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ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH • ORDINARY TIME • FALL 2020
I write this introduction for the fall issue of The Shield as an urgent exhortation to our membership. In the spirit of our Lord’s grace and peace and with passionate concern for your souls, I urge you to fresh self-examination of your commitment to God in light of the prolonged nature of the coronavirus pandemic. Many are necessarily constrained from engaging the church in person. But I encourage all to consider the various available means by which you can ac-tively connect with the life of St. George’s in the new program year upon us.
For reasons that are entirely understandable given all the necessary health precautions of recent months, we may have many formerly active church members who have fallen away from parish life. In this matter St. George’s is hardly alone. I have seen national survey data of American churches from this summer indicating that one-third of self-identified “ac-tive church goers” have had zero self-initiated engagement (including online) with their local congregation since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic. That is a staggering and sobering statistic. It is also one that feels about right from my sense of things at St. George’s. Now is the time to re-en-gage. It is not just that St. George’s needs your engagement. It is that you need to engage Christ, and Christ is present in the ministries we share together as a parish family.
I am proud of the many creative ways that parish leadership has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have worked hard to provide ample and simple ways by which parishio-ners can engage the gospel as well as one another whether in person, from home, or in our neighborhoods. While we have hardly been perfect in these trying times, I do feel that St. George’s has been a leading church in responding energetically to the pandemic.
As you read this issue of The Shield, I hope you will be inspired to participate in one or more of the important ministries of St. George’s this fall.
I know from my own personal history that it is as easy to get out of good habits as it is easy to get into bad ones. Be
mindful of how routines have shifted in recent months, perhaps unintentionally. The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted life for all of us. It has certainly disrupted life for religious organizations all over. With churches across North America, St. George’s is living through dramatic changes in the ways we worship, engage, serve, and communicate with one another. It is not just that these are unusual times. It is that we are entering into new ways of being church that will irrevocably shape the future of our parish life into the years to come. And yet one senses opportunity for new growth, new things of God emerging from the fallout. The beginning of this fall season seems a very good time to step back and consider anew what our deepest loyalties and commitments truly are.
The people of God have a rich history of adapting faithfully if fitfully to epochal change. The Book of Joshua represents such a hinge in Israel’s history. It is the story of the tribes of Israel transitioning out of their long experience of wilderness wanderings in the Sinai Desert to their settlement as a holy nation in the Land of Canaan. At the end of the book and before his death, Joshua delivers a farewell address to the people. It set within the context of a covenant renewal worship service. Movingly, he stands before the people and says, “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt. Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve…” (Joshua 24.14-15).
What is striking is that Joshua acknowledges that not all may end up serving the Lord, and the exhortation invites honesty with one’s self that this is so. “Choose this day whom you will serve.” It is a decision we have all been given responsibility to make on our own. More than at any time since I have been here, my prayer is that more and more of us will heed the call to put away loyalty and dedication to gods that are not God and renew our covenant to serve the Lord through St. George’s. How you choose to respond to His grace and truth really is up to you.
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A NOTE FROM THE RECTOR ABOUT FALL PROGRAMMING
In consideration of the various ministries of the parish offered this fall, it is important that we are especially focused and avoid a cafeteria approach to ministry at this time. I’d like to emphasize two in particular.
First, I urge you to remember as always that worship is our first order of ministry. While limited in-person worship is working well for us in this strange season, many will need to continue worshiping from home via our online presence. In either case, make this a Christian priority, mindful that it may be many weeks or months before we are all back together for large in-person worship services. One might say that prolonged dis-engagement from Christian worship is to the spirit what prolonged famine is to the body. Without nourishment, we die.
Second, I hope you will consider partici-pating in our new small group curriculum, Essentials: The Gospel According to Mark. This is not just another repackaged version of discipleship groups at St. George’s. It is a robust and urgent response to extraordinary circumstances when Christians should be committed to growing in grace with Scripture as our guide and with companions on the way. Now is a very auspicious time to commit again to deepening our faith and supporting one another in this ministry. RLS+
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
LETTER FROM THE RECTOR
WORSHIPING IN NEW WAYS
ENGAGE CHRIST & COMMUNITY
ENGAGING IN PRAYER PARTNERSHIPS
CHILDREN’S FALL OFFERINGS
MEET OUR CONSTRUCTION TEAM
A CONVERSATION WITH BROOKS & BRET MOORE
SPOTLIGHT: BUENA VISTA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
NEWS AND NOTES
NOW MORE THAN EVER
FINANCIALS
INREACH
BOOK NOOK
TRANSITIONS
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ORDINARY TIME • FALL 2020
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Worshiping In New Ways by the Rev. Colin Ambrose
Worship is the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation
with ourselves and attend to the presence of God. Worship is the time and place that we assign for deliberate attentiveness to God—not because He’s confined to time and place but because our self-importance is so insidi-ously relentless that if we don’t deliberately interrupt ourselves regularly, we have no chance of attending to Him at all at other times and in other places. Eugene Peterson, Leap Over a Wall
More than ever, during this current
moment, we need to be centering
our attention on Christ. Times of un-
certainty cause us to be preoccupied
with ourselves—preoccupied with
our insecurities, our anxieties, and
our fears. Even without a worldwide
pandemic we tend to make our-
selves the focus of our attention. The
solution is to shift our attention to
Christ. Worship is the antidote. As
Peterson writes, worship interrupts
our preoccupation with ourselves
by focusing our attention on the
presence of God. Worship reorients
us. It draws us out of ourselves, into
deeper relationship with God and
one another.
Ironically, the nature of the COVID-19
pandemic has restricted our ability
to worship together at the exact
moment when we need it most.
The pandemic has forced us to be
“socially distant.” Many of us need
to remain close to home. Those of
us who do venture out must do so
carefully, keeping a safe distance
from others. Because of the pan-
demic, the traditional ways we have
worshiped God as a community are
no longer possible.
Despite the challenges and changes
wrought by the pandemic, worship
continues at St. George’s. Unable
to gather in our traditional ways, we
have sought to develop new ways
to honor God. We are worshiping in
parking lots and in backyards. We
are worshiping on our computers
and through our TVs. We are seeking
to attend to worship in creative and
faithful ways.
More than ever, during this current
moment we need to be centering
our attention on Christ. Instead of
saying, “I’ll come back to worship
when the pandemic is over,” find
a safe way to worship with us now.
Let worship reorient you. Let wor-
ship anchor you in the promises of
Christ. Let worship draw you into
deeper relationship with God and
one another. Join us as we attend to
the presence of God in our lives as a
church. Engage Now.
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For more detailed information about these or other offerings
please visit our website stgeorgesnashville.org.
These past few months, as COVID-19 has largely changed the way we interact in society, I have been reflecting on what the church is called to be.
The word for ‘church’ in the Greek of the New Testament is ekklesia, literally meaning “called out from” or “the-called out ones.” The church is a people, called out, to be God’s chosen community, his covenant people who will reveal who he is to the rest of the world. This is not to say that place and the physical spaces for worship are not important, because they certainly are! Simply, church is primarily understood as a people in relationship with God and with one another.
I would like to push our understanding of church one step deeper. While it is easy to acknowledge the church as people, it is more difficult to recognize these people as family. However, this is exactly the language that is used throughout Scripture to describe the dynamics of the Church.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
1 John 3:1
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so
in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 12:4-5
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strang-ers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also
members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as
the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in
the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Ephesians 2:19-22
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
1 Corinthians 12:27
Through Christ, we are each called children of God, each members of his household, each a unique part of one body. From every newborn baby to the ninety-nine-year-old senior, we are all bound together as one family in the household of God. As such, we are called to en-courage, love, support, and serve one another. All ages mutually grow, mature, and preserve together as God’s kingdom people.
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ENGAGING THROUGH
PRAYERPARTNERSHIP
BY SADIE ZORADI
WAYS FOR YOUTH TO ENGAGE RIGHT NOWUP: Worship Sunday Youth Group Beginning September 13 from 5-6:30pm: Bring your own dinner and spend time with one another as we remain socially distant! There will be teaching, worship, games, and discussion. Due to space and COVID-19 precautions, this is in replace-ment of our normal Sunday and Wednesday offerings. Youth Worship Leaders There are a variety of ways for youth to serve in worship and enrich the lives of our community. Acolytes and lectors participate in different liturgical elements of the ser-vice and Choristers sing regularly and participate in special programs. Confirmation Students take ownership of their faith, affirm their baptismal promises, and make a mature commitment to Christ. Open to all 7th-12 graders who have been baptized. Confirmation will take place in the spring semester this year.
IN: Discipleship Prayer Partnership Join us as we learn to pray for one another and develop intergenerational relation-ships within our community. We will pair each youth with one adult from the church who will commit to praying for them for one school year.Small Groups Beginning in September, as a church we will be going through the Gospel of Mark together. Youth are invited to join grade-level Zoom small groups to participate. Events Family Kickoff: 9/13 Harvest Dinner: 10/4 Churchball: Nov-Feb Ski Retreat: 1/15-1/18 Pancake Supper: 2/16 Youth Sunday: 5/3
*All events subject to change*
OUT: Mission Our Little Roses, Honduras Our annual summer mission trip to OLR is a life-transforming trip that gives our youth a glimpse into another culture and teaches them about the global body of Christ and how to love others across boundaries. Monthly Service Opportunities We want to provide opportunities for our youth to live out their faith in our local com-munity by serving others. Be on the lookout for creative monthly service events as we strive to bear the light of Christ here in Nashville even during these uncertain times.
*Please visit our website for more details, stgeorgesnashville.org/youth
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Each generation has a vital role and function within the body. Adults bring wisdom, love, guidance, and en-couragement to the younger generation. The younger generation brings curiosity, energy, excitement, and joy to refresh our older generations.
It is not surprising then that one of the key indicators of whether a youth will develop a mature faith into adult-hood is if they had multiple intergenerational relation-ships within their home church community. As I think back on my own life, I only came to know Christ because various adults in my life taught me about who Jesus is, helped me wrestle with my faith, and continuously invested in my life. As you reflect on your own faith, I am confident that you will find key people who helped draw you closer to God.
Research has shown that youth are leaving the Church at a rate of 40-50% after high school. We are sending youth into the wider world unprepared to wrestle with their doubts and live out their faith. We must reclaim a rela-tionally driven discipleship process across generations to provide the tools and stability for youth to navigate their faith and the world around them.
Reflecting on our understanding of the church in this new season, where many of us must remain distanced, how can we build these essential relationships across generations of our church community? In Allen and Ross’ book, Intergenerational Christian Formation, they state, “Intergenerational ministry occurs when a congregation intentionally brings the generations together in mutual sharing or learning within the core activities of the church in order to live out being the body of Christ to each other and the greater community.” We must be intentional about our commitment to build one another up in the body of Christ.
With this in mind, we excited about launching the Prayer Partnership Campaign. Our hope is that this partner-ship will build up the next generation of Christians by intentionally investing in intergenerational relationships through the power of prayer. The goal is to pair our youth and children with an adult prayer partner who commits to praying and connecting with their partner throughout the school year. This can be a simple text message, email, note of encouragement, or even a Zoom call! The goal is to steadily build a relationship together with prayer operating as the bridge in your relationship. For more details of this partnership, visit our website. We hope that you will consider becoming a prayer partner—our future depends on it.
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Children play during a recent outdoor worship service.
In addition to helping parents raise their children in the love and knowl-edge of God, we want to help keep you and your families as safe as we
can. COVID-19 has up-ended many of our daily routines, our Sunday worship included. Until we can meet again in person, we will continue to offer a variety of ways to engage and educate our pre-cious families and children through online media. Please know that we are hard at work praying for you and eagerly antici-pating being together in person when it is safe.
For questions about any of these offerings or for more information, contact Cate Jones at [email protected] or visit our website at stgeorgesnashville.org.
Prayer Partnership: As you may have seen elsewhere in this publication, a major church initiative is our intergenerational Prayer Partnership. We believe every child needs a team of adults to intentionally invest in their lives through prayer! Particularly in a time when we have to remain distanced from our church community, our vision is that this will enrich and build up the lives of our children, youth, and adults as we invest in a culture of prayer, mentorship, and intergenerational relationships.
Please visit our website for a link to sign
your child up for the Prayer Partnership campaign.
Sunday SchoolHere at St. George’s our children’s groups follow a curriculum from LifeWay called The Gospel Project (TGP). Through TGP, our children in pre-k through 6th grade will discover how the gospel story is wo-ven through Scripture – from Genesis through Revelation. We see how the gos-pel transforms everything – our hearts, our actions, and our world.
While we are worshiping at home rather than in person, you will be able to find a weekly Sunday School video full of joy, learning, singing, and crafting. A new vid-eo will be posted every Sunday morning, but you can find all them on our website or St. George’s YouTube Channel in case you miss one.
Monthly Packets:The first Tuesday of every month you can stop by church for a packet of supplies to supplement each week’s Sunday School video – each packet will contain a sum-mery, discussion questions, craft supplies, and activity pages for each lesson of the month.
Weekly Family Devotional: MondaysThis fall our family devotional video will take us through the book of Mark. Start-
ing Monday September 14, join Cate for a short devotional for the whole family to watch together. Each week focuses on a chapter or two in Mark, where we exam-ine a story, wonder about its significance for our lives, and challenge ourselves to grow in faith and knowledge.
Email Cate Jones at [email protected] if you would like to have the video emailed to you. Other-wise, videos cam be found on our web-site or YouTube channel. Wednesday Night Wayfinders:Wednesdays at 5:00pmThe first Wednesday of every month our 5th and 6th graders gather at 5:00pm on Zoom for game night – an hour of fun, fellowship, and friendly competition. Contact Cate Jones at [email protected] to let her know your child would like to attend and to receive the Zoom meeting link. Storytime with Thea:Fridays at 10:00amStarting in September, you can join Cate and her furry goldendoodle, Thea, as they read a story together to find out more about God and how we can love him and others. Videos will be posted on our website every Friday morning at 10am, but you can find them anytime on St. George’s YouTube channel.
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THIS FALL OFFERS A VARIETY OF WAYS TO ENGAGE CHILDREN AT ST. GEORGE’S
MEET OUR CONSTRUCTION TEAM
BOB SARRATT Parishioner and President The Parent Company Legacy Hall
As Project Manager for Legacy Hall, Bob brings his experience to bear supporting the superintendent in the field with material, resources, subcontractors, and information to build the project, along with maintaining the budget and schedule for the work.
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JASON CLARKEProject ManagerNave Renovation
Jason manages the Nave project schedule
and budget. He works daily with subcon-
tractors, the architect, and church to identify
and mitigate potential issues to ensure proj-
ect is delivered on time and in budget.
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St. George’s is blessed to have some of the most talented peo-
ple in the construction business right under our own roof—so
to speak! From the time that this project was just a tiny seed
of a dream to today when we are in full blown building mode
we have had people of character, intellect, wit, and years of expertise
guiding us through challenges, pitfalls, and the excitement of seeing a
project come to life. We would love for you to meet the team of capable
leaders making our dream a reality one brick, stone, and nail at a time.
BUTCH DUNIVENTProject Superintendent Legacy Hall
Butch is “the job site boss” for all of Legacy Hall. Dunivent oversees all subcontractors, keeps the schedule, and maintains safe working conditions. Butch is very familiar with St. George’s as he also worked on the Living Waters restoration and renovation after the flood.
CAM SORENSON
As senior warden in 2018, Cam was an integral part of our
project from day one. He is the Chairman of the
St. George’s Building Committee and in this role he makes
sure that our interests are well represented and that our
project stays on track from a time and budget perspec-
tive. This is no easy feat considering that we have two
very distinct projects—the Nave renovation and Legacy
Hall—underway at the same time with two contractors.
JOHNNY PHIPPSParishioner and Owner of Phipps Construction Co.Nave Renovation
Johnny oversaw the initial budgeting and
worked with the church and architect
during design phase to stay within budget
and schedule.
MIKE WINE Project SuperintendentNave Renovation
Mike coordinates and pushes daily work on
site in the Nave with subcontractors while
maintaining safe working conditions and
quality assurance.
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Neighborhood Groups gather over the summer.
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Q. Since the pandemic settled in over Nash-
ville, Neighborhood Groups have become an
important part of St. George’s ability to stay
connected to each other and our community.
How did you become involved in a Neighbor-
hood Group? What drew you to the mission?
A. We live in Forest Hills along with many
other St. George’s families. While we are
in close geographical proximity, that does
not necessarily lend itself to face to face
interaction particularly as the lockdown set
in. When we learned of the neighborhood
groups being formed, we were immediately
drawn to the opportunity of personal inter-
action and worship with other like-minded
adults, even if it is in a virtual setting.
Q. Has your involvement in a Neighborhood
Group changed your perspective on how we
are able to be a church in a time like this? Has
it changed or enriched your life in any way?
A. Indeed. We all attempt to be good Chris-
tians in our everyday life activities. That
said, right or wrong, in some ways we viewed
“the church” as a location or destination for
worship and fellowship. Today, that perspec-
tive has been significantly altered as we now
regularly welcome the church into our home
along with the camaraderie of our nearby
neighbors.
Q. What would you say to those folks who
are not yet a part of a Neighborhood Group?
Any words of advice or wisdom?
A. For us, and I suspect many at St. George’s,
we have a wonderful friend group within the
church that we interact with on a regular
basis during normal times. Obviously that
opportunity has been limited during the lock-
down but as one door closes another one
opens. That has been our experience with
our Neighborhood Group. We have become
more intimately connected with some who
we knew from afar and others that we did
not know at all. It has become a place for
us to laugh, cry, and generally support each
other during these difficult times. In addition
to our Zoom sessions, we have had driveway
happy hours and backyard worship. For our
family it has been a much needed opportu-
nity to bring the church to life in our home
when we cannot otherwise do so at our
church “destination.”
Q. Finally, as a family with young children—
what sort of things are you and your family
doing to survive during this time of social
distancing and pandemic? Any good books,
movies, games, activities keeping you sane?
A. Thank God for the pool during this sum-
mer of lockdown! While camps and other
normal summer activities were cancelled, our
family became a fixture at the pool. In addi-
tion, this has been an opportunity to engage
our children in card and board games like Go
Fish, Pictionary, and Charades. One of our
girls’ newfound favorite activities is a thing
called Kinetic Sand. It is like play dough but
not as messy! While this has certainly been
a trying time, in many ways it has been a
welcome blessing of opportunity to connect
with our children and do things with them
that we may not have otherwise done in our
normal everyday “busy” lives.
A C O N V E R S AT I O N W I T H
BROOKS&BRET MOORE
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NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS
Groups for neighbors to build relationships, love one another,
and worship together.
What a blessing it is to be able to gather safely for communion and community. At a time when folks may feel uncomfortable with tradition-al in-person worship, St. George’s Neighborhood Groups are a great opportunity to encounter the life-giv-ing experience of worship in our backyards—and much more! Neigh-borhood groups are forming to “Be Church in Our Neighborhoods.”
If you are interested in learning more about this initiative or want to be connected to a Neighborhood Group please contact Martha Rodes at [email protected].
I believe God has an extraordinary purpose for St. George’s in these times. Now is a significant oppor-tunity to be as the Good Samaritan to those near us, helping heal the wounded by the extension of simple Christian presence, generosity, and prayer (Luke 10:25-37). More than ever, we are called to minister in those places that we can actually in-fluence – the people God has phys-ically placed around us next door and across the street—such that iso-lation gives way to neighborliness, unfamiliarity gives way to friendship, and fear gives way to faith.
—the Rev. Dr. R. Leigh Spruill
SPOTLIGHT
BUENA VISTAELEMENTARY
SCHOOLBY CHARLOTTE WARD
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St. George’s partnership with Buena Vista Ele-mentary School, locat-
ed in North Nashville, began approximately three years ago. Parishioner, Luanne Waltemath, created the Light on Literacy Missional Community with the purpose of becoming reading partners and lunch buddies with students at the school. Once engaged, Luanne and her missional community realized the needs were much greater than tutoring, and their efforts expanded. Buena Vista’s great-est challenges included poverty, absenteeism, mobility (stu-dents entering/leaving school throughout the year), and teach-er turnover. In addition to read-ing partners and lunch buddies, the Light on Literacy Missional Community assisted with addi-tional initiatives such as creating a Christmas Store/Good Behav-ior Shopping Store for students,
providing teacher appreciation lunches, and hosting a fourth grade graduation celebration. Over the past three years, Buena Vista has been the beneficiary of St. George’s Lenten Drive where food for an emergency pantry, as well as books and uniform needs, were collected.
In March of 2020, the Buena Vista community was impacted by a devastating tornado that traveled through Nashville. The following Sunday, St. George’s collected more than $14,000 through a tornado relief of-fering. A portion of these funds were immediately used to provide grocery gift cards to Buena Vista families whose greatest need was food. With the onset of COVID-19, and many families unable to work, food continued to be a pressing need for this community. On June 20, 2020, a Pantry Day was held at Buena Vista Elementary
School. Over 25 St. George’s parishioners helped make the Buena Vista Pantry Day a success. More than 100 families in the Buena Vista community were able to shop for bags of pantry items as well as receive fresh fruit, milk, and eggs. In June, Nashville Metro Schools announced the merger ofBuena Vista Elementary with Jones Paideia Magnet Elemen-tary. St. George’s Outreach Committee has brainstormed many ideas of ways to expand the relationship with these communities, including an after school music program and a joint fellowship time with St. George’s children and youth. As the 2020-21 school year begins with distance learning, there are many areas of uncer-tainty. However, in looking ahead, there is great opportunity to deepen the relationship be-tween St George’s and the Buena Vista/Jones Paideia community.
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Our friends at St. George’s have a heart
for our students and community. I know
this because they are always here, always
willing, and always a phone call away.
They show up for us with full and will-
ing hearts. The donations and support
for our events such as the food pantry
days and toy drive are always more than
expected. The smiles, words of encour-
agement, volunteers, and prayers are
real, palpable extensions of God’s love
for all people. Our St. George’s friends
come with pure hearts. This partnership
has quickly become one of our favorites
because it helps us make equitable educa-
tional opportunities accessible for our kid-
dos. St. George’s makes it easier for our
students to show up every day ready to
learn. We could not do this work without
the love and support shown to our fami-
lies and community by this very generous,
loving, and caring congregation.
Principal Myra Taylor
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A Note fromThe Principal
Buena Vista is now known as Jones Paideia after the merger of the two schools.
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ST. GEORGE’S PANTRY DAY
St. George’s Pantry Day to benefit the community of Buena Vista Elementary School was a big success! Thank you to all who donated over 250 bags of non-perishable food and approximately 300 new and gently used children’s books. Donated funds were used to purchase fresh fruit, milk, bread, and eggs. Approximately 100 families in the Buena Vista community, who have been affected by the tornadoes and COVID-19, were able to fill their bags with food, books, and receive a $10 Kroger gift card to use towards fresh meat, baby formula or other needs. Thank you to the over 25 parishioners who’s help made this event possible.
VIRTUAL PRIME TIME
St. George’s Senior Ministries hosted the first ever virtual Prime Time with over 40 households tuning in for the program. We look forward to being back to Prime Time in person. In the meantime, we are excited about continuing this always educational and interesting programing online!
ROMAN VLCEK PROMOTED
Our very own Roman Vlcek assumed the promotional role as St. George’s Facilities Manager on August 1. As it happens, August 1 was Roman’s 12th anniversary of his first day with us on August 1, 2008! Roman is a familiar, friendly and always helpful face and we are blessed to have him in this capacity.
FARMERS MARKET SUMMER SUCCESS
Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, St. George’s Farmers Market had an incredibly successful season this year with fresh vegetables, Roadhouse BBQ, The Peach Truck, fresh flowers, popsicles, and much more. Thank you to all the parishioners and neighbors alike who support this fun and important ministry of St. George’s.
ST. GEORGE’S HAS GONE ROGUE!
Earlier this year a group of “Retired Old Guys” led by the Rev. Richard Kew and Frank Hammer started a group called the ROGUES (Retired Old Guys Unpaid Executive Services) to help guide parishioners in need of legal, financial, real estate, or other business support or direc-tion—all free of charge. We are grateful for this dynamic group of men looking to lend a helping hand.
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Now More Than EverTherefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering
produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit
that has been given to us.
Romans 5: 1 – 5
We are incredibly honored to be serving as the St. George’s Stewardship 2021 Campaign Chairs, but—truth be told—our initial reaction was this year? 2020 has certainly been one for
the ages for all of us. It began with a tornado, then a global pandemic and quarantine, then another devastating storm (we learned the term “derecho”), then riots and demonstrations, and a looming turbulent election. As we create this message, it is June of 2020, and we are won-dering what’s next? Apparently killer hornets and a dust wave from the Sahara Desert in the mix!
Throughout all of this, construction has continued at St. George’s. While this has been a rather smooth process, it has not been without challenges to our parish family.
On a personal note, we have a son getting married at St. George’s just after the kick-off of this Stewardship campaign, and we are chairing a fundraiser four days after his wedding! Do we really need to add this campaign to the mix?
The answer, of course, is absolutely. The constant throughout all of this turmoil and activity is our faith, and the steadfast blessing of St. George’s Episcopal Church. Our family’s life has been cen-tered here: our marriage, baptism, kindergarten, Sunday school, youth programs, committees, Bible studies, mission work, friendships, celebrations, and comfort during trying times. Our finan-cial stewardship to this central part of our lives is a commitment to ensuring that it has a vibrant future! God has blessed us in so many ways, we cannot help but joyfully give back.
The verse above mentions tribulations, perseverance, character, and hope. This hope has come in all forms in these trying times. We have all seen many blessings that have come from this trial. We have witnessed sacrifice, kindness to our neighbors, volunteering, increased family time, silly videos, creativity, and the list goes on. We have worshiped via our computers and in parking lots. We have gathered through Zoom meetings. We all share the hope that we will return to happy, free times. And we look forward to a return to worship—together as one!
Now, more than ever, we need to share that hope with St. George’s. Because hope does not disappoint.
Gage & Shelly Logan, 2021 Stewardship Chairs
Our financial stewardship to this central part of our lives is a commitment to ensuring that it has a vibrant future!
God has blessed us in so many ways, we cannot help
but joyfully give back.
20
We are blessed to have near-
ly 1,400 member families at St.
George’s Episcopal Church. More
than 50 percent of those families
made a pledge to the church for
2020. Thank you! Since 2016, we
have seen a 15 percent increase
in numbers of member families
pledging. However, our dollars
contributed have remained rel-
atively flat, with pledges totaling
about $3,556,000. We are excited
to see the opening of our newly
constructed spaces in 2021 and
hope you will consider a new or
increased pledge to support the
ongoing ministries of St. George’s.
21
FINANCIALS
ACTUAL BUDGET PRIOR YEAR
2222
23
20%OFF
BIRTHSLiam Charles Connolly,
son of Molly and Matthew ConnollyEleanor Paige Garrett,
daughter of Emily and Stephen GarrettConstance Reade Meadors,
daughter of Graham and Porter MeadorsBenjamin Hobson Vogel,
son of Sarah and Stephen Vogel
BAPTISMSWilliam Shepherd Barr,
son of Caroline and the Rev. David BarrKatherine Blair Decker,
daughter of Emma and Will DeckerElizabeth Halliday Stephens,
daughter of Sara and Byron Stephens
DEATHSJohn Burch
Keith DeMossLois Holt
Alan McLeodJane E. Miller
Mary Knox PilkertonVirginia Potter
Mary Ellen Ragan
WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!
Cal AlexanderMolly and Jesse Bronaugh
Ashleigh and Andrew RichardEmerson Spicher Scales
Katie and Tom SteeleBetty and Ed Thackston
FALL 2020
23
Non Profit Org.U.S. Postage
PAIDNashville, TN
Permit No. 1228
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PhotographySpecial thanks to Warner Tidwell for many
of the beautiful photos throughout this issue of The Shield.
The Sunset Service
