FIRST FAMILY NEWS. The Month of May and the Easter Resurrection -- Christian College of Georgia. May 2017 O UR S E C O N D C E N T U R Y

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1 FIRST FAMILY NEWS O UR S E C O N D C E N T U R Y May 2017 The Month of May and the Easter Resurrection -- James Agee wrote a beautiful novel several years ago titled A Death in the Family. The story is told from the delicate perspective of a little boy whose father was killed in an automobile accident. Agee tells about the bewilderment of that boy and his struggle to understand this awful ending. There is much tone and texture to the story. The smell of funeral flowers and the solemn calling of friends, all in the home of the boy, a Southern tradition before there were professional funeral homes. The story ends with the boy's attending his father's funeral. As the service comes to an end, the boy witnesses a miracle. A beautiful butterfly slowly flies into the open grave and lights softly upon the casket. The wings beat once. Twice. There is a perfect harmony with the silence of the moment. And then, as gently as it entered the earthy grave, it flies off into the sky. What a beautiful symbol of new life! What was an ending became a beginning. I recently read that in the Nazi concentration camps where children were kept before they were taken to the gas chamber, the walls hold the artistic scratchings and drawings of those children. The one motif that was found over and over was that of the butterfly. Isn't that remarkable? A symbol of resurrection in the midst of one of the world's worst crucifixions. Jay Christian College of Georgia Christian College of Georgia is seeking support for it's annual fund drive. They are hoping individuals and churches will support the ministries of the College by making donations in May. Some of the ministries are the Clergy Education Fund, Scholarship Fund, Campus Ministry Fund, and offering classes to many at no cost. Please consider making a donation the first or second Sunday of May through our Sunday offering. Please designate your offering to CC of Ga. on your check. You may also send your donation to Christian College of Georgia, P.O. Box 747, Statham, GA 30666, An online option can be found at DisciplesCollege@aol.com. Thank you for your consideration.

2 Do You Find Yard Work Redundant? T The Lawn According to God is a humorous dialogue between Francis of Assisi and God. Francis is trying to explain to God the crazy behavior of a tribe called Suburbanites who mow down God's fields of wildflowers to plant lawns, only to mow down the grass -- rather than harvesting it -- paying money to have it hauled away. An excerpt: SAINT FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it. GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life. SAINT FRANCIS: You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away. Francis explains that, when the Suburbanites need something to replace the fallen leaves they've just hauled away, they buy mulch and spread it around. And what is this mulch made of? Ground-up trees!

3 Deadline for the June Newsletter is Thursday, May 25th May Birthdays 1 Matthew Britt 1 Gabriel Evatt-Machado 3 Rosie Tripp 5 Lynn Lane 10 Barbara Bagwell 13 Kayla Lee 15 Tony Ramirez 16 Brendon Parks 18 Debbie Huff 23 Tommy Hlass 25 Eileen McCollough 27 Julie Lee 29 Matt Hall 29 Karla Johnson 31 Mabel Simmons May Anniversaries 21 Tadd & Debbie Huff 24 Josué & Pamela-Evatt Machado May Elders/Deacons Serving at the Table Elders: Patricia Taylor & Beth Thompson Deacons: Anna Harrison, Pamela Evatt- Machado Deacon-in-training: Rebecca Thompson (14th, 21st, 28th) Servant-Leaders Communion Preparation: Mary Jo Alvord & Gen Ashby May Worship Helpers May 7: May 14: Youth Sunday May 21: 10:50 Reader - Marilyn Parks May 28: 10:50 Reader - Dorrie Toth May FRF Join us on Tuesday, May 16th at 7:00 p.m. for our next FRF at McCray s Tavern, located at 100 N Perry St, Lawrenceville, GA

4 Family Promise Updates Donations of face wash and body wash products, games for older children, basketballs and other balls are needed for Family Promise. There are more teens in the families now. The Salt Light Center needs summer PJ's, cases of bottled water, and small paper bowls. Donations for Family Promise and the Salt Light Center may be brought to the Day Center at the back of our church property, Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Joys and Concerns Linger Longer Sunday, May 21st - A special Linger Longer after the 10:50 a.m. service to celebrate the April and May birthdays. Christian Women s Fellowship Saturday, May 28th - Disciples Women/CWF Card Circle at 1:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Thank You April Angels Check the CWF Bulletin Board for the official Thank You. You are WONDERFUL! Dorrie We never cease in praying for the needs of: Candace and family; Anna H; Al G; Barbara B; Connie W s brother, Jim, passed away; Jeannie M s friend, Don; Annie B s friend s family; Riley B s friend, hospitalized; Karla J s uncle passed away; Louise C s daughter, Lucy S. Homebound: Louise C; Alma F; Bessie K; Lenora L; Eileen Mc; Nettie P; Bill & Barbara P; Mildred P; Reba T. We give thanks and praise to God for... Congratulations Joey and Amanda B; Linda G; Mary Jo A; Kameron C.

5 Come Join In Acts 10:38 talks about Jesus. It says he went around doing good.... If we want to be followers of Jesus shouldn t we do the same thing? This verse tells us that Jesus didn t stay put and expect others to come to him. He went around. He found people where they were and ministered to their needs by doing good. Recently we announced that in an effort to reduce childhood hunger, our Church will be collecting snacks to provide to the elementary school just down the road. The snacks will be collected at the Church and delivered to the school. This project will help the school provide snacks to children who don t bring snacks from home and would go without snacks without our assistance. This program is in addition to our regular collection of food for the Lawrenceville Co-op. The Co-op provides food for families in our community and depends on our donations to help stock the shelves. The Co-op also needs people to volunteer time to help with its projects. Please consider donating food to both of these projects. You can bring it to the Church and place it in the collection boxes in the gathering area. Also, please consider offering some time to volunteer at the Co-op. A few items of food or a few hours of service won t end childhood hunger, but it will help and it will be a way to imitate Jesus by going around doing good. We need your help. Come join in. Snacks for Falcons Snacks for Falcons will provide temporary Food Bags for children at Alcova Elementary School. Families simply contact their school counselor to pick up the food totes by appointment. Items available: Pop Tarts Granola Bars Small Bags of Chips/Doritos Individual Bowls/Boxes of Cereal Crackers/Cookies/Chips (individual size) Fruit cups/applesauce (individual size) Individual Sweet Snacks Contact a Counselor: amy_oneal@gwinnett.k12.ga.us or fabiana_fischer@gwinnett.k12.ga.us or First Christian Church (DOC) 3495 Sugarloaf Parkway Lawrenceville, GA lgafcc@gmail.com lawrencevillefirstchristian.org LFCC Staff Pastor: Rev. Dr. Jay White Music Director: Kim Peeples Office Manager: Linda Rowe Phone (770)

6 Starting May 21 st. I ve always wanted to do a message series on The Things I Wished I Had Known Before Going to Seminary. I hope everyone finds the series enjoyable, educational and