NORTHSIDE NOTES - January 8, 2014

Pastoral Reflections

By James Lamkin

January 6 is the Most Depressing Day of the Year. Really?

Perhaps you heard the news. Flash: January 6 was Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year!

The reporter said what made it so was a combo of things:

1) It was the first Monday after the holidays...and first Mondays are tough.

2) You have to go back to work and you grieve that the holidays are over.

3) It is cold and wintery.

4) You are recovering from a food eating rampage.

5) The new year ahead looms large with unfinished projects and uncertain plans.

6) You've made New Year's Resolutions and already...already...with just six days into them, you've broken them.

Consequently, the survey said January 6 is the most depressing day of the year.

I get that. I can feel like that.

But I can also feel the emancipated joy of Ebenezer Scrooge, as he throws open the second-story window of his house. He's had a long night with time-traveling ghosts. "Hey, little boy," he blurts out, "What day is it?"

Except this time the answer is not, "Christmas Day." Rather, I hear the answer, "It's Epiphany Day!" The day where we name that God is not done with Christmas in just twelve days. In fact, Epiphany means that God is just getting started showing up.

The Magi arrive and bring the magic that comes with gift-giving. They turn up with stories about "yonder star" and jealous kings. They say they are there to worship this one to whom the star led them.

So, January 6...bring it on! I can handle my guilt of already missing a day at the gym. I can manage my bathroom's scale's bleak report that the pounds crept in again. I can survive the bleak mid-winter, along with the threat of tax season.

I can do this.

Not because I or we have any superpowers; but because God gives tenacity and hope. God gives just enough light.

The way the Bible tells the story, the gloom and doom that Herod's and Pharaoh's and other evils bring, never have the last word. God does. God's words encourage love, give courage, challenge us to serve and care, and against all odds, claim bold joy.

The Gospel journalist John covered Epiphany's breaking news: "Read all about it! The light shone in the darkness; and the darkness could not put it out."

May the gift of Epiphany come to you today and throughout 2014.

Church School Class for 2014

Now is the time to get connected to an intimate community and learning experience. Regular church school classes resumed on January 5, and we have a brochure and other materials online and in the church's Narthex. Make the commitment to attend church school in 2014!

Church Council*

The next Church Council meeting will be Monday, January 13, at 7 PM in the Fellowship Hall.

*The Church Council consists of the Moderator, Senior Pastor, Treasurer, and Church Clerk, the chairs of the Diaconate, the Finance, Personnel, and Nominating Committees, the Adult Education, Children's, Communications/Technology, Facilities Management, Grounds, Landscaping, Hospitality, Marketing, Membership Development, Memorial Gifts, Missions, Preschool Liaison, Worship/Music, and Youth Ministry Teams, the Auxiliary Triple E, and the church staff.

Triple E: History of Oakland Cemetery

Ren and Helen Davis, Authors

January 14, @ 11 AM, Fellowship Hall

Historian Franklin M. Garrett has written that Oakland Cemetery is "Atlanta's most tangible link between the past and the present." Within its forty-eight acres are more than seventy thousand personal stories---of settlers and immigrants who forged a city from a rowdy railroad camp right up through civic and business visionaries who brought the Phoenix City from the ashes of the Civil War to prominence on the international stage. Come enjoy a Fellowship Hall "tour" of this landmark.

Pastor's Wednesday Morning Bible Study

Wednesdays in 2014

@ 10:30 AM, in the Conference Room

We meet weekly from 10:30-11:30 AM, in the church's Conference Room. We study the texts selected in the Revised Common Lectionary for the next Sunday. Large print editions are available each week and for the upcoming Sunday. Discussion is deep and wide and lively. All are invited.

NDBC Book Club

January 15 @ 1 PM, Fellowship Hall

A book review of Nightwoods by Charles Frazier will be Wednesday, January 15, at 1 PM in the Fellowship Hall. Billie Davis will be the facilitator and Mary Ann Hickman the hostess. Bring your lunch; dessert and beverages will be furnished.

Seven More Weeks!

A Book on the Boundary:

A Study of Deuteronomy

Led by Rev. Mike Gregg

January 15-February 26, @ 6:30 PM

In Room 202

We will take seven more weeks to complete our study of the book of Deuteronomy before the beginning of Ash Wednesday and Lent. You have not missed much, so come and join the discussion. If you are new, Mike will provide you with information and materials from the previously studied chapters.

A Summary: The Israelites are on the verge of entering the Promised Land. Moses delivers a pep talk to guide the people as they look ahead to their new lives as followers of the One God. Deuteronomy is a book on the boundaries. The reader is taken to the boundary of the land, the edge of the future of the Hebrew people, and the threshold of a new understanding of God. This study will explore the limits of the text while increasing our knowledge of God's law.

Chapters 1-4

The Spies and Remembering the Wilderness Journey

Chapters 4-6

The Ten Commandments

Chapters 7-11

Taking the Land, the Golden Calf, and the New Tablets

Chapters 12-26

The Deuteronomic Code: Worship, Diet, Leadership, & Identity

Chapters 27-28

Blessings and Curses

Chapters 29-30

Renewal of the Covenant and Exhortation to Obedience

Chapters 31-34

Joshua Becomes Leader, The Song of Moses, and Moses Dies

Family Lunches after Church

Northside kids Join with other NDBC families for after-church lunches. Everyone is invited for a time of fun and fellowship together! We hope to see you there.

January 19 - Zoe's Kitchen

For more information contact Amanda Gregg at amanda_agd@yahoo.com.

LifeSpan Resources

The winter quarter of LifeSpan Resources at Peachtree Road UMC begins January 23, and will run through March 7. Come join your friends and may interesting classes. 404-237-7307

Souper Bowl Sunday

SAVE THE DATE

January 26, 2014, @ Noon

In the Fellowship Hall

Volunteers are needed to either prepare a pot of soup or chili, or to bake cookies or brownies!

If you are not fond of cooking we can always use help with set-up or clean-up. Whatever your talents are, join us that day for fellowship and fun. The donations we collect that day help support the Hunger Fund. To volunteer contact Mona Stines at mona.stines@att.net or 404-936-8812.

Good News on Year-to-Date Church Budget and Income

Per the November 30, 2013, NDBC Financial Report, we continue to be a generous church, even during difficult financial times for many. Year-to-date offerings are $651,084.94 and reflect an increase of $23,362.44 (3.6 %) compared to $627,722.50 for the same period during 2012. The Total Revenue for November 30, 2013, was $657,757.89, compared to $634,193.77 at the same time a year ago.

Let us give thanks to God and to the generous folk of Northside Drive Baptist Church.

"wHERE" Resources are Shared Generously

When we cast our bread upon the waters, we can presume that someone downstream whose face we will never know will benefit from our action, as we who are downstream from another will profit from that grantor's gift. ~ Maya Angelou

GOOD NEWS-Your generosity is changing the world! Your pledge to NDBC is important in ways you may never know.

Every year at least 12% of NDBC's total annual budget is earmarked to go directly to feed the hungry, fight homelessness, empower children and families, respond to the needs of people in crisis, and lead a new generation into a greater life of generosity and service in Christ's name. Together we can make small changes that ripple through peoples' lives in powerful waves. Partnering with a wide variety of local, national and international non-profits, Northside Drivers provide important financial assistance, but also provide vital hands-on service that not only advances the work of these organizations, but we believe such service "is crucial to our own discipleship and the mission of Christ in the world." A few of our partner organizations can be found listed on our church website at northsidedrive.org.

"...wHERE resources are shared generously, and wHERE hands-on service is crucial to our own discipleship and the mission of Christ in the world..." ~ NDBC Vision Statement

Submit Your Pledge

for the 2014 Church Budget

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 and ask for Rose (404-237-8621). 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.

A Word About Bad Weather and the Church

As a rule of thumb, we will not cancel 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 make the decision.

2) The ministers and the moderator will notify the deacons.

3) The ministers will email all those on the church's email list, and place a notification on the church's voice mail (if electricity and phone service are available).

4) The deacons will call members who need to be notified, but do not have email.

Church Week

SUNDAY, January 12

9:30 AM - Church School

10:25 AM - Children's Choir Practice

11:00 AM - Morning Worship

12:15 PM - Children's Ministry Team

12:15 PM - Diaconate Meeting

12:15 PM - Worship & Music Ministry

5:00 PM - Northside Drive Ringers

MONDAY, January 13

9:00 AM - Preschool Liaison Meeting

7:00 PM - Church Council

TUESDAY, January 14

11:00 AM - Triple E

6:30 PM - Personnel Committee Meeting

WEDNESDAY, January 15

10:30 AM - Pastor's Bible Study

1:00 PM - NDBC Book Club

5:30 PM - Northside Yoga

6:30 PM - Deuteronomy Bible Study

7:00 PM - Prayer Shawl Ministry

7:30 PM - Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
shawl

Come join us on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month at 7 PM, in Room #207, the Parlor, to knit or crochet a prayer shawl. If you are not sure how, no problem, there will be plenty of people to help you get started. This group is open to anyone who would like to join! For more information call Susan Harlan at 770-377-3869.

NORTHSIDE YOGA
Yoga logo

YOGA meets on Wednesdays @ 5:30 PM, in the Fellowship Hall with Amanda Gregg. The cost is $60 for a 6 week session or $13 per class for drop-in. Bring a mat, water, small towel, and wear comfortable clothing. To make a reservation for a class session, email Amanda at mandayoga@gmail.com or visitwww.northsidedrive.org.

Volume 6 - Issue 2

MLK HOLIDAY

The Church & Preschool offices will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day on Monday, January 20, 2014.

THIS SUNDAY'S
LECTIONARY TEXT

January 12, 2014

Psalm 29:1-11

Acts 10:34-43

Matthew 3:13-17

HIGHLIGHTS

Church School 2014

Church Council

Triple E

Morning Bible Study

NDBC Book Club

Deuteronomy

Northside Kids

LifeSpan Resources

Souper Bowl Sunday

Good News

"wHERE" Resources...

Submit Your Pledge

Bad Weather

Church Calendar

TLP

Birthdays

Paperless Pinnacle

This Week's

TENDER LOVING

PRAYER

(TLP List)

The TLP is a Diaconate ministry. Each week's list contains the rotating names of three or four NDBC senior adults.

Wilton & Martha Looney

Dene Maltbie

John Powell

Virginia Schwatel

----------------

In addition, this week we pray for...

Gordon & Billie Davis

If you would like your name placed on our rotating TLP list, please give the church office a call.

JANUARY

BIRTHDAYS

Chelsea Clarke - 1

Len Shelton - 2

Barbara Schroeder - 2

Dene Maltbie - 3

Gary Clark - 3

Jon Bell - 4

Katherine Bryson - 6

John Davis - 6

Bev Hall - 7

Witt Dietrich - 7

William High - 7

Joyce Wilson - 7

Ruth Kramedjian - 7

Don Janney - 9

Cynthia Tunon - 9

Pam Wamberg - 9

Charlton Roberts - 14

Libby Martin - 15

Sebastian Almeida - 15

Jeanne Hill - 16

Jane Jerden - 16

Anne Ledbetter - 16

Fabio Molina - 16

Lindsay Dietrich - 16

Donna McLarty - 17

Vanita Morgan - 17

Annie Tucker - 19

Gene Bridges - 19

Gail Hermance - 22

Harry Mathis - 22

Luke Fletcher - 22

Nancy Hall - 23

Clara Harbin - 24

Will Egan - 25

Jackson Singleton - 25

Stephanie Jones - 25

Michael Hermance - 26

Lanier Meeks - 28

Betty Almeida - 29

Karen Perry - 29

Riley Isakson - 31

ROMEOS
(Retired Older Men
Eating Out)

Every 3rd Tuesday of the month from 12 PM-1 PM.

A time to visit with friends,

tell stories and eat good food (bring your lunch money)!

Piccadilly Cafeteria

1715 Howell Mill Rd

NDBC 2030

NDBC 20.30 is a group for singles and couples in their 20's and 30's to come together for special events, social gatherings, Bible studies, and mission work. We are an informal and casual group. Even if you are not a member of Northside Drive Baptist, you are invited and accepted. We are a group that explores life together in hopes of learning more about ourselves, our place in the world, and our connection with God. NDBC 20.30 is place to be honest and a place to belong.

UNPLUGGED

Young Adult Dinners at Home

Every First Friday Night at 7 PM

Sharing food and friendship that feed our souls. Join us as we unplug from our busy schedules and gather for casual dinners at the homes of members of Northside Drive Baptist Church. Bring a side item or dessert and the main course will be provided. For more information, contact Mike Gregg at mike@northsidedrive.org. Check the Young Adults event calendar on the website, Facebook page, or in print for a full list of dates.