Rev. Joanna Moseley Adams died at the age of 81 on Aug. 7. Born at Emory Hospital on Oct. 17, 1944, she spent the majority of her childhood in Meridian, MS, then attended college at Emory University, where she met her husband, Alfred (Al) Adams.
Her early adulthood was spent working as a teacher and raising two children, Elizabeth and Samuel, when she felt the call to ministry. Before long, she enrolled at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur. She graduated with honors in 1979, and made history by becoming the first woman to be hired in a full time ordained position as the associate pastor at Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta.
According to a 2107 interview with Beth Hessel, former executive director of the Presbyterian Historical Society, Adams spearheaded the establishment of a night shelter at the church, which became a template for other congregations and organizations. That was the beginning of Adams’ career building nonprofit initiatives including Intown Cares, the Agape Center, and the Georgia Committee for Religious Liberty.
Adams brought together Jewish and Muslim leaders in Atlanta with Higher Ground, which encouraged civil discourse. She also served on the board of Our House, Skyland Trail, and One Hundred Miles.
She went on to serve congregations at North Decatur Presbyterian Church, Trinity Presbyterian Church, and Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. More recently, she served as Morningside Presbyterian Church’s senior pastor from 2004 to 2010, and interim senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta before retiring.
By all accounts, Adams was a seeker of justice.
Brad Schweers, executive director of Intown Cares, said the organization would not exist were it not for Adams.
“When a fire burned down the building of our predecessor organization in 2009, Joanna challenged faith communities and neighbors along Ponce de Leon to step up. As our first Board chair, she galvanized our neighborhoods and helped build an organization that valued both relationships and long-term solutions,” Schweers said.
“Today, Intown Cares carries on Joanna’s legacy, working toward Dr. King’s vision of the Beloved Community, where justice and mercy prevail and everyone in Atlanta has not only the basics of human life, but dignity and the opportunity to flourish as well,” Schweers added.
She was drawn to the coastal waters of the Golden Isles, finding spirituality and peace in the waters of St. Simons Island. Her passion for environmental protection led her to serve on the board of One Hundred Miles, an advocacy group for the protection of coastal Georgia.
“She believed it was the right thing to do to take care of the Earth and all life on Earth, and to take the time, every day, to experience the peace that the planet offers us,” One Hundred Miles founder Megan Desrosiers said.
Whether she was stewarding and ministering people in Atlanta, advocating for Civil Rights, pushing for shelter for the unhoused, Adams intimately knew suffering.
“When you see people suffering from years of environmental injustice, or when you see harm caused by poison being dumped in our water, it’s hard. It hurts,” Desrosiers said. “She understood the humanity behind it.”
Desrosiers described Adams as “all about justice. She was all about doing the right thing, and she wanted wrongs to be righted.”
Known as a gifted preacher and storyteller, a collection of Adams’ sermons will be published next year.
She is survived by her husband, Alfred B. Adams, III; daughter, Elizabeth T. Adams (Teresa K. Morrison); son, Samuel L. Adams (Helen Bell Adams); grandchildren, Virginia and Charlie Adams; and brother, Dr. Jack Moseley.
A service will be held in Adams’ honor at 11 a.m. on Sept. 4 at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3003 Howell Mill Road NW, Atlanta, GA.
