Sunday, January 22, 2012

Morning Worship at 11 AM

      Join us in morning worship at 11 AM, on the Third Sunday after the Epiphany for the dedication of our new hymnal.

     We will celebrate this next step in the life of our church with choral music, congregational litanies and hymn singing.

Featuring:

     * The Sanctuary Choir     * The Northside Drive Ringers

     * Our Children's Choir      * A Guest Brass Quartet

A Letter of Blessing

to

Northside Drive Baptist Church

from

Dr. Donald P. Hustad

of Jubilate Ministries

January, 2012

Dear Congregational Ministers of Northside Drive Baptist Church:

     My Norwegian culture has a delightful tradition: Whenever friends or family get together, the greetings often include "Takk fra syst"--"Thanks for the last time." Ruth and I are still basking in the memory of our visit to your church in May of 2008, when we discussed your worship practices, especially the music. Now we hear that, after many years using THE PILGRIM HYMNAL, you have chosen a new book--THE WORSHIPING CHURCH, the last hymnal I edited for Hope Publishing Company. We congratulate you and are grateful for the honor this brings us!

     The older I get, the more I am awed by my limited understanding of God's pleasure and purpose in the practice of singing which has characterized Jewish and Christian worship. The Bible says that heaven's choirs sang at the creation of the worlds (Job 38) and at the birth of Jesus, our Savior (Luke 2). The Old Testament contains the full Hebrew songbook and a number of important canticles, beginning with the redemption song of Moses and his sister Miriam, sung on the banks of Egypt's Red Sea. The New Testament brings us the four great canticles of Luke 1 and 2, instruction about worship singing in Ephesians and Colossians, plus many "Jesus hymns" throughout the epistles. Finally, Revelation 4 and 5 remind us that heaven's music is centered in Christ's work in creation and in redemption, as all our worship on earth should be.

     I will always be thankful to the publisher for permitting us to spend maximum time and money in preparing this book. To begin, they agreed that 25 hymnic experts could assist in the six years of editing, coming together in Wheaton, IL, for conferences and responding from their homes across the country. They also allowed us to publish many related materials--a typical handbook-companion, a concordance, instrumental accompaniments, plus a Worship Leaders' edition which is unique in the long history of hymnal publishing. Ruth and I pray for God's rich blessing on the dedication of all these resources and your use of them for many years to come.

     "It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to tell of your loving kindness early in the morning and of your faithfulness in the night season; on the psaltery and on the lyre, and to the melody of the harp."

(Psalm 92: 1-3)

     Thank you for your generous support for the 2011 Christmas giving projects. Bags bulging with new clothing, towels, and toiletries for men and women in transitional housing; clothing, toys, books, and iPods for children served through Morningstar Children and Family Services; and toys for Buckhead Christian Ministry's Joyous Toys demonstrate your love and concern for those less fortunate. To all who shopped, delivered gifts, and in many other ways helped share Christ's love this Christmas season, thank you from the Missions Committee.

     This is an afternoon get-together at 1 PM. Bring your creative energies or your critical eyes and be ready to design a new youth logo for 2012!

January 29: Agape Meal at UMCH

     The New Year marks a new focus on missions for our youth program. We will be helping serve a meal at the United Methodist Children's Home on this day starting at 3:30 PM.

February 10-12: Ski Retreat

     Don't forget...this is getting closer now! We are going to Sugar Mountain again this year.

March 10-12: March Mission Madness at St. Simon's Island

     Remember...we will need to leave before the typical school day ends. Please keep this in mind and make arrangements with your teachers! 

Religious Liberty & Church-State Separation

A Workshop with J. Brent Walker of the Baptist Joint Committee

March 10 and 11, 2012

     Northside Drive Baptist Churchwill host a weekend workshop with J. Brent Walker, Executive Director of the Baptist Joint Committee (BJC) for Religious Liberty. The primary focus of the weekend will be the Baptist heritage of religious liberty and issues surrounding church-state separation. Further information regarding registration and fees will be provided at a later date.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

Saturday (3/10), 12 PM

     Luncheon followed by an educational presentation by Brent Walker. The luncheon will focus on First Amendment legal issues and will be especially informative to attorneys or others who work closely with the law or politics. A light lunch will be provided for a small fee.

Saturday (3/10), 6 PM

     Gathering at a NDBC member's home with hors d'oeuvres and a short presentation by Brent Walker. 

Sunday (3/11) Church School at 9:30 AM and Worship at 11 AM

     Brent Walker will be presenting to the combined Church School classes and will be the guest preacher in morning worship.

Do you know how our beautiful altar flowers get to our sanctuary each week? By agreement with a local florist, each week's arrangement is delivered to the church for a very reasonable fee of $100. Ideally, we'd like the altar flowers to be a self-sustaining ministry, and thus avoid requiring financial support from the church's operating budget. To do so, we are dependent upon continuous, sustaining flower memorials from NDBC members. These floral tributes are recognized in the bulletin as a gift to God in memory of a loved one(s), or in thanksgiving for someone or a special life event (or gifted anonymously). You can also choose to share the cost with other friends or family members, say to celebrate a birth or graduation, for example. The 2012 Flower Calendar is open now, and any Flower Ministry member will be glad to help you sign up for any Sunday throughout the year. You can also simply send a note or email to Renee at the Church office with the date you wish and memorial details.

through any of these ways:

> You can return your pledge card by "snail mail".

> You can pick up a pledge card at the door of the church office, fill it out on the spot, and leave it in the envelope on the Business Manager's (Rose Hidlay) door.

> You can pick up a pledge card in the Narthex, fill it out and drop it in the offering plate (or hand it to an usher).

> You can call the church office (404-237-8621), ask for Rose, and tell her your pledge (or even leave her a voice mail).

> You can e-mail your pledge to Rose at rose@northsidedrive.org.

> You can pledge via our website (www.northsidedrive.org) by clicking on the "Giving" link on our home page.

As a rule of thumb, we will not cancel Church School or 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 ministers and the moderator will consult and then make the decision.

  2) An email notice will be sent to all congregants for whom the church has email addresses.

  3) The moderator will notify the deacon chair.

  4) The deacons and other caregivers will attempt to phone congregants who do not have email or who might need special notification.

  5) The minister will notify the local television stations.