September 13, 2024

Dear Peachtree Road Family,

I hope you are well. It was good to see so many of you back in church last Sunday as we kicked off the fall season here at Peachtree Road UMC. We had a full chapel at 10:00 am, a full sanctuary at 11:15 am, and a delicious barbeque luncheon sponsored by the men of the church. It was a wonderful day of worship and fellowship. The Chancel Choir, Georgia Boy Choir, and Atlanta Brassworks joined together to present music that made us feel like we were with the angels in heaven! We also welcomed 12 new members last Sunday. That adds up to 27 new members who have joined Peachtree Road UMC within the last three weeks, and the total number of new members so far this year is 217. This is a growing church that is richly blessed!

This Sunday, we will continue our series of messages entitled “Being Christian in a Divided World.” Last week we reflected upon just how difficult that is. How do you deal with conflict? Do you call upon the Lord to rain down fire upon your adversary as the disciples James and John suggested in our scripture lesson last week? Do you just walk away… turn the other cheek… or attempt to speak the truth in love? On Sunday, we discussed the example Jesus set for us through his encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well — being willing to stay in the room with difference. And that is not easy! However, our God is relational, and this is how He plants seeds of the kingdom in our world. This week we will consider another step toward handling conflict as Jesus would – listening with respect. The music in the services promises to be uplifting as we sing two of the great hymns of the church (“Rejoice, the Lord Is King” and “Open My Eyes”) and hear the Chancel Choir’s offering of John Rutter’s arrangement of “This Is the Day.” Please join us in person at 8:45 am, 10:00 am, or 11:15 am or online at www.prumc.org.

One more note about this week’s worship. At the 8:45 am service, we will present Bibles to our third graders. This is one of those holy moments in the life of our church as we celebrate with the children we have on roll in the third grade, give them their first Bible, and begin to teach them how to use this book of our faith. I will challenge them to memorize ten particular passages in the next year, and we will celebrate with 13 fourth graders who accomplished that feat last year. Then, one of our third graders, who has just received a Bible, will read the day’s lesson from Psalm 40. At the 8:45 am service, the reader will be Mercer Amy, and Lucy Kennedy will read at the 11:15 am service. This will be an inspiring Sunday.

As we continue to celebrate the church’s 100th year of ministry in this community, we are pleased to share opportunities to celebrate with you:

  • Centennial Gallery – the gallery is now open for you to take a look through the decades to see some of our historical artifacts, two commemorative quilts, and a digital experience that gives a snapshot of our church’s history. This curated space is located on the lower level of the Sanctuary, across from the Dogwood Gift Shop. All are invited to visit the Gallery on Sundays and Wednesdays to appreciate the heritage, history, and visual story of Peachtree Road UMC.
  • Opening Concert of Peachtree Road UMC’s Centennial Season – join us on Sunday, September 22, in Grace Hall from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm as we welcome Joe Gransden and his award-winning Big Band as they celebrate a century of swing. They will entertain us with classics from Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Miles Davis, Tony Bennett, and more. You may reserve your tickets here. Don’t miss this fun night out!

Three Opportunities for Service and Growth:

  • Family Day at Metro Reentry Center – Jesus once remarked to his disciples, “I was in prison and you visited me.” Have you ever wanted to apply those words to your life? We are looking for volunteers from Peachtree Road UMC to join us on Saturday, September 21, as we help reunite incarcerated men with their families for a day of fun. These men are non-violent offenders who have less than 24 months to serve. We are looking to create a carnival atmosphere and serve lunch to about 1000 participants. This will be a meaningful and rewarding outreach opportunity. Register here. For more information, contact Beth Spencer at beths@prumc.org.
  • Forum on the Power of Kindness – on Sunday, September 29, at 10:00 am, the One Lamb Initiative on mental health will offer a forum on kindness in Heritage Hall. Jesus said to his disciples, “Love one another as I have loved you.” And how did he love? With kindness. Loving-kindness. Kindness is love in action. Love is our message. And kindness is its voice. Please join pastoral counselor Rev. Ron Greer for a forum on the power of kindness. For more information, contact Rev. Emily Miles at emilym@prumc.org.
  • 3 Practices Workshop – in the sermon last week, I mentioned a book entitled 3 Practices for Crossing the Difference Divide. Our church wants to create a safe place for difficult conversations by teaching the three practices to as many of our leaders as possible. We are offering this workshop led by our own Claire Bowen on two different occasions (October 6 or November 3) to discover these simple practices and learn to put them into place. To get more information or reserve your spot, please click here. 

That’s it for this week. I am so grateful for your faithful service to Christ through Peachtree Road UMC. Please let us know if we can be of help to you in any way.  

Grace and peace,

Bill