The Pinnacle
October 30, 2020
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What a week this has been! The church and most congregants have been without power for some time, and trees seem to be blocking every side street and major road in Atlanta. A bit of hyperbole perhaps, but close enough. We pray for your safety and well being during these...interesting times.
James will be communicating further about this tomorrow, but right now the plan is for us to gather for worship in the Sanctuary this Sunday, November 1, 2020 at 11:00 am--with or without power. Our Covid Group has been working on protocols which James will be sharing with you soon.
Come join us for our annual All Saints Sunday service. There will be a Church-in-Conference meeting immediately following morning worship. The purpose of the meeting is to vote on the 2021 budget. The regular online worship service will also be available via Facebook at 11:15 am and via You Tube at 11:15 am.
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Church-in-Conference Sunday Nov. 1
to consider the 2021 proposed Challenge Budget
On Sunday November 1, at the scheduled Church in Conference, our church community will consider the proposed challenge budget for 2021. This budget has been recommended unanimously by both the Church Council and the Finance Committee. We will review the proposed budget Sunday and ask for the support of the congregation and then begin the process of pledging to support the church.
The year 2020 has presented all of us a number of unexpected challenges. NDBC has also been impacted by the events of 2020. The Church has responded by continuing to bring the Lord to our church family and to our larger community.
The proposed budget of $776,877 supports our ongoing efforts. The proposed budget is impacted by the challenges of operating our church in these unusual times and other changes underway. The proposed budget reflects a slight reduction of required pledges of 1.5% compared to the 2020 budget. Revenues from other sources (such as parking lot rentals) have not been available to support the church given Covid-19. Expense reductions reflect the interim period in 2021 prior to selection of our new Senior Pastor and the impact of not operating normally for the full year 2021. Accordingly, while the budget reflects expense reductions of about $67,000 or 8% compared to the 2020 budget, we are not able to fully reflect this in the needed pledges and offerings.
Our church has a long history and culture of generosity and sacrificial giving. We need to sustain that culture through these challenging times by giving as our individual circumstances allow.
NDBC will observe appropriate safety protocols on Sunday, November 1. Copies of the budget will be available, and we will ask for your support of the proposed challenge budget.
Sincerely,
Steve Konenkamp
For the Finance Committee
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Our now retiring Senior Pastor James Lamkin has long been a fan of A Prairie Home Companion, the live radio show on air from 1974 to 2016 known for its folk and traditional musicians, tongue-in-cheek radio drama, and relaxed humor all masterminded by the wry storytelling style of Garrison Keillor. James' passions for storytelling, music, and memories make our Northside Drive Home Companion a similarly winsome format to honor James Lamkin and have fun together remembering the 23 years he has ministered among us as Senior Pastor.
Join us for our next two editions of the Home Companion:
November 15 Precious Memories. . . with Quilts as Backdrop
3:00 pm Church Grounds
December 6 Home for the Holidays
3:00 pm Church Grounds
For each event, church member/singer/musician Kurt Thomas will be the Musical Choreographer with James Lamkin as Chief Storyteller and Honoree. Other church members will also contribute.
Save these dates and times, and please contribute your favorite stories about James and his ministry among us (short paragraphs only, please) to Syd Janney at sydjanney@bellsouth.net or to her mailing address 705 E Morningside Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30324. Examples of these memories will be sprinkled throughout each Northside Drive Home Companion event and/or assembled for his further reflection and enjoyment.
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The Art & Soul church school class will meet this Saturday, October 31, at 9:30 am via Zoom. You can prepare by reading the short Feasting on the Word preparatory sheet. Ruth Kramedjian will lead our discussion. Note that a passcode is required.
Meeting ID: 250 663 1572
Passcode: 6789
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NOTICE OF CALLED CHURCH IN CONFERENCE
A called meeting of the Church in Conference will be held Sunday, November 22, 2020, immediately following an in-person worship service at 11 am. The purpose of the meeting is to consider and vote on the ballot of nominees to serve on the Senior Pastor Search Committee.
The procedure for preparing and voting on the list of nominees has been and will be in accordance with NDBC’s current Bylaws, Article V, Section B, Paragraphs 3, 4, and 5, as recently approved by the congregation. As required by the bylaws, the slate of eight nominees has been compiled by office holder/committee chairs Jo Meeks (Moderator), Tim Getsay (Chair of Diaconate), Steve Konenkamp (Chair of Finance Committee) and Susan Dew (Chair of Personnel Committee) in consultation with eight specified church committees/ ministry teams.
The nominees for the Senior Pastor Search Committee and associated committees/ministry teams are as follows:
Adult Education Cathy Wooten
Children & Youth Marie Cook
Diaconate Hal Meeks
Finance Beth Laxton
Missions Geneva Hall-Shelton
Personnel Karen Massey
Triple E Barbara Atchley
Worship & Music Tim Getsay
As provided in the bylaws, at the Church in Conference, additional nominations of church members for one or more of the eight positions will be accepted. If there are contested positions, then voting for those positions will be by secret ballot. If no nomination is made from the floor, then voting will be by a show of hands.
Please plan to attend the called Church in Conference for this important meeting. It is anticipated that the meeting likely will be held in the sanctuary where social distancing and other protocols will be implemented. And please wear a mask!
Jo Meeks, Moderator
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Theological Home. Pursuit of God's Justice. Partnership in Mission.
Today, the Alliance is a faith community composed of male and female laity and clergy, people of diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, theological beliefs, and ministry practices. There are about 4,500 individual members and roughly 140 congregations knit together by love for one another and God, combining progressive inquiry, contemplative prayer and prophetic action to bring about justice and healing in a changing world.
The Road to Emmaus passage in Luke best describes the Alliance of Baptists. "As we walk together, following the resurrected Jesus, our hearts are warmed, we listen, we discuss and then we run to proclaim the good news." The Alliance model of partnership in ministry works to build lasting relationships that offer the world hope while working for justice. "We are amazed at what God continues to do in and through our ministry partners. We see their strength in peacemaking, their courageous justice work and their hope that together, we all can make this the world where God’s love is tangible."
Northside Drive members were able to hear about the interfaith work of one Alliance ministry partner when Bishop Milkhaz Songulashvili from the Republic of Georgia spoke to our congregation in February. Our financial contributions to the Alliance help support their ministry partners in the U.S. and around the world.
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All Saints Sunday’s Sermon:
No More Tears
by James Lamkin
There’s coming a day, says the Bible, when there will be no more tears.
That’s hard for me to believe, because that’s the pastor’s beat my feet know so well. In fact, daily you and I have walked the Trail of Tears together for 23 years. The path is paved by lament and loss, dashed hopes and deep hurts.
However, the time for crying is coming to an end. It has a shelf life, an expiration date. There’s coming a day when there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more death, and…no more tears. God will see to it.
So, on All Saints Sunday, we will name names, toll bells, make music, and remember tearfully, but joyfully, the lives of those who’ve died this past year. They are part of the Company of Heaven now. A place of no more tears, thank God.
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Each Sunday from now until Advent, our Time with the Children videos will be highlighting the Beatitudes, from Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount. We’ll focus on one Beatitude every Sunday and hear a story about how Jesus lived out that Beatitude, blessing others with God’s promises lived through Him. Time with the Children videos will premier every Sunday morning at 10:30 am on the Northside Drive Baptist Church Facebook page as well the NDBC YouTube channel.
In addition to the Time with the Children videos, electronic devotional materials will be available for you and your family to enjoy at home together:
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A video story recording about one “Blessed Child of God," a video about a person who is or who has lived out the Beatitude of the week, from the book Holy Troublemakers and Unconventional Saints, by Daneen Akers.
- An animated family devotional, with wondering questions, reflections, and a prayer to give you and your family an easy, light-hearted way to discuss, dream, and grow in faith together.
Look for these two resources to be posted on Sunday mornings on the Northside Drive Kids Facebook page after 10:30 am.
I hope you’ll look out for and enjoy using all of these video devotional materials with your family.
May God’s blessings flow abundantly upon you and your family in all the days to come!
Andrea C. Johnson
Director of Children’s Ministries
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Weekly Church Events
Art and Soul Church School - This Saturday Oct. 31 at 9:30 am via Zoom
Meeting ID: 824 8851 2109
Passcode: 936319
Sunday Morning A Time with the Children - 11:00 a.m. via Facebook and at 11:15 via YouTube
Wednesday Pastor's Morning Bible Study - 10:30 am via Zoom
Meeting ID: 250 663 1572
Passcode: 6789
Saturday Prayer Meeting - 2:00 pm via Zoom
Meeting ID: 250 663 1572
Passcode: 6789
Sanctuary Open for Prayer - Daily - 2:00-3:30 pm
Whether we are able to worship in-person or not, a recorded worship service and children’s sermon video are available each Sunday at 11:00 a.m. on Facebook and YouTube.
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Claire Blackwell -November 1
Grace Collins - November 1
Alexander Davis - November 1
Sylvia Dick - November 7
Elizabeth Cassata - November 7
Robert Schwartz - November 7
Mary Frances Headrick - 8
Larry McSwain - 10
Joel Stouffer - 10
Cecil Pacetti - 10
Emma Martin - 11
Herb Avery - 14
Kurt Thomas - 15
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During this time of remote worship, know of our prayers for you and your family. Contact our clergy if you have prayer requests or other concerns.
Northside Drive Baptist Church
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Church Office Hours
Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(404) 237-8621
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