Clergy Deputies
Frank Logue
I have assisted Bishop Benhase as the Canon to the Ordinary since 2010. From 2000 to 2010, I served as the founding Rector of King of Peace in Kingsland, Georgia. Starting as a First Alternate in 2003, I have been to every subsequent General Convention as a Deputy. In the process, I have earned more responsible positions in church-wide governance. From 2012-2015, I served on Program, Budget, and Finance (PB&F) and was able to make a difference in advocating for lowering amounts dioceses pay to the church wide budget. PB&F recommended lowering the asking of every diocese by 4% by 2015. General Convention agreed, reducing the cost for everyone. In 2015, Province IV elected me to a six-year term on the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, which functions as the denomination’s Board of Directors. I am the Council liaison to the denomination’s Advisory Group on Church Planting. Having made a difference in past General Conventions, I am hopeful as I look toward 2018 and want to return to continue work now underway.
The Rev. Ted Clarkson
I desire to serve as deputy to the 2018 General Convention because so much occurs at General Convention that affects the church as a whole and our little corner of the church in Georgia. If I am selected, I will be a third-time deputy and thus will have the experience necessary to be effective at General Convention.
I have been the rector of St. Andrew’s and vicar of St. Cyprian’s, Episcopal churches in Darien, Georgia for ten years. A life-long Episcopalian (58 years), I was ordained to the priesthood in 2006 after completing my M.Div. degree at the School of Theology of the University of the South (Sewanee), where I now serve as a trustee. I am a Canterbury Scholar, having attended the program for seminarians during the summer of 2005, and I serve as a trustee of the Friends of Canterbury Cathedral in the United States. I currently serve the Diocese of Georgia as dean of the Southeastern Convocation.
I have previously served the diocese as deputy to General Convention in 2012 and 2015, president of the Standing Committee, chairperson of the Honey Creek Commission, a member of the Search Committee for the Tenth Bishop of Georgia, and president of the Ecclesiastical Trial Court. Before attending seminary, I practiced law for 21 years with an emphasis on commercial litigation. I served the legal profession on the Disciplinary Rules Committee of the State Bar of Georgia and the Lawyers Advisory Committee of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and I remain an inactive member of the State Bar of Georgia and the South Carolina State Bar. I served my hometown community of Augusta, Georgia as chairperson of the Sacred Heart Cultural Center, president of the Summerville Neighborhood Association, co-chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee on Race Relations, and vice-president of the Boy Scout Council. In addition to my work at St. Andrew’s and St. Cyprian’s, I have served the Darien community on the board of Habitat for Humanity and am currently a member of the Ministerial Association of McIntosh County.
The Rev. Kelly Steele
The Rev. Kelly Steele would like to serve as a Deputy to General Convention because she truly cares about the church of the future, as a young priest with (Lord willing) many decades left in her efforts. She has particular interest in General Convention’s work regarding evangelism, reimagining the Episcopal Church, studies on the changing nature of marriage, and – ultimately – living into the Episcopal mission of unity in diversity: restoring “all people to unity with God and each other in Christ” (BCP, 855). She believes that she may offer a fresh-yet-passionate perspective as a recent, young newcomer to the Episcopal Church.
In 2015, Steele was selected to be a Legislative Aide to the 78th General Convention in Salt Lake City, working for the Taskforce on Marriage and the Committee on Marriage as it discussed research, held hearings, and voted on groundbreaking legislation. She was ordained to the priesthood in Savannah with her spouse, Guillermo Arboleda+, in May 2016. Now, in the Diocese of Georgia, she continues to serve after one year as a Chaplain Reader for the Commission on Ministry and the General Ordination Exams. Currently, she works for the Diocese of Georgia as a young adult missioner working extensively to test new models for helping young adults and church-avoidant people encounter the depth, diversity and profundity of the Gospel and the Episcopal articulation of it. Steele has been an Episcopalian since she was confirmed by Bishop Michael Curry in the Diocese of North Carolina in April 2013, at St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church. She was studying at Duke Divinity School at the time and had fallen head-over-heels in love with the Episcopal way through the witness of a few diverse folks – professors and panhandlers alike – praying the daily office and eating family style meals together at the church on Main Street. From them, she gathered an expanded imagination for how the life-changing depth, diversity and profundity of the Gospel can be shared in a tiny Episcopal church. Hooked, beginning in fall 2012, she volunteered as a lay leader for the daily office on weekdays, a volunteer cook for the breakfast, a reader, Lay Eucharistic Minister, preacher and acolyte as she finished seminary and began the ordination process in Georgia. She graduated summa cum laude with a Masters of Divinity from Duke University in 2015.
The Rev. Cynthia Taylor
I would like to serve our diocese as a delegate because I believe I offer an openness to the ways God’s Spirit is moving our the Church, an enduring joy and optimism about the mission of Jesus Christ, as well as a depth of experience as a seasoned follower of Jesus.
I am a life long Episcopalian but have dipped my toes into the waters of other denominations. I have been ordained for over 30 years and was the first woman ordained in the Diocese of South Carolina. My parish ministry has taken me from South Carolina to the American Cathedral in Paris to the Diocese of Georgia.
My experience as both an outsider and a part of the mainstream, have served as salt, leaven and light in my ministry. for the past 17 years I have served as a church planter with Church of the Holy Comforter, Martinez. I have also served on the Diocesan level as a member of the Commission on Ministry, the Bishop’s Search Committee, the Disciplinary Committee and as a Spiritual Director for Cursillo. In my community I’ve served as a chaplain to the Columbia County Fire Department and on the board of the United Way and working in local hospitals with my therapy dogs.
Lay Deputies
Jody Grant
Jody Grant is a member of Our Savior, Martinez. He is a lifelong Episcopalian and at his previous church Jody was youth group advisor, Sunday School teacher, Acolyte Master, Lay Eucharistic Minister, and Senior Warden. Currently, Jody is the Youth Minister at Our Savior. Jody serves the Diocese as the Diocesan Coordinator of the Happening program, served on the Transition committee for the 10th Bishop of Georgia, and was a deputy to the 2012 and 2015 General Conventions. He was on the Credentials Committee at the 2015 General Convention. At the national level, Jody served on the Happening National Committee and is just finished a 4 year term as the Vice-President/Secretary of Happening National Incorporated which is the executive committee of the Happening National Committee. He is an active team member in the local Relay for Life. Professionally, Jody has been teaching high school science for 16 years, and is also the coach of the school swimming and diving team. Jody loves the Episcopal Church, and as a deputy to General Convention, learned a lot more about it. He wants represent the Diocese of Georgia and continue to be a part of the exciting change that is occurring in the church as it proclaims the Gospel.
Clemontine F. Washington
Dr. Clemontine F. Washington, a retired educator and Mayor Pro Tem of Midway, Georgia, is an active member of St. Matthew’s Savannah. She has served several terms on the vestry. Her most recent term was during the three years (December 2012-June 2015) when the church was without a priest. Dr. Washington currently serves as acting teasurer for St. Matthew’s. She is a first time delegate to General Convention. When asked about going to Convent, she said, “I am filled with excitement as I prepare to gain greater insight into the general operations of the church.”
Molly Stevenson
I love The Episcopal Church. Serving as a Lay Deputy for General Convention will enable me to serve the larger church, while helping to expose the larger church to the Diocese of Georgia and the many ways we work in our part of the church for God’s mission, and as Presiding Bishop Curry says, “The Jesus Movement”. It would be an honor to be able to serve again as a Lay Deputy to General Convention from the Diocese of Georgia.
I am a cradle Episcopalian, and have been a member of Christ Church, Valdosta since moving here in 1989. I have had the privilege of serving at Christ Church in several capacities. I am currently a member of the St. Nino Chapter of the Daughters of the King, a choir member, lay reader, chalice administrator and acolyte and have served 3 previous terms on the vestry. On the Diocesan level, I currently serve on the Standing Committee, the Honey Creek Commission, and the Cursillo Commission. I have been honored to serve as a Lay Deputy to General Convention each triennium since 2006, and have served at the churchwide level on the Standing Commission on Mission and Evangelism between conventions. Additionally, during the 2009 convention, I was appointed to the legislative committee on World Mission, and in 2015 I served as Vice-Chair of the Evangelism and Communication legislative committee.
Mary Willoughby
I found my service at the last General Convention as Deputy both rewarding and enlightening. Having served the Diocese from 2010 to 2015 as Canon for Administration, I have a practical view of how the work of general convention translates into the life of the church. I have been an Episcopalian for 34 years with 29 of them at St. Paul’s in Savannah where my husband William is Rector and Dean of Savannah. In my parish life I have served as a Sunday School teacher, lay reader and occasional chair of special events. In the Diocese, as a Canon, I served as Secretary of Diocesan Convention, member of the Board of the Corporation, member of Diocesan Council. I now, as a volunteer, continue to serve on the Board of the Corporation.
Clergy Alternates
The Rev. Dcn Sandy Turner
I came to Augusta in 1986 and began attending the Church of Our Savior at that time. I was received from the Roman Catholic tradition in December of that year. By February I became a lay minister and also attended Cursillo. I became a vestry member and was senior warden twice and junior warden three times. I attended EFM in 1990 and later became a mentor. I received the call to become a deacon in 2004. I participated in two medical Mission trips to the Dominican Republic with the Church of the Holy Comforter at that time. I was ordained to the Diaconate in 2006 and served on the teaching team for the Deacon school. In 2014 I became the Archdeacon of the Diocese and joined the diocesan council. I have attended the Archdeacon meetings held by the Association of Episcopal Deacons and have been working with deacons in formation and the bivocational educational program in our diocese. Currently I am working with the task force to repeal the death penalty in conjunction with the Diocese of Atlanta and other Social Justice issues. My community outreach involves the management of a free clinic in rural Augusta (Dearing) for the past 16 years where I see an average of 20-30 patients a week. I am also working with the juvenile justice system as a member of the citizens review panel for Richmond County. I am also working with the Very Reverend Billy Alford on a program dealing with racism in America.
The Rev. Tom Purdy
Ultimately, I would like to serve as a Deputy to General Convention from the Diocese of Georgia because of my deep love for our Episcopal Church. I believe that our tradition continues to have a great deal to offer the world through our unique Via Media. The world needs what we have to offer now more than ever; a gracious invitation to a life as a follower of Jesus that is balanced in community, sacrament, prayer, and service. I have been present at General Convention many times to witness the Holy Spirit at work in our Church as we discern how to faithfully respond to God’s call. Having served as an alternate Deputy in this and a previous diocese, and attending four other Conventions besides, I understand the Convention’s process and its importance in the life of the Church. I would love to be a part of the continuing conversation about how the Episcopal Church can best organize itself and use its resources wisely in service to the Gospel. I also think it is important for all ages to be represented in the leadership of the Episcopal Church and as a younger-than-average experienced priest I think my perspective and voice can help round out our Church’s witness. I would be honored to serve as a Deputy for the Diocese of Georgia.
I am a fifth generation Episcopalian and have served as a priest for eleven years. I accepted a call to serve as Rector of Christ Church, Frederica three and a half years ago in 2013, after previously serving parishes in the dioceses of Washington and Central Pennsylvania. I currently serve on the Commission on Ministry in the Diocese of Georgia. I served as an elected Alternate Deputy from the Diocese of Georgia to General Convention in 2015 and attended the convention, and I served as an elected Alternate Deputy from the Diocese of Washington to General Convention in 2012. In both of the previous dioceses I have served I was elected to Diocesan Council. I have also chaired diocesan Human Resource and Youth Commissions and have been a part of special task forces like the Congregations at Risk Canon-writing group at a previous convention in Georgia. I currently serve on the Cardinal Parish Committee for Sewanee’s School of Theology Capital Campaign, and I am a Trustee for Friends of Canterbury Cathedral, US. The most exciting ministry I am currently engaged in within the local community is through Glynn Episcopal Ministries (GEM), which I shepherd. GEM a shared outreach ministry of the Episcopal parishes in Glynn County. We work together to support one of the poorest neighborhoods in Brunswick, and we are particularly active with the poorest elementary school in Glynn County where I now serve on the School Council.
The Very Rev. William Willoughby
I bring the perspective of a priest who has served the Church for thirty-four years in parish work and education, served this Diocese in a variety of leadership roles, supported community institutions and projects and engaged in the life of the Episcopal Church and Anglican Communion. A lifelong Episcopalian with a broad experience of the Church both at home and abroad, I have a strong commitment to creative solutions that enable our lay and clerical leadership to use the gifts which are ours by grace and made manifest in our portion of the Body of Christ. I believe the Episcopal Church is strongest when she centers her talents and riches on the pursuit of incarnating the love of God in our time and where God calls us to serve in the frame work of St. Benedict’s emphasis on stability. The rhythms of the Book of Common Prayer invite us to engage and practice the Presence of God in order that we all might be missionaries of God’s purposes in Christ Jesus to bring unity. It is this vision which I have attempted to support in past General Conventions and, if given the privilege and honor to return as a Deputy to General Convention, will continue to pursue.
Born in Anniston, Alabama, I grew up in Columbia, South Carolina. I earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Chicago, a certificate from St Stephen’s House Theological College, Oxford University, a master’s of divinity from Nashotah House Theological Seminary, and a doctorate in Education from Graduate Theological Foundation, South Bend, Indiana. I have served St. Paul’s, Savannah and the Diocese for more than 29 years. It has been my honor to serve on Standing Committee, as Ecumenical Officer and as Dean of Savannah. In the larger community I have worked with numerous organizations to rebuild families, public health and community, including ten years as a Commissioner of the Department of Family and Children Services in Chatham County and a Director of the Savannah Health Mission. Married for more than thirty-four years to Mary Crane Willoughby, we have three adult children, two daughters and a son.
The Rev. Talmadge Joe Bowden
Attending the 77th General Convention in 2012 as one of your clergy deputies was a real “eye opener” for me! Returning in 2015, allowed me to be more than an observer as I had been in Indianapolis. If elected to go to Austin in 2018, I’ll spend more time in caucus and committee than in debate. I have been an Episcopalian for 41 years, and have been a priest for 15 years. All that time has been in the Augusta Convocation serving many roles as a lay person prior to ordination. As a priest I have served as assistant at the
Church of the Good Shepherd, Chaplain at the Medical College of Georgia, Supply Priest, and interim rector at St. Augustine’s. Currently I am Priest in Charge of St. Augustine’s. I regularly write articles for the Faith and Religion section of the Augusta Chronicle.
Lay Alternates
Drew Keane
I want to serve as a General Convention Deputy because I am passionate about the health and future of the Episcopal Church. By General Convention 2018 I will have served six years on the Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music for the National Church and three years on the Commission on Ministry for the Diocese of Georgia. Working at the national, diocesan, and parish level simultaneously has provided me with a broad picture of our Church — her commonalities, diversity, conflicting interests, strengths, and weaknesses. I also bring to the table my experiences as a university lecturer in rhetoric and composition, which I regard as a great asset in this work, which relies heavily on effective communication, critical thinking, and an ability to navigate the tension between aspiration and realism. I was raised in a different religious tradition. My father and grandfather are pastors, so I grew deeply involved in the work and world of the Church. I was baptized into Christ’s Church at age seven. I have been regularly worshiping in Episcopal parishes for eight years. My membership letter was moved to St. John’s in Savannah in 2010. I received the grace of Confirmation five years ago.
For the past six years, I have sung in the choir at St. John’s in Savannah. Five years ago, I was appointed by the President of the House of Deputies to serve on the Standing Committee on Liturgy and Music. Last year I was appointed by the Bishop of Georgia to the Commission on Ministry. This Fall I began co-teaching a class on Christian Apologetics for High School students at St. John’s.
Paul Stevenson
Beth Mithen
Rebecca Woods
