Church Action eNewsletter Week of May 9, 2022

[RCCAtl]

God calls us to some things we cannot do alone

1. The Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders community wants our faith communities to know about this important bipartisan legislation. They seek prayers and endorsements in Georgia. To read a list of endorsers and find out more about the bill visit FASD seeks prayers and endorsements for bipartisan bill - Regional ...In the U.S. House and Senate, the FASD Respect Act, H.R. 4151 and S.2238, will support those impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. One in twenty elementary school children are impacted by an FASD and the risk is even higher for those in the underserved communities. The NIH reports that the life expectancy for those impacted by FASD to be 31 to 37 years. To sign the "Letter of Support" for The FASD Respect Act and for more information on H.R. 4151 and S.2238, including the list of endorsements, see https://nofaspolicycenter.org/organizations/.

 

2. Interfaith Atlanta Midday Respite Contemplation. 12 noon, May 11. This week's guest speaker is Gareth Young. Passcode: 060135 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81625152726?pwd=aFJQeWo2M1NtWExocDZYZXNJc....
   If you are interested in being a Wednesday guest presenter, please complete the request form.

          3.“ Vax to the Max: Lessons learned and opportunities found for increasing global vaccine equity.” Join            the Task Force for Global Health, Women in Global Health, and the World Affairs Council of Atlanta as              they explore shortcomings and opportunities for vaccine equity.  Free & open to all, Wednesday, May              11, 12-1 p.m. Please for this virtual program. Register here.

4. The Atlanta Jung Society presents "Sam Kimbles, Ph.D. — Working with the Unseen that Exists in Plain Sight" on Saturday May 14, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Zoom Lecture. 2 CEUs available. During these times of social and political upheavals, the cultural unconscious is bursting through with expressions and enactments of chronic historic racial injustices, political polarizations, the global pandemic, global warming, social media, and a multitude of other national and international political and cultural problems. Dr Kimbles calls these Cultural Complexes. These processes carry the phantom narratives of our collective legacies, ghosts, histories, and their intergenerational traumas. This event will be recorded and registrants will receive a link to the recording. Register here: https://jungatlanta.com
5. “No Menthol Sunday” is on May 15. The Center for Black Health & Equity is proud to present this year’s toolkit, “Bold Awareness: A Fight to the Finish.” The Center’s No Menthol Sundayis an annual opportunity to engage faith communitiesin tough conversations about how menthol and tobacco addiction have robbed us of community health for generations.

6. The Rev. Dr. Kristin Adkins Whitesides, pastor of First Baptist Church in Winchester, Va., is the preacher May 15 on “Day 1.” Her sermon focuses on Acts 11:1-18, the account of Peter’s strange vision of a sheet full of animals being lowered to him from heaven. “It can be confusing, of course, if we are only looking at the Bible to find the rules,” she says. “But if we are looking at the Bible to find God, then those very moments of confusion and conflict can become for us windows of grace.” For more information, check Day1.org.  Hear Day1 in the Atlanta area on WSB 95.5 and 750 AM Sundays at 7:05 a.m.

7. Kenneth Miller, assistant professor of church music at the School of Theology of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., leading the busiest Episcopal seminary music program in the nation, will perform at the Cathedral of St. Philip, Sunday, May 15, at 3:15 p.m. in person and livestreamed. The program includes Handel, Schumann, and Mendelssohn. Following the recital, the Cathedral offers a service of Choral Evensong at 4:00, sung this week by the Cathedral Schola.
8. The Asian-American Christian Network of Atlanta presents “Telling Asian-American Stories” for AAPI History Month, Sunday, May 15, at 4 p.m. at Korean Central Presbyterian Church, 4201 N Peachtree Rd, Atlanta, 30341. Rev. Dr. William Yoo, a church history professor at Columbia Theological Seminary, will encourage listeners with courageous testimonies of faith from Asian American Christians in the past and invite all to reflect on what it means to tell our Asian American stories in the present as we work toward a more faithful and hopeful future. This gathering will be followed by food and fellowship. Childcare will be available for children who are potty-trained up to those in 5th grade. Please fill out the childcare portion of the Google Form ASAP!  Please invite your non-Asian friends and allies. We would love to see more community representation! R.s.v.p. here.
9. Reminder: People of all faiths, all communities and all backgrounds are affected by Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Join the Dementia Ministry at Due West United Methodist Church to explore how we can help meet the needs of suffering people. Tuesday, May 17, 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Although this event is intended for leaders interested in serving families living with dementia, care partners and families are welcome. Questions? Email [e-mail]. Learn More. Register Here
10. Statistics reveal a youth mental health crisis. This year’s Skyland Trail Dorothy C. Fuqua Lecture is “Addressing the Teen Mental Health Crisis.” Registration is free and open to the public. Tuesday, May 17, 7-9 p.m., McElreath Hall at the Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Rd NW, Atlanta 30305. Register to attend here.
11. Compassionate Atlanta presents Atlanta CompassionCon 2022, May 20-22, a three-day, multi-city event in Georgia. This interactive festival-like conference will uplift the positive impact compassion has on our social and community contexts of health. It will develop awareness, education, and action around compassion for self, others, and the Earth and will include music and art, wellness activities, food trucks, mobile heath care units with blood pressure testing, HIV testing, blood drive, Covid vaccines, and distribution of diapers and hygiene products. For more information and registration https://compassioncon.org/#top

 

12. Wednesday, May 25, from 2-3:30, Mountain Top Learning will interview Brian McLaren and discuss his newest book, “Do I stay Christian: A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned” on the day following the book’s publication. A small group of panelist who have read the book will ask a few questions, after which questions from the audience will be entertained. If you have ever considered giving up on organized religion you will not want to miss this interview. If you would like to join this free program, click the following link to register. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/. All the MTL lectures, since 2016, are available on the Mountain Top Learning YouTube Channel.  Click the following link to access the channel.
    www.youtube.com.

 

13. Restorative Justice in the Criminal Legal System via Zoom on Thursday, May 26, at 12:30 p.m., will look at the affinities between Catholic social doctrine and restorative justice, as well as the very real impact restorative approaches can have in our criminal legal system. Please click here to register. This presentation is co-hosted by Georgia Catholics Against the Death Penalty and Justice and Peace Ministries of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

 

14. Another Kind of Christian: Seeking a new way to believe and belong, Thursdays in June, 7-8:30 p.m., via Zoom. If you are disillusioned, broken-hearted or angry with the church or Christianity you’ve witnessed. . . If you have felt the grief and confusion of leaving behind old belief systems and communities of faith . . . If you still long for an authentic way to believe in God and belong in spiritual community, you are invited to Another Kind of Christian. Through sharing stories and struggles, reading and discussing Richard Rohr’s book The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope for, and Believe, and communal practices of contemplative prayer, seek what it means to be another kind of Christian.  Investment: $125 (Buy the book in advance.) Space is limited; sign up by May 27  Questions? Email Kimberly

 

15. Ignatius House Jesuit Retreat Center offers a one-night retreat for Black women “In Search of...” May 28-May 29. Lauren Morton directs this one-night retreat that explores the unexpected ways our encounters with God cause us to grow. Learn More
16. 
    You are cordially invited to the Houses of Worship Security Briefing hosted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of GA and ADL (Anti-defamation League), Southeast Region.  The briefing will be free to faith leaders and those involved with security at houses of worship, held on June 23, 2022 from 1:00 to 4:00 PM at The Carter Center. Please see the attached invitation flyer for registration details. Please register to attend by June 1, 2022.

 

17. Intern at Grace House, the Lutheran-Episcopal Campus Ministry at Georgia Tech. This young adult discernment and service opportunity is August-June, free housing. Read more at Passion Collective - Welcoming New Applicants!

 

18. Remember that applications are now being accepted for SUMMA Theological Debate Camp 2022, July 19–27, on the campus of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. Read more about this opportunity for high school students at SUMMA Theological Debate Summer Camp.

19. Looking for opportunities to volunteer as a family tis summer? Starting June 1, the Atlanta Community Food Bank will welcome volunteers 12 and older. Bring your family to volunteer with at the Hunger Action Center or at the Community Food Center in Stone Mountain. Register by visiting http://www.acfb.volunteerhub.com/ or sign up to bring a group here.

 

20. "To Make the Voice Heard" is ongoing through July 30. Listen to selections from to Pitts Theology Library’s Howard Thurman audio collection while viewing archival items from the Bailey and Thurman Family Papers. Free. Open during library hours. Visitors from outside Emory may make a reservation at pitts.emory.edu/reservations.

 

21. The Community Children’s Choir at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Roswell is taking registrations for a 5-week summer session that will end with a concert and pizza party on July 31. With games, songs, and movement, the children will “find their voice” to sing songs from different cultures, languages, and musical time periods. Two rehearsals will be offered each week with the children expected to attend ONE of these offerings each week - both if they wish. Register Here! Contact Susie Clements for more details.