A Faith Community on Shallowford Road in the North Druid Hills Area of DeKalb County
Set back from Shallowford Road on a wooded campus in the North Druid Hills area of unincorporated DeKalb County, Shallowford Presbyterian Church is a congregation of roughly 970 members in the Presbyterian Church (USA). The church has been shaped by its location from the beginning. In 1823, the DeKalb County Court ordered a road built to connect the Decatur courthouse with the shallow ford of the Chattahoochee River, and more than a century later, in 1937, J.R. Carmichael purchased farmland along what was still a dirt road. The church that grew from that purchase is now known across the area for two things its members will tell you about quickly: a pair of thoughtful Sunday services, and the depth of its music, children's, and outreach ministries.
Sundays at Shallowford
Sunday at Shallowford begins with two worship services held in two different rooms, each with its own character.
At 8:30 a.m., the Early Worship service is held in the chapel. It runs about forty-five minutes, with scripture, hymns, and a sermon, and is offered August through May. Members describe it as a quieter, more intimate setting that suits early risers and those who want to be home by mid-morning. A nursery is available for children under two.
At 9:30 a.m., Sunday School meets across the campus for all ages. Children from three years old through fifth grade gather in classes led by adult volunteers using the Spark curriculum, exploring Old and New Testament stories through crafts, games, and activities. Middle and high school students in grades six through twelve meet together, working through scripture with rotating teachers and asking the kinds of questions teenagers ask. Adults move between named classes: Common Ground, a Bible-study and theology group in their forties and fifties; Forum Seeking Understanding, which takes on new topics every four to six weeks; Pairs & Spares, a community of about forty-five members in their sixties, seventies, and eighties known for weekly refreshments and frequent social gatherings; and a Women's Class that reads a chapter aloud each week from a contemporary Christian author. Each class meets September through May, with a combined adult class held in August.
At 11:00 a.m., the main Worship service fills the sanctuary. The hour-long service includes the full choir, guest instrumentalists, scripture, hymns, and a sermon, and it is livestreamed for those at home. The same nursery care is available for children under two. During the service, children are called forward at about 11:15 a.m. for Time with Young Disciples, a brief message designed for them at the chancel steps. After the message, three-year-olds through kindergartners are dismissed for Cherub Time with the children's choir director, while older children return to their families. After the service ends, members and visitors are invited outside for lemonade and cookies and a chance to greet one another.
Music for Every Age
Music is woven through almost everything at Shallowford. The 11:00 a.m. service is led by the Chancel Choir and accompanied by the Casavant pipe organ, which the congregation marked its tenth anniversary with in the fall of 2026 in a special "Worship As One" celebration featuring a professional orchestra and guest conductor Scott Atchison of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church.
The music ministry is led by Director of Music Ministries Lucas D. Gray, a Georgia native who joined Shallowford in 2024 after serving as Director of Choirs at Allegro Charter School of Music in Charleston, South Carolina. He holds a Master of Music in choral conducting from Georgia State University and a Bachelor of Music in music education from Kennesaw State University. The organist and Associate Director of Music is Dr. Jinhee Kim, who accompanies the adult and youth choirs, directs the handbell program, and oversees Joy Chorale, the church's daytime adult choir. The Director of Children's Choirs is Anne Thomas, who walks children through musicianship and choral skills year by year and organizes the annual Children's Spring Musical and the Montreat summer music trip.
The choirs meet on a weekly rhythm that anchors the whole congregation. The Chancel Choir rehearses Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the choir room. Shallowford Bells, the adult handbell choir, rehearses Wednesdays at 6:15 p.m. in the sanctuary. The Chapel Choir, the youth choir, rehearses Sundays from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. and is made up of more than eighty students from schools around Atlanta who sing, tour a concert each summer, and lead worship on occasional Sundays and holidays. Joy Chorale, the daytime adult choir, sings monthly and is open to anyone who can come during the day.
Children and Youth
Children's ministry is a major part of Shallowford's identity. On Sunday mornings, the nursery cares for infants and toddlers, Sunday School classes gather at 9:30 a.m., and Time with Young Disciples and Cherub Time unfold during and just after the 11:00 service. On Wednesday evenings during the school year, the BLAST program brings children back to the church from 5:15 to 7:15 p.m. for what the acronym spells out: Bells, Bible Learning, And Singing Together. The schedule runs from 5:15 to 6:00 p.m. for the Trinity Choir and Westminster Bell Choir rehearsals, a shared dinner at 6:00 p.m., and then Bible lessons, activities, and Westminster Choir rehearsal from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m. Vacation Bible School is the largest children's event of the year and takes place each June; in 2027 the Cokesbury "On the Boardwalk" theme will run from June 7 through 11 for children age four through rising sixth graders.
Youth ministry gathers middle and high school students in grades six through twelve. Sunday evenings from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. during the school year are set aside for Youth Fellowship: a shared meal, then small-group discussion and activities. Each fall, the youth plan, write, and lead a full worship service of their own. Confirmation is offered each January through April for eighth and ninth graders and walks them through the books of the Bible, church policy, spiritual practices, and the sacraments. The youth also have a tradition of summer trips, including the Montreat Youth Conference in North Carolina and a mission trip to another community; in 2026, the mission trip went to Alaska.
Children's and youth ministry is supported by an active Child & Youth Protection Policy and a Child Participation Consent Form, both posted publicly.
Adult Formation and Small Groups
Beyond Sunday School, adults at Shallowford gather in many smaller rhythms during the week. The Morning Bible Study meets on Mondays at 11:30 a.m. on Zoom, with all ages and genders welcome. In Real Life, 2.0 is an evening small group for women in their thirties, forties, and fifties. The Nest gathers parents of young children once a month on campus for dinner, discussion, and childcare. A Young Adult ministry invites anyone in their twenties to early thirties for monthly Bible study and outings.
Shallowford Women organizes four Circles that meet monthly from September to May: Mosaic (second Mondays at 6:30 p.m. in the Youth Center), Mothers & Others (third Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. in members' homes), Fourth Tuesday (fourth Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. in the Youth Center), and Sharing Our Scriptures (first Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. in members' homes). Shallowford Men hosts service projects, bowling nights, cookouts, and study gatherings through the year. Adults sixty-five and up meet quarterly for a picnic with the pastors in spring, a summer outing, a fall game day, and a Friendsgiving-themed potluck in November.
On most Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., the Metro Explorers take to the city for an outing: walking tours of Piedmont Park, docent-led visits to places like the Rose Library at Emory University, and other Atlanta landmarks, with lunch to follow. Thursdays bring the Men's Prayer Breakfast at 7:00 a.m. in the Youth Center and Fitness, Fun & Fellowship at 10:30 a.m. in Heritage Hall, a gentle chair-based exercise class open to all ages.
The Shallowford Center for Mindful Living
Distinct from most congregations, Shallowford hosts the Shallowford Center for Mindful Living (SCML), an affiliated ministry that invites people of any faith tradition into contemplative practice, deep listening, and compassion. The center offers a year-round mix of free and tuition-based programs.
The SCML is led by Director of Healing Circles Robby Carroll, M.Div, LMFT, and Director of Mindfulness Education Kay Stewart, M.Ed., with Karen Piering Abbott, Psy.D. and Lindsay Thames, M.Ed. as facilitators. A free Weekly Practice Circle meets on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Zoom, focused on strengthening loving awareness, connection, compassion, and embodied peace. The Mindful Compassion Practice Series runs on Mondays and Fridays, and periodic virtual Mindful Book Conversations open a single book to a wide group of readers.
Care and Support
Shallowford's care ministries form a quiet network around the congregation. A weekly Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Group meets Tuesdays from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. on Zoom for families and friends caring for loved ones with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. A Faith & Grief support group provides comfort and hope to those who have lost a loved one, led by people who have walked the same road. Multifamily Addiction Support meets Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. on Zoom, sponsored by the Shallowford Center for Mindful Living and Willingway Hospital. NAMI Connection, a recovery support group for people living with mental illness, meets Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. in the Youth Center and on Zoom.
Members also look after one another through Care Ministers who call, write, and visit those who cannot come to church regularly, a Connections Ministry that reaches out to new and longtime members with postcards and personal notes, a Meals for Members ministry coordinated through Take Them A Meal, a Prayer Shawl Ministry that crafts and delivers shawls during difficult seasons, and a Prayer Network in which every member is personally prayed for by volunteers for one month each year. The Bereavement Ministry comforts families of the deceased and hosts hospitality for memorial services. The Flower Guild creates arrangements to enhance worship and accepts $80 sponsorships of Sunday flowers.
The Shallowford Food Pantry
Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., the Shallowford Food Pantry opens its doors to neighbors in DeKalb County who need temporary or emergency food assistance. The pantry now serves more than four hundred families each year and distributes more than fifteen thousand pounds of food annually, with no client fee or donation required. During the campus renovation that is part of the Ripple Effects Capital Campaign, the pantry is operating out of the Youth Center.
Spanish and English are both spoken, and reservations can be made online. The pantry sits on MARTA routes 33 and 126, making it reachable by public transit. Shallowford regularly calls for specific donations; in late summer the congregation is asked to bring canned meats such as tuna and chicken.
Mission Partners Near and Far
Shallowford invests thousands of volunteer hours and more than $100,000 in mission each year through both an annual Mission Committee Budget and a Mission Forward Fund. The church partners with twelve organizations:
- Congo Hope, an outreach of the Congo Leadership Initiative that provides services and strategic training in the Kasai provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Decatur Cooperative Ministry, which helps families facing homelessness settle into stable homes and runs Hagar's House for women and children in need of shelter.
- Habitat for Humanity, with an annual twelve-week build in the Atlanta community.
- LaAmistad, which prepares Latino students and families for success; Shallowford volunteers tutor after school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.
- La Gonâve Haiti Partners, supporting education, health care, nutrition, and economic development with the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti.
- Memorial Drive Ministries, which fosters new worshiping communities and refugee and immigrant services in Georgia.
- NETWorks Cooperative Ministries, responding to food and financial needs through partnerships with families.
- Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the PC(USA) disaster response network.
- Shallowford Food Pantry, the church's own ministry described above.
- Shalom International Ministry, addressing the social, economic, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of refugees and immigrants.
- Thornwell, which provides homes and support for children in need; each November Shallowford fills turkey banks with coins.
- Zo American Presbyterian Church, a new worshiping community under the care of the New Church Developments Commission of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta. The Zo American community gathers weekly at Shallowford for worship, fellowship, and outreach, and worships in the Zo language.
Green initiatives are also part of the church's mission. A solar energy system was installed on campus in March 2026, and the Green Initiatives committee guides ongoing stewardship of God's creation.
Ripple Effects: Growing Home in Grace
The current life of Shallowford is shaped by a 2025 to 2027 capital campaign called Ripple Effects: Growing Home in Grace, which raised $3.45 million, exceeding its original $3 million goal. The campaign focuses on four areas: Accessibility ($1 million), Infrastructure ($1.2 million), Worship ($500,000), and Technology ($300,000).
Completed projects include a new solar energy system on campus, refurbishment and reupholstering of the pews in both the chapel and sanctuary, replacement of the campus boiler, new white robes for the Chancel Choir after nearly fifty years, renovated restrooms, a brand-new sanctuary carpet, and a fully upgraded sanctuary sound and livestream system with new cameras, hearing assistance equipment, and a relocated Front of House sound booth in the balcony. In progress is a new accessible front entrance with an ADA-compliant grade-level ramp and five new ADA parking spaces, and an expanded Food Pantry with new shelving, a new entry and workroom, and more capacity to serve neighbors in need. An ADA-approved ramp outside the Great Hall and an upgraded elevator are also complete.
What Shallowford Believes
Shallowford seeks to be a fully inclusive congregation. It is affirming of LGBTQIA persons, calls people of all genders into church leadership roles, takes a public stand against racism and systemic injustice, and works for a world that reflects the peace God envisions. The congregation affirms that God's grace is for everyone and that Christians are called to lives of faithful gratitude. As a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), it follows the Reformed tradition shaped by Presbyterian doctrine, sacraments, and the practice of governance by elders.
Becoming a Member
Visitors who want to join Shallowford are invited to a Discovering Shallowford class offered several times a year, which introduces the church's mission, vision, and the Christian faith in the twenty-first century. Members may join by profession of faith, by reaffirmation of faith, or by transfer of membership from another church. The Presbyterian Church (USA) recognizes all baptisms performed in the name of the triune God, and Shallowford joyfully baptizes those who have not been baptized.
Staff and Leadership
Senior Pastor and Head of Staff is the Reverend Anna George Traynham, called to Shallowford in fall 2019 after serving Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta and earning her Master of Divinity at Union Presbyterian Seminary and her MBA from The Citadel Graduate College. The associate pastors are the Reverend Bradley Kibler Bond (Congregational Vitality), the Reverend Landon A. Dillard (Faith Formation), and the Reverend Joseph Jumper (Mission and Youth). Abby Bunn joined the church as the 2026 to 2027 seminary intern. Sandra Ward serves as Church Administrator, Magalie Nemorin as Finance Coordinator, Rebecca Porter as Director of Communications, and Dwagne Haskins as Facilities Manager. Barrie Herman is Administrative Assistant for Music Ministries.
The church is governed by the Shallowford Session, a board of twenty-five active elders that includes a youth elder serving a one-year term. The Session oversees eleven active committees and the work of the affiliated Shallowford Presbyterian School. Head of School Meredith Moseley, who has led the school since she was involved with it as an eleven-year-old volunteer, is retiring at the end of the 2026 to 2027 school year after fifteen years of service.
Visiting Shallowford
The campus sits at 2375 Shallowford Road NE in the North Druid Hills area of DeKalb County, near Exit 93 off I-85. Visitors arriving by MARTA can take routes 33 or 126. The church has a large parking lot with accessible parking at the main and side entrances, and the best place to drop someone off is the covered entrance to the atrium on the west side of the building. Greeters meet visitors at the bottom of the hill. Elevators serve the building, and the new sanctuary sound system includes hearing assistance equipment.
To plan a visit or learn more, prospective newcomers are encouraged to attend a Sunday service or email info@shallowford.org. Worship is livestreamed, sermons are posted on SoundCloud, recordings are archived on Vimeo, and giving and pledge management are available online through Realm.
Shallowford Presbyterian School
On the same campus, Shallowford Presbyterian School (SPS) has been a presence for more than fifty years, serving preschool through eighth grade in a program accredited by AdvancED. Many former students have returned to enroll their own children. The school's administrative offices sit on the second and third floors of the Education building, and inquiries can be sent to sps@shallowford.org. SPS operates independently of the church but is advised by a board that is a committee of the Session.