Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church
Brookhaven, Georgia

Adopt-A-Cop: Serving Those Who Protect

Adopt-A-Cop assigns law enforcement officers from the Brookhaven Police Department to a family, group, or individual who will pray daily for them and send a monthly note of encouragement, support, and gratitude for their service to the community. Members support the department in their community building activities, strengthening the relationship between our parish and the Brookhaven Police Department.

Anne Stephens, Communications Director, astephens@olachurch.org

​​​

Care for Creation Ministry

Inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical Care for Our Common Home (Laudato Si’), OLA’s Care for Creation Ministry’s mission is to inspire the parish and surrounding community to restore and preserve all of God’s creation through worship, education, and service. With the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s Ladauto Si’ action plan as our guide, we seek to live more sustainably in harmony with God’s creation and encourage our community to do so as well. The Care for Creation team is developing a multi-faceted program of education, service and worship open to all OLA parishioners, visitors and community members.

Suzanne Degnats and Amy Granelli, careforcreation@olachurch.org

​

Edge Missions Camp

Rising 6th – 8th graders spend a week during the summer learning how to share their time and talent through service to OLA and the local community.

Nick Ables, Middle School Youth Minister, nables@olachurch.org

​

Edge Missions Camp Adult Volunteers

Parent volunteers are needed to spend the week of the Edge Middle School Missions Camp serving as chaperones and drivers for our rising 6th – 8th graders who attend the camp.

Nick Ables, Middle School Youth Minister, nables@olachurch.org

 

Funeral Reception Ministry

The OLA Funeral Reception Ministry provides funeral reception services that include food preparation, set-up, service, and clean-up in support of family and friends as they comfort one another following a funeral Mass. We have many volunteer options available to fit your time schedule. Communication is by e-mail and we use Signup Genius to request stewards for the different volunteer needs. You can pick an item or spot to fill if you are available to help. Sharon Bowman, sharon.bowman@comcast.net

​

Fortunate and Faithful Families

I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another - John 13:34. The mission of this ministry is to foster mutual understanding, spiritual renewal, and inclusion of all LGBTQ+ individuals, their families, and friends through dialogue, hospitality, education, and support. The name Fortunate and Faithful Families reflects the two very important "loves" that we strive to unite: love of our children and love of our Catholic faith. We feel blessed and "fortunate" with the gifts of our LGBTQ children and family members who expand our compassion and spiritual vision. We also continue to live our Catholic faith in committed service and in the desire to foster a safe and loving church for all. Fortunate and Faithful Families came to Atlanta with the blessing of former Archbishop Wilton Gregory and continues with the support of Archbishop Gregory Hartmayer. 

Tony Sutter, ff-families@olachurch.org

​

IOH: Interfaith Outreach Home Ministry

The Interfaith Outreach Home allows formerly homeless persons to have a place to stay, along with their families, until they are able to get back onto their feet. The ministry provides continued support to the residents and the staff. We support IOH in all capacities, including works to maintain the interior and exterior of the home. Please consider sharing your time and talent by joining our ministry. We have plenty of projects to fit any schedule.

Amanda and Declan Reilly Family, ioh@olachurch.org

​

Justice and Peace Ministry

This organization supports its members to put their faith into action in support of others. Monthly Ethical Trade coffee/tea/chocolate sales raise money toward building homes in Nicaragua through Food for the Poor. The group attends and supports interfaith outreach programs in the Atlanta area and also advocates for legislative issues in conjunction with Catholic Social Teaching. This ministry is in partnership with Stand Up for Kids - a program supporting the homeless youth of Atlanta and hosts annual drives to provide needed supplies for homeless youth. The OLA Just Faith community actively supports the work of other Outreach Ministries at OLA.

Suzanne Ernst, justice-peace@olachurch.org

​

Kairos Prison Ministry

Kairos is an ecumenical Christian Prison Ministry that ministers to men in medium and maximum security prisons. OLA helps lead 2 retreats for men at the Hancock State Prison in Sparta, GA. Male volunteers are needed to join the team and help lead retreats. Others can show agape in the form of baking cookies for prisoners and prison staff - and possibly hosting a meal for the retreat leaders at the end of each day. .

Kevin Fitzpatrick, Kevin.fitzpatrick@dcbflegal.com

​

Knights of Columbus

The Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization, founded by Father Michael J. McGivney in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1882. This Catholic organization for men is devoted to fundraising in support of many activities in and around the parish; specific areas of activities are church, school, community, youth, and pro-life.

Alan Young, koc@olachurch.org

​

Loaves and Fishes Ministry

Volunteers provide meals to parishioners in need (new babies, those that are sick or hospitalized, families that have experienced a death, and individuals or families experiencing other hardships). Volunteers are also occasionally asked to assist with food preparation or donation for special parish events.

Gwen Brannon and Michele Sanders, loaves-fishes@olachurch.org

​

Mercy Care Ministry

Mercy Care Chamblee is our neighborhood clinic that provides free/low cost healthcare to families who do not have access to basic medical care. OLA’s Mercy Care ministry provides volunteer support for Mercy Care sponsored events, assembles meal kit packages for Mercy Care clients semi-annually, and adopts Mercy Care families during their Christmas adopt-a-family program.

Lindsey Tidwell, mercycare@olachurch.org

​

Ministry of Care

Parishioners bring the Word of God and the Eucharist on a weekly basis to the sick, elderly in hospitals or care centers or those who are home-bound. Special training is required in addition to being a trained Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist.

Anne Tomolo, ministersofcare@olachurch.org

​

Night Shelter Food Drivers (November - March)

Drivers deliver food to the Central Presbyterian Night Shelter on Tuesdays, November - March. Food is provided by the
Soupremes ministry. 
Jim Tiernan, jimtier25@yahoo.com

 

Night Shelter Volunteers (November - March)

Overnight volunteers serve at the Central Presbyterian Night Shelter by serving dinner to the guests (70 homeless men), cleaning up afterwards, and then staying overnight at the shelter to provide supervision of the guests. We typically have 6 overnight volunteers per night who rotate shifts of sleeping and supervising the guests. Total time on site is from 6pm - 6am. The reward of this ministry is the direct, hands-on outreach with the homeless men. These men are real people who are down on their luck. They are humble and genuinely appreciative of the warm meal and the shelter from the winter weather. Serving them in this way is a humbling and uplifting experience.

Nick Meyer, nickgmeyer@gmail.com

​

Pro-Life Ministry

The purpose of this ministry is to raise awareness and educate individuals about pro-life issues and to inform the community about upcoming events such as life chains, prayer vigils, the Annual March for Life, and various fundraisers. Our main goal is to protect the life of the unborn & their mothers. The ministry is always looking for new members to participate in events throughout the year. Each year the ministry hosts a Mother’s Day Flower Sale and Baby Shower to support women who are served by pro-life agencies around Atlanta. Katherine Baldwin, prolife@olachurch.org

​

Soupremes (November - March; Lent)

Teams of chefs prepare meals to be served to the men at the Central Night Shelter. This year the ministry will expand to an additional thirty meals each week for the men stay at the night shelter at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception! Teams cook on a rotating schedule. Meals are prepared in the Marist Hall Kitchen each Monday of the Month and delivered the next day by the Night Shelter Drivers Ministry. Teams also provide the meal for the parish Lenten Soup Suppers.

Anne Marie Shulman, annemarieshulman@mac.com; and Jill Termini, jilltermini@ups.com

​

Sr. Thea Bowman Racial Justice Ministry

Our mission is to become a deep source for learning, teaching, transformation, and action to dismantle the communal sin of racism in our church, parish, and community. We learn together through group study, training, experiences, and pilgrimages, and we seek to join other Catholic and interfaith communities to become active and trustworthy fellow pilgrims in the fight against racism. We are inspired in our work by the spirit and power of Sister Thea Bowman, religious sister, educator, musician, scholar, and Servant of God, and we pray for her canonization.

Beth Belden, racialjustice@olachurch.org

 

St. Vincent de Paul Society (Vincentians)

The purpose of this group is to provide confidential and temporary emergency assistance to those within our parish boundaries in the form of rent, food, utilities, or medicine. Members make personal visits to assess and verify needs of clients. Food Donations can now be left with our campus Security Officer. We accept cans of fruit, chicken, vegetables, tuna; Jars of mayo, peanut butter, jelly, pasta sauce; and boxes of tuna helper, mac & cheese, pasta. Please do NOT donate items that are past their expiration date. 

Steve Conway, steveconway63@gmail.com

​

If you are in need of assistance, call 404-261-7181 ext. 124 and leave a message. Please do not come to the parish office as our staff will not be able to assist you.

​

Stephen Ministry

Stephen Ministry is a one-to-one care giving ministry. After training you will show God's mercy, care and compassion to someone who is facing difficulties in their life. We are grounded in Jesus's command to love one another.

Tom Dunn, sministry@olachurch.org