THE OAKHURST
MESSENGER
DECEMBER 19, 2007
VOLUME LIV
NUMBER 8
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2007 YEAR END CONTRIBUTIONS
Please remember our church and its ministries in your year-end giving. Make
sure your commitments are up to date, and consider a special end of year
gift so that we can end the year in great shape. The church’s accounting
books for 2007 close on December 31. Please insure that all your gifts for
2007 are received by the church, or postmarked by December 31, 2007, in
order to be recorded as 2007 gifts. Charitable Contribution Statements for
2007 will be mailed before the end of January.
SCHEDULE FOR THE NEXT THREE WEEKS
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
No regular activities at the church
7:40 p.m. Sanctuary Choir rehearsal (Room 103)
Thursday, December 20, 2007
10:30 a.m. Good Fellowship Club (Fellowship Hall)
Sunday, December 22, 2007—Fourth Sunday of Advent: Peace
9:00 a.m. Café Oakhurst (Fellowship Hall)
10:50 a.m. Morning Music: Karen Peters, vocalist; Mayte Simpson,
harp (Sanctuary)
11:00 a.m. Worship: Service of Lessons and Carols
NO Gospel Choir Rehearsal (Room103)
NO High School Youth Group
Monday, December 24, 2007—Christmas Eve
6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Vesper Service (Sanctuary)
Tuesday, December 25, 2007—Christmas
Church Office closed
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Church Office closed
No regular activities at the church
Sunday, December 30, 2007—First Sunday of Christmas: Joy
Messenger deadline
9:00 a.m. Café Oakhurst (Fellowship Hall)
10:50 a.m. Morning Music: Nikki and Nola Noto (Sanctuary)
11:00 a.m. Worship
NO Gospel Choir Rehearsal
NO High School Youth Group
Monday, January 1, 2008—New Year’s Day
Church Office closed
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
12:00 p.m. Centering Prayer Group (Chapel)
5:45 p.m. Church Family Supper
6:15 p.m. Childcare for infants and toddlers (Room 106)
6:30 p.m. Report from the Cuba Travelers, led by Wayne Grinstead
and the
travelers (Prayer Meeting Room)
7:40 p.m. Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal (Room 103)
Thursday, January 3, 2008
10:30 a.m. Good Fellowship Club (Fellowship Hall)
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Sparta Prison Trip
Sunday, January 6, 2008—Epiphany
9:00 a.m. Café Oakhurst (Fellowship Hall)
9:00 a.m. Children’s Ministry Team (Fellowship Hall)
10:50 a.m. Morning Music: Full Circle (Sanctuary)
11:00 a.m. Worship: Breaking Up Christmas
12:30 p.m. Christian Education Committee (Conference Room)
1:00 p.m. Gospel Choir Rehearsal (Room 103)
2:00 p.m. Church Council (Chapel)
6:30 p.m. High School Youth Group (Youth Lounge)
LESSONS AND CAROLS
Sunday, December 23, during the 11:00 a.m. Worship Service, the Sanctuary
and Gospel Choirs will lead us in a Service of Lessons and Carols. In a
variety of musical styles, from classical to gospel, our anthems and songs
will celebrate the coming of Christ as a little child into our world. To add
to the joy of the season, Karen Peters, accompanied by Mayte Simpson on
harp, will be providing the Morning Music that Sunday. We know you will not
want to miss this festive and thoughtful service!
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE
Monday, December 24, 6:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Vespers: A quiet service of
scripture, carols, and communion, concluding with a circle of candlelight.
Designed to include children. Child Care will be provided for infants and
toddlers.
1ST SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
December 30, 2007, 11:00 a.m. “What has come into being in him was life, and
the life was the light of all people.” Join us for the first Sunday after
Christmas, Joy Sunday, as we celebrate the joy that the Christ-child brings
into our hearts and into our world. In celebration we will sing lots of
Christmas carols including, “Joy to the World!” Our primary scripture text
will be the beautiful and mysterious, John1:1-14, “In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Get there early for
Morning Music, offered by Nikki Noto and Nola Noto beginning at 10:50.
BREAKING UP CHRISTMAS/ EPIPHANY SUNDAY, JANUARY 6
For the 17th year, Full Circle will offer Morning Music at 10:50 a.m. and
lead us in celebrating Epiphany Sunday, including the children’s march of
the Kings and Queens. An Oakhurst tradition, the service ends with the
celebration of “Breaking Up Christmas.” It comes from the tradition of “Olde
Christmas,” January 6, the day once celebrated as true Christmas by many in
the Appalachian South. In one area of North Carolina, for example, neighbors
would gather at one house to eat, play music, dance a set or two, and then
take the whole party to the next house. This event would grow from house to
house until dawn, when Christmas was officially over—thus the “Breaking Up
of Christmas.” The service seeks to honor the spirit of Epiphany: excitement
and wonder at Jesus’ birth, and a willingness to take that spirit into the
world as we journey forth in the new year.
CUBA PILGRIMAGE REPORT
In November, another group from Oakhurst traveled to spend time with our
partner churches in Cuba. Those going this time were Christina
Garcia-Alfonso, Claudia Dickerson, Lynn Farmer, John Shippee, Geoff Sumner,
and Wayne Grinstead. At prayer meeting on Wednesday, January 2, they will
share with us about the wonderful experience they had and update us on our
partner churches.
THE KITCHEN COMMITTEE NEEDS YOU
We have only two people on the Kitchen Committee and there is currently no
chair. If you are willing to serve on the Kitchen Committee, you will have
the satisfaction of providing a much-needed service to the church, plus
you’ll get to see a lot of great people on Wednesday night who really
appreciate you! Traditionally, the kitchen committee has helped in the
set-up, preparation, and clean-up of the Wednesday night meal. Cathy
McGaughey and others are looking at ways to make the clean-up process go
faster. We are looking for help for approximately 1 hour a week for
one-month commitments. A sign up sheet is available in the Fellowship Hall,
or you can contact me (404-728-9629; mtn.lake@mindspring.com) or speak to me
at church. THANK YOU to Roger Sundy, Cherie Dawson and Eunice Lovell for all
their continued time and effort. Thank you for considering this need.
—Claudia Dickerson, Nominating and Discernment Committee
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We need volunteers to help take lights off tree after the Breaking Up
Christmas service (January 6). Please contact Cathy in the church office
(ext. 221, or at cathy@oakhurstbaptist.org) if you can help with this.
2008 FLOWER CALENDAR
The 2008 flower calendar is on the bulletin board, behind the 2007 flower
calendar. Be sure to snag the date you want now!
ORP 2008 CALENDARS
The men in the Oakhurst Recovery Program have given us permission to publish
some of their artwork as a part of a 2008 calendar dedicated to Ray Brown,
our director for the last two years. It is simply beautiful! The 2008 ORP
calendars require a minimum donation of $25. You can also purchase the
calendars through ORP board members (Elise Phillips, Carol Burgess, Anthony
Earnest, Pat Craft, Frank Painter, Cathy Bauer, Dianne Lockwood, Carole
Collins, Leon Clymore) or call Tracy Blagec (404-371-0590). They make great
gifts for family and friends! Don’t delay because the supply is limited.
—Oakhurst Recovery Program Board
CAFE OAKHURST
Join your friends in Cafe Oakhurst from now through January 6 for breakfast.
Breakfast entrees will be $2.50. We will only have 8-10 servings each
Sunday, so arrive early. We are open 9:00-10:30 a.m, and entrees usually go
fairly quickly.
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OAKHURST BAPTIST CHURCH
Every member a minister
CHURCH TELEPHONE 404-378-3677 • FAX 404-378-3225
www.oakhurstbaptist.org
Lanny Peters Pastor (lanny@oakhurstbaptist.org)
Melanie Vaughn-West Pastor (melanie@oakhurstbaptist.org)
Karen Shipp Minister of Music (karen@oakhurstbaptist.org)
Cathy McGaughey Office Manager (cathy@oakhurstbaptist.org)
Oakhurst Recovery Program
ORP Office Phone: 404-371-0590; Fax: 404-371-0577
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Joe Canzoneri Editor, The Oakhurst Messenger
Published 25 times a year (bi-weekly except in July and December)
by Oakhurst Baptist Church, 222 East Lake Drive, Decatur, GA 30030