Church Action eNewsletter Week of December 12, 2022

[RCCAtl]

Church Action eNewsletter
Week of December 5, 2022
The Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta, Inc. 

God calls us to some things we cannot do alone.

 

We want your announcements! We are happy to help get the word out about anything you would like the greater faith community to know. Send announcements to [e-mail].

1. Check out the Southeastern Synod ELCA Advent/Christmas Devotional written by leaders from across the synod and companion synods. Access Devotional → You can download the pdf to your computer to read or print it out, or access these devotions through some of social media sites, daily. Posts started Nov. 27.

2. Advent is a season of preparation and expectation fueled by the hope, peace, joy, and love demonstrated in the life of Jesus.  As you observe this season, you are invited to visit McAfee School of Theology's Advent Devotional online. Advent: God With Us, is written by McAfee faculty, staff, alumni, and current students. Advent 2021 | November 28

3. Gain life coaching skills and make a difference for an under-resourced Atlanta adult with big dreams and too little support. Become a Partners in Change volunteer life coach. Through weekly virtual conversations, provide a one-year, 1:1 supportive presence as your partner builds skills and resilience to reach new goals. Learn more at a Q&A conversation - next sessions will be this Tues. 12/6 from 9:00-9:20 a.m., Zoom link us02web.zoom.us/j/82718861587 and Wed. 12/7 from 4:00-4:20 p.m. Zoom link - us02web.zoom.us/j/85481497071. Visit picusa.org/get-involved or email [e-mail] for more info.

4. Second Shot Campaign Launch - Odyssey Impact® Join Odyssey Impact’s new executive director, Judge Victoria Pratt, who will moderate this film premiere and social impact campaign launch event for Second Shot. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion. You will hear from the film’s director, film participants. and campaign partners — all unpacking parole, second chances, new beginnings, and restorative justice. Dec. 7, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. Register Here

5. Honoring loss and embracing hope, Wednesday, Dec. 7, St. David’s Episcopal Church, 6:30 p.m. Christmas isn't the "most wonderful tie of the year" for everyone. This time of year can be especially hard. This service that honors the loss and grief many feel. Come to pray together, sing together, and light candles in memory of loved ones. There will be a reception following the service. If someone you know is struggling with loss this season, please invite them. All are welcome. If you have questions, please  email Michelle.

6. A reminder that “Streams of Hope in the Wilderness,” a day of quiet and contemplation, led by the Rev. Lynnsay A. Buehler, at Lanier House, Cathedral of St. Philip grounds, 9:30 a.m. until 2:00 p.m., is Saturday, December 10. The cost is $20 and lunch is included. Contact Jeannie Mahood with questions [e-mail],. Learn more and register,

7. Come enjoy great music and performances to celebrate the Christmas season with Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Saturday, Dec. 10, at 6:00 p.m. Featured musical acts include Christopher Clay, T. Renee Crutcher, St. Mark Lutheran, Atonement Lutheran, and Fay Capers. Emmanuel is at 3050 Cascade Road SW, Atlanta 30311. All are invited. If you have questions call the church at [phone].

8. The Rev. Talitha Arnold, minister of the United Church of Santa Fe, N.M., is the featured preacher December 11 on “Day 1” with host Peter Wallace. Hear Day1 in this area on WSB 95.5 and 750 AM Sundays at 7:05 a.m. The nationally broadcast program is also accessible online at Day1.org and by podcast.  “And the Desert Shall Bloom,” is drawn from Isaiah 35:1-10, joyous words of promise and life set in the midst of earlier and later chapters that speak of  destruction and desolation. For more information, this sermon, and many valuable resources check the Day1.org. 

9. Come celebrate the joy and fellowship of the season with family and friends! Walk along a candlelit path, meet the animals of the stable, join the shepherds and angels around a live Nativity, enjoy the festive harmony of St. David’s Children’s Community Choir, sip hot cocoa from the Christmas Café, and sing carols under the twinkling stars around the warmth of a campfire. Dress for walking and the weather! December 11, 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. St. David’s, 1015 Old Roswell Road, Roswell 30076.

10. The Many Moods of Christmas, Sunday, Dec. 11, 5:30 p.m., at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church with the Chancel Choir, Georgia Boy Choir, soloists, and orchestra. Tickets are complimentary but necessary visit peachtreeroadumc.ccbchurch.com.

11. From Saint Mark UMC Fine Arts Ministry, Christmas with “Sentimental Journey Orchestra,” Monday, Dec. 12, 7:30 p.m. Come to the sanctuary, 781 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta 30308, for this musical performance celebrating your favorite Christmas classics! Christmas with Sentimental Journey Orchestra will feature the big band swing sounds of Count Basie, Glenn Miller, and others plus vocal arrangements made famous by Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, Diana Krall, and Ella Fitzgerald.

12. The St. Olaf Choir in 2022 St. Olaf Christmas Festival, Promise of Peace, free of charge for all viewers, will be available to watch on-demand beginning Wednesday, Dec. 14, at stolaf.edu

13. Image is hosting a virtual Advent Art Salon this year on December 14 at 5 p.m. Eastern. It will feature an Advent meditation by Amy Peterson, poetry readings by Karen An-hwei Lee and Jonathan Chan, a performance of Annie Dillard’s “God in the Doorway” by Rachel Ingram, a musical performance by Eric Marshall of Young Oceans, and a reading on feasting by Kendall Vanderslice. View more info here, and register here.

14. Yoga Day of Reflection: Discernment in Motion – Exploring Attachment, Ignatius House, 6700 Riverside Dr., Sandy Springs, Dec. 15, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. The crown of our head ever reaches upward toward our Blessed Lord. Yet, we often become disconnected from this reality. Seeking the unity, we long for, we become attached to worldly things, falsely being filled. Info here.  Cost $125 

15. ‘Atlanta Prays’ – Day of Reflection for ministry and community leaders and caregivers  at Ignatius House, 6700 Riverside Dr., Sandy Springs, Dec. 16, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.  Come away to Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center for a special day of prayer, quiet, rest, and worship ... a time to hear The Voice of God in your hearts. Come recharge and renew in a prayerful, sacred space. No cost.  http://bit.ly/3XoIDuE 

16. Ignatius House in Sandy Springs is offering two recovery retreats, Dec 16-18
'Serenity Retreat' for those in a 12-step program Info and registration here. This retreat for people in recovery provides an opportunity to gather and focus on your spiritual life and share struggles and joys in a safe and respectful environment.

For those affected by addictions of others. When beginning the work to recover our relationships to God, self, and others, the 12-steps help us gain awareness of where our relationships stand and offer us a way forward.  Ignatian Spirituality offers additional meditations and tools to help further that insight so that it is possible to cope with what is, heal from what happened, and grow into the relationships that can be. This retreat will introduce those tools to use in your journey. More information here.  

17. Come Let Us Adore: An Evening of Carols and Scripture will be at 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. The choir first formed for the 25th annual Eucharistic Congress in June. The evening will include popular Christmas music and Scripture readings, as well as a few new songs. Music selections will be in English and Spanish with compositions ranging from the 15th century to the 21st century. The choir will be accompanied by a chamber orchestra. Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer will preside. The evening event is free and open to the public. Immaculate Heart of Mary Church is located at 2855 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta. 

18. A reminder of the Holiday Artisan Markets at Morningside Presbyterian Church, Saturday, Dec. 17, 8-11:30 a.m.  They’ll have a selection of goods, such as pottery, jewelry, wall art, and more. So enjoy the music, grab your groceries for the week, and pick up a gift or two from local artisans to surprise your loved ones this holiday season?

19. The 16th annual Service of Christmas Lessons and Carols simulcast live between the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral and the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, Palestine, is Saturday, Dec. 17, at 10 a.m. EST and 5 p.m. Bethlehem time.  Hear familiar carols and readings in Arabic and English and a word of hope preached this year by the M. Rev. Hosam Naoum, Archbishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.  If you have questions, contact the Rev. Canon Matthew Dayton-Welch at [e-mail]. Find more information at Bethlehem (diopa.org)

20. You are invited to join the Saint Mark UMC Chancel Choir as they go caroling through Midtown, Sunday, December 18, 11:45 a.m., 781 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta 30308.

21. Lessons and Carols, this beloved service of music and readings will be held at St. David’s Episcopal Church, 1015 Old Roswell Rd, Roswell 30076, Sunday, Dec. 18. 5:00 p.m. This celebration in song and word will be followed by a festive Champagne Reception in Grace Hall.

22. Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary opens registration for its 2023 Drum Major for Justice Program. Applicants can visit jcsts.org, for information and registration. This five-month certificate program in public theology equips pastors and civic and community leaders to find their voices in collaboration with others. The program explores the common roots of racial oppression and resistance movements to mobilize communities to pursue justice and transformation.

Visit our website for a clergy toolbox for mental health ministry, and more . . . 

Peace,
Ethel Ware Carter