Church Action eNewsletter Week of May 4, 2015

[RCCAtl]

God calls us to some things we cannot do alone.

Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta

Weekly Church Action eNewsletter

Week of May 4, 2015

 

On Saturday, April 25, a major earthquake claimed the lives of more than seven thousand people in Nepal and surrounding nations. This earthquake measured 7.9 on the Richter scale and has destroyed buildings and infrastructure. Reports indicate that there is desperate need for resources. We are grateful to the Community Foundation for providing a list of organizations with a history of supporting disaster work in Nepal. Find the list here.

May is Mental Health Month. Lifeway Research reports that 66% of pastors speak about mental illness in sermons or to large groups only once a year, rarely, or never. If you are looking for resources and ideas to help your congregation welcome those with mental illness as full contributing members check out the Creating Compassionate Congregations page on www.CHIPGeorgia.com Click on Welcome first not the essay that is on the pop out menu.   1. Caron offers free parent and family support groups for anyone who has a child or family member who is in treatment, recovery, relapse, or active addiction. Read about groups in two local churches here.   2.  First Congregational Church welcomes A Song for You Mental Health Dialogues to the Commons, Friday, May 15, 7:30 p.m., 125 Ellis Street, Atlanta 30303. This event is dedicated to those who have lost loved ones to suicide and those who have, individuals or families, are invited to participate. If you are interested in participating email [e-mail]. There is required registration or fee to attend. Donations are encouraged.   3. SPdLU started up at Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church on May 6 with Dr. Thomas Slate leading 4 sessions on “What happened between the Old and New Testaments?’ Wednesdays at 6 p.m. Walk ins will be welcome if there is space, but you can register on line http://www.spdl.org/spdlu/ Second-Ponce de Leon Baptist Church, 2715 Peachtree Road, Atlanta 30305.   4. The Cascade Clothes Closet at Cascade United Methodist Church has announced new hours starting this Thursday, May 7, 9:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The closet is open on Thursday and second Saturdays, except for Saturday, May 9. Shop for free tomorrow, May 7. Cascade UMC, 3144 Cascade Rd, Atlanta 30311. Contact Allene McCollum for more information at [e-mail]   5. The Seedtime & Harvest Gardens & Greenhouse at Holy Comforter Church, 737 Woodland Ave. SE, Atlanta 30316, [phone], is holding its next plant sale on Saturday, May 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Come celebrate Spring and shop for Mother’s Day. Available are beautiful containers of flowers, herbs, and indoor plants, and a variety of perennials for sun and shade gardens, including hostas, hellebores, hardy plumbago, Solomon’s seal, coreopsis, lily of the valley, dianthus and a host of iris. If you haven’t already gotten your vegetable patch planted, it’s not too late to start one with our heirloom plants. Baked goods will also be for sale.   6. This week Dr. Tim Smith of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Atlanta is the featured preacher on Day 1. His sermon for May 10 is entitled “Last Words” and is drawn from John 15:9-17. Find your local station and more at  day1.org   7. Bethel United Methodist Church will welcome the Winston-Salem State University Choirs to the 10 a.m. service on May 10. Dr. Michael Stinson is senior pastor at Bethel UMC, 1215 New Hope Road, Atlanta 30331.   8. The Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road, Atlanta 30305, welcomes Atlanta organist Clinton Miller as recitalist Sunday, May 10, at 3:15 p.m. A graduate of Western Kentucky University, Clint currently serves as Minister of Music at North Decatur Presbyterian Church in Decatur, Georgia. He will perform a varied program of works by Widor, Vierne, Dan Locklair, and William Mathias, among others. Come hear a talented local organist.   9. Georgia WAND’s 13th Annual Mother’s Day for Peace is Sunday. You're invited! Agnes Scott College, Gaines Auditorium, 4-6 p.m. This year's Faithful Servant Award Honoree is Senator Nan Grogan Orrock, This award is presented to a person who has devoted their spirit and shared their strength through long hours and hard work of service for the community to make the world a better place and a safer space for those that come after us. Ticket information.   10. We are hearing a lot this spring about mindfulness from religious speakers and organizations. The ancient practice of mindfulness meditation cultivates confidence and peace, making a difference in work and relationships…the difference that changes everything! Come, 12:15-1:15 p.m., Mondays in Midtown Atlanta at the Midtown Peachtree Library, 1351 Peachtree Street (across from the High Museum), and Wednesday in Downtown Atlanta at The Commons (First Congregational Church UCC), 125 Ellis Street (between Courtland and Piedmont). There is no charge; all dress is appropriate; meditation is done in chairs. Contact [e-mail]. Visit: www.atlanta.shambhala.org   11. The End New Jim Crow Action Group's next educational meeting will be May 13 at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta, 1911 Cliff Valley Way NE, Atlanta 30329, at 7 p.m. Pamela Winderweedle, founder of Chebar Ministries for Georgia women in prison, tells how her experience led her to create this ministry.  Kate Boccia is a one woman force whose tenacity and strength commands the attention of Department of Corrections officials, yet her mission statement is that she is simply a mom of an incarcerated young man for whom justice simply has not been served. Come and hear these women of courage and join us in efforts to end mass incarceration.   12. The Johnny Leathers, Jr. Memorial Golf Tournament is next weekend, Saturday, May 16. Hosted by the Johnny Foundation at Woodmont Golf and Country Club in Canton, GA. Tee Off at 9 a.m.; Format is 4 person scramble. Awards, Raffle and a silent auction. Download the Official Flyer HERE. Or for more information on The Johnny Foundation, visit the website HERE   13. Dialogue & Dreams, Sunday, May 17, 5 – 6:30 p.m., Istanbul Cultural Center, 591, N Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009. Twelve years ago, Marian Monahan and Cathy Crosby had a dream.  They met Rabbi Mitch Cohen who shared the same dream. The dream Neshama Interfaith Center expanded with Sue Chase joining the team as Executive Director. Bring your vision, your hopes, your experiences, and suggestions. Let them you would like to come by emailing Sue at [e-mail]. After the program, stay for contemplative prayer if you would like.  For more information contact Marian Monahan at [e-mail] or Kemal Korucu at [e-mail]   14. Interfaith Children’s Movement (ICM) invites you to a Community Relations Reception hosted by the Board of Directors on Thursday, May, 28 to celebrate 14 years of service in the Greater Atlanta area and to launch a new campaign to realize the vision of the ICM Child Advocacy Resource and Training Center. Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, 3180 Peachtree Road, Atlanta 30305, 6 – 8 p.m. CLICK HERE TO RSVP ONLINE .   15. UNCO is an unconference for church leaders, pastors, families, and seminarians. It is three days of worship and open space discussion on the church and its future. Join Pastors, Seminarians, Advocates and Do-gooders for UNCO 15 at Stony Point Center in New York, May 18-20. Scholarships available. See more here.   16. Community Day at the Summer Institute on Theology and Disability is designed with local Atlanta congregations in mind. Come for the day and leave with resources and ideas you can use in your congregation. Join the Bethesda Institute and the Center for Leadership in Disability for Community Day on Tuesday, May 26, 2015 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Because of generous sponsorship from the Robert and Susan Freeman Philanthropic Fund, Community Day registration is subsidized, offering a low-cost taste of the Summer Institute. More here.   17. Two Centering Prayer opportunities are coming up the end of May at St. Mary’s Sewanee More...   18. Lethal Luau - A Murder Mystery Dinner Theater with Lake Oconee Community Church, The Plaza Arts Center, Sunday, June 7, 5:30 p.m. Cocktails,  6:15 p.m. Dinner, 7:00 p.m. performance by The Usual Suspects. All proceeds to benefit the LOCC Youth Alliance. For information email [e-mail].   19. Mark your calendar for Schumann: Music, Mood Swings & Madness, Dorothy C. Fuqua Lecture Series, at Skyland Trail Tuesday, June 9, 7:00-9:00 p.m., a unique evening of classical performance and conversation with Julliard-trained concert pianist and psychiatrist Dr. Richard Kogan. Learn how mental illness affected the creative process of great composers. Admission is free. Registration required. Learn more at www.skylandtrail.org/DCFLecture   20. Wildgoose Festival is coming up, July 9-12, in Hot Springs, North Carolina for "Blessed are the Peacemakers."  From Ferguson to Pakistan our world has seen angst and strife. Come reaffirm our place in the world as people of peace. Seminarian, Student, and Family discounts available. For more information, visit www.wildgoosefestival.org    21. Volunteer Disaster Chaplaincy Training, August 4–5, The Beecken Center, the School of Theology at the University of the South, in partnership with the National Disaster Interfaiths Network (NDIN), invites clergy, spiritual caregivers, and religious leaders of all faiths to take a two-day disaster chaplain training. Participants who complete this certification can volunteer in their own diocese or faith community—or with NDIN and its national partners. NDIN can also assist unaffiliated volunteers in finding disaster spiritual care volunteer opportunities in local communities across the United States. This course may also be taken in conjunction with Engaging Faith Communities in Disasters on August 3, 2015, in the same location. Details.   Peace, Ethel Ware Carter The Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta, Inc. [e-mail] 404-201-6448