Church Action eNewletter Week of February 5, 2018

[RCCAtl]

Church Action eNewsletter
Week of February 5, 2018
God calls us to some things we cannot do alone.
Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta

Second Food Pantry Forum
exploring board development, student food security, and community gardens.
The most important thing will be time to network and learn from each other. Door prizes!
Feb. 20, 9:45 a.m. - 12 p.m., United Way Multipurpose Room, 40 Courtland Avenue, Atlanta.
Let us know you are coming if you have not already done so. Email [e-mail]

1. During Black History Month in honor of the 50th anniversary of the martyrdom of Dr. King and the Poor People’s Campaign, Bread for the World offers a Pan-African Christian Devotional for Public Policy Engagement. See it here.

2. It’s tax season and VITA is back. The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program through United Way of Greater Atlanta helps individuals file at no cost and claim important credits. Learn more here.

3. AIB Network will premiere Wow, I Never Knew That from Emmy award-winning David Harris Katz this week. This fast-paced fact-packed half-hour uncovers the truths and origins behind the things you're already familiar with… Coca-Cola, Domino's Pizza, Haagen-Dazs, PEZ Candy, Etch-a-Sketch, and Frisbee. The premiere was Monday but you can see the show in encore Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. The AIB Network is channel 295 on Comcast and channel 6 on AT&T U-verse, as well as at www.aibtv.com/aibeverywhere.

4. The Rev. Cuttino Alexander is the featured preacher Feb. 11 on Day 1. His sermon “The Happiest Place on Earth” is drawn from Mark 9:2-9 and it starts in Disney World. Tune in to News 95.5 or 750 AM WSB at 7:05 Sunday morning in the Atlanta area. Visit Day1.org for this sermon and many other resources.

5. The Atlanta Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians and the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing invite you to celebrate the remarkable life and service of the first African American Priest in the Episcopal Church on the Feast of Absalom Jones, Feb. 11, at 4 p.m. Eucharist, 807 Atlanta Student Movement Blvd. SW, Atlanta 30314. The Rev. Dennis Patterson Jr. will preach; celebrant is Dr. Kenneth Swanson. The Clark Atlanta University Choir is featured.

6. Beyond Borders: Environmental Cooperation in Israel & Palestine hosted by Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, and FAMA, Feb. 11, 7 – 8:30 p.m., Columbia Theological Seminary, 701 S. Columbia Drive, Decatur 30030. Learn about the cross-cultural community and environmental studies at the Arava Institute, where students from Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and around the world collaborate on environmental solutions.

7. Come enjoy a good old all-you-can-eat pancake supper and savor the end of the Epiphany on Shrove Tuesday, Feb. 13, the day before the lent starts. Admission at the door is $5 per person or $20 for a family, 6:30 – 8 p.m. at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 3480 E Main Street, College Park 30337.

8. A reminder of A Case for Life, death penalty discussion and book signing with Sister Prejean and Bishop Wright, Feb.15, Holy Innocents’ Episcopal Church. Free, register here.

9. Do you know about the Thompson Scholars program at Columbia Theological Seminary? The topic for 2018 is “Jazz as a Metaphor for Ministry: The Power of Improvisation.” Application deadline extended to February 16. Learn more or apply here.

10. Technology Fair with workshops and resources, giveaways, and more, Saturday, Feb. 17, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., at Cascade United Methodist Church, 3144 Cascade Road, Atlanta 30311. Call for information [phone].

11. Atlanta Women’s Chorus presents ReWind, The First Five Years, Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, 1026 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE, Atlanta 30306, Feb. 17, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Audience and singer favorites from the chorus’s first five years. Ticket information at www.voicesaofnote.org

12. You are invited to join the North Georgia Black Methodists for Church Renewal in a Lenten revival on four Sundays during Lent. #METOO: The Rape of Tamar, 2 Samuel 13.
February 18—7:00 p.m., Ben Hill UMC, 2099 Fairburn Rd. SW, Atlanta 30331, with the Rev. Brian Tillman;
Feb. 25—7:00 p.m., Warren Temple UMC, 416 E. Depot St, Lagrange 30241 with the Rev. Susan Landry;
March 4—7:00 p.m., Ben Hill UMC, with the Rev. Carolyn Stephens;
March 11—7:00 p.m., Ben Hill UMC, with the Rev. Byron Thomas.

13. Are you interested in learning more about becoming a foster parent? Make plans to attend this foster care orientation on February 19 at 6:30 p.m. at Lutheran Services of Georgia’s office in downtown Atlanta, 230 Peachtree St, Suite 1100, Atlanta 30303. For more information or to R.s.v.p., contact Samantha Chillious at [e-mail]

14. To kick off the UNCF Atlanta Faith Campaign, UNCF invites you to a breakfast for clergy and church leaders, 9 a.m., Tuesday, February 20, 9, Paschal’s, 180 Northside Drive SW. please R.s.v.p. to [e-mail] or [phone]. National UNCF Sunday is February 25. The goal for the UNCF Faith Initiative in Georgia is $75,000 by March 31.The breakfast is generously sponsored by Georgia-Pacific.

15. A Lenten Journey with the Enneagram and Contemplative Prayer, Wednesday Evenings, 7:30-9 p.m. February 21 & 28, March 7, 14, 21 & 28, Deep Waters Center for Prayer & Contemplation, Amerson House, St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church. If you are interested contact Spiritual Director Kimberly Broerman at [e-mail]

16. The Legacy of John Wesley and the Church Today: An Exhibition, Conversation, and Reception at Pitts Theology Library, Thursday, February 22, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., Candler School of Theology, 1531 Dickey Drive, Atlanta 30322. More... At the reception for the opening of Religion of the Heart: John Wesley and the Legacy of Methodism in America, Dr. Brandon Wason, Dr. Rex Matthews, and Rev. Carolyn Stephens will share remarks on Wesley and the church today. Attendees will have the opportunity to view the exhibition with the curator and docents on hand to answer questions. Register by Monday, February 12 here.

17. Episcopal Veterans Fellowship kick off Tuesday, Feb. 23, 9 a.m., Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road, NW, Atlanta 30305. The EVF offers educational workshops, consulting, and coaching so your church can reach out with God’s love to the veterans who live in your community. This event is free and open to the public. More at www.facebook.com/EpiscopalVeteransFellowshipGA

18. One of the greatest sacred masterworks — baroque-period instruments and early music specialists will bring this work to life in ways that can only be experienced when it is performed using authentic instruments and techniques, as Bach himself would have imagined and known them. Bach’s St. John Passion with St. Philip Choir and Scola and the Atlanta Baroque Orchestra. Ticket information here.
Friday, Feb. 23, 7:30 p.m., the Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road NW, Atlanta 30305.
Saturday, Feb. 24, 4:00 p.m., Roswell Presbyterian Church, 755 Mimosa Boulevard, Roswell.

19. For those registered to attend the Evelyn Gibson Lowery 2018 Civil Rights Heritage Tour, March 3-4, to Birmingham, Marion, Selma, Whitehall, and Montgomery, there will be a pre-tour event at Cascade United Methodist Church, Saturday, Feb. 24, 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., the award-winning movie Selma. Cascade UMC, 3144 Cascade Road, SW, Atlanta 20211.

20. Find out about the Alternatives to Violence basic first level workshop being offered in Atlanta Feb. 24-25 here.

21. Sankofa comes from the Twi language of Ghana; it means “we have to go back to get something in order to go forward. Highpoint Episcopal Community Church will offer Sankofa, a concert, Sunday, February 25, 7:30 p.m. The church is in a new companion relationship with the Diocese of Cape Coast, Ghana. Thirteen vocalists from the Atlanta Opera Chorus and Capital City Opera and some music educators will offer a tribute to the music of black composers.

22. Interfaith Community Initiatives UNDER MY HOOD has been rescheduled from the snow day to Tuesday, March 6, 7-9 p.m. Join ICI for a night of storytelling as Atlanta neighbors share what’s "under their hood" by talking about who they are in their own voice and on their own terms — a step toward creating a world in which the humanity in all of us is recognized and celebrated. ICI’s own Jan Swanson will be sharing her story. More information and registration, here.

23. There will be a free Citizenship Clinic/ Gratis Clinica Para Hacerse Ciudadano, Saturday, March 10, at Skyland United Methodist Church, 1850 Skyland Terrace NE, Atlanta. Find out all information and make an appointment here.

24. Kanuga’s Lansing Lee Conference, March 16-18, will address the role of civil discourse in America. Featuring members of the U. S. House of Representatives, Republicans and Democrats, along with nationally recognized voices from the church, this conference asks how reach a place of cooperation and collaboration. This conference is expected to be in high demand—register early. People of all denominations are welcome. What you need to know.

25. Walter B. and Kay W. Shurden Lectures on Religious Liberty and Separation of Church and State are held at Mercer University every three years, at another institution in intervening years. 2018 lecture will be delivered by Dr. Charles Haynes, founding director of the Religious Freedom Center, Newseum Institute, Washington. The lectures are free and open to the public.
Tuesday, March 20, Atlanta, 11 a.m. at Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology Cecil B. Day Auditorium- Liberty of conscience and the future of American democracy.
Wednesday, March 21: Macon, 10 a.m. in Mercer Medical School Auditorium- Standing up for justice and freedom in an age of conflict and division.
Wednesday, March 21, Macon, 3:30 p.m., Mercer Law Building, First Floor Courtroom – From battleground to common ground: A First Amendment vision for religious liberty in public life.

26. The Southern Nursing Research Society, founded in 1986, includes members from 14 states and the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Bahamas. In connection with the annual meeting in Atlanta, SNRS will host a community forum on the opioid epidemic March 21, 4-6 p.m. The society extends an invitation to area clergy and faith leaders involved in health ministry. Let Mary Gullatte know if you are available to attend. The event will be at Emory University Hospital Midtown, Glenn Auditorium, 550 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta. Check out the website for more informationabout SNRS.

27. NAMI DeKalb is hosting Family-to-Family, a free 12- week course for family caregivers of individuals with serious mental health conditions. The course is taught by trained family members and focuses on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, panic disorder, borderline personality disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Tuesday evenings, March 22 through May, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Contact Dianne Hiltman at [e-mail] or [phone] to register or ask questions.

28. Registration is open here for the conference in recognition of the centenary of Professor Walter Rauschenbusch's death, April 9-11, Atlanta campus of Mercer University. Mercer’s Center for Theology and Public Life with the American Baptist Historical Society and Acadia Centre for Baptist and Anabaptist Studies offers The Legacy of Walter Rauschenbusch, a Christian theologian and clergyman who is considered the father of the Social Gospel movement of the first two decades of the 20th century. His work has inspired countless clergy and social reformers including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Desmond Tutu. If you have questions contact Edwina Cowgill at [e-mail].

29. Animate is a five-day summer program in worship leadership for teenagers and their adult mentors sponsored by the Center for Worship and the Arts, Samford University, Birmingham. Students hone worship leadership skills, adults sharpen their mentoring tools, and everybody works together reflecting on the intersection between worship, theology, and the arts. June 25, 2018. Learn more here.

30. Faith and Reason 360 podcast with Walter Brueggemann, A Christian Nation for Whom? Here it is, listen now.

Visit website for a complete community calendar, links to the Toolbox for Mental Health Ministry, websites for daily devotionals, and many other resources. And, send us your announcements to [e-mail].

Peace,
Ethel Ware Carter
The Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta, Inc.
[e-mail]