Pastoral Reflections 

"Shine the Light!"

     When I was a kid, my father and I spent a lot of time together fishing. He on one end of the boat, I on the other, and between were cans and cages of crickets, catalpa worms, red wigglers, and a shiner bucket. These were coins of the realm paid to the "fin and gill gods" with cane poles, monofilament line, sinkers, hooks, and an assortment of corks.

     Plus, when we were on the lake overnight, we ran a trot line. Stretched between trees or stumps, the trot line would be about 50 ft. long with clipped-on hooks baited with pieces of liver. We were after catfish.

     Every few hours during the night, we paddled-out from shore and checked the trot line. From the moment you grabbed it, you could tell if a fish was on...and you could guess how many.

     Quietly, we would slip our hands down the cool, wet nylon cord pulling the boat along...careful not to get a fishhook stuck in our hands...which we always did...but we shook it off and kept going.

     Each time, my father would remove the fish and then rebait the hook. This was done in one seamless motion...like Tai Chi...except with a slimy catfish and a chicken liver.

     My job was to shine the light. This required focus and attentiveness, neither of which a 10 year old boy possessed at 3:00 in the morning, or any other time for that matter. My mind would wander. "If I shine this flashlight toward that star...how long would it take for the beam to get there?"

     But quickly I would be called back to the task at hand when my father would sternly say, "Shine the light!" For some reason, it aggravated him to handle sharp, barbed hooks in the dark. The longer the night, the more frequent and intense the admonitions.

     Finally, the night would be done; and at dawn we would "run the line" one more time. But this time, no light was needed.

     The Good Book has a lot to say about light. "You are the light of the world," says Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. His exhortation is to keep on becoming who we already are (as Kierkegaard allegedly said). And we of Northside Drive do that. Through our work and play, when we worship and pray, and what we do and say about loving God and God's world.

     We only have a few weeks left before Lent. We hold on to the faded memory of the Wise Men who showed-up bearing gifts, because a star's light had shown them the way. This is Epiphany.

     It still is. Though often dim reflections of God's loving light, we too show-up. We bring all the warmth and illumination we can muster. Like my father would "urge" from the bow of the boat on many a starry night, "Shine the light." Amen.

 by Mary Lou Swann

A New Year of Gifts and Songs

     In this season of Epiphany, our church children have learned of the Magi and their journey to adore and to offer gifts to the young Jesus. In early January, children's choir members Daniel and Rebecca Moore and Annaleigh Gregg served as costumed Magi during the processional hymn in the Epiphany of the Lord worship service. Last month, twenty young choir children of NDBC offered gifts of their own with musical offerings in Sunday worship and in Christmas Eve Vespers. In addition, they lovingly decorated and baked cookies (with assistance from Graham Mudd and other children's choir parents) to deliver to church members. While some of their most recent musical and culinary gift-giving took place before Epiphany, the children are encouraged to use their gifts of song and service during all seasons of the year.

     To that end, the children of the Cherub and Celestial choirs are preparing new songs to offer in worship in the coming months. In the process, they are learning, through music, that God is good and that He answers prayer. As they sing, the Cherubs are learning to praise Him, love Him, thank Him, and serve Him. The Celestial Choir members are also discovering that God knows each of them and has given each of them talents and abilities to serve and care for other people. One of those talents is the gift of singing. They are reminded that when they sing about God and Jesus in church, they help to lead others in worship. What a nice gift to share-any time of year!

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

@ 6:45 PM in the Fellowship Hall

     This is your opportunity to be updated on the works of the Ministry Teams and Committees of the church. Come see and hear what's going on with NDBC church ministry programs!

SAVE THE DATE...January 25

Our Annual "Souper Bowl Sunday"

     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.

Sundays @ 9:30 AM

in the Art & Soul classroom #202  

January 4-February 8, 2015

     Do you want to know how we got our Bible? Dr. Larry McSwain and Dr. Steven Sheeley will co-lead a six-week Church School session January 4-February 8. Join us in the Art & Soul classroom #202, at 9:30 AM, on Sundays for this special class.

The course topics include:

• How We Got the Early English Bibles
• with Michael Morgan (in the Chapel)
• Modern English Bibles
• with Dr. Larry McSwain
• How to Select a Modern Translation/Transliteration/ Paraphrase
• with Dr. Steven Sheeley

Baptist Women in Ministry Celebrates the Gifts of Preaching Women

Sunday Morning Worship @ 11 AM

February 15, 2015

    Beginning in 2007, Baptist Women in Ministry invited Baptist churches to participate in Martha Stearns Marshall Month of Preaching by having a woman preach during the month of February. This annual event has been a deeply significant source of joy and discovery for many churches as they have celebrated the giftedness of women. This annual preaching month is named for Martha Stearns Marshall, an eighteenth-century Separate Baptist woman.

   Our guest BWIM preacher this year is Paula Clayton Dempsey, Director of Partnership Relations for the Alliance of Baptists during the 11 AM service on Sunday, February 15, 2015.

     Dempsey has degrees from Meredith College and Southeaster Baptist Theological Seminary. She has served as a local church pastor, a director of Christian social ministries, a college chaplain, a hospice chaplain, coordinator of a spirituality center and is a wife and mother. She has also deepened her sense of calling to the contemplative dimension of the Gospel by studying with Contemplative Outreach and The Shalem Institute. 

April 24-26, 2015

Blue Boar Retreat

Robbinsville, North Carolina

SPACE & TIME ARE LIMITED

  Reservation deadline is Sunday, February 15. Make your reservation with a $100 deposit (made out to Joyce Wilson) & give it to Joyce Wilson or Virginia Gilbert.

For more information: Joyce Wilson (770)773-3333

Virginia Gilbert (770) 333-8933

Church Council*

       *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, and the Auxiliary Triple E.

     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.

February 18, from 1-2:30 PM

In the Fellowship Hall

     A book review of The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd will be Wednesday, February 18, at 1 PM in the Fellowship Hall. Billie Davis will be the facilitator and Robbye Taylor the hostess. Bring your lunch; dessert and beverages will be furnished.

     Northside Drive Baptist Church seeks part-time childcare workers for Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. One worker is needed to assist with the care of toddlers and/or preschool-aged children from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM each Sunday. We also need one worker each Wednesday evening from 5:15 PM to 8:30 PM to assist with the care of children of a variety of ages. We are open to hiring one person to work both Sundays and Wednesdays or hiring one person for Sundays and one person for Wednesdays. Duties will include childcare for various ages as well as responsibility for the safety and cleanliness of the nursery and preschool room. Compensation begins at $12 an hour.

     Interested persons should send inquiries and resumes to Dr. Michael Gregg at mike@northsidedrive.org. A criminal background check will be required of final candidates.

Submit YOUR pledge FOR

THE 2015 CHURCH BUDGET

through any of these ways:

   1- You can return your pledge card by "snail mail".

   2- 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.

   3- 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).

   4- You can call the church office (404-237-8621), ask for Rose, and tell her your pledge (or even leave her a voice mail).

   5- You can e-mail your pledge to Rose at rose@northsidedrive.org.

   6- You can pledge via our website (www.northsidedrive.org) by clicking on the "Giving" link on our home page.

     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.