The Rt. Rev. Robert Wright, Bishop of Atlanta, is pleased to announce the naming of the new Executive Director of Emmaus House, Joseph Mole. The Bishop chose Joseph after a search committee comprised of Emmaus House Advisory Board members presented him with three candidates who they selected from a large pool of qualified applicants. Joseph will begin his work at Emmaus House on July 7.

Here is Joseph's bio:

Joseph D. Mole, LMSW

Throughout his career, Joseph has led efforts to bring about innovative change within nonprofit organizations ranging from regional to national in scope.

During his 10-year career with The Salvation Army, Joseph provided training, oversight and evaluation to a wide range of social service programs in over half of the United States. One of his greatest accomplishments was the development and implementation of a comprehensive child abuse prevention program. Utilizing education, policy alignment and compliance monitoring, he was able to raise the safety standards of the organization to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and youth.

In his most recent role with Cabrini Green Legal Aid in Chicago, Joseph created a holistic model of legal and social work services, the only one of its kind in the Midwest. With attorneys and social workers working side-by-side, lives are transformed as men and women successfully navigate a legal system that has placed countless barriers in their path. Strategic partnerships with social service agencies open doors to employment, housing and social support, giving people tools to create better lives for themselves and their families.

Joseph received his Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan, where his studies focused on management of human service organizations. Prior to that, he earned a BA in Philosophy/Religion & Sociology from Spring Arbor University. Joseph is a licensed social worker in Illinois and Georgia, and has served as an active member of LaSalle Street Church in Chicago for many years.

Joseph is passionate about people, committed to social justice, inspired by the strength of communities, and fueled by copious amounts of good coffee.

On the weekends you’ll likely find him at a dog park with his Rhodesian Ridgeback, Savannah, on his patio reading nonfiction, or dining in a local foodie establishment in the Old Fourth Ward, where he resides.

Joseph Mole

The Camp Summer Hope college-aged counselors gathered for a retreat over the weekend for orientation and training. The 7-week day camp begins next week (Tuesday May 27). Morgan Faison, a PhD candidate from Emory University, led the training by discussing the Peoplestown context and best practices for caring for children in an urban, low-income setting. The counselors ended the weekend by writing letters to themselves about how they want to influence the lives of the children in their care.

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This weekend, on Holy Saturday, there is an Earth Day volunteer opportunity in Peoplestown. This will be a busy weekend for many, but hopefully some of us, whether we now live in Peoplestown or not, will join with our neighbors to help clean up the area around D.H. Stanton Elementary School and to recycle items at the Turner Field lots. Older children and teens are welcomed! A free breakfast begins the day at the school and it concludes at lunch time with good eats prepared by Emmaus House's own wonderful May Helen Johnson. Instead of Easter eggs, you’ll get a star in your crown.More information is available here.

Our April newsletter, which features our programs for children and youth, is available here.

Emmaus House Summer Camp Pledge

The word can’t is not in my vocabulary. Because when I put my mind to it, I can do anything. I am special. I am positive. I am beautiful. I am responsible. I am loved. I am capable of loving. I am a champion. I will succeed.

Dawn by Addie Washington

WWNNHHNRONNG!… WWNNHHNRONNG!… WWNNHHNRONNG!…

And with that final blast from the train, morning has wholly arrived. Like some industrial call to prayer, “Wake up! Wake up! Prayer is better than sleep!” —or the sounding of a boat’s horn across the ocean, “We are here! Hallo there?” the unleashed and furious sound of the oncoming train heralds the rush of the day. My blood quickens.

Today I have arisen earlier than usual, catching the first fire-full moments of the day in pinks, oranges, and reds. One of the tremendous gifts of this year has come in the form of these early moments. I have found that on the heels of a night’s rest, I can wake ready to meet the day.

Here, before the day’s stride can outpace me, I am able to riffle through the collection of thoughts in my working memory: the glittering, joyful eyes of the little nugget last Monday (oh, so precious!); the dirt under the nails of the gentleman yesterday, old enough to be my grandfather; Tell me how did you feel when you come out the wilderness?… And other snatches of liturgy or fraught questions steeping in my mind. It is something sacred and mysterious to find a place within the quiet expanse of the morning.

I hear a van ride up the driveway beside our building, and realize my coworkers will soon be entering the office downstairs. They will open the space to the flow of neighbors from near and far who will arrive with all their questions, concerns, frustrations, lessons, and laughter.

I am thinking about how in this time of morning I am like the little leaves. I must be like the little leaves, turning and opening towards the sun. This setting of my face allows me to greet whatever the day brings from a place of deep-seated peace. I need not only the peace, but the openness of this posture; nothing else I know makes room for our encounters and all that we bring to them. Nuances and benefit-of-the-doubts and inculcated assumptions and insecure dispositions and holey facades—these are all a part of our everyday dance with each other, no?

So, this discipline of early rising, like a pre-workout stretch, limbers me up in body, mind, and soul. From within I loosen and am more ready to move to the rhythms of each syncopated interaction. Step, snap, step, STEP, snap, snap… Attuned, I’m becoming attuned to music that I’ve got to hear with more than just my ears (ears of my ears). May my part in this song and dance be an invitation to the part Heidi or May Helen is playing, and let us all hearken for Ike’s solo and Junebug’s jangling accompaniment. Mmmmmhmm. It’s in these hushed moments before the birth of the day that I am learning to listen, and it that has made all the difference.

Addie is a member of the Road, the Episcopal Service Corp. of Atlanta. Learn more about the Road here.

Emmaus House seeks a fulltime Director of the Muriel Lokey Center, to begin no later than June 1. We will receive applications until April 28, 2014. The job description is here.The Muriel Lokey Center is a walk-in help center located on the Emmaus House campus that provides advocacy and assistance either directly or through partnerships for a wide variety of needs including, Georgia ID’s, benefits application assistance, food, job placement, healthcare and household needs. Besides the Director, the Lokey Center is staffed by a team of 4-6 volunteers and 1-2 student interns.

Invitation

The Ninth Annual Gala will take place on May 4 from 5 pm to 9 pm at the Piedmont Driving Club. Tickets may be purchased by choosing the Gala tab on this website.

2014 Gala Save the date

We are very excited to announce that the 2014 Emmaus House Gala will take place on Sunday, May 4 at the Piedmont Driving Club. More details and information on ticket purchases will be available soon.