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From Mollie Mostert:
THANKS so very much for the amazing generosity to provide Christmas gifts for the 150 children of Pakistani disciples. The donations this year set a record high. In addition to something practical, each child will also get a toy, single moms will get food for Christmas dinner and elderly with get either warm gloves or scarf. This is truly more than they could have ever imagined having for Christmas.
Knowing they have brothers and sisters here in the US who love and share with them truly encourages their hearts.
Please pray for their faith to stay strong. It is a very dangerous place for disciples to live. We have four churches there, total about 350 disciples. Extreme terror groups are there and active near our churches.
I will post a few pictures on the bulletin board after Christmas. I don’t take pictures when I’m there for security reasons. So I’ll post only a few with the children’s pictures.
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Welcome to the Family!
Emma Mainer was baptized Friday, December 10th in the fountain at Herty field on UGA campus. Emma is a freshman at University of Georgia.
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Sunday, December 12th
10:30 am
Jeff Rorabaugh will be preaching on Sunday!
Sunday service starts at 10:30 am with adult Sunday school online classes preceding the service. We will be meeting in person at the building and the service will be live streamed on the church website (athenscoc.com) and our Facebook page.
Reminder: We will not meet in house churches on December 26th. We will have a congregational worship service on that Sunday.
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ONLINE ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL
8:30 AM
Simply copy & paste the corresponding link for the class of your choice into your browser and join the class!
LESSONS FROM TORAH
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81345063324
Meeting ID: 813 4506 3324
ESCAPING THE BEAST: POLITICS, ALLEGIANCE, AND KINGDOM with Shaun Jones
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6770225451
BEMA DISCIPLESHIP DISCUSSION GROUP – Torah
https://zoom.us/j/7065421147
Meeting ID: 706 542 1147
(646) 876 9923
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THE GIVING TREE
Donations and gift cards are being accepted this Sunday and next Wednesday at church
Hello church! We are excited to share that it’s that time of year again to do something special for our single parents and their children for Christmas. We will also be helping a few families in the church that a little extra blessing will come in handy this time of year. We are doing things differently by asking for $25 gift cards instead of actual presents. If you want to donate money instead of buying the gift cards yourself there are several ways to give. On our website, Tithe.ly has a place in the giving drop down menu for The Giving Tree or you can write a check or give cash. In the back of the auditorium a table will be set up and you can drop money or checks into the jar. Please give any gift cards you do purchase to Cricket or Terry Morrow. All gift cards and donations need be made or delivered by Wednesday, December 15 at our last congregational midweek of the year. Thank you in advance for being a little elf working behind the scenes to bring a big smile to some of “our” children’s faces in the Athens Church of Christ! And thank you for encouraging the single parents in our church family!
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:3-4
Love to all,
Terry and Cricket
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ACOC HOST WEEK STARTS SUNDAY!
Hosting will take place at Milledge Avenue Baptist Church at 1690 S. Milledge Avenue, Athens, GA 30605.
There are a bunch of opportunities beginning this Sunday evening to simply be on site for a brief time or spend the night. If you are interested and or available, you can utilize the signup genius for volunteering, this way we are able to communicate with you most easily. PLEASE don’t hesitate to email, text, or call Steve or Rachele with ANY questions. Thanks so much!
stevenrachele@gmail.com
706-351-3092 Steve
Our brother Clyde Whitworth has taken on a role on staff for Family Promise! See letter below from the Executive Director of Family Promise.
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Letter from the Executive Director
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Friends of Family Promise of Athens,
I am incredibly honored and humbled to be the new Executive Director of Family Promise of Athens (FPA). This organization has a rich history of serving families in our community for more than 15 years. As you know, nonprofits cannot thrive without the expertise of staff, the tireless dedication volunteers, and the steady commitment of donors. Together, our community has built FPA to a point where we are absolutely set up for continued success in the years to come. So, first and foremost, thank you to each and every one of you for what you have done for families in Athens. With your help, we have had a tremendous 2021. Some of the highlights include:
- Providing emergency shelter to 7 families (27 individuals). All 7 families are now permanently housed.
- Distributing $131,400 in rental and utility assistance for 176 families facing eviction.
- Distributing $22,000 in diversion expenses (i.e. security deposits, back rent, utility debt, etc.) to help 34 families find permanent housing instead of having to seek shelter services.
While transitions can bring uncertainty, they also bring opportunities for growth and change. As Executive Director, my primary objective will be to learn from the past while keeping an eye toward FPA’s future. This means that we will always seek to learn from our successes as well as our missteps to better serve families. I look forward to the opportunity to speak with anyone who would like to provide feedback, learn more about what we do, or join our team as a volunteer or board member.
So, what can you expect from FPA in 2022? Briefly…
- The opening of 2 transitional housing units for FPA families in partnership with Athens Area Habitat for Humanity.
- The continuation of the new Prevention and Diversion programs that began in 2021.
- An increased emphasis on community engagement, including recruiting additional congregations and community as well as university groups to provide additional resources and expertise for our families.
With these big goals in mind, our Board has approved a three full-time staff member structure. Clyde Whitworth will be joining the FPA team in December as the Chief Impact Officer. He will be responsible for volunteer and congregational engagement. In addition, we will be adding a Case Manager to our team who will work directly with our families to ensure they have all that they need to reach their individual goals. We believe this team will allow us to fully carry out our mission to help families experiencing homelessness achieve independence.
I look forward to working with you in the year ahead. Please do not hesitate to reach out at any time. My email address is director@familypromiseathens.org and our office is located at 355 Pulaski Street.
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Sincerely,
Madison Sanders
Executive Director
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Marriage Retreat March 18th & 19th, 2022
Athens Church of Christ is excited to announce our 2022 Marriage retreat! We will be having two days of fellowship and teaching focused on building relationships and strengthening marriages.
The cost will be $290 per couple. The cost will cover a room at the Amicalola Falls Lodge for the night of March 18th, breakfast and a box lunch on Saturday, as well as various activities scheduled for the retreat.
Check in will begin on Friday, March 18th at 3pm. There will be breakfast followed by breakout classes on Saturday with the retreat closing out at 4pm on Saturday, March 19th.
If you would like to pay half the retreat cost now, you may pay a non-refundable deposit of $150 today and the remaining balance will be do February 18th.
Register at link below:
https://www.athenscoc.com/2022-marriage-retreat-registration/
Cash or check option: For those couples wanting to pay by check or cash for the marriage retreat, there will be a table set up on Sunday to take their registration.
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ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER – ORLANDO FL 2022
The World Discipleship Summit will begin Sunday evening July 31 with the SINGLES, CAMPUS, and LEADERSHIP conferences. They will run concurrently and close out on Wednesday morning, August 3rd. Then on Thursday, August 4th, the FAMILY Conference, along with the Forever Faithful, Spanish, and Deaf/HOH tracks will begin as originally scheduled. This includes High School and Middle School tracks as well. The entire Summit will conclude on Sunday morning August 7th. So for one week, thousands of disciples from around the world will gather in Orlando.
www.worlddiscipleshipsummit.com
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CONGREGATIONAL MIDWEEK
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 15TH
Last midweek of 2021
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