Attending College in Atlanta GA (1991)

 

 Interdenominational Theological Center,  Atlanta,GA

I came across this 1991 College I.D. when I was rutting through a journal I kept that year.   I found the I.D. pasted in that journal.

I.T.C. is an Atlanta based consortium Seminary of some of the historic Black Denominations.

I took three courses at there  (see below). 

 I rented an efficiency apartment here

 

 This too was pasted in my journal

I seem to remember  that the Darlington was almost across the street from the Piedmont Hospital.  The joke back then was that everyone who moved to Atlanta started by renting an efficiency apartment at the Darlington.

My sabbatical leave had two "majors".

 

 1.  I hung my hat at St. Luke's Episcopal Church on Peachtree St., Atlanta, and helped out a bit,  'cause their Rector, one Charles Bennison, had been "asked to leave".  

Even though he was no longer the Rector at St. Luke's , Chuck and  I formed a godly friendship in Atlanta.  This continued when he joined the staff at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA; and even later when he had a troubled episcopate in the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania.

I led the adult Covenant Group (Confirmation Class), and bonded beautifully with these young adults.  We spent a retreat weekend at the Diocese of Atlanta's Camp Mikell. The retreat leader was retired Atlanta Bishop Bennett Sims; once a semi scourge of gay and lesbian Christians - in retirement their great advocate.

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2.  (This is the rich bit).   I took three courses at I.T.C.

 

a) Black People in the Bible, with Dr. Charles Copher.

b)  An overview history of predominately Black Churches with Dr. Kenneth Henry.  This class took a field trip to the Tuskegee Institute.

c) A course on Black Preaching with Henry and Ella Mitchell.

 

I am so glad that I kept a journal of 1991 memories. What a feast of fine things! 

 

All this; plus lectures/sermons  

from  former U.S.Ambassador to the U.N  Andrew Young; 

from Canon  Nan Peete; 

and from Archbishop Tutu (at St, Luke's.)

 

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All this Church and Seminary stuff,  and much more. 'Twas a rich three months.

1.  My Chicopee MA friends,  Ray and Irene Rokowski  stopped by on their way home from Florida to Massachusetts. I gave them the Atlanta tour!

2, Their then "potential"  daughter in law Deanne Payne was in town. She and I shared a fabulous pizza at a Peachtree St. Pizza joint called Rockies.

3. My Pittsfield, MA. pal Joe Schorge visited. We took a few days off to go to Leesburg, Florida where we stayed with Fitchburg, MA friends Doris and Al Williams,

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5. Another Western MA colleague and friend, Mary Lou LaVallee  was also in town for a while. We attended a memorable performance of Haydn's "Lord Nelson Mass" at a Presbyterian Church in mid-town Atlanta.

6.  I had lunch with Connie and Linda, dear sisters of my beloved Dr. Grace Jones. and Linda's son Robert  After lunch we took a field trip to the Revd. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center on "Sweet Auburn".

7. And there was dinner in a north Atlanta suburb with Mark  (a son of my good friends Don and Barbara Hauler; Mark's wife Marcia and their new baby Lindsay  (I was at her Bat Mitzvah thirteen years later).

8. I reconnected in south Atlanta with a Chicopee parishioner Nancy Klofas who was directing an educational/enrichment centre there.

Tomorrow or the day after I'll tell you about two memorable church services I attended in Atlanta,  one at a Southern Baptist Church; another at a Black Baptist Church.

'Twas a grand ATL spring/summer sabbatical, followed by a wonderful month in Italy