The following text was written for the January 21, 1945 issue of The Living Church, the bulk of which issue was dedicated to the Diocese of Georgia. A full scan of the original is online as a 39mb PDF file: 1945 Living Church cover story PDF

 

The Church in Georgia

The First 225 Years

THE BEGINNINGS of Georgia go back before the coming of Oglethorpe in 1733. In 1719 the colonists in South Carolina, troubled by the Indians and by the Spaniards in Florida sent Col. John Barnwell to England to see what could be done about it. Colonel Barnwell advocated a chain of forts through the Georgia country, and brought hack a detachment of English soldiers and built a fort at the mouth of the Altamaha River, near the present town of Darien. This log fort was the forerunner of the large stone fort afterwards built at Frederica by Oglethorpe, and Colonel Barnwell was the forerunner of the present Bishop of Georgia, seven generations back.

The work of pacifying the Indians had been pretty well accomplished by the time Oglethorpe landed at Yamacraw Bluff (Savannah), but the danger from the Spaniards remained. This danger was eliminated after Fort Frederica was built (the ruins of which still stand on St. Simon’s Island), and the Spanish army destroyed at the Battle of Bloody Marsh, which gory name persists on the Island to the present day. It is quite probable that Colonel Barnwell read services for his soldiers on Sundays, but the real beginning of the Church in Georgia came with the landing of General Oglethorpe, who brought the Rev. Henry Herbert with him. Mr. Herbert soon became ill, and was sent back to England, but died on the way home. The Rev. Samuel Quincey of Boston came to Savannah and served for three years, when he was succeeded by John Wesley, and Wesley, after a short ministry and an unfortunate love affair, was succeeded by George Whitefield. These last two men later became the founders of the Methodist movement in England. Whitefield was a good pastor, and a great preacher, often to use his own words, “taking the fields for a pulpit and the heavens for a sounding board”; but his ministry was made somewhat ineffective by long and frequent visits to England on behalf of Bethesda Orphanage for Boys which he founded, and which is today a flourishing institution.

The most constructive work done in these early days was done by the Rev. Bartholomew Zouberbuhler who served in Savannah for 20 years. He erected the first church building on the spot where Christ Church now stands. During his administration the colony was divided into “parishes,” one of which centered around present day Savannah, one around Augusta, and one around St. Simon’s and Jekyll Islands.

During the American Revolution, sentiment was somewhat divided in the Georgia area, and the Rev. Haddon Smith of Christ Church fled from tar and feathers to Tybee and back to England because of his open sympathy for the mother country. The church was closed by the “Sons of Liberty” and no clergyman was allowed to officiate who was not a ”Republican!” And would not this have surprised Abraham Lincoln? No “Republican” clergyman was to be found, so the church remained closed until Savannah was captured by the British in 1779. In that year the Rev. Edward Jenkins was appointed by the governor and served until the evacuation of Savannah in 1782. Mr. Jenkins was the last of the colonial clergy in Georgia, and with him ended the missionary work of the English Church in this area.

At the close of the Revolution the Church was in a had way. For four years itinerant preachers would visit from time to time to minister to the faithful few who clung to the old English Church. In 1788 the Rev. Benjamin Lindsay accepted the work and under him was obtained “the Charter of Incorporation to the Episcopal Church in Savannah by an act of the General Assembly of Georgia, December 23d, 1789.” This event really marks the beginning of the Protestant Episcopal Church in this diocese. In the face of suspicion and latent hostility the Church grew very slowly. When the Rev. Stephen Elliott (the great-uncle of the present Bishop) became the first Bishop of Georgia in 1841, there were in the whole state (and it is the largest state east of the Mississippi River) about 350 communicants.

BISHOP ELLIOTT’S WORK
In spite of its unfortunate Revolutionary experience, the Church in Georgia began slowly to grow. Bishop Elliott died the year after the War between the States ended, many people think of a broken heart. He had buried many of his dearest friends, including Leonidas Polk, first Bishop of Louisiana and lieutenant general in the Confederate army, who was killed at Cedar Mountain during the Atlanta campaign; he had spent his private fortune in maintaining the Church during the trying days of the war, and all of his sympathies were deeply involved. A volume could be written on Bishop Elliott’s love of and care for his Negro people. He held his plantation people to a strict accountability for the spiritual as well as the physical well-being of their slaves. He himself catechised and confirmed them on the plantations as he moved around his diocese. He founded St. Stephen’s Church for Colored people in Savannah and placed its secular affairs under a Colored vestry back in the 1850’s. When the Bishop was buried from Christ Church, this Colored vestry asked for and received the honor of carrying him to his grave at Laurel Hill.

Bishop Elliott planted the seeds all over Georgia which have since grown into vigorous life. There followed the wise administration of Bishop John Watrous Beckwith, who through the trying days of Reconstruction restored and rebuilt the shattered temples of the land. It is a thrilling thing to read the sermons of these two men as they preached of love, forgiveness, healing, and peace through those dark days. Their characters have borne rich fruit in the two dioceses in Georgia today.

Bishop Beckwith was succeeded by Bishop Cleland Nelson, and under him the diocese grew until division became necessary and the diocese of Atlanta was formed. Bishop Nelson became the first Bishop of Atlanta, and the Rev. Frederick F. Reese was elected Bishop of Georgia in 1908. Bishop Barnwell was called as Coadjutor in 1935 and became Bishop of the diocese on the death of Bishop Reese in 1936.

The long episcopate of Bishop Reese was a great blessing to the diocese and to the General Church. For many years he served on the National Council, and in him gentleness of spirit, wisdom in council, and boldness in action were harmoniously blended. He was a remarkable combination of a great Christian and a splendid executive, and under his leadership the diocese prospered in every way. The number of communicants doubled, which in itself is remarkable, and thanks to Bishop Reese, and J. Randolph Anderson, the endowments of the diocese are in far better shape than they were before the days of the great depression, and stranger still, produce more income! The present Bishop claims that he has nothing to do except to follow in the wise paths which his predecessors have charted, and to cooperate with Mr. Anderson. Whether this is true or not, the writer does not know, but he thoroughly believes that as a result of splendid past leadership, the best days of the diocese lie ahead. And this is exactly as Bishops Elliott, Beckwith, Nelson, and Reese would have it.

THE BISHOP
Bishop Barnwell—Missionary

The 1908 graduating class of Virginia Theological Seminary contained six young men, who were later to be elected to the episcopate—among them Georgia’s Bishop Barnwell. Also included in that number were Bishops Quin, Clingman, Gravatt, Jackson, and the Rev. Dr. W. Russell Bowie, who declined his election to the diocese of Pennsylvania.

Attending theological school after four years in the business world, Bishop Barnwell had received his earlier education in the Louisville, Ky., public schools, and Center College, a Presbyterian school at Danville, Ky. He was the son of the Rev. Stephen Elliott Barnwell and Elizabeth Cleland. The Barnwell family had long been connected with the Episcopal ministry and the young Middleton S. Barnwell had grown up with the Church as a familiar part of his background. Among his ancestors was Georgia’s first Bishop and his father had spent many years serving as rector of St. John’s Church, Louisville.

Four years in the business world led the Bishop to abandon his profession and he turned to the ministry. After his graduation in 1908 from Virginia Theological Seminary he was ordained deacon and priest by Bishop Woodcock, who preached at his consecration as Bishop in Idaho in 1925.The Bishop began his ministry in Shelbyville, Ky., which he left to serve as assistant at Christ Church, Baltimore, where he remained two years. The cotton mills city of New Bedford, Mass., next claimed his attention and then came 12 years at the Church of the Advent, Birmingham, Ala.

In 1924 he served as field secretary for the National Council, and in 1925 was elected Bishop of Idaho by the General Convention which met at New Orleans. The years in Idaho were busy ones, and when he left to become Georgia’s Coadjutor, there were permanent monuments to his industry. In the nine and a half years he spent there he had founded the Idaho Summer Camp on Payette Lake, Boise Junior College, and built St. Luke’s Hospital.

Arriving in Georgia about nine years ago, he served as Coadjutor until he succeeded Bishop Reese, as diocesan, on his death in 1935. The diocese of Georgia has gone steadily forward under his leadership and Church statistics show an increase in almost every branch.

Bishop Barnwell and his wife, the former Margaret Thorne Lighthall of Syracuse, N. Y., whom he married in 1912, now live in Savannah. When the fighting in Europe is ended and the need for bandages has lessened, the Bishop and his wife will move into the handsome home now used by the Red Cross, which has been recently given to the diocese as the Bishop’s residence by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Groves of Savannah. As part of his contribution to the war effort, Bishop Barnwell is often to be seen pedaling his bicycle about Savannah, saving his car for longer trips.

WOMAN’S AUXILIARY
A Comprehensive Program

The Woman’s Auxiliary of the diocese of Georgia has translated the Presiding Bishop’s slogan, “Through World Evangelism to World Fellowship in Christ,” into a comprehensive and vigorous diocesan program of missions, education, and fellowship.

With Bishop Barnwell, the women are promoting increased support to the worldwide work of the National Council. They are also working hard to strengthen diocesan missions, increasing their own contributions for this purpose and helping small churches to grow toward self-support. Some missions of the diocese are supported almost entirely by the Auxiliary, among them being St. Anne’s, Tifton, and St. Luke’s, Hawkinsville.
Young people’s work is helped by the Auxiliary in many ways. In cooperation with the diocesan Department of Religious Education, the women provide scholarships for Camp Reese, the diocesan conference center. Plans are being made for 1 diocesan college work program, including a full-time worker to give vocational guidance as well as to minister to students and teachers.

Vocational guidance among college students is stressed by Mrs. Roy E. Breen, diocesan W.A. president, as one of the important fields of future service. “There is need of leaders in the Church today,” Mrs. Breen declares. “The opportunities of service through Church work should be presented to our best boys and girls. Shall we not begin development in this field and grow along with expanding colleges? Recruiting workers is our personal responsibility.”

Worship and prayer have an important place in the Auxiliary’s program. Prayer committees are functioning through which the women grow in the prayer life, get a clearer idea of God’s nature and will deepen their knowledge of the gospels, and strengthen their fellowship in Christ.

Seeking to apply Christian principles to the whole fabric of life, the women are studying plans for making a better world for all people, socially, politically, and economically.

The Georgia Woman’s Auxiliary is actively carrying out the call of the Cleveland triennial meeting for a definite study of principles of proportionate giving—personal, parochial, and diocesan. This is resulting in a complete revision of the diocesan Auxiliary budget to meet the needs of the present time.

Study programs are being developed in accordance with the Forward in Service emphasis for the year on international and interracial understanding as a means of extending fellowship in Christ. The Auxiliary, through its individual members, is also stressing personal evangelism, with the objective of bringing more men and women to baptism and confirmation and increasing church attendance.

Calling Georgia Churchwomen to more effective Christian service, Mrs. Breen says, “Women of the Auxiliary, find your place in the Church’s program; let us all fulfil our responsibilities as co-workers with God in the extension of His Kingdom.”

COLORED WORK

Schools and Churches
Before 1854, there were no separate Negro churches in Savannah. Up until that time the Colored folk attended services in the White churches. In 1854, led by Bishop Elliott, some of the members of Christ Church, Savannah, realized the need for the Colored people of Savannah to have a church of their own.

This work was begun very simply. A room in the Old Grist Mill was rented for use as a Sunday school. But so rapidly did the work grow, that in a very, few years St. Stephen’s was admitted into the diocese as a parish. This parish organized the first kindergarten for Negro children in Savannah and served as a pathfinder for the work of the Church among the Negro people of the diocese.

In 1872, only 18 years after its own humble beginning, St. Stephen’s organized St. Augustine’s Church and located it in a strong Negro section of the city. Together these two parishes have ministered faithfully to the needs of the Colored people throughout the years. The present merger of these churches [see next column] is but evidence of their united intention to carry their people forward in God’s work.

Notable work has been done in schools supported by the diocese and the national Church at several points in the diocese. It is reported that not one child who attended St. Cyprian’s School, Darien, has ever been brought into civil court.

Very active church programs are being carried on in all of the Negro centers today. Outstanding work is being done under the Rev. Thaddeus P. Martin in St. Athanasius, Brunswick, and the Rev. Elliott L. Guy at St. Mary’s, Augusta. The Rev. Robert N. Perry continues his faithful services as pastor of the church and principal of the school in Thomasville.

ST. MATTHEW’S
Savannah’s Colored Churchmen are looking forward to one of the most attractive groups of church buildings in the entire diocese. Spurred on by the interest of local Churchpeople and the national Church in the project, St. Stephen’s and St. Augustine’s, which had decided to merge and become the new St. Matthew’s, anticipate an enlarged field of service.

Founded by Bishop Elliott more than 90 years ago, St. Stephen’s physical equipment had deteriorated and the neighborhood changed, so that a move had become necessary. St. Stephen’s buildings were in a similar condition and its neighborhood had become a noisy business district. By unanimous decision of the combined vestries, the two congregations voted to merge; St. Augustine’s property was sold and $10,000 was invested in a fine site, where a church, parish house, and rectory will be erected. Preliminary drawings have been prepared under the supervision of John C. Lebey, who was the architect for the lovely new St. Michael’s in Savannah.

At first it had been planned to build only the church, using the money the local Colored people could raise, the money the diocese could give, and the proceeds from the sale of the two old churches. Because of the interest of the national Church and the results of a survey conducted by the Rev. George Weiland, secretary of the Department of Domestic Missions, and the Rev. Bravid Harris, secretary for Negro Work, the new St. Matthew’s project was selected by the Division of the Christian Education of the National Council to be the recipient of the children’s Birthday Thank Offering. With the help from the children of the Church it is planned to go ahead with the construction of the entire group of buildings. The Colored members of the two congregations have adopted an objective of $7,500 and in addition are providing new pews and all chancel furnishings.

As soon as it is possible to begin building operations it is planned to let the contract for the entire program and the Colored people of Savannah will then have a congregation of more than 600 communicants and a group of church buildings in which they can take justifiable pride.

Local Churchpeople hope that every diocese and parish in the Church will want to have its part in this project for strengthening the work of the Church among the Colored people. They feel that with racial tensions high as they are today, the cooperative effort of both Negroes and Whites in the project has deep significance. Any contributions sent to Dr. Lewis B. Franklin, treasurer of the National Council, 281 Fourth Avenue, New York 10, and designated for the Birthday Thank Offering will be used for the new St. Matthew’s project.

SAVANNAH

The City
By KENNETH E. PALMER
Savannah, the birthplace of the state of Georgia and the see city of the diocese of Georgia, has always been one of the principal ports of the South Atlantic. It was Savannah’s harbor that played so important a part in the early development of the town and state and each year on May 22d when National Maritime Day is observed throughout the country it is a tribute to the Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, which embarked from this port in 1819.

When Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin at Savannah toward the end of the 19th century it became the chief factor in the plantation production through slave labor of cotton, which in time came to be known as “King” in the South. Until after World War I Savannah’s cotton row on the Bay vied with the naval stores trade (turpentine and rosin) which was preeminent in this section.

Accustomed to an easy going life that was as attractive in its cultural and social aspects as the beauty of its tree-lined parks and squares, Savannah suffered from the depression and from the changed economic conditions relative to the cotton, shipping, and textile industries. But through alert civic leadership, centered in its Port Authority, Industrial Committee, and its Chamber of Commerce, Savannah was already well on the road to economic recovery long before the military, shipyard, and other war plant developments of World War II brought boom prosperity to the Southeast.

Churchmen have always been in the forefront of the business and industrial development of Savannah as they have been in its political, civic, and cultural life.

It was a Churchman who became president of the first of the system of railroads that combined with the shipping industry to give this city its early importance as a shipping center. It was a Churchman who not only led in the development of the modern residential section of the city but who organized the movement which made possible the trunk line highway system which radiates from the city. It is a Churchman for whom the first of the city’s two huge, modern airports is named. It is a Churchman who heads both the Industrial Committee and the Port Authority, and who has been since the war the head of the city’s civilian defense organization.

It was likewise a Churchman who, with his experiments in making paper pulp from pine trees, blazed the trail which brought the paper making industry to the South and led to the establishment in Savannah of what has become the largest kraft paper mill in the world.

In recent years Savannah’s industrial life has also seen the development of important factories in the fabrication of steel and other metals and it was Churchmen who played the important roles in bringing the major plants of this type to engage in the widespread business which they enjoy today.

Above all, Savannah is a happy place in which to live, and may the pardon of literary license rather than the condemnation of blasphemy be accorded the anonymous author who penned the exaggerated but significant lines, “I would rather he a fiddler on the coast of Georgia than a harpist in the courts of heaven.”

Savannah’s Churches
February 12th will mark the 212th anniversary of the Church in Georgia. Savannah, just as it was the “cradle of Georgia” was also the birthplace of the first work of the Church in this state. As a matter of fact, the state of Georgia has never been without the services of a priest of the Church. When the first colonists came, they brought with them the Rev. Henry Herbert, a priest of the Church of England.

But we might date the real beginning of the Church work in Savannah, and in Georgia, with the coming of John Wesley in 1736. This great figure of religious history, thought by many to be the founder of present day Methodists, is well remembered as the founder of historic Christ Church. John Wesley remained in Savannah only two years but during that time he laid the foundations of a mighty parish which continues today to be one of the outstanding churches of the South. Under his rectorship there was formed a Sunday school for children which has been recognized by the International Sunday School Association as the oldest Sunday school in the United States.

John Wesley was succeeded at Christ Church by that other well-known religious leader, George Whitefield, who continued Wesley’s evangelistic work and was instrumental in starting the first orphanage in America. This orphanage was called Bethesda and is today a wonderful home for some 100 boys.

The able work begun by the founders of this parish has been carried on most admirably throughout the years and Christ Church while proud of its past is a most vigorous and progressive organization. Although, never designated as a cathedral, this church has always been the center of diocesan life. The Bishop maintains his office there and in its sanctuary is a most exquisitely handcarved cathedra.

St. John’s, the church with the chimes, had its origin at a meeting of the congregation of Christ Church on December 3, 1840. It is believed that the coming election of the first bishop for the state of Georgia had a lot to do with the creation of this parish. Up until that date no city in the state had more than one church and so none had claim to be the see city. And so the people of Christ Church founded another parish to give Savannah the prestige it needed to bring the bishop to their city.

As was hoped, the Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Stephen Elliott, did come to Savannah and served as rector of both Christ Church and St. John’s for three years. But in a very few years, St. John’s, located in a most strategic section of the city, enjoyed a large growth in membership and became and remains today the largest parish in the diocese. Its communicant list numbers some 1,200 people.

CHURCH WITH THE CHIMES
St. John’s is affectionately known to Savannahians as the “Church with the Chimes.” Each Sunday morning and each evening during Lent the chimes of St. John’s call all men to thoughts of God and of His holy purpose for them.

The great esthetic pride of this parish is its magnificent reredos, which was erected in memory of one of its former rectors, the late William T. Dakin. The reredosdepicts our Lord as King reigning above the cross (which is seen in the background) with arms outstretched inviting, “Come unto me all ye that travail.”

During its entire history, St. John’s has had but ten rectors. The most outstanding of these was the rectorship of the late Charles H. Strong, who served the parish for 36 years. Dr. Strong was probably the first citizen of Savannah and under him St. John’s attained a leadership in civic affairs which carries on today. Its Men’s Club is one of the finest organizations for men in the city.

Under the present rector, the Rev. Ernest Risley, St. John’s has acquired ground for a new parish hall and social service center and has purchased the old Meldrim home (headquarters for General Sherman when he visited the South) to be used as a parish house and rectory.

The spirit of Georgia Churchmen has always been the spirit that has sent the Church into all the world. The Church-people of Georgia are missionary laymen and women. Just as St. John’s was started by Christ Church, so St. John’s has always been a strongly missionary minded parish.

ST. PAUL’S
In 1852 St. John’s and Christ Church working together founded a mission called St. Matthew’s. The first efforts failed, but these courageous missionary men and women were not to be stopped. And their efforts were finally rewarded when their mission was admitted as the parish of St. Paul’s Church in the diocese in 1892. St. Paul’s has always been the center of Anglo-Catholicism in the diocese and has sometimes been nicknamed the “AngloCatholic Cathedral” of the South. The present church building, English Gothic type, was erected in 1907. And in that same year the Rev. Samuel 13. McGlohon began his 25 year rectorship. Under Fr. McGlohon, the parish grew in both numbers and devotion. A schedule of daily Eucharists was begun, sacramental confession was taught, and a handsome parish hall was erected. The spirit of St. Paul’s so firmly established by Fr. McGlohon is being carried forward today in a progressive program under the present rector, the Rev. William H. Brady.

The chief architectural joy of St. Paul’s is the magnificent rood screen erected by the people of the parish as a thanksgiving for their Church. The rood screen, extending entirely across the chancel, serves as a dais for a most impressive wood-carved representation of Calvary.

Evidence that Church life of Savannah is in the past only because the past serves as a mighty foundation for future is found in the newly consecrated Church of St. Michael’s. This parish was formed originally (about 30 years ago) as a Sunday school by Christ Church. Later it was made a mission and in 1920 it was admitted as an independent parish into the diocese. In 1941 a new church building was necessary in order to take care of the large and active membership of the church. Under the Rev. Howard McGudden Mueller, the present rector, plans were made and the money raised to erect a handsome colonial style church fashioned on Old Bruton Church, Williamsburg, Va., and in less than three years, this past December 3d, the church was consecrated.

St. Michael’s is situated in a new residential section of the city and carries on the fine missionary tradition laid down by its forefathers—where the people are in Georgia, there is the church.

Savannah is proud of three former rectors who are now leading Bishops in the Church: Bishop Wing of South Florida, who was at one time rector of Christ Church; Bishop Carpenter of Alabama, one-time rector of St. John’s; and Bishop Walker of Atlanta, who began his ministry in charge of several missions in the suburbs of Savannah.

NOTED CHURCHES

The Church in Augusta
The founding of Augusta and the establishment of the Church in this section are very closely knit together. The early settlers built their own church, “near by the King’s Fort,” in the year 1750 and named it St. Paul’s. A plea from the congregation to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel resulted in a priest’s being sent to them. And for the next 18 years, St. Paul’s not only ministered to its own congregation but served all Church-people for a radius of over 100 miles.

During the Revolution the building erected in 1750 was destroyed, but in 1786 a new building was erected. This latter building gave way in 1819 for the erection of one of the finest examples of Colonial architecture ever known in the South. This building of 1819 served the congregation until 1916 when it was swept by fire. In 1919 the present church was erected.

A walk about the beautiful churchyard of St. Paul’s takes one back to some of the greatest moments in the history of the South. The noted Bishop-General of the South, Leonidas K. Polk and his wife were interred here until December, 1944, when their remains were taken to Christ Church Cathedral, New Orleans, in accordance with the Bishop’s wishes. Here, too, are buried General Matthews who prevented the route of the American Army at Brandywine; George S. Washington, nephew of the first President; and William Longstreet, who put a steamboat on the Savannah River a year before Fulton experimented on the Hudson.

Under the roof of St. Paul’s was held the meeting which officially began the diocese of Georgia and here in 1862 was held the one and only meeting of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Confederate States of America.

However, the glory of St. Paul’s is not confined to the past, for under the present rector, the Rev. Hamilton West, St. Paul’s stands as one of the leading parishes of the South.

CHRIST CHURCH
In 1886 Augusta Churchmen began their third church center known as Christ Church. This church was located in the extremely poor residential section of the city which has since come to be known as the Mill District. Ever since the day of its founding, Christ Church has served and been most loyal to its people. In 1928 the work in this center was greatly augmented by a most generous bequest from the late Mrs. Margaret S. Byllesby. With the income from this fund the Christ Church Neighborhood House was established and endowed and began a great social service work which it continues today.

Under the present vicar, the Rev. Edward Claytor, the work of this mission is being vigorously pushed forward; the church school numbers some 200 children, the parish hall is being used continuously, and while the demands for material help are not as great as they were, the social service department is doing a wonderful work in assisting people to readjust themselves to new and trying conditions of life.

Also under Mr. Claytor’s care is the Church of the Atonement. A recent editorial in an Augusta paper reports that this church might well be called the Resurrection. For years this parish appeared to be dying out, but under Mr. Claytor a new growth has begun which finds a large and growing church school and well attended services.

CHURCH OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD
The Church of the Good Shepherd, Augusta, with the Rev. Allen B. Clarkson as rector, is putting its emphasis on the family as the basic unit in parochial life. Each family in the parish has selected a date of special significance to them as their Family Day. On this date the family make their Communions together, with any members of the parish who wish to celebrate this day with them. The hour of the service is set for the convenience of the family, and small children attend with their parents. Intercessions are offered at the altar for each member of the family by name and for their loved ones. Some time during the day, when the whole family is at home, the rector calls upon them, and often joins them for a meal.

A regular Sunday service of Evening Prayer has developed into another means of cementing family relationships and developing fellowship within the larger family of the parish, and has become one of the high spots of parochial life. Often at this service new members are received into the Church through the Sacrament of Baptism. About four times a year the young people of the parish take complete charge, singing in the choir, reading the lessons, and making a talk. Special intercessions are offered by request in the quiet of the candle-lit church. And the junior choir of boys and girls under the direction of Mrs. Clyde Graham regularly fill the choir stalls. Whole families attend together, often with small children, for whom this service has a special appeal. Immediately afterward, the whole congregation enjoys fun and fellowship and a simple supper of sandwiches in the parish hall. In a day when Evening Prayer is never read in many churches, it is assuming an increasingly large place in the Christian life of worship, instruction, and fellowship in the family of the Good Shepherd.

Brunswick
The town of Brunswick has one of the greatest war growths of any place its size in America. From a lovely county seat of 20,000 people four years ago to a population of 65,000 in July, 1944, is a growth in population seldom read about. But despite this growth, St. Mark’s Church still continues to take care of the people of that city. In order to care better for them a chapel has been erected near one of the war housing centers. Regular services are held in this chapel every Sunday, a temporary vestry has been established for it, and a full Church program put into being. St. Mark’s is one of the oldest and most famous of the Georgia coastal churches. Its foundations are rooted in the past, but its glory in the future. No church in the diocese has had such tremendous problems placed upon it and met them so definitely.

Waycross
Grace Church, Waycross, is way ‘cross the state of Georgia. It is known throughout the state as a center of spiritual power and life. Its handsome altar is more than the center of the parish, it is in a real sense the spiritual center of the town. Under the present rector, the Rev. Charles Wyatt-Brown, a most enterprising community work is being carried on.
Jesup

St. Paul’s, Jesup, located in the eastern part of the state, is doing a prosperous, progressive work under the leadership of the Rev. Frank Doremus.

Calvary Church and Its Missions
By the Rev. JAMES B. LAWRENCE, D.D.
Many of us have attended great services at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. We have seen the great nave filled with those who worship with humble earnestness. We are impressed with the vastness of the church, the solemnity of the ceremonial, the beauty of the music, the eloquence of the Word spoken to a congregation of thousands.

To me not less impressive was a service I attended there on a Saturday afternoon last summer. Evening Prayer was said in St. James’ Chapel. The congregation consisted of six persons, including the officiating clergyman. The service was so quieting, so intimate, so simple and straight. I went away helped and refreshed.

The great Cathedral with its great services and with its quiet services, has been an inspiration to me in the work that I am trying to do. In its small way, my work is like that of the Cathedral. Indeed the work is the same.

Calvary Church, Americus, is the heart and center of my work. It is my Cathedral Church; and the missions served are, as it were, surrounding chapels.

Calvary Church is very beautiful. Its lines are unsurpassed. The interior tends to devotion. The beautiful altar and reredos, the fine paneling in the sanctuary, the credence and the altar rail, the choir and clergy stalls, the pulpit and lectern—all made of American walnut—call forth reverence. The side chapel, too, is very beautiful.

In this church, services are regularly and reverently rendered. The line organ, the faithful organist, and the choir led by the crucifer and flag-bearer cannot be too much praised. On great occasions the church is filled. On regular occasions we have a very good congregation.

Calvary Church is the center, the heart of our work. Let us now follow the streams pumped from the heart out to the missions.

Let us get up early, on the first Thursday of the month, and drive over to Cordele, 30 miles, and celebrate Holy Communion at 9: 00 A.M. We leave Cordele at 10:00 A.M. and go to Vienna for the service at 11:00 A.M. Here we have six communicants and one of them, of all the people whom I have known, is the most beloved in her community. She is now approaching 90 years of age, dim of sight, and partially deaf. We hold the service, therefore, in her home. To hear her say, “We lift them up unto the Lord” in the Sursum Corda is worth the whole trip.

On Monday of the second week, we leave Americus at 8:00 A.M. and have the celebration at Dawson at 9:00. Here we always have a few faithful communicants.

“BISHOP OF BUCKWHEAT”
We leave Dawson at 10: 00 and go on 22 miles to Cuthbert and have the celebration at 11:00 in the Church of the Epiphany. This church is a monument of singular devotion. It was not only built, but actually made by a man and his wife. Years ago, after office hours, they would pour cement and sand into the forms, thus making artificial stones. They accumulated the stones and with them the church was finally built. Cuthbert is a town of great refinement. This is because of Andrew College, a Methodist Junior College, for girls. Many of the students attend our services. We spend this night in the home of a dear friend, not a member of our Church, whose home is hospitality itself, and whose table is lavish in its appointments. For breakfast we have all the batter cakes we can eat, and I wonder if it is too frivolous in this paper for me to say that some people call me “Batter Cake Jim,” while others confer on me the title “Bishop of Buckwheat.”
It is Tuesday morning when we have had all these cakes and we must move on 30 miles to Blakely. Holy Trinity Church is very beautiful and is well located. Here we have 20 communicants. It is a joy to minister to them.

By this time we are homesick and we start back, 90 miles to Americus and are glad to get back again to Calvary Church, the heart and center of our work. Having visited our chapels, we return to the high altar whence our inspiration derives.

Let me say here that these missions are not haphazard; but they are part of a plan. The plan is to extend the ministrations of the Church into every county of the diocese. Of the 66 counties (in round numbers), we have work in only 33. The counties touched by the missions we have just visited are Corish, Dowly, Terrell, Randolph, and Early. It is hoped that eventually there will be no county where our Church does not minister to the people.

There are two more chapels that are nourished from Calvary Church and they represent a different phase of work from those we have visited. These two churches are an attempt to introduce our Church into rural sections. In fact, it seems to me, the Episcopal Church as a whole makes its main appeal to the classes rather than the masses of the people. We bring up great leaders in the nation and in the world, but we do not touch the common man.

Five miles south of Americus is an old Methodist Church, Benevolence, where for many years, our services have been held. As a result we now have three communicants, who till the soil and actually make their living on the farm.

Twelve miles north of Americus we have a similar work, beautiful St. James, Pennington. We started work years ago in a little school house, then carried on in a small log cabin, and finally built the present church, St. James’, Pennington.

This church is beautifully situated in woods now golden with autumn leaves. It is built of logs, the cracks being chinked with cement mortar. It ministers to people living on farms. It is a matter of pride with us that services are always held on Sunday afternoon. Last Sunday was the 1163d consecutive Sunday that services were held without missing a Sunday.

But it is prudent to look ahead. My rectorate at Calvary Church is now in its 40th year. I have never been rector of any other church. I am looking forward to retiring. If I live to the age of retirement, I want to live a life of prayer and contemplation at St. James’, Pennington. The foundations of the vicarage there are already built. It is hoped that Herr Hitler and the vicarage will be finished in time.

On the other hand, if I don’t live to finish the vicarage, I’ll be dead. Dead or alive, 1 shall have command of the situation. For in the little cemetery in the churchyard there is my tombstone—a large field rock.

One day as I was sitting on this stone, this came to my mind:

MY ROCK AND I
“Today I sit and rest upon my rock;
Some day my rock will lie and rest on me ;
My rock and I are hewn from our same rock.
Today I sit and rest upon my rock.
O Rock of Ages, cross nor nail nor mock
May part us—Thee in me and me in Thee.
Today I sit and rest upon my rock
Some day my rock will lie and rest on me.”

INSTITUTIONS

Home for Girls
Three noteworthy institutions of the diocese of Georgia are the Episcopal Home for Girls in Savannah, the Anson Dodge Home, and the diocesan camp, Camp Reese, both the latter being located on St. Simon’s Island near Brunswick.

The oldest of these institutions is the Episcopal Home for Girls, which dates back to 1852 when Miss Mary Elliott, cousin of Bishop Stephen Elliott, started a home for two destitute orphans. During its early years the home occupied at different times two houses, but in 1919 was moved to its present location, the home during his life time of Jacob Collins, a Churchman who played an important role in the business development of the city.

Since establishment of the home in the big house, two additional buildings have been erected on the spacious grounds, a chapel, the Good Shepherd, of brick construction, and a cozy cottage for the older girls, the latter being built in 1940.

In recent years the home has accepted only girls, though a few boys were cared for in past years. The children cone from non-Church as well as Church families throughout the diocese. Preference is given Church children but others are accepted, provided the child may be trained in the Episcopal Church while in the home. They attend St. Michael’s each Sunday and older girls sing in the choir. Of 19 girls now in the home, two attend Savannah High School, two junior high, ten attend elementary schools and the others are of pre-school age. Normal healthy lives of school, housework, and social pursuits are led. Mrs. Semira j. Haugen, the housemother, has a staff of three assistants, one of whom was reared in the home. Prominent Churchwomen serve on the hoard with the Bishop, Mrs. John K. Train (nee Lilla Coiner) of St. John’s, a philanthropic-minded leader of the diocese, now being first directress on the board.

Anson Dodge Home
The Anson Dodge Home for Boys was founded in 1895 by the Rev. A. G. P. Dodge. It is supported by the income from an endowment left by Mr. Dodge.

This home is located on the site of the historic old fort at Frederica, on St. Simon’s Island, which was built by General Oglethorpe. On the property stand several interesting ruins of Oglethorpe’s original buildings and since this area has been made into a national park, part of the diocesan property has been taken over by the government. With the proceeds of the sale the diocese is planning to build a new home for the boys. The home is a small one with never more than 12 or 15 boys enrolled.

Under terms of the Dodge will these boys are trained in the faith of the Episcopal Church.

Camp Reese

Named during his episcopate in honor of the late Bishop F. F. Reese, Camp Reese, located on St. Simon’s Island a few hundred yards from the rolling Atlantic Ocean, will be 21 years old this summer (1945). It has grown from 14 young people who enrolled for two weeks in 1924 with the Rev. W. A. Jonnard of St. John’s, Savannah, as their leader, to an enrolment of 457 persons comprising different groups of youths and adults who attended camp last summer. For some years the name of Mrs. J. W. Griffeth of Christ Church, Savannah, diocesan secretary of religious education, has been synonymous with that of Camp Reese and distinguished lay leaders, clergymen, and bishops have assisted as teachers and staff members.

Two new buildings, a chapel and a recreational hall, the latter a memorial to Lt. Carl Schuessler, U. S. Marine, who lost his life in the Southwest Pacific after serving seven years on the staff of the camp, will be constructed as soon as priorities and manpower will permit, adding to the several buildings already in use.

From the scant beginning when Mr. Jonnard and his handful of campers rented a beach hotel the camp has grown and so contributed to Church life that it has been described as “the power house of the diocese.” The first $1,000 for camp improvements was raised by young people. Mrs. Charles Chapin, a winter resident of Thomasville and a friend of Bishop Reese, gave $7,500 and the main building was named Chapin Hall in her honor. In 1933 the chancel guild of St. John’s, Savannah, built Jonnard Cottage; the next year people of Christ Church, Savannah, built a cottage named in honor of their rector, the Rev. David Cady Wright, D.D.; and in time came the Augusta Cottage, built through effort of the Augusta parishes; the Aiken Cottage, named in honor of Frank Aiken of Brunswick; and a servants’ house built by the young people and named in honor of Deaconess Alexander.

Camp Reese has enjoyed a great past and promises even a greater future in the life of the diocese and of the national Church.

THE DIOCESE OF GEORGIA

BISHOP—The Rt. Rev. Middleton Stuart Barnwell, D.D.,
Office: Christ Church; Residence: 114 W. Gaston St., Savannah.

CHURCHES, CHAPELS, MISSIONS, & PREACHING STATIONS

ALBANY, St. Paul’s Church
Rev. Wm. R. F. Thomas
Sun.: 8 a.m., H.C.; M.P. 11:30 a.m. (H.C. 1st Sunday)

St. John’s Mission (col.) Rev. Wm. R. F. Thomas Sun.: E.P. at 8 p.m.

AMERICUS, Benevolence Church, Smithville Rd.
Rev. James B. Lawrence, Vicar
Sun.: 2 p.m.; 3d Sat, of each month, H.C. 11 a.m.

Calvary Church, S. Lee St.
Rev. James B. Lawrence, Rector
Sun.: 7:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 7:30 p.m.; Ch. Sch.
9:45 am.; Wed., 9 a.m. ; Fri., 7:30 p.m.

Christ Church, 1904 Greene St. Rev. Edward M. Claytor
Sun.: 10 a.m. & 8 p.m.

Church of the Good Shepherd, 2230 Walton Way Rev. Allen B. Clarkson
Sun.: 8 a.m. H.C.; M.P., 11:15 a.m., 1st Sun. H.C.; E.P., 7 p.m.; Holy Days: H.C., 8 a.m.; Wed.: H.C., 10:30; Family Days: H.C., 8

St. Mary’s Mission (col.), 12th St.
Rev. Elliott L. Guy
Stn.: Ch. Sch., 10 am.; Service 11:15 ; 1st & 3d Sun. Matins; 2d & 4th Sun. Sung Eucharist & Sermon

St. Paul’s Church
Rev. Hamilton West
Sun.: H.C. 8; 11:30 M.P.; (1st Sun. H.C.)

BAINBRIDGE, St. John’s Chapel
Sun. : Services as announced

BLACKSHEAR, Grace Chapel Rev. Chas. Wyatt-Brown Services as announced

BRUNSWICK, St. Athanasius Church (col.), 1210 Monk St.
Rev. Thaddeus P. Martin jr.
Sun.: H.E. 7:30; E.P. & Sermon 5:45; 1st & 3d Sun. Choral Eucharist 11:15 am.; 2d & 4th Sun. M.P. & Sermon 11:15 a.m.

St. Mark’s Church
Sun.: 8 H.C.; 11 M.P. (H.C. 1st); Thrs. & H.D. H.C. 10 a.m.

St. Paul’s Chapel
Rev. W. N. Jones, priest-in-charge
Sun.: E.P. 8 p.m.

BURROUGHS, St. Bartholomew’s Chapel (col.)
Sun.: Services as announced

COCHRAN, Cochran preaching station
Rev. Robert H. Daniell
Sun.: H.C. 11:30 a.m. 2d Sun.

CORDELE, Christ Mission
Rev. Chas. E. Crusoe, D.D.
Sun.: H.C. 11:30 a.m. 2d & 4th Sundays; E.P. 8 p.m. 2d, 4th & 5th Sun.

CUTHBERT, Church of the Epiphany
Rev. James B. Lawrence, Vicar
Services: 2d Mon. of each month H.C. 11 a.m., E.P. 7:30 p.m.

DARIEN, St. Andrew’s Church
Rev. Frank S. Dorennts
Sun.: Ch. Sch. 10:30, M.P. 11:30 every other Sun.; H.C. 1st Sun.

AUGUSTA, Church of the Atonement, 11th &
BLAKELY, Holy Trinity Church
Telfair Sts. Rev. James B. Lawrence, Vicar
Rev. Edward M. Claytor
Services: Second Tues, of each month, H.C.
Sun.: 11:15 a.m. 11 a.m.

St. Cyprian’s Church (col.)
Rev. Frank S. Doremus
Sun.: Ch. Sch. 10:30; Prayers 3:30; H.C. 1st Sun.

DAWSON, Calvary Mission (preaching station)
Rev. James B. Lawrence, Missionary
Services: 2d Monday of each month H.C. 9 a.m.

DOUGLAS, St. Andrew’s
Rev. Alex B. Hanson
Sun.: H.C. 8; 11:30 H.P. (H.C. Ist)

DUBLIN, Christ Church Mission, Academy Ave.
Rev. Jackson H. Harris
Sun.: 11 :30 a.m.

FITZGERALD, St. Matthew’s Chapel
Rev. Alex B. I-Ianson Services as announced

FREDERICA (St. Simons Island P.O.), Christ Church
Rev. W. W. Williams, Rector
Sun.: Ch. Sch. 10 a.m. ; 11:15 Kindergarten Sun. Sch.; 11:15 a.m. Ch. Services

St. Ignatius Mission (col.)
Rev. W. W. Williams
Sun.: 2d Sun. 3:30 p.m. H.C.; 4th Sun. 7:30 p.m. E.P. & Sermon

HAWKINSVILLE, St. Luke’s Church
Rev. Robert H. Daniell
Sun.: 1st & 3d, 11:30 a.m.; Special prayers for Servicemen, 3d Sun.

St. Philip’s Mission (col.)
Rev. Robert H. Daniell Services as announced

ISLE OF HOPE, St. Thomas’ Mission
Rev. Howard Mueller
Services as announced

JESUP, St. Paul’s Church, Cherry St.
Rev. Frank S. Doreunis
Sun.: Ch. Sch. 10:30; M.P. 11:30 every other Sun.; B.C. 2d Sun.

McRAE, St. Timothy Preaching Station
Rev. Robert H. Daniell
Services: 3:30 p.m. Fourth Sunday

MELDRIM, St. Andrew’s Mission
The Bishop
Services as announced

MOULTRIE, St. John’s preaching station
Rev. George Shirley
Services as announced

PENNICK, Good Shepherd Church (Col.)
Rev. T. P. Martin
Services as announced

PENNINGTON, St. James’, R.F.D., Andersonville
Rev. James B. Lawrence, Vicar
Sun.: 4 p.m.; 2d Sat, of each month, H.C. 11 a.m.

POOLER, St. James’ Church
Rev. W. H. Brady, E. McGill, Lay Reader
Sun.: 1st & 3d, E.P., 8 p.m.

QUITMAN, St. James’ Church
Rev. Thomas G. Mundy
Sun.: Winter months E.P. 5 p.m.; Summer, 6 pin. 2d Sun. H.C. 11 a.m.

ST. MARYS, Christ Mission
Rev. Chas. Wyatt-Brown
Services as announced

Church of Our Saviour preaching station (col.)
Rev. Chas. Wyatt-Brown
Services as announced

SANDERSVILLE, Grace Church Rev. J. II. Harris
Services as announced

SAVANNAH, Christ Church, Johnson Sq.
Sun.: H.C. 8 a.m.; 11:30 M.P. (H.C. 1st Sun.)

St. Andrew’s preaching station Services as announced

St. John’s Church, 26 W. Charlton St.
Rev. Ernest Risley
Sun.: 8, 10 & 11:30 a.mn. ; Wed.: 8 & 10 am.; Holy Days: 10 a.m.

St. Matthew’s Church, Harris & Habersham St. (col.)
Sun.: 11:15 a.m. & 8 pin.; Sun. Sch. 10 a.m.

St. Michael’s Church
Rev. Howard Mueller
Sun.: H.C. 8 a.m.; M.P. 11:30 (1st Sun. H.C. 11:30); E.P. 3d Sun. at 7 p.m.

St. Paul’s Church, 1802 Abercorn St.
Rev. William II. Brady
Sun.: H.C. 8, 9:30, 11:15; Wkdys: Mon. & Thurs., 10; Tues., Fri., Sat. 7; Wed. 8; E.Y. Sun. 8 p.m. (Advent-Easter)

STATESBORO, St. Ignatius preaching station The Bishop
Services as announced

THOMASVILLE, St. Thomas’ Church
Rev. George Shirley
Sun.: H.C. 8; 11:30 M.P. (1st Sun H.C. 11:30)

Good Shepherd Mission (Col.)
Rev. R. N. Perry
Sun.: H.C. 8; 1st & 3d H.C. 11:30; 2d & 4th H.P. 11:30

TIFTON, St. Anne’s Mission, Fourth St. & Central Ave.
Rev. Chas. E. Crusoe, D.D.
Sun.: I-Ioly Eucharist 11:30 a.m. Ist & 3d Sun. & Saints Days; E.P. 8 p.m. 2d & 4th Sun.; M.P. 5th Sun. 11:30 a.m.

VALDOSTA, Christ Church, East Central Ave. Rev. Thomas G. Mundy
Sun.: 11:30 a.m. M.P.; H.C. 1st Sun. & at other times

VIENNA, Prince of Peace
Rev. James B. Lawrence, Vicar
Services: First Tues, of each month, B.C. 11 a.m.

WAYCROSS, Grace Church, Mary & Pendleton Sts,
Rev. Charles Wyatt-Brown; Malcolm Russell, Lay Reader
Sun.: 8, 9:45, 11 a.m.; Thurs. 10 a.m. H.C.

St. Ambrose Chapel (col.) Rev. Charles Wyatt-Brown Services as announced

WAYNESBORO, St. Michael’s Chapel
Rev. Hamilton West
Sun.: E.P. 8 p.m.

WOODBINE, St. Mark’s preaching station
The Bishop
Services as announced