Archive for October, 2008

Respond but not retreat

The economy has generated a lot of concern among businesses, families and non-profit organizations. And understandably so.

At Buckhead, we want to lead very well during this season. Last week, I shared with our leadership team that I want us as a church to “respond but not retreat.”

This simply means that I want us to respond to the situation by continuing to use the financial systems we have in place allowing us to make wise stewardship decisions. At the same time, I do not want us retreating at all from the mission God has placed before us.

We will continue to do our very best to be wise stewards of the resources entrusted to us. And we will also move with confidence and faith that God is with us.

As your campus pastor, I greatly value your continued confidence and support which allows us to respond wisely to the current economic situation but not retreat one inch from leading people into a growing relationship with Christ.

Jeff

Be Rich Answers!

To help explain one of the reasons why Buckhead Church is doing Be Rich:: Do More, Give More, we posed two statistical questions for you guys on Monday about the child poverty rate and the number of homeless individuals in Atlanta.

The answers to the quiz?
Approximately 49% of children in the city of Atlanta live in poverty.Approximately 6,000 homeless people are in the city of Atlanta on any given night.Let that sink in… almost half of the children living in our city are living in poverty. Wow. And to put into perspective 6,000 homeless people in the city of Atlanta on most nights, that’s twice the capacity of our auditorium at Buckhead Church. So on Sunday, look around the room and double what you see for a visual of how many people won’t have a place they call home to sleep that night.

This is why we have both the ongoing Intersect Project and the end-of-the-year Be Rich:: Do More, Give More campaign. It’s our attempt to begin to respond to these two stark numbers. Want to join us?Through Be Rich:: Do More, Give More, we’re partnering with some amazing groups who daily work to help the people who are these statistics. To address homelessness, we’re working with the Atlanta Union Mission and Buckhead Christian Ministry. To help children in poverty, we’re getting to know the children of Woodson Elementary School, where 95% of the children are part of low-income families. Through the campaign, you can serve, donate goods, or give money to these 3 groups. Check out how: www.howtoberich.org!

Buckhead Music Project hits the streets

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Be Rich

We kicked off Be Rich:: Do More, Give More the past two weeks at Buckhead Church, and we’re really excited about the chance to “be rich in good deeds, generous, and willing to share” (1 Timothy 6:18) with our Atlanta and global communities! We’re partnering with some amazing organizations that address two felt needs of our city – homelessness and children living in poverty. Before we tell you more about the many opportunities that are available for you to serve or give between now and the end of the year, we thought we’d give you a little quiz (you can submit your answers by posting a comment). Check back on Friday for the answers and in the meantime, visit www.howtoberich.org to learn how you join us as we learn how to “be rich in good deeds”!

Approximately what percentage of children in the city of Atlanta live in poverty?(source: Kids in the City: Indicators of Child Well-Being in Large Cities from the 2004 American Community Survey)

A. 15%

B. 23%

C. 36%

D. 49%

Approximately how many people are homeless in the city of Atlanta on a given night?(source: the 2007 Metro Atlanta Tri-Jurisdictional Collaborative Homeless Census Report)

A. 2,000

B. 4,000

C. 6,000

D. 8,000

Good Economic News

I think we’re all in need for some good economic news, so here’s a deal for the first 15 of you blog readers. The first 15 of you to respond on the blog will receive a $10 gift certificate to our Connections bookstore.

It’s not $700 billion but it’s something, right?