CENTRAL'S PHOTO DIRECTORY

Central's Photo Directory will be available Sunday, March 29. We are asking for a $5.00 donation to cover the cost of printing.  Thank you for your patience on this big project.

FIRST AID / CPR CLASS OFFERED: Tuesdays, April 7 & 14, 6:00-9:00pm We will offer a Certified First Aid / CPR class in March. It is a two-part class. We are grateful that one of our members, Judy Padgett, is offering this class for free. We need reservations by April 5.   Contact: Rev. Ginnie.

Children's Activities 

on Palm Sunday and Easter 

On March 29, we will celebrate Palm Sunday and Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem. The children are invited to gather at the back of the sanctuary at 11am. During the opening hymn the choir and the children will process. The children will go down the center aisle and back up the side aisles to the fireplace area. Children who are singing will stay with the Adult choir and only process down the center aisle. Following the palm procession, 3 & 4 year olds and K-2nd graders, who are not singing, will have Sunday school. Other K-2ndgraders can join their Godly Play class after they are finished singing their anthem.

For K to 5thgraders who are singing, there will be music at 9:30 followed by childcare till 10:55am.

On April 5, we will celebrate Easter.

There is no children's Sunday school. There is childcare throughout the morning. 

We will have three Easter worship services. Breakfast from 9:00 to 10:30am

Easter Egg Hunt at 10:00am sharp

We encourage you to bring your children to church to celebrate with everyone.

 HOLY WEEK SERVICES AND EVENTS

GOOD FRIDAY: Service of Tenebrae

Friday, April 3 at 7:00 pm

During this solemn service, we will enter the "shadows" (Tenebrae) that Jesus and the disciples felt as fear, betrayal and death sought to have the last and the lasting word. Through a progression of readings, hymns and choral anthems, twelve candles will be extinguished and the Christ candle sent to a sepulcher. Participants will depart in silence to enter the hopeful waiting for Easter's dawn and the return of the Alleluias.

EASTER SUNDAY: Sunday, April 5

7:00 Sunrise Worship on the Memorial Walkway (with Communion)

8:30 Worship (with Communion)

9:00 Easter Breakfast (See article below.)

10:00 Easter Egg Hunt for toddlers through 5th graders. (See below.)

11:00 Worship Service (with Communion & closing with "open choir" Hallelujah Chorus)

EASTER BREAKFAST: Sunday, April 5 at 9:00 am

Bring a dish, Clean a dish. It's time to begin preparing for our annual Easter breakfast.  We look forward to everyone bringing your favorite breakfast dish, and we also need volunteers to help set up, serve and cleanup Easter morning. Please sign up for a shift on the sign-up sheet in the narthex.

EASTER EGG HUNT: Sunday, April 5 at 10:00 am

The children from toddlers through 5^th grade are invited to be in the Commons at 10:00 am sharp. From there, different age groups are led to different areas around the church. The children are asked to bring their own basket but we also have several baskets available. All are welcome.

The next gathering is Thursday, March 26 at 1:30 in the Fireplace Room.  The book is The Life and Times of the Thunderbolk Kid by Bill Bryson.  Read and attend as you can; no commitment.  Send an e-mail to Geneva Benoit if you would like to be on the group's email list:neve44@bellsouth.net.

PLANTING AND MULCHING IN THE CENTRAL UCC NATURE PRESERVE

Mulching: Sat.'s, April 11 & 18, 9-11am  

Planting: Sat.'s, May 2 & 16, 9-11am

MULCHING: Ron Smith can lead the mulching on April 11. We need a team leader on April 18. And on each April 11 & 18, we need four or more people with good backs to shovel and move wheelbarrows of mulch through the forest, renewing the trails.

PLANTING: On Saturdays, May 2 and 16, we need as many planters as possible to help plant native grasses as part of the creek restoration project. We will have hundreds of small and medium sized plants to get in the ground. There will also be some work required to prepare for the plantings. And after the plants are in the ground, we will need supplemental workdays/crews to keep the plants watered until they have become established. If you can help mulch, plant or have some time during the days prior to or after the plantings, please contact Ron Smith (ronsmith310@gmail.com).

HEIDELBERG UNIVERSITY CHOIR

Tuesday, May 12, 7pm - Central's Sanctuary

"Have you ever met a Student Prince?"  You will get your chance on the evening of Tuesday, May 12 at 7pm in Central's sanctuary. The 50 member Heidelberg University Choir will be performing a concert themed "Faith, Hope, Love", under the direction of Dr. Greg Ramsdell. 

The music for this program is drawn from a diverse and eclectic potpourri of choral literature.  A few of the concert program selections are "Cornerstone", a piece with strong allusions to the gospel style; "Praise the Lord" an African folk song, "Break of Day" an emotionally charged setting of John Donne's poem and "No Time" an arrangement of three camp meeting songs.

Heidelberg is a Liberal Arts, United Church of Christ-affiliated University located in Tiffin, Ohio and happens to be the alma mater of Debbie Spearman, a member here at Central.  And yes, the collegiate mascot is The Student Prince!  We are looking for volunteers for housing the students and their adult leaders.  If you can possibly help lodge one or more the night of May 12, please contact Debbie Spearman (peacedls@aol.com).

GODLY PLAY 

STORYTELLERS NEEDED

We are planning for next year's children's Sunday school. We need a few Bible story loving folks who love kids to help keep this program alive! If you could tell a story once or twice a month, please consider joining our marvelous team! This summer we will offer a Godly Play training. Interested, contact Rev. Ginnie (ginnie@central-ucc.org).

PRE-SCHOOL SUNDAY SCHOOL 

11:00am to 12:00pm (Rm 205)

Through storytelling, games, and arts and crafts, the 3 and 4 year old children learn Bible stories and begin to explore ways to be kind to each other and our world.

8:30-12:15 Childcare available, Rm 201 

11:00-12:00 Sunday school, Rm 205 

Parents may pick up their children in Childcare at the end of church.

GODLY PLAY, K - 2nd Grades  

Please take your child to Room 201

Class in Room 207 from 11:10 AM - 12:00 PM

The class will hear stories about Jesus life and the seasonal stories of Lent and Easter over the coming weeks. The Godly Play approach helps children to explore their faith through story, to gain religious language and to enhance their spiritual experience though wonder and play.

11:00am The children remain in Rm 201

11:10am The Children are brought to Rm 207 for Godly Play.  

11:50pm Children return to Rm 201

12:00-12:30pm Children's Music, Rm 209

HAGAR HOUSE 

April 1, April 2 & April 3 

Thanks to the fifteen Central members who have stepped up to help cook and /or serve at Hagar House on April 1, 2 & 3.  All fifteen have been involved in this work over the last several years.  Although we are not scheduled to serve again until August, we would like to recruit new volunteers now to help support this program. Please consider volunteering and if you are able to help contact Fred Childers (cfchilders@gmail.com) or Maureen O'Brien (mob30064@yahoo.com).  

WE NEED MILK!!!! 

At Toco Hills, we like to give each of the 200 families we serve each week, a box or two of shelf stable milk.  We had been getting this through the Atlanta Community Food Bank, but it is no longer available. Please consider donating milk, either shelf stable or fresh.  It can be dropped off any time between 12:15 and 4:00 pm  Monday-Thursday .  If this is not convenient, or you have any questions, contact Mary-Louise Wilson at marylouisew1@aol.com.  Thank you!

LOW VISION INFORMATION

Are you experiencing a vision loss?  There is a VisAbility Store in Midtown Atlanta that may prove helpful by making your life a little easier.  They carry over 1,000 products including watches, games, children's toys, assistive technology, magnifiers and more. Contact:  VisAbility Store, 739 West Peachtree Street, NW, Atlanta, GA  30308.  Store hours:  10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. www.cviga.org/visability_store