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July 2009 Grace Spoken Here Volume 10, Issue 21
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Dear Members and Friends, 
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The Wellspring does not open correctly with some corporate email. To be sure you are getting all graphics, please note that you can use the above "Click Here" feature.
Are you wondering why there are no personal email addresses in our articles? It is a privacy issue because The Wellspring is now delivered via the internet.
Scholarship Ministry
July Ministry Highlight
This year we gave out 5 scholarships: Jennifer
Armstrong, Michelle Brown, Doug McDaniel, Courtney Strickland and Ally Young-Price.
This is an exceptional group of young
adults with varied interests from politics and drama to art and
journalism. They are a true
representation of what SSCC stands for and will represent us well to the rest
of the world.
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What Happened to Our Future? by Leslie lady
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"It's been almost two
years since we saw the future story, but I haven't seen any of it realized. What happened?" "Do we have a plan for the future
story? Good business models call for
a well-defined plan." "When will we
see our future?" I say it's time for
ANSWERS!!!!!
The future story called
for five particular directives. For
the sake of brevity, I will use one-word descriptors as they relate to
what's been happening here at the corner of Abernathy and Johnson Ferry: Excellence, Mission,
Empowerment, Connection, and Inclusion. Buckle up for a whirlwind tour...
A team worked for over a
year to create a governance plan that would be more efficient and more
representative than the one currently being used. A new governance model is being
test-driven right now. The new model
is designed to separate the church into two more efficiently managed
segments - business and ministry.
It will be in place for the next year and re-worked as needed. (Empowerment,
Excellence)
The web site has been
under construction since the fall.
It should be ready for launch this summer. It will be a "virtual" visit to SSCC
where visitors will learn who we are and what we do. They (and you, too) will be able to
listen to sermons. Our new logo is
the first fruit of this endeavor and was launched on June 7. The new web site will be worth the
wait. (Excellence,
Inclusion)
A semi-permanent sign
has been designed, constructed, and is ready for installation. It was scheduled to be up by the
beginning of June, but a decision was made to wait until the designated
trees have been removed from our property (should happen soon) so that the
placement will be the most visible. (Excellence)
Some small groups have
started. These groups have been
created mostlyfor
members who share a common interest, i.e., gardening (aren't our grounds
just beautiful?), bridge, food. A
new women's group (Chrysalis) has coalesced and is enjoying success. Seven people, under the guidance and
leadership of Ellie Byrd and Betty Halford, have been "trying out" and
modifying the model for the new Covenant Groups for over six months. Informational meetings will happen in
August, and the groups will launch soon thereafter. These groups will represent the
realization of a major vision of the future story, since they
will be a place where you will have the opportunity to connect
simultaneously with God and each other.
Milt Hill and I will lead a connection task force that will try to
come up with new and varied ways to connect with one another. If you would like to be a part of that
task force, please contact either Milt or me. (Connection, Excellence)
Our Outreach Ministry has
been trying to identify how we can do mission here in Sandy
Springs. It has not been
easy. There have been multiple
brainstorming events and visits to
institutions. It has become obvious that
a signature mission cannot be contrived but will need to evolve. In the meantime, we have sent a pilgrimage to
India, have sponsored
successfully a refugee family, and have formed a new partnership with the Community Action Center
to supply enough volunteers so that the CAC can open on Saturdays. (Mission,
Excellence)
The Elders have become
"keepers" of the future story. They
spent an entire Saturday discovering the background of the future story in
order to make the transition from the Discernment Team to the Elders complete. Phil and the Elders have created the dialogue
that will be used when someone decides to join SSCC. What is asked of those wishing to join SSCC
will be placed in the pews. (Inclusion, Empowerment)
Whew! And, that's just the Cliff-notes
version. There is a team working on the
Day School transition. There is a
commitment to more adult educational opportunities like the series, "Living the
Questions." (Over 30 people have
enrolled in LTQ!) There is a team
working to make communication better. There
are multiple new initiatives in planning infancy. And, how about all the established ministries
that continue to excel and thrive?
So, where is the
future? It is now and it is bright. Welcome aboard!!
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Covenant Groups -
The Importance of Small Groups by Janet Lochery
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"If a church is to grow then there must
be small groups." I read that somewhere
recently, and I am
sure it is true.
If someone had said to me a year ago,
"You should join a small group, Jan; you would find it very rewarding," I
probably would have said "I don't have time."
However, the
persuasive powers of Chris Dalton and Leslie Lady were brought to bear, and I have been in a women's group
(Chrysalis) for a year or so! I have
found it to be a nurturing and spiritually energizing activity. Book discussions become a jumping-off point
which leads us down all sorts of paths as our needs and thoughts dictate. The bond we have now is amazing, and I do not think I would have had the
chance to experience such fellowship in any other setting.
People grow faster spiritually in a
caring, interactive group where they are free to ask questions and feel the
support of the members of the group.
Small groups are not part of the church, theyare the church. Early Christians met in their homes, probably
sharing a meal as part of their fellowship (sound familiar?!). Learning more about our feelings, sharing
ideas and putting our spirituality to work for the good of all can only lead to
a more energetic and productive Sandy Springs Christian Church.
This all comes together in Covenant
Groups. I have been involved in a
Covenant Group experiment and know how rewarding this ministry can be. The groups will enhance connections in our
faith community and our spiritual growth.
They offer the chance to make lasting friendships and to connect with
each other in a very meaningful way. It
is a great place to include new members and non-members.
Informational
Meetings will begin in mid-August, and groups will form in mid-September. More information will be in the Chalice Chat
and August Wellspring. I hope you will take the opportunity to
find out more and rediscover the energy that was evident during the prayer
triplet process.
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| Ministry Musings by Rev. Philip Price, Senior Minister |
 Sandy Springs Christian Church was born on the cutting edge of relevance. It's first minister was a woman long before it was considered normal or customary for women to be ministers. It may be hard for us to imagine now but the issue of women clergy was hotly debated and fiercely fought. Folks quoted scripture with pointed fingers, left churches and denominations.
SSCC grew up in the sixties, a time of tension and turmoil, offering a voice of inclusion and grace when so many other churches were clinging to and seeking to justify the old habits of division and exclusion. We hit our adolescence during the Vietnam war, a controversial war that tore at the fabric of our nation, that divided generations, families and churches. We grew up in Sandy Springs and felt the frustrations of traffic and congestion as infrastructure struggled to keep pace with a burgeoning population. During this whole time we have borne a witness to the extravagant grace that we believe God offers at our open table. It has often been noted that "we take the bible seriously but not literally" and that we are a "journey church" meaning that people are invited to join us on a spiritual journey rather than accept a rigid perceived "truth."
Now once again we are in the midst of change. The trees that grew and sheltered us from the view of commuters have been stripped away. We are exposed. Some folks who have driven Johnson Ferry to Abernathy for years will be surprised to notice that THERE IS A CHURCH ON THAT CORNER! What has been called "Sandy Springs'best kept secret" will now be in plain sight!
We are now a mature church. We have a history. We have experience. We have traditions and habits. We have laurels that we could rest on. All mature churches have those things. The challenge for mature churches is always the question of RELEVANCE. Can they/we maintain or regain that sense of cutting-edge relevance that was experienced during the early years.
Cutting-edge relevance always has a cost. The cost is the acceptance of controversy. The question for mature churches is always the same--will we pay the price for relevance or will we prefer the relative calm of irrelevance.
Today the issues may be different, but the principles remain. Will we be present where there is suffering? Will we be there for those who are being denied their full humanity? Working for justice is always controversial. Inclusion is always controversial. The intersection of our faith and the news is always controversial.
Wading into the swirling waters of controversy requires courage and a high level of trust. It requires humility and the ability to listen closely to those who might see things differently. It is believing that our strength to hold on to each other will trump the forces of division.
It seems to me that faithfulness to the gospel does not artificially seek out the controversial for its own sake nor does it make any effort to avoid it. If love demands that we enter waters of controversy, I hope we trust each other enough to jump in and seek to discern the voice of God.
Blessings,
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PRC Established to Serve SSCC by Rev. Linda W. Whitmire
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Wonder how best to share a church concern with the pastor? Love/don't like at all the changes you see? Truly grateful for what one of the staff has done for you and would like for the Senior Minister to know but have a hard time catching him? Upset with a staff member or minister but uncomfortable confronting him/her? Worried/appreciative/ecstatic about the church and just want to share with someone? The PRC (Pastoral Relations Committee) is an avenue for you to have avoice.
The PRC serves as a sounding board for the Senior Minister, a way to convey to him frankly and honestly the mood, the concerns, the enthusiasm of the congregation. It exists to support communication between members and the ministers, and offers congregation members an avenue to convey sensitive information and opinions to the Senior Minister should directly speaking with the pastor feel uncomfortable. The purpose for having a PRC is to help all who love SSCC have avoice as members, ministers and staff seek to write together the future story Christ would have us tell.
You are always encouraged to share directly with the Senior Minister information which will enable him to better serve the church. However, should you prefer to share that information through the PRC, you now have that opportunity. Email is the easiest avenue. The committee meets quarterly or more often if needed.
Members are: Scott Dalton, Scott Gregory, Leslie Lady, Bryant McDaniel and Linda S. Whitmire (chair). Email addresses can be found in the Church Directory or call the church office.
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Youth Ministry by Craig McDonald, Director of Youth Ministry
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Exciting things are happening at
SSCC! Especially with the Crossroads
(mid-high) and Intersections (high school) youth programs! We are not having regularly scheduled youth
programs on Sunday nights as of right now, but our youth have been up to some
very exciting things! Recently a group
went to MUST Ministries located on Cobb
Parkway. We
met with our MUST representative and went over to a house that had recently
been donated. This house is intended to
be used for emergency housing for individuals who encounter domestic
abuse. When we arrived at the house, the grass and shrubbery was overgrown,
there was trash covering the lawn, and a decrepit play set was about to fall
over.
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Scholarship Ministry by Becky Strickland
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First of all, I want to personally and
on behalf of the SSCC Scholarship Committee thank Joanne Burgess and the other
dedicated people here at SSCC who had the vision to create a Scholarship
Fund. They recognized the many gifted
students we have active in our church that are going on to a higher level of
education.
To me, the scholarship stipend that we
give out to our active graduating seniors is more than a monetary
contribution. It's telling the students
that SSCC is their home church and that we are behind them no matter where the
next phase in their lives takes them. We
will always be here with open arms to welcome them back.
This year we gave out 5 scholarships:
Jennifer Armstrong, Michelle Brown, Doug McDaniel, Courtney Strickland and Ally
Young-Price. I believe this brings the
total to 21 students that have received scholarships. This is an exceptional group of young adults
with varied interests from politics and drama to art and journalism. They are a true representation of what SSCC
stands for and will represent us well to the rest of the world.
Now for the commercial part--you knew it was coming. During the next year and beyond, the
committee is planning a series of fundraisers.
Some will be a one-time fellowship event, possibly including "Dancing
through the Ages," Game Nights, etc. to
longer term projects like an SSCC Cookbook, an outdoor craft festival,
etc. Anyone interested in serving on
this committee is welcome and can call Becky Strickland for more info. Thanks for all you do!
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GA DOT Johnson Ferry and Abernathy Road Widening Project by Bryant McDaniel
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> The Road Widening Project will take approximately three years from start to
finish. This means the project should be
completed in early 2012.
> The GDOT does have an overall plan with a timetable but
are reluctant to publish it because of the "utilities factor," meaning that the
utility companies often are not ready to follow the same timelines. So while the relocation of utilities ideally
would be done first, the GDOT is generally forced to do spot work around
utility companies throughout the project.
> The first step that we will see will be removal of trees
along the route. The work began on
Monday, June 8 on Johnson Ferry and should take a couple of months. The work on the tree removal at Sandy Springs
Christian Church began on June 18 and took several days to complete.
> The actual road work is scheduled to begin on the Johnson
Ferry bridge in July - and will probably take about a year.
> The GDOT does not anticipate that we will need to close
off either of our entrances but for a very brief time (a few hours at most) to
take out the concrete and lay new asphalt.
They will make every effort to work with us so as not to disrupt the
flow of traffic into and out of our parking lots. In fact, most of this work may be done at
night. They will use a caliche-type
substance as a temporary patch during construction at the entrances.
> The GDOT has set up the following web-sites where they
will post periodic updates on the project for the public: www.dot.ga.gov/informationcenter/publicinformation/publicoutreach and www.dot.ga.gov/informationcenter/activeprojects/stateroute/johnsonferry.
> We will provide relevant updates via The Wellspring and
postings in the Centrum. Please contact Terry Frost or Bryant McDaniel should you have any
questions.
The new site plan for the
church is available for viewing in the Centrum.
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Dinner and Discussion with Rev. Phil Price by Nancy Trusty, President of the Board
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Beginning in July, Sandy Springs Christian Church will host several dinners for small groups of members to meet with Rev. Phil Price. This is an opportunity for Phil to get to know church members who are not currently serving as elders, officers or on committees that Phil regularly attends. It is also a fun way for members to get to know Phil in a small group setting. Invitations will be mailed and dinner will be prepared by some of the church officers who love to cook. Two of these dinners are being held in July, and more are planned for the following months.
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Ministry and Fellowship Opportunities |
Tuesdays, now thru 8/4
Living the Questions2 - dinner 6:15 to 7:00 pm; class 7:00 to 8:30 pm (Rm 203)
7/12 New Member Lunch, 12:00 pm (DH)
7/12 PAC Meeting, 3:00 pm (DH)
7/18 Youth at the Lake
7/29-8/2 General Assembly, Indianapolis, IN
8/3-7 SSCC Vacation Bible School
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A reminder: Wellspring contributions for August 2009 are due July 25.
Email your contributions to Nan Woods. Call the church office or look in the church directory for the email address. Suggested article length is 350 words. Thank you.
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