Dear friends,
God has done great things in Avondale this year through our church!! Thanks to the support of so many of you (your time, your dollars, your prayers), we were able to accomplish a lot for God’s kingdom. As we look to finish 2017 strong, we need financial help to make that happen. We are currently $18,630.79 behind on expenses. Please consider making a contribution to decrease or, hopefully, eliminate that deficit. Every gift, big or small, makes a difference.
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In 2017, we …
- fed more than 60 families through our Avondale Samaritan Place cooperative program.
- partnered with STAIR to tutor more than 30 third graders to help them improve their reading skills.
- provided a safe place for our homeless brothers and sisters to take showers and receive meals and other assistance on a weekly basis.
- sponsored a softball team through Southside Ball and volunteered in the concession stand.
- cheered on countless runners and gave many of them water as they ran by our church on the Mercedes Marathon route.
- welcomed folks from the neighborhood into our church for Tuesday night picnic suppers this summer.
- provided “happies” to the teachers at Avondale Elementary School.
- worshiped together and praised God each Sunday.
- partnered with our friends from Woodlawn UMC, Saint Junia UMC, and Beloved Community Church to worship during Holy Week and to celebrate Easter at our Community Sunrise Service in the Avondale Park.
- welcomed more than 80 children to our Vacation Bible School.
- prepared hospitality gifts to welcome teenagers staying at our church this summer with YouthServe.
- delivered more than 600 brown bags to students at Avondale Elementary so they’d have food over the Thanksgiving holiday.
- co-hosted a Holiday Market for low-income families to buy Christmas gifts for their children
- celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with our co-op families by providing them breakfast before each holiday
Some of you also participated on …
- Usher teams who welcomed people to weekly worship and provided hospitality for grieving family and friends at funeral services
- the Bumblebee team who kept our church property mowed and pruned to provide a beautiful place for all who would come to our church
- the Panera Bread team who picked up bread each Saturday night so our co-op families would have it to take home
- the Sunday School teaching team who taught our children Bible stories each week
- the Lay Presider team to help lead worship each week
Y’all … this is amazing. And there’s so much more. This is just a snapshot of the things I could remember. I am so thankful for all of you and the ways in which you participated. It’s truly a privilege to serve as your pastor.
If you’d like to make a year-end gift, you can do so online, drop a check in the offering plate this Sunday morning, or mail your contribution before December 31 to have it counted for 2017.
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I look forward to seeing what God has in store for us in 2018!! May God inspire us for the work ahead as we seek to be light in this world.
Blessings,
Rev. Malinda Weaver
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