March 21, 2021
Rev. Jim Ewing
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"Peace With Where You Live" |
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Ephesians 2:1-10
2 You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
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Palm Sunday
March 28
9:30 AM Palm Sunday Worship broadcast on YouTube! Featured in the service will be the ACC children, singing and parading with palms of joy!
Egg Hunt
12 PM in the Sacred Garden
Young children and their families are invited to join us in the Garden for an Egg Hunt and Fellowship! Feel free to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy afterwards in the Garden!
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Maundy Thursday
April 1
We invite you to drop-in for a Stations of the Cross event, held in the Sacred Garden. Journey to the cross with Christ, using scripture readings, confessions and prayer.
The stations will be available from
10 AM - 7 PM.
Communion will be served from
12-1 PM and 6-7 PM.
A virtual, Maundy Thursday, Taizé service will be shared at 7 PM.
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Good Friday
April 2
Take a walk, Receive the bread of life and Give life!
Our Stations of the Cross event will continue on Friday from 10 AM - 7 PM. In addition, you are invited to, give the gift of life! On the day of Christ's crucifixion, Avondale will host a life giving event- a blood bank! The American Red Cross will set up a socially distanced blood donation bank from 10 AM - 2:30 PM in the FLC. Communion will be served during the time of the drive.
Volunteers are needed to help check-in donors. If you are interested, please contact Ann Sanders.
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Holy Saturday
April 3
Avondale's labyrinth is a sacred path. A path that holds the spiritual and prayerful steps of many in our community. Drop in from 2 PM - 4 PM. Ted Todd will be available to teach you more about our labyrinth and the traditional ways in which to walk it.
Come! Be a "Pilgrim," a religious traveler on a journey, spending time reflecting on Jesus' journey and your own.
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Followed by our 9:30 AM Worship broadcast on YouTube, we have planned for an in-person, outdoor Easter Meditation Service and flowering of the Cross in the Sacred Garden! Please bring a chair or blanket for seating. In compliance with state and county recommendations, we continue to require the use of face coverings, social distancing and will cap the sign-up at 50 people for the outdoor gathering. Please use this link to sign-up and find further information.
*Please note that once this sign-up is full, a second service opportunity and sign-up sheet will be shared.
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Did you catch the sign language in worship last Sunday during the Song of Confession? We have created a tutorial of the signs for the song “Have Mercy God Upon My Life” and invite you to learn the signs and participate every Sunday during Lent. We are also inviting you to submit home videos of you and your family participating with us. You will find a tutorial video and further instructions using the picture link above! |
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Download a digital copy of the Lenten devotional using the picture link above.
Morning Devotional
The Morning Devotional group is now reading from our Lenten Devotional. Join us live on Zoom every weekday morning at 7 AM or watch the recording posted to our social media pages and YouTube channel.
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Thank you for joining us in worship!
If you are interested in hearing more about Avondale, please take a moment to fill out our Next Steps form!
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We look forward to hearing from you and the opportunity to share how God is working through the Avondale community! |
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Children's Moment
Parents, read over the lesson below and use it to stir conversation as a family!
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Don't you just love birthdays????
The balloons, the cake, the presents, your favorite dinner! What is not to love? I also love looking back and seeing how much I have grown! Looking at old pictures and thinking about all of the adventures I went on, fun times had and even mistakes made over the past year! What is your favorite birthday memory? What is your favorite gift you have ever received?
A GIFT FROM GOD!
Our scripture today comes from a letter that Paul wrote to the Ephesians. He was telling them about this wonderful gift from God called, grace! Paul tells us in his letter that because of grace, there is NOTHING we can do to separate ourselves from the love of God, there is NOTHING we can do to make God love us more and there is NOTHING we can do to make God love us any less!
With each passing birthday, you will grow taller, stronger, and smarter! You will meet new people, go on adventures and even make a few mistakes that will shape who you become! Throughout your life, you will never stop growing, learning and changing! Just remember your greatest gift, grace! Grace reminds us that no matter what, God loves us!
Giving Grace
Can you think of time that someone upset you? Maybe they accidentally hurt you or didn't follow through on what they said they would do? When we make mistakes, God gives us grace by not loving us any less because of it. He listens to our reasons, accepts the apology and gives us another chance. Who can you forgive today and offer another chance?
Prayer
Dear God, Thank you for the gift of grace. Help us to give that same grace to others. Amen.
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Getting Together to Help Our Homeless Neighbors
last Tuesday @4 PM
Mar 30, Apr 27, May 25
Join us for this opportunity to serve our neighbors together! We will gather in the Fellowship Hall with a table for each socially distanced participant and have all the supplies you need. Masks required.
A maximum of 10 people are needed for each session and slots fill fast! Sign-up today using this link!
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Church Triumphant
William "Ed" Ballard
January 7, 1928 - March 17, 2021
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It is with deep sadness that we share that Mr. Ed Ballard joined the Church Triumphant March 17, 2021. Ed, 93 years old, has been a longtime friend of Avondale and just recently joined when he and his wife Lee, moved to Charlotte from West Virginia to be closer to family. Please join us in keeping the Ballard, Wilkerson and Callaway families in your prayers. |
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Avondale Baby Blessing Basket
We celebrate with great joy and anticipation the arrival of three new babies within Avondale during the month of March and April! Member Care invites you to share in this excitement by signing up to contribute to a Baby Blessing Basket to be delivered to the families just prior or shortly after their arrivals. The sign-up includes diapers, wipes and their most frequented grocery stores and take-out restaurants. Items can be dropped off at the church office on or before April 4!
When dropping off, please assign a card or sticky note indicating the family each gift is intended for!
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If you know of any member concerns or needs, please email Jim.
Member Directory online...
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Prayer Requests
Lee Ballard; Callaway Family; Abigail Corriher; Jozsef Eyer; Travis & Mindy Ferguson & Family; Kim Kirk; Gail Love; Marilyn Nolan; Mary Hall & The family of Warren Nolan; Tim O'Neil; Rita Outland; Tina Sanderson; Sarah Sperry; Gail Trippodo; Wilkerson Family.
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2021 Easter Gifts - Memorials & Honorariums |
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Remembering loved ones who reside within the church triumphant is natural on Easter Day. This year, as with years past, there are opportunities to honor or remember loved ones by supporting a particular mission or project. |
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We invite you to make a contribution in memory and honor of loved ones. Gifts will help replenish our Facilities Fund which is used for capital improvements of our church property. We thank God for the many mission opportunities provided by our property and facilities. |
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A gift to One Great Hour of Sharing enables the church to share God’s love with our neighbors in need around the world by providing relief to those affected by natural disasters, providing food to the hungry, and helping empower the poor and oppressed. |
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Your Avondale Pledge
For those of you who contribute to your pledge through the offering plate on Sunday, there are many opportunities to fulfill your commitment including, mailing a check, PayPal or a one-time or reoccurring bank draft. Drafts can be setup or changed at anytime. Please contact Jacqueline for more information.
Using the link below, you may contribute to your 2021 pledge or make a gift to the church.
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Avondale Adventures
Registration for our spring Avondale Adventures program is open! This long running program of Avondale provides a Wednesday evening time of Bible, choir, games and outdoor picnics for our children ages 3 years through 5th grade. The Adventure begins April 14 so hurry over to the website for further details and registration!
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SURVEY for Virtual and In-Person Small Group and Worship Gatherings
Although we are still unsure of when the congregation may return to in-person worship, leadership at Avondale recognizes the importance of offering a variety of safe and creative opportunities for worship, fellowship, and study together. We are currently exploring possibilities for additional small group and worship gatherings and the Worship and Christian Nurture teams would like your feedback! Please take a moment to complete the survey below and do not hesitate to reach out to Amanda if you have any questions at amandajshanks@gmail.com.
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