Mayor, others to speak at Advent series

The Rev. Grace Burton-Edwards calls Advent the season of hope.

A special Advent series at St. Thomas Episcopal Church on Hilton Avenue in Columbus will give Columbus area residents something to be hopeful for.

"We hear so much negative news," said Burton-Edwards, who is rector at St. Thomas. "This is different."

A special series, "Hope for the World," will be at the church on three consecutive Mondays leading up to the week of Christmas.

The speakers will share signs of hope they see in their work, particularly hope for people in need.

The first speaker on Nov. 30 will be Mayor Teresa Tomlinson, who will speak on hope for this community.

On Dec. 7, Muscogee County School District Superintendent David Lewis will speak on hope for children.

On Dec. 14, Dr. Martin McCann and his wife, the Rev. Sandra McCann, will speak on hope for the developing world.

In 1999, Martin was chief of pathology at St. Francis Hospital and Sandra was chief of radiology at Hughston Orthopedic Hospital.

They left those positions to be missionaries in Africa. They will retire this year.

Each session will be at noon and last one hour. The sessions are free but a $5 donation will be appreciated. A soup and sandwich lunch will be served.

Reservations can be made by calling 706-324-4264 or at office@stthomascolumbus.org.

Burton-Edwards believes people will find what they hear enlightening.

"Last year, we had interfaith leaders speak and the series was a success," she said.

This story was originally published November 25, 2015 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Mayor, others to speak at Advent series ."