Emmaus House’s 50-year anniversary gala “Forward from 50” is taking place on May 7. The event will feature special guests including Bishop Robert Wright and Dr. Beth-Sarah Wright, with bluegrass music by The Parson’s Pickers. Click here to RVSP and see more event details.
Emmaus House, a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, provides education, opportunity, assistance, and advocacy in partnership with our neighbors in Peoplestown. Emmaus House seeks to empower people whose lives are affected by poverty, race inequities, and educational disparities.
In 1967, Father Austin Ford, an Episcopal priest and advocate for civil rights, moved into a dilapidated two-story home in Peoplestown along with two nuns and a seminary student. Father Ford garnered resources to benefit Peoplestown residents and established an after-school program, monthly transportation for family members of inmates to Reidsville State Prison, chapel services, hot meals, and a poverty rights office. He led efforts for welfare rights, neighborhood empowerment, and racial justice. Under Father Ford’s leadership and with its subsequent executive directors, Emmaus House has evolved over the past 50 years into an important resource for the Peoplestown community. Since that time, the organization has focused on increasing its impact in client-responsive and measurable ways. You can learn more about Emmaus House here.