NORTHSIDE NOTES: June 15, 2016
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 Pastoral Reflections by James Lamkin"A Pastoral Epistle" Yesterday, I emailed a Pastoral Epistle to the congregation. This is something I rarely do. In a blog-laden world, pastors can be too chatty. However, a mass shooting of over 100 people in Orlando (with 50 of those shot dead), just required a pastoral a response. Some have asked about ways of finding traction between well-intended prayers and reasonable actions. I suggest connecting with Faith and Public Life (faithinpubliclife.org). Our own (in a way) Graham Younger is the GA Rep. He's a grad of Davidson College and UGA Law School. He was an intern at the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty. Plus, NDBC's Carol and Brett are his momma and daddy; and Caleb is his brother. Look him up.
Here is yesterday's Pastoral Epistle: Dear Congregation, Once again the bloody boots of violence have tracked-in death where there should be life. The mass shooting in Orlando, Florida, is the latest in this lineage of lament. Quickly, our minds replay all the other deadly mass shootings: Newtown, Columbine, Colorado, Blacksburg, Charleston...and many others. We search for quick-fix words to contain and explain: mental illness, terrorism, terrorist, and hate crime. Rev. Ken Sehested, former director of the Baptist Peace Fellowship, cautions about any short-range labeling. This most recent shooting certainly seems "the worst," but let us remember our history including Native American mass killings, and of course, the Civil War. In addition, the average daily rate of gun deaths in the U.S. right now is nearly twice the number of those killed Saturday night in Orlando. What do you say to international friends who are puzzled and shake their heads and ask us to explain how this "American gun thing" could be? Solutions are controversial; however, grief is universal. We will start there. There are two Atlanta events sponsored by Atlanta's people of faith. I invite you to consider attending one or both. Tuesday night, the Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta, will gather to mourn for the families of the dead, and to pray for the injured. It will be at 7:00 PM at the Center for Civil and Human Rights downtown. Wednesday night, at 7:00 PM, there will be a prayer vigil held at the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. I will be one of the prayer leaders and speakers...as I was one year ago. This gathering was already planned in memory of the Charleston shooting at the Emmanuel Church where nine persons were killed this week last year. Pray for me as I lead the Interfaith Gathering in prayer; and pray for us all as we balance contemplative wisdom with faithful action. On the day after 9/11/01, while the Twin Towers smoldered and our grief was a gaping wound, I remember the headline of a far away European newspaper. It simply read: TODAY, WE ARE ALL AMERICANS! May we, today, not just grieve for the black community or for the Charleston Church community or for the Orlando gay community. Let us grieve as a human community. With broken hearts, bound together in love, we are held in the hurting heart of God. |
 Mike's Memos
by Michael Gregg
"Reading to My Girls"
Jerry Muskrat had a choice to make. He could cower in fear at the scary animal damming up his brook or he could try to communicate, through his chattering teeth, with this stranger. Jerry chose to speak with Paddy the Beaver about the ill effects the mud and wood dam was having on the Laughing Brook and the Smiling Pool. The brook and the pool were not laughing or smiling anymore. The frogs, fish, turtles, and other animal friends had lost their homes when the water stopped flowing. Jerry had to do something. So he uttered a kind word to Paddy and Paddy responded with a kind word back to Jerry. A simple misunderstanding grew into a friendship and then, together, Paddy and Jerry found a solution to the problem.
I read to my girls every night at bedtime. I find no greater joy than snuggling into bed while two eager yet sleepy minds accompany me in grand adventures. Every night a spider that spells words in her web captivates us, Piglet and Pooh trying to help Eeyore build a house makes us smile, and the animal and nature characters, like the Merry Little Breezes of Old Mother West Wind created by Thornton Burgess, tickle our imaginations. I read to my girls because they love it; I read to my girls because I love them. But mostly, I read to my girls because I often find a hopeful and kind message in the midst of a bad day or heartbreaking world news. I find the gospel, the good news, among the dimly lit lines of a children's book.
On the nights following the shooting in Orlando, reading with my girls became sacramental. My grief was too big and my experience too limited to share the right words on Facebook or Twitter. I was speechless and almost hopeless. Too many words of accusation and reproach filled my newsfeed and my spirit. Where would I hear the gospel? I heard it among the fear and chattering teeth of Thornton Burgess's Jerry Muskrat and in the loving reconciliation of Paddy the Beaver. A tragic event that destroyed the homes of all of the animals of the Smiling Pond and Laughing Brook had made Paddy the enemy. He was big, unknown, and had threatened the lives of all of the animals by building a dam. Yet, Paddy and Jerry were honest with each other, clear in their communication, and resolved to work as a team to solve the problem. Paddy tore down the dam, became friends with the residents of the Laughing Brook and Smiling Pond, and even found a place to live among all the different types of animals. Why can't we handle mistakes, missteps, and misfortunes the same way in the real world? I don't know. But until we figure it out, I'll open the cover of a children's book every night as two drowsy darlings fall asleep to some good news.
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Upcoming Northside Kids' Events...
Family Lunch & Activity June 26 - at Souper Jenny's after worship Do your kids love the Atlanta History Center? Do you love Souper Jenny? We have the perfect activity for you and your family. On June 26 following worship we will meet at Souper Jenny near the Atlanta History Center and follow with some fun at the History Center. If your family has a pass, this is the perfect time to come! We hope you will join us!! Family Pool Play July 9 - at the Clark's at4 PM On July 9 at 4 PM we will have a Pool Play Day at the home of Jordan and Patti Clark. This is a time to have fun, relax, and play! With all the traveling and busying that goes on during the summer months, we want to offer a time to just relax and spend time with fellow families who are also exhausted from all the busyness of summer! Family Lunch & Water Play August 13 - at the Gilbert's from 11 AM-2 PM What better way to escape the summer heat than with a Water Play Day! The Gilbert's have opened their home to us again to have a fun day playing in sprinklers, having water balloon fights, sliding down the slip n' slide, and so much more! We hope you and your family will join us on August 13 from 11 AM to 2 PM. Lunch will be provided and fun is promised. |
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Summer Missions Project
Snacks for Summer Camps
The Andrew P. Stewart Center and Park Avenue Baptist Church provide summer camps for children living in the Pittsburgh and Grant Park communities. The Missions Team is collecting snacks for both camps.
Requested items are individual serving size juice boxes, granola bars, goldfish, fruit cups, applesauce cups, and chips (regular or baked). Collection baskets are available at the entrances to the Chapel.
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Summer Sermon Series
Not-for-Profits Prophets
Sundays, May 29-September 4 @ 11 AM in the Chapel
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June 19 - I Kings 19
Elijah: Still Small Voice
June 26 - II Kings 2
Elisha: Make It a Double
July 3 - II Kings 5
Elisha: Addiction to the Extraordinary
July 10 - Amos 7
Amos: Plumb Awful
July 17 - Jonah 3
Jonah: The Rest of the Story
July 24 - Micah 6
Micah: Let Justice Roll Down
July 31 - Zephaniah 1
Zephaniah: The Man with the Lamp
August 7 - Isaiah 6
Isaiah: Finally Comes the Poet
August 14 - Habakkuk 1
Habakkuk: Daring to Ask Why?
August 21 - Ezekiel 37
Ezekiel: Between Times
August 28 - Joel 2
Joel: A Theology of Entomology
September 4 - Jeremiah 18
Jeremiah: The Potter's house
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 Summer Lecture Series
Family, Gender, and Sexuality in the Bible
Sundays, June 5-August 28 @ 9:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall
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June 19 - Dr. Karen MasseyWas Dan Brown Right?
The Relationship Between Jesus and Mary Magdalene
June 26 - Dr. Lewis Bozard
To Value or To Vanquish:
Christianity's Mixed Messages About the Body
July 3 - Holiday Weekend
July 10 - Dr. Nancy L. deClaisse-Walford
Feminine Images of God in the Psalter
July 17 - Dr. Nancy L. deClaisse-Walford
A Feminist Reading of Psalms 90-92
July 24 - Rabbi Judith R. Beiner
Dreamgirls of the Bible: Women Who "Worked It"
A Look at Tamar and Ruth
July 31 - Rabbi Judith R. Beiner
Dreamgirls of the Bible: Women Who "Worked It"
A Look at Miriam and Esther
August 7 - Dr. Tina Pippin
Heavenly Women
August 14 - Dr. Steven M. Sheeley
Watching What We Say and Sing:
Committing to Inclusive Language
August 21 - Dr. Tina Pippin
Family Values in the Bible
August 28 - Dr. Steven M. Sheeley
Are We Really Reading Scripture? |
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You are Invited!
Kenneth William Brant
and
Andres Gabriel Arias
invite you to share
in the celebration of their marriage
Saturday, August 27, 2016
11 AM
Northside Drive Baptist Church Sanctuary
Reception to follow in the Fellowship Hall
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THIS SUNDAY'S
LECTIONARY TEXT
June 19, 2016
1 Kings 19:1-15a
Galatians 3:23-29
Luke 8:26-39
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SUMMER WORSHIP
IN THE CHAPEL
NOW thru September 4.
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GAS TURNED OFF FOR THE SUMMER
Turned off - April 30
Back On - TBD
As a cost savings to the church, the gas is turned off in the Spring and turned back on in the Fall. This is part of the summer savings program with Infinite Energy. We will have an electric water heater for use during those months.
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UPDATE YOUR INFORMATION
WITH US
Has your email address changed? Dropped your home phone line? Have a new postal address? We encourage you to update your membership profile regularly. This will allow NDBC to deliver information to you in a timely manner. You may login to your Access ACS account, email, postal-mail, or call the church office with updated contacts (address, email, phone numbers) or family information (DOB's, births, weddings, deaths). |
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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.
Mary Dutton
Jack & Joey Guynn
Nelle Holbrook
If you would like
your name placed
on our rotating TLP list, please give the
church office a call.
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JUNE
BIRTHDAYS
Steve Konenkamp - 1
Jolene Thomas - 1
Caitlyn Cook Furr - 2
Barney Moore - 3
Nancy Elaine Davis - 4
Jackie Poole - 5
James Gilbert - 6
Myrtie Cope - 8
Maria Schroeder - 8
Graham Mudd - 10
Larry Prince, Jr. - 10
Jacob Eassa - 11
Sandy Dunn Smith - 13
Rose Hidlay - 15
Gene Hill - 18
Deborah Oakley - 18
Len Willingham - 18
Joleen Neel - 18
David Fletcher - 21
Barbi Avery - 22
Dorsett Davis - 24
Melissa Boekhaus - 25
Joann Warmack - 26
Steven McAllister - 26
Lisa Bridges - 26
Jim Nicol - 27
Paige Whiffen - 27
Henry Hurst - 27
Lois Pickering - 30
Matthew Dew - 30
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YOUTH ENCORE!
The Youth meet once a month after church---either in the afternoon or the evening. Encore! serves as a time into which we place various events, including but not limited to after-church lunches, afternoon outdoor activities, evening movies, service projects, and trips to nearby spiritual sites (i.e. Monastery of the Holy Spirit, etc.). Any given month's Encore! event will be publicized via email, Facebook, and the youth newsletter. For more information contact Jeffrey Dunkerley at
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| ROMEOS
(Retired Older Men
Eating Out)
Every 3rd Tuesday of the month from 12 PM-1 PM (bring your lunch money)!
Piccadilly Cafeteria
1715 Howell Mill Rd
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PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
Prayer Shawl Ministry
Led by Susan Harlan
Every 1st & 3rd Thursday
@ 7 PM in the ParlorJune 2-Sept 1 the Prayer Shawl Ministry will meet in members homes. For more information call Susan Harlan at 770-377-3869.
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THE STAINED GLASS WINDOWS BOOK
A copy of the book is in the Narthex for previewing and the cost is only $30. To get your copy, call us at 404-237-8621 or email the church.
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THE PAPERLESS PINNACLE
The Pinnacle is emailed as a link to the congregation and is available on the church website at www.northsidedrive.org.
If you would prefer not to receive the Pinnacle by U.S. mail, please call404-237-8621 or email us
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NORTHSIDE NOTES ARCHIVES
Did you miss an issue of our Northside Notes? Visit our website to read more. |
CHURCH WEEK
~~~~~~~SUNDAY, June 19
Father's Day 9:30 AM - Children's Church School: Music & Missions 9:30 AM - Adult Summer Lecture Series 11:00 AM - Morning Worship
~~~~~~~ MONDAY-THURSDAY, June 20-23 Touching Taliaferro with Love Missions
~~~~~~~ TUESDAY, June 21 12:00 PM - ROMEOS |
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