St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Atlanta, Georgia is set to hold a book discussion with parishioner and author Jenny McBride on Sunday, Aug. 14.
According to the church’s website, this newly published book tells the story of Kelly Gissendaner, the only woman who spent her entire life on Georgia's death row before she was executed in 2015.
The church said it emphasizes the importance of theological studies to Gissendaner's faith and to the advocacy work done on her behalf.
The written correspondence between Gissendaner and German theologian Jürgen Moltmann dubbed the "theologian of hope" internationally, is the core of the book, it added.
Interested readers may visit the St. Luke's Episcopal Church’s website for more information.
Church’s History
The life of St. Luke is marked by vision, renewal, and service, according to the church's website.
The church is said to be a haven for people escaping the horrors of war, and it was established in the 19th century.
Nearly a century later, while other churches were moving to the suburbs, the "small refugee church" made the deliberate choice to stay in downtown Atlanta, it added.
The church said communities that continue to worship and serve in Atlanta today owe their very existence to these two “births."
Dr. Charles Todd Quintard, one of the church's historical people, was educated in New York after being born and raised in Connecticut, according to the church's website.
The church said the first bishop of Tennessee became his friend after he relocated to the south and started working as a professor at the Medical College in Memphis.
It added he decided to give up medicine and pursue holy orders, becoming a priest in 1856 after completing his studies.
Despite having been a unionist before, Dr. Quintard accepted a position as chaplain of the Tennessee Army when the Civil War began, the church said.
The church said the Army of Tennessee launched a defense against Union forces in 1863, and after a while it withdrew to Atlanta, taking Dr. Quintard with it.
St. Luke is dedicated to acting as a leader in social justice and outreach in downtown Atlanta and beyond.
The church said it is renowned as a location that inspires members to fulfill their baptismal promise by participating in a range of outreach programs.
The Atlanta Cerebral Palsy School was founded in 1949 by parishioner Anne Lane and her friend Rebecca Frazer in the parish house.
It is presently known as The Frazer Center and is situated on Ponce de Leon Avenue in the Cator Woolford Gardens, it added.
The church said the 1973 soup kitchen that now offers daily meals, a job aid program, health referral services, and a mailroom has expanded from its original scope.
Welcome Journey
St. Luke's Episcopal Church said it is prospering in the middle of Midtown Atlanta.
Jesus calls everyone to build strong communities and to live as a single body in service of the supremely powerful Lord, according to the church's website.
The church said to take that call seriously at St. Luke's.
It added that they were thrilled about the numerous initiatives and occasions that bolster St. Luke's as a community of people who value one another and their surroundings.
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