Church Action eNewsletter Week of February 22, 2021

[RCCAtl]

Church Action eNewsletter Week of February 22, 2021

God calls us to some things we cannot do alone. 

Dear Friends, you are doing such creative things in this time of restriction. Be sure to send any announcements you would like the greater faith community to read to [e-mail]
See updated information about food distribution in the East Point area at the end of this eNewsletter.

1. Decatur Presbyterian Church seeks a part-time financial administrator.  Minimum 5 years accounting/bookkeeping experience required. Accounting degree and experience with ACS software preferred, as well as experience working for a church. Requires ability to work independently and interact and communicate effectively with individual church members, councils, and committees. Duties include (but not limited to): Count and record all monies received, prepare payroll, pay invoices, and fulfill check requests, prepare monthly financial statements and standard financial analytics and projections, and send quarterly statements to contributors. Position is 20-24 hours per week during church office hours. Deadline to apply is March 7, 2021.  For additional details, contact DPC Personnel Committee Chair Marianne Adams, [e-mail] . 
    
   2. Tomorrow World Affairs Council of Atlanta offers “COVID-19: Vaccine Rollout & Worrisome Variants” Tuesday, Feb. 23, 12 noon, featuring Dr. J. Stephen Morrison, Global Health Policy Center. Register at www.wacatlanta.org
    
   3. Georgia WAND 3rd Annual Legislative Tea & Sweets to be held via zoom on February 23 at 3:30 p.m. Guest panelists include Jennette Gayer, Director of Environment Georgia, Chandra Farley, Director of Just Energy, Partnership for Southern Equity, and Phyllis Richardson, Director of Governmental Affairs, Georgia WAND. Email [e-mail] for more information.
    
   4. Interfaith Atlanta-FAMA continues to offer its contemplative series: Peace, Compassion & Kindness every Wednesday at noon. Join them for this 30 minute midday respite seeking to provide sanctity and perspective. Click here to join, use passcode 060135.
    
   5. "Seven Weeks for Water 2021" from the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Water Network is a thought-provoking series that includes discussion questions for virtual groups to use. The first week's reflection is written by Michele Roberts and is entitled, "The rainbow color of the pilgrimage of water justice in North America." Read more
    
   6. Diamond in the Rough reminds us that parents are extremely influential factor in a teen's decision-making. Their next Priceless Parenting session features Cliff Baskerville, Choosing the Best, who will share practical tips and tools to help parents with tough discussions about sex and high-risk behaviors. This event is free and open to the public. Wednesday, February 24, 7:30 p.m. Click here to register.
    
2. “African Response to Anti-Black Racism in the USA” Join Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Feb. 24, 6:00 p.m., for a panel discussion featuring author and African mystic Brother Ishmael Tetteh; Dianne M. Stewart, associate professor of religion and African American studies at Emory University; Georgette Ledgister, research associate and visiting instructor in the Women's Studies in Religion Program at Harvard Divinity School; and Lahronda Little, co-director of Per Ankh Wellness; and moderated by Charles Howard Candler Professor of Pastoral Theology and Spiritual Care Emmanuel Y. Lartey and Maisha I. Handy, provost/vice president for academic affairs and associate professor of religion and education at Interdenominational Theological Center. Learn more and register.
    
   8. Lenten Lament Walks, a community time for reflection and prayer on Wednesdays during Lent. R.s.v.p. is required for each week. Space is limited. 
   Feb 24  Register Here Roswell United Methodist, 814 Mimosa Boulevard
   March 3  Register Here St. David's Episcopal, 1015 Old Roswell Road
   March 10 Register Here Roswell Presbyterian, 755 Mimosa Boulevard
   March 17 Register Here Mt. Pisgah United Methodist, 2850 Old Alabama Rd. Alpharetta
   March 24 Register Here First Baptist Church, 710 Mimosa Boulevard
    
   9. Georgia Justice Project offers virtual events designed to education and engage advocates and community members on a variety of criminal justice reform issues in the Talk Justice Tuesday Series:  9:30 - 11 a.m. Justice Day, Thursday, Feb. 25 (longer event); Mar. 2: Prison Conditions. For more information, see Justice Reform Partnership website. 
    
   10. Braver Angels will hold an online Depolarizing Within workshop, Feb. 25, designed to help Americans learn how to be more aware of their own "inner polarizer," discover how to be critical without demonizing, dismissing, or stereotyping large swaths of the population, and absorb strategies for intervening constructively in social conversations with like-minded peers when these conversations veer into contempt and ridicule for people who hold other political views.  Braver Angels is a bipartisan nonprofit citizen’s movement to unify America. By bringing Red and Blue Americans together into a working alliance, they build new ways to talk to one another, participate together in public life, and influence the direction of the nation. This workshop is a free event. It is hosted by Braver Angels Georgia. To register, please go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/depolarizing-within-standard-workshop-... For more information about Braver Angels Georgia, visit www.braverangelsgeorgia.org
    
   11. Upcoming human trafficking webinars from the International Human Trafficking Institute: When Sugaring Is Not Sweet, Thursday, February 25. These "arrangements" target both male and female high school and college students. We will discuss reasons why this phenomenon is on the rise in Georgia and around the country. Click here to register. 
    
   Social Media & Pornography, Saturday, February 27. Join real talk among multi-generations of boys and men as we shine a light on negative cultural and societal influences that lead to harmful decisions and actions. Click here to register.
    
   12. The Rev. Joe Evans, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Marietta, is the preacher Feb. 28 on “Day 1” the nationally broadcast ecumenical radio program also accessible as a podcast and online at Day1.org. “Day 1” has been broadcast every week for more than 75 years. Hear it in Atlanta on WSB News 95.5 and 750 AM Sundays at 7:05 a.m. “Day 1” is currently distributed to more than 220 radio stations across America and overseas and via various podcast platforms. For more information, this sermon, and many other resources, check the Day1.org.  
    
   13.  Baptist Women in Ministry observes the month of February as the Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching, inviting Baptist churches to schedule a woman to preach at least once during the month. Honoring the legacy of 18th-century Baptist clergy member Martha Stearns Marshall since 2007, this annual event has been a source of joy and discovery for many churches. Although hearing women preach has been common practice at Northside Drive Baptist Church for decades, the congregation is pleased to welcome Emily Harbin to the pulpit on February 28.
    
   14. All are invited to attend a forum on Reparations and Right Relations, via Zoom, Sunday, Feb. 28, 1 p.m. This forum is the first of two and has been developed through an Ad Hoc group started by the Ministry and Worship committee and includes members from Quakers for Racial Equality, the Committee on Undoing Racism in Atlanta Friends Meeting, and Atlanta Friends of Color. This forum will provide the historical foundation on reparations, manumission, and reconciliation. A May forum will address policy development around right relations and the lessons learned on reconciliation developed in South Africa after the end of apartheid. The three-member panel includes Dr. Joseph Reidy, retired faculty of Howard University; Dr. K. Melchor Quick Hall, School of Leadership Studies at the Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara; and Atlanta Friend Meeting member Dr. Althea Natalga Sumpter, scholar and ethnologist with a deep expertise in southern stories and post-civil war restoration history. Join Zoom Meeting https://friendsschoolatlanta.zoom.us/j/99826578716 Meeting ID: 998 2657 8716 Passcode: 436492
    
   15. From the Center for Lifelong Learning, this five-week online course, "The Return of the Prodigal: A Study of Henri Nouwen’s Interpretation of the Rembrandt Painting,” explores one of the most enduring works of Christian art, and one of the most beloved of Nouwen’s works. With your instructor and others in the course you will explore insights into spirituality through text and image. Begins March 1, cultivate spiritual insight with peers as you reflect on one of Rembrandt’s most iconic works of Christian art. Read More
    
   16. You are invited to join the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta and its partners every other Tuesday, 8:30 – 9:15 a.m., in March to explore the hot topics at the Georgia Assembly. They will review top legislative priorities of health care, voting access and criminal justice reform and create space for sharing other pertinent issues and concerns for our community. Upcoming dates include: March 2, March 16 and March 30. March information here. Register here.
    
   17. “Fathers Matter: Mobilizing Fatherhood in Metro Atlanta” Virtual Community Mobilization Leadership Summit for leaders from Cobb, Douglas, DeKalb, Fulton, and Clayton Counties, Wednesday, Mar 3, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Register in advance for this meeting: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUuf-6tqj0iEtCKTEJ6whS5pfomR7spZpjK  After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
   
   18. Capitol Conservation Day 2021, Virtual Event, March 3, 12-1:30 p.m. Join in to get the information you need to make a difference for cleaner, more plentiful water in Georgia. 
   Click here to register Experts from the Georgia Water Coalition will brief you on important legislative issues. Then you will put your new skills and information to work! Following the event, meet with your local legislators virtually to advocate in support of important legislation. Register early so that GWC can match you with fellow constituents and assist in scheduling a group virtual meeting with your local legislator.
    
   19. Kessler Conversation at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, March 3, 1:00 p.m. Professor Esther Chung-Kim, associate professor of religious studies and associate director of The Gould Center of Humanities at Claremont McKenna College, will address “Care of the Poor During the Reformation.” Learn more and register.
    
   Explore the Kessler Conversations which address wealth and poverty in the 16th and 21st centuries. These 30-45 minute sessions offer opportunities for the general public to learn about the events in Europe the 16th century and to consider what they may tell us about the issues facing our communities. Read more about the speakers and topics and register for free at this link.
    
   20. “Trauma-informed Pastoral Ministry in a Post-pandemic World,” workshop for clergy and chaplains facilitated by pastoral theologian The Rev. Dr. Danielle Tumminio Hansen
   hosted by Saint Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, Seattle, Washington, Thursday, March 4, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.,  free but registration is required. Co-sponsored by The Northwest Washington & Southwestern Washington Synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia, Click here to register. This one is Pacific Time!
    
   21. While we won’t be together in person, we can be together in spirit to end hunger in greater Atlanta and north Georgia. Hunger Walk Run 2021 Fighting Hunger: Many Paths, One Goal, March 7. Every registration will help provide 100 meals to the 1 in 7 Georgians struggling with hunger. Register to walk or run today.
    
   22.  While printed books are all gone, Living Compass offers at no cost multiple online resources for Living Well Through Lent 2021: Listening With All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind. Enroll to receive each day's reading via a daily email; Living Well Through Lent Quote Photos; Lent devotional as a FREE PDF file in English; Lent devotional as a FREE PDF file in Spanish; Join a private Facebook discussion group ; Lent Facilitator's Guide as a FREE PDF file
    
   23. Many of your congregations have Lent resources online. Peachtree Baptist Church has Lent resources particularly for families with children and they are added to weekly. You can access the resources anytime on their Church Life page. Lent Resources- Week 1
    
   24. Interfaith Children’s Movement is one of many advocacy organizations that have long supported efforts to expand Juvenile Court jurisdiction to include 17-year-olds who have not committed serious crimes. The newest iteration of the “Raise the Age” bill, HB 272, is currently pending in the House Juvenile Justice Committee. Georgia is one of only three states, along with Texas and Wisconsin, that automatically prosecutes 17-year-olds as adults for all crimes. Yet, data shows that brain functions regulating decision making, planning, judgment, and impulse control are not fully developed until the mid-20s. Brain development of a 17-year-old significantly differs from an adult. Voices for Georgia's Children provides additional data worthy of consideration. Read more and find out how to help.
    
   25. Important information about food distribution. Weekly collaborative distribution with the East Point Fellowship of Churches has resumed.
   East Point First Mallalieu United Methodist - 2651 North Church St.
   New Grant Chapel AME - 1319 Holcomb Ave.
   Impact Church - 2323 Sylvan Road
   Word of Faith - 2435 Ben Hill Road 
   Chapelhill Church - Atlanta - 4330 Washington Road
   As of now, each location will have a weekly distribution every Thursday from 12 pm -2 pm.
   Note: They are open on rainy days. If you have questions call The Pantry at 770-284-0525. )
   A monthly pantry is held at Chapelhill Church and the next one is Saturday, February 27, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., 4330  Washington Road, Atlanta.

 

Visit our website for a tool box for mental health ministry, and more . . . 

Peace,
Ethel Ware Carter