Volume 11, No. 8 Avondale Pattillo United Methodist Church August 2017 WHAT A WONDERFUL PLACE TO BE WORSHIPPING

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1 The Messenger Volume 11, No. 8 Avondale Pattillo United Methodist Church August 2017 FROM THE PASTOR WHAT A WONDERFUL PLACE TO BE WORSHIPPING What a joy it is to be with you and to meet you. What a beautiful sanctuary we do have for our worship. I love the suspended cross with three shadows casted against the wall God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I love looking out from over the pulpit, seeing your faces and your faith in Christ and representing persons from the East and the West, the North and the South. We are the Pentecost church! In many voices, we are God s people singing together the songs of Jesus - whether we came from a small Primitive Baptist Church, a Catholic Cathedral, a suburban Methodist Church, an Evangelical congregation, or a highly educated university church. We know Jesus through our different eyes. The scripture calls us to different expressions of our faith. We have come to know Grace through different experiences and we are all Methodists. I appreciate your faith stories as they have been shared and I am looking forward to hearing many more. I wish to say Thank You to those of you who are serving as worship leaders, singing in the choir, greeting persons, preparing for worship, caring for our physical place, teaching Sunday School and teaching the children. We are Church. We are doing the Lord s work, making disciples, celebrating God s grace, and learning about Jesus. I also have enjoyed discovering Avondale Estates and the greater community. We have many persons who are life-time residents. We have newcomers who are or will be looking for a church. We have some who are here as a step in their transition to fulfilling a dream or finding a better day. And we have some here because they wish to be a part of a community where they feel accepted and can call it home. We need to be sure that our doors are opened wide. Some persons may have fallen away from church. Some may have never been active. Some have been told that they are not welcomed. Some do not know what is missing in their heart, soul and life. Many are waiting for an invitation. I believe that God is calling us to be the place for those persons and to be the people who share what we have found. I deeply believe that everyone regardless of age, sex, race, culture, or life style is wanting to feel the completeness, the love, and the hope that we know. We need to share our stories and invite those who wish to have a better story to come through our open doors where everyone is welcomed. We need to include everyone in our worship, fun, study, and prayer. If you would like to assist in the worship service as a liturgist, serve communion, greet visitors, operate the sound board, or design a sermon image, please let me know. If you wish to sing in the choir, contact Marcos Gran De Oro. If you have suggestions for worship, mission outreach, visitation, ministries for the community, reaching veterans, or inviting persons who do not have English as their first language, tell or me and Faye Durfield, our Administrative Council Chair. Don t forget the joint trip to Epworth by-the-sea with Atlanta First UMC on the weekend of September 22 nd. I need your registration by August 15 th and your full payment by August 25 th. For more information, contact Mary. Blessings, Pastor Frank

2 The next Administrative Council Meeting will be held Sunday, August 13 th, immediately following the 11 o clock worship service. All are invited to attend; the meeting will be held in The Gathering Place. News from United Methodist Women (UMW) The UMW Reading Program Book Group will meet Sunday, August 6 th, to discuss their fifth and final book of the 2017 reading year, If Eve Only Knew. This book, from the Spiritual Growth category, is written by two college professors, Kendra Weddle Irons and Melanie Springer Mock, and offers a fresh perspective on gender and the Bible. The group, which meets in The Gathering Place, will have a light after church (approximately 12:15), followed by the discussion. You do not have to be a UMW member to participate. All who enjoy learning through reading and discussion are welcome. If you have any questions, please contact Marty ( ) or Caroline ( ). As soon as the 2018 Reading List becomes available, we will start reading again. New members are always welcome! WSG (UMW subgroup) will meet in The Gathering Place for their monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, August 14 th. Michelle Cheek will provide refreshments. Little Appie is smiling at Larry Cannon and Tom Watson for painting Pastor Frank s office Thank You A note has been received from Decatur Cooperative Ministry (DCM), reading: Dear Friends at Avondale Pattillo UMC, Thank you so much for providing dinner and other needed items to the residents at Hagar s House on Monday and Tuesday, June 19 and 20. We greatly appreciate your desire to help those in need in our local community. Your service at Hagar s House makes a big difference in the lives of the families we serve. The time you so willingly give lets our families know that their lives are important and that there is a community of people who care about them and their success. We are honored that you choose to give of your time to DCM and look forward to your continued involvement in HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes to - Gerald Clayton August 2 Bernice Woodard August 5 Carol Quaife August 11 Nathan Donaldson August 13 Fred Pinson August 13 Bonny B. Wilder August 14 Samuel Acquaye August 17 Arianna Merchant August 19 John Norris August 21 Caroline Acquaye August 24 John Baker September 1 Faye Durfield September 7 Cliff Hughes September 7 Thelma Campbell September 12 Dianne Ergle September 15 Jose Monaga September 15 Martha Cohron September 26 Marian Long September 28 If your name is not included in this list and your birthday is upcoming, please call the church office ( ) and let us know.

3 Members of our church family in need of prayer, cards and visits -- Rehab in Mount Pleasant, SC Patsy Madariaga; send cards & notes c/o her daughter Jessica Madariaga, 1797 West Canning Drive, Mount Pleasant, SC The Bridge Care Center of Lawrenceville (Lawrenceville, GA) Katherine Walker Tapestry House (Alpharetta, GA) Madelyn Golomb (Room 208) Fountainview Assisted Living (Atlanta, GA) Carolyn Clements Regency House (Decatur, GA) Emily Meyer (Room 136) Sunrise Assisting Living (Decatur, GA) Peggy Sharian Drakes Landing (Brunswick, GA) Bea Fowler NHC Anderson & The Garden House (Anderson, SC) John and Barbara Baker At Home Thomas Kofa (eye problems); Margaret Lane (under the care of hospice); Ed Picard (currently living in Florida; cell # ); Miriam Hartley (foot surgery August 1 st ); Mildred Lambert; Nancy Monaga; Fred Pinson; Ellen Teeter; Bob Knowles granddaughter Aurora; Nora Colmenares friend Lisa and Lisa s family; Kay Potter, Peggy Clayton s mother; Teresa Crocker; those who have lost loved ones and close friends; members of our Armed Forces; Our Church, Our Missionaries, Our Nation, and Our World Christian sympathy is extended to Brenda Shugart and her family in the death of her cousin, Trey Mullins, on Tuesday, June 27 th. He passed away in Florida following an automobile accident; and to Tom Watson and the Family of Mike Pitts. Mike, a friend of Tom s who also lived in Avondale Estates, passed away on Thursday, June 29 th. Liturgists at the 11 o clock worship service during August are: August 6 Rachel Fortner August 13 Bob Knowles August 20 Faye Durfield August 27 Charles Mingle Schools in DeKalb County open for the 2017 / 2018 School Year on Monday, August 7 th. Please keep students, parents, and staff in your prayers as they begin another school year. Quotes by Nelson Mandela, the first black president of South Africa ( ) -- and Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world It always seems impossible until it s done

4 FROM OUR MISSION WORK AREA Our church-wide mission project to provide school supplies and other much-needed items for Eagle woods Academy, a DeKalb County school in Lithonia, continues during the month of August. Items needed: School Supplies: Reams of white copy paper 1 notebooks Ear Buds Back Packs Uniforms: Middle School shirts; Pants (medium and large & small adult); High School shirts; Pants (size 30 38, length 32) Snacks (individual sized & packaged): Juice, chips, fruit snack packs, cookies Miscellaneous: Kleenex Band-Aids (all sizes) Gauze, Ace Bandages Ice Packs Peroxide Alcohol Wipes Cotton Balls Gloves Soap Combs Brushes Deodorant Toothpaste Tooth Brushes Mouthwash Please return items to the church by Sunday, August 13 th. Items will be delivered to Eagle Woods Academy that week. Please prayerfully consider supporting this project either by shopping for items listed above or making a monetary donation through APUMC. Make your check payable to the church, mark it School Supply Project, and drop it in the collection plate. Thank you! Items needed to help stock the Decatur-area Emergency Assistance Ministries (DEAM) for the month of August are: Canned Soup (any kind) Small boxes of Jello Boxed Sweet Cereal Canned Meats Oatmeal Feminine hygiene products Canned Black Eyed Peas Bar soap (Ivory or Dial) 1 lb packages of yellow rice Deodorant Pasta Sides (such as Hamburger Helper) Toilet paper Canned Mandarin oranges Toothpaste / Toothbrushes Canned Pineapple Safety razors 1 lb packages of pasta & sauce Powdered laundry detergent Small boxes of corn muffin mix Check it out! Decatur-area Emergency Assistance Ministry (DEAM) website:

5 AVONDALE PATTILLO UNITED METHODIST CHURCH August 2017 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Collecting School Supplies (Missions W.A. Outreach Project) 3:00 PM ADOX Open House at New District Office 6:00 PM Supper and Evening Service - Lake Avondale PM Fellowship Hall Reserved Collecting School Supplies (Missions W.A. Outreach Project) 12:15 PM UMW Reading Program Book Group Lunch / Discussion PM Fellowship Hall Reserved 13 DeKalb County Schools Open for 2017 / 2018 School Year Collecting School Supplies (Missions W.A. Outreach Project) 12:15 PM Administrative Council Meeting 4:00 PM Installation & Reception for Rev. Dr. Quincy Brown, ADOX DS 20 7:00 PM WSG (UMW subgroup) Meeting 21 6:30 PM ADOX District Set-Up Meeting for Clergy You are invited Installation Service for Quincy Brown, Atlanta-Decatur-Oxford District Superintendent 4 o clock in the afternoon Sunday, August 13 th Conyers First United Methodist Church (921 North Main Street, Conyers, GA ) Reception follows

6 STEWARDSHIP UPDATE ATTENDANCE: Sunday, July 2 nd : Sunday School 31 Worship Service - 59 Sunday, July 9 th : Sunday School - 29 Worship Service - 50 Sunday, July 16 th : Sunday School - 30 Worship Service 42 Sunday, July 23 rd : Sunday School - 26 Worship Service 57 Thank you all for your generous and sacrificial offerings. At the end of June 2017, we had a total income of approximately $17,000 and expenses of approximately $20,000. The cash balance is $33,000, with a working capital amount of approximately $23,000 (operating minus selected dedicated funding). Thank you for your continued prayers for Avondale Pattillo UMC August 2017 Pew Managers / Sanctuary Lock-Up Duty: Friendship Sunday School Class / September 2017 Pew Managers / Sanctuary Lock-Up Duty: Hospitality Team / Mary Ellen Barth Our September 2017 newsletter will be published Wednesday, August 23 rd Deadline for submitting articles for the newsletter: No later than noon, Wednesday, August 16 th Send your announcements/info to the church info@avondalepattilloumc.org Frank Windom, Pastor Marcos Grano De Oro, Accompanist / Choir Director Avondale Pattillo UMC - Ministry Staff Kathleen Mason, Infant & Toddler Ministry Mary Mathis, Office Manager (If you are receiving our newsletter and would like to be taken off the mailing list, or if you are receiving duplicates of the newsletter, please call our office at or us at info@avondalepattilloumc.org so that we can keep our data base up-to-date.) Avondale Pattillo United Methodist Church 3260 Covington Highway, Decatur, GA (404) Web Site: avondalepattilloumc.org Office Hours: 9 am 3 pm Monday thru Thursday Return Service Requested BULK RATE Non-Profit Organ. U.S. Postage Avon Ests GA PERMIT NO. 8 POSTMASTER - DATED MATERIAL DELIVER BY FRIDAY, AUGUST 4, 2017

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