Pastoral Note

Mike Shortal passed away on Monday after a long illness. Funeral plans will be shared soon. Please keep his wife Linda and family in your prayers.

Rest eternal grant to him, O Lord;

And let light perpetual shine upon him.

May his soul, and the souls of all the departed,

through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Helen Johnson is in hospice care at her home near Madison where she is closer to her children. Her family is grateful for your prayers as they say their goodbyes.

The office is closed today for Juneteenth.

We are here for you.

If you have a pastoral emergency at any time, please call the church office and follow the prompts. 404-255-4023. You will immediately be connected to Bill, Stewart or Ruth, who take turns being on-call. The word “pastor” is the Latin word for shepherd. The Community of Hope at Holy Innocents is a community of lay persons in the parish who have been deeply and thoroughly trained in the care and practice of being a pastor. If you would like to talk or pray with a lay pastoral caregiver, please email CoH@holyinnocents.org. This Sunday we will be commissioning this community during our 10:15am service.

Seeking God

During the choir pilgrimage to Scotland, we were inundated with dates. Numbers that we rarely or never hear in this country: battles fought in 1314, clans that clashed over tartans and territory in 1100, or 1783 when our Episcopal Church received its first bishop from Aberdeen. The choir san in many of those places and spaces. 

A favorite of mine, and certainly the oldest space during our visit, was the Abbey on Iona which was founded by St. Columba in 563 to bring the faith to Scotland. Of course, the building is a 20th-century reconstruction from the stone ruins of a 12th-century abbey that were themselves built on top of the ruins of a 6th-century wooden structure. So, we worshipped and sang in a space that has been a center of worship for 15 centuries but through a wide variety of buildings, styles, leadership, and change.

Another fascinating and wonderful stop was singing Choral Evensong with the wonderful choir and people of Christ Church Morningside in Edinburgh. They were brilliant hosts who practiced with the choir for several hours, hosted us for dinner, and brought a piper in to entertain us. The building was erected in 1875 and is a beautiful old Gothic stone space with towering spires. And it was fascinating to hear the Rector talk about their upcoming 150th anniversary - next year! We talked about how to tell the story of a place, like ours, that has wonderful moments of charity and grace and difficult stories of humans behaving poorly and money from the slave trade that started a church in a specific time and era.

For me, the joy of these journeys is to see different and ancient spaces and to learn more about ourselves as well. To laugh and grow in our faith while also hearing the truth of faith that all of our communities tend to ebb and flow, flourish and decline, prosper and struggle in equal measures, even at the same time. The church can celebrate 1,500 years of worship in a dozen different buildings or 150 years of grace in one space. The buildings can be newly renovated or a crumbling stack of rock. But something about standing in those spaces is sacred. 

The gift and reminder to me is that there is a far more mystical church that stretches across those millennia. When you are in those ancient places or even new ones that once had bucket seats, you can feel yourself surrounded in struggle and intercession, prayer and celebration, mourning and birth and know that holiness can be connected to a space and location. The true lesson is a reminder that the location is never as important as the people gathered with God. Wherever two or three are gathered in God's name, we will find sacred space and a deep connection to generations seeking the divine.

The Rev. Dr. Bill Murray

Rector

P.S. We look forward to seeing you Sunday when the Rev. KC Crewdson will celebrate her first Eucharist at the 10:15 am service.

Gallery Opening: Wonderlust Musings by Ines Schmook

June 20, 6:00-7:30 PM

Ines Schmook, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1962 from Cuba, grew up in Chicago and used art to bridge the language gap. Influenced by her father, she honed her skills and majored in printmaking at Cleveland State University. After a 30-year career in education, Ines retired in 2012 to focus on art and travel, visiting over 40 countries. Since moving to Atlanta in 2017, she has created art in her home studio and showcased her work at the Spruill Center for the Arts and with the Atlanta Collage Society. Ines describes her creative process as a mental journey through her past experiences, which she captures expressively and abstractly in her paintings. Join us on opening night from 6:00-7:30 PM! See more of her work here.

Third Friday: Men of HI

June 21

Enjoy warm hospitality, engaging discussions, and a fresh sausage and biscuit breakfast. Come for the conversation and stay for the fellowship. 7:30 AM in the Frost Youth Center.

Contact Charles Crosby | charles@corepm.net

Film Screening of "Mama Bears"

PRIDE Month event with Temple Sinai

June 25, 2024 | 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Temple Sinai Social Hall

Join us during Pride month for a screening of the documentary Mama Bears by filmmaker Daresha Kyi. Follow the stories of moms of LGBTQIA+ kids who overcome their conservative backgrounds and communities to become fierce advocates for their children. The evening will be hosted by Bunzl Family Cantorial Chair Beth Schafer and the Rev. Stewart Lucas of Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church who will share some of their stories about being gay clergy. We will also hear from the filmmaker Daresha about her experience making the film. Light dinner will be served. Please register below.

Reading Connections

July 8

Reading Connections is the women’s book club! Join us at 6:00 PM in the conference room. The book for July is Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah. 

Contact Kathie Larkin | kathie.larkin@retired.paceacademy.org

Men of HI: Dinner and a Book

July 9

The next Men’s Dinner and a Book is Tuesday, July 9 at 6:30 PM and the book is Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie. Tony Clarke is hosting.

Contact Jeremy Webber | jhwwebber@gmail.com

HIYA: Breadwinners Lunch

July 14

Ready for some fun and great food? Join us for lunch at Breadwinner's Cafe right after the service on July 14. It's the perfect way to kick back, make new friends, and enjoy a tasty meal together. See you there! 

HIYA: Pool Party

August 3, 12:00 PM-4:00 PM

All young adults are welcome to enjoy a refreshing pool party and savor a delicious seafood boil crafted by Jenny Cantrell. Bring your swim gear and your appetite! Please RSVP.

Backpack Blessing and Picnic

August 11

Join us for a special Backpack Blessing and Picnic on August 11 during the 10:15 service! Bring your backpacks for a blessing to kick off the new school year with positivity and prayer. After the service, stay for a hamburger and hotdog picnic with your church family. It's a wonderful opportunity to come together, celebrate, and enjoy some summer fun. Don't forget to invite friends and family! We look forward to seeing you there.

Habitat for Humanity Build

Now through July 13

Holy Innocents, St. James Methodist, Cathedral of St. Philip, St. Martin in the Fields, and St. Luke’s Presbyterian are sponsoring Atlanta Habitat for Humanity’s summer faith build. All parishioners 16 and older may participate. No skills are required, just the desire to help an Atlanta family buy a home at a very affordable price. Learn more here.



Contact John Harris | harris4338@gmail.com | 678-761-6765

Volunteer for Emmaus House Dinner

June 27

Holy Innocents is sponsoring a dinner for parents and their children who are enrolled in The Children’s Defense Fund summer program at Emmaus House on June 27th. We need volunteers to assist with serving the meal and/or providing desserts, tea, and lemonade. Contact Lilia Romero at lgrrn@comcast.net for additional information and to sign up!

Church of the Common Ground

July 21

HI will be packing 80+ lunches for our unhoused brothers and sisters who attend Church of the Common Ground in Woodruff Park in downtown Atlanta. Please join us in Parish Hall after the 10:15 AM service to help make sandwiches and assemble lunch bags. An additional part of our outreach is to worship with the men and women of CCG at their 1:00 PM service in Woodruff Park.  

Contact Robin Hickey | hickeys5040@gmail.com | churchofthecommonground.org. 

Mocha Meetups

Every Wednesday, 1:00 PM

Join Megan every Wednesday this summer at Starbucks for Mocha Meetups! Calling all middle and high schoolers for a cozy gathering filled with laughter, friendship, and of course, delicious coffee. It’s the perfect midweek treat to unwind and connect with new friends. See you there!

Click above to watch Stewart's sermon from last Sunday!

Pastoral Notes  

If someone is in the hospital, has died, or has some other pastoral emergency, we hope you will contact our clergy directly. Please call the church office at 410-255-4023 and follow the prompts. This will connect you directly with the clergyperson on call for the week.  

If you have joys to share, new births, grandbabies, graduations, or job announcements, we will gladly share them in our weekly Hi-Lights email if you send a note to communications@holyinnocents.org

Warning about email scammers

When you receive an email from a Holy Innocents staff member, please check if the sender's email address ends with 'holyinnocents.org'. If it does not, it is likely not from us. Unfortunately, some individuals are attempting to scam various church members, posing as clergy and requesting gift cards. We never ask for money in this way. If someone claiming to be Bill, Stewart, Ruth, or another staff member contacts you, please let us know immediately. Report the email, block the sender, and delete the message. If you have any doubts, please give us a call.