The Pastoral Search Committee is pleased to begin our three church-wide listening sessions, focusing on NDBC's past, present and future. The discussions will be led by Joel Snider, associate with the Center for Healthy Churches, whom the NDBC Personnel Committee hired to serve as advisor to our search, assisted by members of the search committee.

The first question: NDBC's Past: What is our DNA and how did we get where we are today? will be addressed during two meetings scheduled for
  • Thursday, February 11 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday, February 13 at 9:30 a.m.

We are offering two time slots for discussion, to enable more people to participate. The content will be the same at both meetings, so you need join only one.
 
Please join us via Zoom. If you do not have access to Zoom, you can join by phone by dialing 301-715-8592 or contact your deacon to see if he or she can help you in coordinating a session. Call the church office if you do not know who your deacon is.
 
The process works best when we hear from as many members as possible, so please take the time to attend one of these sessions and share your story.
 
Meeting ID: 831 3410 5399
Passcode: 206617

Two more listening sessions on our present and our future will be offered in coming weeks, with each of the three sessions approximately one month apart. Watch The Pinnacle for details.

From these three discussions, two products will emerge: A congregation profile and a pastor profile. When we reach this point in the process and have the two profiles as guidelines, we will begin gathering names for consideration, which we envision by early summer.


Geneva Hall-Shelton, Chair of Pastor Search Committee
On behalf of the Missions Committee, Sebastian and Amelia Almeida-Hall
invite you to join us for a virtual Souper Bowl this Sunday!
Celebrate Super Bowl LV Sunday at 12:30 p.m. in front of your computer, cell phone or other device for a Zoom luncheon with your Northside Drive family. Make your favorite soup and drop in as you can -- for five minutes or stay the hour -- to greet friends, tell us about your yummy soup or maybe share your pick for Super Bowl LV champs. Wear your team jersey or just let us say hello to the children. We miss seeing them so much!
 
Meeting ID: 889 8481 3950
Passcode: 988163
Our goal is to raise money for our church hunger fund. In this time of great food insecurity in our community, we feel it is important to continue to support our missions partners in their efforts to meet the needs of metro Atlanta families.
 
Last week we shared a few popular soup recipes from years past. Please feel free to share your recipe with us, and we'll collect them for a future email. We look forward to sharing a meal with you!!

Nancy G. Hall, Missions Committee Chair


NDBC will host a community blood drive on Wednesday, February 10, from 3 to 7 pm in our fellowship hall.

Blood donations go to the American Red Cross, which is in critical need to replenish its blood supply. All blood donations will be tested for COVID-19 antibodies, and they will help the Red Cross support hospitals and patients in need during this difficult time. Daniel Headrick will be on hand through the afternoon to assist Red Cross staff and those donating.

In order to limit the number of people in the fellowship at one time, according to COVID guidelines, we ask that you make an appointment by going here and typing in "northsidedrivebaptist."
For this year's Lenten study, the Adult Education Committee has chosen Where the Eye Alights: Phrases for the Forty Days of Lent, a book by Marilyn McEntyre." This study is an exercise of daily meditation on phrases and reflections for the forty days of Lent starting on Ash Wednesday, which occurs this year on February 17. "Lenten Phrases" is the overall theme of NDBC's Lenten journey this year and will be echoed in the music and text of the weekly Lenten services. Explore these words and phrases with us as we each take a daily, introspective approach to Lent this year. The author, Marilyn McEntyre, will be joining us on March 10 via Zoom to discuss the book. RSVP to Will Mathews if you would like to join. A Zoom link will be sent out at a later date. 
 
The book can be ordered from Amazon, but we encourage you to order the book through your favorite local book store to support small businesses. 
 
Please contact Allison Bell at ajro223@gmail.com with any questions or if you have issues when ordering the book.
Ash Wednesday is nigh upon us! On February 17 the season of Lent begins. It was around this time last year that we were trying to interpret the vexing news about a rapidly spreading virus. My prayer for this Lenten season is that the door has been cracked a bit wider, and we can see the light of change on the way. Here are our plans for Ash Wednesday:

A Drive Through Option for receiving ashes. We will offer two time slots for those who would like to pick up an ash kit for self-imposed ashes: 10-12 and 4:30-6:00 pm. Drive through the covered area where the preschool enters (the porte-cochere entrance). Have your mask on. We will hand you a tray with a cotton swab and a disposable cup of ashes. You will place the ashes on your forehead, and a masked minister (sounds ominous!) will pronounce words of blessing from six feet away.

A Mailed Option. If you would like us to mail you a little "ash kit," we will be happy to do so. Please email or contact Will Mathews (will@northsidedrive.org or 404-237-8621) with your name and mailing address no later than February 4. We will place the ashes in a little baggie with a note for you and send via USPS.

A Live-Streamed Service at 6:30 pm. At 6:30 pm that evening we will livestream our Ash Wednesday service from the NDBC Chapel on YouTube. Daniel, Andrea, Keith and Melinda will bring music, prayer, and the homily.
This Sunday, the Art & Soul class continues its study of the book Left Behind and Loving It: A Cheeky Look at the End Times (Cascade Books, 2011) by D. Mark Davis.

Priscilla Eppinger will lead this Sunday's class, a discussion of Chapter 1, Ascension Deficit Disorder: The Art of Reading Poetically. You are invited to order the book through Amazon or your local bookstore, but please feel free to join our always-lively and thought-provoking discussions, whether or not you have the material.

The Art & Soul church school class meets each Sunday at 9:30 am via Zoom (Meeting ID: 824 8851 2109 and Passcode: 936319).
February 7 - Daniel Headrick
February 14 - Kristen Pope
February 21 - Daniel Headrick
February 28 - Emily Harbin
March 7 - Priscilla Eppinger
March 14 - Daniel Headrick
March 21 - Daniel Headrick
March 28 - Karen Massey
Dear Friends,

I want to thank you for the support you have offered me since George’s passing in December. The cards, the calls, the meals, and the memorial gifts in his honor have meant a lot to me.

His final days and weeks were not easy on him or any of us, but I take comfort in my memories of happier times. George did not want a funeral service or even an obituary, but I would like to share with you that he was an amazing, brilliant man and I loved and admired him greatly. He was wheelchair-bound for the last 28 years of his life but he remained a wonderful companion and life partner. Even though the pandemic-related restrictions further clipped his wings, his mind remained engaged through his voracious reading and even an online Calculus course offered by M.I.T.

Over the last two months I have especially missed the opportunity to gather in person with church friends, but I am aware of your many expressions of kindness and I look forward to the time when we can see each other again.

In gratitude,
Gloria
Weekly Church Events

We are moving to live-streaming our worship in the next few Sundays, and we ask for your patience as we figure out the technology. We are grateful for the Audio Committee and the direction of Brian Knight.

Art and Soul Church School - This Sunday at 9:30 am via Zoom
Meeting ID: 824 8851 2109
Passcode: 936319

Sunday Morning Worship - 11:00 am live-stream via YouTube, a recording of which will be available for later viewing.

Wednesday Pastor's Morning Bible Study - 10:30 am via Zoom
Meeting ID: 250 663 1572
Passcode: 6789

Sanctuary Open for Prayer - Monday through Friday - 2:00-3:30 pm.
Virgil Herndon - February 6
Mary Dean - February 10
Cindy Bell - February 11
Blythe Goodhead - February 13
Mike Almeida - February 13
Cate Denham - February 14
Letty Denham - February 14
Bo Thomas - February 14
Lindy Dyer-Wall - February 14
Mary Ann Hickman - February 14
Jeanne Hicks - February 14
Van Thomas - February 18
Marshall Dewell - February 20
Allison Bell - February 20
Susan Dew - February 21
Gloria Smathers - February 22
Dee Davis - February 23
Cameron Ellis - February 23
Levon Thomas - February 24
Maggie Johnson - February 25
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. 
You may make your donation via our website through this link or by mail to
Northside Drive Baptist Church
NDBC Staff

Nick Bonner, Custodian
Melinda Clark, Organist
Daniel Headrick, Associate Pastor
Rose Hidlay, Business Manager
Andrea Johnson, Director of Children's Ministries
Will Mathews, Administrative Manager
Joleen Neel, Preschool Director
Mary Lou Swann, Director of Children's Choirs
David Vaughns, Custodian
Keith Walker, Director of Music Ministries
Church Office Hours
Monday through Friday
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
(404) 237-8621