Atlanta, Georgia CCN Center

HISTORY:  The Cathedral of St. Philip chapter of the CCN was formed in the 1960's, following exchanges between many of the Cathedral members and then Provost Bill Williams.  Provost Williams presented the first Cross of Nails in Atlanta to the Cathedral in 1967.   Several other churches in Atlanta, St. Anne's Episcopal Church and Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, additionally were vitally represented members in the Atlanta area after also experiencing Coventry and the vision of Provost Williams. Many of the Cathedral members were Companions to the Order of the Cross of Nails, and the former Chancellor of the CCN-USA [now CCN-NA] is one of the original Companions.

Reconciliation NOW, a national reconciliation organization founded by Reid Harden and based out of Atlanta, received a Cross of Nails from Coventry in 2001.

CCN in the Atlanta area is represented by the churches mentioned above, as well as additional churches, organizations and individuals. Together Atlanta supports all of the CCN national and international reconciliation projects. For years, Atlanta has been the host area to support and assist with national and international conferences, retreats and meetings.

ACTIVITIES:  
Meetings:  The Cathedral of St. Philip Chapter meets monthly (and sometimes more often) and is expanding in membership constantly, as reconciliation and mediation is a world-wide focus. Under the leadership of Deacon Thee Smith, the depth of the group’s interest and commitment is expanding to other groups in the Cathedral.

Conferences: Reconciliation NOW, with world headquarters here in Atlanta, held their reconciliation conference in Atlanta on October 28-November 3rd, 2003.

Workshops: The Cathedral of St. Philip CCN chapter sponsored two workshops to the M. L. King, Jr. National Historic Site to view the exhibition "Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America". Presented by Emory University in Summer 2002, this painting - a picture of vigilante justice - documents the lynching of women as well as men and white, black, Christian and Jewish. A forum followed viewing the exhibit to 'thaw the patches of silence' that keep us from healing 'what awful things someone has done that no one wants to talk about.' These two workshops were repeated in the Fall and again included parishioners from the Union of Black Episcopalians. This was a truly moving and meaningful experience.

"Reconciliation & Mediation" workshops sponsored by CCN in the spring of 2002 were repeated in the fall. These two workshops, once again well attended by not only the Cathedral's community, but others from the Diocese and community, addressed the ethics of mediation and coalition building. The National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) and the CCN Chapter followed with a presentation at the Dean's Forum during the Sunday School hour, with one key segment: the "Controversial Issue Process" developed by the NCBI.

On Saturday, March 23^rd, 2002, the CCN Chapter led a 9 am to 4 pm Reconciliation & Mediation Workshop. Each session was led by a professional, knowledgeable and experienced member of the Atlanta Chapter. Enrollment was limited to 40 attendees, and included representatives from St. Lukes Episcopal Church. The program was divided into three sessions:

• Applied Ethics for a Faith Community
• Conflict Resolution Models
• Mediation Skills

We are exploring the possibility of expanding each of the above sessions into an entire day's workshop in the future.