The Good News - This Week

Last Sunday as the angel Gabriel declared the joyful news to the Virgin Mary she broke into tears until a middle school youth came to comfort her. It was only stage fright and after that, she was okay. Instead of tending their flocks by night, a few of the shepherds apparently had their sheep under control so that they could turn their attention to the poinsettias. As the heavenly drama was unfolding, shepherds were dissecting the red leaves on the chancel steps. After a while, they lost interest. As the wise men approached Bethlehem down the center aisle, a few of the animals laughed right out loud. They must have looked funny wearing crowns and carrying treasure chests.

Last Sunday at 9:45am we staged the nativity scene in the sanctuary. Somehow, whether things went as scripted or not, all of it was right. Any who would inherit the kingdom, said Jesus, "must become as a little child." What's more, God took on human flesh as a vulnerable, beautiful, humble infant. Yes, much about the Children's Christmas Pageant is spot-on true! One mother and grandmother who are new at APC turned to me when the drama was over and said, "if you put that on U-Tube as a fundraiser, the church would be rich."

We are rich. We hold the mystery and treasure of the good news in our hearts!

As we draw close to the beauty of Christmas Eve services and the proclamation of Emmanuel which will sound again on Christmas Day, we draw close to salvation's treasure. There is a card one of you gave me on my study desk. "REJOICE" it says on the green, red and gold front cover. And on the inside this greeting, "have a blessed Christmas."

May it be so for you - joy and blessing this Christmas. Indeed, may it be so for the world. I look forward to celebrating with you soon. Glory be to God in highest heaven and on earth, peace and goodwill among all people.

Christmas Schedule

Our upcoming worship schedule is as follows:

Christmas Eve - 5:00 and 7:00pm Candlelight Services (childcare provided for ages 0-5; Promise Class - 5:00 only)

Christmas Eve - 11:00pm Candlelight Communion Service

Christmas Day - 11:00am service (nursery care provided for ages 0-2; no Promise Class)

New Year's Day - 11:00am service (nursery care provided for ages 0-2 and Promise Class)

There will only be one worship service (11:00am) and no Sunday School, Kinderkirk or breakfast on Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

The church office will be closed at noon on Friday, December 23 and all day on Monday, December 26 and Tuesday, December, 27. The office will close at noon on Friday, December 30 and all day on Monday, January 2, 2012.

Merry Christmas and God's blessings for 2012!

End of Year Contributions

In order for contributions to be included in your 2011 contribution statement, please have all gifts in the church office by noon on Friday, December 30.

Dayschool Registration

Come one, come all! January 18 and 19 is Dayschool registration. If you or someone you know has a child ages 2-5, we invite you to join our program. For details, please visit our web site www.alpharettapres.com/dayschool.

Sunday Flowers

The 2012 Flower Donation Chart is now up! APC members and friends are invited to donate flowers to beautify our sanctuary on Sunday mornings. The flowers may be placed in memory or honor of loved ones, or to mark a special occasion such as an anniversary, birthday or baptism. As many as three donors may participate on any given Sunday. The cost for each donor is $65 (note new price). Members of the diaconate take the flowers to homebound members after the service. The Flower Donation Chart is located outside the church office. Please complete a yellow form when you sign up and return it with your check to the church office.

2012 Annual Pledge

If you have not made a pledge for 2012, please take a moment to complete and return the two pledge cards which you will find in the pew racks. The cards may be placed in the offering plate or dropped off in the church finance office's mail slot in the lobby.

As you complete and turn in your pledge cards regarding your 2012 giving to APC, please be sure to pick up your gift from the church: A beautiful APC car magnet of our stained glass rose window. The magnets may be picked up from the table in the lobby.

See Dave Ramsey Live!

We have about 50 people taking the 13-week Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University and learning how to change their lives through good financial management strategies. If you wanted to take the class but were unable, you have an opportunity to attend a 5-hour seminar hosted by Dave Ramsey himself at Gwinnett Arena on Saturday, January 21.

This seminar will be a condensed version of the 13-week course and past attendees have said that it's life changing. APC members and friends can attend the class for a discounted rate of $25 (and no extra fees) using the coupon code "APC" when ordering online. Tickets are also available by contacting Ted Lynam, tedlynam3895@comcast.net. This event will sell out, and it will be two years before Dave is back in Atlanta, so get your seats early, and tell your friends about it, they can use the discount code, too!

Epiphany Event

Children's Ministry is organizing an International Event for Epiphany Sunday, January 8. This will be held at 9:45am in Fellowship Hall. All are welcome to attend. If you are interested in setting up a small display to share about the culture, customs or foods from a specific country, please contact Kathy Ailts at kathy@alpharettapres.com.

APC on Facebook

Find us on Facebook! That's right Alpharetta Presbyterian Church has a facebook page! You can "like" APC at http://facebook.com/alpharettapres. Look for the latest information about activities and missions of the church!

Adult Sunday School

Ancient Figures, Modern Faith - Ryan Bonfiglio's new lecture series, Sunday mornings in the theater at 9:45, January 15 - February 5.

For many Protestants today, ancient figures such as prophets, priests, kings, and sages are often seen as relics of the distant past, strange artifacts of the Old Testament that seem hardly relevant to modern faith. Yet, such characterizations tend to overlook the central role concepts related to prophets, priests, kings, and sages have played both in biblical theology and the Reformed tradition.

In fact, John Calvin famously described the work of Christ - and thus the vocation of the Church - in terms of the threefold office of prophet, priest, and king. This four-week study will attempt to uncover whom these ancient figures were and how they were understood in the ancient world in order to recover why they still can and should matter in the life and mission of the church today. All are welcome to join us for this series.

Career Transition

APC Career Transition Program - Recently the unemployment rate in Metro Atlanta dropped to 9.9 % from 10.2 %. While this is a move in the right direction, it is not the whole story. Since 2007, Georgia has lost 360,000 positions, so the state now has approximately the same number of jobs that existed in 1999. When individuals are no longer job hunting, as well as those who seek full-time jobs are counted, the real rate of unemployment is a conservative figure of 15%. Elder Bill Harris leads efforts at APC to address the employment concerns of our congregation and needs your help. We are trying to get a handle on the reality of how many of our members are unemployed and underemployed - whether or not you currently attend the Career Transition Group at APC, if you fit either category, please email Bill at w.m.harris@att.net.

In addition, the job market is tight and the impersonal internet has made it difficult to get recognized. If you work for or own a company, we would appreciate any information on positions that might represent opportunities that become available or contact names that would ensure a more effective outreach. We need our employed professionals to reach out and make information available that will give a competitive chance to members of our congregation who are struggling to get a sense of the real jobs versus automatic postings, and to get noticed! Please email Bill with any help you can offer as we renew our commitment to serve our members in this challenging and prolonged recession.

FW Plate FW Dinner Reservations

You can now make your Fun Wednesday Dinner reservations on-line. Go to www.alpharettapres.com/dinner and follow the directions to make your dinner reservations. Please make your reservations in advance as stated in the example on the website. If you are not making your reservations on-line, you may fill out the reservation cards on the table in the church lobby.

FUN WEDNESDAY WILL RETURN JANUARY 11, 2012!

Youth Ministry News

Youth group will not meet Sunday, December 25 or Sunday, January 1. See you on Sunday, January 8.

For questions or more information, please contact Kelly Edwards, Director of Youth Ministries at kelly@alpharettapres.com or 770-751-0033.

Children's Ministry News

A reminder to parents that there will be no Sunday School or Kinderkirk classes on December 25 and January 1. The Epiphany Sunday event will be in lieu of 9:45 Sunday School classes on Jan.uary 8.

January 22, 2012 from 2:00-4:00pm Children's Ministry is hosting a Winter Challenge event for fourth and fifth

Sunday School

Nursery care is provided on Sundays from 8:15am - 12:15pm for ages 0-2 in the nursery.

Children's Choirs practice is on Sundays at 9:30am; children will join the rest of their classes following this time.

Promise Class is provided on Sundays from 9:30 am - 12:30pm for our special needs students in the Rainbow Room.

Kinderkirk (Children's Worship Education for children ages 3 - First Grade) meets in Room 108 for the 8:30am service and Room 105 (Preschool) and Room 108 (Kindergarten & First) during the 11:00am service.

Fun Wednesdays' enrichment program for children meets from 6:15pm - 7:15pm following Fun Wednesday dinner. Activities include music, art, Bible stories, drama and games.

For more information, contact Kathy Ailts at kathy@alpharettapres.com.

for preschool and elementary age children is from 9:45 - 10:45am.

Sympathy & Celebrations

Sympathy - To Sam De Carlo, at the death of his grandfather, Jesus Rios, who died Thursday, December 15. Services were held in Newnan, GA.

Sympathy - To Claudia Lopez, at the death of her father on Thursday, December 15. Services will be held in Colombia.

Celebration - Congratulations to Ben Hyatt on his graduation from Independence High School on Wednesday, December 21.

Sunday Volunteers

Serving as acolytes this Sunday: Jack Shevlin and Haley Jones at 8:30 & Meaghan Bybee and Allyson Curl at 11:00

Serving as greeters this Sunday: Joyce Komala at 11:00

Serving as ushers this Sunday: Stu Laubenstein, Dale Carter, Drew Rhoades, Dot Van Dyke at 11:00

11:00 Kinderkirk volunteers this Sunday: No Kinderkirk this Sunday!

11:00 Promise Class volunteer this Sunday: No Promise Class this Sunday!

APC Church Officers

The Session

Class of 2011 Class of 2012 Class of 2013

Pat Chisolm-CE/Worship Dianne Berry-Children's Ministry George Bancroft-Property

Anne Dantzler-Worship/Dayschool Michelle Burton-Youth Ministry Jodie Barger-Children's Ministry

Mike Marcin-Personnel Morris Estes-Finance Patrick Dennis-Property/Youth

Nancy Lofdahl-Fellowship Jim Gray-Clerk of Session/CE Stacy Guy-Membership/Commitment

Ross Mynatt-Long Range Planning John Shevlin-Mission Nancy Hill-Commitment/Personnel

Elizabeth Shevlin-Children's Ministry Jessie Prigge-Youth Ministry

Kelly Vandever-Comm./Nominating Amy Rogers-Communications

Sue White-Mission Jean Williams-Membership/Nominating

Deacon Care Teams

Hospitality - Scott Doll, 678-984-3389, scottd@ymcaatlanta.org

Companion Care - Wendy Cory, 770-663-4141, coryswa@yahoo.com

Hospital & Recovery - Tyler Jones, 404-625-5324, tyler@mac.com

Sympathy & Celebrations, Ken Bogle, 770-355-5360, lyons26@aol.com

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 (Mon-Thurs, 8:00am-4:00pm and Friday, 8:00am-1:00pm).