A NOTE FROM NATHAN
Reconnect. That’s the theme for not only this year’s SSCC leadership retreat, but also for our greater ministry. After a year of being disconnected is so many different ways, it’s time for us to reconnect, albeit it in new and creative ways. After all, as Jesus reminds us in this year’s theme verse, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
To that end, we are going to begin the year with a series of “check ins.” An eblast will go out soon with some dates and times over the next few weeks to check in with myself and other congregants via zoom. You will sign up for one time that suits you and/or your family. We will spend 30 minutes catching up, sharing our hopes and dreams for the new year, along with any concerns for which you are in need of prayer.
Casey Evans and I are currently working on a video/podcast that will be sent to the congregation regularly through email and uploaded to our YouTube page. Its purpose, as we have defined it so far is, “to be a hope filled effort by and for the people of Sandy Springs Christian Church, as a way to connect to and communicate with both people in our congregation and the greater Sandy Springs/Atlanta area, with positive conversations about our community and its/our relationship to God.”
Believe it or not, Lent is just around the corner! I’m hoping to offer a study, via zoom, for those six weeks, both for spiritual growth and for another means by which we can connect with one another. Worship Arts and Education will help me look to find other ways to intentionally practice our faith in our lead-up to Easter.
We are planning to be back in the sanctuary this Sunday both for in-person worship and our livestream. As you feel comfortable and are able, we’d love to see you in worship, in the sanctuary, when you are ready. Coming back to church is not only a matter of safety, but also getting back into the discipline and habit.
As the vaccine is distributed and things improve, I hope you will make every effort to return to worship in-person. If you’ve gotten out of the habit of virtual worship, I’d encourage you to reconnect in this way, as a start. Worshipping together is the most important thing we do as a community of faith. This Sunday, we will remember our baptisms as I begin a new sermon series we are calling, “Promise.”
Finally, on Sunday, January 24th following worship, we will have our annual congregational meeting. It will be a hybrid meeting which you will be able to attend either in person or via zoom. More details will be forthcoming next week. Your attendance and participation is more important than ever, as we make decisions about our ministry during a time of great uncertainty. I hope you will make time to attend this important meeting.
Reconnect -- I pray you will think about ways in which you might do so in the coming year. And, as always, if you have ideas for us to not only reconnect, but also newly connect with those both in our congregation and our community, we are open. We’d love to hear them.
More than anything, SSCC, I look forward to reconnecting with each and every one of you in the New Year.
Peace,
Nathan
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Please note: Our HVAC contractors have assured us that the heat will be working in the sanctuary on Sunday, but could not guarantee it to be fully repaired and operational. Therefore, if you choose to worship with us in person, please come prepared for either scenario. |
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Promise
We’ve heard plenty of them recently. After all, elections are full of them. Of course, we make our own to ourselves this time of year too. We call them resolutions. They go by other names like commitments, pledges or agreements. While we do our best to keep promises, we all know they are difficult to uphold. More often than not, they even get broken, except, that is, for God’s. While we have placed much of our hope in the
promise of 2021, we have already been let down. Instead, at the beginning of
this New Year, let’s turn our focus, energy and attention to God’s promises, which
are always and forever unbreakable.
January 17, 2021 (Baptism of our Lord)
God’s Promise of New Life
Mark 1:4-11
Rev. Nathan C. Brown
January 24, 2021
God’s Promise of Faithfulness
Psalm 40:1-11
Rev. Nathan C. Brown
January 31, 2021
God’s Promise of Ministry
Mark 1:14-20
Rev. Nathan C. Brown
February 7, 2021
God’s Promise of Blessing
Matthew 5:1-12
Rev. Nathan C. Brown
February 14, 2021
God’s Promise of Guidance
Matthew 5:13-20
Rev. Nathan C. Brown
To view the service on our YouTube page, click here. |
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PRAYER REQUESTS
Marlene Rhine's daughter, Linda Parrot, contacted me to tell us that Marlene had a stroke last Thursday. She is in Kennestone Hospital at the present time. Linda would like to thank everyone for the many cards Marlene has received from the congregation. If you would like to send one, the address is 251 Bennett Trail, Acworth, Georgia 30102. Please keep Marlene in your prayers.
Judy Edwards is being moved on January 25th to South Carolina to be near her daughter. Her new address is 121 North Hermitage Rd., Beaufort, South Carolina
29902. She will be keeping her phone for the time being. Please keep Judy in your prayers.
Please keep Jeff Moore and Cathy Cortright in your prayers as Cathy recently lost her mother. Cathy was very close to her mother, was happy she got to visit with her last month and said she will always be her life's treasure.
Prayers for Carol and Jim Armstrong and their extended families on the passing of Carol’s brother, Bruce Miller, after valiantly fighting the effects of Parkinson’s disease for almost 20 years. He would have been 75 on Saturday.
Phil Leek requests prayers for his friend Mike Kirk. He is in ICU on a ventilator with Covid.
Please pray for our members and their families who serve as first responders and health care workers: Dr. Tim Helton, Katie Gibson, Tracey McCluskey, Dr. Vijay Rathinam and Pete French. Also those serving in the military: Derrick Brown (Army) and Michelle Brown (Navy), children 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). 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 us know you would like to join!
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CONGRATULATIONS!
Dirk and Barbara Huttenbach celebrated the birth of their seventh grandchild, Grant Sidford who was born April 2nd, 2020.
They were finally able to meet him this past November when Laura-Lee and Grant drove from New York City to visit.
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CONGREGATIONAL MEETING NOTICE
On Sunday, January 24th, we will have our annual congregational meeting to approve the 2021 leadership slate and budget. This will also be a time to thank our leadership for an amazing year of ministry. If you are a member of SSCC, please stay after worship, in the sanctuary, for this brief but important meeting.
Also, if you can't attend in person, don't worry. This year we will have a hybrid meeting using live streaming and Zoom capabilities. More information to come. Please join us!
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INSTALLATION SUNDAY
On Sunday, January 31st, we will be officially installing our leadership for 2021 during worship. This is a time to pray for our shared ministry, to affirm those who have been called to serve and to acknowledge the transition of leadership that takes place from one year to the next.
If you are part of the Leadership Council, Eldership, Trustees, Diaconate and Sunday School teachers, we hope you can make it to worship either in person or virtually for your official installation. It's going to be an exciting year of ministry. Let's come out and support those who will lead us along the way!
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LEADERSHIP RETREAT
SAVE THE DATE
If you are part of the Leadership Council, Eldership, Trustees or Program Staff you are invited to participate in the 2021 SSCC Leadership Retreat, Saturday, January 30th from 8:00 am - noon. The event will take place via Zoom. More details to follow.
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CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Just a reminder that the Church office will be staffed Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 am - 1:00 pm.
We are also retrieving phone messages remotely each day as well. So feel free to call the church if you need anything or email Amy@sandyspringscc.org if you wish. |
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DOING MINISTRY DIFFERENTLY |
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HELPING THE CAC
The CAC is in need of volunteers for the following shifts:
- Retail Store: M, W, F 9:30-11:45 and 11:45-2:00
- Donations/Pricing: M – F 9:30-11:30 and 11:30-1:30
Or you can work both shifts in a day. Eventually, they would like to be open M, W and F from 9:30-3:00, expanding the shifts to 9:30-12:30 and 12:30-3:30.
If you have any questions, please contact Cindi McCollough via email -csbfish@bellsouth.net or cell 770-365-0365.
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FOOD INSECURITY: If you or someone you know in our church community are facing food insecurity because of a decrease or loss in income, please privately contact Jenna Hicks so that we can provide assistance to keep your pantry full. Email jennakhicks@gmail.com or call 404-441-1668.
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MUST MINISTIRES: If you would like to donate and drop off items 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.
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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, feel free to reach out to Merilyn Dimmit, Congregational Care, via Merilyn@sandyspringscc.org or call her at 770-448-8784 and leave a message. Please indicate if your prayer request is confidential (for Clergy/Elders only or for congregational sharing in our newsletter).
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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 email (amy@sandyspringscc.org) to schedule your group on the calendar. We can help you learn how to send an invite to your group.
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Claire Roper 1/1
Kappy Kelly 1/1
Lolly Ross 1/2
Alexander Leek 1/6
Merritt Jones 1/9
Kimbrell Teegarden 1/11
Tiffany Torbert 1/11
Debbie Lenz Clark 1/12
Jill Moore 1/12
Samantha French 1/14
Cindi McCollough 1/15
Greg Peterson 1/16
Mary Anne Posey 1/16
Catherine Armstrong-Asher 1/16
Hannah Grant 1/18
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Ferris Leslie 1/20
Lane Campbell 1/21
David Wolf* 1/21
James Hicks 1/23
Derrick Brown 1/24
Elizabeth Peterson 1/24
Sara Torbert 1/24
Clara Brown 1/24
Glorimary Diaz-Torres 1/24
Florene Fowler 1/25
Cordelia Rowell 1/25
Brad Norman 1/27
Thomas Grant 1/29
Francie Filacchione 1/29
August Lee 1/30
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