By Thea Jarvis

Christ Our Hope parishioner Teresa Sims says the little church off Wellborn Road in Lithonia feels just like home.

"I came to the service last Easter and knew this was it," said Mrs. Sims, holding daughter Nicole on her lap during a parish potluck supper Oct. 21. "It reminds me of our church in upstate New York, in the country in the Catskills."

Surrounded by contented parishioners in no hurry to end the evening, Mrs. Sims related her special affection for the parish, which celebrates its tenth anniversary next year.

"Father Augustin (Fogarty) loves children," she said of the pastor. He invites youngsters onto the altar during Mass and always makes time for them afterwards.

"It's hard trying to find someplace to fit," explained Mrs. Sims, whose husband is not Catholic. At Christ Our Hope, she and Nicole were given an open-armed welcome.

Mrs. Sims and fellow parishioners made another newcomer feel at home during the harvest supper and Mass which preceded it. Archbishop John F. Donoghue, on a day-long pastoral visit to the 380-family parish, shared in the generous evening buffet as well as an earlier luncheon with parish leaders.

"I think I like this place," Archbishop Donoghue joked during Mass, recalling a hearty lunch and the pot luck to come. Later, the archbishop mingled easily in the parish hall, greeting parishioners eager to express support and welcome.

"It's a very warm, very loving parish," said Doug Van Buren, a mobile disc jockey who makes music at church dances and parties. "Parishioners built this parish" and now do much of the maintenance. "That's one of the reasons you have the camaraderie here."

Van Buren, who claims he "made a wrong turn off Redan Road" and found the church by accident, has been a parishioner for seven years. He credits founding pastor Father John Kieran with setting the parish style.

"He (knew) how to organize and get things done," he said of Father Kieran, who continues to be remembered with fondness by his former parishioners.

For a small parish, Christ Our Hope has "an unusual amount of diversification," Van Buren pointed out. The broad mix of cultures and nationalities adds to the family feeling, he believes.

Tran Minh cam to the United States from South Vietnam in 1975 and has been a parishioner for five years.

"We were looking for (a Catholic church) and saw the sign for Christ our Hope," said Minh, now a mechanical engineer with a degree from Georgia Tech. "It's different," at Christ Our Hope. "People are closer."

Minh's wife, Penny, busy in the kitchen arranging platters of food, was received into the Catholic Church last spring. It was something "I had been wanting to do for many, many years," said Mrs. Minh. "I finally made it."

Father Fogarty, who came to Christ Our Hope in 1991, echoed parishioners' sentiments.

"The parish enjoys a charism of hospitality," he believes. "We're very good at that here."

Moving comfortably through the crowd of hungry parishioners, the sandy-haired, Irish-born priest paused to offer fruit to a pre-schooler and a smile to a wheelchair-bound guest.

"It's a ripple effect," he later said of the parish's unique spirit of welcome. "People have a sense of belonging" themselves, and it becomes easy to create a feeling of unity and openness with others.

The size of the parish fosters closeness, Father Fogarty said, as does the international flavor of the congregation. "It's a growing area, a family area," he said of the church's east DeKalb location

Despite the continuing generosity of his community, he acknowledged, the church faces a sizable debt. An influx of 200 more families would help make the parish financially self-sufficient.

"I'd love to encourage people" to come to Christ Our Hope, said Father Fogarty, especially those in nearby communities of Stone Mountain, Lithonia, and the little township of Redan, the church's official location. "You'd be surprised how many actually live in the area and aren't aware of our church."

Since his arrival at Christ Our Hope three and a half years ago, the parish has grown from a little more than 200 families to a current high of 387. Father Fogarty expects to exceed 400 families by Christmas.

Last year, the parish RCIA program involved 17 participants. This year's RCIA class includes 12 children and five adults. The school of religion counts some 160 taking instruction.

Despite its size, Christ Our Hope has active outlets for ministry. A strong St. Vincent de Paul Society, a close-knit senior citizens group, outreach to the homeless and women in crisis pregnancy, as well as a monthly contribution to a sister parish in Haiti are signs of life.

"Because we're a smaller parish, we don't have all the facilities" of larger churches, Father Fogarty explained. Programs are limited, but as the parish grows, expansion will follow.

For now, "most of our work is voluntary," he said, recalling a recent project when "everyone came with a brush" to paint the exterior of the parish hall. "People are very forthcoming in sharing their talent."

Larry Ganey, an usher at the Oct. 21 liturgy, had been attending Mass with his wife, Celeste, for many years before the family came to Christ Our Hope three years ago. Ganey made the decision to join the Catholic Church when he experienced "the close-knit, friendly people" at the Lithonia parish.

"He didn't feel good enough to become a Catholic until he came here," said Mrs. Ganey, who sings in the parish's spirited choir. "This is a family, so open, so warm. When you have a problem, they have a problem."

At 74 Ann Metzger lives in a nearby personal care home but remains an active parishioner despite her limited mobility. She sees Father Fogarty each week when he celebrates Eucharist for her and another Catholic at the home, then catches up with him and the rest of her parish family on Sundays.

Sitting with Steve Erickson and his two-year-old daughter, Elissa, at the parish pot luck, Mrs. Metzger said she became the Erickson's "adopted grandma" shortly after Elissa was born.

"We adopted each other," said Erickson, explaining how Mrs. Metzger took charge of Elissa while he and his wife Kathy sang in the choir. Although he and his family -- including seven-year-old Chris and five-year-old Josh -- now live in Stockbridge, a 25-minute drive from Christ Our Hope, the Ericksons continue to worship in Lithonia and call for Mrs. Metzger when she needs a ride to Mass.

"People from all over the world" can be found at Christ Our Hope, said Erickson, grateful to be part of the "very multicultural" setting he and his family have enjoyed for nine years.

Charlie and Connie Wirth regret that their grown children didn't experience the fellowship they have come to know at Christ Our Hope. "I had never been in any church where I had the feelings I had in this church," said Mrs. Wirth.