The Episcopal Diocese of Georgia plans to sell its office building and move personnel into a shuttered church building due to a myriad of issues, including the expenses involved in maintaining its headquarters.
Georgia Bishop Frank Logue stated in a recent message to the diocese that the planned sale of the office building will “eliminate all debt on our balance sheet while adding more than $1 million in investments to support the diocesan budget.”
“I am writing to let you know that the Standing Committee has concurred with my decision to sell our current Diocesan office on 34th Street in Savannah and to move to a new Episcopal Center in the former St. Michael and All Angels building on Washington Avenue and Waters Avenue in Savannah,” explained Logue.
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The St. Michael and All Angels parish had closed down in July of last year, following a vote by the vestry to shutter the congregation. According to Logue, it was important to keep the church building.
“We did not want to lose this prime location in Savannah, but a more serious concern, not immediately evident, was the burials on the grounds and in the courtyard of the church,” Logue continued.
“The benefits of the new location include having more ample parking and better, more accessible meeting spaces for diocesan gatherings while maintaining existing ministry services in the area including operating a food pantry and providing space for community groups to gather.”
Logue believed that the sale and the move “is about focusing on what matters most” while also doing something “that eliminates debt and increases our investments in the Board of the Corporation as well as our investments in our neighbors.”
“I believe this move is an important witness that will advance the Gospel,” he concluded.
Over the past several years, as with many other religious groups in the United States, The Episcopal Church has witnessed considerable decline in its membership and active attendance.
According to a report from last September, the Episcopal Church lost more than 90,000 members in 2022, putting its membership at approximately 1.58 million, well below the nearly 2 million members reported in 2010.
The considerable decrease in members and support has impacted the number of dioceses within the denomination, with Episcopal News Service reporting that “a series of diocesan mergers” were approved at the 81st Episcopal Church General Convention in June.
These included the merging of three regional bodies to form the Diocese of Wisconsin, two Michigan-based regional bodies forming the Diocese of the Great Lakes, and the Micronesia area mission combining with the Diocese of Hawai’i.
Additionally, reported ENS, dioceses of Central Pennsylvania and Bethlehem are considering a merger into one regional body, as are the dioceses of Indianapolis and Northern Indiana.
