Archive for April, 2008
Pray for Michael Colwell
Last night, our small group began studying the book of Acts. We are using a great study resource to help us through this study. You can find it by going to www.groupscurriculum.org, which our Groups Team put together. If you’re a small group leader, this website will become your new best friend.
One of the key leaders in developing this resource is Michael Colwell, who works on staff at North Point Ministries. Michael is battling cancer. Please pray today for Michael, his wife Jen and their two young sons.
Thank you.
Jeff
Thoughts on Faith
I’m curious. We’re now two weeks into our new series, “Faith, Hope and Luck.” What have you learned? How have you been challenged? What’s stirring around in your heart when it comes to redefining faith?
Jeff
do.Justice Report 2 – My Sister’s House
One of our partners for do.justice last week was Atlanta Union Mission. AUM is a Christian ministry that brings Christ’s healing power to men and women in crisis through programs of rescue and recovery, including emergency shelter, residential recovery, and transitional housing. I had the chance to visit all three of our AUM projects: My Sister’s House, The Shepherd’s Inn, and The Carpenter’s House. It was an AMAZING thing to see!! Thanks to ALL of you who worked so hard to serve this great organization and those in crisis who are benefiting from its ministry.
My Sister’s House is Atlanta Union Mission’s full-service center for women and children. This campus houses 136 women and children in nightly emergency shelters. It also houses 128 women and children in the Mission’s residential recovery program. Kerri Taylor, our Fusion Director at Buckhead Church, was serving with this team and wrote this about her experience . . .
At do.justice, a team of about thirty of us divided into three groups and worked on three different projects at My Sister’s House:
The first group provided day-care for the children of the moms taking recovery classes. The children LOVED having the attention and became very attached to our volunteers. There was little guidance and no staff supervision for the volunteers, so it was neat to see our volunteers just go with it and make it happen.
A second group cleaned, sorted, and organized a donation closet that had children’s toys in it. The volunteers did everything from breaking down boxes, taking trash to the dumpster, to organizing toys into storage sections.
A third team organized the clothing donation closet. I was on this team, as you can see from the picture. The closet was in total disarray. You could not even see the floor because of all of the clothes and shoes that were all over it. When we first saw it, we were overwhelmed and did not even know where to start. It was hot in the room and we had to sort through some dirty, mildewed clothes. Everyone worked so hard and just did whatever needed to be done to get the closet organized. We got it about 90 percent completed and could have used another 1-2 hours for perfection.
The coolest part was that we had a girl from the shelter come in to look for clothes for her new job. She was so excited that she had gotten a job working in housekeeping for the Holiday Inn. The volunteers helped her “shop” for clothes in her size. That really made a real-life personal connection to what we were doing.
Joel Thomas
Singles Pastor
Just Ask
Do you remember our series from a few months ago?
It was called Just Ask, and Andy reminded us that when it comes to inviting our friends and neighbors to church, we should JUST ASK.
A few weeks ago, many of you bravely stepped into the Just Tell booth and told your stories of who “Just Asked” you. There are some incredible stories out there, and one thing was confirmed. We should all JUST ASK!
This week would be a perfect time to just ask one of your friends, neighbors, or coworkers to join you at Buckhead Church. We are continuing with Part 2 of Andy’s series Faith, Hope, and Luck. This series will help all of us determine the foundation of our faith.
If you find yourself hesitating a bit, check out this video. It’s one of the many inspiring stories shared in the booth.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/ibebRHn_JXM 425 350]
Amber Blossom
Associate Service Programming Director
“Vision Leaks”
This leadership quote from Bill Hybels is one of my favorites. If we’re not careful, we can slowly drift away from the vision God has given us. It’s one of the many reasons I love baptism Sundays at Buckhead Church. God speaks through those getting baptized and one of the messages He sends us is to stay the course. Stay on vision.
We heard that message this past Sunday. We’ll hear it again this coming Sunday. It’s so important I thought you should hear it today through Alex’s baptism just a few days ago.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/T0IWWXfkMVA 425 350]
This is what God has called us to do.
Jeff
