"Waiting for Aunt Dorcas"
 

Christmas was heralded at our house, not by the coming of Santa Claus, but by the arrival of Aunt Dorcas.

 

Uncle Paul and Aunt Dorcas came from far away, exotic places.  For awhile, they lived in Las Vegas, then Puerto Rico, and finally Florida.  (Uncle Paul was a nuclear engineer during the cold war.)

 

When they drove, they would depart Florida early and arrive in Louisiana late; and we would wait at Memama's house for them.  In the 50's and 60's no phone calls were made in-route.  Travel was like a spaceship on the dark side of the moon.  You just had to count on radio silence and pray that reentry would go well.

 

While Ed Sullivan spun on his heels, announcing the acts on his "really big sheew," we waited.  Often we would run through a whole evening's TV's line-up: Wagon Train, Have Gun Will Travel, and Sing Along with Mitch.

 

All of the lights inside the house were dimmed so that we could see a car's headlights turning into the driveway.  There always were false alarms.  My sister and I jumped up many a time only to drag ourselves back to the couch.  Often, we retraced our estimates on the travel time, remembering to factor-in that everybody loses an hour in Alabama.

 

Then, finally a shout, "They're here!"  The bright headlights,  the slamming car doors, a trunk full of presents, plus  smiles and hugs and handshakes and comments about how much we had grown---all signaled that not only had Aunt Dorcas arrived, but so had Christmas.

 

To this day, I have a need to press my nose at night against a cold winter's window and watch for Florida tags.

 

Humans are an incarnate lot.  That is, we don't just think about ideas, we think of people who are those ideas.  When you think of love, a person comes to mind who loves you.  When you think of belonging, you recall a person who has welcomed and included you.  Truth being, when you think of Christmas, you probably don't first think of Jesus; rather your mind goes to a person whose presence taught you the meaning of Christmas.

 

Even as you've read these words, you have been thinking of your mother or father, uncle or aunt.  You've thought of those persons whose love for you, patience with you, hope in spite of you, and arms about you said Merry Christmas without words needed.

 

For them, we give thanks; and in their memory, we pass along Christmas to someone else.

Morningstar Treatment Center

Join members of the missions committee for a fun evening as we wrap the gifts going to the children served through Morningstar. 

 

Sunday, December 13 at 6:45PM

 

Beth Laxton's home

2125 Berryhill Circle

Smyrna, GA 30082

 

Bring an appetizer,  tape, and scissors.  We'll have wrapping paper, but if you have rolls of paper you'd like to use up, bring them.  Questions?  Contact Beth Laxton or Barbara Atchley.

The NDBC Staff celebrates the accreditation of the NDBC Preschool with SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SCHOOLS (SACS).  Our colleague, Vanessa Johnson, and her staff and faculty worked hard to make this monumental step possible.  To them we say, "Congratulations and well done!"
 
Dr. James Lamkin, Pastor
Rev. Mike Gregg, Minister of Educational Life
Paul Fletcher, Director of Music
Jeff Harbin, Organist
Rev. Eric M. Cain, Director of Youth Ministries
Carolyn Scott, Business Manager
Renee Gamache, Administrative Assistant
Richard Willingham, Custodian

 3rd WEEK of ADVENT - Sunday, December 13

   9:30 AM - Adult Advent Church School: Silent Night, Holy Night

 11:00 AM - Worship - Sanctuary Choir presentation of "Hodie"

   5:30 PM - Youth Christmas Dinner/Party
 
4th WEEK of ADVENT - Sunday, December 20

   9:30 AM - Adult Advent Church School: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

 11:00 AM - Worship - Called to Sing: Advent as Musician

Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24

   4:00 PM - Family Vespers

 10:30 PM - Lessons, Carols, and Communion
 
1st SUNDAY of CHRISTMAS - Sunday, December 27

   9:30 AM - Church School Christmas Brunch

 11:00 AM - Worship - Called to Testify: Christmas as Lamp-Lighter
 
EPIPHANY SUNDAY - Sunday, January 3, 2010

  11:00 AM - Worship - Called to Question: Epiphany as Pilgrims
 
*Chrismons pamphlets are available at www@northsidedrive.org, also in the Narthex.

 
As a rule of thumb, we will not cancel worship services on Sunday morning except under the most extreme weather conditions.  Members are urged to use their own good judgment as to whether they should attempt to make the trip.  Should inclement winter weather cause the cancellation of a service, here is the plan:
 
1) The pastor and the moderator will make the decision.
2) The moderator will notify the Chair of the Diaconate.
3) The deacons will use the "phone tree" to notify the congregation.
4) One of the ministers will send an email to all those on the church's email list (electricity permitting) and place a notification on the church's voice mail.
5) One of the ministers will notify the media.
 

You can submit your 2010 pledge to the Church in any one of the following four ways: (1) complete and sign a pledge card and mail it to the church, (2) call Carolyn Scott, the Church's Business Manager, at 404-237-8621 and give her your pledge over the phone, (3) send an e-mail to Carolyn Scott at carolyn@northsidedrive.org containing the amount of your pledge and stating whether you will be fulfilling your pledge in weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual payments, or (4) submit your pledge over the internet by using the form at http://www.northsidedrive.org/form_liveform.asp?FormID=9.