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August 2009 Grace Spoken Here Volume 10, Issue 22
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Dear Members and Friends, 
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August Ministry Highlight: Adult Education
Exciting things are happening at Sandy Spring Christian Church, including a broad variety of Adult Education studies and fellowship opportunities. Something for everyone!
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Rev. Betty Halford and Ellie Byrd have worked diligently to introduce and promote Covenant Groups that are small, caring, interactive and spiritually enhancing. Be sure to sign up for one of the Informational Meetings being held August 20 and August 22.
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When you park your car and make your way to the entrance
doors at SSCC do you think, "Wow, this landscaping is really beautiful!" Thank Terry Frost and the Garden Club crew for their hard work and dedication to SSCC.
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Adult Education by Larry Steinmetz
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Adult Education ministries of the Sandy
Springs Christian Church encompass a broad variety of study and fellowship
opportunities, providing nurture, support and enlightenment to all adults in
our community of faith. These include
the adult Sunday School classes and newly envisioned Sunday and weekday
offerings, ThirdAgers' activities, Real People, Real Faith Seminar, and the
Church Library.
Central to these ministries are the
Sunday School classes, offered weekly during the 10 o'clock hour. The projected areas of study for these
classes beginning later this month are the following:
Challenger (Room 201-203) - Focusing on the Letters
of Paul; Rev. Landa Simmons, facilitator
Gateway (Room 205) - Continuing its study of World
Religions-Christianity; Shelton Blackburn,
facilitator
Genesis (Room 113) - Probing the scripture texts
from the day's Worship Service; Larry Steinmetz, facilitator
OMNI (Room 214/Parlor) - Studying Paul's Letter to the Romans; Rev. Frank McDonald,
facilitator
People of the Parentheses (Room 207) - Discussing issues of the
day as they interface with the
scriptures; Bob Roper, facilitator
Campbell-Stone Sandy
Springs (dining room) - Using the International Lesson
Series; Barb Duren, facilitator
In addition, following the completion of
the first part of the "Living the Question 2.0" sessions this summer, a repeat
offering of this first part of this series and a new second group using part
two are scheduled to begin in September (dates and places to be
announced). To these we also add: Wednesday Morning Bible Study (resuming in
the fall); the ongoing Friday Morning Men's Group; and the Women's Chrysalis
and Christian Women's Fellowship groups, both coming together monthly.
Looking forward to 2010, short-term (six
week) classes are being planned in such areas as Introduction to the Bible 101,
Disciples History and Theology, Progressive Spirituality, Parenting, and
Marriage Enrichment. We shall alsopromote seminars and workshops
occurring elsewhere in the Southeast. In
addition to our adult members who are not now participating in the
congregation's education ministries, these classes are being planned to target
new church members and visitors, parents from the Day School, and persons in the
Sandy Springs community.
Through all these offerings, the
objective is to involve adults in varieties of faith development opportunities
in the life-long learning process that leads to Christian maturity. Through these activities for both
congregation members and the greater Sandy Springs
community, we seek to challenge adults to realize that Christian education and
nurture are not limited to children and youth anymore.
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America I Am by Rev. Linda S. Whitmire
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"America I Am" is an experience in discovering the
contributions to our nation and the journey of African-Americans through the
past 500 years. The exhibition is on tour and is currently in Atlanta
at the Civic Center.
On Sunday, August 23 a group of Sandy Springs folks will share the
experience with a group from our sister congregation, God's City of Refuge,
then spend some time reflecting across racial lines as we seek to live
into the commitment of our greater church to be a movement for wholeness, an
anti-racism/pro-reconciliating people.
YOU ARE INVITED to be part of the group
from SSCC! We will meet at the church at
2 pm August 23 and car pool to the event.
The cost is $8 per person. A sign-up sheet can be found in the
Centrum. Questions about the event can
be directed on-line to Linda S. Whitmire.
This outing is sponsored by the Adult Education ministry of SSCC.
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Covenant Groups - Informational Meetings by Rev. Betty Halford
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Want to connect with members and friends in small, caring, interactive settings and at the same time enhance your spiritual growth? For several months, a group has worked with Ellie Byrd to tailor a small group concept for our congregation that, as Janet Lochery indicated in her July Wellspring article, integrates Connectivity and Spirituality. In the June Wellspring, Leslie Lady pointed out that this stems from your positive feedback in Prayer Triplets and consequently was adopted as one of the tenets for our faith community.
Sign up for one of the Informational Meetings where Ellie will present an interactive overview of the program and answer questions about this exciting new program. Join Ellie, Rev. Price and other members of the group on one of the following dates:
Thursday, August 20: 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Saturday, August 22: 9:00 - 11:00 am
Place: Rooms 201-203
Refreshments served at both meetings.
Sign up in the Centrum or call the office (404.256.2582) to reserve your place.
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Children's Ministries by Rev. Erin Reed Cooper, Associate Minister
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 The Aug-Sept 2009 issue of the "Sprouts" newsletter has all the latest information on Children's Ministries at SSCC. There are pictures galore, special baptisms,
news from our kids at Camp Christian, a Back Pack Blessing, a pull-out calendar and more! Read the newsletter e-mailed to you on July 28 or pick up a copy from the information table in the Centrum.
We are especially appreciative of our members who take an interest in our ministry to children and their families. If you would like to be a part of our ministry with children, email Erin at erin@sandyspringscc.org.
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| Ministry Musings by Rev. Philip Price, Senior Minister |
Harvard professor Henry Lewis Gates, a
highly respected and influential African American intellectual, is arrested and
taken from his own home in handcuffs. The
picture of this icon of black ivy league leader in cuffs shocks the screen of
American consciousness.
Outrage.
Insult. Righteous indignation
flows as thick as a New England clam chowder. A collective gasp of horror sucks the air from news rooms across America. Hands wringing in apology from the mayor of Cambridge. A veritable chorus of back-peddlers stumble
over themselves scurrying to undo the shame.
Others line up eager to apologize, eager to show the requisite remorse
proving that they are not racist. Air
waves are choked with finger pointing and tsk tsk tsking. Even the President wades in on the episode
opining that, "the police acted stupidly."
Sgt. Jim Crowley, the police officer who made
the arrest, refuses to apologize. I say, good for him.
Unlike the chorus of the indignant, he
didn't have the benefit of knowing who it was that he was dealing with. All he knew was that he was called to check
out a possible break and enter in progress.
He did not ask to be called to this scene. He did not ask for the racial
make up of the episode. He was following
orders and putting his life on the line by walking into the well known danger
and volatility of a B & E in progress.
Let's remember that police get shot at in these situations. Widows, orphans and ---- get made in these
situations.
We obviously don't have all the details,
but there seems to be little disagreement on what transpired. There was a call reporting that two men were
seen forcing their way into a house.
Should the police not have responded?
Should they have known that a well respected black scholar lived in that
house so that house was somehow immune from break-ins? The police do respond and dispatch Officer Crowley to the
scene. Upon meeting individuals at the
door--suspects--he asks for identification.
(Remember this was not an invitation to a - - - - - - or a town hall
meeting, this was a possible break and enter IN PROGRESS.)
Was this such an unreasonable
request? Was it a racially biased
request? Does anyone really think that
if the persons Crowley
met when entering the house were white, he WOULDN'T have asked for
identification? "Oh, you're white. I'm so sorry, you look like you belong here,
so sorry for the interruption, I was expecting a black man." Is this a flagrant example of the crime of
HWB--housing while black--as claimed by Michael Eric Dyson in an article on the
CNN website. Paaleease.
The reporting of what looked like a
break in to a concerned neighbor and the asking for identification can hardly
be construed to be racially motivated. If
the requested identification had
been offered, the incident would have never made the news. This incident
became racially charged not by the actions of a neighbor or the police, rather
it has become a racial incident by the actions of the renowned Dr. Gates.
In response to an expected and
reasonable request of the officer, Dr. Gates apparently said, "Why, because I
am a black man in America?" He then demanded the identification of the police officer and the ensuing
exchange resulted in Dr. Gates being arrested, not for being in his house, not
for being a black man, but for being belligerent and unruly.
No, Dr. Gates, you were not mistreated
because you are "black in America;"
you were arrested because your actions were out of line. To suggest otherwise is to insult the scores
of other incidents where police actions really are brutal and racially charged.
No, Mr. President, the police did not
"act stupidly." They acted appropriately
under the circumstances. What is so
stupid about following orders to investigate a possible crime and asking
possible suspects to identify themselves?
To suggest that this is "stupid" is to undermine and insult all
reasonable and appropriate police actions in America.
No, wagging tongues and pointed fingers,
this is not evidence of how African Americans are mistreated in America. This is evidence of how respected people will
use the scourge of racism as a cover for their own inappropriate behavior.
Racism is real, prevalent, ugly and
needs to be fought at every turn. Let's
not dilute the horror of real racism with this embarrassing hissy-fit trying to
self-justify under the "I'm a victim of racism" banner.
For a better example of police abuse of
power, check out this link:
#http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/24/wright.police.gates/index.html#cnnSTCText?iref=werecommend
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I Need Your Input! by Sharon Hanna, Church Administrstor |
 Did you know that we have an outside
group which has been meeting here at SSCC for 31 years? And another group
just celebrated its 20th year meeting here weekly? And
still another that just began meeting here a few weeks ago. SSCC stands in the community with a reputation as being:
A church with open
arms,
One where all are
welcome and
Where we practice
"Grace Spoken Here."
And yet we also must be known as:
Being good stewards,
Using our discernment
and
Utilizing the wisdom
God has given us.
Pretty tall marching orders,
right?
In the spirit of our responsibility to
exercise discernment and wisdom, the trustees have asked me to develop a
"Church Key Log." Are you wondering "Why?" The key log will identify who has keys,
whether additional keys have been made and given to others, and for what purpose
each individual still has need of a key. In addition, if an outside group
offers child care, we can also obtain a background check to protect our
children before a key is issued.
With that being said, I need your
opinion! What's the best way to get all the information on a key
log? Here are some ideas:
* Ask the people who have keys to e-mail me or write their
name on a list that I leave on the red desk?
* Ask each of the ministry chairs to "take a survey" at
their committee meetings?
* Put a form on
the website and ask people to respond to it?
* Have the whole church re-keyed and start fresh?
Please let me know your thoughts. Email me at Sharon@SandySpringsCC.org
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Youth Ministry by Craig McDonald, Director of Youth Ministry
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 Well, the summer is winding down for
most of us. We've been to the lake, a Braves game, Six Flags, and worked
with MUST Ministries. When we think of summer for youth or young adults,
sometimes we have images of pools/beaches and plenty of free time. I just
want to say that's not the case for many of our youth and young adults.
We have had many working this summer and some working multiple jobs! They have
been volunteering to work at camps, some paying so that others may have the
opportunity to go. They have been saving up for college tuition or living
expenses for their senior year of high school. School is about to start back up and many will end their summer jobs (or at
least one of them) and continue to work hard in school. It really blows
me away at how talented, mature, and hard-working our youth and young adults
are here at Sandy Springs. If you see
one of our youth or young adults ask them what they did this summer and I bet
you'd be impressed!
As we begin a new year of school we know
that we have had several members of our community graduate from high school. They are
beginning a new phase in their lives as they continue their education at
various institutions. Our job as a community of support does not end when
they leave for school. We have a program called College Connect where we
pair up youth with volunteers who want to support them throughout their
continuing education. The responsibilities for a sponsor of College
Connect include maintaining contact with the students by email, phone, letters,
and care packages. Giving them words of encouragement and sending care
packages during finals can make such a difference. We are looking for
volunteers, and if you
are interested in supporting these students, please contact me. You can make a student's day!
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SSCC Garden Club - "Grace Spoken Here" by Nancy Trusty, President of the Board
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Have you noticed all the beautiful
flowers and bushes on the grounds of the church? Did you know that there is a church garden
club that meets weekly to mow the grass, plant flowers and shrubs, weed the
flower beds, prune trees and shrubs, and blow the leaves and pine needles off
the parking lot?
Terry Frost started the
SSCC Garden Club and wants to make our church campus as inviting as
possible. Other members of the Garden
Club are: Jim Armstrong, Peter Brown,
Chris Dalton, Scott Dalton, Amy Frost, Donovan Frost, Cameron Gregory, Kathryn
Gregory, Scott Gregory, Virginia Gregory, Bryant McDaniel, Dean Reich, Philip Rowell, Mary Shehan and Nancy Trusty.
When you see members of the Garden Club,
please remember to thank them for the time they spend beautifying the church
grounds. New Garden Club members are
always welcome; please contact Terry Frost
to volunteer!
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Ministry and Fellowship Opportunities |
8/1 Youth at Six Flags
8/3-7 Crocodile
Dock Vacation
Bible School
8/4 Living the Questions2
8/9 VBS Sunday, Performance and Slideshow, 9:45 am
8/9 Sunday School Kick-Off, 10 am
8/16 MUST Sandwich Making, 12 pm, Centrum
8/20 Covenant Groups, 6:30-8:30 pm, Rooms 201-203
8/22 Covenant Groups, 9:00-11:00 am, Rooms 201-203
8/23 PAC Meeting,
grades 1-4, 3:30 pm, Room 120
8/26 ThirdAgers at the Atlanta History
Center
8/29 Children's Worship & Wonder Training, 8:30 am -
3:00 pm, off campus
Save the Date
9/19 Anniversary Weekend Workday, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
9/20 49th Anniversary Sunday
Congregational Meeting & Celebration
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A reminder: Wellspring contributions for September 2009 are due August 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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