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Worship Every Sunday at 10:00 am 4882 Lavista Road | Tucker, Georgia 30084-4460 office@sapctucker.org | 770-938-2833 Directions to St. Andrews |
Back-to-School Carnival Saturday, August 10th at 10:00 am. Click here for an invitation to share with your family, neighbors and friends.
Click this link to sign up to volunteer at the carnival.
Everyone is invited to shop at St. Andrews School Book Fair, May 6-10. Enter through the back door of the Education Building, near the Heffner Hall parking lot. The hours are M-F, 7:30-9:30 a.m. & 3:00-5:00 p.m. The fair will also be open to the public during the Farmer’s Market on May 9th
Help En-Core Cap Off a Year of Service at St. Andrews School
The last day of school for St. Andrews School is May 22nd. EnCore volunteers end a wonderful year of service at SAS having read weekly at Storytime, cheered the students on at their Halloween and St. Patrick’s Day parades, met and greeted parents at a Fall reception, and served the families at their annual Thanksgiving dinner. We sent greeting cards for Christmas and coordinated the Valentine’s Wish List which members of St. Andrews fulfilled. In March and April we piloted the Music Class led by two of our EnCore volunteers.
It’s been a full, impactful year of service at St. Andrews School. Over the year we watched the children become better listeners at Storytime. Students and teachers alike raved about the Music classes. All are enjoying the added resources gifted their classrooms. And perhaps most gratifying of all the children have come to know and trust us. Running into school families at church or other places in Tucker the children invariably say “that’s the Storytime lady!” EnCore readers agree the sweet hugs at the end of Storytime draw us back again and again. It’s been a very good year. For our final EnCore activity this school year we’re inviting Church members to join us in serving. SAS library is bulging with books – they need a larger room. We’ve been asked to help the School relocate its library. On Thursday, May 30th we’ll be unpacking boxed up books and re-shelving them in the new space. Because no children will be present, any church member can volunteer to help. Please join us at the school at 10:00 am to assist school teachers and administrators unpack and reorganize their new library space. Sign up for any amount of time here. For more information contact LaVerne, laverne@sapctucker.org.
It’s central to being church – sharing a meal – and not only at the Lord’s table. Food and fellowship have always been integral to our building community and deepening relationships in the church. So why not occasionally incorporate these into worship? That’s part of the rationale behind “Brunch Church” — what we’ve planned for our worship service on Pentecost, May 19th.
Having Brunch Church on Pentecost seems particularly appropriate since Pentecost is the day we celebrate the birth of the Church. Originally Pentecost was an ancient Jewish feast celebrating the early (spring) harvest. (see Deuteronomy 16:9-10) After Jesus’ ascension, as his 120 followers were gathered for the Pentecost observance, they received in spectacular fashion the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise (John 14:26) of a Helper, the Holy Spirit. Hear Luke’s account of this seminal event:
“And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” (Acts 2:2-4)
This amazing display of God’s power drew a diverse crowd composed “from every people under heaven,” and astounded because they each heard the disciples’ testimonies in their own unique tongue. The Holy Spirit added 3,000 new followers to their group that day. This sudden expansion and their miraculous endowment with God’s power are considered by many the birth of the Christian church.
A birthday observance of sorts then, is fitting for St. Andrews this Pentecost, and for several other reasons as well. We’re acknowledging a season of rebirth at St. Andrews, as we enter, give thanks for, and relish our new debt-free era, having remitted our final mortgage payment in March. During our Brunch Church service we will symbolically “burn the mortgage.” We’ll also collectively review the results of our Vital Congregations Initiative (VCI) Congregational Survey, acknowledging our areas of vitality and exploring potential areas for growth as we listen for God’s new calling on us for the future.
Brunch Church will be worship — around tables in Heffner Hall, over a meal, and in fellowship with one another and with the Spirit of God. We will sing songs, pray, recite litanies, hear the Word proclaimed, and glorify God, all the elements of a worship service, even as we eat. Please help us with Brunch Church, Sunday May 19th. Brunch starts at 9:45 am. Worship begins at the regular time, 10:00 am. The church will provide coffee, beverages, and donuts. We’re asking members to contribute breakfast casseroles, fruit and cheese platters, and other brunch items. Bring them to Heffner Hall by 9:30. And we’ll need many hands for set up, serving and clean up. Please sign up here. Contact Jeni Allen or LaVerne Byas-Smith for more information.
Upcoming Events
Spring Book Discussion The final meeting to discuss Dr. William Yoo’s book, “What Kind of Christianity” will be this Sunday afternoon at 4:00 PM in the Youth Lounge, when we focus on Part 3, “The Reckoning.” Dr Yoo will join us in person on May 5th to talk about his work and entertain our questions. All are welcome. We will provide livestream of Dr. Yoo’s presentation; the discussions are in-person only.
Our free book table also returns at the market on the first and third Thursdays of the month. Please see the April Lamplighter for details about donating books and volunteering at our table.
This month we begin a four-week foray into the difficult history of American Presbyterians’ complicity in slavery and anti-black racism as we collectively read and digest William Yoo’s award winning book, “What Kind of Christianity.” On three consecutive Sunday afternoons, April 14, 21 and 28th at 4:00 pm in the Youth Room, we will discuss the three-part study in which the Columbia Seminary Professor recounts the concurrent development of the Presbyterian denomination in America alongside Presbyterians’ promotion of slavery and anti-Black racism. Contrary to common misconceptions of the Presbyterian church as abolitionist, most Presbyterians supported the institution of slavery, and knew of its inherent physical and sexual violence, either tacitly approving or ignoring it. Whether in the north or south, Presbyterians held racist attitudes toward African Americans and readily acted on them. As the Presbyterian church today seeks to promote racial justice, we must first acknowledge and understand the deep-rootedness of racial injustice in our history and identity as a denomination.
The April book discussions will prepare us for Dr. Yoo’s May 5th appearance at St. Andrews, (4 pm in the sanctuary) where he will present the themes of his book and entertain our questions. Numerous reviews of “What Kind of Christianity” laud it for its “clear-eyed view of the truth of the past,” but also for its attention to anti-Blackness in the present. Not leaving us totally hopeless, Yoo also offers imaginings of a different possible future. As Kirk Nolan, of Presbyterian College notes, “Yoo highlights a way forward for all Christians committed to addressing systemic racism.” Start now to prepare yourself to participate in this important book study by beginning to read “What Kind of Christianity” and by viewing Dr. Yoo’s recent Matthew 25 summit address, which touches on some of the same themes as the book. [Note: Yoo’s presentation starts at 1:15:30] Discounted copies are available for $15.00 in the church office. For more information contact LaVerne Byas-Smith
by Pat Baker
We will be touring the historic Oakland Cemetery on Tuesday, May 7th at 10:30 am. The rich history of what was originally called the City Cemetery or Atlanta Cemetery dates back to when the land was purchased in 1849. Volunteers will be providing us with a choice of two guided tours, one on foot and one in a golf cart; each will last around an hour. The space on the golf cart is limited so sign-up will be on a “first come, first served” basis. The walking tour will be easy-going with lots of stops as we listen to the tour guide. After the tour we will enjoy lunch at DAS BBQ Grant Park, next to the cemetery.
The cost is $6.00 for folks over the age of 65 and $12.00 for everyone under 65; proceeds support the mission of Historic Oakland Foundation. Payment can be made to Pat Baker on the day of the tour, BUT all reservations for this day trip have to be in to the church office NO LATER than April 29th. Please contact the church office or Pat Baker with your reservation, or if you have any questions.
St. Andrews Free Book Exchange Table, a huge success last fall, returns to the Tucker Farmer’s Market this month when it reopens on church grounds April 18th. The Book Table was a success, not because we received lots of book donations and gave away a ton of books. The Table was a success because it became a place of contact with myriad neighbors from Tucker and beyond. Nancy Qarmout, Farmers Market director, graciously placed our table at the market’s entry so every shopper passed it. Book Table volunteers delighted in greeting everyone as they entered the market. After inviting them to the table with the lure of “free books!,” we engaged browsers in light conversation about books, the weather, the market, and so forth. We met so many interesting and engaging neighbors. One young woman was newly transplanted to Atlanta and was thrilled to find a book on adoptions, just as she was praying through the decision to adopt. Several shoppers with children used the treat of a new book to appease, encourage, and yes, even bribe good behavior from restless little shoppers. We fielded occasional questions about St. Andrews church and, when appropriate, extended invitations to visit. At least one market shopper did.
Whether or not book browsers consider visiting our church, we value this opportunity to serve and get to know our neighbors and community, and for them to get to know us as a church that loves and serves.
This spring we need your help with the Free Book Table. We need volunteers to help sort and prepare book donations, to set up and break down our display, and to host the table during Market hours. We’ll be there for the Market’s opening day April 18th and most 1st and 3rd Thursdays throughout the summer. The two hosting shifts (4-5:30 pm; 5:30-7 pm) pass quickly as you come to enjoy interacting with neighbors, fellow volunteers and even other vendors. It’s a place of real community-building.
We also need gently loved books. We especially need children’s books, and well-kept novels and histories. Other popular genres include travel books and cook books. If you have gently used books you’d be willing to pass on — that you’d be proud to share — please drop them off at the church office or leave in the bin in the Narthex labeled “Book Table.” We appreciate your well-considered donations. Once again to join the Book Table team, contact LaVerne to get on the schedule: by email; or call 678-429-0411.