May 4, 2012

Don't Miss the Summer Adult CE Series! Molly Elkind will offer a five-week series of slide talks called Seek His Face: Images of Jesus in Art beginning Sunday, June 3 at 9:45am in the theater. Come see the wide variety of ways artists and believers have pictured Jesus over the centuries, beginning with the Roman catacombs and going right up through modern times. Some of the questions we'll consider are: How has art reflected both Christian truth and the culture of its time and place? How can these images of Christ inform and deepen our faith-not just illustrate it?  Can we as reformed Christians reclaim Christian visual art as meaningful for us today?  

Dreams & Visions:  Making It Real

We're in the Home Stretch!  May 2012 will mark the end of the successful Dreams and Visions Capital Campaign for APC, and members are urged to carry out their pledges in full during these final weeks.  Doing so will bring APC to its strongest possible financial footing, giving us all even more reason to rejoice in the end of the campaign.  Join us on May 6, in Fellowship Hall for a celebratory reception.

If you are new to the church or have not yet made a "Dreams and Visions" gift to help us reduce our $2 million of building debt, we invite you to prayerfully consider joining us in this effort. To make a gift above and beyond your normal operating pledge, please contact Susan Schiltz in the APC Finance office (susan@alpharettapres.com or 770-751-0033).

As APC begins its search for a new Director of Children's Ministry we ask for your prayers. This is a very important position in the life of the church and our young families. Search Committee members are: Richard Boston (chair), Jodie Barger, Nancy Hill, Jerri Temple and Cindy Laubenstein. Kathy Ailts' last day will be May 13.  A job description and position posting have been placed on the APC website. The committee can be contacted by email at: DCMSearch@alpharettapres.com.

The Calvin Center is our Presbyterian Summer Camp located on 500 beautiful acres near Hampton, GA. They are currently accepting registrations for summer camp. You can learn more at www.calvincenter.org. The camp features horseback riding, swimming, lake activities, hikes, campfires, beautiful lodges, a large dining hall, lots of singing, games and fun.

APC has a strong relationship with the camp and will have two of our college students on the summer camp staff.  Camping ministries change lives and grow faith!  Why not check out this week how your son or daughter could participate and benefit from a week at camp?

Sports-N-Faith Camp (June 6-8, 9:00am-noon) Signup sheets will be posted outside the Disciples' Village Sunday School gathering place; the Solid Rock Theater. This camp is open to rising Kindergarteners through 3^rd graders, whose families are members of (or regularly attend) APC.  We are looking forward to a few fun-filled days of activity!  We also welcome additional youth and adult volunteers to join us. We hope everyone interested will sign up ASAP!  Please contact Kathy Ailts at kathy@alpharettapres.com for more info.

Mission opportunity! The Drake House is hoping to assemble a library of books, movies, DVDs and other resources that can help bridge the gap and bless the lives of youth while they live at the Drake House.  

Please scan the shelves in your own home libraries and donate used (or new) reading and other materials that are appropriate for teenage boys and girls. This includes not only teen literature, but classic literature, self-help books and faith-based literature. We welcome books, dictionaries and encyclopedias, as well as DVDs of great movies and documentaries. Your support can make a meaningful difference in a young person's life.

APC member and a junior at Johns Creek High School, Brandon Motter, has set up a collection box in the lobby. Or you can contact him by email: DrakeLibrary@jbmotter.com or by phone: 770-619-2998

APC Career Transition Program - Recently the unemployment rate in Metro Atlanta dropped from 10.2% to 9.9 %. 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%. Since 2007, Georgia has lost 360,000 positions, so the state now has approximately the same number of jobs that existed in 1999. Elder Bill Harris leads efforts at APC to address the employment concerns and needs your help.  We are trying to get a handle on how many of our members are unemployed and underemployed and whether or not they participate in the Career Transition Group at APC. If you would like employment assistance, please email Bill at w.m.harris@att.net.

If you work for or lead an organization, 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 and executives to reach out and make information available that will give a competitive edge to members of our congregation who are endeavoring to gain a sense of the real jobs and hidden market versus Internet postings. In the Lobby, the Career Transition Bulletin Board is now up and running. Please email Bill with any assistance you can offer as we renew our commitment to serve our members, veterans and the community in this challenging and prolonged Recession.

Fun Wednesday  

We hope to see you at  our LAST Fun Wednesday Dinner for this program year. Please sign in when you pay for your meal.
 Dinner for May 9:  Old-fashioned cookout - hamburgers, hot dogs, assorted salads and dessert

Program:  Music and fun for all ages at 6:15pm in Fellowship Hall.

The Session

Class of 2012                                     Class of 2013                                        Class of 2014

Dianne Berry-Children's Ministry            George Bancroft-Property                 Scott Doll-Membership/Youth Ministry

Michelle Burton-Youth Ministry              Jodie Barger-Children's Ministry        Molly Elkind-Worship

Morris Estes-Finance                             Lynn Danson-Fellowship/Mission      Stu Laubenstein-Personnel

Jim Gray-Clerk of Session/CE                Pat Dennis-Open Arms                      Anne Mahone-Dayschool/LRP

John Shevlin-Mission                             Stacy Guy-Commitment/Commun.      Charles Moriarty-Property/CE

Jessie Prigge-Youth Ministry                 Nancy Hill-Personnel/Nominating        Sarah Provow-Open Arms/Commitment

Amy Rogers-Communications               Jan Hughey-LRP/Finance                   Ferrell White-Worship/Fellowship

Jean Williams-Nominating/Membership  Kylie Vacko-Open Arms

Deacon Care Teams

Hospitality - John Hicks, 678-513-4570, hicksjc@bellsouth.net

Companion Care - Carolyn Dillon, 770-751-3799, csdillon@bellsouth.net

Hospital & Recovery - Paul McChesney, 678-234-8471, paulsmcchesney@gmail.com

Sympathy & Celebrations, Steve Ludlow, 770-722-5473, ludlowst@comcast.net 

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!