The mission of Appleton Episcopal Ministries is to share God's love by partnering as parishes in the Middle Georgia Convocation of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta to promote the health, safety, education, and well-being of children and families. Those parishes include All Angels in Eatonton, St. Stephen's in Milledgeville, Christ Church in Macon, St. Paul's in Macon, St. Francis in Macon, All Saints in Warner Robins, St. Christopher's in Perry, St. Luke's in Fort Valley, St. Andrew's in Fort Valley, and St. Mary's in Montezuma. In 2017, The Episcopal Church designated Appleton Episcopal Ministries as an official Mission Enterprise Zone in recognition of its convocational approach to ministry. Appleton's headquarters is located at St. Paul's Church in Macon, on the 1870 campus of the original Appleton Church Home. Julie Groce is the Missioner.
Annual Commemoration for Deaconesses of The Order of St. Katharine is June 6, 2019
3rd Annual Appleton CDF Freedom School™ Macon is June 10 - July 19, 2019
Deadline for Convocational Grant Applications for 2020 Funding is September 28, 2019 at 5 pm
News and Events
Freedom School™ Macon 2019
Appleton will host its third annual Freedom School™Macon at St. Paul's Episcopal Church June 10 - July 19, 2019. Fifty rising 1st - 3rd graders will engage in full-day literacy and enrichment activities for six weeks to improve their reading skills, create positive feelings about learning, develop higher self-esteem, increase their cultural awareness, and better engage with their community. Appleton partners with Children's Defense Fund to offer this program developed in 1995 for children who live in underserved and impoverished neighborhoods and who lack access to summer reading materials and enrichment opportunities. This year's program again focuses on students from Ingram-Pye, Riley and Southfield Elementary Schools in Bibb County, all of whom attend at no charge to their families. These schools have among the lowest 3rd grade reading scores in the state of Georgia. Nearly half of our scholars will be returning participants, and six will complete the entire three-year cycle of the Level I curriculum. Appleton's Freedom School is one of two in Georgia and one of nearly 180 sites nationwide.
Annual Commemoration of The Order of St. Katharine
Appleton's annual commemoration of the deaconesses of The Order of St. Katharine will be held on their designated diocesan saint day, Thursday, June 6th, 2019. at 6:00 pm at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The annual Blessing of the Graves will be held prior to the worship service at 5:00 pm in the Appleton plot at Rose Hill Cemetery. Deacon Barbara Windom will deliver the homily. Rev. Bryan Hinson, priest-in-charge at St. Paul's, will be the celebrant.
Episcopal Community Foundation Gives Appleton Funding for Passenger Van
In Spring 2018, the Episcopal Community Foundation of the Diocese of Atlanta awarded Appleton a grant for $33,874.50 to purchase a 15-passenger van which supports the transportation needs of all of the parishes in the Middle Georgia Convocation for community ministry activities. This van has been used by Freedom School teachers to attend local and national training activities; by Freedom School scholars for daily transport to afternoon enrichment activities; by Path to Shine students in two programs for weekly pick-up and delivery to their after-school tutoring activities and for annual field trips; by campus ministry students for retreats and mission trips; by parishioners to a pilgrimage to the Equal Justice Initiative Legacy Museum and National Lynching Memorial; by EYC groups for retreats and Annual Council lock-ins; by a parish for a vestry retreat; and by LGBTQ students to a college in-gathering. This grant has made it possible for Appleton to contribute substantial in-kind support for projects in additional to direct cash support and for programs in this convocation to save considerable expenses for operation.
Appleton Deaconesses Designated as Saints by The Diocese of Atlanta
In November 2016, the 110th Annual Diocesan Council approved the Deaconesses of The Order of St. Katharine as the first saints of the Diocese of Atlanta. A resolution to add the Deaconesses of The Order of St. Katharine to the Commemorations of the national church was sent forward to General Convention 2018 in Austin, Texas. The resolution passed initial review and was assigned to the Standing Committee on Liturgy for action at General Convention 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Freedom School™ Macon 2019
Appleton will host its third annual Freedom School™Macon at St. Paul's Episcopal Church June 10 - July 19, 2019. Fifty rising 1st - 3rd graders will engage in full-day literacy and enrichment activities for six weeks to improve their reading skills, create positive feelings about learning, develop higher self-esteem, increase their cultural awareness, and better engage with their community. Appleton partners with Children's Defense Fund to offer this program developed in 1995 for children who live in underserved and impoverished neighborhoods and who lack access to summer reading materials and enrichment opportunities. This year's program again focuses on students from Ingram-Pye, Riley and Southfield Elementary Schools in Bibb County, all of whom attend at no charge to their families. These schools have among the lowest 3rd grade reading scores in the state of Georgia. Nearly half of our scholars will be returning participants, and six will complete the entire three-year cycle of the Level I curriculum. Appleton's Freedom School is one of two in Georgia and one of nearly 180 sites nationwide.
Annual Commemoration of The Order of St. Katharine
Appleton's annual commemoration of the deaconesses of The Order of St. Katharine will be held on their designated diocesan saint day, Thursday, June 6th, 2019. at 6:00 pm at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. The annual Blessing of the Graves will be held prior to the worship service at 5:00 pm in the Appleton plot at Rose Hill Cemetery. Deacon Barbara Windom will deliver the homily. Rev. Bryan Hinson, priest-in-charge at St. Paul's, will be the celebrant.
Episcopal Community Foundation Gives Appleton Funding for Passenger Van
In Spring 2018, the Episcopal Community Foundation of the Diocese of Atlanta awarded Appleton a grant for $33,874.50 to purchase a 15-passenger van which supports the transportation needs of all of the parishes in the Middle Georgia Convocation for community ministry activities. This van has been used by Freedom School teachers to attend local and national training activities; by Freedom School scholars for daily transport to afternoon enrichment activities; by Path to Shine students in two programs for weekly pick-up and delivery to their after-school tutoring activities and for annual field trips; by campus ministry students for retreats and mission trips; by parishioners to a pilgrimage to the Equal Justice Initiative Legacy Museum and National Lynching Memorial; by EYC groups for retreats and Annual Council lock-ins; by a parish for a vestry retreat; and by LGBTQ students to a college in-gathering. This grant has made it possible for Appleton to contribute substantial in-kind support for projects in additional to direct cash support and for programs in this convocation to save considerable expenses for operation.
Appleton Deaconesses Designated as Saints by The Diocese of Atlanta
In November 2016, the 110th Annual Diocesan Council approved the Deaconesses of The Order of St. Katharine as the first saints of the Diocese of Atlanta. A resolution to add the Deaconesses of The Order of St. Katharine to the Commemorations of the national church was sent forward to General Convention 2018 in Austin, Texas. The resolution passed initial review and was assigned to the Standing Committee on Liturgy for action at General Convention 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland.
