Without Limits: Singing the Congregation’s Song

TRAVELING TO ATLANTA AND GETTING TO THE CAMPUS
There are plenty of options for travel to Atlanta and to the Emory University campus. The campus is located at 201 Dowman Dr, Atlanta, GA 30322.

If you are driving, you can set your GPS for the address listed above. If traveling from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, plan on a 30-45 minute trip by car, depending on traffic. MARTA, Atlanta’s mass transit system, provides bus and train service to the area. You will need to take a ride service or MARTA bus from the train station to campus, as there are no MARTA stations right next to campus.

For more information on getting to the city and the university, click here.

PARKING
The parking deck near Clifton Tower and Woodruff Residential Center is located at 1525 Clifton Road. There is a circle drive at Woodruff and a small lot at Clifton, where you will be able to load and unload your car before moving it to the parking deck. More details will be sent nearer to the conference.

GETTING AROUND THE CAMPUS
We will be staying in the Woodruff Residential Center and Clifton Tower. Most activities will take place at the Candler School of Theology, which is .7 miles away from the dorms (about a 15-minute walk). You can either walk or take one of multiple buses that stop near Woodruff Residential Center. All routes have blue signs at the pick-up location. For a campus map, please click here.

For up-to-date information about shuttles, (including which routes are in service during the summer), please use this link. The A route, M, Exec. Park, and the CCTMA all go past the Woodruff Residential Center.

For those with mobility issues, we will have a golf cart or van near Woodruff Transportation Circle Bus Stop to assist your travel to Candler and Cannon Chapel.

Several events will be taking place at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church, which is located on the Emory campus near Candler. Information about the church and its location can be found here.

The conference dinner and concluding hymn festival will take place off-campus, at Friendship Baptist Church. Bus transportation to Friendship is available to registrants who paid for the bus and dinner package during the registration process. If you will be getting there on your own, you can find information about the church and its location here.


MOBILITY NEEDS
If you have mobility issues, please email Courtney Murtaugh at courtney@thehymnsociety.org.


PROGRAM BOOK, FESTIVAL PROGRAMS, AND HANDOUTS
We are taking further steps away from paper at our events. We will be printing a small program book that includes the conference schedule and important information. The best way for you to access festival programs, handouts, and other documents is here on Sched. You may also access them on the Sched website and print them before you come to Atlanta.

If you have a tablet, you should be able to participate easily in the festivals. If you require paper copies, you should print them yourself at home before traveling to Atlanta.

We will not be printing handouts for conference sessions. The best way for you to access handouts is here on Sched. You may also access them on the Sched website and print them before you come to Atlanta.


WEATHER
The weather in Atlanta is usually quite warm during July. The average July temperature in Atlanta ranges from a high of 89°F (27°C) to a low of 69°F (17°C). There is rain on an average of nine days during this month along with occasional thunderstorms.


DORMS
We will be housed in two dorms on Emory’s campus, Clifton Tower and Woodruff Residential Center.

Clifton Tower is located between the Student Health Center and Woodruff Residential Center on Clifton Road. Clifton Tower has suite-style rooms. The suites have two bedrooms and one bathroom, or three bedrooms and two bathrooms and also a kitchenette. Dorm pictures can be found here.

Woodruff Residential Center has spacious rooms with high ceilings, excellent amenities, convenient parking, easy access to Lullwater Park, and a bathroom (shared only with the adjacent suite). Double rooms and a limited number of single rooms are available. Each room is air-conditioned and equipped with movable furniture. Dorm pictures can be found here.


PACKING REMINDERS
It’s a good idea to bring rain gear, toiletries not provided, sunscreen, a hat, and a light cover-up for when the air conditioning makes the room just a bit too cold. Each dorm room will be equipped with sheets, pillow, pillowcase, towel, washcloth, and blanket. Finally, you may want to bring a water bottle so you can stay hydrated and your own coffee mug.

POLICY ON HEALTH SAFETY
The Hymn Society affirms our collective responsibility to continue to care for the most vulnerable among us—the elderly, the immunocompromised, and families with small children—and recognizes that unchecked spread of respiratory viruses inhibits immunocompromised persons from participating in society. At all of our gatherings, the Gospel calls us to consider the well-being of those who are least able to protect or speak for themselves.

Both the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Centers for Disease Control in the United States encourage a multi-layer approach to reducing the spread of respiratory viruses. Certain activities, like travel and community singing, present a higher risk of spreading these viruses. Masks are known to reduce the risk of infection, especially if one has known exposure to a person with a respiratory virus.

Proof of vaccination status is not required for conference attendance, and masking is optional at conference activities. However, our gatherings are mask-friendly, and the Hymn Society Executive Committee encourages conference delegates to consider masking in group settings for the good of the ongoing health of the community.


SEXUAL HARASSMENT POLICY
The Hymn Society Executive Committee is engaged in an ongoing process of articulating and reviewing a process in the event of instances of sexual harassment within this community. We hope it will never be necessary, but we take seriously our responsibility to be prepared for any eventuality. Our goal is to take a trauma-informed approach to any reports.

We are committed to ensuring that all our activities uphold our stated mission: “We believe that the holy act of singing together shapes faith, heals brokenness, transforms lives, and renews peace.” As such, The Hymn Society aims to foster a safe environment for all people. We do not tolerate sexual harassment or abuse in any shape or form in the context of our gatherings. We also aim to provide a clear pathway for reporting traumas or unwanted incidents.

In the event of an incident or trauma, please reach out to any member of the Executive Committee (or ask someone you trust to make this disclosure on your behalf), who will inform the Executive Director, President Elect, or Past President, as appropriate. We will honour the sensitivity of all reports, and will protect the confidentiality of the complainant.