and those in our pews. I shared that he said that in listening to sermons, he has mostly heard, “Long stories punctuated with humor to make Kindergarten-level connections to conclusive theology.” This is something that I am thinking through in my own preaching.

April 25
A full day of clergy conference with four hours of training in Mental Health First Aid. In the afternoon, we joined in a Holy Eucharist with healing prayers. It is so meaningful to have clergy come forward to ask for prayers for themselves and others and to get to lay hands on them and pray. In the evening, we had team trivia with a lot of general questions and some tailored to Episcopal clergy and the Diocese of Georgia.

April 26
Clergy Conference concluded with four more hours of training in Mental Health First Aid. This has been very informative, and I hope clergy bring trainers in to offer this in their churches. The clergy conference, as usual, included spending every free moment talking mostly one on one with deacons and priests. I always love the time to talk in person. In the evening, Victoria and I went to a gathering in honor of the Very Rev. William Willoughby III who retired after 40 years in the church and 35 as the Rector of St. Paul the Apostle in Savannah.

April 27
Back in the office and catching up. In the afternoon, I met with my spiritual director.

April 28
A morning in the office and gathered at Honey Creek in the evening to meet with the Commission on Ministry and Standing Committee to continue work with those in formation to be deacons and priests.

April 29
The Commission on Ministry and Standing Committee met for one check in interview with a person in formation for the priesthood and met with and approved Noelle Raiford and Casey Perkins for ordination to the diaconate (vocational) and Shayna Cranford and Gabriel Lawrence for ordination as deacons (transitional). This work of discernment is not easy, but it is deeply rewarding and the amount of time and energy the members of the two committees offer is such a gift. Now to schedule four ordinations in the coming months! I ended the day with dinner in Thomasville.

April 30
In a 1928 Prayer Book liturgy at All Saints in Thomasville, I officiated and preached as the Rev. Rick Buechner baptized his grandson, Charles Livingston Ireland, and I confirmed four parishioners. The Rev. Will Brown is newly in his role as Rector and I got to spend some time with his wife, Kate, and their infant son, George, as well.

May 1
An early morning flight got me to the Maritime Center in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, for lunch and a 1 pm start to a meeting of the Advisory Group on Church Planting and Revitalization, which I serve as Chair.

May 2
A full day into the evening at the Maritime Center working with Church Planting grants, planning two gatherings (one in 2023 and one in 2024) for those starting new congregations, and touching base on a current project working with four dioceses on a pilot project in church revitalization.

May 3
We finished the work for this meeting of the Advisory Group on Church Planting and Revitalization by 11 am and I was at BWI Airport for a 12 noon Zoom meeting with the Board of the Corporation of the Diocese and then flew home. While in the air, I was texting with a Senior Warden whose vestry is ready to call an Interim Rector and with the mediators assisting in a conflict.

May 4
Back in the office for the first time since last Friday with a variety of matters including a bit of getting on board time for Canon Loren Lasch who is back from her sabbatical in the Holy Land. In the evening, I met on Zoom with some bi-vocational priests to talk about the work the Rev. Becky Rowell did in one-on-one conversations with each of them to learn from their experiences.

May 5
Friday morning began with several phone appointments with clergy in a row and then a meeting on Zoom with two members of the Presiding Bishop’s staff in following up on this week’s Advisory Group meeting in Baltimore. In the afternoon, Victoria and I drove to Honey Creek for the Clergy Spouses and Family Retreat. We began with a meal, a Eucharist, and the same team trivia we used at the clergy conference. We invited the clergy person in the couple and/or children to attend as well, which is why I note “and family.” The idea was that you could get away together to Honey Creek.

May 6
The Clergy Spouses and Family Retreat concluded as Dr. Bertice Berry led the program on finding joy and the Rev. Helen White served as chaplain. After lunch, Victoria and I drove to Albany where I had a good meeting with the Vestry of St. Patrick’s. There is a lot going on as the Lutheran Church of Our Savior, which had met at St. Patrick’s has elected to dissolve as a Luther congregation and join the Episcopal Church as their attendance has diminished. St. Patrick’s is also about to launch a call for a new Rector after a time of interim ministry.

May 7
Victoria and I enjoyed our morning at St. Patrick’s in Albany as their Interim Rector, the Rev. Tim Burger baptized Daniel. I love adult baptisms and I appreciated that Daniel had memorized his responses for the liturgy. I confirmed him along with other confirmands and those reaffirming their faith. Then we had a big spread for a potluck that included some wonderful collard greens grown in the church’s garden. We then drove to Holy Spirit in Dawson for a Holy Eucharist. I had officiated a funeral in the yard since becoming bishop, but this is my first time to preside at the altar, the last church in the Diocese where that was so. Everyone who attends was with us. With me and Victoria and Deacon Ri Lamb, that made for nine of us in the picture-perfect church in this small county seat town.

May 8
A day off at home.

May 9
I started the day with the Province IV Transition Officers in a Eucharist with healing prayers at Christ Church in Savannah. Canon Loren Lasch preached the sermon for this group of her colleagues who assist in clergy calls in the southeast US. Most have the title of Canon to the Ordinary and this was my colleague group for a decade, though there has been so much turnover in bishops in the past three years that only a couple of those present served when I did. I was in the office through the day and finished in the late afternoon with a Zoom meeting of the Standing Committee on Structure, Governance, Constitution, and Canons.

May 10
I drove to Douglas to meet with the Senior Warden and a Vestry member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and both wardens of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church formed in a split in May 2013. We met to tell the truth in order to hold off rumors in the town. We let them know that the church is not currently for sale, though if we get to that point, we will give them first right of refusal to sell at the tax assessor’s value. They let us know that if that happens, they will buy it. A core concern is the burials on church grounds and a desire that we uphold the trust to care for those graves in columbarium and in the ground in the garden. We walked around the building and all five of us shared memories of this church where my father served on vestry and where I preached his funeral in February 2008. We had a respectful conversation, leaving all on the same page for a more helpful meeting than I thought possible. I was back working in the office after lunch.

May 11
Meetings with just the canons in the morning and then the full staff after lunch caught us up after missing our usual days due to other meetings.

May 12
Canon Lasch and I met in the office with a candidate for Holy Orders on next steps in formation for bi-vocational ministry. I finished writing my sermon on Sunday, using Chat GPT Artificial Intelligence software to write the opening and a couple of other brief quotes for a sermon on science and faith and grounds for belief in the suprarational. Not the usual Mother’s Day sermon.

May 13
A Saturday morning off. I ended the day at Jonnard Cottage at Honey Creek.

May 14
Three services, a reception, and a vestry meeting made for a full morning through lunch at Christ Church Frederica where so much is going well in this tenth year with the Rev. Tom Purdy as Rector and with longer tenures for the two associate rectors, the Revs. Ashton Williston and Katie Knoll Lenon. They are a great team, but the recent changes in the church hit here too and balancing the budget is difficult even as they had 260 in attendance this weekend. They are well connected with the other Episcopal Church in Glynn Episcopal Ministries and with ecumenical and interfaith partners in Glynn Clergy for Equity.

May 15
A day off at home began with a walk on the beach at sunrise and breakfast on Tybee Island.

May 16
Back in the office after the weekend and meeting with canons on various concerns.

May 17
I started the day presiding and preaching the staff Eucharist and then we met as a team. Some planning toward the convention in November together with setting up a process looking anew at our job descriptions and shifting priorities.

May 18
Victoria and I both got a COVID booster and I also got the first dose of the Shingrix vaccine for Shingles, which I have had before and prefer not to get again. I worked through the day in the office and finished with a 5:30 pm meeting with the Vestry of St. Matthew’s and learning more about their strategic planning work.

May 19
The vaccines had me much more exhausted than anticipated, but I kept a 7:30 am meeting with the Senior Warden at St. Michael and All Angels in Savannah where the Vestry will discuss on Sunday whether to hand the keys over to me as bishop. I let him know of what the Diocese will do to continue worship and having the building open for the groups who meet there even if the vestry does decide they are done. If they do so, a parish meeting will follow. I then went to Rincon, where the Rev. David Rose took me on a tour of the startling number of new homes under construction now with multiple neighborhoods of hundreds of homes going up. In the evening, I was double-booked with Zoom meeting and met first with the Mission within the Episcopal Church Committee of Executive Council as Katie Forsyth (Communications Manager for the Dioceses of East Michigan and West Michigan) presented grant recommendations and shared issues in the current guidelines and how they limit new Latino efforts in existing churches from getting funded. When done there, I joined a Court of Review meeting as two of my church-wide responsibilities for the Episcopal Church bumped up against each other.

May 20
The day began with a helpful conversation with the Senior Warden at a church in conflict. Then Victoria and I drove to Cochran for me to preside and preach at the ordination of Shayna Cranford as a deacon (transitional). In the continuation of an agreement with Bishop Henry Louttit in 2001, Shayna has only been a member in a church where every priest she has known was lifted up by Trinity to serve this church, first the Revs. Joy Fisher, George Porter, and Vernon Wiggins, later Dale Jones, and now her. Wiggins and Jones have died and neither George nor Joy can serve anymore due to their health. It was a joyful morning with a faithful congregation.

May 21
On this my sixtieth birthday, I made my visitation to the Church of the Epiphany, currently meeting on Sundays at the Front Porch Improv Theatre on Victory Drive in Savannah. Their priest is the Rev. Michael Chaney, whose full-time work is as a professor of film at the Savannah College of Art and Design. They are a church without walls, meeting here on Sunday and at the Pride Center on Bull on Wednesday evenings. This was my second meeting with the vestry that was organized last year. I let them know that we are moving them to being a parish of the Diocese this year. While meeting with their vestry, I received a text from the Senior Warden of St. Michael and All Angels letting me know that they voted to turn the church’s property over to the Diocese on July 1.

May 22
A day off at home.

May 23
The variety of phone messages and especially emails is often daunting on a Tuesday, with a lot happening Saturday evening through Monday and so many varied issues that need follow up. I don’t have to face it alone and staff have been working in the meantime on these issues, but it is a lot. Having assisted Bishop Benhase for ten years, I also see how this moment in the life of the Diocese is more demanding. It just is. And while true for a bishop and staff, how much more for the lay leaders, deacons, and priests in one place facing only the issues there. A helpful definition of burnout is that we don’t get burned out merely from working hard, not in and of itself. We get burned out when we face the same problem over and over and see no solution, no way forward. While there are bright spots of joy everywhere, my inbox today reveals the ubiquity of the particular weariness of soul that is burnout.

May 24
A Wednesday on the road to Augusta. I met with a person discerning a possible call to serve as a deacon and then talked again with a couple considering a significant gift to financially assist those going to seminary. In the evening, I was with the Rev. Thomas Barron at the Liberty Park Recreation Center, where Grovetown Episcopal Lutheran Mission meets for a covered dish meal around tables set up in the basketball gym. The covered dish theme was breakfast for dinner. The Eucharist that followed included me preaching that flowed into a discussion among the congregation on the passage and the way I interacted with it. This is a group that clearly enjoys being with one another.

May 25
I drove back to Savannah early, stopping to take photos a few times as the sun rose during my drive. In the afternoon, I met with my spiritual director on the dock overlooking the marsh at her home on Isle of Hope.

May 26
A last day in the office before vacation included checking in with staff and their surprising me with a birthday cake and piñata. In the afternoon, I drove to meet in person with the wardens of a congregation that needed my counsel. The Senior Warden was recovering from shoulder replacement surgery and so the three of us met in her home.

May 27
I ordained the Rev. Noelle Raiford to the Sacred Order of Deacons at Trinity in Statesboro. Their previous rector, the Rev. Joan Kilian, returned from Charlotte, North Carolina, to preach an excellent sermon. Part of the gift of stability is that I have known Noelle for about 16 years. I was honored to pray for God to make her a deacon. We have five aspirants for the diaconate at present and so are experiencing a turnaround in that order of ministry after retiring more deacons than we have ordained in the past decade.

May 28
I made my visitation to St. Matthew’s in Savannah. Victoria is with her family for a gathering in Statesboro. My Mom was able to join me for this visitation, where the Rev. Guillermo Arboleda baptized Journee and I confirmed three teens. Guillermo starts a sabbatical tomorrow in this seventh year of his serving St. Matthew’s.

May 29
A day of tying up some loose ends as I get ready for time away.

May 30-June 10
Victoria and I flew to Phoenix, Arizona, for Griffin’s graduation as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Victoria and I spent time with her and her husband, Chaz, and his family and we had some time alone to rest. We finished the trip attending the Third Order Society of St. Francis provincial convocation at the Franciscan Renewal center in Scottsdale, Arizona. I am an aspirant, having turned in my paperwork to be considered as a postulant in the Order.

June 11
My Mom joined me as I served as supply priest for St. Michael and All Angels in Savannah. Then I drove to Chattanooga in order to be close to tomorrow’s ordination.

June 12
I ordained Casey Perkins to the Sacred Order of Deacons in the Chapel of the Apostles at Sewanee. He is working on the staff of the University as the director of alumni relations and annual giving for the School of Theology and the director of Trustee and Church relations. Casey will transfer his canonical residence to the Diocese of East Tennessee tomorrow, but I have known him for years and was pleased to officiate and preach in the seminary’s chapel. A great group of clergy and folks from Georgia were here for the ordination, together with those from Tennessee. I drove back toward home, getting to Macon for the night.

June 13
I was back in the office on Tuesday morning meeting with the Canons on a variety of matters. These include accepting the offer from Camden County to purchase the 1.07-acre parcel of our Honey Creek property for $125,000. The Department of Natural Resources will build and maintain a public boat ramp on this property by the entrance to our grounds. The Standing Committee met via Zoom and unanimously approved the offer.

June 14
The 2022 audit is underway with two auditors in house for a week, working in the conference room. I had my annual interview with them today, discussing the financial story of last year as I see it and a few matters this year that should be highlighted. Our decade of clean, unqualified audits come from the day in and day out work of Canon Katie Easterlin with Maggie Lyons handling accounts receivable for the Diocese and Honey Creek and Daniel Garrick taking care of accounts payable. Audits since 2009 are posted online and quarterly financial reports are posted there after they have been reviewed by the Finance Committee.

June 15
A Thursday in the office included Canon Loren Lasch and I meeting with a priest on long-term disability and another meeting with a priest and an attorney on the vestry who are naming the difficulty in adhering to the new Safe Church policy, which seeks to limit those with unfettered access to our churches and requires the key holders who host events to all have a background check as well as doing the Safe Church Training. We have taken their previous concerns to the denomination and will now address a specific issue on background checks with our Chancellor.

June 16
Friday means finishing my sermon for Sunday. Canon Lasch and I also met via Zoom with Dr. Lisa Kimball, who accepted our request that she speak at our diocesan convention in November. She is the Vice President for Lifelong Learning at the Virginia Theological Seminary. She did such a great job with our Lay Ministers Conference last fall and she seems perfect for our theme of “Kindle Our Hearts and Awaken Hope” as we continue to work on the adaptive challenge of decreased attendance and giving and a shortage of priests.

June 17
A Saturday morning off at home before driving to Valdosta for the night.

June 18
I made my Sunday visitation to St. James in Quitman where the diocesan Chancellor, the Rev. Jim Elliott is the priest. This congregation was my first actual visitation as a bishop. Through a scheduling error, that visit on August 29, 2021, was 21 months ago, when the goal is no more than 18 months. They opted for this Sunday visit instead of seeing them sooner mid-week. I seem to have worked the kinks out of that scheduling, but there is no way to get in all Sunday visits within the time frame without a few mid-week liturgies.

June 19
A Monday at home on the first time Juneteenth as a Federal Holiday. Mostly, I took the day off. But I did convene an afternoon meeting with Canon Loren Lasch and four priests to consider a parish in conflict and the best next steps for the health of the congregation.

June 20
I met with the three Canons so we could catch each other up on a variety of matters. In the afternoon, I drove to meet with a Senior Warden in his office to discuss his parish. Then I went on to Brunswick to meet with the St. Athanasius’ Vestry. I was at Happening the weekend of my visit and it was good to spend time with them and their Rector, the Rev. DeWayne Cope. There is a lot to be thankful for here, though their ability to keep a full-time priest as the congregation continues to bury long-time members is challenging.

June 21
On this Wednesday, I officiated and preached for a staff Eucharist and then we had a lengthy meeting to check in with each other talking about what has been good, bad, and godly in our lives. We also checked in on upcoming meetings and other matters. In the afternoon, Victoria and I drove through the rain to Grace Church in Sandersville. We had a light dinner followed by a Eucharist where I confirmed and received six persons. The Rev. Steve Clifton has been a real blessing to this congregation as well as St. Mary Magdalene in Louisville. He is serving the two in retirement, driving over from Augusta.

June 22
Victoria and I drove home early in the morning from Dublin where we spent the night rather than pushing too late. I met with an aspirant for the diaconate in the afternoon and then via Zoom with mediators and a conflicted vestry that had voted in the majority to dissolve the pastoral relationship with their priest.

June 23
On Friday, I drove to meet with a priest and senior warden to discuss the mediation underway and the impasse I see. I then pushed on to Honey Creek to visit with Summer Camp. This is the third and last week of camp. Camp is going well with Karen Bell as the Director and this week the Revs. Katie Knoll Lenon and DeWayne Cope are spiritual directors. She has taken a call to serve as a rector in Arkansas after years as an associate at Christ Church Frederica. She will be missed. I give thanks for her ministry.

June 24
On Saturday morning, I drove early to Little Ocmulgee to be with the Deacons gathered there for a retreat. I spent a couple of hours with them, letting them know of the six aspirants for the diaconate currently discerning a possible call and the changes I am working on with the Commission on Worship to the norms around what the Roman Catholics call Mass of the Pre-Sanctified as deacons offer communion from reserve sacrament. I then picked up Victoria and drove to Waycross to meet with the vestry of Grace Church.

June 25
I made my visitation to Grace Church in Waycross where they are going against the general trend and doing better than they were before the pandemic with attendance and energy up. There was laughter and joy as I confirmed and received seven people. The Rev. Donald Holland is priest in charge in a time of transition after the Rev. Kit Brinson retired and there is a lot of lay led work that is bearing fruit. They are supporting the public library where there is pressure to ban books, as they provide meeting space for those who support their stand for open access to books.

June 26
A Monday off at home.

June 27
I began the day online with Bishop Rob Wright of the Diocese of Atlanta and his Communications Director Easton Davis. Easton recorded our conversation for the bishop’s For People podcast. I met with an aspirant for the priesthood during the day. We had a Diocesan Council meeting via Zoom at 6 pm. This was an interim check in meeting with short reports from the three canons on staff and then check ins from the Task Groups on our diocesan convention, companion diocese, and diocesan assessments. The Saluda Clergy Cottage Task Group just changed chairs and there was no report. A lot of thoughtful work is underway in these groups. But to tell of the meeting, I have to add that the technology failed me, but God did not. My internet was out at home when the meeting started and I tried using my phone as a hotspot, but it wasn’t strong enough a signal. Then I used Zoom on my phone, but the video was jerky and I had to turn off video and talk. Then the signal dropped and I had to sign back in. My phone battery was dying and I plugged it in and the phone died shortly after anyway. But the internet had come back on and that held for the final few minutes. Yet, Canon Loren Lasch did not pause. She continued what I was saying each time I dropped off. My part of the meeting still conveyed the reason our convention theme is “Kindle our hearts and awaken hope.” I named the realistic hope we have knowing the challenges we face and yet seeing how the Holy Spirit is moving. I told stories from my two visits last week with the tears and the laughter in confirmations and the joy in people who are glad to have discovered the Episcopal Church as they can faithfully follow Jesus in our Anglican way.

June 28
A check in with an interim rector started the day. Staff Eucharist and a staff meeting filled out the morning. In the afternoon, I took my Mom to a doctor’s appointment, one of three this week. That is highly unusual, but with very rare exception, I do spend some time with my Mom each day I am in town.

June 29
I started the day at 7 am at Savannah Toyota getting service on the Toyota Camry that now has 81,500 miles on it in three years. I met with two priests and worked on revising my Visitation Customary after two years of in person visits.

June 30
Friday began driving to a meeting out of town to talk with the wardens of a congregation at their church. Then I was at Honey Creek to meet with the owner of a neighboring wedding venue on ways we might partner more, providing rooms for their guests.

July 1
A Saturday off at home.

July 2
I made my Sunday visitation to St. George’s in Savannah. They have been in the decline we see across the church and have had to move their current Rector, the Rev. David Lemburg to 10 hours a week this year. He is leading them into this new model of ministry. The vestry just received the approval of the Standing Committee to sell the Rectory they have rented out for decades as it was not needed for the priests who served them. That frees up some resources. They are good folks navigating these changes well and I was happy to confirm Max today in the liturgy.

July 3
A Monday off at home.

July 4-8
I flew to Baltimore for Episcopal Youth Event at the University of Maryland. Our delegation of 17 teens and 4 adult chaperones came by bus together with the Diocese of Atlanta’s team having spent the night of the 3rd together at Saint Paul’s in Augusta. Excellent worship services, large group presentations, small group discussions, and workshops on a variety of topics, filled most of the time, but there were also opportunities to hang-out and meet Episcopalians from around the world. EYE is usually held every three years, this is the first such gathering since 2017. The Diocese of Georgia is represented by sixteen youth from Augusta, Savannah, Cochran, Valdosta, Griffin, Thomasville, Waycross, and Albany; together with four adult chaperones from Savannah, Augusta, and Cochran. We joined the roughly 600 youth and their 200 chaperones from 108 dioceses across 22 nations and territories. EYE (pronounced E-Y-E) is like a really big summer camp for 15-19 year olds that focuses on developing leadership skills, spiritual practices, and early stages of vocational discernment. One example is Spencer Cantrell (shown below at left), who grew up at St. Michael and All Angels in Savannah, speaking in a plenary session of how she discerned her vocation as an attorney while serving in the Episcopal Church’s Young Adult Service Corps. On Thursday, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry preached. This was one of two times he will preach as he continues to recover from significant heart issues. The President of the House of Deputies, Julia Ayala Harris, gave an inspiring plenary talk where she was vulnerable in telling her story of having a child as a 15-year old daughter of an undocumented immigrant and how she discovered the Episcopal Church. As a bishop, I was asked to pray for teens in a healing service and to assist in distributing the Eucharist. Most important though was being with the teens at meals and other times. I was so proud of our delegates and chaperones, who represented the Diocese well in this churchwide gathering.

July 9-10
A very rare Sunday and Monday off as I have completed the 2022-2023 visitation schedule. Victoria and I worshipped with her Mom at Trinity in Statesboro on Sunday. Visitations start again in August.

July 11
Working in the office, I was able, in partnership with the Revs. Will Brown and Wallace Marsh, to secure a new HVAC for the parish hall of Good Shepherd in Thomasville. Money from the bishop’s fund is being matched by a couple known to Wallace, the Rector of St. Thomas, and the remainder coming from All Saints, by way of their rector, Will’s, discretionary fund. Great ministry continues in that parish hall and it will be good to have the new heat pump installed.

July 12
Working with the staff in the office. I had a check in meeting with a deacon.

July 13
I began the day with a phone meeting with a priest resigning a call. I also met with an aspirant for the diaconate. In the afternoon, I drove through heavy bands of rain to meet with a vestry facing problems they did not create, but are seeking to face faithfully.

July 14
I enjoyed a Friday morning full of one-on-one conversations in person and by phone. I also finished my sermon for Sunday.

July 15
A Saturday off at home.

July 16
I served as a supply priest at St. Cyprian’s in Darien.

July 17
A Monday off at home.

July 18
I met in my office with a priest for a check in and then for the usual weekly meeting with the three canons on staff to go over all the various matters before us.

July 19
I began this last Wednesday in the office before vacation with a coaching call with the Rt. Rev. David Read, Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of West Texas. Though we have served together on the Evangelism and Church Planting Committee at General Convention, this is our first meeting in a coaching relationship set up through the Living Our Vows program for new bishops. I will meet with him mostly monthly across his first three years as a bishop. A staff Eucharist marking the local feast of Bishop A.R. Stuart was followed by a staff meeting. A wide variety of tasks filled the afternoon as I prepare to be away.

July 20-31
Vacation—Victoria and I visited our daughter and son-in-law, Griffin and Chaz Schaefer, in their new home in Tijeras, New Mexico. This trip included touring Aztec Animal Hospital in Albuquerque, where Griffin is working as an exotic animal veterinarian.

August 1
A full first day in the office after time away ended with a Zoom meeting with the Standing Committee.

August 2
I began the day with allegations made about a priest, which if true clearly need clergy discipline as outlined in the Canons. I immediately brought Canon Loren Lasch in to take a report and to begin an initial investigation. Then a staff Eucharist with the readings for the Myrrh Bearing Women led into a staff meeting covering all that is ahead of us this fall.

August 3
Check in meetings with a postulant for the priesthood headed to seminary in a couple of weeks and with a rector were part of a day of phone calls and finishing up my sermons for Saturday and Sunday.

August 4
I began the day with routine blood work ahead of next week’s annual physical and working through a number of emails that needed more time for the responses. Victoria and I drove to Thomasville in the late afternoon. A heavy thunderstorm slowed us down for a time and diverted our drive to miss the worst of it.

August 5
I officiated and preached the funeral for the Rev. Judy Jones Keith at St. Thomas in Thomasville. Judy was a good colleague when I was a parish priest in Kingsland and she continued to be a friend as I became Canon to the Ordinary and Bishop. I officiated her marriage to Nate Keith in the diocesan chapel in the office on Bay Street when a Canon. She battled hard for years against neuroendocrine cancer and then faithfully stopped treatment when it became clear that was the right decision.

August 6
My first Visitation of the 2023-2024 year was at St. Patrick’s in Pooler. It was a laid back and meaningful morning with 25 of us gathered on this Transfiguration Sunday for the Holy Eucharist and a meal.

August 7
A Monday off at home.

August 8
Tuesday included two meetings with persons discerning possible calls to Holy Orders. I was able to move a Saturday visitation in order to preach for a funeral on Saturday.

August 9
A staff Eucharist and staff meeting.

August 10
I had reference check call from another diocese on a priest here in Georgia early in a bishop election process in that diocese.

August 11
Writing two sermons for this weekend, together with the usual calls and emails closed out the week in the office.

August 12
I preached at the funeral of William “Buck” Crosby, Sr. He was a beloved diocesan lay leader who served on the Standing Committee when I went through the ordination process and several times since then and we served together at three General Conventions. A teacher and coach, he rose to be interim Superintendent of Schools in Glynn County as well as chair of the hospital board and so many other local groups. He and his wife, Velma, have been such a great team for 69 years. St. Athanasius’ Church in Brunswick was full for the occasion. I drove to Albany for a late afternoon vestry meeting at St. John’s and St. Mark’s.

August 13
Such a joy filled morning with the congregation of St. John and St. Mark’s in the Radium Springs area of Albany that included two baptisms. 11-year old Jeronte wanted to get baptized and asked that his infant brother, Richlan, be baptized at the same time. He was so sweet holding his baby brother while affirming his baptismal covenant.

August 14
A Monday off at home.

August 15
I rode to Honey Creek with the three Canons on diocesan staff, Katie Easterlin, Loren Lasch, and Joshua Varner. We met with Dade Brantley, the Executive Director, to strategize on using funds from the sale of an acre to be a public boat ramp together with some funds built up in their endowment. This will assist with deferred maintenance and improving the experience for those staying with us. We also worked on how to boost both diocesan and outside groups using the retreat center.

August 16
On Wednesday morning, we welcomed back Rudy Reyes on a visit to the diocesan office where we worked together for Bishop Benhase. His wife, the Rev. Canon Sierra Wilkinson Reyes, I have known since she was 14. The Diocese of Georgia raised her up for ordination. She preached my ordination as bishop. Their daughter, Julia Mae, was with them as they joined us for a visit and then the weekly Eucharist. We continued with the usual staff meeting. In the afternoon, I met on Zoom with an aspirant for the priesthood. Then Victoria and I drove to Louisville for a lovely evening visitation to St. Mary Magdalene in the flower shop turned into a church in the former capitol of Georgia.

August 17
I had a Zoom coaching meeting with Bishop David Read of the Diocese of West Texas. I also met with the deans and archdeacon on Zoom.

August 18
I was back at Honey Creek in the afternoon so Canon Lasch and I could check in on our leadership training, Leading with Grace. It was great to hear from their director, Carey Wooten, on the work they are doing this year with leaders from several congregations.

August 19
A full Saturday began with a mural dedication at Christ the King in Valdosta. The long mural along the side of the church is visible from a main road through town and features inspirational leaders including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Deaconess Anna Alexander. Dr. Catherine Meeks, Archdeacon Yvette Owens, and I spoke at the event put together by Michael Noll, the parishioner who shephered the idea with artists Taylor Shaw and A’Shadrian Clayton. In the afternoon, Victoria and I were at Christ Church in Valdosta for a Renewal of Ministry celebrating the ministry of all the baptized as the Rev. Hal Weidman gets underway as their Rector.

August 20
We enjoyed a lively morning of worship with lots of people confirmed and received at Saint Barnabas in Valdosta. We had a great lunch of all Italian food after with a discussion with the whole congregation in the parish hall. This community is doing so well with the Rev. Susan Gage leading them along with great lay leaders.

August 21
A Monday off at home.

August 22
I met in my office with an aspirant for the priesthood from St. Peter’s in Savannah and a priest who is newly retired.

August 23
A typical Wednesday morning with staff Eucharist and staff meeting. In the evening, Canons Loren Lasch and Katie Easterlin were with me at St. Michael and All Angels for a parish meeting as was the Rev. David Lemburg who is serving with them part-time. 21 members of the church were present. We sat in a circle in the parish hall so my staff and I could answer questions and we could hear from parishioners on whether they wish to elect a new vestry and continue as a parish or they want to set the date for a last worship service. The discussion was helpful. They will take a week and by then each person is to let David know if they want to serve on the vestry or think it is time to close. This is so difficult.

August 24
Worked in the office on a variety of issues including follow up on last night’s meeting and selecting scripture readings for convention liturgies.

August 25
Spent a few hours of the day on the road as I drove to meet in person with a rector and associate on a pastoral matter they are facing and then back in the office keeping up with calls and emails.

August 26
On Saturday, I was at Messiah Lutheran on Skidaway Island in Savannah to take part in the ordination of a Lutheran Pastor, Colette Hammesfahr (shown above). Her first call will be as an associate at St. Thomas Isle of Hope and the ELCA Southeastern Synod’s Bishop, Kevin Strickland, invited me to officiate with him. We had a good Episcopal clergy turnout as well. I took part in the examination prior to the ordination and Episcopal priests all joined me, Bishop Strickland, and Lutheran pastors in laying on hands. I also presided at the Eucharist. As he was flying in for this liturgy and then had to be at a wedding in Nashville in the afternoon, I brought vestments for Bishop Strickland. We do a lot together as diocese and synod. I enjoyed demonstrating our partnership in this ordination.

August 27
Traffic was detoured off I-16 for a bridge repair as I drove west to Dublin. Then I got a flat tire along that two-lane detour. I had left early enough that my changing the flat did not cause me to arrive late. I received Mary Ann into the Episcopal Church, presented by two of the people I confirmed on my last visit. They rely on various supply clergy for Sundays. The congregation offers important assistance to their neighbors in need through a food pantry supported by money raised in a Christmas bazaar.

August 28
A Monday off included going to Savannah Toyota for a new tire for the Camry.

August 29
Tuesday included a check with a priest and meeting with Dwala Nobles of Good Shepherd in Pennick, Canons Easterlin and Lasch, and members of RacialJusticeGA on a plan to contract with a firm to assist in the work that will get grants to rehabilitate Deaconess Anna Alexander’s schoolhouse. Hurricane Idalia is working its way through the Gulf of Mexico and it is clear that the path will bring it ashore north of Tampa, aiming at South Georgia.

August 30
The Rev. David Lemburg opened St. Michael and All Angels as a shelter here in Savannah. The Chatham-Savannah Authority for the Homeless and the police brought people to the church. A local Italian restaurant provided supper. During the day, we used AlertMedia to hear how we are weathering the storm. Valdosta was hit hardest with thousands of trees down, though St. Simons Island also had damage caused by downed trees. I learned of four priests with trees through their roofs and another whose cars were seriously damaged. A tree also caused a fire in Griffeth Dorm at Honey Creek that was quickly extinguished, but not without damage. Our church buildings came through okay, but fence damage and a waterline severed are issues left to deal with as the storm passed.

As the storm was hitting the Diocese, the President of the House of Deputies sent all General Convention Deputies and Alternates a letter describing her having made a complaint against a retired bishop had made “unwanted and non-consensual physical contact” with her, along with “inappropriate verbal statements,” just before she was introduced to the House of Bishops on the day of her election on 2022. She wrote, “With the Title IV process having been exhausted as of July 31, 2023, I want you, the House I serve, to hear about this from me as part of my ongoing commitment to transparency.”

August 31
A thirteen-hour day working catching up on mail, email, and phone calls ended with a vestry meeting in Richmond Hill ahead of my Sunday visit. Checking in after the storm continued with no new damage discovered today and the clean-up beginning. Lots of people remain without power.

September 1
The Board of the Corporation met at Diocesan House to receive the 2022 audit and consider how the investments they oversee for congregations and the diocese are faring as the market is improving after going down in 2022. The day also included learning that I had missed an important text a few weeks ago. I work to keep up with it, but the steady flow of phone calls, texts, emails, and messages on social media is daunting. It is tough to see the hurt that comes from missing communication.

I was one of 29 bishops to sign a letter written by the women bishops of Province VIII saying “We are angered by and deeply concerned about the perception – or the reality – that bishops get a free pass on behavioral issues.” The in-house letter calls for a thorough discussion at the upcoming House of Bishops meeting later this month.

September 2
A Saturday off.

September 3
On Sunday, I made my Visitation to St. Elizabeth of Hungary in Richmond Hill with one confirmation, five receptions, and a wonderful lunch. Instead of meeting just with the vestry, I had a good discussion with everyone in the Parish Hall. The Rev. Dwayne Varas is doing faithful work in this town that is experiencing significant population growth with more on the way, both from people commuting to Savannah or Hinesville and with more anticipated from the Hyundai Plant under construction on I-16.

September 4
A Labor Day Monday off at home.

September 5
Tuesday in the office means catching up on emails and letters. I also learned from the Rev. David Lemburg that of the twenty-three parishioners who emailed in follow up to our meeting with the parishioners of St. Michael and All Angels, 19 stated that it was time to close the parish. In talking with their last Senior Warden, it is clear that this constitutes a vote of the remaining parishioners that they see it is time to close the parish. I spoke with the President of the Standing Committee, the Rev. Tar Drazdowski, during a meeting of that body today and learned later that they approve of my decision to do as the parish has requested and in the painful turn of phrase in our diocesan canons, “declare such Aided Parish extinct.”

September 6
I began Wednesday being interviewed for the Beloved Journal podcast of Cooperative Baptist Fellowship minister, the Rev. Dr. Rob Lee. In the afternoon, I met on Zoom about possible approaches to Title IV changes. This is in response to a call from the Presiding Bishop, which he offered as several recent cases have raised concerns of discipline for bishops being not as strict as the church discipline process for other clergy.

September 7
I wrote to the 166 persons on the St. Michael and All Angels email list notifying them that I am scheduling a last liturgy for the parish on November 1 at 6 pm. This is such a difficult email to send. I had paused a day while I lined up an organist and some choir members from Christ Church to assist in that service.

September 8
On Friday, I met with my spiritual director and closed out the week on phone call and emails.

September 9
Victoria and I drove to Honey Creek in the afternoon to stay at Jonnard Cottage.

September 10
On Sunday, Victoria and I were with the team and participants at Cursillo bright and early. Then we went to Holy Nativity on St. Simons Island, where the Rev. Tommy Townsend baptized Alex, who I confirmed. I received Alex’s Dad and three others. The recovery from Hurricane Idalia has gone well. A crane was brought in to remove the large tree from the rectory here. After the Eucharist, I spoke to the whole congregation in the parish hall, which is proving a helpful part of a visitation. In the afternoon, we were back at Honey Creek for the Cursillo closing, which I celebrated and preached. I served on the team for the previous Cursillo back in 2019. This one has been a long time coming and there was a lot of energy for this retreat happening. It came together well as the participants both clearly felt the love of God in their time at The Creek and were challenged to follow through on the practices of piety, study, and action that the retreat is meant to foster.

September 11
A Monday off at home. I learned that the Rev. Cheryl Parris’ Mom died unexpectantly overnight. Cheryl, her primary caregiver, works in New York, but remains canonically resident here. We spoke today by phone. Words fail with such a loss.

September 12
I met with the co-chairs of RacialJusticeGA in my office and met on Zoom with the Standing Committee on Structure, Governance, Constitution, and Canons as we continue our work on the Church Discipline Canons (referred to as Title IV), particularly as they apply to bishops.

September 13
A staff meeting, phone calls, and email were all a typical day. Then I learned the Rev. Buzz Yarborough died at home. I spoke with his wife, Kaki. Again, it is hard to find words that speak to an unexpected death. What I can do, I take on readily and add her to my daily morning and evening prayers, along with Cheryl who I added two days earlier. I pray for them through the first year of grief.

September 14
A typical day in the office included phone calls and an in person meeting with clergy.

September 15
Victoria and I flew to Washington DC, compliments of the Diocese of Maryland so that I could be a co-consecrator as we rehearsed for the Rev. Carrie Schofield-Broadbent’s ordination. The day concluded with a dinner at Virginia Theological Seminary.

September 16
Carefully made plans worked, but not as well as hoped. I had allowed 2 hours and 20 minutes for the ordination and consecration of Bishop Schofield-Broadbent and that was not quite enough time. I was able to fully take part through the peace and found it very moving to be in Washington National Cathedral for a friend and good colleague’s ordination (shown above). The liturgy was beautiful, and I felt the Holy Spirit in our midst. Bishop Phoebe Roaf of West Tennessee was on the flight to Atlanta with me and Victoria and so we three scooted out early with full hearts.

September 17
Our visitation to King of Peace in Kingsland showed you can go home again as Victoria and I were back with the congregation we founded with others from 2000-2010. They are thriving with the Rev. Aaron Brewer as their fourth Rector. Among the confirmations and receptions was our daughter’s date to the Senior Prom. We rested a bit in Jonnard Cottage at Honey Creek and then had an enjoyable evening visitation with St. Thomas Aquinas Episcopal Church that meets at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church in Baxley, where the Rev. Steve Larson is Priest in Charge.

September 18
This day off ended up including two Zoom meetings on time-sensitive matters.

September 19
Gravity is catching up with me as I am exhausted once again. In the afternoon, I met online with the House of Bishops and during that meeting listened by phone while going to see my doctor, who gave me a shot and prescribed antibiotics to knock back a painful sinus infection. I continued meeting with my small group via Zoom and my phone lost power just before the meeting’s end. A metaphor? I need to recognize the wall and slow down and stop before hitting it next time.

September 20
I am praying for a priest of the Diocese seeing a surgeon today and our Presiding Bishop who is having surgery to remove a small tumor on his adrenal gland. The House of Bishops is still in session. My small group table for discussion in the House of Bishops was reset after three years, but I am still with Bishop Moises Quezada Mota of our Companion Dioceses of the Dominican Republic. We have been joined by Bishop Andy Doyle of Texas and Bishop Juan Carlos Quiñonez of the Diocese of Central Ecuador. It is so helpful to spend time in conversation (in Spanish with translation for me) with colleagues in very different contexts. The prescription for antibiotics did not get to my pharmacy until early this afternoon and I feel like I got behind on the healing process.

September 21
Canon Lasch and I had a call with the Rev. Leeann Culbreath, who wants to start a series of dinner church Eucharists that goes to towns that don’t have a priest each week. I continued my meeting with the House of Bishops as we discussed discipline of bishops and how it seems that bishops get off easier than other clergy. We are working both toward a statement and on how to make changes to the canons and culture. The antibiotics are not kicking the sinus infection.

September 22

I was at Community Church on St. Simons Island this morning to officiate the Rev. Jesse “Buzz” Yarborough’s funeral (shown below), with his son David who founded the evangelical church. We blended elements of Community Church music and pattern for speakers at a funeral with the burial rite from the prayer book. I read the opening sentences for a funeral as we entered and presided at the Eucharist. David gave a eulogy, led the creed, confession, and commendation. I believe the liturgy came together well.

The House of Bishops meeting concluded with a statement issued on church discipline for bishops. Of course, a statement, in itself, is less than helpful. We continue to work on the real changes. The sinus infection seems unphased by the medicine.

September 23-25
I took time to rest and heal. Originally, I would have been with the House of Bishops in the Dominican Republic during these days. Then I had hoped to show up for worship at a church, but my body demanded rest, more sleep. I just could not push through this weekend and am grateful that I had a break, even one I did not really want. This helped healing, yet the antibiotics have yet to kill off the sinus infection.

September 26
Canon Lasch and I met on Zoom with Dr. Cynthia Kittredge to finalize plans for the Clergy Conference where she will be our presenter. In the evening, I drove in heavy rain to Darien to confirm Samuel and Kanyatta. This was a lovely way to extend the Feast of Deaconess Anna Alexander with a liturgy at the church where she served for a time with her sisters Mary and Dora.

September 27
An early morning in-person meeting with a priest, staff Eucharist and staff meeting. In the afternoon, I met with the Standing Committee on Zoom. Then, I had a conversation with the Rev. Becky Rowell, who teaches on conflict management and assists in times of conflict.

September 28
Working in the office included a two-hour meeting on Zoom with more than 40 members of the House of Bishops in required training on peer coaching.

September 29
Canon Lasch and I met on Zoom with Dr. Lisa Kimball, our speaker for the upcoming diocesan convention to map out the schedule. In the evening, Canon Lasch officiated and I preached the final liturgy for the parish of St. Michael and All Angels with 66 people in attendance. Finding the perfect words was not possible, but I trusted the Holy Spirit to show up, being as faithful as I can and leaving the rest to God. A solemn occasion.

September 30
On Saturday, Diocesan Council met at Trinity in Cochran for our pre-convention meeting. The congregation were gracious hosts with a beautiful set up and lots of snacks as well as breakfast and lunch. Council approved two appeals to assessment and endorsed the budgets for Honey Creek and the Diocesan operations. They also endorsed a Task Group recommendation to continue our companion diocese relationship with the Diocese of the Dominican Republic. Originally set by Bishops Henry Louttit and Julio Holguín, and not revisited for more than 15 years, I wanted us to consider companion relationships and whether a change was in order. The group did a lot of work to reach their proposed conclusion. It goes to the convention for a vote. Canon Willoughby and Lasch and I gave updates on the diocese in some detail as Council is part of the oversight of the Diocese. I am grateful for their always being willing to engage with difficult conversations about a shortage of clergy and possibly selling a church to an Anglican congregation and other matters that deserve their thoughtful attention.

October 1
I made my visitation to St. Paul’s in Jesup. They are doing well with the Rev. Nathan Wilson as their Priest in Charge since 2020. I confirmed three persons.

October 2-4
The Clergy Conference met at Honey Creek with Dean Cynthia Kittredge of the Seminary of the Southwest taking us on a deep dive into the Gospel of Mark. We read through the Gospel in our worship and Dean Kittredge taught three sessions on the Gospel and led an additional discussion on Mark.

October 5
Phone calls and a Zoom during the day to catch up on various matters. I also returned to a certified letter from the Vestry of St. Richard of Chichester on Jekyll Island relating their vote to close the congregation. I met with the nine members of the congregation on October 20 of 2022 to do a mini vestry retreat. In the past decade, the island has increasingly fewer year-round residents and more short-term rentals. Since the mini-retreat, their priest in charge, the Rev. Buzz Yarborough, fully retired and later died. I should not have been surprised by this turn of events, but I am. It is always difficult to lose a congregation. I know they are being faithful and have considered this prayerfully. They worship in the United Methodist Church as does a Roman Catholic congregation. I called the Senior Warden and talked it through. Canon Katie Easterlin and I will assist them and I will bring the Standing Committee in on this news and the decisions that will follow. I am working with them to schedule a last liturgy for the congregation.

October 6
On Friday, I drove to Episcopal Day School in Augusta. I had so much fun with the students on a day marking the culmination of Episcopal Schools Week with an all-school chapel that featured me as the preacher. Then I enjoyed such wide-ranging conversations and experiences, including talking about spiders and caterpillars with the nature preschool in the garden and discussing time and eternity with the fifth-grade religion class in the library. I also spoke with the third graders about what a bishop does through the lens of the symbols of my office—a mitre, crozier, pectoral cross, and Episcopal ring. Back in Savannah in the later afternoon, I met with my spiritual director.

October 7
Victoria and I drove five hours to be with our congregation that is the furthest away, Holy Trinity in Blakely. We held off for an hour so a couple tending to a sick goat could finish caring for her and make it to church. After the Eucharist, we shared a caramel cake and had a nice conversation in the parish hall. In world news today, Israel declared war on the Palestinian militant group Hamas after it carried out an unprecedented attack by air, sea, and land on Saturday.

October 8
St. Paul’s in Albany pulled out all the stops including a bagpiper and joy-filled singing for confirmations and a reception. The congregation is thriving with the Rev. Galen Mirate as the Rector and the Rev. Joy Davis the deacon. A great discussion followed in the parish hall. After driving home to Savannah, I caught a late flight to Baltimore.

October 9-11
I was at the Maritime Center in Linthicum Heights, Maryland, as Vice Chair of the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Structure Governance, Constitution, and Canons. A key presenting issue are some cases involving bishops that seem like a bishop received more lenient treatment (or no discipline) than deacons and priests. The group did good and challenging work on the church’s discipline process and some other canonical concerns. We are sending out an invitation to the whole church to share thoughts with us that will influence our work and the final proposed changes for the 2024 General Convention. While there, I met via Zoom with the Standing Committee about property and other matters concerning the two congregations whose vestries recently voted to close. St Richard’s has never own a church, as they met in the United Methodist one, but they do own a rental house that was their vicarage.

October 12
Back in the office. I kept up with most things while away, but there is always more after being out of Savannah for a while.

October 13
Finishing up sermons for Saturday and Sunday. Catching up on some phone calls.

October 14
Victoria and I drove to Albany so I could ordain Gabriel Michael Lawrence to the Sacred Order of Deacons. He will serve for a transitional period and, God willing and the people consenting, will be ordained at St. Paul’s in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where he has accepted his first call. It is the congregation where he was confirmed years ago. We drove to Waycross to get toward tomorrow’s visitation.

October 15
I confirmed brothers Miguel, Leonardo, and Leandro and received Mike into the Episcopal Church at St. Philip’s in Hinesville, which is increasingly multi-cultural with the Rev. José Vilar’s leadership. Over an enjoyable meal at tables on the lawn, Victoria and I got to practice the Spanish we study daily. The array of food reflecting different backgrounds was fitting for this military community and very tasty for our lunch on the grounds.

October 16
A day off at home.

October 17
The diocesan staff had a meeting dedicated to our upcoming diocesan convention. Then I drove to Sewanee and had dinner with our three seminarians—Shelley Martin, Brenda Brunston, and Roger Speer—who came down the mountain to meet me at the Cracker Barrel near my Hampton Inn in Kimball, Tennessee.

October 18-19
I balanced time with seminarians in chapel for the Eucharist, at lunch with all seminarians, and in one-on-one meetings; and taking part in the Trustees Meeting and then the liturgy to install Dr. Rob Pearigen as the 18th Vice Chancellor and President of the University of the South. I stayed on the phone on the way home with a series of calls. As it neared 8 pm, I could see that the heavy rush-hour traffic in Atlanta slowed my progress enough that I needed to stop for the night in Macon as I prioritize getting home over getting home today.

October 20
Back in the office at 8:30 am for time to catch up with staff, mail, and email. I also met on Zoom with the Commission on Worship as we consider changes to having a “Deacons’ Mass” only rarely approved to “Communion by Extension” possible with guardrails to be offered by Deacons or Licensed Worship Leaders. This necessary measure fits what is happening elsewhere in the Anglican Communion and allows a Eucharist celebrated in a congregation to have the consecrated elements shared on a later Sunday in the same congregation. Next week, I will share the three papers Commission members wrote with the clergy of the Diocese I have previously discussed this with deacons and priests on retreat. We will need to talk again after the clergy have time to read and reflect. Then, if we go this route, I would need to work with the Commission on Ministry on licensing requirements for Lay Worship Leaders.

October 21
A day off at home.

October 22
Victoria and I were in Rincon for my visitation to St. Luke’s as we celebrated their Feast Day and their 20th anniversary. The Rev. David Rose just marked his 10th anniversary with the parish. He moved to part time a couple of years ago so that he can continue to serve this congregation. They had enjoyed a much larger than expected turnout for the Trunk of Treat last evening.

October 23
I was working on convention videos today with the Spanish language congregation San Pablo that was started by St. Paul the Apostle in Savannah and is led now by the Rev. Leonel Polanco. Then in the afternoon, I was at St. George’s to talk about the hard look they took at their finances in advance of spending through their reserves and how that assisted their ability to thrive amidst changes.

October 24
In emails and phone calls, I am working to finish up with the 50 persons I need to nominate to the Advisory Commissions and the Committees with canonical authority, including the Finance Committee, Commission on Ministry, and Liturgical Commission. I also met in person with a man feeling called to be a priest.

October 25
It was so meaningful to me to preach and celebrate the Eucharist this morning at the Georgia War Veteran’s Home in Augusta. I was glad to support this ministry of the Revs. Larry Jesion and Glenn Palmer, two rectors who freely give of their time to support our Vets. Holy Comforter parishioners Vivian and Joy provided the music. On the way home, I stopped at St. Michael’s in Waynesboro for a vestry meeting. They are concerned about the ability to afford a full-time priest in 2024.

October 26
Canon Katie Easterlin and I were at Honey Creek to meet with Executive Director Dade Brantley. I sent out an email to all the clergy giving them a heads up that I will announce at convention a process to create a Strategic Plan for the Diocese in 2024. I prefer the clergy to know in advance of anything big that will come out of convention.

October 27
I met in person with a woman feeling called to the priesthood. Canon Lasch and I met with Dr. Lisa Kimball on Zoom as we continue to plan for convention.

October 28
A day off at home.

October 29
A prayerful and playful visitation to St. Michael’s in Waynesboro where some folks opted for costumes on this Sunday before All Hallows Eve. A parishioner provided Victoria with a Nun costume so she would be in on it as well. A lunch followed in the parish hall.

October 30
I started working on my Bishop’s Address to convention and a short closing talk that will conclude the gathering.

October 31
Working in the office on a number of matters unrelated to the convention even as the work on that meeting continues.

November 1
A staff Eucharist on All Saints Day and a staff meeting focused on the details of diocesan convention. I also met on Zoom as part of the advisory group to the Alternate Clergy Training at Sewanee (ACTS) program.

November 2
Canon Katie Easterlin and I met on Zoom with Andrew Austin, a member of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Augusta. He has accepted my appointment to serve as Diocesan Treasurer starting with the convention’s adjournment.

November 3
I worked in the office on emails and phone calls through most of the day and then met with my Spiritual Director in the late afternoon.

November 4-5
A rare weekend off at home due to a needed change to a visitation, which I moved to December 31.

November 6-8
I worked to finish up various convention matters as staff completed the PowerPoint, name tags, and the script for convention. As always, these last days also included concerns unrelated to the upcoming convention, including meeting with two attorneys at St. Michael and All Angels as we look at zoning issues that constrain what can happen next as I seek to keep the ministries housed there going. I also signed the papers with a real estate agent to get the Rectory owned by St. George’s in Savannah listed and an open house scheduled.

November 9-11
I’m so grateful for our 202nd Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. We began with Evening Prayer at Our Savior in Martinez and a perfect sermon to start our meeting by the Very Rev. Al Crumpton. The church was full. It was so good to be in one place singing with feeling and seeing so many people I know from across the Diocese gathered as one.

We continued in the gym at Episcopal Day School with an inspirational opening from Dr. Lisa Kimball, Virginia Seminary’s Vice President for Lifelong Learning. Our theme of Kindle Our Hearts and Awaken Hope from a collect in Evening Prayer as we emphasize God’s action rather than ours. We had a video today with leaders of St. Thomas in Thomasville and St. George’s in Savannah sharing their stories of looking ahead at their finances and making the move from a full-time to a part-time priest. The difficulty of that decision and the need for lay leaders to do more for it to work came through. Another video shared the ministry to gather Latinos at St. Paul the Apostle highlighted the work of the Rev. Leonel Polanco as well as how they are not creating a separate congregation, but working to create an increasingly bi-lingual one.

We got the business of convention underway on Friday. My Address named that we will work together on a Strategic Plan for the Diocese in 2024. Victoria addressed the convention as President of the Episcopal Youth and Children Services Board to challenge more congregations to support this important scholarship program that has given more than a million dollars in college scholarship and nearly $50,000 in Honey Creek Summer Camp Scholarships. There is a diocesan canon requiring participation, but more congregations have scholarships than the number that contribute money to EYCS.

We also gave out the awards to lay leaders. Patty Woodall and Deborah Johnson of St. Paul’s in Albany were honored by the Deacons for starting Ladles of Love, tending it in Pandemic, and continuing after. The Deans gave the first posthumous award to Linda Vrana for her years of selfless and dedicated service to the Gospel of Jesus Christ through her ministry at Our Savior Episcopal Church, Martinez. I gave Dr. Fred Richter the Bishops’ Award for his long-time service to the Diocese including serving on two Bishop Search committees, the Commission on Ministry, and being active in our Companion Diocese relationship. We concluded Friday at Saint Paul’s with a Eucharist with Dr. Kimball preaching, a reception, and watching the film The Philadelphia 11 on women’s ordination in The Episcopal Church.

Convention concluded on Saturday as we heard a final presentation from Dr. Kimball and then we passed the budgets for the Diocese and Honey Creek. Resolutions approved by the convention named Deaconess Anna Alexander as the patron saint of the Diocese, renewed our partnership with the Diocese of the Dominican Republic, and encourage the Episcopal Church to lower its diocesan assessment in the coming years. The first two passed unanimously with the third getting a lot of debate on the floor of convention. It passed with slightly more than three-quarters of the convention in favor. On the theme of kindling our hearts and awakening hope, I gave a closing talk on how I am already seeing signs of God stirring us saying, “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. We will find a hope that is sure and certain.”

November 12
A joyFULL morning with three worship services at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Augusta including three baptisms and four confirmations and receptions. So much is going well in this congregation searching for its next Rector with the Rev. Ted Clarkson serving as their interim.

November 13-14
A Monday and Tuesday off after the Diocesan Convention did include getting service for the Toyota Camry Hybrid given to the Diocese by Savannah Toyota. It now has 93,000 miles of diocesan driving.

November 15
I drove to Thomasville to take part in an announcement at Good Shepherd of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation naming their church as being a Place in Peril as we seek to raise money to care for the historic African-American church and school. There was a great turnout for the announcement from all three Episcopal congregations in Thomasville, even on a rainy evening. Important ministry continues in this church as a feeding ministry operates out of the parish hall. Our Savior in Martinez also made the list for Stuart Hall, the building on their grounds that was Cedar Grove, a home built in 1851. From 1970 to 1980, the house functioned as Cedar Grove Kindergarten which served as the first integrated kindergarten program in Columbia County.

November 16
Back in the office in Savannah during the day, I met with the vestry of St. Francis of the Islands at 5 pm as they face a serious budget deficit in the coming year if changes are not made soon.

November 17
I had a check in meeting in my office with a priest on disability, worked on my sermon, and wrote thank you notes for convention.

November 18
Victoria and I drove to Americus after lunch and I met with the Calvary vestry at the church. Victoria is still recovering from RSV, likely picked up at convention.

November 19
A glorious morning at Calvary in Americus included baptisms, confirmations, and burning a $403,000 mortgage (Shown below). Calvary has new roofs on the church, the offices, and the parish hall. The plaster has been painstakingly restored. The church has been repainted everywhere. The Christian Education building has been renovated. There is a new sound system for the parish hall. The lunch after included singing by The Low Flying Angels with the congregation singing along. The Revs. Richard and Geri Nelson have done a great job at raising up lay leaders in this congregation.

November 20
A Monday off at home.

November 21
My sister Leigh was in town to help us celebrate my Mom’s 87th birthday. I was also working to catch up on emails and work more on hand-written thank yous for those who assisted with our diocesan convention.

November 22-24
Victoria and I spent Thanksgiving in Tennessee with her sister, brother-in-law, and nephew—Carol, Tony, and Sam.

November 25
We were home on Saturday through the morning and then drove to Cordele in the afternoon.

November 26
We made our visitation to Christ Church in Cordele, one of the churches searching for a priest who can only afford someone part-time. We had an enjoyable morning of worship followed by a tasty brunch. I led a conversation with everyone in the parish hall where we talked about both the difficulty in finding priests to serve county seat towns like Cordele as well as the hope I am seeing. There were great questions and another opportunity for me as bishop to see the real loss experienced in churches working to cover as many Sundays as they can with various supply priests and to fill in the others with Morning Prayer.

November 27
On this short week in Savannah (only today and tomorrow), a day off at home included some work on my sermons for the ordination this Saturday and church this Sunday.

November 28
I spoke by phone to an aspirant to the priesthood and finished a full draft of the ordination sermon. I also met with the Canons to follow up on convention through next week’s Diocesan Council meeting.

November 29-December 1
Province IV Bishops and Spouses met at Camp St. Christopher in the Diocese of South Carolina. On arrival, the Camp Director set me up in an office so that I could take part in a Court of Review meeting on Zoom as we heard an appeal to a diocesan Hearing Panel decision. Bishops then had a great discussion, getting real with each other about what we face at this moment in the life of the church. We also explored together the International African American Museum in Charleston and heard from Bishop Ruth Woodliff-Stanley who has been faithfully navigating the conclusion of lawsuits over property that well preceded her episcopacy. The way she has worked with the Bishop from the Anglican Church in North America has helped stave off more legal action and stopped additional money going to that effort rather than the mission of the church.

December 2
We had a full house at Trinity Episcopal Church in Cochran with everyone so grateful for the Rev. Shayna Cranford’s ordination to the Sacred Order of Priests. She was raised up by the congregation to be their priest, the fifth locally formed priest for this church since 1997. They have had many months of Eucharistic fast in the past two years as Shayna could lead their worship, but not celebrate the Eucharist. Today was such a wonderful celebration!

December 3
Victoria and I enjoyed a lovely First Sunday of Advent at St. Matthew’s in Fitzgerald with a Eucharist and brunch with a discussion with parishioners. Their priest, the Rev. Hallock Martin, had been in the hospital this past week with his cardiologist adjusting medication. It was great for him to be present with his wife, Lydia. Hallock looked much improved.

December 4
A day off at home other than chairing a 4 pm Zoom Meeting with the Advisory Group on Church Planting and Revitalization as we finalized our Blue Book Report for the 2024 General Convention.

December 5
I met with the Canons on staff on a wide variety of issues in the morning and had a check in meeting with a priest in the afternoon who is mentoring two people feeling called to the priesthood.

December 6
A staff Eucharist started the day with a thoughtful sermon from Canon Lasch on Saint Nicholas Day. It was the first staff meeting with all seven of us present since the convention and we worked together until lunch looking ahead into the new year. Some thorny issues in parishes took up the afternoon and leave more to be done tomorrow and beyond.

December 7
The day began with a confirmation in the chapel at the office for a person who could not be present when I was at her church and she feels called to serve on the congregation’s vestry. Small confirmation services in the St. Anna Alexander Chapel were more common in pandemic. I always find them meaningful as it involves a person who wants to go to additional lengths to be confirmed. In the evening, I chaired an organizational meeting for Diocesan Council on Zoom. It was a reminder of how hard it is to build community online, which I felt more keenly for those new to the Council. The meeting was helpful in getting the Council ready for Task groups that will continue assessing changes to our diocesan convention, review our assessment process, and consider the cottage we own in Saluda, North Carolina, built by the Diocese around 1902 as an inexpensive vacation spot for clergy.

December 8
I received an email with the Diocesan Council’s input on a Mutual Ministry Review of my ministry as bishop to go with the information I received from the Standing Committee in June. I shared the results of both with the Council members and the Standing Committee. I have asked the Deans and Archdeacon to read through the feedback and to meet with me as I learn from the responses. I met with a priest moving to Thomasville who is interested in serving part-time. I also met with my spiritual director in the afternoon.

December 9
A morning off at home. I read through the draft one last time and turned in my sixth and probably final report as a postulant in the Third Order Society of St. Francis. Those charged with the decision by the Order will now decide whether to move me from postulant to novice, which is a two-year period of ongoing formation and discernment. After lunch, we drove in rain to Grovetown for the night.

December 10
An 11 am Eucharist meant more time in our hotel room to read on Sunday morning, and a Waffle House breakfast as well. We had a pleasant visit to Holy Cross in Thomson where the Rev. Ray Whiting is their bi-vocational priest. He is an associate Vice President at Augusta University, where he and his wife, Janice, have taught for many years. We enjoyed lots of laughter as we talked with everyone over lunch in the parish hall before a very rainy drive back to Savannah.

December 11
A day off at home.

December 12
A full day of emails, phone calls, and checking in with staff, ended in two Zoom meetings. The Court of Review of the Episcopal Church met from 2-4 pm to discuss the Title IV appeal we heard from attorneys on when I was in South Carolina. Then at 4, Canon Katie Easterlin and I met with the Standing Committee on Zoom.

December 13
Canon Loren Lasch and I met on this Wednesday morning with the convocation deans. We have a great group of deans and I appreciated their time in this busy season to thoughtfully assist me with the Mutual Ministry reviews from the Standing Committee and Diocesan Council. Loren made notes that we will use as we follow up in taking steps based on the feedback. I also had a Zoom meeting with the co-chairs of RacialJusticeGA, looking ahead to their plans for next year.

December 14
Working in the office in the morning. In the afternoon, Canon Lasch and I met with the new Commission on Ministry Chair, the Rev. Melanie Lemburg to discuss the year ahead. Standing Committee President, the Rev. David Rose, joined us late in that meeting to go over the schedule for 2024-2025. Then David and I went to St. Michael and All Angels’ Rectory on as we continue to consider what should happen next with the property since the vestry voted to close the parish.

December 15
Checking in with Canon Lasch and Easterlin on a variety of concerns, finishing my sermon for Sunday, and preparing and packing for the ordination filled the morning and then Victoria and I drove to Augusta after lunch.

December 16
I ordained the Rev. Kimberly Dunn to the Sacred Order of Priests on behalf of Bishop Sam Rodman of the Diocese of North Carolina, where she remains canonically resident through her ordination. Conflicts had arisen in pandemic as the long-term interim was readying to leave. Canon Lasch and I worked closely with the Senior Warden and stayed in touch with the vestry as they called the Rev. Eric Biddy as Rector in 2021. Kimberly is already proving to be the perfect fit for this church where the Diocese was founded 200 years ago. The congregation is thriving due in part to the work the Revs. Becky Rowell and Melanie Lemburg did at that time to surface the conflict through conversations with more than five-dozen stakeholders. The behind the scenes work that assists congregations to make their own changes as they manage conflict offer real moments of joy in this call as chief pastor. Today gave a glimpse into how a congregation can move themselves back to health with diocesan support. Fortunately, most congregations do not need any interventions in a typical year, just program support, like Cursillo, summer camp and other youth programs, our Leading with Grace leadership training, and the lay ministers conference.

We drove back to Savannah in steady rain. At 5:30, the street party planned for St. Thomas Isle of Hope as they close out their Centennial year was to start with a service I would lead from outside their chapel on the 100th anniversary of its dedication. That was moved inside the chapel due to the rain. It was still followed by a party with food trucks and live music that made for a festive evening.

December 17
We celebrated 100 years of worship at St. Thomas on the Isle of Hope in Savannah with a Eucharist that included two baptisms and five confirmations. We gave thanks for the past and looked to the future for this church that does so much for those who have never attended the church. They are doing so well with the Rev. Melanie Lemburg as Rector who now has the support of the Rev. Colette Hammesfahr as an associate thank to our agreement with the Lutherans.

December 18
On this short week before we leave for Christmas with our daughter and son-in-law, I did a mix of diocesan work and preparing for the trip on what is my usual day off.

December 19
I began Tuesday on Zoom with a priest stepping back from a call at year’s end. Then Canons Joshua Varner and Loren Lasch met with me to touch base on a few matters before I went to Christ Church Savannah for the clericus meeting. I have not been to a Savannah Clericus as bishop because I value their time to speak freely without me or my staff present. Today, we talked about St. Michael and All Angels. Lots of clergy engaged in the conversation, which was very helpful in their understanding the situation and providing input to next steps. Then I celebrated and preached the Eucharist in the chapel.

December 20
A day off at home.

December 21-26
We spent Christmas in New Mexico with our daughter, Griffin, and son-in-law, Chaz. While rainy down in the city, we had a white Christmas at their home in the East Mountains at 7,600 ft. elevation. This offered a wonderful break, that included worship in the Cathedral of St. John in Albuquerque, where we were with our friend, the Rt. Rev. Michael Hunn, Bishop of the Diocese of Rio Grande, on Christmas Eve.

December 27
Back in the office, getting out our From the Field email newsletter showing Christmas around the diocese, showed a lot of congregations with great participation this year. I caught up on the mail and started to write Sunday’s sermon.

December 28
Working in the office today included a noon Zoom meeting with the Finance Committee. This is our organizational meeting for the year. We have three new members I nominated to our diocesan convention for election, replacing the previous appointment process with no check from another group. Our main task was orientation.

December 29
The last Friday of the year included a meeting by phone appointment and responding to Ember Day Letters, the quarterly check in required by canons from those studying for Holy Orders. I have let the urgent get in the way of responding in the way I want to at times. I am grateful for being able to journey with people in formation and am appreciative that I have the time today to reply as fulsomely as I want to always respond. Four of the people I am writing will be ordained in the coming year assuming necessary approvals from the Commission on Ministry and Standing Committee.

December 30
A Saturday off at home included 4.5 hours in the Emergency Room with my Mom. We had avoided the ER since March, but with her aortic valve issue this is to be expected. I am glad she moved close to me this year.

December 31
I preached at St. John’s Church in Savannah this morning. My Mom was feeling better and able to join me and Victoria on a visit for the second time this month. The Rev. Jonathan Jameson being on the staff as an associate meant their long-time Rector, the Rev. Gavin Dunbar, could take a short sabbatical this year. They are working creatively, with an excellent Sunday evening speaker series, art shows hung in outdoor spaces easily accessible to the public, and other new offerings that are assisting them in connecting to new people.

​This was my 50th parish to visit in 2023, which also included visitations to the Campus Ministry at Georgia Southern and Episcopal Day School. It has been full and fulfilling year in a demanding and rewarding call.