Middleton S. Barnwell

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Middleton Stuart Barnwell (born in 1882 and died in Savannah on May 6, 1957) was the seventh Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Idaho and the fifth Bishop of Georgia. Barnwell was the 349th bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (ECUSA).

Contents 1 Life 2 References 3 Sources 4 External links

[edit] Life

Middleton S. Barnwell was consecrated as the seventh bishop of Idaho in 1925. He had served in that position for nearly a decade when the call for a bishop coadjutor went out from the Diocese of Georgia. The election of a successor to Bishop F.F. Reese took two conventions to be decided. On August 30, 1934, a special convention was held at Grace Church, Waycross and failed in twelve ballots to elect a new bishop. A second session met January 15, 1935 at St. Paul's, Augusta and took nine more ballots to elect the Barnwell to become the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia.

At the time of his election, there were 16 parishes, 21 organized missions, 13 unorganized missions, five mission stations and one parochial mission. The still segregated church records noted 5,391 white and 1,029 black communicants. During his tenure as bishop, which lasted until 1954 the Diocese grew to 8,156 total communicants with two more churches becoming parishes and four additional missions created.^[1]

On the 10th year of his consecration as bishop of Georgia, he told the Diocese

The happiest and most useful relationship for a Bishop or Priest is that of Friend to his people. It means trust—and service—and love. And beyond this there is nothing else.^[2]

He served as Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia from 1936-1954.

On the occasion of his retirement he said of serving as bishop that a bishop needed, "robust health and a good driving ability" and for a large diocese like Georgia one should be "either celibate, or a man who is very unhappily married...for he will live on the highway." He went on to speak of "relentless weekends" visiting the scattered churches of the Diocese and "in between he tries to make friends with his wife and others who live in his home town."^[3] He died in Savannah on May 6, 1957.

[edit] References

[edit] Sources

• The Episcopal Church in Georgia 1733-1957, by Henry Thompson Malone published by The Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Atlanta, 1960

[edit] External links

• Honey Creek, the Camp and Conference Center of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia has a Barnwell wing to the camp's lodge in honor of the Rt. Rev. Middleton S. Barnwell.