New Year . . . New Singles Series
Happy New Year!
Okay, maybe it’s not January 1 anymore, but it is a new month, a new year, and an exciting time for all things new. If you’re single, why not join us for our brand new environment created just for you—our Singles Series!
Three times a year, we’ll gather hundreds of singles from all five of our Atlanta-area campuses to connect, worship, and learn together. Each series will last three weeks, meeting Tuesday nights in the Buckhead Church Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
We’ll learn about things that are relevant to the single season of life (and yes, that means more than just dating). Seth Condrey will lead us in worship. We’ll connect with other singles from around the city, and we’ll tell you about new and exciting things we have in store for you in 2012. If you’re single, it’s an environment you don’t want to miss!
Mark your calendars now for our spring series, and invite all your single friends. No registration is required, so just show up. For more information, check out our new website at http://buckheadsingles.org.
Spring Singles Series Dates:
Tuesday, January 31
Tuesday, February 7
Tuesday, February 14
Don’t miss out on the start of something new! This just might be one of the best decisions you’ll make all year.
Jamie Waddy ::: Singles Ministry ::: Buckhead Church
MarriedLife Welcomes Mark Connelly
Mark Connelly, pastor of Mission Community Church in Gilbert, Arizona, will join us at our upcoming MarriedLife event on Saturday, February 4. Mark and his wife, Kay, have been married for 28 years. Their past struggles and present challenges put Mark in a unique position to encourage us all.
If you are wondering why you ever got married, if you believe that perhaps you have fallen out of love with your spouse, or if you doubt you have anything in common anymore, you won’t want to miss this!
Join us at Buckhead Church for a night of laughter, great music, and dessert. Doors will open at 7:00 p.m., so bring your special Valentine to MarriedLife . . . Oh yeah!
Why Community Group?
This is one of a couple posts from Buckhead Church attenders talking about what involvement in a Community Group has meant to them. Read their words, take them to heart, and consider joining us for GroupLink next weekend to get into a group.
Why Community Group? Quite simply, we can’t imagine our life without one. It strengthens our marriage, helps us be better parents, better neighbors, better employees, and, most importantly, gradually molds us into the man/woman that God wants us to be. Additionally, we absolutely love sharing the joys (new babies, kids starting school, promotions, etc.) and sorrows (job losses, cancer, miscarriages, etc.) rather than going through those life events alone. We are both from out-of-state, so our group has become the closest thing to family that we have in the area.
Nowhere else do we have the depth of conversations that we have in our group. Having a thriving marriage (or even sustaining one) is challenging! Raising kids is challenging! It is so valuable to discuss important decisions with people that have similar values and goals. We’ve been in five groups with Buckhead Church, both as members and leaders. They’ve all been different, but each one was a perfect collection of people for what God wanted to show us during that 18- to 24-month period.
Although the price of Community Group may initially seem high, it is the best time investment we make in our faith and in our marriage. We’ll admit it can be hard to leave our girls (3- and 5-years-old) one night a week for a few hours, but the benefits are completely worth it. Plus, we like that our children see us prioritizing our marriage and our relationship with God. In fact, they play “small group” with their dolls and tell us we can’t come since it is just for kids!
To anybody considering getting into a group, we would wholeheartedly encourage you to take that step. It can be scary, but God will reward your action, and he will meet you where you are and step-by-step mold you into the man or woman he wants you to be. And you will make some great friends along the way.
Justin and Angie Barton ::: Community Group Leaders
GroupLink at Buckhead Church takes place from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. next Thursday, January 26, for men’s groups, Friday, January 27, for women’s groups, and Saturday, January 28, for married couples. For more information, check out www.buckheadchurch.org/grouplink.
Life is better connected.
You Don’t Know What You Have Until It’s Gone
My name is Courtney and I am an Atlanta native. My middle name easily could have been “Peachtree,” and as a kid, Coke could have come in a Sippy cup. That’s how much I love my city! I didn’t realize how much until God asked me to move to Orlando. I’m headed there with my husband and two little girls (2.5 and 5 years old) in a couple of weeks. My husband got an amazing job offer with a new employer, so after much prayer and counsel, we decided to go.
I am finding the saying “You don’t know what you have until it’s gone” to be absolutely true. As we prepare to venture into a new city, we are realizing how great we had it and thought we’d share with you. We know there are exciting things in store. I just feel it’s good to reflect and thank the Lord for how present he was through our journey.
As I reflect on our 12+ years of attending North Point and then Buckhead Church, I am so grateful that God used so many people and so many environments to change us forever.
Let me take you on a quick walk through the “chapters” of our time in this amazing church:
PERSPECTIVE (2001–2002): Our first experience with North Point was as a dating, and then engaged couple. What blew our minds the most was that church and God could be relevant to our daily lives, that God’s Word and his teachings could be practical and useful. We fell in love with Jesus again in a personal way.
COMMUNITY (2003+): Just before our wedding, we joined our first married small group. We instantly had “our friends,” not “his friends” verses “her friends.” We went through rough pregnancies, newborns, toddlers, second children, marriage issues, deaths, deeply sad family situations, and financial struggles. We prayed, cried, laughed, and even roller-skated together! God taught us more together than we would have ever learned separately.
COURAGE (2003+): Through messages and God working in my heart, I found the courage to take two trips to Ukraine with Chick-fil-A (my full-time job at the time). I experienced what it was like to be in the center of God’s will. Later, I was given the courage to leave the greatest job in the world to be a stay-at-home mom and transfer my identity from my career to my identity in Christ.
AWAKENING (2006): I was baptized at Buckhead Church in the days when it met in the Roswell Road (“grocery store”) location. I felt like I was growing at lightning speed and that my heart was going to burst with love for my Savior. I was seeing things for the first time, which was pretty cool for a girl who had been a Christian since she was five years old. Baptism was one of the best experiences of my life. We also had a chance to serve with KidStuf and Guest Services. It was such a joy to greet new faces and to be a part of the grander vision of the church.
GUIDANCE (2006+): Waumba Land has inspired me to be a better mom. Each week, the same faces show up faithfully and serve with smiles to show my children that there is a God who loves them so much. My kids go in happy and come out happy. They come home singing about Jesus and spouting Scripture. I have no idea how to ever thank this group adequately. I encourage any new folks to trust Waumba’s system, and to use those Parent Cards to keep the conversation going at home. Those little hearts are sponges.
MOTIVATION (2008–Now): I feel in the last four years that the messages and the church have really motivated Ron and me to go bigger with everything, from how much we give of our time and resources, to how we follow God’s Word and do great things for his glory. Buckhead Church has been a major reason I started my own business based on biblical principles.
I feel there should be “no regrets” in life . . . so as we prepare to leave Buckhead Church, I made an “I WISH” list (with hopes that maybe you can learn from it):
I WISH . . . I had served MORE! I kept thinking there would be a better time.
I WISH . . . I had written more thank-you notes “just because” to the volunteers who care for my kids and make Buckhead Church happen.
I WISH . . . I had led more than one Community Group with my husband. The church needs good leaders, not perfect ones. Leading is hard, but God can use us and work through us.
I WISH . . . I had taken my Bible and my journal to church every week. I had over 12 years of teachings, and I’m constantly trying to remember that “point” or that “verse” that really hit me. It would be nice to have written it down.
I WISH . . . I had invited more people. Seriously, it is the easiest place ever to invite a new person.
I WISH . . . it had not taken me so long to focus on worship instead of being entertained by the band. Worship has been so meaningful in recent years and is my favorite part of Sunday morning.
When I look back, it’s amazing to think I got to be a part of a church that continues to remain true to its mission—to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
Thank you, Buckhead Church.
Sincerely and with all my gratitude,
Courtney DeFeo
Who Will You Do Life With In 2012?
Deep relationships are an essential part of the growth that God desires for us. We need a trusted group of people around us to celebrate our successes, support us through hard times, and encourage us to trust Jesus more and more.
That’s why we want you to take the step this year to join a Community Group.
Every year in January and August, we host GroupLink, a two-hour event where you can connect with other people in your stage of life and area of town to form a Community Group.
We hope you’ll join us later this month at one of the three GroupLink events here at Buckhead Church:
- Men’s GroupLink is Thursday, January 26, at 7:30 p.m.
The groups formed at Men’s GroupLink are for single men or a mix of men at different stages of life: married, single, divorced, and those who are widowers. - Women’s GroupLink is Friday, January 27, at 7:30 p.m.
The groups formed at Women’s GroupLink are for single women or a mix of women at different stages of life: married, single, divorced, and widowed. - Married Couples’ GroupLink is Saturday, January 28, at 7:30 p.m.
Registration is now open at http://www.buckheadchurch.org/grouplink. Sign up and mark your calendar.
See you at GroupLink!
Jill Roberts & Misti Mancini ::: Groups Assimilation ::: Buckhead Church
