from the Very Rev. Sam Candler
Grace to you, and peace, on this Wednesday, July 15, 2020. I am Sam Candler, dean of the Cathedral Parish of St. Philip, and I deliver our weekly, Wednesday, parish notices this evening.
Like so much of the country, our cathedral building remains closed for Sunday worship and closed to gatherings of large groups of people, here in Atlanta. But the ministry, and prayer, and service, of our community of faith continues vigorously. And, if you would like to visit the Cathedral for prayer or meditation, you can arrange such a visit by contacting the Cathedral staff member associated with your ministry. We are definitely open for prayer!
Our Cathedral Book Store, inside the cathedral, is also open! And they also offer curbside service. Our Cathedral Farmers Market, too, is open on Saturdays, requiring masks of all visitors and vendors.
Last week, you heard Canon Lauren Holder announce our new outreach campaign of medical debt relief! The Cathedral parish is partnering with Emmaus House in a special program that will retire the collective medical debt of people in the Peoplestown area of Atlanta, about 11.5 million dollars of debt. In this special program, if we raise $115,000, we can buy that entire debt, 11.5 million dollars. That’s right. Every dollar we give, relieves one hundred dollars of medical debt for our neighbors. We can do it! Read the Cathedral Times on our website for more information.
And note our continuing classes, even in the summer, and especially on Sundays. The Old Fashioned Sunday School continues at 10:10 a.m., and the guest presenter on Sunday is The Reverend Dr. Thee Smith. He is always good! The Reverend Lauren Holder is leading a book study, open to anyone, discussing Jennifer Harvey’s book, Raising White Kids. The program is offered twice on Sundays, at 10:10 a.m., or at 8:00 p.m. Join her and others in our community!
Finally, join us online this Sunday, July 19, for a special treat. We are welcoming a new staff member! Caroline Robinson is our new Associate Organist-Choirmaster. We hired her back in January of this year (that seems so long ago!); but she was not able to move to Atlanta until finishing her doctoral course work at Eastman School of Music, in New York. She is from Greenville, South Carolina, and she is playing our opening prelude, and closing postlude, at the organ this Sunday. Join us!
Thank you for keeping the Cathedral of St. Philip in your prayers. We keep you in ours.
Here endeth the Parish Notices for Wednesday, July 15, 2020!