Atlanta Episcopal Bishop Helps Ensure Justice for Children

From Atlanta-

He was born in an inner-city Philadelphia orphanage. A combination of faith and perseverance propelled him to become bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. 

And Bishop Robert Wright is the only faith leader on the Georgia Supreme Court’s Committee on Justice for Children (J4C) committee. The 29-member committee’s goal: ensuring justice for children and families involved in Georgia’s juvenile courts.

Wright said he brings a unique perspective to J4C, because of his own life story. “Having been a ward of the state for a short time, when I see some of these kids and I see some of these cases, I see myself,” he said. “One of the best things we can do as Americans is to take in our children and give them better futures. A more just juvenile system is just one way to get that done.”

More here-

https://jjie.org/2019/10/23/atlanta-episcopal-bishop-helps-ensure-justice-for-children/

Activist priest wants to be Georgia’s first lesbian state senator

From Georgia-

Jackson is jumping into the race with goals of passing an LGBTQ-inclusive civil rights bill, beating back anti-LGBTQ “religious freedom” bills and protecting women’s reproductive rights.

Jackson, an ordained priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, would become the state Senate’s first out lesbian member if elected. It’s her first run for office, but she had designs on doing so from a young age.

“I knew that I wanted for run for office when I was 13 years old and went to a city council meeting in rural South Carolina,” she told Project Q Atlanta. “I think it was this internal visceral call that I want to be a part of change. That’s where it started.”

Jackson said she’s running now to safeguard the Democratic seat in the district that includes Scottdale, Pine Lake, Stone Mountain, Clarkston, Tucker and Lilburn. Sen. Steve Henson, who also serves as minority leader, will leave the Senate in 2020 after 17 years in office.

More here-

https://www.projectq.us/atlanta/activist_priest_wants_to_be_georgias_first_lesbian_state_senator

Methodism’s founder spent some time in Georgia

From Georgia-

Wesley and his brother, Charles, came to the state when the British were establishing the colony. At the time, the Wesley brothers’ sojourn was seen in a less than positive light by many.

John Wesley was an Anglican cleric. He was not always popular with his parishioners. He courted a young woman, Sophia Hopkey. After she broke off their courtship and married someone else, Wesley refused to allow her to take communion.

Charles Wesley, who came to Georgia as secretary to James Edward Oglethorpe, the colony's founder, also served as chaplain at Ft. Frederica on St. Simons. His overly strict religious views brought him into conflict with colonists, and he remained in Georgia only about a year.

More here-

http://times-herald.com/news/2016/06/methodisms-founder-spent-some-time-in-georgia

Brunswick seek assistance to enhance African American tourism

From Georgia-

Officials and administrators in Brunswick and Glynn County have joined forces to obtain assistance from the Georgia Department of Economic Development to better promote area-wide African American heritage tourist attractions.

“We have a rich African American heritage that has not been drawn out and planned,” said Brunswick City Commissioner Julie Martin. “This is an opportunity for the city, county and the (Golden Isles Convention and) Visitors Bureau to feed into and market that segment of the population.”

Brunswick and Glynn County commissioners recently approved the city’s “Letter of Interest” requesting assistance from the state development department’s Tourism Product Development Team who will come in and help conduct an assessment of African American heritage tourism opportunities. The team will then make its recommendations on how to grow tourism county-wide.

More here-

http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/news/brunswick-seek-assistance-to-enhance-african-american-tourism/article_c9e120ba-9f66-5119-b004-254413d4aa0e.html

Georgia passes bill to protect pastors from forced participation in gay ‘marriages’

From Life Site-

Clergy in the state of Georgia are one step closer to reinforced conscience protection after legislation passed by the Georgia House Thursday.

House Bill 757, also known as the Pastor Protection Act, protects religious officials from being forced to imitate marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples and was approved in a 161-0 vote, moving on now to the Georgia Senate.

"Religious officials shall not be required to perform marriage ceremonies, perform rites, or administer sacraments in violation of their legal right to free exercise of religion," the bill states. It also says refusal by an ordained person shall not result in a civil claim or cause of action against him, nor result in any state action of retribution toward him based on the refusal.

More here-

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pastor-protection-act-pre-empts-forced-participation-of-clergy-in-homosexua

Local Priest Among Two Arrested for Child Porn

From Georgia-

Two men including a local priest are under arrest and facing child pornography charges.

Bruce Fehr, 54, and Zachary Giebner, 33, were arrested following a two month long investigation.

The Effingham County Sheriff's Office says that both men were downloading child pornography and search warrants were executed Thursday morning at each of their Wilmington Island homes.

Both men are being held at the Effingham County Jail on charges of Sexual Exploitation of Children.

Fehr is a rector of Saint Francis of the Islands Episcopal Church.

More here-

http://www.wsav.com/story/28884161/local-priest-among-two-arrested-for-child-porn

A Response to the Bishop of Georgia’s E-Crozier Post on the Death of Robin Williams from an Openly Bipolar Cleric

From Unorthodox and Unhinged-

Introduction: After reading the Bishop of Georgia’s E-Crozier post on the death of Robin Williams (printed in its entirety below) I was dumbstruck. As a mental health evangelist I could not help but respond with the following words:

Bishop Benhase,

My name is the Rev. Joani Peacock. I have been 20 years ordained and 10 years bipolar and balanced. I consider myself a “mental health evangelist” and I advocate for mental health education for all. I serve at Emmanuel Russell Rd in Alexandria, VA. I also am on staff at the library at Virginia Seminary. I have sponsored mental health forums on campus and am working with the administration to bring Mental Health First Aid Training on campus in the spring for the VTS community. 20% of all of us live with a mental health issue.

More here-

http://celticjlp.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/a-response-to-the-bishop-of-georgias-e-crozier-post-on-the-death-of-robin-williams-from-an-openly-bipolar-cleric/

Eyes on churches as they decide whether to allow guns

From Georgia-

When Georgia’s new comprehensive gun laws go into effect July 1, many churches will opt out of allowing weapons into worship halls.

The Safe Carry Protection Act, sometimes called the “Guns Everywhere” law by opponents, goes into effect July 1. The language of the bill actually prohibits guns inside churches, unless the “governing body or authority of the place of worship permits the carrying of weapons or long guns by license holders.”

But it’s not even a concern for many Christian denominations, including in Catholic, Methodist and Episcopal churches. Leaders in all three organizations have pointed to no-weapons policies, and advised individual churches to follow the rules already in place.

In April, shortly after Gov. Nathan Deal signed the bill into law, the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta’s Bishop Rob Wright released a public letter prohibiting guns in churches.

“My judgment and this policy are based on the normative understanding of the teachings of Jesus as the Episcopal Church has received them,” he wrote.
More here-

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/100352/

Judge's order prompts amendment in Christ Church Anglican appeal

From Georgia-

The Savannah Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday justified its decision for granting Christ Church Anglican permission to build a sanctuary in the Thomas Square neighborhood.

The board, in response to a judge’s order, amended the motion used as the basis for an April 25 decision regarding the church’s zoning variance requests. The update explains the board’s reasoning for disregarding the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission staff’s recommendations on the variances.

An order by Chatham County Superior Court Chief Judge Michael Karpf prompted the amended motion. Karpf is presiding over an appeal of the board’s decision filed by Christ Church’s would-be neighbors, who are opposed to building the church campus on the site.

Karpf’s order read that he was unable to determine whether the zoning board abused its discretion as claimed by the plaintiffs, six East 36th Street residents whose homes sit across the lane from the proposed sanctuary site.

More here-

http://savannahnow.com/exchange/2013-09-27/judges-order-prompts-amendment-christ-church-anglican-appeal#.UkVtqhY0Zng

New pastor leading All Saints' Episcopal Church

From Georgia-

The Rev. Scott Petersen said laughter drew him to All Saints' Episcopal Church.

“The laughter of the leadership is what attracted me,” said Petersen, who has been serving the 60-plus-year-old Warner Robins congregation since February.

“With the vestry, the elder board, with all the people I interviewed with there was a lot of laughter,” he said. “I took that as a good sign that All Saints’’ had a group of people that would be fun to work and do ministry with.”

Petersen said as a new rector it’s a priority to get to know the people of All Saints’ and let them get to know him. But he said this discovery period extends beyond getting to know one another. He said it’s a time when the church is rediscovering its purpose as well as a time to help others outside the church discover All Saints’.

Read more here:

http://www.macon.com/2013/06/12/2512535/new-pastor-leading-all-saints.html#storylink=cpy

Christ Church Anglican faces new opposition

From Georgia-

Members of a church congregation who lost a fight to worship in their longtime home now face a battle over the location of their new sanctuary.

Christ Church Anglican, established by a group that separated from Savannah’s historic Christ Church five years ago over “profound and irreconcilable theological differences” plans to build a sanctuary and parish hall on the northeast corner of Drayton and 37th streets.

Church representatives obtained three of four variance requests for the project Thursday from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

The hearing was contentious, however. The plans pitted church members against neighborhood residents — and neighbors against neighbors in some instances. The project faces additional review by the staff of the Metropolitan Planning Commission and the Savannah city manager's office and could be subject to additional public hearings before construction can begin.

More here-

http://savannahnow.com/exchange/2013-04-26/christ-church-anglican-faces-new-opposition#.UXphjL9Oyp0

Proposed church raises development question on Savannah's Thomas Square

From Savannah-

On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Planning Commission will consider the general development plan for Christ Church Anglican’s proposed new sanctuary and parish house with meeting and education facilities at the northeast corner of Drayton and 37th streets.

It’s a proposal that raises many interesting questions about the role of large-scale institutional development in a mixed-use area where narrower lots are common.

Of course, the Thomas Square neighborhood is already home to a significant number of large churches and institutions, as Christ Church Anglican’s proposal details. Similarly sized structures nearby include the Bull Street Library, New Covenant Church, the Christian Revival Center, Sisters Court Apartments and SCAD’s Wallin and Arnold halls.

Still, Christ Church Anglican is asking for some significant variances. Plus there is the complex matter of an existing historic building on one of the lots that would be combined.

The church building itself requires a 10-foot height variance from the 45-foot maximum in the Thomas Square zoning code and a 1,300-square-foot variance from the 5,500 maximum footprint.

Of course, since the sanctuary would be right against the parish house with a footprint of 5,800 square feet, we’re essentially looking at a footprint of 12,600 square feet. Technically, these are two buildings, but the visual effect will likely be of a single structure with different facades and levels.
More here-

http://savannahnow.com/exchange/2013-04-01/proposed-church-raises-development-question-savannahs-thomas-square#.UVrBq79Oyp0

50th Anniversary of largest clergy arrest

From CT-

Tuesday, August 28, will mark the 50th anniversary of what appears to have been the largest simultaneous arrest and incarceration of clergy in American history. While I have written and spoken on it previously, I don't want this special anniversary to slip by without reminding readers of the turmoil and troubles of that tumultuous era.

The arrests occurred in 1962, and the place was Albany, a city in southwest Georgia. Tensions were high as its sizeable black population challenged rigid segregation and blatant discrimination. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., arrived to encourage the Albany Movement, and soon he, too, was in prison.

Rabbi Israel Dresner and I joined a group that traveled to Washington to ask John F. Kennedy to be more supportive of civil rights and of Dr. King in particular. The president couldn't see us, but as we gathered outside the White House the question was asked: can any of you go to Albany to attend Dr. King's trial? The rabbi and I had become close friends when we were jailed together as Freedom Riders the previous year. We glanced at one another and our hands suddenly shot up. Soon we were on a plane headed to Georgia.

More here-

http://www.myrecordjournal.com/religion/article_e7b821da-e608-11e1-b131-001a4bcf887a.html

Crews work to restore 1868 church bell

From Georgia via Sacramento-

Workers are restoring a 1,250-pound cast bronze bell at one of Georgia's oldest churches.

The historic bell at Christ Episcopal Church is a replacement for one that was melted into Confederate bullets during the Civil War.
The Telegraph reports (http://bit.ly/R4wyFf) that the bell rang for nearly 150 years after that until this year, on Easter Sunday, when it fell out of the bracket holding it.

Church sexton Robert Hubbard said the bell didn't fall far, but about a foot of its lip broke off in two pieces.

Read more here:

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/16/4731518/crews-work-to-restore-1868-church.html#storylink=cpy

Suit settled in case dividing state's oldest Episcopal church

From Georgia-

Christ Church Anglican in Savannah has agreed to settle a four-and-a-half-year legal battle with The Episcopal Church and The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia.

At the heart of the dispute was a lawsuit against CCA, the senior pastor and 14 members of the 2007 vestry – including money damage claims by the diocese against those individuals in excess of $1million. “While we never agreed that our people had any personal liability, we are pleased to see these claims dropped as this threat of personal financial loss has hung over our people for more than four years,” said John Albert, CCA senior warden.

“These parishioners served as volunteer directors on a non-profit 501-C3 board and made decisions to try to stand for their beliefs and fulfill their duty to protect the non-profit corporation they served,” Albert added.


In 2007, Christ Church Anglican, established in 1733 and predating the formation of TEC by 56 years and the TEC Diocese of Georgia by 90 years, conducted a congregational vote by which 87 percent of the congregation supported the vestry’s decision to disaffiliate from TEC over core theological differences.

That decision led to the suit. After the Georgia Supreme Court ruling on Nov. 21, 2011, CCA turned over possession of its three buildings – including the church building constructed in 1840 on Johnson Square –and the parking lot, all worth in excess of $6 million.

More here-

http://www.times-herald.com/religion/20120512Christ-Church-Savannah-MOS

Feuding Episcopal churches settle dispute

From Georgia-

Rival congregations that battled for five years over rights to Georgia's "Mother Church" after splitting in a disagreement over doctrine have settled their lingering legal disputes, both sides said Thursday.


The settlement gives the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia all rights to the property and assets of Christ Church, established by the state's colonial founders in 1733, as well as rights to the names Christ Church Savannah and the Mother Church of Georgia.

The congregation that broke away from the Episcopal Church will take on the name Christ Church Anglican.

Christ Church's pastor and congregation split from the Episcopal Church in 2007, but kept the church's 1840 sanctuary and property.

The breakaway group's leaders argue they left the Episcopal Church following decades of disagreement about doctrine, such as the path to God through Jesus and the importance of evangelization.

More here-

http://www.ajc.com/news/feuding-episcopal-churches-settle-1430852.html

Church and state: Tough question for court

From Savannah-

Once again, Savannah is at the epicenter of the critical constitutional issue of separation of church and state, with far reaching implications to many religious organizations and their members throughout the country.

The recent petition of Christ Church to the U.S. Supreme Court sets the stage for a landmark decision testing the wall of separation between church and state. The issue is whether a national church can claim exclusive rights to local church property based on provisions of national church documents, despite changes in doctrine adopted by the national church.

Since the establishment of the colony, Georgia courts followed the English common law, and consistently held that the right to property in a dispute between a local congregation and a hierarchical, or nationally governed church, was to be decided by a jury based on whether the national church had abandoned or departed from the tenets of faith and practice it held at the time the local church affiliated with it.

This was known as the “departure from doctrine” rule. In 1969, in a landmark case which originated in Savannah involving Hull Memorial Presbyterian Church, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Georgia law, holding that Georgia’s “departure from doctrine” rule violated the First Amendment and that property disputes involving churches could not be based on “ecclesiastical determination.”

Following that decision, Georgia adopted what it styled as a “neutral principles of law” approach to church property ownership, examining four elements relating to church property: Deeds, state statutes, local church charters and national church constitutions.

More here-

http://savannahnow.com/column/2012-04-11/nash-church-and-state-tough-question-court#.T4Vn8piOyfQ

Georgia's ‘Mother Church' fight going to Supreme Court

From Savannah, via Atlanta Journal Constitution- (Links to additional articles at bottom of post)

A Savannah congregation that split from the Episcopal Church in a dispute over homosexuality has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its case over who owns the $3 million property of Georgia's "Mother Church.

" The breakaway congregation has been fighting for years for ownership of Christ Church's downtown Savannah sanctuary, built in 1840. The church was established by Georgia's colonial founders in 1733. The congregation's leaders confirmed Friday they had appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court after exhausting their legal options at the state level.

The breakaway group held onto the downtown Savannah property for more than four years after it left the Episcopal Church in 2007 for affirming its first gay bishop. A long court battle followed, with the Georgia Supreme Court ruling Nov. 21 that the church property rightfully belongs to the Episcopal Church under its governing hierarchy and bylaws. It's uncertain whether the nation's highest court will hear the case.

Leaders of the breakaway group say it warrants attention because there have been more than 50 similar church cases litigated in other states. "You've had different rulings from different jurisdictions," said John Albert, board chairman for the breakaway congregation. "We've always felt like this was going to have to get settled at the Supreme Court level."

More here-

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgias-mother-church-fight-1396613.html

From AP

http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2012-03-23/savannah-church-fight-appealed-supreme-court

From Georgia Public Broadcasting-

http://www.gpb.org/news/2012/03/23/church-dispute-goes-to-supreme-court#

From Savannah Morning News-

http://savannahnow.com/news/2012-03-23/christ-church-savannah-turns-us-court-property-flap#.T225aJiOyfQ

Feeding the hungry, dodging red ink at Emmaus House

From Savannah-

They line up outside the Emmaus House on Reynolds Square before 8:30 a.m. four days a week.

Inside the parish house of Christ Church Episcopal a team of volunteers has already prepared a hot breakfast, waiting for the hungry, largely homeless, customers.

The rules are clear.

“We’re serving guests in our home,” said Kim Bockius-Suwyn, vice president of the board. “If you’ve caused a problem, you can’t return.”

She said clients seem to respect that, adding that a lot of self-policing goes on.

Otherwise, the door is always open.

“We feed anybody,” she said. “You don’t have to prove you are homeless to be fed.”

The Emmaus House formerly served a midday meal, but because it and the Social Apostolate on Liberty Street were serving at the same times, “nobody was serving breakfast,” Bockius-Suwyn said.

More here-

http://savannahnow.com/news/2012-02-10/feeding-hungry-dodging-red-ink-emmaus-house#.TzUahZjMefQ

Christ Church Episcopal seeks contempt against sister congregation

From Georgia-

Christ Church Episcopal may be back home in its Johnson Square building, but squabbling over church property continues.

The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia and Christ Church Episcopal on Monday asked Chatham County Superior Court Chief Judge Michael Karpf to hold the Rev. Marcus Robertson and Christ Church Savannah in contempt of court.

They argue Robertson and Christ Church Savannah have failed to comply with a court order to return a $2 million endowment fund and other property after the two congregations agreed to the return of the historic Johnson Square property in December.

The civil action alleges Christ Church Savannah, the Anglican congregation, has refused to relinquish control of such items as the endowment fund held by the Savannah Bank, corporate, business and other records, the domain name and website www.christchurchsavannah.org.

It also argues the Anglican congregation has failed to relinquish the names “Christ Church Savannah” and “The Mother Church of Georgia” despite three court rulings against them.

The motion filed by attorney James Elliott of Valdosta asks that Robertson and his group be cited for contempt of court and enjoined from continuing to hold the items cited from the diocese and Episcopal congregation.

More here-

http://savannahnow.com/news/2012-02-01/christ-church-episcopal-seeks-contempt-against-sister-congregation#.TykoPpjMefQ