St. Bede's E-News


We hope that this weekly offering will keep you up-to-date

on the latest information from the parish

and from around the Diocese of Atlanta and wider Church. 


Our e-newsletters are now being archived on our website.

You can go to www.stbedes.org  

and look under the "Connect With Us" tab

at the top of the home page to find past newsletters.


Please send your submissions ready to go into the newsletter,

text and images attached in an email to the Parish Administrator.

Laura's email address is lpittman@stbedes.org

There's a lot going on at St. Bede's!

Looking for an activity?

Sunday, February 1, 2026

The Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

Annual Parish Meeting Sunday

Worship in English at 10 am


The Annual Parish Meeting

will take place in the Nave

at around 11:45 am.


Worship in Spanish at 1:30 pm



We will also be streaming our worship live

on

St. Bede's YouTube Channel




If you would like to preview the scripture lessons and hymns for the upcoming Sunday, you can find Sunday's bulletin uploaded to the parish website each week on Thursday afternoon. From the home page of the website, scroll down to the colorful "Worship" icon, and click on that. Then scroll to the bottom of the "Worship" page and you will see where the bulletins for Sunday have been posted under "Downloads".



The Annual Parish Meeting

is this Sunday, February 8

following 10 am Worship in the Nave.


Join us as we celebrate the past year

of ministry and mission together,

elect our new Vestry slate,

and give thanks for our off-going Vestry Members:

Connie Coralli, Barb Pettitt,

Loretta Vail, and Jelani Valdez


Meet your 2026 Vestry Slate:


Larry Bing

Muriel Diguette

Kelsey Murray

We will elect new Vestry Members

by a vote of affirmation of the slate

at the Annual Parish Meeting.



The Episcopal 101 / Epiphany 101 Class

will be on hiatus this week

so that all may attend the

Annual Parish Meeting.

Young Adult Fellowship

(20's - 30's)


The young adult planning team met and evaluated the 2025 program and brainstormed for 2026 events. Upcoming events for early 2026 will include lunch with the rector and participation in a St. Bede's campus work day in March. Watch this space for times and places so you can mark your calendar to join us!

Here's What's Happening!


February 1st - Join us in taking a look at the inner workings of St Bede's as you've never seen it before (cue the scary music). Okay so that part might be an exaggeration but you will have the opportunity to read and hear about all of the AMAZING ministries that are going on at St Bede's AND eat lunch!



February 8th -  Instructed Eucharist



And Save the Date....

Sunday, February 15

Mardi Gras Pancake Lunch


Between 10 am Worship

and 1:30 pm Worship


More information to come...

Children's Formation

for Children Age 3 - Grade 5


We have two offerings of Children's Formation on Sundays.


The first is during 10 am worship where children begin worship with their families for a short time and are then invited to process out with their teachers to the Godly Play room (M-102), usually during the Hymn of Praise or other hymn. During the time of the Sermon and the Prayers of the People they hear a special story and engage in activities tailored just for them. The children return to church at the Passing of the Peace to join their families and the congregation for Communion.


The second formation time is between the 10 am and 1:30 pm worship, during which time there are also formation offerings for adults and youth. We gather around 11:30-11:45 am in the Commons, and then move to classroom M-102 in the Mission Wing. This formation time focusing on learning about the stories of the People of God and growing in understanding about what we do in church worship.


All 3 year olds through 5th graders are welcome to join us. Older children are welcome as helpers and younger children may join with a parent, grandparent, or other caregiver. Both classes are taught in English.


If you have questions, please contact Molly Graves at mgraves@stbedes.org.


We will use this model for the start of the Christian Formation year and, in the weeks ahead, we will be inviting parents, grandparents, and guardians of young children into conversations about how we can shape our Children's Christian Formation program to better serve the needs of our community.

Prayer Vigil for Extra-Ordinary Times


We are holding a weekly, half-hour prayer vigil for the country on Sundays after 10 am worship, in room M108. Feel free to come by for a short time or for the entire time.


Contact Becca Love at rachelrebeccalove@gmail.com with any questions.

As of Thursday, January 29,

we have received 81 pledges

totaling $410,000.


If you have not received your packet

and would like to receive a packet,

please contact the parish office

and we will send one to you.


Thank you to all who have

faithfully returned their pledges

of financial support to St. Bede's.


If you have not yet made your pledge,

we would love to hear from you

so that we can begin the

2026 budgeting process.


Please prayerfully consider

your response to all that

God has shared with you.


Sunday Healing Prayer Stations Return



Healing Prayer Stations are returning to St. Bede’s

during worship on Sunday, February 15

and will return each third Sunday.


This will be in addition to the healing prayers already offered by the Clergy and the Parish at any time you feel the need for personal prayers. Never hesitate to speak with a member of the clergy to arrange a time for prayer.


If you wish to have a healing prayer with anointing on the third Sunday, come to the rear of the church (by the side door - near the Icon of Mary) following your participation in Holy Eucharist. If you receive communion on the left side, continue to the prayer station before taking your seat. If you receive communion on the right side, continue toward the back, turning in front of the choir and walk onward to the prayer station.


St. Bede’s is a place full of the Holy Spirit and grounded in prayer.


"The Penguin Lessons"

Popcorn Theology

Saturday, February 21

5:30 pm - 8:45 pm


We’ll gather in the Parish Hall to enjoy a simple meal of pizza, a salad bar, fresh fruit, homemade cookies and popcorn (gluten free and dairy free options will be available), with empanadas available for those who would like a taste of the food of Argentina, the country in which the film is set. Then we’ll watch "The Penguin Lessons.”


The film depicts the true story of Tom (played by Steve Coogan), a disillusioned, lonely English man who decides to take a position in a private boys’ prep school in Argentina. Soon after he arrives, he is walking by the ocean when he sees a penguin struggling in oil along the shoreline. He begrudgingly rescues the penguin, cleans the oil off its feathers and releases it into the ocean. A little later when he is sitting at an oceanside café, the penguin finds him and stays with him, no matter how hard Tom tries to shoo the penguin away. He tries to walk away to return to the school, only to see that the penguin is following him. When he tries to give the penguin away, the response is always, “The penguin is yours.” The headmaster of the school (Jonathan Pryce) has said that no animals are allowed inside the school, including the apartments the teachers are given within the school building. But Tom smuggles the penguin into his apartment and begins to learn how to take care of it. The woman who cleans his apartment discovers the penguin, but she chooses not to inform the headmaster that there is an animal in Tom’s apartment.


The story takes place in Argentina in 1976 during the time of a military dictatorship. Tom has been trying, upon the advice of the headmaster, to stay out of local politics. But when he witnesses the sudden arrest in broad daylight, on a public street, of the woman who has been helping him at the school, his eyes are opened to the alarming practices in the country of snatching people and “disappearing” them. He begins to ponder what he can to do to find her and to try to have her released.


Along the way, he decides to introduce his unruly class of boys to the penguin. Life for Tom and all who come in contact with the penguin is turned upside down and transformed.


1 hour 45 minutes

rated PG-13

2025 Comedy/Drama

with lighthearted and heartwarming moments


After watching the movie, we will have a brief conversation about where we saw and heard God/Love/Compassion/Transformation in the movie, and also the way in which the movie showed each of us something about our own lives. We’ll end the evening with a brief Night Prayer.


Please email Lynnsay Buehler at lbuehler@stbedes.org to let her know you are able to attend or write your name on the sign-up sheet on the round table in the Commons.


A $10.00 contribution is requested to cover the cost of the food.

Society of Saint Anna the Prophet to Celebrate

The Holy Eucharist and Vow Ceremony Service


The Society of Saint Anna the Prophet (SSAP), a vowed, dispersed community of Episcopal women over the age of 50, will celebrate The Holy Eucharist and Vow Ceremony at the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany in Atlanta on Saturday Jan. 31, 2026, at 11 a.m. All are invited. The mission of the SSAP is ministry with elders and the young. The Annas are committed to Godly aging and to living within the vows of simplicity, creativity and balance.


Our own Martha Robert will take her first-year full vows at the ceremony!


For more information on the Society of St. Anna the Prophet, please follow the link below or email our Director of Provisionals and Novices at dpn@annasisters.org.


The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany is at 2089 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Atlanta, GA, 30307.

Finding Healing

for Our Divided Country



Now meeting weekly

on Monday evenings on Zoom

from 6:30 to 8 pm.


In person every Thursday morning

9 to 10 am

at Mint Coffeehouse

3926 Lawrenceville Hwy in Tucker



A discussion group, grounded in prayer, for those who have questions, concerns, and emotions that feel too big, and need a safe place to process with others.


We will see what participants need from this group. Perhaps it will just be a place to express what you are feeling, or maybe some will want to know what action can be taken.


And we will pray together.


Some questions to consider:


How are you doing, and what are you feeling?

Where are you in terms of processing changing public policy?

How can we live the values of our faith

in the face of conflicting public policy?


Facilitators: Muriel Diguette and Molly Graves



Please contact Muriel Diguette at digfam@att.net

if you are interested in joining.

Pack the Capitol Day


On Monday, January 5, groups from St Bede’s and Church of the Epiphany gathered at Central Presbyterian Church downtown across from the Capitol. The event was the ACLU’s “Pack The Capitol”. We learned how to lobby our representatives, got a tour of the Chambers, and became more comfortable with supporting our Georgia reps.

Gold Dome Press Conference

Tuesday, January 13

Member of St. Bede’s attended the press conference in the Capitol rotunda on Tuesday, January 13 as Sen. Kim Jackson introduced 4 bills that would ban face coverings, prohibit the deployment of armed forces from other states in Georgia without the Governor's permission, ban ICE from raiding certain places (like schools and churches) without a signed judicial warrant, and give legal remedies to citizens whose rights are violated.

2026 Outreach Opportunities


Ongoing Soap Drive

Please place new wrapped bar soap in the basket labelled “Bar Soap and Toiletries” in the Connect Center outside the kitchen

 

February 8

Outreach Committee Meeting

11:30 am in Room C101

 

February 8 – March 8

Food collection for NETWorks Food Pantry

 

March 18

6:00 pm Prepare and serve dinner to Holy Comforter parishioners


October 18

Prepare and serve lunch for Church of the Common Ground




Have Questions?

Contact Anita Montelione (ammontel12@gmail.com)

or Karen Werner (wernerksw@comcast.net)

Outreach Committee Meeting



The Outreach Committee will be meeting on

Sunday, February 8 at 11:30 am

following 10 am Worship in room C101. 


All who are interested in outreach are invited to attend as we explore more ways to serve our communities both near and far.


Questions? Please contact co-chairs:

Anita Montelione ammontel12@gmail.com

Karen Werner wernerksw@comcast.net


Baby Jesus Baskets a Huge Success!


Thank you to everyone at St. Bede's who filled the Baby Jesus Baskets this Advent and Christmas with essential supplies for infants and toddlers and their families at Our House!! Laura Martin and Martha Robert delivered the supplies last Friday and were greeted by several staff members eager to help unload. All expressed their gratitude--that this congregation thought of the people at Our House and gave so generously. Here's a list of all that you gave:



36 -- boxes of diapers and pullups @ 2,442 count

26 -- boxes/pkgs of wipes @ 5,360 count

118 -- 8oz. and 32 oz. Ready to use Formula

7 -- large containers of powdered formula

5 -- bottles of baby lotion

13 -- bottles baby wash/shampoo

1 -- bottle baby powder

 6 -- plastic bottles

1 -- 3 count pkg of pacifiers

1 -- set of 3 baby bath towels

1 - set of 6 baby washcloths

4 -- full-size toothpaste tubes

3 -- tubes of Orajel training toothpaste

12 -- children's toothbrushes

2 -- children's toothpaste/brush travel sets

1 -- pkg of 15 full-size bars of soap



Members of the Contemplative Living group made loading up the cars quick and easy!

Our House Executive Director Tyese Lawyer with Laura and Martha

Lunch for COTCG


On Sunday, January 11, 15 of us gathered early that morning to prepare 80 sack lunches for members of Church of the Common Ground. And 5 members of the youth group met to write notes and prayers to include in the lunch bags. We then gathered in Woodruff Park on a cold and blustery afternoon to worship and serve lunch to the unsheltered members of the COTCG. It was a wonderful experience for the 26 of us who attended! 7 youth group members and 19 adults, including our rector, Chad. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated! It was a truly special outreach experience for everyone. Thank you!

Thomas Ospital in Concert

Tuesday, February 3, 2026, 7:30 pm

St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church

1790 Lavista Road NE, Atlanta

Titulare of the grand organ at St. Eustache Church in Paris and organ professor at the Paris National Conservatory of Music, Thomas Ospital is a young artist who has quickly earned a place amongst the world’s finest concert organists.


Mr. Ospital is eager to perpetuate the art of improvisation in all its forms, including the accompaniment of silent films. His performances have taken him throughout Europe and North America. He studied at the Conservatoire Maurice Ravel in Bayonne, France, and at the Conservatoire National in Paris where he earned five First Place prizes in organ, improvisation harmony, counterpoint, and fugue,


Ospital currently serves at Titular Organist of the largest pipe organ in France, the Grande Orgue at St. Eustache in Paris, taking up the post in 2015.


The concert is free and open to the public at St. Bartholomew’s Church, 1790 Lavista Road NE, Atlanta.

The Church of the Epiphany, Atlanta, is hosting a play by Out of Hand Theater entitled Prisontown on Sunday, February 15th at 5pm. Prisontown tells the story of a writer who goes home to Lumpkin, GA, home to one of the nation's largest immigration detention centers, and witnesses the barbarity of the nation's immigration crisis, and a small town torn by poverty and the prison industry. It is written by and starring former Out of Hand Associate Artistic Director, Lee Osorio. 


Following the performance, we will have a reception and El Refugio will guide a short conversation and offer thoughtful ways to take action toward a more just world. 

 

Tickets are $23 for students/seniors and $33 for general admission.


Promo codes are available for educators/school employees (code: EDUCATOR), members of the Atlanta Artist Industry (code: ATLART), and Atlanta Nonprofit (code: ATLNONPROFIT).

As we all watch the tragic events of violence escalate in Jerusalem and Palestine, it is so important to keep the people of the Holy Land in our prayers.

Family Ministries Micropractice 


Join our households with

birth through elementary aged children

in this simple intentional practice

as we bring our learning from the lectionary

into our everyday lives.



You may wish to conclude this micro-practice with this prayer:



God of justice,

You have always been with us, guiding and delivering us into life.

May we practice saying thanks in the ways you taught us:

doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with you.

Amen.

Invitation to Prayer Shawl Ministry



Prayer shawls are used to provide comfort, acknowledge joy or appreciation, say goodbye, or any other reason to share God’s love. They may be used in prayer, and the act of making them is prayer. Making them with friends is church.


Currently, a prayer shawl group meets one morning and one evening a month. You are invited to attend one or both meetings.


Monthly Prayer Shawl Meeting Times and Locations


First Monday Prayer Shawl Meeting: 10 -11:30 am in room M108.


Email Junior Abraham at jrabraham1953@gmail.com with questions.


Fourth Thursday Prayer Shawl Meeting: 6:30-8 pm in off site locations.


Email Cheryl and Fred Murphy at murphyfbfm@gmail.com with questions.


Note that you can participate at home on your own as well.



Wednesday Night Adult Bible Study


Join with others for a study of The Wisdom of Solomon.

All are welcome.


6 – 8 pm

on the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays of each month

in the Commons Hallway Classroom

(across from the Julian of Norwich Center)


6:00 light supper

6:30 Bible Study


Contact Fred Murphy for more information.

Men of Bede are Invited!


On behalf of the Saint Michael and All Angels (SMAA) Men of Michael (MoM), we would like to invite you to our annual Men's retreat on Saturday February 7, from 8:30 am - 3 pm at St. Micheal's and All Angels Episcopal Church located at: 6780 James B. Rivers Drive, Stone Mountain GA 30083.


This theme of the retreat is

"Casting our Net Wider"

led by the Rev'd Canon C. John Thompson-Quartey


Please RSVP by February 5 to

Wayne Millington @ rampus@bellsouth.net 

or 678-614-2992 (or for additional information).

Mostly Mysteries

Book Discussion Group



Next meeting in person:

Monday, February 16

at 1 pm in Room M108


Our February book selection

is

The Keeper of Lost Causes

by Jussi Adler-Olsen



You're invited to join members and friends of St. Bede's to discuss favorite mysteries and thrillers.



New Digital Assisted Listening System

for St. Bede's Nave





Thanks to a a generous grant, we have upgraded our Nave sound system with a new digital assisted listening server. This digital server will stream the Nave audio directly to your smartphone and, from there, it can be delivered through wired headphones, Bluetooth devices, or, if you have smart phone enabled hearing aids, the audio can be streamed directly into the hearing aids. Our hope is that this system can improve speech intelligibility for any who have a difficult time hearing or understanding the spoken word in the Nave.


The FIRST STEP to use the new system is download the "ListenWIFI" app onto your smartphone by clicking on one of the links below. The app is free and does not require any type of registration or password (thank goodness!). The app will not work until you are at St. Bede's and connected to our Wi-Fi network.


The SECOND STEP is to arrive at St. Bede's and connect to the new "St. Bede's - Guest" Wi-Fi network which is an open network that requires no password (thank goodness, again!). The system will not work if you connect to the old "stbedes" password protected network.


Please let us know if you need help connecting!



St. Bede's Prayer List


A note about our prayer list:


We have reorganized our prayer list and are trying to make it more manageable going forward. Names will remain on the prayer list for 3 weeks unless otherwise requested. If you have placed someone on the prayer list and you would now like that person removed, please notify the office. Please request removal only for names which you have placed on the list. We are always happy to request prayer for our parishioners and our extended community.


Please contact Laura Pittman in the church office to add or remove names from the prayer list.


Laura Pittman

lpittman@stbedes.org



In our St. Bede’s community, prayer has recently been requested for:

Miriam Needham

Neva Corbin


Prayer has been requested on a more long-term basis for:

Claiborne Jones

Jim Helms

Margie Klein

Michele Heller

Lynn Williams

Jim Handsfield

Barbie Olsen

Dixie Snider

David Boyd

Debhani Hernandez

Al and Regina Studwell                      

Sarah Jane and Jim Ohl

Mary Rodriguez

Helen Abraham

Cameron Maddox  

Aree Bancroft

Nancy Waring

Frances Bowen

Ann Foote

Sue Ellen Lampros


Prayer has also been requested for these in our wider community:

John Sommers, brother-in-law of Barbara and Jim Helms

George Lenaeus, father of Julie Mizell

Terri Gunter, sister-in-law of Doris and Jim Bushart

Zoe Bushart, granddaughter of Doris and Jim Bushart

Kelly Weaver, daughter-in-law of Sarah Jane and Jim Ohl

James Smythe, great nephew of Molly Graves

Larry Sullivan, friend of Joan Greer

John Borden, friend of Joan Greer

Kayt Hoch, daughter-in-law of Martha and David West

Reagan Koski, friend of Beth Cannon

Bill Edgar, father of Beth Cannon

Carol Guthrie, sister of Ann Foote

Andy Matia, friend of Ann Foote

Mary Robert, sister of Martha Robert

Wright Coleman, son of Jennie Couture

Fay Key, friend of the St. Bede's community 

Eleanor Pearlman, granddaughter of Gwen Heaton          

Anne Jones, sister of Claiborne Jones


 

We pray for those who have died:

Ron Lillie, brother of Loretta Vail

Bill Bailey, husband of Neva Corbin

Jeane Carroll Custin, aunt of Lynnsay Buehler



We give thanks for those serving our country in the military:

Josh Bowers

Jonathan

 

We give thanks for those celebrating birthdays this week

2/2 Barb Pettitt

2/2 J.R. Branch

2/3 Jelani Valdez




And we rejoice at the birth of

Violet Elizabeth Wadner,

Granddaughter of Paul Martin







From around the Diocese
and the wider Church...

 

To stay up to date

on activities throughout the Diocese of Atlanta,

sign up for Connecting, the Diocesan E-newsletter.


You can also sign up to receive For Faith,

which is the weekly meditation

from Bishop Rob Wright

sent by email on Fridays.

Bishop Wright's Weekly Podcast


Did you know that Bishop Rob Wright has a weekly podcast? You can take a spiritual "deep dive" each week with Bishop Wright and his special guests and grow deeper in faith and understanding as you listen and learn.


Explore For People, Bishop Wright's Podcast, Here


Save the Dates for

Spring Sessions at Camp Mikell


February 27 - 29, 2026 Allan Folk School

April 7-9, 2026 Mindfulness at Mikell

Pathways

the magazine of the Diocese of Atlanta


The new Pathways is now available online! Through original photography, articles, and interviews, Pathways shares inspiring stories from Middle and North Georgia — examples of spiritual growth.


Read Pathways Here




Friend in Christ,


As violence escalates in Ukraine, over one million people have already fled the country — and the borders are flooded with many more people desperate to leave.


Almost all of them are women and children who have had to seek safety on their own, leaving their husbands, fathers, brothers and sons behind.


As this crisis continues to evolve, we are working with Anglican agencies and our other partners to provide humanitarian assistance, and urgently ask for your help.


Your emergency gift today will support our immediate response, providing cash, blankets, hygiene supplies and other needs as this crisis unfolds.


Our faith networks are currently on the ground in the border areas of Poland, Hungary and Romania, and we will continue to coordinate with them in order to help those who have been displaced. Specifically, our partner ACT Alliance is helping families on the Hungarian border, and our Anglican partners are mobilizing both an immediate and long-term response in Poland, Romania and Hungary.


Yours faithfully,

Robert W. Radtke

President & CEO

Episcopal Relief & Development