First Family News. First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) March Doing Discernment

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1 Page 1 of 15 First Family News First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) March 2019 Doing Discernment I realize how abstract the concept of discernment is! The Lenten Wednesday night study is another part of LFCC s journey toward transformation. Two updates: Start time will be 7:15 pm on Wednesdays 2/27, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27, 4/10 and 4/24 with 5/1 as final session. If you can t join the book discussion this spring, I still strongly urge you to read a copy of LIFE TOGETHER EXPERIENCING TRANSFORMATION IN COMMUNITY by Ruth Haley Barton. The more of you who have at least read the content and considered it, the more impact this time of transition will have before your settled pastor comes. (Yes, I am sowing seeds and letting God do the growing!) More about discernment: It s not simply a decision it s an ongoing process that occurs on many levels, sometimes simultaneously. Discernment is open to the work of the Holy Spirit, to testing and to change we must notice what God is already doing in our lives and in the lives around us. When we step back from the daily rush what do we see? Hear? Having done this, we also take the time to be in conversation with others, to test if what we have heard or seen is congruent with their sense of it. The process is elusive, but discerned truth is sturdy. It will stand up to testing and to the passage of time. Martha Ishman, Explorations, LHM Winter LFCC has worked long and hard in the past several years! You have been doing discernment! You know it is not easy work and it is a collaborative effort as a church! I encourage you to keep on with regular activities as a faith community and to talk with me about your future dreams. Christians are never finished trying to figure out what God is calling us to be and to do. Let us be not only hearers of God s word, but doers! This book experience will provide real life practice. Melinda In Christ s love and service,

2 Page 2 of 15 FOR us to consider this LENT A Spiritual Journey by Wendell Berry And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our feet, and learn to be at home. Ash Wednesday services are March 6 th at 2pm and 7pm. Also, I will be at Gwinnett Tech from 11-1pm behind Building 100. Not sure yet where I will be in the afternoon for mobile ashes - possibly at the Village Shops (Publix) near the church in the afternoon. Contact me if you would like to join me...for Ashes on the Go this year. My is melindamcdonald07@gmail.com.

3 Page 3 of 15 SEARCH COMMITTEE As we are all aware Rev. Melinda was hired as a transitional interim. We entered a contract with her for a limited time of months. It is hard to believe this time is approaching very soon. The Search Committee has been meeting since the first of the year working on the search and call process. They are going through possible candidates and gathering information to find possible candidates that would be well matched with our congregational needs and what we have to offer. Please continue to pray for this committee as they seek to do the best work for our congregation. Prayerfully, Jimmy Peeples 2019 Board Chair MENDING THE GAP One of the community agencies we support is Mending the Gap, which is a program to provide food and companionship to seniors who may be food insecure. We are doing this in several ways: Each month we are providing one product for Mending the Gap to include in their bag of staples for seniors. For the month of March, we are asking our congregation to donate men s or women s underwear/briefs (incontinence briefs or pads) in new unopened packages. Please add this one item as you shop for your Lawrenceville Coop donations. In March we will begin volunteering with Mending the Gap also. At 10:00am on Saturday, March 2nd, we will meet at the Mending the Gap office, which is in a trailer behind the Lawrenceville Co-op to pack bags of staples for the seniors. There will also be an opportunity later in the month to help deliver bags to seniors living in the Lawrenceville area. Information about the date and time will be in March e-grams. Please let Beth Thompson know if you would like to volunteer.

4 Page 4 of 15 LFCC Gardening Opportunity We are moving forward with the planting of Blueberry bushes on our church property. The Blueberry Garden will consist of six bushes with two each of a variety that would allow for harvesting blueberries in the spring, summer and late summer. The planting of the bushes will take place on Saturday, March 23 rd. The bushes are sold by the GA Ext office. It will be a couple of years before we would be able to harvest very many blueberries, but the thought is we would make them available to Mending the Gap, the Lawrenceville Food Co-op and of course any LFCC members that would like some. We have a care team of volunteers that will take on the responsibility of maintaining the area. We are being advised by Hilary Wilson, a Master Gardener. If you would like to be a member of the team or need additional information, please contact Rod Baker or Beth Thompson.

5 Page 5 of 15 FRF (FEATURED RESTAURANT FELLOWSHIP) Save the Date! The FRF for March will be on the third Tuesday, March 19th, at 7:00 p.m. We still need someone to host for March, so please let Beth Thompson know if you would like to host. Hosting only requires that you contact the restaurant, take a head count of those coming, and make a reservation for a group at the restaurant. We still need volunteers for every month except May. Please sign up in advance so we don t have to twist your arm! CAMP GALA It is time to register for the CAMP GALA. Registration will be available online by March 8th. The cost is $35 and will cover registration and the sit-down meal. Saturday, March 16th is the date of the Camp GALA at Camp Christian Conference Center. Registration/check-in will begin at 10:00am to be followed by a Silent Auction sit down meal and Live Auction. We should be finished by 2:30pm or maybe sooner. If you would like to make a donation to the Silent or Live Auctions some suggestions are: Original artwork, jewelry, Theme Baskets (very popular), unique ornaments, woodwork items, electronics, sports equipment, arts and crafts, event tickets, or be creative. Monetary donations would also be welcome. Checks would be made to Christian Church in GA and GALA on memo line. As a donation from Lawrenceville First, we hope to again collect gift cards (valued at $10-$25) or funds to purchase cards and put together 2-3 gift card baskets. Some possible themes are: entertainment (movies, restaurants, etc.), Home Improvement (Home Depot, Lowe s, etc.), crafts (Michael s, Joann s, etc.), or other suggestions you might have. We will be collecting cards or funds through Sunday, March 3rd. Please see Marilyn or Libby if you have questions concerning any of the above. Thanks for your support.

6 Page 6 of 15 Prayer Walking Trips for Lent 2019 Hoping for a Tuesday, March 19th field trip for our next labyrinth walk. We will carpool - meet at 9:30 am, possibly at the Fresh 2 Order restaurant in Duluth. Please RSVP with Melinda for updates. April 16th is next possible date - during Holy Week. DW Spring Conference Plan to attend Disciple Women's Spring Conference, March 23rd from 9:30am 3:00pm at Peachtree Christian in Atlanta. The theme is "Room at the Table." Much more information is available on the Regional website as well as registration info, Barbara Brown Taylor Holy Envy: Finding God in The Faith of Others March 11, :00 p.m. First Baptist Church Decatur 308 Clairemont Ave., Decatur, GA The renowned and beloved New York Times bestselling author of An Altar in the World and Learning to Walk in the Dark recounts her moving discoveries of finding the sacred in unexpected places while teaching the world s religions to undergraduates in rural Georgia in her latest book, Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others. Doors for this event will open at 6:00 p.m. As ecumenical followers of Jesus and Disciples of Christ, this topic should be of special interest. Let Melinda know if you wish to join with her and attend. She can be reached at melindamcdonald07@gmail.com.

7 Page 7 of 15 GOD IS SMILING LFCC Youth and adult sponsors had a great time at Regional Youth Assembly. Let s try working with the opposite of our star words. You can get a yellow star from Pastor Melinda. Let s keep our star words in mind for Lent as well!

8 Page 8 of 15 Family Promise s mission refined now and doing well. What a lovely quiet place for prayer!

9 Page 9 of 15 Breakfast and Updates Thursday, March 21st 9:00am -10:30am We are looking forward to coming together again to discuss how we can best partner to serve our community. Church staff and lay representatives are welcome. Please advise Rod Baker if you would like to attend. Let us be present in God s world!

10 Page 10 of 15 To honor the memory of Louise Craft, let's see if we can donate 1,000 pencils and 300 pencil top erasers needed at Cedar Hill Elementary. The pencils need to be #2 pencils for testing. (No mechanical pencils please.) Please leave your pencils in the basket on the antique ice box in the gathering area. Deadline is the end of March. Thank you! The family of Louise Craft sent these flowers to LFCC to enjoy in worship on February 24th. Louise certainly loved her church! The floral arrangement is now being enjoyed by Nettie Patterson.

11 Page 11 of 15 Important March Dates FRIDAY, MARCH 1 Mt. Olive 8-10pm SATURDAY, MARCH 2 Packing Mending the Gap 10am Mt. Olive 9am-1pm SUNDAY, MARCH 3 First Sunday Food Last day to check Directory Listing in Hallway Deadline to Sign Up for Lenten Study Last day to donate gift cards or card $ for Camp Gala Leadership Council Planning (bring your lunch) 12pm Choir Practice 5pm TUESDAY, MARCH 5 TONTO 11:30 Mt. Olive 7:30-9:30pm WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6 Ashes on the Go with Melinda at Gwinnett Tech 11am-1pm Ash Wed Services 2pm & 7pm THURSDAY, MARCH 7 Notarized support letters due for Rev. Mallqui FRIDAY, MARCH 8 Packing Mending the Gap 1pm Mt. Olive 8-10pm SATURDAY, MARCH 9 Delivery for Mending the Gap 9am Mt. Olive 9am-1pm Okechukwa Aguwa Visitation/Funeral 11am/12pm Bedtime tonight clocks ahead 1 hr SUNDAY, MARCH 10 Choir Practice 5pm MONDAY, MARCH 11 Barbara Brown Taylor event at Decatur 7pm TUESDAY, MARCH 12 Sweet Baby Jane s 11:30am Lenten Study A Way Other Than Our Own 2pm Mt. Olive 7:30-9:30pm WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13 Ewing Group 1:15pm Lenten Study Life Together Community 7:15pm FRIDAY, MARCH 15 Mt. Olive 8-10pm

12 SATURDAY, MARCH 16 Camp Camp Christian 10am-2:30pm Mt. Olive 9am-1pm SUNDAY, MARCH 17 NO Choir Practice MONDAY, MARCH 18 Deadline to Register for DW Spring Conference Lenten Study A Way Other Than Our Own 6:30pm TUESDAY, MARCH 19 LFCC is a polling location 7am-7pm Prayer Walk/Labyrinth trip 9:30am FRF (Restaurant TBD) 7pm FP Coordinators Meeting 7-9pm Mt. Olive 7:30-9:30pm WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20 Lenten Study Life Together Community 7:15pm THURSDAY, MARCH 21 Breakfast/Updates at Co-op 9am-10:30am FRIDAY, MARCH 22 Mt. Olive 8-10pm SATURDAY, MARCH 23 Mt. Olive 9am-1pm Blueberry planting at LFCC (time TBD) DW Spring Peachtree Christian 9:30am-3:00pm SUNDAY, MARCH 24 Giving Tree for Camp Christian Choir Practice 5pm TUESDAY, MARCH 26 Lenten Study A Way Other Than Our Own 2pm Mt. Olive 7:30-9:30pm WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27 Lenten Study Life Together Community 7:15pm FRIDAY, MARCH 29 Mt. Olive 8-10pm SATURDAY, MARCH 30 Mt. Olive 9am-1pm SUNDAY, MARCH 31 Giving Tree for Camp Christian Last day to bring #2 pencils/erasers NO Choir Practice Page 12 of 15

13 Page 13 of 15 March Birthdays 3 Al Evatt 5 Bruce Johnson 7 Riley Ballew 13 Lynn Boren-Parris 19 Kim Peeples 21 Emma Johnson 24 Charlie Alvord 30 Molly Ballew March Worship Helpers Mar 3: Responsive Reader Annie Ballew Scripture Reader Julie Thompson Communion Meditation Anna Harrison Greeter Open Mar 10: Responsive Reader Annie Ballew Scripture Reader Mabel Simmons Communion Meditation Open Greeter Open Mar 17: Responsive Reader Annie Ballew Scripture Reader Bruce Johnson Communion Meditation Open Greeter Open Mar 24: Responsive Reader Annie Ballew Scripture Reader Julie Thompson Communion Meditation Beth Thompson Greeter Open Mar 31: Responsive Reader Annie Ballew Scripture Reader Open Communion Meditation Open Greeter Open Serving at the Table in March Elders: Julie Thompson/Sanford Thompson (3,10,17,24), Karen Jensen (31) Deacons: Anna Harrison Communion Preparation: Candace Richardson

14 Page 14 of 15 Prayer for Spiritual Growth Please continue to pray this prayer along with Pastor Melinda as we follow Jesus a little farther on the way. Gracious Father, we ask spiritual growth for ourselves, our families and friends, and especially for our community of faith, Lawrenceville First Christian. Grant us growth in understanding and willingness to be your Body in this world. Empower us to live the mission of Christ: to preach, teach, heal and make disciples. In joyful thanksgiving for the blessing of Your presence in our lives, compel us to share You with everyone we meet. May our commitment to You deepen, our lives be joyfully yours. Make us a God-centered people. In Christ s name we pray. Amen. First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 3495 Sugarloaf Parkway Lawrenceville, GA (770) lgafcc@gmail.com Minister: Rev. Melinda McDonald Music Director: Kim Peeples Administrative Assistant: Misty Gibson

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