A Note from Buddy

Come, let us sing to the Lord…and raise a loud shout to him with psalms.

Psalm 95

Last week I visited a parishioner, and we reminisced about growing up in two very different parts of the country. As we spoke about our childhoods we discovered a commonality of gathering with family and community to sing. Often this took place organically on front porches, parish halls, and community centers. Sometimes groups sang “old classics” but most often they sang hymns. Singing is a prominent part of the Jewish-Christian tradition and as it has been said when we sing hymns we pray twice.



One of my aunts was instrumental in starting off the singing at family events. Her parents were members of the Primitive Baptist Church where she learned to sing from the Sacred Harp hymnal that uses shape notes. Aunt Gwen would “line” the hymn singing the notes fa, sol, la, mi, four of the seven notes made popular by Julie Andrews in the film, “The Sound of Music.” These four notes are designated by the shapes of a triangle, circle/oval, rectangle, and diamond. After lining the parts for soprano, alto, tenor and bass, everyone joined in signing the hymn. Most of the songs were unknown to me, but it was amazing to hear the extended family singing in four-part harmony.

Shape note singing is an American method that is now known the world over. Beginning in New England in the late 1700s as a simple way to increase knowledge of music and hymn singing in the church, the method quickly spread throughout the South and Midwest largely by itinerant Methodist preachers. Shape note singing was a success as many churches incorporated congregational singing. Soon people were learning all seven notes and singing in four-part harmony is a prominent feature in many denominations. Shape note workshops exist in many parts of the country to educate and keep the tradition alive.

This Sunday we welcome the Atlanta Shape Note singers to lead the music at the 10:30 service. They will also be leading the Adult Formation in the Commons Room at 9:15 – come early and enjoy breakfast. This is an opportunity to learn about the history of the tradition and learn to sing using the four-note method.

Last night, Saint Anne's served dinner at Holy Comforter. Earlier in the day volunteers gathered in the Saint Anne's kitchen to prepare the meal before heading to Ormwood Park for the Wednsday night service and meal. If you've never been there, Holy Comforter is a very special place and Saint Anne's has supported it for a very long time. If you would like to know more about Holy Comforter and its day programs at Friendship House, please contact Ethel Wright (ethel.wright@mindspring.com).

THE TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

October 18, 2026

8 AM Holy Eucharist, Rite I

8:45 AM Nursery opens for infants and children up to 4 year olds.

8:45 AM Breakfast

Parish Hall

9:15 AM Formation

Adults in the Commons Room

Children in the Youth Center

9:15 AM Moms Group

in the Library

10:30 AM Holy Eucharist

Children's Chapel

The Nave has a Hearing Loop that allows you to hear our services better through hearing aids if you have hearing aids that are "t-coil" equipped.

11:45 AM Youth Choir

in the Choir Room
3:30 PM Bridge - for 3-5 graders

Halloween fun in the Youth Center

5PM EYC

in the Youth Center

Worship online: If you aren't able to join us in person, please worship with us at 10:30 AM online from Facebook.

The Nave has a Hearing Loop that allows you to hear our services better through hearing aids if you have hearing aids that are "t-coil" equipped.

This Sunday's stewardship reflections will be offered by Janice and Dean Howell. Members of our Outreach ministry will be in the Narthex following the service to tell you about their work and the opportunities to serve, as well as to answer your questions.

Adult Sunday School

Learn about Shape Note singing and its important role in churches as members of Atlanta Sacred Harp community join us at 9:15 a.m. in the Commons.

Children's Sunday School

Children pre-K through fifth grade meet in the Youth Center at 9:15 AM.

Note: formation for youth (6-12th grades) takes place during EYC on Sundays at 5 p.m.

Members of the Atlanta Sacred Harp community will lead the music during worship this Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Prior to the service, the Adult Formation class will focus on Shape-Note and Sacred Harp. Sacred Harp is a specific, highly popular style of shape-note singing.

Colton Barber will be our guest organist Sunday. He is a student at Mercer University pursuing his masters in organ performance with Dr. Jack Mitchener. He is from Fayetteville, North Carolina and has recently completed his bachelor's degree at East Carolina University. Colton will be playing all original pieces in the service based upon Sacred Harp tunes that he has arranged or improvised. Colton is also a dedicated Sacred Harp singer and leads his own group in Macon every month. He loves to incorporate Sacred Harp into worship whenever he can!  

Shape Note is a broad category of musical notation. It uses different geometric shapes for noteheads (triangles, ovals, rectangles, diamonds) to represent scale degrees and help people sight-read music easily. Thus, all Sacred Harp is shape-note music, but not all shape-note music is Sacred Harp.

An Afternoon of

Italian and Spanish

Guitar Music

featuring

Adrian Montero & Onur Ozturk

Sunday, November 1

3:00 PM

Reception follows concert

in the Narthex

- All are welcome. Invite friends. -

Complimentary.

The concert captures the music of Italy and Spain, transating their rich musical heritage through the intimate and virtuosic lens of the classical guitar and by blending solo performances with intricate duo arrangements.

Adrián Montero: A powerhouse from Costa Rica and a Latin Grammy–nominated artist. With over 15 international prizes to his name, Adrián is celebrated for his “dazzling technique” and his work in debuting new Ibero-American masterpieces. He brings a sense of bold, innovative programming that has captivated audiences from Europe to Japan.

Onur Ozturk: Currently Columbia based virtuoso and arranger. Known for his sophisticated project “The Colors of Spain,” Onur’s background spans the elite conservatories of Switzerland and Turkey. He brings a deep scholarly and educational perspective, combined with an award-winning performance style that has toured across Europe.

Food Drive for GA Tech Students

On two upcoming Sundays – October 25 and November 1 - Saint Anne’s will be collecting items to help stock the Grace House food pantry. Grace House is an Episcopal and Lutheran campus ministry at Tech that offers all kinds of support for students. Items needed: cereal, canned goods (including soup and tuna) granola, bottled water, crackers/chips, nuts/trail mix, oatmeal, shelf-stable milk, peanut butter and jelly, boxed pasta, pasta sauce, toothbrushes, toothpaste, sanitary pads/tampons. Many students skip meals or go hungry because of financial difficulties.

Walking with the Word

You’re invited to join the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, and the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia in a journey of reading the Bible together from Advent 2026 through Advent 2027. Watch the video invitation from church leadership here. Learn more on the About page of the website.

The year-long event will begin on the first Sunday of Advent with a shared Bible Reading Plan. Before the daily readings begin, the three denominations will hold a 72-hour joint Miqra reading event. Parishes from all three denominations will host hours of reading the Bible aloud, nonstop from Genesis to Revelation.

Visit the Walking the Word website for more information.

Sunday Breakfast a great way to begin each Sunday.

Start each Sunday morning with food and fellowship in the Parish Hall from 8:45 AM – 9:15 AM (September through May) for a delicious breakfast before Sunday School.

This beloved parish ministry is made possible by wonderful volunteers like you. We encourage families, friends, and committee groups to pick a date and serve together—no experience necessary! If you would like to volunteer click below and sign up OR contact Nan Hunter, nanshunter@gmail.com .

We give thanks for gifts totaling $38,398.67 in September. Memorial and other designated gifts given for specific ministries are not included in this number. Questions? Contact David Hendee, chair of the Finance Committee, at 404-668-0715-0242 or Mike Dunlap, Treasurer, at 404-536-7505.

We are grateful for your support for Saint Anne’s

and our ministry of seeking and serving Christ in our community and the world -

 generation to generation!

Send in your Saint Anne's News

Please send your announcements/news to us to include as space allows. Remember - photos are welcome, too! Please be sure to note that it is for the monthly newsletter!

Scammers are aggressively targeting churches by email and text. You will never receive an email from a staff person at Saint Anne’s requesting information from a non-Saint Anne’s email address.  No staff member will ever text you asking for gift cards or other donations. We do not send parish texts.