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Rev. Dr. Mark Brewer
"Proclaim: Peace"
Isaiah 1:1-10
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Join us this Sunday:
8:15 a.m. Prayer (Library)
9:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship
10:15 a.m. Discipleship
11:15 a.m. Traditional Worship
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Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:9-10
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First Serve Opportunity – Saturday, December 14, we will bring three teams to serve at South Atlanta Marketplace to help price items, gift wrap, sort toys and even run the registers. This is a family-friendly event and we would love to have you join us. There are 3 serving times available with limited space at each. Online registration opens on December 1. For more information email kay@napc.org.
Click on your preferred time slot to register.
9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
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AMIS: Christmas International House.
Christmas International House is a ministry of hospitality for international students and scholars during the winter break, allowing them to travel to a new city and stay in an American home to learn about our culture and our celebration of Christmas. International students (studying at colleges/universities throughout the US) will be coming to Atlanta December 18-28 and AMIS needs hosts for 3-5 days during that time. Go to www.amis-inc.org/cihvolunteer, email Susan Rembert at susan@amis-inc.org, or call 470-851-1248 to learn more.
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Classes For December 8
Designed for Discipleship (Room 4101) • Lessons of Advent.
Cornerstone (Room 3210) • Presentation by Rev. Megan Johnson.
Families with Young Children (Room 4102) • Open House and Fellowship.
College Class (Room 4203) • Conversation and Questions Related to Teachings on the Bible.
Young Adults and The Next Generation Class (Room 3209) • Young Adults and The Next Generation Discipleship and Fellowship.
The United Class (Room 4103) • Doc McKay: Faith, Hope, Love.
International ESL (Room 5201) • Study of Today’s Sermon Text.
Chinese Student Fellowship Sunday School (Rooms 5200 and 5201) • 1 Thessalonians, Gospel of Luke, and Genesis.
The CUP (Room 4113) • Conversation on Street Theology.
Speak Easy (Room 4200) • Conversation on the Journey Toward the Intersection of Justice, Jesus, and Everyday Life.
International Perspectives (BMC-B) • Presentation by Loann Nguyen.
The Choir Class • Cancelled in preparation for Bell Choir Performance during 11:15 a.m. Worship.
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Our NAPC Bell Choir will offer “Lo, How A Rose” as the Prelude. Sunday, December 8, 11:15 a.m.
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Advent Festival & Second Sunday Gathering – Join us Sunday, December 8 for our Children’s Choirs Christmas Musical at 4 p.m. and stay for a time of fellowship and fun as we celebrate the Advent season with gift making centers, dinner, and the lighting of our NAPC Christmas Tree! This is a great opportunity to invite your friends! Dinner is $5 per person with a $20 family max.
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Chinese Christmas Market - Come do some last-minute Christmas shopping and take home a beautiful cloisonne bell, bracelets, or other special arts items unique to China! These proceeds support the many Bibles and videos, children’s Bibles, and materials used for sharing the message of Christ with our Chinese friends. Please come by and visit our table in the alcove behind the fellowship hall. December 8, 15 and 22. 10 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
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Christmas Communion - Come celebrate Jesus’ birth and take communion with us at the mid-week service on Tuesday, December 10, at 11 a.m. Contact megan@napc.org with questions.
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Twenty-Second Annual Free Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Christmas Concert - Join us Thursday, December 12 at 11:45 a.m., for a one-hour sing-along lunchtime concert. It is a wonderful way to get in the Christmas spirit with music performed by world-class musicians! Tickets are not required, but space will fill up quickly. Doors open at 11 a.m. If you are available to volunteer please write “ASO” on your connection card. Contact lisa@napc.org with questions.
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Lessons and Carols - Come hear the Christmas story told through scripture and song at this annual worship service that celebrates the birth of Jesus told through short readings from the Bible interspersed with Christmas anthems and carols lead by North Avenue choirs at 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. on Sunday, December 15. Contact bryan@napc.org with questions.
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Pride for Parents Toy Drive - Please bring newly purchased toys to the Children’s Ministry Welcome Area, the Advent Festival, or the Reception landing by the Hospitality Hall December 1-15. Our goal is to donate over 75 toys and gift cards for “Pride for Parents,” a program of our Mission Partner, Focused Community Strategies. FCS is a North Avenue Mission partner that supports families in South Atlanta.
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Holiday House Cookie Drive - Join us as we partner with The Atlanta Children’s Shelter for their 2019 Holiday House. Bring a dozen cookies, homemade or store-bought, to North Avenue’s Children’s Ministry Welcome Desk on Sunday, December 15 by noon. We will bless their families, staff, and volunteers with an abundance of love and treats! If you are interested in serving at Holiday House email csimmons@acsatl.org.
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Celebrating Frank and Glad Eldridge - In January, The Honorable, the Reverend Frank Eldridge and his wife of more than 50 years, Glad, will be moving to Wesley Woods in Newnan, Georgia and Frank’s ordained ministry of ten years on our staff will come to a close. As you make your plans for the Advent season, be sure to stop by a reception for Hon. Rev. Frank and Glad Eldridge on Lessons & Carols Sunday, December 15. We will be honoring them after each service in the Overlook Hall with refreshments at 10:15 a.m. and a reception at 12:30 p.m. Contact megan@napc.org with questions.
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Second Sunday: Broken Hearted Christmas - Join us Sunday, Dec. 15, at 5:45 p.m. for a service that is for all those who find Christmas to be that difficult mix of joy and sorrow, loneliness and longing in the midst of the “very merry.” Contact josh@napc.org with questions.
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Neighborhood Gatherings.
Join your North Avenue neighbors for time to connect and share a potluck dinner in homes around the city. We will celebrate Epiphany together, the wise men’s visit to the Christ child. www.napc.org/connections
The purpose of these gatherings is to create space for us as a church to know one another and care for one another better. Our first neighborhood gathering was a great launch with 214 North Avenue people gathered in eleven homes around the city to enjoy good food and connection. What a great beginning from which to grow! Sign up for a group here. For more information contact Kim Goldsmith kim@napc.org.
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Parking Changes - Starting, Monday, December 2, SP+ Parking, the company that leases and manages our parking garage at NAPC for the Bank of America building, will be actively parking cars there again for the first time since the SHINE renovation project started.
This will mean that, on Monday – Friday, from 7a.m. until 7p.m. access to the upper deck and half of the lower deck will be gated and limited to their tenants. Our staff, the ACS staff, and regular weekly church visitors will continue to enter off of Courtland and park in the non-gated areas.
They are providing exceptions to this for us for (1) regular Thursday morning and Second Tuesday Bible study groups; and (2) special events and funerals. Some of these events may require us to overflow our available parking into the Bank of America building’s garage as we currently do with bigger weekend events at church.
We will make available a limited number of NAPC Member hanging tags that you can keep in your car in case our primary lot is full during the week. We are working to arrange for you to be allowed into the gated parking area if you have such a hanging tag. If you don’t happen to have a hanging tag and our side of the lot is full, just drive up to the gate, press the intercom button to call the attendant, and let him/her know that you are a member of North Avenue and you will be granted access. (Gates will automatically open for you on the way out.) You may need to do the same after 5 p.m. Monday – Friday.
We will also need to start enforcing parking rules again, so don’t leave your vehicle parked in our limited parking spaces for any length of time without some identification.
I am sure there will be issues that come up. Please make us aware of them as they arise and we will work to find a solution for it.
Contact Kenny Kyle - kenny@napc.org
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Advent Poinsettias - Honor a loved one by dedicating an Advent poinsettia that will adorn NAPC throughout the Advent season. You may take your poinsettias with you after the Christmas Eve service you attend. Order forms are available at NAPC. Contact kay@napc.org or click here for more information.
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New Hymnals - After three decades of service, it is time to replace our 1990 hymnals with the new 2013 Presbyterian edition entitled “Glory to God”. New hymnals can be dedicated with a bookplate in honor or memory of loved ones for $18. Look for sign ups around the church. Click here for more information. Contact bryan@napc.org if you have any questions.
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Watch Worship Live – If you are out of town or unable to attend church, we invite you to watch the worship service live this Sunday at 11:15 a.m. online at:
www.napc.org/live
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Finance Update / Two Important Items.
- While our generosity campaign has gone well so far with gifts to ministries and missions received for 2020 totaling approximately $1.45M, we are still well short of our goal of $1.9M. We still have 86 families we have not yet heard from that pledged over $450,000 last year and another 108 families that have given this year but have not made a pledge this year or last. Your contributions through your pledge allow the church to better plan for and allocate its resources and grow its programs. Every gift counts – please do what you can!
- In the past, December has been a big giving month for NAPC. (Last year, gifts in December totaled $535,000.) We need to see those results again. We still have $307,000 in pledges outstanding for the year, and in the past have seen amazing giving of another $250,000 on top of that pledged income. Through November, we have spent $155,000 more than we have received, so please do what you can to make this December the best December ever and bring us to the end of the year with a small surplus. From a tax perspective, don’t forget the value of giving appreciated securities and lumping gifts into alternate years. See your tax advisor for more details.
Thank you for being such remarkable givers! This has been a wonderful new place to call home! Grace and Peace to all of you this Christmas season!
Kenny Kyle.
Executive Director of Finance and Operations.
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Pledge online here at www.napc.org/pledge or drop off your pledge card at the church or place in the offering plate in worship. For questions or further information, contact Kenny at kenny@napc.org.
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Prayer Over Our Transition - The Prayer Team invites you to join us in prayer on Sundays from 8:15-8:50 a.m. in the Library, on Wednesdays set a reminder at 2 p.m. for a “Pause for Prayer” wherever you are. Information: www.napc.org/transition.
- Prayer on Sundays. There will be silent prayer and directed prayer in the Library.
- “Pause for Prayer” on Wednesdays at 2 p.m. Please stop where you are to pray for North Avenue through this time of transition.
Questions/Information: Claire Hertzler, clairehertzler@gmail.com
"Now I am doing a new thing; do you not perceive it?” Isaiah 43:19
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Support NAPC Ministry & Mission
Your generous gifts make all these ministries possible. Thank you for being a part of what makes North Avenue so special as we seek to know Jesus and make him known! You can give to North Avenue here.
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December Newsletter - Be sure you stay in the know on all that has, is, and will happen at North Avenue by reading our November Newsletter now available throughout the church and online here. Register online for NAPC events on our events page here.
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Employment - Want to join the NAPC team? We are committed (1) to knowing Jesus and to making Him known, displaying values of "radical hospitality, passionate worship, transformational faith development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity" and (2) to helping the congregation "love and honor God in WORSHIP, GROW in the fullness of Christ, and GO into the world with the Holy Spirit." Click here for current job openings. Please submit all applications to Kenny Kyle, Executive Director of Finance & Operations.
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