Formation

Adult Formation Opportunities

Join Us for Learning, Fellowship, and Coffee!

This summer, we are using a faith-based speaker series that brings together leading thinkers in the church and the academy to give the talk of their lives in 20 minutes or less.These TED-style talks that seek to spark conversations about God, religion, and the power of faith to change lives and communities. TheoEd is a part of The Candler Foundry at Emory University, an initiative that seeks to bring in-depth theological learning to churches and communities outside of seminary degree programs. Ruth, Stewart and some of your fellow Holy Innocents’ members will lead the conversation on topics that include:

July 6: Lin Stradley: Jesus the Ingrate: The Subversive Power of Gratitude
July 13: Dave Stockert: Life After Death: Jesus, Judaism, and Justice.
July 20: Matt and Lindsey Parrish lead the conversation
July 27: Maggie Menkus: Discovering Your Spiritual Gifts and Servant Leadership
Aug. 3: This week we’ll delve into our REALM Database and help folks stay connected in our community.
Aug. 10: Stay tuned… Blessing of Backpacks Sunday. Choir Returns
Aug. 17: Our Rector Bill returns and shares about his sabbatical. Sunday School for all ages begins.

For the 4 Sundays in September, we will welcome a guest lecturer to Holy Innocents:

“I Believe in One God” – 1700 years of the Nicene Creed

2025 marks 1700 years since the fourth-century church crafted the Nicene Creed (325 AD). Since this is a notable anniversary, the Rev. Dr. Gabrielle Thomas will teach this four-week class when we will explore some of the controversies that led to the Council of Nicaea (from which early forms of the Creed resulted) and what was at stake for those involved. We will consider why the doctrine of God is important to Christian leaders in the fourth century, and its significance in the life of the church today.

Dr. Thomas is Assistant Professor of Early Christianity and Anglican Studies at Candler School of Theology, Emory University. She previously served as a lecturer in early Christianity and Anglican studies at Yale Divinity School. An ordained priest in the Church of England, she completed her PhD in Historical Theology at the University of Nottingham while working in full-time parish ministry. Thomas is a keen ecumenist and served as the first woman on the Anglican-Oriental Orthodox International Commission (AOOIC). Dr. Thomas has published three books: The Image of God in the Theology of Gregory Nazianzus, Women and Ordination in the Orthodox Church: Explorations in Theology and Practice, and For the Good of the Church: Unity, Theology and Women. When she’s not teaching or writing she serves as the Theologian in Community at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in downtown Atlanta.

Children and Youth Formation Opportunities

Godly Play

Godly Play is a Montessori approach to Christian Formation where children in PreK-3rd grade are taught Christian language through the presentation of 3-dimensional stories and open-ended work time.

Club 45

4th and 5th graders are invited to join Club 45 where they will continue their spiritual formation and expand on their language and understanding of their identity in Christ. Club 45 will dig deep into the stories of the Bible using vibrant illustrations to discover their part in God’s big story.

Youth

Each Sunday, our youth gather together to check in on each other, enjoy some breakfast, and learn more about God’s Word. Join us as we explore the Gospels this year and discover how their stories fit within our own.