Church Action eNewsletter Week of November 14, 2011

[RCCAtl]

God calls us to some things we cannot do alone. Regional Council of Churches of Atlanta \

One more week to take the survey pertaining to the Atlanta Center for Congregations study. We need to hear from everyone. Every opinion is important. If you have not taken this very short survey, please give us your input at http://www.wellsyscorp.com/congregationsurvey/

Visit our website for a beautiful slide show of Regional Council of Churches member churches. www.rccatl.org

If you believe as we do that together we can make a greater difference for our neighbors and for God’s whole creation, join us -- Contact Johnnetta Morris, Membership coordinator, if you would like us to send you an application or have questions. [e-mail]

1. Monthly Meeting of Coalition for Homeless People With A Mental Illness is today, Wednesday, November 16, 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., First Presbyterian Church, 16th Street at Peachtree Street, Room 156. Discussion will center around the future of the Peachtree-Pine Shelter.

2. It’s time for the annual Friends and Family open House at the Cathedral Book Store, today, Wednesday, November 16, 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. This one day only, 20% off all items in stock except church supplies. This includes all books, gift items, jewelry, cards, CDs and Christmas items. The Cathedral Book Store is located at the Cathedral of St. Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road, Atlanta 30305. Contact number is 404-237-7582. 3. The Turkish American Islamic Institute invites the community to an interfaith Thanksgiving program, Stories of Thankfulness, on Saturday, November 19, at 6:00 p.m. at the Turkish Cultural Center, 223 Roswell St. Suite 100,Alpharetta 30009. Contact [e-mail] or 404-427-1473 with questions or comments.

4. The National Association of Real Estate Brokers will host the State of Housing in Black America Issues Forum at the King International Chapel at Morehouse College, Saturday, November 19, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Forum will cover a wide range of topics including foreclosure mitigation, neighborhood blight, and disaster recovery. The event is free and open to the public. The opening speaker is Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr., a nationally-recognized pastor, speaker, and civic leader with strong ties to Atlanta.

5. Bluegrass Sunday at Church of the Redeemer, November 20, 5185 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, Sandy Springs 30342. Get the details at www.redeemeratlanta.org or 678-298-1150.

6. Unity North Atlanta is hosting the Tibetan Buddhist Monks Nov 27-Dec 4. They will create the Medicine Buddha Mandala Sand Painting for world healing. You read about the interfaith meditation service coming up on November 30 in last week’s eNewsletter. On December 3, the famed multiphonic singers of Tibet’s Drepung Loseling Monastery, whose sellout performances in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center received national acclaim, will perform Sacred Music Sacred Dance for World Healing, ancient temple dances and music. We are fortunate to again have the mystical, colorful, peaceful monks at Unity. Unitynorth.org http://www.unitynorth.org/?p=9595

7. Faiths Act at MedShare is hosting the first Sweet Talk of the year on November 28, 11:15 to noon. Join the MedShare community to learn about the importance of biomedical servicing technology to save lives in developing countries. Eben Armstrong, an award winning biomedical engineer at MedShare, will discuss his international experiences in South America and Africa. He has trained hundreds of biomedical technicians to build the capacity of hospitals to serve impoverished communities. Additionally, faith communities are invited to learn about the Faiths Act Campaign for Sierra Leone at MedShare this year. Please R.s.v.p. to [e-mail] by 11/25/11. Sweet Talk will be held in the volunteer sorting room at MedShare, 3240 Clifton Springs Road, Decatur, 30034. 770-323-5858.

8. DeKalb County Board of Health's Ryan White Early Care Clinic and their community partners celebrate World AIDS Day with a program featuring noted speakers and a performance by AfriSalsa, December 1 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Free HIV Testing will take place at DeKalb Addiction Clinic, 455 Winn Way, from 9 a.m. till 4 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome.

9. A Service of Healing and Hope featuring Voices of Atlanta will be held at Rock Spring Presbyterian Church on World AIDS Day, Thursday, December 1, at 7 p.m. Rock Spring Church is locate at 1824 Piedmont Ave, Atlanta 30324. The entire community is invited.

10. The Museum of Design Atlanta has special programming for World AIDS Day, December 1. Running now until the end of the year, exhibits include Graphic Intervention: 25 Years of International AIDS Posters and selected panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. In commemoration of the day, MODA will be open for 24 hours straight, from midnight on November 30 to midnight on December 1. Regular museum admission will be charged with a portion of the proceeds going to AID Atlanta and the NAMES Project. Commemoration will include poetry readings, a lecture about the quilt, dance and musical performances, and much more. Visit MODA http://www.museumofdesign.org/category/calendar/

11. Greater than Aids is a national movement responding to the AIDS crisis in the U.S. You can order free World AIDS Day materials this week from their website. http://images.kff.org/entpartnerships/WAD11/GTA_WAD11.html

12. Prominent theology professor and award-winning author E. Brooks Holifield will speak at Meridian Herald’s eighteenth annual Southern Folk Advent® Service on Saturday, December 3, 4:00 p.m., at Old Church on the Oxford College campus in Oxford, Georgia. Admission is free. The service will present folk, Gospel, and bluegrass music by The Meridian Chorale, the Sonny Houston Band, and director and composer Dr. Steven Darsey. Congregational singing of folk hymns is an integral part of the Advent service, an honored holiday tradition for many since its inaugural service in 1997. Visit our websitefor information on the church, Meridian Herald, and the service.

13. The Light of Hope Church of Inclusion honors caregivers with an inclusive worship service each month. On December 4 there will be free healthy food for all diets, musical entertainers, dance, motivational speakers, awards, prizes, and more. Rev. Shon L. Freeman, Sr. would like to invite everyone to this special event being held in memory of the late MaMa N’Jere Alghanee for her many years of caring and giving for those differently abled. Event is Sunday, December 4, from 3 to 5:30 p.m. , KES, Building, 6615 Tribble Street, Lithonia 30058, Call 678-358-1180 or email [e-mail] if you need info.

14. The Third Annual “Taste of Faith” celebration for the Atlanta InterFaith Leaders Fellowship is scheduled for Sunday, December 4. Come and bring family and friends. This year at a new location, First Christian Church of Atlanta, 4532 LaVista Road, Tucker 30084. Tasting of foods from multiple religious and ethnic traditions will begin at 3 p.m. and continue until 5 p.m. Ben Johnson will bring greetings and brief comments midway through the event. No charge or pre-registration for this event. Saeed Raees, chairperson for this year’s Taste of Faith, invites all who are willing to help assure a broad representation of foods from our diverse traditions. If you can make a contribution in this way, please contact Saeed as soon as possible at [e-mail]. The focus of the celebration is conversation and fellowship to build new bridges.

15. Decatur United Church of Christ, 109 Hibernia Ave, Decatur 30030, has announced a new time for its Taize` Service, first Sunday, 6:00 p.m., in the sanctuary. December 4 is the upcoming service. Their telephone number is 404-373-2933.

16. Atlanta Community Ministries invites you to participate in an Advent Sabbath Rest Silent Retreat Four Hours of Rest with God Monday, December 5, noon to 4 p.m. at Ignatius House, 6700 Riverside Drive on the beautiful Chattahoochee River. Register at http://sabbath-rest.com or to [e-mail]. Fee is $22.00 and includes a meal and materials. Questions or scholarship needed? Call Becky Shoaf, Team Leader at 404-358-7760. www.atlantacommunityministries.org

17. Georgia artist Malaika Favorite will re-introduce her “Studies in Black History, 1999” as part of History and Culture Day at the Harriett G. Darnell Senior Multipurpose Facility, 677 Fairburn Road, N.W. Atlanta. The collection reflects the life stories of people and places in the surrounding community. This is a part of a week-long celebration of the 12th Anniversary of the facility opening on Monday, December 5, with the Darnell Facility Chorus in concert. On Tuesday, Ms. Favorite will conduct a collage workshop. The facility has 3,000 registered participants and provides a variety of social, educational, and physical services to over 250 Fulton County residents each day. For information, contact the center at 404-699-8580

18. More opportunities to take the Mental Health First Aid Training. Learn how to help someone who is developing a problem or experiencing a crisis. Training costs are $155 per person ($125 for students). Each participant receives certification in Mental Health First Aid (valid for 3 years), a manual, and other resources, and lunch each day. Winter two-day courses will be held on Dec. 6 and 8, and Jan. 10 and 12, and Feb. 9 and 10 at Kirkwood United Church of Christ. For more information or to register for a course, go to www.hoperesourcesonline.com or contact Kathryn Bryan at [e-mail] or 404-919-5179.

19. Mark your calendar for A Night in Bethlehem once again at Embry Hills UMC. The town and its craftspeople will be resurrected Saturday, December 10 from 5:00 - 8:00 pm. This special family event is free and open to the community. Come to the village of Bethlehem and experience the sights, smells, sounds and activities of what it may have been like 2000 years ago...when a baby was born. Embry Hills United Methodist Church, 3304 Henderson Mill Road, Chamblee. Telephone number is 770-938-0661

20. Remember the Cobb Faith Partnership Holiday Celebration and General Meeting on December 14, networking, special meal, exchange table, at Turner Chapel AME Church at 11:30 a.m. For more information, contact at [e-mail], visit www.cobbfaithpartnership.org, or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cobbfaithpartnership.

21. Our friends at the National Domestic Worker Alliance are organizing an unusual campaign. If you have felt concern about how our decisions on immigration are impacting families you will want to read about this initiative to ask children and youth to write letters about why families should be able to stay together. http://www.webelongtogether.org/wish

22. Toiletries, especially deodorant and toothpaste, are in short supply at the Clothes Closet at Holy Comforter's Friendship Center. To help, contact Matthew at 404-627-6510 or [e-mail]. Holy Comforter, an RCCA member, is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta among people who are marginalized by mental illness and poverty. Visit Holy Comforter's Facebook page here.