A NOTE FROM JANET HOWELL
Last week, the SSCC Visioning Team had its last official meeting. After a year of work on behalf of SSCC, our contract with Ministry Architects has officially ended and the Visioning Team’s work completed.
As you may recall, the Visioning Team was selected in May, 2019 and our first meeting was held June 10, 2019. Over the course of the last year, we have worked on developing a Mission and Vision for SSCC, along with helping the church move forward in some areas of growth that came out of the Ministry Architects initial assessment. The Visioning Team’s commitment was to work together through the end of April, 2020 to help the congregation create and take initial steps toward achieving specific goals. That commitment is now complete and I want to thank our team members, Nathan Brown, Scott Dalton, Patty French, Jenna Hicks, Owen Janeway, Susan McCluskey, and David McGahee for all the time, energy and passion they gave to this process.
I called them the dream team, as they worked together very cohesively for the greater good of SSCC. We are also grateful for the tremendous leadership of those at Ministry Architects, particularly Lesleigh Carmichael and Hayley O’Connor. We want to extend a special thanks to others in our congregation, who graciously stepped in to help in specific areas, where their expertise was required. They are mentioned in the following highlights of our goal accomplishments to date.
Claiming our Identity
This was completed December 8th at our Congregational meeting. We want to thank you again for your approval and adoption of our Vision, Mission and Core Values, as well as, the new open and affirming statement for our Bylaws/Constitution.
Deepening our Spiritual Foundation
Kimbrell Teegarden conducted an assessment and documented our current curriculum and programming from birth to death, which was presented to the Leadership Council April 27. Leslie Lady will work with Nathan and Kimbrell to devise a way to get additional details from Elders, Leadership and Visioning team members to further define what spiritual growth expectations they have, if any, and the obstacles preventing their participation.
Serving Our Neighbor
Kendra Plotkin conducted an assessment and documented our current Outreach programs, which was presented to the Leadership Council April 27. Jenna Hicks will be working with Leadership Council members to establish an Outreach Task Force to further define future opportunities.
Sharing SSCC with the World
The Leadership Council approved a change to move to Breeze, a user-friendly church software in their April 27 meeting. Cathy Cortright and Owen Janeway have led this effort, working closely with Amy Frost and Kathryn Hartman. We will begin the transition next week to move all the data from the old system to the new. This new software offers member profile management, automated attendance tracking, text to give and online event registration. Stay tuned as we’ll be asking you to sign in and confirm your profile information later this month.
Realigning our Organization
Volunteer opportunities were defined and documented. We are working to engage our church members and frequent visitors to get involved as much or as little as they would like. You’ll be hearing more about this later this month.
Leading Courageous Conversations
Rev. Dr. Nathan Brown and Leslie Lady developed a plan to host an event for courageous conversation in 2020. More details will be available after we determine when we will be in a position to open our doors to the community.
It has been delightful being a part of the Visioning Team and I’m truly grateful for all the work, which has been completed thus far. The Leadership Council will continue to focus on achieving the remaining goals through 2022. Thank you, SSCC, for all the prayers and support along the way.
With Gratitude,
Janet Howell
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ONLINE WORSHIP ONLY THROUGH MAY
In an effort to continue keeping one another safe at this time, Leadership has decided to extend online worship only through the end of May. We will reevaluate circumstances for June. The building is closed during this time and all in-person activities are cancelled. The staff is working primarily from home. If you need something, you can contact a staff member directly by email or call the church office, as voicemails are being checked regularly. Thank you for your ongoing patience and understanding during this unprecedented time. Continue to look to the newsletter for ways to stay connected to SSCC.
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Easter Sermon Series
Resurrection
Being Easter People in a Good Friday World
The apostles did not live during a pandemic. They did, however, fear for their lives every day. Despite the challenges they faced, they found ways to live and practice their faith. Today we are doing the same. During the Easter season, we will reflect on how to be Church, from the earliest Church, through the Acts of the Apostles. Resurrection may have come and gone, but the risen Christ’s body lives on through his followers, no matter the circumstances.
Sunday, May 10, 2020
Be Honest
Acts 7:55-60
Rev. Dr. Nathan C. Brown
Sunday, May 17, 2020
Repent
Acts 17:22-31
Rev. Dr. Nathan C. Brown
Sunday, May 24, 2020
Keep it Simple
Acts 1:6-14
Rev. Dr. Nathan C. Brown
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VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR
Because Sunday is Mother's Day, we will not have virtual coffee hour this week. Look to the newsletter and the Friday blast for more information about our next one. It was great to see everyone last week!
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PRAYER REQUESTS
Prayers for Sharon Hannah Nickelson as she undergoes more treatment.
We pray for our SSCC family members who serve as first responders and SSCC's own serving in the military: Jamie Price Smith, Rachel Robeck, Michelle Brown, Tyler Brown, Derrick Brown, Kevin Mooney, Jared Mills and Dalton Brown. (If we are missing someone, please let us know so that we can include their name in our weekly prayers).
JOIN SSCC!
You can join SSCC by a simple affirmation of faith anytime! If you want to join during this virtual time, just let Pastor Nathan know and we will make that happen. He can announce it during the livestream on Sunday morning! Simply
e-mail Pastor Nathan
to let him know you would like to join!
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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Each Tuesday we send out a "Bright Spots" email. We want to encourage folks to participate by sharing pictures, videos, or submitting positive and uplifting messages with the SSCC community. Be creative!
Let us know what you and your families are doing these days, how you're coping with being cooped up, and do we even dare to ask how home schooling is going?
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EARTH DAY CHALLENGE UPDATE
Thanks for participating in SSCC’s Earth Day celebration! We had 11 families contribute photos either to the SSCC FB page or for the digital photography project. There weren’t enough submissions to make a digital book, we created a Collage/Poster with some of the contributions for you to enjoy. Thank you Cindy Brown for putting it together!
I hope you find these contributions to be as inspiring as I do. Caring for our Earth is sometimes a bit of a lonely project. You wonder if your little bit can possibly make much difference in the scheme of things, but here’s proof. We have the power to encourage and inspire one another by our everyday actions! In that way our contributions add up to more than the sum of our individual parts.
We also had three creative families contribute art projects. Thank you, your Chick-Fil-A reward cards are coming soon.
Thank You, Janis Hill, Care & Connect
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MASKS NEEDED
Pastor Nathan recently checked in with Rick and Dianne Almand. They are doing well, and plan to get their two Rising Roll restaurants opened as soon as possible.
Before they reopen, they are asking for our help. The Almands write, "We are wondering if
there is ANYONE in the congregation who has access to standard 3-ply disposable masks that hook over the ear. SUPPOSEDLY, we have 100 masks coming this week. We know masks are going to be required for all the employees but it is difficult to find them available and when we do, they won't ship for weeks. If you know anyone who knows anyone, we would appreciate that contact information. Please send it to
diannealmand@att.net
"
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DOING MINISTRY DIFFERENTLY
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FOOD ASSISTANCE IN-REACH PROGRAM
SSCC Outreach realizes that the Covid-19 crisis is directly impacting many families in our church community. If you or someone you know in our church community are facing food insecurity because of a decrease or loss in income, we want to offer some support. This program is offered for members and regular visitors of SSCC. Please privately contact Jenna Hicks so that we can provide assistance to keep your pantry full.
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GROCERY/ERRAND MINISTRY
In the wake of Covid-19, Tim and Breijanna Dyke have offered to pick up groceries or run small errands for those among us who can't get out. If you need some assistance, but do not feel comfortable leaving your home, or would like to help Tim and Breijanna with this ministry, you may contact them at
breijney@gmail.com
, 360-632-9455 or
tim.dyke@icloud.com
, 513-615-4609.
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SUBMITTING PRAYER AND CONGREGATIONAL CARE REQUESTS
Due to the fact that we are holding "virtual" church service, and are not able to submit prayer requests, please use the following emails and/or phone numbers to submit your requests:
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CONNECT WITH OTHERS
SSCC has subscribed to zoom for anyone who might need it to virtually meet using a video conference method. Only one group can use our account at a time. If you would like your group to use zoom to virtually meet, please contact Amy Frost via em
ail
(amy@sandyspringscc.org)
t
o schedule your group on the calendar. We can help you learn how to send an invite to your group.
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CAC NEEDS YOUR HELP
Sandy Springs Christian Church is helping an effort to assist local area families who are most vulnerable during this time. In partnership with Community Assistance Center (CAC) which is located in Sandy Springs and houses one of the largest Food Pantry programs in the Metro Atlanta area, we can help families and individuals who face financial hardships due to lost income and medical expenses.
CAC is in need of online cash donations to purchase food gift cards and most needed items not currently stocked in their pantry as well as funds to help with rent. Online donations reduce the number of human interactions as we all do our part to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. To donate to Sandy Springs Christian Church Relief Fund for CAC
CLICK HERE
. For updates on volunteer opportunities and services visit CAC at
www.ourcac.org
.
Food Pantry Needs:
Canned Meat, Tuna, Chicken, Beef Stew, Chili, Rice, Dried Beans, Canned Fruit, Cereal, Mixed Vegetables, Baking Mixes, Milk and Juice Boxes for kids and Plastic Bags.
You may bring donations to the CAC Food Pantry at 8607 Roswell Rd. Sandy Springs, GA 30350.
Food Donation Times:
- Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm
- No Saturday hours.
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MUST MINISTRIES DONATIONS
Sandy Springs Christian Church has a long standing relationship with MUST Ministries.
Food donations (see list below) are very much needed and can be delivered in the following manners…
1. Drop off at the MUST Donation at 1280 Field Parkway in Marietta, 30066, Tuesday through Saturday, 9 to 5pm or
2. Drop off at MUST Cherokee at 111 Brown Industrial Parkway, Marietta.
3. Order food through Amazon and have it delivered to the addresses above.
Monetary donations are very much needed and can be delivered in two manners…
1. Online via their website, or for those who are reluctant to give online
2. Send
a check in the mail to MUST Ministries, P.O. Box 1717, Marietta, GA 30061.
Please
CLICK HERE
o
r on the picture to the right to access a flyer for more information and how you can help.
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Bruce Lady 05/01
Bryan Strickland 05/01
Jordan Helton 05/02
Phil McCollough 05/02
Campbell Torbert 05/03
Rachel Robeck 05/04
Joyce Edwards 05/04
Jo Ann Baright 05/05
Nancy McDaniel 05/06
Darby Peterson 05/07
James Godfrey 05/07
Frances Grant 05/08
Andrew Michels 05/09
Ryleigh McGahee 5/10
Lawrence Steinmetz 05/10
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Stacie Booker 05/10
Lauren Jones 05/10
Garrett Michels 05/12
Monica McGahee 05/13
Casey Evans 05/16
Steve Butz 05/17
Jim Armstrong 05/17
Anslie Worley 05/21
Owen Janeway 05/22
Ruth Michels 05/23
Susan McCluskey 05/25
Maisie Worley 05/26
Delane Bickelhaupt 05/27
Michelle Brown 05/30
Josie Worley 05/31
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