A NOTE FROM NATHAN
Last Sunday, January 15, 2023, marked my five-year anniversary at Sandy Springs Christian Church. When we arrived here in December of 2017, Clara was in kindergarten and Harrison was in third grade. This week, Clara is on her fifth-grade class trip to Jekyll Island and in two weeks, Harrison will be going on his eighth-grade band trip to Disney. In the fall, they will move up to Middle School and High School respectively. It’s hard to believe.
The truth is a great deal of our time together has been ridden with hardship. We have joked that what SSCC has been through the last few years is Biblical in proportion, like when God brought the plagues upon Egypt. While we may not have endured as many as the Egyptians, we have certainly been through a flood, an HVAC catastrophe, and a pandemic.
Yet, despite it all, we have come out the other side stronger than ever. Challenges can either bring people closer together or push people further apart. Thankfully, in our case, moving through these challenges has seemingly strengthened SSCC, including the relationship between pastor and congregation. Consider, in the last five years, all that we have accomplished together.
We put together a Visioning Plan that clarified our Vision and Mission, while also addressing the three main goals SSCC had when I arrived: claiming an Open and Affirming identity, strengthening our relationship with The Day School, and improving our overall communications, both internally and externally. During our time together, we have achieved the goals of our Visioning Plan in all these areas.
We have officially claimed our identity as an Open and Affirming congregation. We assembled the TDS Task Force which worked on our overall relationship, developing a new governance which helps facilitate that relationship. We have dramatically improved our overall communications with the onset of our livestream, a brand-new website, a transition to a new church software program in Breeze, and an increase in communication through newsletters, e-blasts, and other communications.
Over the last five years, we have welcomed more than 70 new members and baptized more than 20 young people. Worship attendance and overall engagement, with the addition of our livestream, has almost doubled. Giving has increased in 2018 from approximately $424K to $552K in 2022. For 2023, we will propose a budget that will have increased roughly $200k over the last five years. Additionally, TDS is in the strongest financial position it has ever been.
Along the way, we have worked with Allen Hilton on becoming a House United Church, while living into our Vision of being a church that values ALL people, despite our differences. Our Middle/High-School aged Youth group has tripled in size. We welcomed the people of Peachtree Corners Christian Church, upon the closing of their ministry at their previous location. We are carrying on their legacy through the life of SSCC. Their generous gift to our legacy fund, which doubled our endowment, will broaden our ability to do outreach in our community. Speaking of outreach, in the last five years, we have given more than a quarter million dollars to outreach initiatives.
All this only scratches the service of that which we have done together. It has only been possible because of God’s grace and the generous way in which you have shared your time, talent, and treasure with the ministry of SSCC. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
This year begins a new chapter, one which will include sabbatical, a capital campaign, and the calling of a full-time Associate Minister. I’m incredibly excited about this year, and the years to come, as we continue to live into the Vision and Mission to which God has called us. While there will always be challenges, I pray that they are minimal compared to what we have faced thus far. Instead of being reactive, I look forward to being able to be proactive about doing God’s work “from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth.” I can’t wait to see what the next five years will bring!
I am grateful and humbled to be your pastor. Happy five-year anniversary!
Peace,
Nathan
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