Church Action eNewsletter Week of June 25, 2012

[RCCAtl]

 God calls us to some things we cannot do alone.   

 Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta 

 

Go to www.rccatl.org  for a slide show of member churches, featured articles, Community Events calendar, past eNewsletters,  membership information, and other resources.

 

Odyssey Networks is working on 2012 Hours against Hate  with the Department of State and  the London Olympic Games. It involves young people reaching out to someone of a different faith, spending an hour together, and reporting what happened. Odyssey Networks will videotape and produce 2 videos from the best stories! The deadline is July 15 and all the facts are on our website  . Would your youth group like to try this?   

 

1. A wonderful invitation to a barn raising on the  Fourth of July from Elder John Wierwille of the Berea Mennonite Church. The community-wide work day with volunteers from DOOR Atlanta will start at 7 a.m. and last through the evening.  More than fifty disciples have already confirmed they will labor together to celebrate their political freedoms and show the world how freedoms are best enjoyed. The Berea Church has been given a barn from a farm down the road and will have the posts in place at the beginning of the day.  With a lot of help, they hope to set the frame and maybe even get the roof in place by the end of the day.  Other garden and irrigation projects are planned. The generous farmer has also asked for help. There will be lemonade and cookout food to share, so kitchen help is needed, too.  So bring your work aprons (whatever kind you want to use) and bring your body as a living sacrifice and celebrate the freedom we have to help build the beloved community and the new creation.  Contact Pastor John Wierwille at 404-944-0522 or [e-mail] to volunteer. Berea Mennonite Church is located at 1088 Bouldercrest Road SE, Atlanta 30316

We invite you to Third Way Café for some interesting Mennonite history, inspiration, and amazing videos created by Eastern Mennonite University.

 

2. The NAINConnect 2012 gathering is less than a month away and the excitement is building. Go to North American Interfaith Network  for the latest schedule read on for highlights.  As Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote: “We have inherited a large house, a great ‘world house’ in which we have to live together—black and white, Easterner and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Moslem and Hindu—a family unduly separated in ideas, culture and interest, who, because we can never again live apart, must learn somehow to live together in peace.”

3. Essential Bible Stories is Summer Series at the Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road Atlanta 30305, Sunday mornings at 10:10 a.m. in Child Hall. Each Sunday, a new speaker will give you the fundamentals that you need for a formative Bible stories and explore why it is essential to life in the world today.

4. Another special opportunity at the Cathedral of St. Philip this summer is Summer Greek class. This Sunday morning summer class welcomes anyone interested in exploring biblical Greek or the resources used to translate the Greek text of the New Testament. Here you will enjoy discussions of the Greek and discover how knowing the original language adds nuance and depth of understanding to reading the Bible. The class will be held on July 1, 8, 22 and 29. 2744 Peachtree Road Atlanta 30305 (Room 370). Please contact the Rev. Thee Smith, 404-727-0636 for more information.

More summer series 

5.  Atlanta Friends Meeting Bible Study Group, 701 West Howard Avenue, Decatur 30030, 7:30 p.m., Tuesdays. The focus this month is on institutional or systematic forms of evil and what the New Testament writers say about it. The text will be a two-volume study by Quaker theologian Walter Wink: Naming the Powers--the Language of Power in the New Testament  and Unmasking the Powers. It explains why fighting evil with outward weapons and political strategies doesn't work--and what does. George Fox and early Quakers knew the answer from their readings of the Bible. Rediscover a winning strategy on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the AFM Library. Bring your Bible and any other resources you want to share. For more info contact Julia Ewen 404-534-3043 [e-mail]

 6. The Rev. Anthony B. Robinson, president of Congregational Leadership Northwest, based in Seattle, is the speaker July 8 on “Day 1” with host Peter Wallace, the nationally syndicated ecumenical radio program also accessible online at Day1.org. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, Robinson has served four congregations. He now travels widely as a speaker, teacher, preacher, consultant, and coach serving congregations and their leaders. He is a prolific writer and the author of a dozen books including The Book of Exodus: A God Is Still Speaking Bible Study.

7. Effective July 1, Georgia Law requires all employees and volunteers who work with  children to report suspected child abuse. Is your faith community aware of these changes? Are you prepared to implement them? Two more free trainings are available in the area. Register for the training of your choice at the links below. Contact Pamela Perkins Carn at Interfaith Children's Movement with any questions.

July 10 - Marietta, GA - Sacred Tapestry United Methodist Church 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

 July 19 - Smyrna, GA - St. Benedict's Episcopal Church 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

8. The Mythic Imperative: The Significance of Myth in Life and Culture, new class series from Rev. J. Thomas Buchanan, Network Coordinator, Sacred Frontiers. Six Thursdays, July 12 to August 16, 11 a.m. to noon, Temple Beth Tikvah, 9955 Coleman Road, Roswell 30075.  In our scientific, technological age, the word "myth" usually points to something that was held to be true, but is actually false. This is not the way anthropologists, psychologists, and students of human culture use the word. Myths, the stories we pass down, express who we are, what we value, and what we believe is most real. Admission is free. A free-will offering will be taken to support the ministries of Rev. Buchanan and Temple Beth Tikvah.   For more information, contact Rev. Buchanan by phone at 404-729-2144, or by e-mail, [e-mail].

9. 7 Days to Wellness presents Health & Wellness 2012,  July 16 – 22, at Purpose of Power Christian Center, 4943 Snapfinger Woods Drive, Decatur 30035. Free Zumba, Martial Arts, Self-Defense, Kid-N-Play, Jazzercise, ZumbaTomic, Healthy Living Session, and more...! There will be free health screenings on July 21.  All classes are free, to register visit www.7daystowellness.org If you have questions please call 678-852-1160

10. Explore ways to revitalize and refresh worship in your congregation at a free music clinic. Augsburg Fortress Publishers, the publishing ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, will hold summer clinics open to church musicians of all denominations in July and August across the US. The featured clinicians will be Bradley Ellingboe (Director of Choral Activities at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque), Michael Bedford (Organist/Choirmaster and Composer-in-Residence at St. John's Episcopal Church in Tulsa), and Scott Weidler (Program Director for Worship and Music for the ELCA). This year's clinic nearest us will be held, July 27-28, at Redeemer Lutheran Church; 525 St Andrews Road; Columbia SC 29210. Attendees will receive a 15% discount on all featured Augsburg Fortress music ordered or purchased there.  For more details or to register visit www.augsburgfortress.org/musicclinics

11. All women are invited to the Victory Tabernacle Women’s Day Luncheon for Sister-to-Sister fun and fellowship featuring Josie Bailey of Kuumba Storytellers of GA. Tickets are now on sale and seating is limited. This Saturday, August 11, event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Clayton State University in the Student Activity Center Ballroom, 2000 Clayton State Blvd., Morrow. Follow the link below to purchase your ticket online.  Tickets. Victory Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church is located at 111 Ford Drive, McDonough 30252.

 12. Mindful Eating, an eight-session course on the spirituality and social justice implications of what and how people eat, will be offered on alternate Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.,  Aug. 22 - Nov. 28 at Amerson House Spirituality Center at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, Atlanta. Cost is $50 per session, which includes a full meal with adult beverages, a facilitator, readings and supplies. Contact Kimberly Broerman, [e-mail] or 404-275-3328.

13. Who welcomes new babies to your congregation? Is that Cradle Roll, Guild of the Christ Child, or New Baby Ministry equipped to help a young mother suffering from the most common complication of childbirth? The goal of Project Healthy Moms from Mental Health America of Georgia is to increase awareness, identification, and treatment of PMADs and support for those suffering while also reducing the stigma. You may know PMAD as postnatal depression . This year over 25,000 Georgia women who are pregnant or have just given birth are likely to suffer.   The feelings of worthlessness and depression have long reaching effects on their young families; they may lead to violence or suicide. As a congregational leader you may even be the first person to recognize that something is wrong. Are you prepared to help? Is your church’s baby or health ministry aware of the resources available to help? Take a look at the website for Project Healthy Moms.   You will find the information for Moms, Family, and Friends, valuable. The Online Tool Kit contains a screening assessment in English and in Spanish. The WarmLine offers young mothers contact with another mother who has experienced PMAD. There is information on peer support groups and a resource list and more.  May edition of the programs newsletter Pregnant Pause. In the “contact us” space, sign up for this newsletter is available.

We close today with the prayer with which Pastor William Mcdonald opened the ELCA synod Assembly this summer. “There are no solitary Christians.” --John Wesley

Lord of the Church, here we are.

We are many. You are One.

We do not see everything through the same eyes.

Help us take time to know what one another knows and feels,

for we cannot know alone, and we cannot figure out the truth all by ourselves.

Thank you that we need not go it alone, but that we have one another.

We walk together. We synod together. When we look at one another across tables and aisles, podiums and altars, may we see you, Lord of the Church. Lord of us all. Amen.

 

Peace,

Ethel Ware Carter

Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta

404-538-0246

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