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Being the Church |
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Location: Blogs Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 12/4/2008 10:11 AM | Greetings on this sunny, chilly day,
It was a simple statement. “You know, times are tough. People may not be able to buy Christmas Trees like they have in the past.” And that simple statement by someone as we set up the Christmas Tree lot about 10 days ago got a discussion going. How can we help people out? The discussion became about how everyone is feeling the pinch of the recession, from the poorest of the poor, to the wealthy. In the neighborhood surrounding the church, we see a little bit of everything from stately old homes to shotgun shacks.
The discussion continued off and on about what the church might be able to do and somehow, an idea bubbled to the surface. What if we collected food to help support those who are having trouble putting food on the table AND gave those who donated the food a break on their Christmas Trees, who might appreciate a little break in tough times, too. The idea got thrown around and some folks got pretty excited about it and the shape of what had been discussed started to take place. Finally, it got hammered out: if someone donated canned goods, BCC would give them a $5 discount on an tree $60 and under, and a $10 discount on any tree above $60. All the food collected would be taken to the Oglethorpe Presbyterian Food Pantry right down the street. Someone else had the idea of setting a goal and keeping track of how much food was collected; make it sort of a contest to see if we can reach the goal and beyond. 1000 cans of food was mentioned, and everyone seemed to think that was a good goal. Over the next couple of days, the idea was shared with various members of the church, leadership, committee chairs, and the decision was made: let’s do it. The sign out front reflects our decision; messages were sent to the area churches announcing our Christmas Tree Sale – Canned Good Collection plan.
Well, here we are about to start the sixth day of selling trees and the sales have been brisk, in spite of some intermittent nasty weather. Folks working on the lot report that they are seeing people who say they have been buying trees here for years, a family tradition. One first year college student and her father reminisced about how they had been coming to pick out a tree together since she was a toddler. Young families come with their little ones seeking that special tree for Christmas. Some want to know about the church, and the workers are glad to fill them in. Some remember the person who delivered their tree last year, or 5 years ago, and wonder if they are working. The folks from BCC who work the lot get to know each other better, having fun, greeting guests, working together, showing the neighborhood what Brookhaven Christian Church is all about.
Oh, and what about the canned goods? Well, as of this morning we have around 600 cans collected! Will we make as much money this year? It’s too early to say, but even if we don’t, we have made a statement about doing our part to assist others, and backed it up with our actions. One of the encouraging aspects of this whole thing is that many of the folks who bring canned goods and buy a tree are also telling us that they don’t want the discount, they are just looking to help out. They also want to know about the food pantry so that they might help out even more at other times of the year.
You know what really excites me about all this? This whole event is the church in microcosm: the best ideas for how we can help others almost always bubble up from the membership; working together with other denominations strengthens the ties of all Christians; we are at our best when we are welcoming strangers to our church home with smiles and open arms; working together to serve others and to serve Christ’s church almost always results in wonderful fellowship and forges even greater bonds within the congregation. All these things are part of what it means to be the church. Not to mention, that it’s great fun!
We are on target to have this sale over, or very close to it, by early next week. We anticipate big sales this Friday evening and all day Saturday. Looking over the shifts between now and then, I see that we need a few more volunteers throughout the rest of the week, but we really need some folks to step up all day on Saturday, which will be our busiest day of all. Go to the website and sign up and volunteer to help out and see this amazing thing in action, this thing we call the church. Believe me, you don’t want to miss out on the fun!
For an updated prayer list and list of upcoming activities, please go to www.brookhavenchristian.org
For your prayer lists:
Please keep Miki Morgan’s mother in your prayers as she continues to struggle with health issues.
Please keep the leaders of our city, our state and our nation as they struggle with the state of the economy and all it’s ramifications.
Announcements
Make your plans to be in worship with us over the Advent season starting with Praise on Peachtree this Sunday in the fellowship hall, the annual Choir Cantata during worship on Sunday December 14th, our celebration of “Christmas Sunday” – the fourth Sunday of Advent on Sunday December 21st, and our Christmas Eve Candlelight service on Wednesday December 24th at 6:00 p.m.
And if you think the Sanctuary magically got so beautifully decorated, think again! The ornaments and wall hangings were lovingly made by Martha Low, Anne Elkins, Evelyn Lester, Ammarie Wilson and Tommy Wilson. Volunteering their time to hang and place the decorations: Judy Mowrey, Margie Kinney, Cathy Stevens, Lynda and Stan Anderson, Cindy and Mike Parker, Ruth Dunker, Mary Malek and Riley and Meredith O’Connor. In charge of ordering and arranging a record number of poinsettias, Jay and Marilyn Martin. The Advent Wreath was put together by Daonne Caldwell. When you see any of these folks, give them a big “Thank You!”
There are still some ornaments on the “Angel Tree” in the narthex. Each ornament represents a wish list for a little boy or girl associated with the Brookhaven Child Development Center who will be assured of a happy Christmas with your help. Simply take an ornament, use the wish list to guide you in buying presents, and then bring back the presents UNWRAPPED and with the ornament or the number on the ornament attached to your presents by Sunday December 14th.
Instead of our regular fellowship potluck lunch on the third Sunday of this month, the Christian Education ministry is sponsoring a special Christmas Fellowship Pot Luck Breakfast on the third Sunday of the month, December 21st. All are invited to meet in the fellowship hall at 9:30 a.m. on that day as we share breakfast and good fellowship. Please bring a breakfast dish to pass.
If you have made your pledge for the 2009 operating budget, thank you! If you haven’t yet, please send your pledge to pledge2009@brookhavenchristian.org or give it Mitch Kenfield, or send it to the church office by the end of this week. Budgetary decisions will be made early next week, and those decisions will be made based on the pledges received. Thanks for your attention to this matter.
I hope you can make it worship this Sunday as we once again mark the first Sunday of the month with our special Praise on Peachtree service in the fellowship hall. The theme this Sunday is “On Earth As It Is In Heaven.” The scripture references are Revelation 4: 1-11 and Matthew 6: 10. Have a great rest of the week!
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