Church Action eNewsletter Week of March 10, 2014

[RCCAtl]

God calls us to some things we cannot do alone.

    1. Eboo Patel, Founder and President of Interfaith Youth Core speaks on Interfaith Leadership in a Time of Global Religious Conflict, today, Wednesday, March 12, 6:00 p.m., Georgia Tech Student Center (Ballroom,) 350 Ferst Drive, Atlanta 30332, in Georgia Tech Diversity Week’s Keynote Address.  Facebook page on event.

2. Dr. Algie C. Brown "AC." Is featured artist during March at the AtOne Gallery, Church of the Atonement, 4945 High Point Road, Atlanta 30342. Brown's "ByeGoneDays" Series concentrates on the South in the Great Depression era and the Silent Generation into which he was born. He depicts a moment in time and works from black and white photo collections, private, state, and held by foundations, which he has obtained permission to paint. Since retiring from Medicine, Dr. Brown has spent the last six years perfecting his art.

3. Pastor Kenneth Glasgow of The Ordinary Peoples Society in Dothan, AL, will be at the Atlanta Area New Jim Crow Action group today, Wednesday, March 12, at 7 pm. His organization has been working on ending mass incarceration for years.  More information on Pastor Glasgow here. Location is Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, directions.  See Pastor Glasgow's life story and ministry is a focus of the film "Our Turn to Dream."  An 11 minute clip of the film is Here.

4. Dr. E. Dewey Smith, Jr., Pastor of the House of Hope Atlanta (Greater Travelers Rest Baptist Church) and the Ministry of Social Justice, announce the First Annual Community Legal Symposium, Saturday, March 15, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. “Implications of Georgia's Stand Your Ground Law" will provide information on the Criminal Justice System, the rights of the accused, and Georgia's Stand Your Ground Law. This event will draw upon panelists' expertise in law to formulate concrete ideas and bipartisan solutions to this urgent matter. For more information contact Pastor G. Vincent Lewis at 404-243-9336 ext. 2231. 4650 Flat Shoals Parkway, Decatur 30034.

5. Tabernacle Prayer at Open Table Community Church is a time of worship and petition for God to act on behalf of our children, families, church leadership, homeless and other needs that are pressing on our hearts. This intergenerational, interdenominational, and interracial prayer meeting around tables for REAL issues is a unique opportunity in our city! Come on March 15, 1 – 2:15 p.m. to 2605 Chamblee Tucker Rd, Atlanta 30341.  Pizza and fun follow.

6. Midway Missionary Baptist Church will celebrate its Annual Women’s Day this Sunday, March 16. The guest preacher at 10 a.m. will be the Rev. Melva Sampson one of the first women ordained at Midway. She is currently a Ph D candidate at Candler and former Associate Director of the WISDOM Center at Spelman College. The Rev. Edward Reynolds is Pastor at Midway, 2280 Godby Road, College Park 30349.

7. Here is a great opportunity!   The Belk Gives on the Go Mobile Mammography Center will stop at Belk stores in Marietta, Kennesaw, and Atlanta to offer free, convenient mammogram screenings.  Women age 40 and over with no breast concerns, who have not had a mammogram in the last 12 months, and have a primary care physician call 855-655-BMMC (2662) to schedule an appointment.  The dates and locations are:  Village Green, Marietta, Tuesday, March 18, 9:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Town Center Mall, Kennesaw, Thursday, March 20, 9:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Phipps Plaza, Atlanta, Saturday, March 22,  9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 855-655-BMMC (2662) or go to www.belk.com/pink.

8. Bruce Dixon's presentation on the Georgia prison strike of 2010- 2011 has been rescheduled for Wednesday, March 19 at The Atlanta Friends Meetinghouse, 701 West Howard Ave, Decatur 30030 (about 1/2 mile east of the East Lake MARTA station).  For information please contact Bert Skellie at [e-mail] or 404-378-5883

9. Fr. Matt Linn, S.J., internationally known for his presentations on physical, emotional, and spiritual healing, will speak on “Healing the 8 Stages of Life” at the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Atlanta, 48 Martin Luther King Dr. SW, on Thursday evening, March 20 at 7 p.m.  Linn is co-author of over 22 books.  For more information call 404-521-1866 or catholicshrineatlanta.org.

10. Author and Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor will lead a program titled "A Spirituality of the Night Time" from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 22, for Mary & Martha's Place at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church, Atlanta. She will be drawing from her next book,” Learning to Walk in the Dark,” to be published in April. Cost, with lunch included, is $65. For details and to register, click www.maryandmarthasplace.com

. Holy Comforter’s Seedtime & Harvest Garden & Greenhouse Sale, 737 Woodland Ave SE, Atlanta, 30316, is holding its first plant sale of the season on Saturday, March 22 from 10 am to 2 pm.     Please come meet the gardeners and shop for organic herbs, perennial flowers, succulents, and indoor plants. For early-bird vegetable planters, there will be organic tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash and cucumber seedlings. Come see us and get a head start on Spring! (holycomforter.episcopalatlanta.org/)404-291-8116)11

12. DeKalb County Board of Health's staff is working to raise awareness and provide information on World TB Day, Monday, March 24, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., T. O. Vinson Health Center Auditorium, 440 Winn Way, Decatur 30030. Free Snacks, Free HIVTesting.  If you have questions call [phone].

13. The United Methodist Men Golf Tournament is March 25, at Rivermont Country Club located in Johns Creek, Ga. If you have not submitted your registration yet you can do so at the webpage at www.ngcumm.org  Singles and teams are welcome. Everyone who plays will go home with lasting memories and at least one door prize some of which are Calloway drivers, wedges, and pro shop gift cards. Email [e-mail] if you need more information.

14. Dr. B. Wiley Stephens, currently in his 24th year as senior pastor of Dunwoody United Methodist Church  is the featured preacher March 23 on “Day 1” also accessible online at Day1.org. His message for March 23, “Dropping the Mask We Hide Behind,” is based on the story of Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman at the well. “As Jesus saw through the mask of the woman, he could see a greater need, a greater thirst than just the water from the well…”

15. St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church, 1865 Highway 20 East, McDonough, announces with great excitement the installation of the Rev. Scott M. Harding as Rector of the parish on Saturday, March 29, at 10 a.m. The V. Rev. Robert C. Wright, Bishop of the Diocese of Atlanta, will conduct the ceremony. Join them in welcome.

16. Two 20th-century choral masterworks will be presented at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 29, at the Cathedral of St. Philip. Sponsored by the Friends of Cathedral Music, the Emile T. Fisher Concert features the Cathedral Choir and Schola: Gerald Finzi's “Lo, the Full, Final Sacrifice” (1946), and Arvo Pärt's “Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Secundum Joannem” (1982).  For ticket information and more, click  here.

17.  A special Lenten musical presentation by the St. Andrews Concert Choir and a small instrumental ensemble of John Rutter’s “Requiem” will be March 30 at 3 p.m. at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church USA, 4882 LaVista Road, Tucker 30084. Call the office at [phone] if you need more information.

18. Cobb Faith Partnership March Forum, Wednesday, March 26, 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Turner Chapel A.M.E. Church, 492 North Marietta Parkway, Marietta 30060, presents “Creating Compassionate Congregations, a Tool Box for Mental Health Ministry” by Ethel Ware Carter, Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta, and “Bookkeeping & Special Projects for Small Business & Non-Profits” by Kathy Grosskurth.

19. You will be interested in the Daniel H. Blumenthal Public Health Summit at the Morehouse School of Medicine, April 1-2; it is focused on science-based violence prevention.  Leading violence prevention researchers, Dr. James Garbarino of Loyola University in Chicago and Mr. Larry Cohen of the Prevention Institute in Oakland are invited plenary speakers. Youth will be speaking out through a theatrical performance and a high school student-led panel discussion.  The summit will examine topics such as child abuse, intimate partner violence, gang violence, youth violence, and suicide.  National and local leaders in violence prevention will take part.  Metropolitan Atlanta Violence Prevention Partnership will present cutting-edge work and King Center leaders will talk about their current nonviolence initiatives, local, national, and global.  More information here or contact Nakisha Harris at [e-mail] or [phone].

20. Come celebrate Compassionate Action in Greater Atlanta at Compassionate Cities, Kind Neighbors. Thursday, April 3, 7 p.m., Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College, 830 Westview Drive, Atlanta 30314. Karen Armstrong will be the keynote speaker and receive the MLK Chapel award for peace, reconciliation, and nonviolence. Find our more about Karen Armstrong and the Charter for Compassion www.charterforcompassion.org and Compassionate Atlanta at www.compassionateatl.com.

21. If you have women veterans in your congregation or work with women who have been in the military you will be interested in “Connected by Military Service” Georgia Women Veterans Conference, April 4, workshops, reception, inspiring speakers. GTRI Conference Center Atlanta, Find out all the details and register at www.wvsj.org

22. A Scriptural Reasoning Workshop on Texts from the Baha’i, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim scriptures on authority and obedience – How do we discern God’s will for our lives? On prayer  - how, what, why and when? Sunday - April 6, 2:30 p.m. This event will be held in Buckhead. Pre-registration is required for this event on or before Friday, April 4.  To R.s.v.p. send an email to [e-mail]. Please include your name, phone number, and faith tradition.

23. For almost a decade, Camp Mikell, Holy Comforter, and Emmaus House have been supported by the Work of Our Hands, Inc., a non-profit founded by Bishop Frank Allan with the mission to promote and support arts programs that serve people marginalized by socioeconomic, mental health, and intellectual challenges. The Work of Our Hands’ 2013 Holiday Artists’ Market, the primary fund raiser, had its highest sales record because of an experienced and dedicated market committee. On Thursday, April 10, from 5:30 – 7:30 pm, the Work of Our Hands’ Board of Directors will recognize all at an Appreciation Reception at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church.  You are invited to help say thank you and to enjoy live music, a cocktail buffet, and old and new friends. Information about becoming a volunteer will be available for anyone who is interested.  Opportunities include the next Artists’ Market, being a board or committee member, or working in one of the art programs at Emmaus House, Holy Comforter and Camp Mikell. For more information and to R.s.v.p. email Charlotte Cameron at [e-mail] or call 404-525-5948, ext. 22.

24. Georgia State University School of Music Opera Theatre and Opera Orchestra presents “The Crucible,” the operatic adaption of Arthur Miller’s play about the Salem witch trials, 1962 Pulitzer Prize for composer Robert Ward, at the Rialto Center for the Arts, 80 Forsyth Street SW, Atlanta  30303. April 11, 8 p.m.  For information email [e-mail] or call [phone] or [phone] after business hours.

25. A two-day suicide intervention workshop is scheduled for April 16 and 17 at the Bridge in Peachtree City. The I WILL INTERVENE CHALLENGE offers people from all walks of life the skills that can save a life. The program offers CE credit/ Register today at www.iwillintervene.com

26. Beulah Heights Information Sessions for graduate and undergraduate programs, chaplaincy and nonprofit management continue this month.  Read more.

27. The Lake Oconee Community Church Singers will present one selection from each of the Broadway shows that have been discussed during Lent on Palm Sunday and during Holy Week. These include “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” Lion King; “Corner of the Sky,” Pippin;” The Mind is a Garden,” Secret Garden; “For Good,” Wicked; “Papa Can You Hear Me,” Yentl; “Suddenly,” Les Mis; and “Do You Hear the People Sing,” Les Mis. Check the website to read more about this amazing juxtaposition of the culture we live in and the faith we profess.

28. Conflict Transformation Training for Trainers from Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America is coming up May 19-31 near Asheville, N.C. Read more>>

29. The Open Door Community needs volunteers to accompany community members to medical appointments. If you can help contact Sarah Humphrey at [e-mail] or [phone]

30.  “Son of God” If you have a minute this is an interesting essay on the movie and the use of material objects and the ensuing theology. essay

Wow! To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Hunger Walk/Run last weekend 15,000 took to the streets to walk or run for hunger relief.

Peace,

Ethel Ware Carter

The Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta, Inc.

[e-mail]

404-201-6448