HI-Lights | New Year, New Formations! 🎉

Click to watch last Sunday's service!

This Week

8:00 AM: Worship, Christ Chapel
8:45 AM: Breakfast hosted by Brown Bag Bible Study & Intercessory Prayer Group
9:00 AM: Christian Formations
10:15 AM: Worship, Nave
5:00 PM: Spanish-speaking Worship, Nave
6:00 PM: Celtic-style Worship, Christ Chapel

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ATTENTION... The Church received a stock donation through Morgan Stanley without the owner's information. Please contact Caroline Fleming if you are the donor.

Stewardship Update

So far you have generously pledged over $1,851,320 to pay off our capital debt. The interest rate on the loan for building renovations has increased greatly, so principal payments make a big difference. As for our 2023 operating budget, we have over $1,129,510 in pledges!
Thank you!

Please consider pledging here so that we can be Set Free to Serve!

Christian Formation Opportunties
Better Together: Churches in Full Communion
The Rector’s Forum | Sundays, 9:00 AM, Jan. 8-Feb. 19
The Episcopal Church has entered into “Full Communion” with six denominations and is talking with several more. The idea is that clergy, bishops, and people can move interchangeably between these denominations. As the Rev. Stewart Lucas discovered in Baltimore, Lutherans and Episcopalians have much more in common than you might think. Join us and the Lutheran Bishop of the Southeastern Synod, Kevin Strickland for a fascinating conversation about our church’s present and future.

Faith and Fiction
Dr. Sally Parsonson in the Small Conference Room | Sundays, 9:00 AM Jan. 15-Feb. 19
Join Dr. Sally Parsonson, a long-time English professor at Millsaps College and member of Holy Innocents, as she leads a vibrant discussion on American Short Stories and their relationship to faith and life. The roundtable discussion is open to all. The short stories are shared each week.

Newcomer’s Class
The Clergy of Holy Innocents’ | Sundays, 5:00 PM, Jan. 22-Feb. 26
Want to learn more about the Episcopal Church, Holy Innocents’, the Anglican Communion, or our weekly lived faith, join us for a lively conversation every Sunday night with worship at 6:00 PM and a soup supper to conclude. A perfect way to start your week and deepen your faith

Shared Narratives: Wisdom Literature
Rabbi Ron Segal & the Rev. Bill Murray | Wednesdays, March 1-22, 7:00-8:15 PM
Bill and Ron will continue their shared teaching between the communities of Temple Sinai and Holy Innocents’ during Lent. Each week will focus on a different book of Wisdom Literature: Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes. Join us as we share our narrative and seek understanding between our communities.

Men's Dinner and a Book | January 10
The next Men's Dinner and a Book is Tuesday, January 10 at 6:30 pm and the book is "Never” by Ken Follett. Donley Klein is hosting; please RSVP to dklein322@aol.com. All men at Holy Innocents are included and invited.

Better Together, Praying for Christian Unity | January 15-18
The Week of Prayer for Chri stian Unity is annually coordinated by the World Council of Churches each January, between the feasts of St. Peter and St. Paul, January 15-18. Each year we are reminded of our ecumenical partners and Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe.” (John 17.21)

The Rev. Kevin L. Strickland | January 15
We are delighted to welcome The Rev. Kevin L. Strickland, Bishop of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to the Sunday Forum on January 15, 2023, at 9:00 am in Inglett Hall. Our Vicar Stewart met Bishop Strickland through his work in Baltimore when Stewart was the pastor of an Episcopal Church that fully blended with a local Lutheran Church, doubling their congregation. We’ll hear more about Called to Common Mission that established full communion between our denominations and discuss the future for our denominations and the church at large. Bishop Strickland will also preach at the 10:15 am service. (Don’t worry, we’re not trying to blend Holy Innocents with a Lutheran Church. We’re just learning, and our Episcopal Bishop Wright knows!)
The Southeastern Synod (equivalent to a very large diocese) is made up of 160 congregations and new starts across Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. There are 65 synods in the ELCA compared to 110 dioceses in The Episcopal Church.
Prior to his election in 2019, Bishop Strickland served in the ELCA Churchwide office since August 2014 as the Assistant to the Presiding Bishop, Executive for Worship of the ELCA. Born and raised in Lexington, SC, Bishop Strickland is an honors graduate of Newberry College and Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary. He’s currently working on a Doctorate of Ministry degree from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Bishop Strickland served as pastor at two churches in Tennessee and several in South Carolina.
With a heart for justice and advocacy ministry, Bishop Strickland has served on various local and national non-profit boards. Bishop Strickland has been published in several worships and preaching journals and books. In April of 2021, he was inducted into Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. College of Ministers. He and his spouse, Robby, live in West Atlanta.

Lift Every Voice and Sing | January 20
Postponed from the pandemic, this interfaith event will feature a new Spelman College arrangement on “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by Dr. Kevin Johnson, Director of the Spelman College Glee Club. We will be joined by multiple choral ensembles for this event, accompanied by gospel instrumentalists. Join us at 7:00 PM at Sisters Chapel, Spelman College.

Women of HI: The Dignity Lens | January 26
Come join the Women of Holy Innocents for dinner and inspiration! Dr. Beth-Sarah Wright will be speaking on "The Dignity Lens: Bridging the Gap between your Hopes and Reality." Don't miss this special opportunity to learn effective strategies for living a more authentic life. The event is on Thursday, January 26th at 6:00 PM in the Bishop Commons. The cost is $25; it includes dinner and a presentation.

Annual Parish Retreat | February 10-12
We’ve reserved a spot for you at our Annual Holy Innocents’ Parish Retreat at Amicalola Falls State Park on February 10-12, 2023. This is simply a time of fun, fellowship, rest, worship and renewal together with your church family. There are activities for children and youth as well as the young at heart. What does it mean to have Open Minds and Full Hearts? Join us as we delve deeper into our church’s tag line. Our new Vicar Stewart will coordinate the retreat year with a fun planning team.

La Femme Noire | February 26
The Celebrated Woman is an artistic celebration of African-American women and the artistic contributions they have made to Western classical music. Curated by Jayme Alilaw, soprano, this program highlights poetry, neatly woven together through storytelling. This concert tells the story of Black Girl Magic personified!