WOHI: Cookie Swap & Lunch 

December 14, 11:15 AM

Following the 10:15 AM service, join the Women of HI for a cozy soup-and-salad lunch and a festive Christmas cookie swap! Bring three dozen of your favorite homemade or purchased treats/cookies to share, and you’ll head home with three dozen assorted treats brought by others. It’s a sweet way to enjoy good food, good company, and a little holiday cheer. 

And to keep our friends at Church of the Common Ground warm this season, please consider bringing adult hats, gloves, or scarves (most are men in that group). Hats will be distributed to them before the end of the year. 

Please sign up so we know how much food to provide. We look forward to seeing you there!

Contact Brenda Letzler | bletzler@aol.com

Weekly Pledge Update

We are especially delighted to have received 217 pledges totaling $1,515,000 so far. We are within reach of our $1.6 million goal. This is extraordinary.

Every gift—large or small—helps build this community of love and hope.

Make your pledge here.

Advent III ∙ December 14 ∙ Joy in the Wilderness

Advent whispers that new life is already stirring beneath the surface. Isaiah promises “A branch shall grow out of his roots…” John the Baptist urges us to prepare the way, even as God quietly brings joy and peace from unexpected places. The Men of HI will be providing breakfast, and Stewart will lead the Adult Forum, talking about Dreams & Disruptions in the Gospel of Matthew. Ruth preaches, and the Children’s Choir sings at 10:15 AM. Delight fills our afternoon with a Women’s Cookie Swap, Kids’ Christmas Party, and the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus returns to Holy Innocents at 4:30 PM. Their music brings light, sparkle, and deep comfort to the heart of Advent. This is a free concert, open to all, and a gift to our community.

Advent IV ∙ December 21 ∙ Listen to the Angels Sing

As we move toward Christmas, our Festival of Lessons & Carols at the 10:15 AM service fills the Nave with soaring music from our choir and the timeless words that have steadied generations. Angels sing. Mary says yes. Hope takes on flesh. And just before the dawn breaks, the light we’ve been waiting for grows warm and bright among us. We’ll cover the Wise Men, the Flight into Egypt, and the Holy Innocents in the Adult Forum.

Renee's Reflection

Renee Stephens, Director of Membership and Children's Ministry

My kids and I decorated our Christmas tree last weekend. We had hot chocolate, a Christmas movie playing, and plenty of laughter as we enjoyed the moment together. Then I unwrapped an ornament that reminded me of someone I lost a few years ago. Everything in me stopped and tears began streaming down my face. The pain was just as fresh as when I first experienced the loss. 

Grief can be especially intense during the holiday season. Advertising and social media gives us the false sense that our day to day should be filled with constant cheer, perfectly decorated homes, and beautifully wrapped gifts. But that picture leaves little space for the truth that life doesn’t pause in December. People are still navigating death, illness, financial strain, and the ache of spending their first holiday without someone they love or one of the many other forms of grief that we carry. 

When we hold our grief alongside the joy of Christmas, it becomes too easy to minimize it or try to cover it up with busyness, presents, or activities. But grief doesn’t need decorating, it only needs to be felt. As we move toward Christmas day and prepare to welcome the birth of our Lord, we are invited to walk with Mary & Joseph on that long road to Bethlehem, a journey that had its own dark and cold nights. As we honor both our grief and our joy, we find the fullest expression of our faith. 

One day, our hope will be fulfilled and there will be no more pain or mourning or crying (Revelation 21:4) and until then, we have this hope as the anchor of our soul (Hebrews 6:19). So come and bring your full grief and your full joy and let them feast at the altar of God and in the presence of our community this season. You are not alone. You are deeply loved and valued and all of your grief and all of your joy matters before God.

Update on the Director of Music Search

We wanted to take a moment and share the Director of Music position description. Thanks to the feedback of the choir and church and the work of our consultant, Sonya Sutton, we have been able to craft a job description that includes information about our programs and details about the musical instruments they will use. We are hopeful and praying that this position will attract some wonderful candidates. We have advertised with the AGO (American Guild of Organists) and the AAM (Association of Anglican Musicians). The deadline for applications is March 1, 2026 (knowing that the best musicians are currently preparing for Christmas). Feel free to share the good news with anyone. We want to find a gifted and skilled musician to continue our extraordinary programs.

Photo Search

Our history sings a little louder when the faces behind the music are remembered. Emily and Bill are gathering photos for a new wall honoring our past music directors, and we’re searching for images of Joe and Pat Granade, who led our music from 1958–1968. If you have a photo—or a lead—send it along to communications@holyinnocents.org.

Third Friday: Men of HI

December 18, 7:30 AM

Enjoy warm hospitality, engaging discussions, and a fresh breakfast in the Frost Youth Center. Come for the conversation and stay for the fellowship.

Contact Charles Crosby | charles@corepm.net

Prayer Shawl

January 6, 7:00-8:30 PM

Join us in the Parlor on Tuesday, January 6, 7:00–8:30 PM. We knit and crochet shawls for those in need, but bring any project—needlepoint, cross-stitch, even mending—and enjoy fellowship while you work.

Contact Cammie Ives | cammieives@gmail.com

Bucket List Book Club

January 6, 1:00 PM

The group is reading Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. We’ll meet at 1:00 PM in the Parlor room. All are welcome!

Contact Audrey Sumner | audreysum4833@gmail.com

Reading Connections

December 8, 6:00 PM

Please join the Reading Connections group for our annual Christmas gathering on Monday, December 8 at 6:00 PM, in Inglett Hall room C. Bring a treat or something savory to share with the group. 

Contact Michelle Driscoll |

dris1296@yahoo.com

Men's Dinner and a Book

January 13, 6:30 PM

The next Men's Dinner and a Book is Tuesday, January 13 at 6:30 PM and the book is Devil in The White City by Erik Larson. John Cox is hosting. If you would like to attend, please contact Jeremy Webber for details. All men at Holy Innocents are included and invited.

Contact Jeremy Webber |

jhwwebber@gmail.com

Click here to watch last Sunday's service!

Realm Access

Realm is our database system, which allows us to communicate all of the things that the clergy and staff do behind the scenes to make Holy Innocents' our home. You are also now able to connect to your record with instant access to the directory, your giving, event registration, and more. To connect to your account:

• Email Renee Stephens at rstephens@holyinnocents.org for an invitation link.
• Create your password and remember it!
• Use your email address and password to log in through a browser or the Connect app

Connect app for iPhone: click here.

Connect app for Android: click here.

Once you have your account access, update your contact information and upload a picture that will be used in the directory. Contact Renee for help. rstephens@holyinnocents.org

Pastoral Notes 

If someone is in the hospital, has died, or has some other pastoral emergency, please contact our clergy directly. Call the church office at 404-255-4023 and follow the prompts. This will connect you directly with the clergyperson on call. 

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