Love by Serving

“Love by Serving” is the second half of our new slogan, and will be the topic of my upcoming articles. There are many, many ways to serve. Each article will highlight a different kind of service. This month I’m focusing on serving at church, and WOW are there a LOT of ways to do this!

Before I get into the what, though, I wanted to talk briefly about the why. Why do we serve in church? We serve our sisters and brothers in Christ because Christ teaches us to do so. The most profound example of this is the washing of the feet in John 13:1-17, but there are plenty of others. Yes, we are called to serve those outside our walls, but we are also called to serve our sisters and brothers here. Both are equally important.

To that end, there are many ways for you to serve your sisters and brothers of Amazing Grace. I’ve included below some pressing needs, some of which are probably familiar, some definitely new. All of these are open to anyone who is willing to serve, but all of us will be better suited to some of these and less suited to others. That’s a good thing, because the body of Christ needs all our gifts to be whole. Thanks be to God for making us all different!

Now, in no particular order, here are some of the specific ways that you can serve:

Property David Rager has a long and varied list of projects that need to be done to help our building and property look good and glorify God. If you enjoy projects like landscaping and minor building repairs, email David at djrager2@yahoo.com or call him at 770-9069-1083 and he will help you find a project you will enjoy. No Council approval necessary, just contact David and jump right in!

Finance Team:  Council formed this team at their December meeting. Their duties are listed below. If you enjoy working with numbers, have a passion for growing our  Stewardship, and are good at communicating facts and figures, this might be the group for you. Meeting dates and times have not been set, see me if you are interested. Members of this team must be voted in by Council.   Duties of the Finance Team:

• developing and implementing a communication strategy so that the congregation is aware of our financial status as we go forward
• developing and implementing a year long Stewardship strategy that helps
  members grow their giving without pushing them away.
• Exploring and recommending creative ways to grow our giving

Strategic Planning Committee As we discussed at the semi annual meeting in December, this group is tasked with developing a plan to get us to Amazing Grace 2022. If you enjoy thinking strategically and developing plans, this might be the group for you. See myself or Jacob Crowe to find out more.  Members of this committee must be voted in by Council.

Capital Campaign Team  Our building and property have quite a few issues that must be addressed, and Council has a prioritized list. A Capital Campaign Team is forming to  approach the congregation and ask for funds to fix these problems.  If you are passionate about our building and want to see it improved, this could be for you. Contact President  Mimi Layton to find out more at 678-377-9611 or imifrankman@hotmail.com. Members of this committee must be voted in by Council.

Worship Planning Team: This group has been active in the past, and is being restarted. This group will meet to plan out the important days and seasons of the church year. The next meeting will be January 8 after 11:00 worship, and the agenda is to begin planning Lent worship. If you enjoy being creative in worship, including leading or performing music, this might be a good fit for you. Contact Trish Ladd-Thomas at jayhawkswmr@gmail.com or 404-610-7104. No Council approval necessary, just jump right in.

Youth Ministry Our Youth Group is amazing, but they could use an adult or two who are willing to help them get organized. With just a little help getting organized, this group can do a pretty good job of running itself. If you love teenagers and like  organizing and communicating, this could be for you. No Council approval needed. See me to find out more.

So there you have it! There are lots of other ways to serve Amazing Grace, so if you see something that’s not on this list, let me know and I will help get the word out. I hope you will look this list over and prayerfully consider your gifts and what God might be calling you to do.

God loves you and so do I.

-Pastor Scott