No Matter Who You Are or Where You Are on Life's Journey - 
You're Welcome Here!
CENTRAL CONGREGATIONAL
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
Sunday, March 6, 2016 
Fourth Sunday in Lent
Worship at 8:30am and 11:00am: Communion at both services
Rev. Michael, Preaching
Pericope for Preaching: Luke 15:1-39
Worship notes: 
A caution:  beware hand-me-down exegesis.  The pericope for preaching on Sunday is "The Prodigal Son," one of the longest and most detailed Jesus parables.  Part of the beauty of the wisdom traditions is that they don't often provide "answers" to the questions, they provide lenses to find our way in our time.  At a recent lecture in Gainsville, Irish theologian Peter Rollings reminded the room that "Christianity is not really a world view, but a critique of world views." 

A preparatory exercise for Sunday, revisit The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.  Can you imagine more than one interpretation of the classic children's story?
Special Congregational Meeting
March 6,  following 11am Worship
Our moderator, Marion Crabb has called a special meeting of the congregation on March 6th after the 11:00 service, to consider the trustees motion concerning a capital campaign.  The motion (and the only item of business we can consider at this meeting) reads:

Central Congregational UCC shall have a capital campaign directed towards raising funds to be set aside for repairs and improvements that our campus needs now or will need in the near future as recommended by the Trustees and approved by Council.
CANCELLED - Earth Topics, March 3, 6:30 - 8:00pm 
Please note Earth Topics has been cancelled for Thursday, March 3rd. 
RESURRECTION GRAFFITI: Making a Community Banner for Easter
A central feature of the Easter morning story, in all the gospels, is the "empty tomb:" that, which was presumed dead, rises to new life. That sealed sepulcher, is busted opened. Fear, betrayal, death have neither the last nor the lasting word. The seed sown in the soil rises green in the spring.

During this season of Holy Lent, the pastoral staff invites you into an intentional period of spiritual formation and service-enter the graveyards of your life and communities and speak resurrection to your fears, anxieties, and broken places. Imagine spray painting words on the walls of a tomb you've been laid but are vacating. Leave "resurrection graffiti" for someone later to find as words of encouragement when they are bound in linen cloth in a similar space.

In the Fireplace room on Sundays, a community banner will be placed for you to place your mark: write on it (colored chalk will be provided), glue poems, staple pictures, report your Lenten acts of service or reflections-mark your resurrection. It's your space, use it how and as often as you wish; there is no way to "do it wrong." We will feature it in worship on Easter-the Day of Resurrection.
Spirit Rising:  Mary Oliver, Morten Lauridsen & Rev. Michael
A Lenten Journey of Wholeness & Spiritual Formation
Wednesdays, 9, 16 March 6:00pm to 7:30
Using the poetry of Mary Oliver and music of Morten Lauridsen, Rev. Michael will offer a 5-evening Lenten series of meditation, restorative yoga and healing stillness.  Each session will be designed to be accessible to as many as possible-no "yoga or meditation experience" required.  We will read and share poetry from Mary Oliver and rest and restore with the music of Morten Lauridsen (those who don't want to do yoga can "sit" or are welcome to exit during the transition). 

Suggested donation is $12/session or $50/series 
(or whatever you can offer). 
RSVP strongly requested (late-comers always welcome). 
 
"Mary Oliver's poetry is fine and deep; it reads like a blessing. Her special gift is to connect us with our sources in the natural world, its beauties and terrors and mysteries and consolations." -Stanley Kunitz
 
Composer, performer and educator, Lauridsen has spent his lifetime listening in deep silence to the 'inner song', bringing forth choral works of radiant beauty for the world to hear and sing.
 
Participants are encouraged to bring a journal; handouts will be available and daily postings on Rev. Michael's Facebook page (already appearing).
Radical Hospitality for Families with Children
We are inviting persons to serve as Children & Family Greeters during 11:00 worship.  Lookout for new families with children, welcome them, give them informational packets as they leave, and ensure they connect to the many ways in which Central embraces children and their families. During worship, you are invited to accompany unattended children if they leave the sanctuary. If you would enjoy getting to know new people and our children with this act of kindness, please email Rev. Ginnie (ginnie@central-ucc.org). 
Safe Church training is required.
Camp Beech Grove
Registration Is Open: central-ucc.org
6 wks, All-Day Sessions, 5-8 years

Neighborhood Leafleters Needed
Would you be willing to walk for about an hour in a neighborhood near church? We are placing camp brochures on the outside of mailboxes in designated neighborhoods.
Please contact Sally Harrell. Thank you!

Yardsigns
We would love to have a Camp Beech Grove yard sign in your front yard wherever you live in metro-Atlanta. Please stop by the Camp Beech Grove table on Sunday mornings or contact Sally Harrell and we will bring the yard sign to you. Donations of $5 to help defray the cost of the signs are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Social Media
Like us on Facebook: Camp Beech Grove.  Or even write a review! Put information on your neighborhood listserves. Registrations are coming in. Contact Sally Harrell if you place information about the camp on a listserve. Thank you!

We are so excited to be offering Camp Beech Grove to folks around Atlanta including our friends in the Montclair Elementary School neighborhood!

https://www.facebook.com/CampBeechGrove/

For the Children
Please note all children begin in Room 202.

CHILDCARE - INFANTS TO SECOND GRADERS
8:30 AM T0 12:15 PM (Rm 201, 202)

PRE-SCHOOL Bible Story Time
11:00 AM TO 12:00 PM (Rm 202)

Children's Sacred Program: Godly Play

5 YEARS OLD TO FIRST GRADES - GODLY PLAY
10:50 Gather in Room 202; 11:00 AM The Godly Play teachers bring the children from Room 202 to Room 207 where the Godly Play program happens!
In the Godly Play program is a sacred time with our children. Its story and reflection, community sharing and prayer, feast and blessing. All the parts of Godly Play make for the whole sacred time. The room is set up so that the children can live visually, verbally and with hands-on connections in the middle of the stories of our faith. The children hear sacred stories of the Old and New Testament, Jesus' parables, stories about Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter and stories about the church. After they hear the story, the kids have a chance to wonder about the story in conversation and respond to the story using art. We wrap up our special time together with a community time of sharing, praying and blessing.

SECOND TO FIFTH GRADES - GODLY PLAY
At 9:30 in Room 208. The 2nd to 5th Grade Sunday School will be exploring the Old Testament all year. For the older children, we, too, are engaging the older children in a sacred time of story, reflection, sharing, praying and blessing. With all the "liturgy" of our hour together, we hope for the children to gain a sense of the mystery and sacredness of God's presence in their lives.

CHILDREN'S MUSIC 
Central's Children's Music Group includes children in grades 1-5.  Children attending the 11:00 worship service leave with the Music Director during the closing hymn, and meet in Room 209, dismissing at 12:30. The Children's Music Group incorporates a mixture of vocal and instrumental music (tone chimes, barred instruments, percussion). On several Sundays each year, the children participate in the 11:00 AM worship, sharing the music they have learned. 
Contact: Rev. Ginnie 
Adult Spiritual Formation

Conversations: 
Sundays, 9:30-10:45am (Room 204) 
Come join our small group at any time.  Our only dogma is "no-prep."  We will resume on January 10 with the 21 session "Living the Questions 2.0" DVD series, a foray into progressive Christianity that encourages living the questions rather than forcing the answers. Featuring thirty acclaimed scholars, theologians and other experts, LtQ2 consists of 21 sessions. It was recently updated to include Diana Butler Bass, Brian McLaren and Robin Meyers. Drop in as your schedule allows and you'll find lively conversation and a warm community.  Contact Sally Harrell.  
 
Sacred Journeys:
Sundays, 9:30-10:45am (Library, Fellowship Hall)
Each week this group explores how spirit guides our personal journeys, and we gain new insights by listening to each other.  It is a sacred hour +, from 9:30 to about 10:50, where the discussion might be inspired one week by a poem, another by an excerpt from a book, a film clip, or an audio tape.
Contact Peter Benoit.

Great Decisions:  
Sundays, January 24 to March 13, 9:30 to 10:45 a.m.
Fellowship Hall, WR2
Our annual Foreign Policy Association study series Great Decisions will begin January 24 with 8 challenging topics. Great Decisions Briefing Books are available as long as they last. No advance preparation is required for the class. We use the Great Decisions DVD to introduce the discussion each week. All are welcome.
March 6:      Climate Geopolitics
March 13:     Cuba and the U.S.
Donations for South GA Farmworkers Health Project
It's time to start collecting clothing donations for the SGFHP this June. Do you have a community of friends or co-workers who might participate in a clothing drive? For instance, maybe you could ask your kickball league to donate one garbage bag of used clothing from each team member... OR maybe your department at work would like to participate? We are looking for men's long pants, long sleeve t-shirts, hats and shoes. Please contact Rev. Lacey with ideas. Thank you!
Trip To Back Bay Mission, 
Biloxi Mississippi 
June 19-25, 2016
Two years ago, Central UCC made a week long reservation for the summer of 2016 at Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, MS. BBM is a UCC Service Site that does all kinds of fantastic work in the city of Biloxi. They provide services to the homeless and restore houses that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina. The accommodations at BBM are comfortable. They have a large kitchen and hang out space where groups can cook all their own meals. If you are interested in either leading or participating in a week long service trip to BBM this June- please contact Lacey@central-ucc.org
Want to wash dishes? 
We need YOU.
Second Sunday Luncheon, March 13
We are in need of kitchen help and dishwashers for our community luncheon following worship on March 13. Our menu will include delicious turkey and ham sandwiches (vegetarian options available). If you would like to bring something to share, please consider side salads of any sort, chips, or dessert. If you have never washed dishes before or don't know your way around the church kitchen- that's ok, someone will be there to show you the ropes! Please contact Ginnie@central-ucc.org if you would like to help set up or clean up.
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER: 
Friday, MARCH 4
Join the women of Church Women United of Atlanta as we observe World Day of Prayer with women worldwide.  10 a.m.  Friday, March 4 at Peachtree Christian Church, 1580 Peachtree St  NE.  This year's rich service was developed by women from churches in Cuba.  For more information contact Joyce Myers-Brown (jmyersbrown@aol.com).
Garden Team - Saturday's: 
March 5 & 19, 10:00 - 12:00
Spring is 'round the corner - bursting with flowers and joy!  In preparation for Easter, join the Garden Team for workdays on Saturday, March 5 and 19 from 10:00 - 12:00. We'll be beautifying our grounds by clearing weeds from the parking lot median and other beds, mulching and planting wildflowers deserving of a good home. 
Thanks!- Ron Smith
Fellowship of the Grape
March 5, 7:00pm
Linda and David Fink will be hosting March Fellowship Of the Grape Saturday, March 5th at 7pm and they have chosen 
the wines of Tuscany, particularly the red wines made from Sangiovese grapes, such as Chianti. 
Please bring any appetizer or dessert that will complement this wine selection.  
For those not familiar with FOG, attending is one of the best ways to meet Central's members and visitors of all ages and stages of life in a casual setting.  The tastings are not formal, just informative.  You don't have to be a church member to attend and all are welcome!
 
FYI:  Several people have said, "I would love to come to FOG, but I don't drink alcohol."  Several folks attend FOG who do not drink alcohol.  FOG is NOT about the alcohol it is about the FELLOWSHIP.   All are welcome!
 
Event Details: March 5th, 7pm, 2016 at 7:00pm.  RSVP to 
David at 7705707842 or email dcfink1@att.net.  If you would like to be added to the mailing list for FOG, contact coordinator RobinLee Fitch at robinleefitch@hotmail.com.   We look forward to seeing you at FOG.
Women's Daytime Book Group March 10, 1:30pm
The book is A Man Called Ove by Swedish novelist Fredrik Backman, a somewhat lighter choice to follow up last month's dive into Atlanta history.  Our informal group meets in the Fireplace Room, every four-to-six weeks. Great conversation always. Read and attend as you can; no commitment.  Email Geneva
Special UCC Mission Offering: March 13 during worship 
One Great Hour of Sharing is an offering that makes the love of Christ real for individuals and communities around the world who suffer the effects of disaster, conflict, or severe economic hardship, and for those who serve them through gifts of money and time. Today, projects are underway in more than 100 countries, including the United States and Canada. In the 1990s, receipts have exceeded $20 million annually. While specific allocations differ in each denomination, all use their One Great Hour of Sharing funds to make possible disaster relief, refugee assistance, development aid and more.
HUNGER WALK 5K
March 13, 2016
Begins at Turner Field, Walk/Run starts at 2:00pm
Join folks from Central UCC as we get active for a great cause!

To sign up people need to go to www.hungerwalkrun.org click "register" and then choose the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Choose "join a team" and click on the search. Scroll down to Central UCC and click on it. The rest of signing up is pretty straightforward. People will have to pay $25 to walk and they can donate more if they wish. Most of the $25 will go to the Toco Hills Community Alliance (THCA). 80 percent of online donations will go to THCA with the rest going to the Atlanta Community Food Bank. To donate $$$ people can go to the website referenced above and click on donate. 
Toco Hills Community Alliance
Dinner Plates & Forks Needed!
At Toco Hills Community Alliance we serve about 60 hot lunches each day. We use real plates and forks. It is less expensive and better for the environment, but that's not the main reason. When an honored guest comes to your house, you give them your best, not a floppy plate and a plastic fork that may break! Please look around your house and see if you've got any plates that you are not using, even 2-3 would be a help. Either drop them off at THCA (1790 Lavista Rd) or give them to someone at your church who volunteers with us. Of course, we will end up with a wide assortment of patterns and styles, but we don't mind! THCA is like that, all patterns and styles of people coming together to get fed.
Villa International
Villa International, located on Clifton Rd. just up the hill from Wesley Woods, is a 33-room residence housing people from all over the world who are visiting or studying short-term at the CDC and Emory's Rollins School of Public Health primarily, but also many others including interns and seminarians.  Seven denominations joined the Presbyterian Church to create a welcoming community where visitors find acceptance, respect, and the comforts of home.   
 
Volunteers are needed to drive residents to shop for groceries and other necessities (they cook their own meals) or to occasionally provide a meal or an invitation to dinner or an outing.  Visit the website for details - www.villainternational.org. 

Helen Fredrick is the UCC representative to the Board.  Because the building is almost 50 years old, a capital campaign is in process to have money for maintenance and renovation.  You will be hearing more about Villa in the coming months!
Interfaith Community Initiatives 
Interfaith Community Initiatives has the mission of making Atlanta "interfaith friendly" and promoting understanding, trust, and respect between persons of differing faiths.  The website iswww.interfaithci.org, where you can go to find a speaker or schedule a seminar, learn about World Pilgrim trips or an "immersion weekend" (one is scheduled for March 4-6 and space is available!), or learn how to get on their mailing list.  Or call Jan at 404-622-3399.  
Donate to our ministries today!
Central UCC wouldn't be the amazing community of faith that it is, without your on going support. Thank you for giving. Your generosity is changing lives. 
STAY CONNECTED:
Central Congregational United Church of Christ
 | Phone | Fax | Email | Website