Church Action eNewsletter Week of December 14, 2015

[RCCAtl]

                                                                                God calls us to some things we cannot do alone.

                                                             Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta, Inc.

                                                                           Church Action eNewsletter Week of December 14, 2015

Link to Advent and Christmas Music

Link to Creating Compassionate Congregations Clergy Tool Box for Mental Health Ministry

1. The Forum for Theological Exploration offers resources for congregations and church-related organizations to recruit, mentor, and support young leaders exploring their purpose and call. FTE grants provide an opportunity to develop mentoring programs, pastoral internships, or vocational resources for young adults. All applications are due by February 1, 2016. To learn more about FTE, its resources, and to access the online applications, visit fteleaders.org or contact FTE Director of Grants and Fellowships, Darlene Hutto.

2. The Rev. Michael Brown, senior minister of Marble Collegiate Church in New York City is the featured preacher on Day 1 this week. “The Baby is the Easy Part” is his sermon. Find your local station and many resources at Day1.org

3. The Georgia Boy Choir will sing holiday classics at Peachtree Road UMC, 3180 Peachtree Road, Atlanta 30305, Friday, Dec. 18, and Saturday, Dec. 19. At 7:00 p.m.  Tickets  here.

4. Atlanta Young Singers will perform a holiday tribute to famed conductor Robert Shaw, Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 2855 Briarcliff Road, Atlanta 30329, Friday, Dec. 18, and Saturday, Dec. 19, at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets at www.aysc.org

5. Come sing or just sit back and enjoy a Messiah Sing-Along, Sunday, Dec. 20, 3-4 p.m., at Roswell United Methodist Church, 814 Mimosa Blvd., Roswell 30075. Cost is $10. Tickets and more information are at mosingers.com/tickets or call [phone].  

6. Sacred Harp Sing at Church of Our Saviour, 1068 North Highland Avenue, Atlanta 30306, Sunday, Dec. 20, 6-8 p.m. Mini singing school from 6:00-6:25 followed by singing. All shaped note enthusiasts are welcome. Come to Garrison Hall at the church.

7. On the longest night of the year, join Peachtree Road UMC for a candlelight service of comfort and hope. All are welcome at “The Longest Night,” Sunday, Dec. 20, 5:30 p.m. Ron Greer will preach on “The Grace in the Darkness” and Jeanne Brown will be soloist. Moore Chapel at PRUMC, 3180 Peachtree Road, Atlanta 30305. 

8. The German Church Atlanta is holding a Christmas Eve service, Dec. 24, at 11 a.m., in German language (with English translation) at its host congregation The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 731 Peachtree Street, Atlanta 30308. The service will include a spontaneous Nativity scene play by the children. Nursery care will be provided. www.germanchurchatlanta.com

9. Lake Oconee Community Church will worship on Christmas Eve with Jazz Carols, Thursday, Dec. 24, 9:00 p.m., The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds, Lake Oconee.

 

10. AMIS may still need a few hosts to offer Christian hospitality to foreign students far away from home during this most joyful holiday. Consider hosting one or two students from Dec. 26-Jan. 2. This week includes the international supper where the students cook and perform and the white elephant gift exchange New Year's Eve party at Villa International, to which hosts and friends are also invited. Please email Lisa ASAP if you would like to help.

 

11. "We Are Family" at Hillside's Kwanzaa celebration on Sunday, December 28, following the 9:30 a.m. worship service, presented by the Barbara King School of Ministry, Hillside International Chapel and Truth Center, 2450 Cascade Road SE, Atlanta 30311.

 

12. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is pleased to help connect faith-based and community organizations with federal government tools, resources, and partners to help prepare their houses of worship for all hazards, including active shooter incidents. Access resources, recorded webinars, trainings and more today at www.fema.gov/protecting-houses-worship. 

 

13. Hillside International Truth Center's popular New Year's Eve service again features "Letters to God." Prepare your letter in advance by listing your desires and what you will commit to do toward your goals. Place it in a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Bring it to the service on Thursday, Dec. 31, 10:00 p.m. 2450 Cascade Rd. SW, Atlanta 30311.  [phone].

 

14. St. Mary’s Sewanee Ayres Center for Spiritual Development, Sewanee, Tenn., has valuable upcoming events, retreats and workshops.  Jan. 3-10 Centering Prayer Retreat with the Rev. Tom Ward is an opportunity for practitioners of centering prayer to deepen their contemplative journey. There is a Writing as a Spiritual Practice workshop Feb. 5-7. Mindful compassionate is a daylong retreat coming up in March. See more and register here.

 

15. Applications will be accepted through Jan. 4 for Thompson Scholars 2016, “Can They See Your Church? Evangelism in the Visual Age.”, April 26-29, with Pastor Keith Anderson, author of Digital Cathedral: Networked Ministry in a Wired World, and Ralph Basui Watkins. To apply, see www.ctsnet.edu/thompson-scholars. Center for Lifelong Learning at Columbia Theological Seminary.

 

16. Lutheran Worship & the Lectionary,   January 4 - 8, 2016, St. John's Lutheran Church, 1410 Ponce de Leon Ave NE, Atlanta 30307. Click here for information and registration.

 

17. DivorceCare, a biblically based, 13-week course, will be Tuesdays beginning Jan. 5 at Roswell United Methodist Church. The class will meet at 6:15 p.m. in room 251 in the Sanctuary building. The only charge is $15 for the workbook. For information and registration contact De Lee Udelson at  [e-mail], or visit rumc.com/divorcecare; or divorcecare.org

 

18. GriefShare, a biblically based, 13-week course, will be offered on Tuesdays beginning Jan. 5 at Roswell United Methodist Church. This is grief recovery support group where participants can find help and healing for the hurt of losing a loved one. The class will meet at 6:30 p.m. in room 250 in the Sanctuary building. The only charge is $15 for the workbook. For information and registration contact De Lee Udelson at [e-mail], or visit rumc.com/griefshare.

 

19. The Hart Readers will meet Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m. for a discussion of Warmth of Other Suns led by the Rev. Rev. Martha Sterne & Dr. Catherine Meeks.  In this epic, beautifully written masterwork, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson chronicles the decades-long migration of black citizens who fled the South for northern and western cities, in search of a better life. From 1915 to 1970, this exodus of almost six million people changed the face of America.  Walthour Library, Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road, Atlanta 30305. For more information call Kerith at 404-237-7582 or email [e-mail].

 

20. The 2016 Southeastern Synod Evangelical Lutheran Church Service of Commemoration for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. will be Sunday, January 17, at 3:00 p.m.  The service will be hosted by St. Stephen Lutheran Church, Decatur, and held at Living Grace Lutheran Church, 1812 Cooledge Road, Tucker. Plans are underway for a festive worship service.  With that in mind, the MLK Planning Committee extends an invitation to all children and adults who would offer to share their gifts of voice, both singing and speaking; of dance; and of playing an instrument.

 

21. Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the 117^th elected and consecrated bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, presenting Called to Kingdom Living in a Culture of Violence:  Am I My Brother’s Keeper?  Ben Hill United Methodist Church 2016 Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration & Awards, Jan. 18, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.  Ben Hill UMC’s Social Concerns Ministry and Senior Pastor the Rev. Byron E. Thomas invite the public to join them for this annual celebration and awards program. For more information, contact Martha Bell at [e-mail]

 

22. Thomas Buergenthal, born in Czechoslovakia in 1934, fled with his parents to Poland where they were forced into the Kielce ghetto. He survived the ghetto and a labor camp from whence they were deported to Auschwitz. He is one of the youngest survivors of Auschwitz. He also survived a treacherous death march. He was liberated from the Sachsenhausen concentration camp in April 1945. He is a Human Rights Lawyer, a judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, and a Law Professor at George Washington University. Hear him on Jan. 24, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, 7 p.m., Westin Atlanta Perimeter North Hotel. This is a free event; R.s.v.p.s are required, read more and register at www.amyisraelchaiatlanta.org

 

23. NextChurch, whose mission is to provide affordable Christian education to people everywhere that improves lives and changes the world, offers Introducing Islam with Mustapha Elturk. Read about it and register here.

 

Peace,

Ethel Ware Carter

The Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta, Inc.

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