Please mark your calendars and plan to join us on Saturday, Dec. 7, for the 2019 Candlelight Service, 
an annual tradition of the Atlanta Chapter of The Compassionate Friends.

The program begins at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary of the First Christian Church of Atlanta, 
and will be followed by a reception in the Fellowship Hall.

Note: Special music will be played by Gene Watson, beginning shortly after 6:30 p.m.
Please arrive in time to sign in, get your candles and programs and be seated no later than 7 p.m.
This will be a very memorable program honoring our children and siblings.

Special Music by Gene Watson

Guest Speakers

JSue Williams 

JSue Williams’ son, Bernard Calvin Williams, was born August 22, 1985 and she adopted him on March 30, 1989.  The grief journey started for J. Sue when her 20-year old son, Bernard, was murdered on December 30, 2005 while on Christmas vacation in Pontiac, MI.  He was the 10th homicide victim that year.   He was smart, made good grades, popular, a lover of books, math, listening to music and playing video games. Bernard was in College at Alabama State University majoring in Business Administration.  Since his death, J. Sue’s life hasn’t been the same. 

JSue’s first meeting was February, 2006 in Montgomery, Alabama.  J. Sue began folding the Chapters Newsletters in 2007, became a member of the Steering Committee that same year, and started Co-Leading the meetings in 2008 and became Co-Leader of this chapter in February 2009.  The Montgomery Chapter has a long history of helping families after the death of a child. “It’s an honor to be part of this group, facilitate monthly meetings, and organize the special projects; Toys-4-Tots and Montgomery Area Food Bank.

JSue has an interest in raising community awareness about The Compassionate Friends and has been a guest at the local television news station for the past several years.  She also has been a guest speaker at different events to bring awareness about the bereavement of a child and a child loss to homicide.

JSue continue to serve her local chapter with passion and desire to help newly bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings. J. Sue dedicates her work to help others and keep her son Bernard’s memory alive.

JSue attended her first Chapter Leadership training in 2010. She has also attended Chapter Leadership training in 2016 and 2017.

JSue became the Regional Coordinator for Alabama in 2015. She attended her first National Conference 2015. In 2016 & 2017 was the Homicide Workshop presenter at the National Conference. She was the Sharing Session facilitator at the National Conference in 2017. She was a 2018 National Conference Committee member and chairperson of the Signage committee, a panel member of the Stigmatized Loss Workshop. In 2019 she will be the facilitator of the Homicide Sharing Session and volunteer with the Signage Committee. She is a 2021 Candidate for National Conference Chair in Detroit, Michigan. 

In addition to JSue’s work with TCF, she along with family gives book scholarships to college students in memory of her son. JSue is single, owner of SueNanny Tutoring Service, Girl Scout Troop Assistant Leader. She enjoys reading, movies, and volunteering. She has 1 surviving son Jalen, a daughter Nikkia, and two granddaughters.
 
 

Carlton Perkins

Carlton is Jay's older brother by five years. Carlton thought we had Jay For him.Therefore Jay was HIS baby. Jay thought NO ONE, including his parents, knew more than Carlton. Carlton and Jay were not just brothers they were friends.

Carlton is a man of faith. He is a husband to Destini. He is father to Addison and Kai. He is warehouse operations manager for McNaughton-McKay Electric Company. His passion is people; his group "The Free Sons"have  travelled to Cuba and the Dominican Republic to share Bibles, supplies, and the word of God. His mother is very proud of him, as she is of Jay, and wanted to share him, his words,his insight, and wisdom with our group on this special occasion.
 
 

Deadline to order a Memory Candle is November 25th. 

After the reception, you can take your Memory Candle  home with you as a special remembrance. 
If you cannot attend the candlelight service, we can ship your Candle to your for a fee of $10.00 per lantern. 

Memory Candles are  $30 each.    Please consider adding an additional contribution to help cover Candlelight Service costs. 
The net proceeds from this fundraiser will help support our annual candlelight remembrance service.

If we have a picture of your child, we will display your child’s photo next to each sponsored item.
 
 

http://www.tcfatlanta.org/2019CandleOrderForm.pdf

Or to order and pay online:  http://www.tcfatlanta.org/centerpiecedonationdataform.html