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Faith in New Ways: Connecting to churches and other faith groups

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Mary Our Queen Catholic Church had a successful drive-through food drive on May 10.

*Check church and religious organization websites for most up to date worship and gathering times, as they are subject to change.

In the aftermath of COVID-19, churches and faith groups have been understandably scattered. Here’s how some local religious organizations are keeping the body of faith together.

Beth Shalom

The synagogue offers Friday Night Shabbat Services starting at 6:30 p.m. Shabbat Morning Services are streamed Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. Sunday Morning Minyan will be via Zoom link on the Beth Shalom website, bethshalom.net. An electronic version of the siddur (prayer book) is also available online.

Christ the King Lutheran Church

Christ the King Lutheran Church (CtK) currently offers two modified in-person worship services, 8:45 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. on Sundays. Both services are the same format, a Lutheran liturgy and a mix of musical styles. CtK plans to return to offering both traditional and contemporary service formats after the COVID-19 crisis. A face mask is required. Please bring one. A limited number will be available.
Social distancing is required. Only specific places in specific pews will be available. Worshipers will be limited to 50 per service, with online registration required through ctklutheran.org. The sanctuary will be cleaned between services.

Corners Church of Christ

Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Corners Church of Christ’s services are online at the Worship page on their website, cornerschurch.org. They start Sunday services at 10 a.m. They are making plans to have an outdoor or limited service soon once it becomes appropriate.

Landmark Church

Landmark Church has multiple times a week to connect virtually with fellow church members. Wednesday Evening Bible Study via Zoom starts at 7:00 p.m. Intercessory prayer meetings are held at 6:30 a.m. on Friday mornings. Sunday morning services are broadcast at 10:30 a.m. from the sanctuary. Zoom login information is available on the Landmark Church website, landmarkchurch.org.

Mary Our Queen Catholic Church (MOQ)

The current mass schedule is limited capacity. The church is considered in a time of Dispensation until at least August 1. This indicates a needed deviation from strict religious law practices as allowed in times of emergency or other specific circumstances. MOQ offers two main ways to attend mass.

  1. Livestream mass if a patron chooses or needs to remain at home due to health concerns or illness.
  2. Attend in-person mass, either on the weekend or during the week, following the listed requirements:
  • Wear a face mask at all times on parish campus for mass for ages 2+
  • Maintain 6 feet of social distancing
  • Follow communion procedures,
  • Use hand sanitizer and
  • Arrive 30 minutes early, as parishioners are ushered in and out of their pews one at a time.

The mass schedule is listed as Monday at 12 p.m., a Tuesday Communion Service, Wednesday through Friday at 12 p.m., Saturday Vigil at 5 p.m., and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. The 8:30 a.m. service is now being held outdoors, and unlike other services, a face mask is not required. Details are at maryourqueen.com.

Mount Carmel United Methodist

Mount Carmel United Methodist is in the process of trying to reopen on-site services, with a 25-person capacity. Until then, they are offering online worship at mtcarmel-umc.org, Bible study via Zoom and Children’s messages via email and Facebook. Their Counseling Center is offering one-on-one video sessions.

Peachtree Corners Baptist Church (PCBC)

Peachtree Corners Baptist Church hosted several blood drives to benefit the American Red Cross; the most recent was July 21-23.

Like many cautious churches, PCBC has been reopening in phases, seeing how things change and develop. On-campus worship resumed July 5, without childcare or other age-related activities. Seats for on-campus worship can be reserved at pcbchurch.org; online worship experiences are also available.
On August 9, PCBC will expand their on-campus ministries. On Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m., they will open up the nursery, preschool, and the Kids service called Collide. The student ministry will meet on Sunday nights from 5:30-7:00 p.m. for Elevate and Life Groups.

Peachtree Corners Presbyterian Church

This church is open for both corporate and online worship at pcarpchurch.org. Corporate worship is on Sundays at 10:45 a.m. Facemasks are highly recommended but not required. However, those not wearing masks are asked to refrain from singing during on-site worship. Those who chose to sing should wear face coverings that cover both the nose and the mouth.

As more data has become available, the church has decided to block off more front rows to help reduce the spread of potential germs from the person at the pulpit.

Perimeter Church

Perimeter Church offers many points of connection. Services are held in person and online at 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Reservations are required for in-person service. Alternatively, view service is available through perimeter.org, the Perimeter Church app, Facebook or YouTube.

They also have an app on AppleTV — just search “Perimeter Church” on the device. Worship resources for kids are available on the Perimeter website, including the new KidsQuest Online that can be streamed on demand on Sundays and throughout the week.

Simpsonwood United Methodist Church

On July 5, Simpsonwood UMC held an outdoor service, but has since gone back to virtual services until further notice.

Simpsonwood UMC is following the North Georgia Conference of the UMC in its edicts regarding COVID-19 preparedness. The North Georgia conference has different guidance depending on the current risk level of a church’s county. Gwinnett County is designated at Red, which means no in-person gatherings and staff working remotely.

Simpsonwood has previously held outdoor services on July 5, but will suspend those until it is appropriate to resume. Virtual worship is held at 10 a.m. on Sundays, followed by GrowGroup bible study at 10:45 a.m. Mission work and drive thru food collection is being conducted as needed. Stay connected at simpsonwoodumc.org.

Unity Atlanta Church

Unity Atlanta Church is remaining virtual for the time being. Sunday services are at 11 a.m. on live stream. Wednesday night services are on virtual platforms as well. See their calendar at unityatl.org for more information.

Kelsey Asher is a proud graduate of the University of West Georgia with a Bachelor’s in Communications. She has held a variety of marketing leadership roles for several small, startup companies in a variety of industries including publishing, construction and technology.

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Mike Schleifer to Leave Alliance for Lincoln Center Theater

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A middle-aged man wearing a dark suit jacket, white shirt and grey and blue tie. He's smiling and looking at the camera in front of a dark grey background

After leading Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre through two major renovation projects, a global pandemic and more than 100 productions over 11 years, Managing Director, Mike Schleifer, will leave the Alliance at the end of the year to become the managing director of Lincoln Center Theater in New York.

As managing director of the Alliance, Schleifer oversees all operational, marketing, financial, fundraising and shared services activities. In his new role, Schleifer will oversee LCT’s financial and operational health and ensure long-term sustainability and growth. He will also work to align strategic planning with artistic goals, manage the theater’s union relationships, lead budgeting, marketing and capital planning efforts and identify and develop new revenue opportunities.

“While it’s rare to find a managing director who is equally brilliant at the operational and financial part of the job, it’s simply unheard of to find one who excels on those fronts and leads with such unabashed heart, vision and humor,” said Jennings Hertz Artistic Directors Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and Christopher Moses in a joint statement.    

“For the past 11 years, we had the unfathomably good fortune to have all that and more in Mike Schleifer. Mike’s willingness to bet on our mission and invest in the extraordinary talent of the Alliance staff allowed us to realize aspirational dreams we never would have dared to dream without his encouragement and faith. We’ll miss him daily but cannot wait to witness the joy he’ll bring to the Lincoln Center Theater.”

During his tenure

During his tenure with the Alliance, Schleifer led the administrative and producing teams on over 100 productions and moved four shows to Broadway, including last season’s “Water for Elephants” and this season’s “Maybe Happy Ending.”

He spearheaded the $36 million renovation of the award-winning Coca-Cola Stage and is currently leading the $26 million renovation of the Goizueta Stage for Youth and Families. Under his leadership, the Alliance more than doubled its operating budget, tripled its endowment and continued to lead the country in work developed for young audiences. 

“It’s been a true honor and privilege to work, lead and learn at the Alliance Theatre for the last eleven years,” said Schleifer. “I’m deeply grateful to the staff, artists and audiences of the Alliance Theatre and Woodruff Arts Center who have made this journey so rewarding.”

“We’ve achieved remarkable milestones — from moving productions to Broadway to completing transformative capital projects,” he continued. “I’m excited for what’s next, but I won’t be leaving until we cut the ribbon on the new Goizueta Stage for Youth and Families — a project that reflects the Alliance’s deep commitment to the next generation of theatergoers, both with the physical theater space and with the endowment we’re raising to make the work on that stage financially accessible for all.”

Additional roles

In addition to his work at the Alliance, Schleifer serves on the boards of the League of Resident Theatres and True Colors Theatre Company. In 2018 he co-founded Volute Partners, a theatre consultancy focused on capital projects and the subsequent operational support and budgets needed to sustain them.

“We are immensely grateful for Mike’s leadership and tireless dedication to the Alliance Theatre. His vision, passion, and expertise have left an indelible mark on this organization,” said Hala Moddelmog, president and CEO of Woodruff Arts Center. 

“We take great pride in seeing him step into this well-deserved opportunity, knowing he will make a lasting impact at Lincoln Center Theater.”

New leadership

The leadership of the Woodruff Arts Center, with support from members of the Alliance Theatre Board of Directors, will conduct a national search for the Alliance’s next managing director, led by executive search firm, Corps Team.

“On behalf of the Alliance’s board of directors, we want to thank Mike for more than a decade of service to the Alliance and Atlanta community,” said Kendrick Smith, Alliance Theatre Board of Directors chair. “He oversaw a period of unprecedented growth with a spirit of collaboration and unwavering commitment to the theater’s artistic vision.”

“As we begin the national search for his successor, we remain dedicated to the theater’s mission of expanding hearts and minds, on stage and off.”

About the Alliance Theatre

Founded in 1968, Alliance Theatre is the leading producing theater in the Southeast, reaching more than 165,000 patrons annually.  

The Alliance is led by Jennings Hertz Artistic Directors Tinashe Kajese-Bolden and Christopher Moses and Managing Director Mike Schleifer and is a recipient of the Regional Theatre Tony Award® for sustained excellence in programming, education and community engagement. 

In January 2019, the Alliance opened its new, state-of-the-art performance space, The Coca-Cola Stage at Alliance Theatre.

Known for its high artistic standards and national role in creating significant theatrical works, the Alliance has premiered more than 140 productions, including eleven that have transferred to Broadway. 

Additionally, the Alliance education department reaches more than 90,000 students annually through performances, classes, camps and in-school initiatives designed to support teachers and enhance student learning.

The Alliance Theatre values community, curiosity, collaboration and excellence and is dedicated to representing Atlanta’s diverse community with the stories they tell, the artists, staff and leadership they employ and the audiences they serve.

For more information, visit alliancetheatre.org.

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Fantastical Creatures in Fernbank’s WildWoods

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Fernbank Spirit Guides exhibit promotion with colorful wooden animal sculpture in a grassy area with lots of trees and bushes.

Encounter mythical creatures in a natural landscape when “Spirit Guides: Fantastical Creatures from the Workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles” opens March 29.

Immerse yourself in a breathtaking outdoor exhibit that intertwines Mexican cultures and contemporary art when “Spirit Guides: Fantastical Creatures from the Workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles” opens at Fernbank Museum.

From March 29 to August 3, guests can enter a supernatural world as they walk alongside towering, brightly colored and richly patterned sculptures in the natural landscape of Fernbank’s WildWoods.

Presented in both English and Spanish, this collection of brightly-colored fiberglass sculptures depicts imaginary hybrid animals and offers visitors an unparalleled journey into an imaginative take on the spiritual landscape of southern Mexico’s Indigenous traditions.

Inspiration and legend

In creating “Spirit Guides,” artists Jacobo and María Ángeles were inspired by an ancient Zapotec stone calendar. Indigenous to southern Mexico, Zapotec culture is deeply connected to plants, seasons and animals.

Large colorful sculpture of a winged mythical creature on an open patio in a wooded garden.
photo credit: Scott Dressel-Martin

“Spirit Guides” beckons visitors to travel into the spiritual landscape of Mexico’s Indigenous traditions through these animal sculptures that act as both spirit guides and astrological embodiments of human character.

Some of the hybrid animals depicted include a combination of a deer-butterfly or a coyote-fish. These larger-than-life sculptures depict patterns and designs that symbolize different aspects of Zapotec life and culture, such as happiness, fertility and community.

The artists have previously stated that, according to a Zapotec legend, when you are born an animal comes to you to serve as your protector in this world. This animal is your tona, a being that shares your destiny and soul.

Large colorful sculpture of a howling fish-wolf mythical creature in a wooded garden.
photo credit: Scott Dressel-Martin

Along with your tona, you also have a nahual, which is assigned based on the year of your birth. This spirit animal embodies characteristics that mirror your own personality.

As guests stand before the sculptures in WildWoods — some of which stand nearly 8 feet tall and 9 feet wide — they are made conscious of the profound connection between the natural and cosmological worlds.

About the Artists

Jacobo and María Ángeles are a married artist team based in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Joyful, fanciful and distinctively patterned, the Ángeles’ animal sculptures embrace both contemporary art and folk-art traditions. They employ and teach more than 100 artisans in their workshop, which has created artworks shown in museums around the world.

Exhibit details

By drawing inspiration from the Zapotec calendar and their own imaginations, the Ángeles team sculpted their own mythical creations.

This exhibit features eight towering, vibrant fiberglass sculptures of hybrid animals, intersecting art, mythology and identity. The sculptures were designed through a multi-step process that included conceptual sketches, small wooden renderings and papier mâché molds before casting the fiberglass.

A team of artisans then helped to paint the sculptures with striking colors and intricate geometric patterns inspired by Zapotec and other Indigenous designs, each with their own unique meaning.

Organized by Denver Botanic Gardens, “Spirit Guides: Fantastical Creatures from the Workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles” is on view from March 29 – August 3, 2025. The exhibit is included with General Admission at Fernbank Museum and is free with CityPASS.

It will also be on view select nights when the museum is open, including during Fernbank After Dark and Fernbank … but Later.

For more information, please visit fernbankmuseum.org.

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Fernbank Museum Roars with Excitement for New Exhibit

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Dinosaur skeleton on display at a natural history museum

“Ultimate Dinosaurs” will run from February 8–May 4, 2025

Ultimate Dinosaurs,” a special exhibit that explores the fascinating species that evolved in isolation in South America, Africa and Madagascar, stomps into Fernbank Museum from February 8 to May 4.

Through the exhibit, guests will experience an impressive blend of skeletal displays and augmented reality as they learn about the changing prehistoric landscape of dinosaurs in a new, modernized way.

Journey through the Mesozoic

Based on groundbreaking research from scientists around the world, “Ultimate Dinosaurs” highlights dinosaurs typically unfamiliar to North Americans and seeks to answer the question: why are the unique and bizarre dinosaurs in the Southern Hemisphere so different from their North American counterparts?

Dinosaur skeletons on display at an exhibit at a natural history museum
photo credit: Denver Museum of Nature & Science

Starting with the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea, “Ultimate Dinosaurs” takes visitors on a journey through the Mesozoic Era (250-65 million years ago) and shows how continental drift affected the evolution of dinosaurs during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

“We are excited to have “Ultimate Dinosaurs” here at Fernbank and explore the unique ways that dinosaurs have evolved in isolation,” said program manager, Maria Moreno. “This exhibit combines rarely seen specimens with interactive stations for patrons of all ages to enjoy.”

“It is also very exciting to have an exhibit highlighting our mascot, the Giganotosaurus, one of the largest land predators to have ever lived,” Moreno added.

Dino displays and hands-on activities

Guests can view a variety of full-scale dinosaur displays from the Eoraptor, Malawisaurus, Suchomimus, Rapetosaurus and more, including 14 dinosaur skeletons. One highlight is the Giganotosaurus skeleton, which is also on view in Fernbank’s permanent exhibit, “Giants of the Mesozoic.”

An older couple reading information in front of a dinosaur bone display at a natural history museum exhibit
photo credit: Denver Museum of Nature & Science

This special exhibit will include several real fossils, some of which will be available to visitors to touch. Additionally, “Ultimate Dinosaurs” features several hands-on activities, one of which involves exploring the physical characteristics of dinosaurs’ stride patterns, crests and frills.

Another activity uses augmented reality to transform intricately detailed skeletons into moving, flesh-and-bone creatures.

To celebrate the grand opening of “Ultimate Dinosaurs,” Fernbank is hosting a family-friendly Dino Day on Saturday, February 8 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The event is included with general admission.

Additionally, the giant screen film, “T. REX 3D,” will be showing through May 16.

Two smiling, young boys holding toy dinosaurs at a dinosaur exhibit at a natural history museum
photo credit: Denver Museum of Nature & Science

There will also be a lecture with Anthony (Tony) Martin, professor of practice in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Emory University, titled “On Frozen Ground Down Under: Polar Dinosaurs, Insects and other Cretaceous Fossils of Australia” this spring.

The details

Presented by the Science Museum of Minnesota, “Ultimate Dinosaurs” is open at Fernbank from February 8–May 4. The exhibit will be included with general admission tickets and is free with CityPASS.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit fernbankmuseum.org.

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