December 13, 2024

Dear Peachtree Road Family,

I hope you are well. I want to begin this week’s note by celebrating with you the impact of our outreach ministry Christmas Kindness. Over the course of the last week, over 400 volunteers from our church helped nearly 2,300 persons shop for new warm coats, small home appliances, and toys for their children. This ministry started 18 years ago, and I am grateful to Beth Spencer and her team, who worked to share the love of Christ in this special and holy season. The week saw our volunteers give out:

  • 2,140 warm coats
  • 1,706 toys for children
  • 433 gift cards for $20
  • 587 Bibles
  • 350 sets of pots, pans, and skillets
  • 4,000 chicken nuggets

We were pleased to partner with the following agencies on this outreach project:

  • Academy of South DeKalb
  • Agar
  • Ansley School
  • Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation
  • Beloved Atlanta
  • Buckhead Backs the Blue
  • Boys and Girls Club
  • Breakthru House
  • Buckhead Christian Ministry
  • Cascade UMC Outreach
  • City of Refuge
  • Covenant Community
  • Covenant House
  • FL Stanton School
  • Lambs Academy
  • Motherhood Behind Bars
  • Mountain Top Boys Home
  • Murphy-Harpst
  • Peachtree Road UMC Community
  • Police Athletic League
  • Safehouse Outreach
  • Shepherds Inn
  • Trinity Community Ministry
  • US Attorneys Outreach
  • Wellroot
  • Women’s Resource Center 

Thank you to all who volunteered their time and to those who contributed to this amazing ministry. If you would like to contribute, it’s not too late. Please follow this link to give to Christmas Kindness. 

I am looking forward to Sunday as we continue with our Advent theme entitled “Believe!” During this season, we are reflecting upon the encounters characters from the Christmas story had with angels and the subsequent challenge to “Believe!” Last week Mary modeled the life of faith for us as she moved from a question (“How can this be since I am a virgin?”) to a faith-filled response (“Let it be with me according to your word.”) after hearing the transforming affirmation “Nothing is impossible with God.” On Sunday, we will turn to the story of Joseph as recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, and I encourage you to read Matthew 1:18-25 and join us Sunday as we think about what it means to “Set Aside Your Fears.”

We will be singing three very familiar carols: “Lift Up Your Heads, Ye Mighty Gates”; “What Child Is This?”; and “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.” In addition, the Doxology Youth Choir will be singing “Keep Your Lamps,” and the Chancel Choir’s anthem will be “A Babe Is Born,” arranged by William Mathis (they sang this beautiful piece as a part of last Sunday evening’s “Many Moods of Christmas” concert). If you cannot make it in person at 8:45 am, 10:00 am, or 11:15 am, then I encourage you to worship with us online here. 

Let me make you aware of other worship opportunities coming up in the next 10 days:

  • Carols by Candlelight – Sunday, December 15, at 5:30 pm in the sanctuary. You are invited to join us as the Chancel Choir and Doxology Youth Choir lead us in a service of lessons and very familiar carols. The service closes with the lighting of candles as a symbol of our hope that “light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it.” 
  • Christmas with the Georgia Boy Choir – Friday, December 20, and Saturday, December 21, at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary. Come hear all five levels of the Georgia Boy Choir, our ensemble in residence, as they perform sacred classics, traditional Christmas carols, and all your holiday favorites. You may purchase your tickets here. 
  • Longest Night Service – for many, the holidays can be a difficult time. Our Longest Night Service, set for Sunday, December 22, at 5:30 pm in the Moore Chapel, is designed to help participants find comfort in the midst of loss and grief. Pastoral Counselor Andrea DeWalt will offer a message of hope. 

Of course, Christmas Eve is just a little over a week away. What makes this day so special? Some suggest it’s the children, dressed as angels, shepherds, sheep, and other stable animals, singing “Away in a Manger.” Others point to that moment when we light the Christ Candle, signifying the presence of our God with us. And still others affirm that it is the passing of the light in a dark sanctuary during the singing of “Silent Night” and the sight of lifted candles as we affirm together “He rules the world!” And the reality is that it’s all of these. Christmas Eve is the best day of the year!  

I remind you that we will be offering five services in our sanctuary on Christmas Eve:


11:00 am – Candlelight Service with Holy Communion

4:00 pm – Family Candlelight Service and Christmas Pageant 

6:00 pm– Family Candlelight Service and Christmas Pageant

8:00 pm – Festival of Lessons and Carols with Candlelighting

10:30 pm – Festival Choral Eucharist with Candlelighting

Would you like to sing in the choir on Christmas Eve? Now is your chance! Join the volunteer choir that will be singing at the 11:00 am service in the sanctuary. There will be one rehearsal in the Music Suite at 10:00 am on Tuesday, December 24. You will be outfitted with a choir robe and placed in the chancel to lead the congregation in our first Christmas Eve service. To join, contact Ruth Sommerville at ruths@prumc.org or 404.240.8212.

In addition to worship, there are several giving opportunities: 

  • Christmas Eve Offering – once again, this year’s special offering on Christmas Eve will be used to purchase water filters for those living in Kenya. For each $50 donation, we provide a family in Kenya with a water filter that will last 10 years. Since we began this effort ten years ago, we have seen a 90% increase in wellness and prosperity in entire communities. Your giving over the last decade has brought hope and health to over 40,000 families! I hope you will give generously this Christmas and help provide access to clean water for folks living in the Kiamaina region of Kenya. You may give now online here or purchase a water filter gift card at the Dogwood Gift Shop.
  • Year-End Giving – due to your wonderful generosity, we are hopeful that we will be able to cover all our projected expenses for the current year. I do encourage you to help us finish the year well. Wendie and I are working to fulfill our pledge for the year, and I hope you will join us. If everyone fulfills his or her pledge for the year, we will meet our budget. Some of you may be planning to make an extra contribution to the church this year, and I encourage you to mark it for the operating budget. For your convenience, you may make your gift online here. Thank you for your generosity. 
  • Make a pledge to the 2025 church budget – thank you to those who have returned your 2025 pledge or made a recurring gift online. It appears that many of you have taken a “step up” in your support of your church’s ministry (which is so needed and so important for our 2025 ministry!). If you have not yet made a pledge of support for next year’s budget, would you take a few minutes to do so today? If you are able, I am encouraging you to join Wendie and me in increasing your giving for 2025. You can make your pledge online by clicking here. Again, thank you for your generous support of Peachtree Road UMC. 

Well, that’s a longer note than I intended to write this week. Just know that I am grateful for you and look forward to seeing you in worship this week as we celebrate God’s presence in our midst.

Grace and peace,

Bill