A NOTE FROM TEDDY IVEY, DIRECTOR OF CONGREGATIONAL CARE
Rusty Grant and a group of church members and staff have been hard at work this year setting up another round of Courageous Conversations. Save the date now for courageous conversation weekend, September 11 - 12, 2021. This will certainly be a valuable time for this community and much needed given the climate in which we currently find ourselves. Allen Hilton will return to SSCC to guide us in what will hopefully be fruitful conversation. As Rusty mentioned in his email recently to the congregation, “The purpose of this event is to help promote healthy and productive conversation about some of the difficult issues facing our community, nation and world today.”
While these skills and discussions are vitally important for the topics of today, I argue they are equally important to the topics of our past and our faith. It only takes scrolling through the churches on television or visiting two or three other congregations to realize that even the stories of our faith that seem simple and straightforward can be interpreted and used in a variety of ways. Of course then, the more difficult stories can certainly bring a level of anxiety and even anger that leaves us unsure how to discuss them with our community.
This is especially true with those we label as heroes of our faith. Is Moses a murderer (Exodus 2:12) or is he the great leader we all remember from Sunday school? Is Noah the only one God could trust with the ark, or was he one who today would be labeled as a drunk (Gen 9:21)? And what about David…Is he the ancestor to our Lord and hero of our faith, or is he a power-hungry leader who cares more about himself than those he was called to serve? These questions may cause your stomach to churn a little. I suppose that’s why they call these conversations courageous. These are not easy things to discuss, but we must wrestle with these difficult stories as they are part of the history of our faith. What does it mean for us today? What does it mean for these biblical characters we are raised to call heroes? What does it mean for Sandy Springs Christian Church?
I’m not sure, but let’s talk about it.
Sincerely,
Teddy Ivey
|
|
Sunday, July 25, 2021
"Hero or Villain?"
2 Samuel 11:1-15
Teddy Ivey, Director of Congregational Care
This Sunday we will look at the darker side of David and what we do with this information when it comes to our faith.
|
|
To view the service this Sunday on our YouTube page, click here.
|
|
WE NEED YOUR HELP
Starting in August, we are going to have a worship leader for worship each week. The worship leader will lead a call to worship, read scripture, offer the call to giving and welcome visitors. All the words are scripted for you, so there is nothing to prepare. We just need individuals willing to serve as worship leaders each week. Having one worship leader each week will help the staff plan worship, give uniformity to the worship experience and give individuals who enjoy leading worship the opportunity to sign up well in advance. If you'd like to sign up to be a worship leader, please click on the link below. You may sign up for two Sundays, for now. Those who enjoy leading communion, offering pastoral prayers and preaching will continue to be recruited as they have been. If you have any questions, please reach out to the chair of Worship, Arts and Education, Stuart Michels, or Pastor Nathan.
|
|
Back to the Basics
The Olympics are back, along with concerts, family reunions and theater productions. We are coming together, again, in person. It’s been too long. As with beginning anything anew, it’s good practice to go back to the basics – to remember the reasons for which we are part of the groups and gatherings we attend. For people of faith, it’s a perfect time to refresh ourselves on the fundamentals of our faith. What are the basics of being church? Perhaps we can gain some insight from many of the “firsts” in scripture. What did Jesus do first after the resurrection? And what does Isaiah say to do first, to the people Israel? As we kickoff in-person programming once again at SSCC, let’s spend a few weeks reflecting on the “firsts” of being a community of faith.
August 1, 2021
First Things First
(Back to School Sunday)
Isaiah 55:1-13
Rev. Dr. Nathan C. Brown
August 8, 2021
The Essentials
Micah 6:1-8
Mark 12:28-34
Rev. Dr. Nathan C. Brown
August 15, 2021
Take Care
Genesis 1:26-31
Rev. Dr. Nathan C. Brown
August 22, 2021
Staying Power
Luke 24:36-49
Rev. Dr. Nathan C. Brown
_____________________________________________________________
August 29, 2021
Whoever Welcomes a Child
(TDS Sunday)
Mark 9:30-37
Rev. Dr. Nathan C. Brown
|
|
BACK TO SCHOOL SUNDAY
Can you believe another school year is upon us? Sunday, August 1st we will celebrate "Back to School Sunday." There's a lot happening in the life of the church that day. Our children and youth will finally return to Sunday School (adults too)! We will have Promotion Sunday in the Sanctuary at 9:00 am and children and youth will get to return to their old and new classes. We will also have a Blessing of the Backpacks during worship.
|
|
BLESSING OF THE BACKPACKS
Students of all ages are welcome to bring their backpacks to be blessed on Back to School Sunday, August 1st. We want all our SSCC family to know that we are here to support them over the upcoming school year.
|
|
NEW 12-WEEK STUDY STARTING 8/1
Have you struggled with faith? I have. I have spent hours in prayer asking God to give me the faith to believe what, to me, is unbelievable. Reading one book changed all that for me—The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg. I thought faith meant I was to believe what the Bible writers, theologians, and church leaders told me to believe. As I struggled to believe them, my relationship with God suffered. I was on their path to God; not mine.
Reading this book, I learned: Faith is not the goal; knowing God is. It’s more important to belove than to believe. The Bible is not all fact, but it is true. And our spiritual journeys are as unique as we are.
Starting August 1st, I will be leading a study of The Heart of Christianity. For 12 weeks, we will meet in the Whitmire Pavilion at 5:00 PM on Sundays to study, while sharing a meal and community. We plan to include a virtual component for this study as well. If you are interested in the study, please click on the sign-up genius below and include your contact information so that you are included in communications about the study. I look forward to going on this journey with you!
Leslie Lady
|
|
INTERNATIONAL DINING RESUMES
It has been eighteen months since our International Dining Group last met. Our July 2021 International Dining Group will meet on Monday, July 26 at 7 PM at Cylantro's Venezuelan Cuisine, 1570 Holcomb Bridge Road, Unit 365, Roswell. This is the third location of a restaurant which began operations in 2015. Their original location was recommended by a friend who was a resident of Colombia for nineteen years before moving back to Cobb County. It is excellent!
We would appreciate knowing if you plan on joining us, so that we may arrange seating for whatever size group we end up having. Please contact Milt Hill via email milthill@comcast.net or phone: (770) 241-6435.
|
|
MEN'S GROUP RESUMING SOON
We will be resuming our Friday Morning Men's Group soon. All adult male members and friends are welcome to attend. Since 1990, we have been meeting at 7:00 am on Friday. After a sixteen-month hiatus, we are open to changing our meeting time, if a better time can be determined. There may be some, or many, who have not joined us in the past because of our early meeting time. That time was set over thirty years ago so that those who are employed could attend before work. Most of our current participants are retired. Will more attend if we change our meeting time? We are open to changing the time of day, the day of the week, or having an evening meeting. We will resume meeting after receiving input.
If you would like to participate, what is the best time for you? Please respond to: milthill@comcast,net, (770) 241-6435, or in person on a Sunday morning.
|
|
GREEN CHALICE UPDATE
Sandy Springs Christian Church received Green Chalice designation a couple of years ago. While Rev. Bryce Bowers was our Pastoral Intern, he brought our congregation into compliance with Disciples Home Missions and the Green Chalice standards. We do an excellent job of recycling Sunday bulletins as we leave the sanctuary and using ceramic coffee mugs which helps us avoid filling landfills.
For other recyclables, we have a large blue cart near the upstairs elevator for office paper, cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, etc. Please try to put your recyclables in that recycling container instead of one of our regular trash cans.
ALSO YOU CAN...
- Bring aluminum can tabs to church for Ronald McDonald House Charities.
- Bring clean (real) corks - not the plastic kind - and place them in the Outreach cabinet.
- Community Assistance Center (CAC) can use clean plastic and paper bags - like you would get from the grocery store, and/or other retailers. These bags are used in the Food Pantry and the larger bags are needed in the Boutique. Bags may be left in the kitchenette upstairs.
WE ARE NO LONGER...
- Collecting bottle caps (requested last week), they have all they need.
- Taking cloth/clothing for ReLoom.
|
|
LOST AND FOUND
Are you missing your favorite coffee tumbler, sippy cup, Pokémon water bottle, fancy hearing aid, umbrella and/or Banana Republic sunglasses?
Well look no further. We have them here for you at church. Feel free to claim your lost items. But after two weeks, the unclaimed items will be donated to charity.
|
|
THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT?
Did you know you can download the Breeze app onto your phone and access SSCC Member Directory information right at your fingertips? You can download the app from the app store (for iphones and ipads) by CLICKING HERE. Please call the church office if you have any questions. |
|
PATHFINDERS CLASS - UPDATE!
Join John Mills and the Pathfinders in person every Sunday morning in the Leslie Classroom at 9:00 am. You can also join via Zoom by CLICKING HERE or to join by phone just dial 929-205-6099 and enter Meeting ID: 985 6868. The passcode is 831869. For more information please contact John Mills. |
|
PRAYER REQUESTS
Prayers are requested for Elton and Ann Border, Amy Frost's sister and brother-in-law for health related issues.
Please pray for our members and their families who serve as first responders and health care workers: Katie Gibson, Tracey McCluskey, Dr. Vijay Rathinam, Robyn Hicks and Pete French. Also those serving in the military: Michelle Brown (Navy), daughter of Cindy and Pete Brown. Tyler Brown (Army), son of Tami and Stephen Brown. Jared Mills (Army), son/stepson of John and Floy Mills. Rachel Robeck (Navy), daughter of John and Mary Robeck. Jamie Price Smith (Air Force) and Dalton Brown (Army) granddaughter and grandson of Barb Duren and Chaplain Kevin Mooney (Navy), Linda Whitmire's grand-daughter, Hayleigh Whitmire (Army) and Kathy Woodworth's step grandson Parker Mansel (Marines). If we are missing someone, please let us know so that we can include their name in our weekly prayers.
If you have any prayer requests or would like to reach out to Teddy Ivey, our Director of Congregational Care, please email him at Teddy@sandyspringscc.org.
JOIN SSCC!
You can join SSCC by a simple affirmation of faith! If you are attending virtually, just let us know you would like to join!
|
|
HELP DISTRIBUTE BACKPACKS FOR THE CAC!
If you are interested in helping to distribute not only the backpacks that SSCC stuffed, but others that were also donated. The CAC needs two to three volunteers each day. Please reach out to Cindi McCollough (csbfish@bellsouth.net or text 770-365-0365 ) see which times and dates need coverage.
|
|
HELPING THE CAC
CAC Pantry/Thrift Shop Expands to 5 Days,
The Community Assistance Center’s food pantry and thrift shop, Upscale Thrift, will once again be open 5 days a week. Contact Nolan at volunteer@ourcac.org for volunteering at the food pantry and Debbie at Debbie.Olson@ourcac.org to volunteer at the Thrift Store. Visit CAC’s website for more details.
|
|
MUST MINISTRIES: If you would like to donate and drop off items at Must Ministries please CLICK HERE to access a flyer that outlines the most needed items. Monetary donations are very much needed and can be done so online via their website, or send a check in the mail to MUST Ministries, P.O. Box 1717, Marietta, GA 30061. If you have questions please contact Cathy Cortright at cortright13@gmail.com. |
|
Dottie Gill July 15
Lynn McCahren July 17
Bryant McDaniel July 18
Breijanna Dyke July 20
Floyd Hale July 21
Karla Worley July 21
|
|
Bailey Mooney July 22
Patty French July 23
Cooper Gibson July 25
Alan Burgess July 30
Tyler Brown July 31
Donna Lassiter July 31
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
