Christ is risenAlleluia!
CENTRAL CONGREGATIONAL
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
Sunday, April 10, 2016 
Third Sunday of Easter
Worship at 8:30am with Communion
Worship at 11:00am with a Special Choral Presentation
Pericope of the day: Psalm 30

WORSHIP NOTES:
This Sunday will feature two very different worship services.

8:30  Lectio Divina & Communion
Lectio Divina ("Divine Reading") is a Benedictine practice that approaches scripture with meditation and prayer as a "Living Word," and not a text to be studied.  Instead of hearing words "about" the pericope (a sermon), worshipers will be invited to listen to the Word itself and (if they like) share with the community.  As always, Communion will be part of the 8:30 Service. 

11:00 Choral Presentation of "Misa Criolla"
Central's sanctuary choir will present Ariel Ram�rez' "Misa Criolla."  Composed in 1964, this is the first non-Latin mass after the Second Vatican Council permitted use of the vernacular in Catholic churches.  The mass is scored for a number of percussion instruments, playing the interlocking rhythms of Ram�rez' native Argentina; string bass, guitar, piano and other percussion will be featured.  The choral music will be in Spanish and several of hymns from The New Century Hymnal will include their Spanish stanzas. 

A "Second Sunday Luncheon" follows worship (see below) and our annual Stewardship Program begins. 
SECOND SUNDAY LUNCHEON:  April 10, Fellowship Hall
Second Sunday luncheon, April 10 will be hosted by the Plymouth Harbor Board.  Soup, drinks and bread will be provided. Donations of desserts will be appreciated.

Camp Beech Grove
Registration Is Open: central-ucc.org
6 wks, May 31-July 8, All-Day Sessions, 5-8 years
Our small camp (24 maximum campers) offers young children opportunities to play in and learn about the forest and its habitats. We work to create a safe environment for their spirits to be fed and their hearts and minds engaged in the wonders of the forest at Central UCC. We do yoga, hear sacred stories, sing, play, dig in the dirt, and enjoy hands-on nature and science activities. Every day the kids enjoy forest walks and soak in all they can see, touch and hear. Our camp is part of Central Congregational UCC: open, progressive, evolving and Christian. Cost is $195 per week ($175 for church members). Email: [email protected]
 
Social Media
Like us on Facebook: Camp Beech Grove
Post Camp Beech Grove on your neighborhood listserve and then contact Sally Harrell if you place information about the camp on a listserve.

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

Volunteers Needed for Camp Beech Grove and Children's Sunday Programs
FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES TO THRIVE, IT TAKES A VILLAGE.
Even supporting Children and Families ministries, once every two months can make the difference in welcoming and supporting families with children in our church community.
  • Could you give one or two hours, one day a week or one week of mornings to help transport or serve children from Montclair to or from Camp Beech Grove?
  • Would you consider, two hours every month or every other month on Sundays?
 
NEEDED May 31 to July 8, 2016 for Montclair Children participating in Camp Beech Grove:
  • Morning church bus drivers (8:30-9:30am, M-F)
  • Morning church bus assistants (8:30-9:30am, M-F)
  • Afternoon church bus drivers (3:30-4:30pm, M-F)
  • Afternoon church bus assistants (3:30-4:30pm, M-F)
  • Morning time, adult leaders and assistants to serve cold breakfast (8:00-9:00am, M-F)
  • Bag lunch makers to coordinate with breakfast servers (Work at home)
  • Morning welcome persons are needed at Central UCC to welcome the children, give them their nametags and tend to any other needs. (8:30-10:00am, M-F)
If you have questions or interest, please contact Rev. Ginnie.
 

NEEDED on Sunday Mornings, September to June:

GREETERS 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. 
 
GREETERS IN THE EDUCATION WING
Every Sunday morning, we greet the children, the parents and all the adults who come to the Education Wing. Do you have a Sunday every month or even every two months when you could be at the welcome desk from 9:30 to 11:00?
 
GODLY PLAY STORYTELLERS & DOOR PERSONS NEEDED FOR 2016-2017
It's not too early to begin preparing for next Fall's Godly Play program. We need storytellers and door persons to keep our children thriving in our programs. We have a wonderful community of folks who lead the children with stories and wonderings but we need more. We hope for adults to share a story or participate as a door person once a month. This is a terrific program that benefits both children and adults in their questioning and connecting with the Bible stories. Please consider volunteering for next year. We will have a Godly Play training in August.
 
If you have questions or interest, please 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."  Our current DVD, featuring Walter Brueggemann (back by popular demand), reframes the Exodus story in surprising ways.  Brueggemann says, "It is a journey from slavery to covenant that we keep making over and over again . . . [because] Pharaoh has immense power always to draw us back into slavery." In thinking about our modern lives, how have we been drawn back into slavery?  Drop in as your schedule allows and you'll find lively conversation and a warm community.  Contact Sally Harrell.  
 
PRACTICAL THEOLOGY:
Sundays, 9:30-10:45am (Room 206)
Practical Theology: A Just Peace Covenant Community Class studies, explores and takes action on current issues.  We focus on scholarly Biblical and Progressive Theological issues of the day. 
*NOTE: We started this book weeks ago and then decided to defer our study until after Great Decisions.  The first week   Contact Jackie Graves Dominick[email protected]

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.



Childcare is available every Sunday
from 8:30 AM T0 12:15 PM (Rm 201)

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 
Clothes and Hygiene Products 
for Farmworkers
We are looking for new or used washcloths, hygiene products, or clothes for our farmworker ministry. Each year, we stuff gallon sized plastic bags with things such as razors, tooth brushes, tooth paste, band aids, shampoos, body soaps, nail clippers, and wash cloths. Our goal is to make 800 kits for our trip down to Valdosta, GA June 19-24, 2016. We are also collecting used clothing: men's long pants, long sleeved shirts, hats, shoes, and women's clothing. Want to know more about this important partnership with Emory? 
EARTH TOPICS: Thursday, April 7, 6:30pm to 8:00  (Fireplace Room)
Many of us want to share theologically and in practical ways about life on our planet. In April, we'll discuss Chap. 1, "Dirt" in Grounded: Finding God in the World by Diana Butler Bass. Reading is not required. Our last month gathering was canceled due to weather hence these are the same readings. All are welcome to our gatherings. Rev. Ginnie: [email protected]

LENA'S PLACE COFFEEHOUSE: Saturday, April 9, 8:00-10:00pm
Since 1984, Lena's Place Coffeehouse is a monthly opportunity to experience an eclectic mix of acoustic artists in a coffeehouse atmosphere. Lena's is staffed by volunteers who love (and often play) music and who take pride in a professional presentation.
Doors open at 7:30 pm. Where? Central UCC's Fellowship Hall.


Central Hosting Free Support Class
April 12th - June 21st (Tuesday Evenings)
6:15 pm - 8:45 pm 
Family to Family, an 11 week free class developed by NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) will be held at Central on Tuesday evenings, April 12th through June 21st. Offered to caregivers or family members of persons living with serious mental illness (for example, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression), the class will be co-facilitated by Shaune Lowrey and Central member, Dianne Hiltman.  Class time is 6:15pm to 8:45pm each evening. Have questions or want to enroll?  Contact Dianne (at[email protected]) or 678-468-9430.

PRISCILLA CIRCLE:  Wednesday, April 13
On Wednesday, April 13 Priscilla Circle will meet at Central at 9:00am and travel to Gibbs Garden.  Contact Joyce Myers-Brown for more information.

WOMEN'S DAYTIME BOOK GROUP:  April 14, 1:30pm
The group, alternating fiction and non-fiction, is now reading The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander.  The book has already been studied by a Central adult Sunday school class, and a few members participate in study/action groups outside the church.  In this unusual Presidential year, TNJC is also a startling look at American culture and politics.  This informal book group meets in the Fireplace Room every four-to-six weeks.  Great conversation always. Send an e-mail to Geneva Benoit if you would like to be on the email list: [email protected].
TABLE TALK: Tuesday, April 19 (Harrison home)
Table Talk is a safe gathering around shared food (potluck) to discuss our theological musings, wonderings and questions.  No advanced reading or preparation is required, but an RSVP to the host home is helpful.

2016 May Friendship Day
Church Women United in Atlanta
Friday, May 6, 10:00am
Radcliffe Presbyterian Church
284 Hamilton E. Holmes Drive, NW
Atlanta, GA 30318
Contact:  Joyce Myers-Brown for more information
Fellowship of  The Grape
Saturday, May 7, 7pm
Dianne and Paul Hiltman will be hosting Fellowship Of the Grape Saturday, May 7th at 7pm.  They have chosen IMPORTED Pino Grigio.
 
Please bring one bottle of wine our hosts have selected and any appetizer or dessert that will compliment 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 and they bring the beverage of their choice.  FOG is NOT about the alcohol it is about the FELLOWSHIP.   All are welcome!
 
Event Details: May 7th, 7pm, 2016 at 7:00pm.  RSVP to Dianne 
(678) 468-9430 or email [email protected]. If you would like to be added to the mailing list for FOG, contact coordinator RobinLee Fitch at [email protected]  We look forward to seeing you at FOG.

Address Change for Cecil Hess
Cecil Hess has moved. If you would like his new address, please be in touch with Vanessa McCollum in the church office.
2016 Endowment Applications
Central UCC has opened its annual call for Endowment applications.  The application can be found on our website and must be received by noon on April 29.
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