January 28, 2018, as part of the worship service, and with the support of Rise Against Hunger, formerly Stop Hunger Now, our congregation will prepare 10,000 meals in Heffner Hall (as we did in 2014 and 2016) to help fight world hunger. The school we help to support with our Change for Children donations is one of the organizations that benefits from these healthy food donations from Rise Against Hunger. St. Andrews pays for the ingredients for these meals, and that money was provided through the use of our campus from the movie that was filmed at St. Andrews last summer.

St. Andrews will hold our annual Congregational Meeting to receive the 2018 budget and vote on terms of call, prior to Worship on Sunday, January 28th. Please contact the church office if you have any questions or need additional information

 The 39ers is a group of folks who like to meet, eat and have fellowship together. On Monday, January 8th, we will meet at Greater Good BBQ in Tucker at Noon, and would welcome any and all who would like to join us. (4431 Hugh Howell Rd.)

We will carpool from the office side of the church, if that is more convenient. The carpool will leave at 11:45.

 January 13 and/or 15, 2018, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm

St. Andrews has been invited to participate with other congregations in the area and the Shalom International Ministry, which is a cross-cultural ministry supporting the refugee community in and around Clarkston, GA, on Sat, Jan 13, 2018, and Mon, Jan 15, 2018, to help renovate the historic Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church campus as it becomes the new non-profit Memorial Drive Ministries providing ministry and support to the refugee community in the surrounding area. Due to the nature of the work, volunteers should be Youth & Adults, and older Elementary aged children, if they are directly supervised by an adult.  For questions or to sign-up click here to contact Mike Bearden or 404-660-8234.

Please contact Mike today if you are planning to attend.

Moses, Elijah, and Jesus walk into a bar… January 7 – Feb 11. The transfiguration of Jesus on the mountaintop is an overwhelming story: the voice of God, Moses, and Elijah, a bright shining Jesus. Do you find yourself bewildered by this story? Don’t worry the disciples were, too! Come to the High School Youth Room Sunday mornings at 9:00 as we dive in deep to the characters, and meaning of this story. This class is for 6th grade-adults.

Information re MLK Weekend Workdays at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church Supporting Memorial Drive Ministries

SAPC has been invited to participate with other congregations  in the area and the Shalom International Ministry (a cross-cultural ministry supporting the refugee community in/around Clarkston, GA) on Sat, Jan 13, 2018, and Mon, Jan 15, 2018, (9 am – 1 pm each day) to help renovate the historic Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church campus as it becomes the new non-profit Memorial Drive Ministries providing ministry and support to the refugee community in the surrounding area.  Due to the work being done, volunteers should be adults and youth (6th – 12th grades with a 5:1 youth:adult supervision; some older elementary children if directly supervised by a parent).  Work tasks include:  general cleaning of sanctuary, chapel, classrooms, bathrooms and common areas; spackling and painting walls; pulling out old carpet and replacing with carpet tiles; moving items – furniture and equipment – to dumpsters and designated storage areas; repair of hand rails and broken window panes; replacement of light bulbs in the sanctuary and chapel; electrical and plumbing repairs (looking for pro-bono electrician and plumber to work and supervise volunteers as available); landscaping (weeding, trimming, planting, etc.); cleaning leaves from roofs, gutters and downspouts; and, pressure washing sidewalks and cement courtyard.

It would be very helpful to hear from any volunteers as soon as possible, but not later than Jan 4, 2018, with the day/days you want to work, skills that you have and tools that you can provide for what you want to work on.  Volunteers must provide their own cleaning supplies and tools.  See the Service Opportunities tab on the SAPC web site for this announcement and a PDF document with more details on the work tasks and background info on the Memorial Drive Ministries.  For questions or to sign-up contact Mike Bearden: 404-660-8234; michaelrbearden@bellsouth.net.

Thank You St. Andrews A big THANK YOU to all who brought cookies for the Christmas Cookie Celebration after Lessons and Carols. Your cookies were delicious and enjoyed by all! The remaining cookies were gathered and sorted into the lovely tins you donated. When all was said and done, we delivered more than 99 dozen cookies and to four area agencies. You made it possible to share some joy with those in our community. Soli Deo gloria

Sunday School classes will not meet on December 24th and 31st.

Our recipient for the Christmas Eve special offering is the Building Families Program. Building Families is an evidenced-based, in-home service from Thornwell that offers practical, hands-on tools to help families with children’s behavior and reduce your stress. Their team of specialists meets with families in their homes, to provide highly personalized services that are tailored to   families’ unique needs. St. Andrews is a partner congregation with Building Families and is glad to provide office space for one of their specialists.

New Potpourri Sunday School Class, Jan 7 – Feb 18, 2018: Subversive Jesus, Radical Grace: Relating Christ to a New Generation – [Rev. Robert T. Henderson, PC USA] –  witness a conversation with Gen X’ers (born 1964 – 81) and GenY’ers (born 1982 – 2000; Millennials) and explore ways to respond to their questions / concerns regarding the relevancy of Christian faith to their lives and communities.  No read ahead required to attend or participate in discussion.  Study supplement and class schedule: available in class and on the SAPC Sunday School web page.  Books: see Amazon.com and Google.com in paperback.  Questions:  michaelrbearden@bellsouth.net.