Praise be to God for the extraordinary offering of Jesus who rode into the holy city on Palm Sunday "to give his life as a ransom for many." Out of great love and for the sins of the world, Jesus gave the greatest of all offerings - his very life in devotion and service to God. "Greater love has no one than this, than that he lay down his life for another" he said and demonstrated.

Every Sunday morning we collect an "offering" given by the people of God to financially support the work of God in and through the church. No matter how much we give, it pales in comparison to the fullness of Christ's gift who "emptied himself to make us full." Ours is not the first offering, but a response to God's. "Before we loved God, God first loved us."

As you discover the depth and breadth of God's love for you, respond! Offer yourself to God in a fresh and deeper way this week! Sunday is Palm Sunday and we will gather in the sanctuary with palms in our hands to herald the coming of God's Messiah into the holy city. Throughout the week you will be receiving electronic devotionals from APC to aid in your spiritual journey until we gather again on Maundy Thursday for a Service of Holy Communion, Good Friday for a Service of Lights, Saturday morning to share in doing mission work and Sunday morning to celebrate the Resurrection of the Lord. Easter sunrise with communion will be held in the outdoor chapel at 6:45am. Easter worship services will be held in a flower-adorned sanctuary at 8:30 and 11:00am.

Rejoice in God's salvation and come to offer your heart, soul, mind and strength in worship, fellowship, service and witness. Glory be to God!

Holy Week Services

Palm Sunday 8:30 and 11:00 AM Sanctuary

Maundy Thursday 7:30 PM Sanctuary

Good Friday 7:30 PM Sanctuary

Easter Sunrise 6:45 AM Outdoor Chapel

Easter Services 8:30 and 11:00 AM Sanctuary

One Great Hour of Sharing

One Great Hour of Sharing Offering This Sunday - As we near Holy Week, we begin to focus more on the life and lessons of Jesus, His miracles and sacrifices. Jesus gave hope to the poor and downtrodden; and it is our responsibility as Christians to continue His work in the world. On Sunday we will take up the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering. This unique offering is taken up by Christian churches of all denominations around the world; and the donations are used to support ministries that help people in need start new lives and work together to strengthen their families and communities. For more information about this offering, visit http://www.pcusa.org/oghs/. Please plan to join the millions of Christians who will make a difference in so many lives this Sunday. Children should plan to bring their coin banks to offer during the Children's Moment.

Office Angels

Calling All Office Angels! Volunteers are needed to help collate Easter bulletins on Good Friday, April 22 at 10:00am in Fellowship Hall. Please contact Carol in the church office if you are able to help.

Property Work Day

We will be working on the grounds from around 8:00am until...All are welcome to come help in any way they can. We will be working to make the church grounds beautiful for Easter. For questions, contact Chuck Watson in the church office, chuck@alpharettapres.com.

Debt Reduction Campaign

Debt Reduction Campaign Update

Last Sunday in worship, on behalf of our Campaign Follow-Up Team, Kelly Vandever and Tyler Jones
updated the congregation on where we are with our three-year "Dreams and Visions" debt reduction campaign. If you missed it, or if you want to hear again what they shared, here are some highlights:

+ Our current balance in our "Dreams and Visions" account is $200,000.

+ Our current mortgage balance is $1.27 million.

+ Our current annual mortgage payments total $106,000.

+ In June we will re-amortize the loan and pay-down as much as we have available in our Dreams and Visions account.

+ If we reach $250,000 in our Dreams and Visions account by the end of June our annual mortgage payments will be reduced by almost $20,000. This will allow us to accomplish more in ministry!

+ If we exceed $250,000, our annual mortgage expense will be reduced even more so that ministry can be expanded!

Therefore,

+ Thank you for your generous giving to this important effort!

+ If you are able to pay your debt reduction pledges before the June re-amortization, this will be a great help to APC ministries.

+ If you are new to the church or have not yet made a gift to our Dreams and Visions debt reduction campaign....it isn't too late! Contact our finance administrator, Susan Schiltz, susan@alpharettapres.com.

+ Please continue to pray for the success of this campaign!

Ladies Spring Gathering

Presbyterian Women cordially invite all women of APC to a Spring Gathering Thursday, May 5, 2011 6:30-9:00 pm in APC's Fellowship Hall

What do you carry each day? Do you put the "Fun" in Functional or Funky? Do you put the "Sass" in Sassy? Do you carry the bare essentials or do you carry everything but the kitchen sink? Whether vintage, fun, name brand or homemade, stuffed or sparse, our "Purse" is a window to our soul...

Please join us for a delicious dinner and an inspirational message for May's Ladies Night Out. Let's share the many ways we carry ourselves, our joys, our burdens, and our responsibilities!

Bring along the purse that best portrays you, the true you, your soul, the inner you! Maybe you have a favorite vintage bag or maybe you have a trendy stylish tote. Large or small, simple or ornate - please carry your favorite purse. Make sure it represents you! Come on Ladies, let your "SOUL" shine!

We can't wait to see you there! We will have prizes for special purses. Have fun!!

Tickets for dinner and dessert are $10.

Please contact Presbyterian Women Circle Leaders to purchase a ticket or call Robyn Guy at 770-331-1924.

Open Arms Award

Open Arms Ministry Receives Award - APC's Open Arms Ministry has just received the James Goodpasture Award for Ministry with Special Populations. This award is presented by Union Seminary and is given to a congregation that has taken steps to reach out and minister to people with disabilities and other special needs. The award comes with a $1000 grant to be used in furthering the ministry.

Open Arms would especially like to thank our Promise Class volunteers, our committee members and the pastors, Session, and congregation for embracing and supporting this ministry.

Session Meeting

Session Meeting Summary -- March 24, 2011

Here are some items of interest from the March 24 Session meeting:

· The Session approved $500 to conduct a congregational assessment survey by the Holy Cow Consulting firm. The survey should be completed in the next 60-90 days. It will provide fresh data on our membership, its interests, its strengths and possible areas where we can enhance our mission to our members and our community.

· The 2011 Mission Spring Day of Service was approved for Saturday, April 23, the day before Easter. Members will be volunteering with several mission partners and will help with spring cleanup projects at the church or help in preparing items to distribute to our many mission outreaches locally and abroad.

· Dates were confirmed for the pastor emeritus and pastor emerita celebrations for the Rev. Walter Jones and the Rev. Helen Skillern. The celebration and reception for Rev. Skillern will be on Sunday, June 5, 2011. The celebration and reception for Rev. Jones will be on Sunday, Oct. 30.

· The Session approved $15,600 to be spent for roof repair, repair/replacement of soffits, facia and gutters as needed and for the restriping of the parking lot. That work has begun and should be completed soon, weather permitting.

· More than twenty-eight seniors from high school, college and post-graduate programs will be recognized on Senior Recognition Sunday, May 15, 2011.

· The follow-up committee to the "Dreams and Visions" debt-reduction campaign will soon begin publicizing the effort to pre-fund 2011 commitments. Gifts received before the June annual re-amortization deadline will allow us to maximize this benefit.

· The quarterly Greater Atlanta Presbytery meeting will be held on Thursday, May 5, from 9:00 AM to 12:45 PM at the Radcliffe Presbyterian Church. Commissioners attending from APC will be Jody Barger, Dianne Berry, Anne Dantzler and Sue White.

Photography Exhibit

Liturgical Art invites everyone to submit a photograph for our second photography exhibit. The theme this year is Snapshots of Grace, and the show will run concurrently with the summer sermon series, Grace upon Grace, through the month of July. Your photograph can be color or black & white, film or digital. We ask that it measures 8" X 10" and be your own original work. Questions? Contact Molly Elkind mpelkind@comcast.net or Sheryl Wentworth sherylwentworth@comcast.net

Day of Service

APC Mission Day of Service Saturday, April 23 at 9:00 AM

Holy Week will be especially meaningful at APC this year as we emphasize our commitment to mission. On Saturday, April 23, you have an opportunity to give, not with your checkbook; but with your willing spirit, your serving hands and your grateful heart.

Our day will begin at 9:00am at APC with coffee and doughnuts and a Prayer for the Sending. Afterwards, volunteer teams will participate in various projects to benefit many of our APC mission efforts.

The Mission Committee has been hard at work planning projects for all ages. Please visit our information table in the lobby this Sunday to volunteer or donate supplies. We hope you will choose to serve on this very special day for our church.

Save the Dates

Save the dates of Sunday, June 5 and Sunday, October 30 on your calendar. On June 5 Alpharetta Presbyterian Church will be celebrating with Helen Skillern her Pastor Emerita Award, and October 30 we will be celebrating with Walter Jones his Pastor Emeritus Award.

Open Arms

Open Arms at the Church Picnic - The Open Arms Committee is offering help for families with special needs at the May 22 church picnic. A pre-set table will be available with extra helping hands for anyone who needs help. To reserve your places, please, call the church office.

FW Plate

Fun Wednesday Schedule

APC Fun Wednesdays Winter/Spring, 2011

5:30 - 6:15pm Dinner 6:15 - 7:15pm Adult Program

April 20 Easter Egg Hunt & Party

April 27 Summer Travels Report Ollie Wagner

May 4 Final Fun Wednesday Concert Joel Lillethun

Career Transition

APC Career Transition Program - With Metro Atlanta's unemployment rate still hovering around 10%, many members and friends of APC find themselves unemployed or underemployed. When those who have given up are no longer job hunting, as well as those who want full-time jobs, but still work part-time, the real total unemployment rate leaps to 16.7%.

If your organization is seeking candidates to recruit, please contact Elder Bill Harris at w.m.harris@att.net. It's possible that some of our own members could be a good fit for your opportunity. Thank you for keeping our Career Transitions Ministry and the lives it touches in your prayers. For more information, or how to be involved with this ministry, please contact Bill Harris.

Youth Ministry News

Here are some of the amazing events for the youth this month.

Please remember it is very important to RSVP to the events that are off site. This will help the youth advisors in planning each event. Thank you

Youth Group meets this Sunday, April 17. Our $4 dinner and activities begin at 5:30pm in Fellowship Hall. We hope to see you there!

Puerto Rico Mission Trip: There will be a meeting THIS SUNDAY at 4:30pm in Rooms 206/207 for all the youth going to Puerto Rico in June. We will give out a lot of important information and forms that need to be signed and returned by May 15. There will be a separate meeting for parents on May 15. Please make every effort to attend.

Please invite a friend to APC!

If you have any questions, concerning Youth Ministry at APC please contact Kelly Edwards at Kelly@alpharettapres.com or 770-751-0033

Children's Ministry News

Parents: Looking ahead to spring and summer already?

NEW Faith 'N Sports Camp is set for June 1- 3. This new camp is for APC children that are rising Kindergarteners through rising 3^rd graders. APC Adults and Youth will lead the camp Wednesday - Friday from 9am -12 noon. Many different sports will be enjoyed as they focus on faith, exercise, and being good sports. Registration now open for church members.

Faith 'N Art Camp for APC's rising 4th - 6th graders will be June 13-17. Registration has begun for church members.

Vacation Bible School is July 11-14. For church members registration is now in progress and for friends/community registration starts April 15 and runs through May 15.

Sympathy & Celebrations

Sunday Volunteers

Serving as acolytes this Sunday: Elena M. and Chip N. at 8:30 & Isabelle M. and Bobby V. at 11:00

Serving as greeters this Sunday: Sally and Anna Caudle at 11:00

Serving as ushers this Sunday: Kim and Valerie Fulkerson, Sybille Johnstone and Alan Crowell at 8:30 & Ed and Pat Rea, Jeff Stewart and Ralph Pollifrone at 11:00

11:00 Kinderkirk volunteers this Sunday: Erika de Greef & Shannon Pickerel

11:00 Promise Class volunteers this Sunday: Mary Culp

The Good News - This Week

Alpharetta Presbyterian Church.
You can visit the church on line at www.alpharettapres.com or contact the office during regular business hours at 770-751-0033.

APC Mission ﻿Day of Service Saturday, April 23 at 9:00 AM

APC Mission Day of Service Saturday, April 23 at 9:00 AM