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Embracing the Sacred at the City Center: Heart of Atlanta Network

There are about 400 of them now and their numbers are growing. They work in a range of professions in the public and private sectors. They are linked by their affiliation with an organization that places no limits on the number of people it seeks to reach. They meet in downtown Atlanta on Monday mornings at 7:30 for prayer. They gather in small groups during the week to study Scripture, discuss the common good, break bread, and fellowship with one another. Is this another strange cult for the authorities to watch? On the contrary, they are everyday people who live and/or work in downtown Atlanta and participate in the Heart of Atlanta Network.

"We are a Christ-centered movement that encourages people from any denomination to join," explained Dale Cross, an ordained Baptist minister and director of the organization. "First and foremost, Heart of Atlanta Network is a community-building effort."

The organization offers programs designed to inspire, inform, educate, train and connect people in community, according to Cross. Programs include prayer meeting on Mondays, Bible study on Wednesdays, and Friday luncheon celebrations that offer speakers, ranging recently from local preachers and teachers to Atlanta's new mayor, Shirley Franklin. Training sessions are offered periodically on Tuesdays, with recent topics including spiritual mentoring and how to manage stress. Thursdays bring the Great Ideas Discussion Groups. In one session last year, Chick-Fil-A entrepreneur Truett Cathy discussed integrating faith into the marketplace. Other sessions reviewed the popular books, Jesus, CEO, by Mary Beth Jones; Soul Among Lions, by Will Campbell; and Prayer of Jabez, by Bruce Wilkeson. A current discussion series, scheduled for April and May, will consider ideas presented in the book, Practicing Our Faith, edited by Dorothy C. Bass.

The Heart of Atlanta Network's commitment to its downtown community, however, is not limited to what the small organization can afford to offer on its own modest budget. Building community through community partnerships, Cross has established ties with other organizations to help deliver an array of services. Among its various partnerships, for example, Heart of Atlanta Network works with Turning Point Counseling Service to offer counseling, and Mission Year to provide 30 urban missionaries in five at-risk Atlanta neighborhoods. Atlanta Mission Entrepreneurs Network (AMEN) -- an initiative that Heart of Atlanta supports in cooperation with Atlanta Union Mission -- helps former substance abuse addicts to become small business entrepreneurs.

Heart of Atlanta Network's commitment to inclusiveness and ecumenism is reflected not only in the diverse community that it serves, Cross points out, but also in the composition of the multiracial board of directors, which represents seven denominations. It includes clergy and laypersons, as well as executives from the public and private sectors. "Heart of Atlanta Network is a faith-based nonprofit community reaching out to persons who live and/or work in downtown Atlanta," explains Cross. "We are committed to the nurture and enhancement of the mental, emotional, and spiritual health of persons in this community."

For more information on Heart of Atlanta Network, contact Dr. Dale Cross, executive director, at 404-524-7205, or visit http://www.heartofatlanta.com.

For information on the Great Ideas Discussion Group Spring Series, click here.