Archive for the ‘Features’ Category
Character: Middle School Style
Did you feel a rumble across Atlanta during the weekend of February 10–12? That was no earthquake! As more than 2,600 middle school students and 500 leaders gathered in 250 host homes to celebrate faith and friendship, what you heard rocking the corridors of Atlanta was likely a lot of worship and fun!
Transit students, leaders, volunteers, and staff enjoyed the largest Walking Wisely Weekend (WWW) ever. On Friday evening, Buckhead Church’s own Justin Grunewald invited students to examine their level of character in terms they could truly understand. How can you tell when your character needs growth? Ask the students that attended WWW and they will surely share what a mess looks like. (As they describe the chaos of life, just don’t be surprised if they mention a lot of beads scattered across the floor!)
Saturday morning dawned bright and cold as students scattered across Metro-Atlanta and North Georgia to have fun with their small groups. If you tried to get into a bowling alley, cooking class, movie theater, nail salon, zip line tour, or paintball venue, you probably found yourself surrounded by pumped-up 6th, 7th, and 8th graders!
Then, Saturday evening, Justin shared with the group that sometimes life introduces character challenges that no one was meant to handle—divorce, abuse, sickness, and even death. He talked about how we can trust only God with those struggles and know that nothing is too big for him!
To hear both of Justin’s Walking Wisely messages, check out the Transit podcasts.
Thank you, Buckhead Church, for all you do to invest in our middle schoolers.
The Transit Crew ::: Buckhead Church
1200 Move From Rows To Circles
Just over a week ago, we were privileged to watch more than 1,200 people connect into Community Groups—over half of them for the first time! It was incredible to watch God form these groups in the way that only he can. We can only imagine how they will change peoples’ lives this year, not to mention the role they will play in God’s story.
We want to thank our incredible team of volunteers. We couldn’t have pulled the weekend off without them.
If you missed GroupLink, the next chance to join a group is coming up when Access Groups launch later this month. Access Groups meet weekly for 6 to 8 weeks to discuss a specific topic. In March you can join a group about Spiritual Growth or Finances. There’s also an environment specifically for men called (7).
For more information or to join an Access Group, visit www.buckheadchurch.org/accessgroups. Registration will open on February 26.
Jill Roberts ::: Assimilation Team ::: Buckhead Church
BC Music Spotlight: Casey Darnell
Do you ever want to know a little more about the folks leading worship at Buckhead Church on Sundays?
We thought so.
That is why, from time to time, we are going to be tossing up a quick Q&A with our worship leaders and musicians. This week, we’re pleased to introduce you to…
Casey Darnell, Worship Leader
Hometown: Lynchburg, Virginia
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Casey, tell us a bit more about what you do on Sundays at Buckhead Church.
I am privileged to hold a guitar and microphone onstage and engage folks in song to a very real God. I get to take my daughter to Waumba Land, then hang out in the hallways and slap some fives with the good people of Buckhead. I usually eat at Farm Burger and then lead worship again at 6 p.m.
What are some of your favorite things that go on ”behind the scenes” at Buckhead Church that the average attendee would not see?
I love the moments of knowing we planned something ahead of time and rehearsed it, but then something goes wrong and God gives us something even better. Everyone in the audience is “none the wiser.” We get to see God show up in a unique way.
What has been your favorite moment or event to be a part of here?
Night of Worship is always encouraging to see the church come together with extra passion and presence to lift Jesus high. Family Birthday Celebration lights me up as I watch kids go public with their faith through baptism. Also, I love services where we celebrate that it’s not just about 3,000 seats, but that one seat on a video that represents a life truly changed by the grace of God.
What are your earliest memories of performing or playing on stage?
Growing up, I sang in a lot of children’s plays and musicals in school. I also participated in some pep band stuff, but really started branching out doing duet acting as a sixth grader. I performed in plays and sang in church as a high schooler. My awkward moments were singing the National Anthem before a basketball game that I was a starting player in, so I would sing and then go get ready for jump ball!
Tell us about your family.
I’ve been very happily married for almost eight years to my beautiful wife, Anisa. She’s from Canada and worth every “eh” I’ve endured through the years! Anisa is an interior decorator with a growing career at Milk and Honey Home. We have a daughter, Ava, who is almost five and another little girl, Rosalin Grace, due in April. I’m also blessed to have a mom and dad who have stayed together for over 35 years and a younger brother and sister who are both happily married. We’re all very close, and we consider our family dynamic a huge blessing that is rare these days.
What do you do when you’re not at Buckhead Church?
The primary thing is spending as much time with my girls as possible, which includes preschool and trips to the park and lots of spontaneous dates with my wife. Workwise, I write a lot of songs, both for worship and just about life and love. I have a band that travels with me a good bit when we are not at a campus of North Point Ministries. We do concerts, retreats or conferences, and camps. It’s a ministry we’re blessed to have to continue representing our church around the world. Other than that, I run a good bit and frequent the weights of LA Fitness. Then I head to Whole Foods or Arden’s Garden and down wheat grass/ginger shots.
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Keep up with Casey at:
WEBSITE | www.caseydarnell.com
TWITTER | www.twitter.com/CaseyDarnell
FACEBOOK | www.facebook.com/CaseyDarnell
NORTH POINT MUSIC | www.northpointmusic.org
What Our K–5th Graders Are Up To In February…
It’s a great time to be an UpStreet kid at Buckhead Church! All through February, we’re learning about the Big Idea of PRAYER—having a conversation with God. We launched our Big Idea on February 5 in UpStreet (our Sunday environment for elementary-aged kids) and at KidStuf Live (our monthly interactive production for parents and kids).
It’s all part of our strategy to partner with parents and make it easy to talk about God’s big ideas at home. We believe that what happens at home is more important than what happens at church. Be sure to check out our ParentStuf app for a simple, free, and easy way to talk about prayer with your kids!
That’s not all! On February 4, over 350 of our UpStreet kids went bowling with their small group leaders at an event we call KidVenture. KidVenture happens twice a year, and it’s designed to give UpStreet kids and their small group leaders a chance to connect relationally while doing something fun. It’s amazing how sharing an experience bonds people, breaks down barriers, and raises the quality of small group conversations on Sundays. It was a great event because our kids and leaders got to connect in a whole new way—as you can see from the pictures!
Serving Others In 2012
Be Rich 2011 was our most successful giving and serving campaign yet. You’ve probably heard the numbers: nearly 16,000 service hours, 41 tons of donated food, and $2.1 million to meet the needs of the sick, hungry, low-income, and children-at-risk in our community and abroad. Absolutely amazing!
Here’s one of our Community Groups serving with their families at Open Hand.
We were able to celebrate your generosity at the end of 2011. It was such a privilege.
Now it’s 2012. So, what does that mean for you in terms of serving others? From New Year’s resolutions to fleeting thoughts of Hey, serving was fun, I should do that again, we recognize—and hope!—that one of your desires for 2012 is to continue to be generous toward others.
Know that we’re here to help.
Two main options stand out for ways to prioritize service any time of the year.
First, if you participated in Be Rich 2011, we encourage you to continue supporting the nonprofit with whom you worked. Contact them for ways you can serve; go deeper and build a relationship with them. Or you can use the hang tag from the Be Rich food drive to help remind you to donate food monthly. Make it a family affair or an outing with friends by shopping together and then dropping off the food at Buckhead Christian Ministry (2847 Piedmont Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30305, open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Thursdays until 8:00 p.m.).
Second, Buckhead Church’s Intersect Project is our year-round service outlet. We exist to make serving simple for the attendees and members of Buckhead Church. Visit the website and look for ongoing projects and additional one-time events.
When we represent the church through service, our impact on the community is magnified because our impact is collective. Join in! Be a part. Let’s continuing serving our neighbors in need in 2012.
Megan Linger ::: The Intersect Project ::: Buckhead Church
