Advent Devotionals - 2020 - Mercy Community Church Atlanta

Blessed Advent, community! We’re so happy to share with you our new Advent + Christmas Devotionals featuring contributions from 19 different authors and artists from the pastoral team and members of the Mercy Community. For more information on some exciting new changes we have made this year, read the full story below. Also, check out our website or Facebook page for weekly videos and music to accompany your reflections!

Digital Version

Print your own (5.5×8.5)! | Print your own for booklets!

Easier to read, larger print, but fewer pizzas.

Since February, Mercy has been adapting and evolving with the pandemic; the devotionals were no exception. In years past, we’ve held a ‘devotional print, staple, and mail pizza party’ doing everything by hand to get them out the door to you. With social distancing in mind, that just wasn’t an option this year, so we decided to also reimagine how they could look! If you are on the mailing list, you’ll experience the biggest change: booklet sized, self-addressed, direct mailed to you. Bonus points that this also allowed for a color cover created by our own Pastor Chad! Extra bonus: we saved ourselves some time AND were able to pinch some pennies as well. To top it off, we think the end result is a great devotional experience we can share with you!

You’ll also notice the format has changed from horizontal to vertical. Not only does the format feel more like a book, it also allows us to increase the font size! So – now the devotionals are easier to read and print from home if you would like.

Weekly Videos to Guide your Devotional Experience

This year we’ll also be sharing weekly conversational videos to guide your devotional reading experience. In our first video Pastor Chad talks all things apocalypse as he ponders the lectionary texts for the first week of Advent. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more Advent reflections and music that we’ll be sharing throughout the season.

Some things never change

We are happiest to share that what hasn’t changed about this community project is the hard work and heart that went into these devotionals. While 2020 has been a whirlwind, we couldn’t miss this important opportunity to share the voices and creativity of our beautiful community with you!

This year, like all years past and future, Mercy will be working together to build up God’s house of love and care for one another. As you read, pray, and study with us this Advent season, we hope you feel connected to the work and people of our community!

This year the devotionals feature 19 writers and artists, include photos of our day-to-day during Covid, and give a little insight into what the future of what Mercy looks like!

Brittany grew up in Jacksonville, Arkansas. She first learned about God and what it means to be a church community that loves and cares for one another from First Presbyterian Church, Jacksonville, AR. Brittany graduated from Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. After teaching abroad and working for a travel company, Brittany began her studies at Columbia Theological Seminary, taking steps to answer a call to ministry that she had felt since her childhood. Upon moving to Atlanta, Brittany’s passion for being present with those on the margins led her to volunteer at Peachtree and Pine’s Taskforce for the Homeless and to become a pastoral intern with Mercy Church. After completing her MDiv at Columbia, Brittany began a PhD program at Emory University, but left to answer God’s call on her life to full-time ministry as a pastor to our community. Brittany was jointly ordained by the PC(USA) and Mercy Community Church in 2018. Outside of Mercy, what gives Brittany life and joy is spending time with her husband Cooper and daughter Emi, traveling via plane, train, and foot, playing Dungeons and Dragons, and nerding out over Karl Barth.

Contact Brittany at brittany@mercyatl.org.

Holly grew up in Ocala, Florida where she was nurtured by her faith community and encouraged to find ways to be a leader in the community. Holly graduated from the University of North Florida with a degree in Psychology. After a period of discernment, she was called to a church community in Lady Lake, Florida where she served as the Youth Director for over six years. She began her seminary career in 2014 at Columbia Theological Seminary where she earned her Masters of Divinity and Master of Arts in Practical Theological (Pastoral Care). During her time in seminary, Holly began attending Mercy Community Church where she fell in love with the community. Upon graduation, Holly served for two years as a Chaplain Resident at Grady Memorial Hospital and specialized in pastoral care through the lens of behavioral health.

In her free time, Holly loves to exercise, travel, spend time with her family, read, and organize.

Tracey grew up in the Chicagoland area with a small but close-knit family. Her mother was Catholic, her father Lutheran and she was brought up in a household that always acknowledged God. She attended Northern Illinois University and graduated with a B.S. in Family and Social Services in 1997. Before she earned her college degree, she also attended the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago and graduated with a baking a pastry certificate. Throughout the past 20 years Tracey lived in a variety of places including Michigan, Seattle, India, and Brazil. She has called Atlanta home since 2016 where she lives with her daughters, Riley, and Shayla.

Tracey chose to care for her young family on a full-time basis until 2019 when she began her studies at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA. She graduated with a Master of Divinity in 2022 and was ordained as a pastor by Mercy Community Church that same year. Tracey’s call to seminary was rooted in a deep desire to lead and live through her faith in God. She attended seminary with a hope of learning what that could mean while also knowing her path was not clear. As she served as an intern at Mercy Community Church for two years throughout her seminary studies, she began to discern that pastoring this community was a call she wanted to accept. Tracey loves to engage with the community through artistic expression, pastoral care and cooking delicious meals. She is honored to be a member of the Mercy community.

When she’s not with the Mercy crew, Tracey loves to dabble in all things creative, hang out with her fabulous teenage daughters, spend time with her pets, and run a few miles while contemplating the meaning of life.

Mercy Community Church Atlanta

Advent Devotionals – 2020

Easier to read, larger print, but fewer pizzas.

Weekly Videos to Guide your Devotional Experience

Some things never change

Like this:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Mercy Community Church Atlanta

Easier to read, larger print, but fewer pizzas.

Weekly Videos to Guide your Devotional Experience

Some things never change

Share this:

Like this:

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Subscribe to Mercy’s Newsletter

Pastor Chad

Pastor Brittany

Pastor Holly

Pastor Lattimore

Pastor Tracey