The Good News - This Week

Driving back from a hospital visit I had made to see a church member this week I was listening to a program on National Public Radio. Perhaps you caught the story too. It shared the struggle of a young woman whose mental illness grew so bad that she was placed on a suicide watch in a hospital. Deeply depressed and lying in the hospital bed she said that at her worst point she was scanning the room for anything she could use to harm herself - staples, light bulbs, chords and so the like. The hospital provided around-the-clock staff to monitor her every move in order to prevent that from happening.

With thanks to a positive response to the medical treatments she received, the young woman is now doing much better and is currently writing a book with her mother about the experience of surviving her trauma. The mother shared a poignant moment in her daughter's ordeal: while hospitalized and suffering greatly the young woman said to her parents, "I can't take it anymore. I can't hold on any longer." They realized that the "it" to which she was referring was life itself. Her mother told her, "You don't have to hold on any more because we are going to hold on to you and make sure you are okay."

The love with which God loves is that kind of love. God doesn't let go, won't let go, no matter what. Nothing can separate us from God's love in Christ. At last Friday's memorial service at APC your gathering in the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall gave powerful testimony, not only to the resurrection of our Lord, but to strength of the church and the love which holds us especially when we need it most.

Sunday School Kickoff

The 2012-2013 Sunday School Kickoff will be this Sunday, August 19 in the sanctuary at 9:45am. All children, youth and adults are invited to come learn about the exciting classes and curriculum that will be offered. Children will have the opportunity to see their classrooms and meet their teachers. We hope you will join us on this year's spiritual journey!

New Sunday Schedule

APC will offer three Sunday worship services beginning Sunday, August 26. As of that date, the Sunday morning schedule at APC will be:

Worship at 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00am

Sunday School for all ages from 9:45-10:45am

Nursery Care is provided

Breakfast is served from 8:00 - 10:00am

Miss Mary's Ice Cream Crankin'

APC Needs Cranky People! The 8th Annual Miss Mary's Ice Cream Crankin' will be held Sunday, August 26, from 2 - 4 PM on the Square in Roswell. For a $5 donation ($20 max per family) guests are invited to sample a vast array of homemade ice cream brought by an army of volunteer "Crankers". All proceeds benefit "The Drake House", an emergency housing facility for homeless women and children in North Fulton County. We are looking for APC volunteers to bring their favorite ice cream creation(s) to the event. Veteran Crankers and First Time Crankers are all welcome. Please send your name, contact information and the type of ice cream you will bring, to: Gerard Ballard, gerardballard@comcast.net, 404-775-9928

Whiz Kids Tutoring

Whiz Kids Needs Tutors! Since 1999, APC has conducted an after-school tutoring program called Whiz Kids. Tutoring is held each Monday afternoon that Fulton County Schools are in session. We meet in Fellowship Hall from 3:15-4:15pm followed by 15 minutes of songs and Bible stories in the sanctuary. We work "one-on-one" with each tutor helping the same child throughout the year, creating a special bond of trust and caring. This is an opportunity to make a real difference in a child's life - you will be able to see the progress as you work with your child and your pride and enthusiasm about their achievements will encourage hard work and concentration. School supplies and learning materials are provided.There will be a sign-up table at the Mission Fair in Fellowship Hall on August 26. You may also sign-up on-line on the Whiz Kids page (there's a link on the APC Missions page). For more information contact Sue White at 770-772-4667 or whitesbassets@bellsouth.net.

STARS Outing

The APC STARS will go to the Gwinnett Braves vs. Pawtucket game on Wednesday, August 29. Ticket prices range from $10-$17 depending on seats. Game time is 7:05 PM and we will carpool from the back parking lot at 4:45 PM. Deadline to signup and pay is Friday, August 24. Please contact Kathleen Wien at 770-521-6738 for more information.

New Lecture Series

How the Bible Came to Be: A User's Guide

Time: Sunday mornings, 9:45-10:45am, 8/26, 9/2, 9/9 and 9/16

Place: Alpharetta Presbyterian Church (theater)

Instructor: Ryan P. Bonfiglio

It probably comes as no surprise that the Bible did not float down from heaven and land directly in our church pews or on our bookshelves at home. Nor would have the apostle Paul - let alone the prophets or Jesus himself - been familiar with the language or format of contemporary English editions of Scripture.

So, how exactly did the Bible as we know come to be?

This four-week, Christian Education series aims to explore key aspects of the development of the Christian Scriptures through its nearly 3,000-year history. Along the way, this series will address a variety of issues, including: (week 1) how individual books of the Bible were composed and the ways in which this process differs from our modern conception of book-making; (week 2) how and why certain texts came to be recognized as part of a fixed canon; (week 3) the history of ancient and modern translations and how various English versions such as the KJV, NIV, and NRSV differ from one another; and (week 4) how the marketing and publication of Bible editions during the past century has drastically changed the way in which Christians see and use Scripture today (week 4). While these questions often go unasked by many Christians, having a better sense of how the Bible came to be has important implications for our faith today.

About the Instructor: Ryan P. Bonfiglio is a Ph.D. candidate in Hebrew Bible at Emory University. He earned a Bachelor's degree at Princeton University and a Master of Divinity at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is an instructor at Candler School of Theology and serves as a lay leader and guest preacher in the Presbyterian Church (USA).

C.S. Lewis Series

NEW! Sunday evening C.S. Lewis lecture series. Jim Motter, an APC member and C.S. Lewis scholar, will lead a 10-week Sunday evening lecture and discussion series on C.S. Lewis' masterwork, Mere Christianity. The lectures will be held in the theater September 9-November 11, from 5:30 to 7:00pm. The public is invited.

This series is a follow-on to Jim's summer 2011 overview on the life and works of C.S. Lewis.

The series will be suited to both long-time fans who have read this book several times and to those who are reading the book for the first time. High school students are especially encouraged to participate.

Mere Christianity may be Lewis' most illuminating work, famous for its logic and imagery. Jim will provide a comprehensive overview of the book and open up hidden meaning and context, enabling even those familiar with the book to see it in an entirely new light.

Those new to C.S. Lewis will come to know why this book has often been voted the single most influential book for Christians other than the four Gospels. Don't miss this special series and invite your friends and neighbors to come with you.

About Jim Motter: Jim has been a long-time student and advocate of C.S. Lewis' works for many years. He has given lectures on Lewis at the C.S. Lewis Institute, the C.S. Lewis Foundation, the Center for the Study of C.S. Lewis and Friends, The Areopagus Christian Study Center and elsewhere. Jim and his family have been members of APC for three years.

Haiti Mission Trip

An APC mission team will be traveling to Haiti to work October 6-10, 2012. If you are interested in participating or learning more, please contact Dr. Ollie Wagner in the church office, ollie@alpharettapres.com.

August 25 is the deadline to make a $750 deposit for those planning to participate in the Haiti mission trip.

Divorce Recovery

Join us for a 12-week course from Dr. Bruce Fisher's rebuilding program. Whatever your stage in the divorce recovery process, this group is for you. Join our experienced facilitator for a healing, small group environment. Classes begin Monday, August 27 from 6:30-8:00pm. Contact Rev. Jamie Butcher, jamie@alpharettapres.com, for more information.

FIRST WEDNESDAYS

Calling the APC Congregation - come join us on the First Wednesday of each month for fellowship, dinner, an adult program and children's activities. For the fall we will gather on:

Wednesday, September 5 Theme for the evening is Africa.

Adult and Children's program: Ollie Wagner and Walter Dean share their "Habitat Aid Initiative" Kenya trip with slides and stories; plus, you will learn how the funds collected by children during the APC 2011 VBS were used in Kenya.

Dinner will be:

Bobotie (Traditional South African Casserole using ground beef)

Yellow Rice

Chakalaka (South African Stir Fried Vegetable Side Dish)

South African Picnic Bread

Malva Pudding (Traditional South African dessert pudding)

Wednesday, October 3 TBA

Wednesday, November 7 TBA

Wednesday, December 5 TBA

Plus, special dinners on October 24 for the Fall Festival and on November 28 for Hanging of

the Greens.

Dinner will begin at 6:00 PM and end at 6:30 PM with an adult menu and a children's menu. An Adult Program and Children's Activities will be from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. Clean-up will begin at 7:30 PM so those volunteering to help cleanup in the kitchen and Fellowship Hall can attend the program.

Dinner Fees are: Children $4.00 per person (age 8 years and under)

Adults $6.00 per person

Reservations are required and must be made the Sunday before the First Wednesday event. There are three ways you can complete your reservation (only one is required) for First Wednesday, you may:

Complete a First Wednesday card on the info table in the hallway.
Sign up on the First Wednesday board in Fellowship Hall.
Go to the APC website and follow the link to First Wednesday.

Mark your calendars and continue to watch for information about First Wednesdays!!!

Drake House Library Thanks

On August 1, Brandon Motter, a senior at Johns Creek High School, delivered a new library to The Drake House of Roswell for use by their residents. Thanks to the support of many contributors, Brandon was pleased to install a library of 1,200 books, many new and most in hardback format, and over 200 movies, along with five large bookshelves, three framed literary quotes and other furnishings for a new Reading Room for teenagers.

Brandon would like to thank all those people from across North Atlanta who supported his campaign to build this much needed library. Special thanks to Appen Newspapers for local media coverage and to Alpharetta Presbyterian Church for their generous contributions.

Session Meeting Summary

Here is a brief summary of the July 19, 2012 stated meeting of the Session.

One of the highlights of the meeting was when APC Member Emily Culp discussed with the Session her desire to be sponsored as an Inquirer for ordination. Emily, a second-year student at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, described her background and preparation for the ministry. A motion to sponsor Emily was unanimously approved. Elder Nancy Hill will act as her mentor and liaison between Emily and the church.

In the pastors' reports, Rev. Butcher expressed how excited she and her husband, Ryan, are to have recently moved from Decatur closer the church. They now live in Roswell.

Rev. Butcher is also now the chairperson of the Scholarship sub-Committee of the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta Committee for Preparation for the Ministry on which she also serves.

Dr. Wagner briefly recounted experiences from his continuing education trip to Kenya when he accompanied APC member Walter Dean from May 30-June 12.

Some of the action items approved by the session included:

· Adult CE's recommendation that APC host a Dave Ramsey EntreLeadership Simulcast on Sept. 21 from 9:45 to 5:00 pm. This will be one of a number of select regional presentations around the U.S.

· Setting Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012 for a congregational meeting to elect new church officers, and January 13, 2013 for their installation and ordination.

· Maintaining the 8:30, 9:45 and 11:00 am Sunday worship services coincident with the 2012-2013 Fulton County School year and the 2012-2013 APC Sunday School calendar.

Some notes of interest from the ministry and committee reports:

· APC member Ryan Bonfiglio will lead another 9:45 am Sunday morning fall lecture series in the theater beginning August 26. The series is titled How the Bible Came to Be: A User's Guide.

· APC member Jim Motter will lead a public lecture series at 5:30 Sunday evenings in the theater on the C.S. Lewis book, Mere Christianity.

· The session recognized Director of Children's' Ministry, Kristin Hicks, for her superb VBS organization. More than 350 children attended, 80% of who were not affiliated with APC.

· The summer mission trips were a great success involving more than 80 youth and 20 chaperones.

· John Bullock and the Membership Committee are organizing the APC Ministry Fair to be held August 26, 2012 in the Fellowship Hall.

· More than 60 church members have signed up for APC church access through Access ACS. All members are encouraged to set up an Access ACS account via the APC website at www.alpharettapres.com.

· 2012 YTD revenues and expenses are in line with projections.

· Open Arms Sunday will be September 9, 2012.

· Rev. Butcher described a new APC divorce ministry called New Beginnings that will begin in the fall.

In other business, Elder Charles Moriarity gave an update on the status of the land-for-landscaping exchange with the City of Alpharetta that will also provide a left turn lane in front of the church; Elder John Shevlin gave a report on the recent Presbyterian Church (USA) General Assembly meeting in Pittsburgh, PA. John served as a commissioner from the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta.

The next Stated Meeting of the session will be held on Thursday, August 23, 2012.

Open Arms Sunday

The Open Arms Ministry of Alpharetta Presbyterian Church will be sponsoring a special church service on September 9 at 11:00am in the sanctuary to include people with developmental disabilities. Come help us worship God with special music, liturgy and a sermon message designed to be inclusive.

Eldercare News

APC Eldercare News - So many of us have unanswered questions about dementia. What exactly is dementia? How can we help those who may be suffering? Sunday, September 9 at 12:30pm (after the 11:00 service), Thom Corrigan, an eldercare specialist from Metta Thompson and Associates, will be here to answer any of your questions. Thom brings experience from many different facets of eldercare and welcomes any questions you may have. For further information or questions, please contact Ellen Adolph at hbunnies@gmail.com or 678-637-2928.

Mission Opportunity at NFCC

Education Volunteers Needed - Program Director Eden Purdy is looking for volunteer GED instructors and financial coaches. The numbers of GED preparation students has mushroomed since the closing of Lanier Tech classes and the announcement of the Deferred Action program. Financial Coaches will meet one-on-one with clients who have completed the budget training class. Contact Eden Purdy at NFCC - 770-640-0399.

Nominations Needed

Looking for a few good names - The Nominating Committee is requesting nominations for elders and deacons. Please submit names in the nomination box on the table in the lobby, to the church office or the APC web site http://www.alpharettapres.com/nominations

Sunday Breakfast

Sunday Morning Breakfast - For the remainder of the church's summer schedule, breakfast will be continental style. Continental breakfast: cereal, fruit, yogurt with toppings and pastries plus beverage for $3 per person. Super continental breakfast: will be the above plus one special hot dish for $4 per person.

Career Transition

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.

Youth Ministry News

Important dates to note for the balance of the summer:

August 19 - Sunday School Kickoff

August 19 - Youth Group meets onsite - 6:00pm to 7:30pm (no dinner)

August 26 - Mission Sunday at worship services - submit mission trip pictures to Kelly Edwards or Michelle Burton

September 9 - Youth Group Kickoff for the school year (dinner with parents and tons of fun!)

During the summer, we will not send a weekly newsletter via e-mail, rather, we will send periodic information about summer activities and mission trips as needed. Please continue to refer to the Good News and the Youth Website for information.

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

We will welcome everyone back on Sunday School Kickoff, August 19.

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

Promise Class is provided on Sundays during the 11:00 worship service for our special needs students in the Blue Room.

Kinderkirk (Children's Worship Education for children ages 3 - rising 2nd graders) will be during the 11:00 service only during the summer. Preschool classes will meet in Room 101 and Kindergarten and rising second graders in Room 102.

Sympathy & Celebrations

Sympathy - To Susan Connor at the death of her father, David Middleton, Friday, August 10. Services will be held in Florida.

Sunday Volunteers

Serving as greeters this Sunday: Volunteers needed

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

Promise Class volunteer this Sunday: Trish Kent at 11:00

APC Church Officers

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

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!

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).