St. Andrew's Messenger Week of Christmas I

The Most Rev'd Leonard Wayne Riches, who served as Presiding Bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church from 1996-2014, as Bishop Ordinary of the Diocese of the Northeast and MId-Atlantic from 1984-2008, and also served as acting Bishop of the Diocese of the Southeast following the death of the Rt. Rev'd James C. West, Jr., in May 2006 until the consecration of Bishop Alphonza Gadsden, Sr., in November 2007, (and, hence, was for a season my own bishop), died yesterday at the age of eighty five after a long bout with cancer. He was born in Philadelphia in 1939 and was baptized at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church as a child and later joined the Memorial Church of Our Redeemer (Reformed Episcopal) and later still Calvary Reformed Episcopal Church (all in Philadelphia), where he was formed by the Rev'd William H.S. Jerdan, who would later serve as Bishop of what is now the Diocese of the Southeast and Presiding Bishop. He graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Princeton University, where his roommate was noted theologian John Frame, and earned the Bachelor of Divinity from Reformed Episcopal Seminary, and later did further graduate study at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia.

He married his wife Barbara in 1964, the same year that he was ordained deacon. Following his ordination as presbyter the following year he served parishes in Pennsylvania and New York before being consecrated bishop in what would become the Diocese of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic in 1975, serving first as Assistant Bishop, later as Bishop Co-Adjutor, and eventually becoming Bishop Ordinary in 1984. He also instructed in Liturgy and Theology at Reformed Episcopal Seminary from 1965-2015, at which time he was named Professor Emeritus. He was also visiting professor at Cranmer Theological House and Sangre de Christo Seminary and was awarded honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from Reformed Episcopal Seminary and Cranmer Theological House.

Bishop Riches' tenure as Presiding Bishop was a time of the Reformed Episcopal Church in many ways rediscovering her Anglican heritage and building connections with other faithful Anglicans. When the Anglican Church in North America was constituted in 2009 the Reformed Episcopal Church was a Founding Jurisdiction and Bishop Riches, as the senior ACNA Bishop, oversaw the enthronement of Archbishop Robert Duncan. Bishop Riches is survived by his wife Barbara, who herself is struggling with dementia, and his sons Leonard W. Riches, Jr., the Rev'd Canon Dr. Jonathan S. Riches, as well as numerous other family members.

I thank God for the faithful ministry of Leonard Wayne Riches.

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This week in the Reformed Episcopal Board of Foreign Missions Cycle of Prayer we pray:

• for the conversion of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, the Holy Land, Palestine, and all the nations of the Middle East

• The Rev’d Canon Daryl Fenton, Fr. David Pileggi, and the ministry of CMJ (the Church's Ministry Among Jewish People), and of Christ Church Jerusalem

• Episcopal visit to the Cuba’s Central Region Deanery

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Christmastide at St. Andrew's Church

Wednesday, 1 January 2025: 12pm The Circumcision of Christ Said Holy Communion

Sunday, 5 January 2025: 10:30am Christmas II Holy Communion

Monday, 6 January 2025: 12pm Epiphany Said Holy Communion

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From our Organist/Choirmistress Laura Solomons:

Dear St. Andrew's Parish,

Thank you for your generous Christmas gift and for the many generous gifts in the past. It has been a blessing to play for our parish. Happy New Year to you all!

Laura Solomons

to which I (Drew) add my own thanks. The appreciation that this parish so frequently shows is a tremendous encouragement and makes it a joy to minister here.

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The Men's Lunch will meet at 11:30am on Tuesday 31 December at BowTie Barbecue Company, 6724 Waters Avenue.

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Cranmer Theological House, the seminary of the Mid-America Diocese of the REC, has agreed to start a local seminary cohort at Christ the King Church in Marrietta, and CTH has just scheduled their first class for the Atlanta seminary cohort! Bishop Ray Sutton will teach an intensive class from January 3rd through January 5th (Friday through Sunday). The course is "Anglicanism" and will use the texts Re-Formed Catholic Anglicanism by Camlin, Erlandson, and Harper, and Deep Anglicanism by McDermott. You can find the full syllabus and more details at https://www.christthekingatl.com/anglicanism-class

Meals, breaks, and the Daily Offices intersperse the schedule. The schedule for the class is as follows. Friday, January 3, 12pm to 7pm Saturday, 4 January, 8:30am to 7pm Sunday, 5 January, 11:30am to 3:30pm All are welcome to take this class, either for credit ($625) or for audit ($250). If you need financial assistance in order to take this course, please reach out to the Rev'd Canon Tony Melton directly. If you've never thought of taking a seminary course, CTH offers certificate programs that take 1-2 years that are specifically designed for lay people wanting to learn the Faith at a deeper level. If you have any questions about the course, reach out directly to Canon Melton at
tmelton@christthekingatl.com

When you RSVP on this Evite, someone from CTK will contact you to help you get registered with Cranmer Theological House and make payment.
Please RSVP at https://evite.me/UwjqD79US6

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St. John's Church, in cooperation with Nashotah House, will be offering Prayer Book Catholicism, a class that is available for seminary credit or audit, 20-24 January, instructed by the Rev'd Gavin Dunbar, the Rev'd Jonathan Jameson, and Dr. Drew Keane, who got rave reviews when he spoke to our Sunday School class recently. For more information, please see the above flyer.

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The first concert in what is hoped will be an ongoing musical outreach will be held by Savannah Baroque, a local Early Music ensemble, at 7pm on Friday, 31 January 2025. Admission will be free, although an offering will be taken up. If you would like to donate you may do so by check; please designate "Music Series" on the memo line.

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The 2025 Anglican Way Conference, sponsored by the Prayer Book Society of the United States will be held at St. John's Church here in Savannah on 20-21 February. The theme will be "These Holy Mysteries: What Anglicans Think About the Eucharist."

Among the speakers will be:

Dr. Torrence Kirby

Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Director of the Center for Research on Religion, McGill University

The Rev'd Dr. Samuel Fornecker

Associate Rector, St. Andrew's Anglican Church, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina; Instructor and Director of Seminary Programs, The Ridley Institute

Dr. Neil Robertson

Associate Professor in the Foundation Year, Early Modern Studies, and Contemporary Studies Programs at The University of King's College

The Most Rev'd Peter Robinson

Presiding Bishop of the United Episcopal Church in North America, Ordinary of the Missionary Diocese of the East, and Vicar of Good Shepherd Anglican Church in Waynesboro, Virginia

Dr. Drew N. Keane

Instructor in English, Georgia Southern University and Co-Editor of The 1662 Book of Common Prayer: International Edition

The Rev'd Gavin Dunbar

President of the Prayer Book Society and Rector of St. John's Church, Savannah.

The Rev'd Canon Dr. Ashley Null

Canon Theologian of the Anglican Province of Alexandria and Chairman of the Wittenberg Center for Reformation Studies in Wittenberg, Germany

The Rev'd Porter Taylor

Rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd, Augusta, Georgia.

For a limited time registration will be discounted $50 and will include a complimentary subscription to The Anglican Way magazine.

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St. Luke's Anglican Church on Hilton Head will be sponsoring a conference on 27 February -1 March with the theme "To Be Human: Ourselves, Our Souls, Our Bodies: Life & Living in the Image of God." Speakers will include:

The Rev'd. Dr. Hans Boersma
Saint Benedict Servants of Christ Chair in Ascetical Theology at Nashotah House Theological Seminary
Research Professor of Theology, Regent College

Mr. Warren Cole Smith
President, Ministry Watch
Former Vice President and Associate Publisher of World Magazine

The Rev'd. Dr. Greg Peters

Vicar, Anglican Church of the Epiphany (REC), La Mirada, California
Professor, Torry Honors College, Biola University
Servants of Christ Research Professor of Monastic Studies and Ascetical Theology at Nashotah House Theological Seminary

The Rev'd. Dr. Jonathan Mumme
Associate Professor of Theology, Hillsdale College

Mrs. Anne Kennedy
Author, Substack Creator at Demotivations with Anne, and Podcaster at Preventing Grace

The Rev'd. Jay Thomas
Rector, St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Moultrie, GA
Co-author of the Augustine Appeal

The Rev'd. Dr. Jady Koch, Rector, Saint Luke’s Anglican Church.

Registration is available here.

The Rev'd Drew Collins, Rector