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Weekly E-News May 2, 2014

PASTOR'S CORNER

In last week's sermon from John 20:19 the disciples are gathered behind closed doors, locked up in their fear and anxiety, and suddenly Jesus stood before them and said, "Peace be with you!" It seems as if Jesus had given them the answer to all of their fear and anxiety, "Peace be with you!" But we soon find out that one week later they are back up in that room, back behind the locked doors of their fear and anxiety, and again Jesus appears before them and says, "Peace be with you!"

One of our faithful members came by the office and said, "Thank you for the Easter sermon, the way that you tied in the story of the homeless man and his witness still gives me goose bumps. Last Sunday I kept waiting for something to take home with me. Something that tied it all together and I never heard it. I have been wondering about it all week."

I couldn't help but lift up that she was in good company. The disciples too were looking for something to make sense out of all that they had been through. They wondered what it meant. As they wrestled for Easter meaning, Jesus appeared in their midst and said, "Peace be with you!" A week later they were still wondering what it all meant and Jesus again appeared in their midst and said, "Peace be with you!" So let me lift up the fact that we too struggle for Easter meaning in our lives, that having the text work on us all week is a good thing, and that one connection you make with the Gospel is worth a hundred connections I might make for you. Keep wrestling with the Gospel, with the sermon, and let me know what connections you make. And as you wrestle with the Gospel remember Jesus' words to his disciples, "Peace be with you!"

In Easter wonder,

George

READINGS

Revised Common Lectionary Readings for Sunday, May 4, 2014, the Third Sunday of Easter (Year A)

Please see the link to the calendar:

MDPC Calendar

MDPCCP NEWS MDPCCP

The Spring Fling/Auction will be held on May 2nd from 6 pm-8 pm. The "Spring Fling" will include activities and games for the children as well as a silent auction for the parents.

MDPC NEWS

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

Monday, June 2 - Friday, June 6

9 am - 1 pm

For children who have completed Kindergarten up to those that have completed Fifth grade.

Volunteers Needed - Please sign up on Bulletin Board in back of the sanctuary.

ELECTRONIC RECYCLING EVENT

Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church and Atlanta Recycling Solutions have partnered together for an Electronic Recycling Event:

Date: Saturday, May 10 from 9:00 am-1:00 pm

Location: Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church

5140 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain, GA 30083

This will give the public an opportunity to dispose of their electronics free of charge with the exception of televisions. For more information, please click on the link below:

Electronic Recycling Event

CALLING ALL GRADUATES!

Please let Carl Line (770-484-0940) or Melanie Mackie (404 401 1443) know if you are graduating.

MOTHERS DAY OFFERING

On Sunday, May 11, our congregation will join with more than 200 Presbyterian churches in Georgia in support of the Caring Hands Fund for Presbyterian Homes of Georgia. Our gifts help to provide exceptional care and services for more than 400 elderly residents who have outlived their financial resources. Make your checks payable to MDPC and notate it for "Mother's Day Offering". The offering will be matched again by a generous donor.

NEWS FROM MDPC MEMBER

John Havick has written the nonfiction book, Ghosts of NASCAR: the Harlan Boys and the First Daytona 500 (University of Iowa Press, October 2013), about Johnny Beauchamp, Dale Swanson, and Tiny Lund. The three burst out of the cornfields of southwestern Iowa after WW2, first champions at local tracks, then Beauchamp and "motor magician" Swanson and swept through the Midwest winning a record 38 late model IMCA races in 1956. After an exciting second place at the NASCAR Daytona Beach event in 1957, Beauchamp won the first Daytona 500 in 1959, only to have the win taken from him three days later. In six chapters, this book lays out the evidence about the controversial decision. For more information see www.ghostsofnascar.com

In This Issue