The Connector June 2017 VBS JUNE 11-15 6:00-8:30 PM MT. HARMONY BAPTIST LEADERSHIP TEAM Dr. Randal Whitten... Senior Pastor Chris Noggle... Associate Pastor Family Ministry Barry Bryant... Associate Pastor Music Ministry Noelle Porter... Director of WEE Education Program 1
Just a Thought As Mt. Harmony looks to the future, it is as clear as a plate glass window that we cannot con nue doing things the way we have always done them and expect different results. The church of the 2010 s is different from the church of the 60 s, 70 s, 80 s and 90 s which, by the way, was different from the church of the 20 s, 30 s, 40 s and 50 s. Now, please hear me clearly This does not mean that what was done in those decades was wrong or ineffec ve. It worked then! However, we don t live then, we live now, in a new day, a postmodern culture, a culture that is dras cally and radically different from the culture of the past. That means, my dear church family, without compromising one word of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we must consider what we are doing, why we are doing it and whether we are being effec ve in reaching our community. In considering the above and looking to God for guidance, there are some transi ons that need to take place. My goal is always to make any transi on or change as seamless and non threatening to our church family as possible, yet posi on us for greater effec veness. It is our prayer that in making these transi ons, we will be more effec ve in our mission to Love God, Love Others, Serve the Community and Reach the World! In the name of transparency, I want to be clear about what was presented and approved during our May church conference. 1. In Church Conference, May 21st, a er a recommenda on from the Deacon Body and discussion of the membership, the church approved that we will not have our regular Sunday evening worship service for June and July beginning June 4th. The plan is to take the energies and efforts used for Sunday evenings and transfer them to our Wednesday evening ministries seeking to create a larger, greater and broader Mid week experience at Mt. Harmony. Our goal is to offer a variety of ministry opportuni es on Wednesdays, not just to Mt. Harmony, but to our community to Mableton! The expansion of our Mid week ministry opportuni es will begin August 2nd. Ques on: Will Sunday evening worship resume at a later date? We will evaluate this ques on nearer the end of July. However, one of the sugges ons from the Deacons mee ng concerning Sunday evening worship was to consider a church gathering one Sunday evening per month for a special event/fellowship ac vity, etc. This is a viable op on that is being considered for the remainder of the 2017 year. We will keep you informed and updated as we con nue to move forward. 2. In Church Conference, May 21st, the Church also approved a Deacon Body recommenda on to transi on the current Church Library into a Family Resource Center. Ques on: Will we re open the church library at a later date? With the current technological changes resul ng in many people using devices such as Kindles, Tablets and iphones for reading, it would seem unwise to re open the Church Library in the future. We will keep the desk, some of the shelving, tables/chairs and office equipment along with all books and resources relevant to preschool/children/students/parents and families. The remaining books and other resources will be offered to the church family first. A er a period of me, the remaining books will be donated to another source. The shelving will be sold or donated. The new Family Resource Center will house Family Resources, our Weekday Early Educa on Office, and a Family Counseling Center, and eventually will be used as a receiving area for guests on Sunday mornings. This transi on will enable the space to be used six days a week rather than one hour per week. This strategic move will also allow WEE the requested and much needed space to expand their class offerings on the preschool hallway. We will begin this transi on the week a er VBS, comple ng and having it set up for the new WEE year beginning in August.
Just a Thought Cont d 3. Sunday May 21st, I shared a vision with the Deacons and the Church at Church Conference about the possibility of crea ng a church plant here on our campus. Imagine, CityView Church mee ng at Mt. Harmony Bap st Church. At first glance, it will be worship driven, more contemporary in style and environment, and seek to reach the lost, unchurched and disenfranchised. *** We would con nue our Mt. Harmony Bap st Church morning worship service maintaining the current style, order of worship and instruments (piano, organ and possibly the drums). *** The Sunday morning schedule (worship service/life Groups) would remain the same: 9:15 Life Groups and 10:30 Worship. Hopefully and prayerfully, this would be a seamless transi on with minimal adjustments to what we are currently doing on Sunday mornings, other than the new church plant located in another area of our campus. *** We are praying about birthing a new work for the Kingdom! I ask you to join me in bathing this in prayer, as we seek God s will in this endeavor. This must be about Christ and His command to Go reach our community for His kingdom, and not about us or our personal preferences. Clearly and obediently, this must be about reaching Mableton for the Kingdom of God! Mt. Harmony God is at work! We are a Construc on Zone! Be excited! Be suppor ve! Be a servant of the King! I am honored and humbled to serve as your pastor. You are loved and appreciated! Pastor Randal THANK YOU MT. HARMONY FOR SERVING OUR COMMUNITY OF MABLETON DURING MABLETON MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR DAY! YOU MADE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE! FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD! 3
Music Ministry The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31: 8 Worship Choir Rehearsals in June Throughout the month of June, the Worship Choir will rehearse immediately following the morning worship service. These rehearsals are important as we prepare for our patrio c music on July 2nd. We will NOT have rehearsals on Wednesday nights during June and we will also take the month of July off from rehearsals as we normally do. We will be singing in the morning services as usual. Men s Chorus on Father s Day On Father s Day, June 18th, we are asking the men in our church to join together to lead in worship in a Men s Choir. This will be a special day as we celebrate our Fathers. Come be a part of this special group! We are asking you to join us in the Music Suite at 10:05 a.m. We will rehearse a song you all know. Then we will sing in worship as the Joyful Noise Boys! No previous musical experience required! We will have a good me praising our Lord! We need you! Celebra on Choir/ Celebra on Bells Rehearsals in June Celebra on Choir and Celebra on Bells will have regular rehearsals throughout the month of June. These rehearsals are important as we prepare our patrio c music. We will take the month July off from rehearsals, as we normally do. Blessings, Barry Boomers & Beyond The Boomers & Beyond is an ac ve group of adults ages 55 and up. One Wednesday morning each month, the group gathers for a Covered Dish Luncheon. There are also several music opportuni es and ac vi es especially for this group. Wednesdays 11:00 a.m. Boomers & Beyond Celebra on Ringers Rehearsal 11:30 a.m. Boomers & Beyond Celebra on Choir Rehearsal Dates to remember June 21 Boomers & Beyond Covered Dish Luncheon 12:30 P.M. (Adult 55+) 4
Family Ministry Summer is here and families are beginning to take me away from their busy lives, so I thought I would provide some fun ways to interact with your children either while you are on vaca on or at home. It s me to recharge as a family and what be er way than to plan a whole evening of nothing but fun. Choose an idea below and get the party started! Comedy Central (Great for preschool elementary ages) Poten al Supplies: White sheet and clear string lights for photo booth Silly photo booth props (mustache, wigs, hats, silly glasses, etc.) Set of dice Dinner Silly Supper printable* List of age appropriate jokes Popcorn *h p://www.my3monsters.com/2013/04/silly Supper April Fools Day ac vity for kids free printable.html STEP ONE: Start off the night with a Silly Supper. Use the printable and dice to have a dinner like no other. STEP TWO: Set up a make shi photo booth with the sheet and lights. Take turns dressing up and snapping some shots with the props. STEP THREE: Pass the popcorn out and the list of jokes. Take turns standing up and cracking a few jokes. Rate each joke and see who can get the most laughs. STEP FOUR: End the night by pos ng your family s favorite photo to social media. Use the hashtag #MtHarmonyFamilyFunNight so everyone can share in the fun! FRISBEE FUN (Great for all ages) POTENTIAL SUPPLIES: White sheet Duct Tape Several Plas c Frisbees STEP ONE: Using the duct tape, create a grid on the sheet that looks like a c tac toe board. Take it outside and set up the Frisbees close by. STEP TWO: Bring your family outside and choose teams. Using the Frisbees, take turns trying to get three of your team s Frisbees in a row for c tac toe. Each me a player makes it into a square, then everyone has to give the thrower a compliment. STEP THREE: Play several rounds. In the end, the winning team has to cook the losing team dinner. AS you eat, discuss the importance of serving others with our words and ac ons! VARIATION FOR OLDER KIDS: Using an old bedsheet, draw the shape of the Frisbee inside each square. Give bonus points to anyone who lands part of their Frisbee in the circle. It s fair to knock each other s Frisbees off, resul ng in the loss of those bonus points! 5
Family Ministry cont d GLOW IN THE ALLEY (Great for elementary middle school ages) POTENTIAL SUPPLIES: Glow S cks (10) tall, empty plas c bo les with a glow s ck inside each one Hamster ball filled with glow s cks (or just a regular ball) (1) white t shirt per family member Paint or t shirt markers STEP ONE: Gather your family together and pass out the shirts. Tell them you re going to have an indoor bowling night. Diving into two teams, spend the first part of the evening choosing silly bowling team names and decorate your shirts together. STEP TWO: Put on your shirts and find a dark place in your house like a basement or hallway. Line up the bo les in a triangular shape. STEP THREE: Take turns knocking over the bo les with the hamster ball. Keep score. The losing team has to plan the next family night. Blessings, Chris Kids Ministry Sunday Morning June 6 th Parable of the Sower Ma hew 13:1 9, 18 23 Main Point: Not everyone who hears the gospel believes it. June 11 th The Unmerciful Servant Ma hew 18:21 35 Main Point: God shows mercy to us so that we will show mercy to others. June 18 th The Good Samaritan Luke 10:25 37 Main Point: Jesus calls us to love others as He has loved us. June 25 th Three Parables Luke 15 Main Point: Jesus is the One who seeks and saves the lost. 6
Kids XP Stay Connected: Facebook: www.facebook.com/mtharmonykids Week One: Crea on Story (Part 1) Genesis 1:1 25 Bo om Line: God made everything Week Two: Crea on Story (Part 2: Adam & Eve) Genesis 1:26 2:1 25 Bo om Line: God made you Week Three: Adam s First Job Genesis 2:19 20 Bo om Line: God made you to imagine Twitter: www.twitter.com/mtharmonykids Instagram: www.instagram.com/mtharmonykids Week Four: The Fall Genesis3 Bo om Line: God made you to know Him Online Giving 4 WAYS TO GIVE To give online: Step One: visit mtharmony.org/give Step Two: select Give Online. (you can also create a church account so you can track your personal giving. Create Account is located on the top right hand side of the secure giving screen. Step Three: select amount, method, designate the fund and enter the required informa on. Step Five: Donate Now Thank you for giving to the ministry of Mt. Harmony. 7
VBS Are you ready to focus your telescopes on the marvels painted in the sky by the Creator, and discover the wonder among all wonders that the God who created everything there is the knowable and the unknowable, the visible and the invisible wants to have a personal rela onship with you? If so, come hang out with us by registering on the website! June 11th 15th 6:00 pm 8:30 pm Forefront Kids Camp Forefront Arts Children's Theatre Summer Drama Camps are available this summer at Mt. Harmony. More informa on and Registra on at www.forefrontarts.com/camp The Sound of Music for ages 4 14. The camp runs July 10 14. Registra on is open now and space is limited. Instructors are professional actors! Build confidence, public speaking & listening skills, performance abili es, & shine onstage! Every camper will be featured in a special role in the camp show. All levels of experience welcome. More Info and Register: www.forefrontarts.com/camp 770-864-3316 8
June Birthdays Gladys Ivey Ray Spivey Ryan Crewsonberry Deanna Wheeler Emily Jus ce Craig Thompson Howard Conley Karan Partain Lamar Allen Jane Langston Joan Horton Randy Allen Virginia Peavy 2 Jun 4 Jun 10 Jun 11 Jun 11 Jun 12 Jun 13 Jun 13 Jun 13 Jun 14 Jun 15 Jun 16 Jun 18 Jun Doug Bruton Faye Thigpen Faye Bruckner Diane O'Neal James Elkins Teresa Elrod Frances Trantham Peggy Oliver Ray Brown Cindy Hunter Margre e Anderson 20 Jun 20 Jun 21 Jun 21 Jun 24 Jun 25 Jun 26 Jun 26 Jun 26 Jun 30 Jun 30 Jun Homebound For The Month Randy Allen (BD 6/16) Faye Thigpen (BD 6/20) 1345 Milford Church Rd SW Apt 75A 5946 Cardinal Dr SW Marietta, GA. 30008 Mableton, GA 30126 Frances Trantham (BD 6/26) Bill & Mary Sanford 470 Hunnicutt Rd 331 Ridge Hill Cir Mableton, GA 30126 Marietta, GA 30064 Sympathy To David Miles in the death of his mother, Patricia Miles. To Mrs. Charlyn Garner in the death of her husband J.R. Garner. 9
5 MORE FOR THE LORD! HERE S THE CHALLENGE! 5 MORE PHONE CALLS TO PROSPECTS EACH WEEK! 5 MORE PROSPECTS TO REACH EACH WEEK! 5 MORE INVITES TO LIFEGROUPS AND WORSHIP EACH WEEK! 5 MORE DOLLARS TO GIVE EACH WEEK! What will the Lord do as we commit to 5 MORE FOR THE LORD? Think of the people reached for God s kingdom! Think of lives changed for eternity! Think of marriages and families restored! Think of community ministries that can take place! If every person would give $ 5.00 more a week it would make an incredible difference. Think about it: If 100 people would give $ 5.00 more a week that would be an annual giving increase of $ 26,000. Just consider the addi onal ministries that could take place and people reached. If 200 people would give $ 5.00 more a week, that would be an annual giving increase of $ 52,000. And it wouldn t hurt a bit. We can all do the math. The exci ng thing is $ 5.00 a week is a happy meal, or a coffee, or a value meal somewhere. Mt. Harmony, we can do this! There is excitement about this challenge, beginning June 4, 2017. Plan now to par cipate. 5 more phone calls, contacts, invita ons to Life Groups and Worship! $ 5.00 more to the Lord each week! Please pray about this and let s join together as we move forward! 10
June Calendar Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 Worship Choir rehearsal after AM Service No PM Service 5 6 7 Celebration Choir will rehearse No Evening Middle Ground Ministries 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 AM Lord s Supper Celebration Choir Worship Choir will rehearse rehearsal after AM Service 18 Father s Day No PM Service 19 20 June 12-14 Southern Baptist Convention in Phoenix, AZ Sunday Thursday, June 11-15 Distribution at the Harmony Leland Pantry 5-7PM Vacation Bible School 6:00-8:30pm 21 Celebration Choir will rehearse 12:30 Boomers & Beyond Covered Dish Luncheon No Evening Middle Ground Ministries 15 16 Pack food at the Pantry 6:00PM 17 22 23 24 25 Worship Choir rehearsal after AM Service No PM Service 26 27 28 Celebration Choir will rehearse No Evening Middle Ground Ministries 29 30 11
OUR MISSION IS HELPING PEOPLE FIND GOD MT HARMONY 561 Veterans Memorial Hwy, SE Phone: 770-948-3900 Fax: 770-948-9260 Hospital Line 770-948-6032 WEE Program 770-874-7493 Emergency Number 404-451-4830 Beyond All Limits...By His Power We ve seen the transformation hundreds of times people who came to us full of doubt and uncertainty become secure in the knowledge of their rightful place in God s great kingdom. The change may start slowly in a Bible Study class or choir participation, perhaps but once it begins, it picks up speed. Serving Jesus together, shared experiences, time spent in prayer all bring us closer to our highest calling. Take the first step toward personal renewal join us for services this week! Above all else, Mt. Harmony is a church that loves Jesus, loves people, and loves our community. We're just real people, but we are passionate about helping people become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Mt. Harmony partners with over 45,000 churches (16 million Christians) who call themselves Southern Baptists. Together we support 10,000 missionaries in 154 nations around the world. We are on the Web WWW.MTHARMONY.ORG Weekly Activities Sunday 9:15AM 10:30AM Tuesday 7:00AM LIFEgroups for all Ages Celebration Worship Kids XP (K5- through 5 th grade) Men's Prayer Time Wednesday 11:00AM B&B Celebration Ringers Rehearsal Music Suite 11:30AM B&B Celebration Choir Rehearsal Music Suite 12