• Those who join us for the first time eat free at 5:30!
• Peachtree Bells will rehearse each week at 4:30. Interested ringers should contact Taylor at taylor@peachtreebaptist.net.
• Youth will continue to meet for Bible Study and games from 6:30 to 8.
• Adult activities at 6:30 SCHEDULE CHANGE – Taylor will teach Bible Study on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays. Adult Choir will rehearse on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month. Check the scrolling calendar on the Peachtree homepage to help you keep track.

We look forward to this new season of fellowship and study together!

Now, it seems like the holidays sneak up on me. One day in October I’m busy raking the first fallen leaves, and the next thing I know, it seems like there are holiday menus to plan for family gatherings, special happenings at church and in our communities, concerts to attend, friends to see, gifts to buy, and traveling! (Not to mention final exams for those of us still in school). Time seems to fly in November and December! Before we know it, the season will be over and it will be 2012!

Somehow, I’ve lost the anticipation of the season. I’m not waiting on Christmas, Christmas is waiting on me!

Advent—the season of four weeks leading up to Christmas—is all about hope and anticipation. We anticipate the coming of Christ, the Savior of the world. It can be hard to get into that mindset with the busy world we live in.

If you have the same difficulty as I do getting into the “Advent spirit,” you might try an exercise…

Embrace your childhood! Spend some time remembering the anticipation that you felt toward Christmas as a child. It is good to be excited in anticipation of all the festivities of the season. Also participate in traditions like the lighting of an Advent wreath in your home. Or, simply light a single candle each day for a time of prayer leading up to Christmas.

Also, while the story of the Advent (or Coming) of Jesus more than 2000 years ago tends to be our focus in this  season, consider that Jesus is both “already” here, and “not yet.” Jesus came, and he is yet to come! This is our greatest hope for deliverance and peace. And so we sing, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” When we sing the words of Advent hymns, we exchange the season’s busyness with longing for the future coming of our Savior.

This reminds me of the sermon we heard a few weeks ago from Rick Bennett. He encouraged us to think that, while we wait for the Kingdom of Jesus to come… maybe Jesus is actually waiting on us! Maybe Jesus is waiting on us to take action and live into our callings as the people of God.

We are called to be agents of justice and peacemaking, offering the world relief from suffering and the hope of a personal relationship with Jesus. Our words and our actions should be in imitation of Christ—all year long, but especially in this season.

So—spend some time reminiscing, spend time in prayer, sing the songs of the season, show mercy and love to someone who needs it. Tis the season!

In Christ, the Reason for the Season,

Meredith

Peachtree Baptist Church hosts its annual community Fall Festival on Saturday, October 29 from 4-6 PM.

You are invited to join us for carnival games, children’s crafts, apple cider and hot chocolate, and featuring live music by singer-songwriter, Blake Tommey. Wear your costume and trick-or-treat around the festival.

This event is free! You are also invited to bring a canned good to donate to our food drive for Atlanta’s hungry.

The festival will be in the fellowship hall. Enter through the courtyard off LaVista Rd. (to the left of the playground). We hope to see you there!

For more information, contact Meredith at meredith@peachtreebaptist.net.

We are also hosting a Food Drive in partnership with Buckhead Christian Ministries this October. Please bring non-perishable food items to the bin in the church office.

The community is invited on Saturday, October 29, to our Annual Fall Festival. Wear a costume and join in the family fun!

May the month of October be a time of learning, challenge, service, thanksgiving, and celebration!

I do, however, think it is important to look in as well, reflecting upon who we are, where we came from, and who we want to be. There are important aspects of our Baptist identity that I hope we cling to for all our days. There are other aspects I wish we’d leave behind… Surely you’ve heard the old Baptist standard, “Don’t drink. Don’t dance. And don’t date girls who do.” Or maybe you know the history of Baptists telling some people “no” on the basis of race or gender: “No, you can’t worship here.” “No, you can’t use your voice.” Folks who are unfamiliar with the diversity of contemporary Baptist life may assume that these are just “Baptist things”… just the way things are… which makes me cringe sometimes in ecumenical circles.

However, there are some other historical “Baptist things” that I think are important to claim. We might call some of these important points “Baptist distinctives” or “Baptist freedoms” (a la Baptist historian Buddy Shurden).

A Baptist distinctive that I cherish is the priesthood of the believers. This means that each believer has direct access to the Divine. No intermediary is necessary for confession or to make offerings to God. At Peachtree, we go so far to say, “Every member is a minister.” Furthermore, each believer is not only capable, but is also responsible for interpreting Scripture. “Bible Freedom” means that each individual is free to follow and interpret the Bible for him or herself. Interpretation is important, because Baptists also claim that the Bible is authoritative. Scripture may not always seem relevant to the complex issues of our world. That’s why serious historical and literary scholarship is so important for biblical interpretation. However, I do affirm that Scripture is the narrative of God’s relationship with and revelation to humankind. And as one of humankind, I believe that it has something to say to us today about who God is and who we are to be as God’s people. At Peachtree, we are all “travelers on a journey,” seeking to grow in our understanding of God’s good word for us in our world.

Some things about being Baptist have changed over time. Changes have been made for the better regarding the way that Baptists do church and mission. And in some Baptist circles, changes have been made for the worse. Many forget that an interpretation of Scripture is only as infallible as the interpreter. In general, some things need to keep changing. There is still more to do in striving to extend justice, love, and mercy to ALL of God’s children. And SOME things I hope never change. I hope Baptists keep having great potlucks. I hope we continue to be the presence of Christ in our own backyards and around the globe. I hope we take the Bible seriously enough to keep reading it and interpreting it for our world. I hope we never stop being free and faithful to God. These things are Baptist things… may they ever be!

Join us Friday, August 12, 2011, from 6-8 PM for a block party celebrating the season!

Food, fun, and free school supplies* for families with children. We hope to see you there!

*while supplies last

Most of us have negative orientations toward conflict. Some see conflict as unnecessary, uncomfortable, and destructive – to be avoided at all costs! Others revel in the up-and-down thrill of volatile, conflict-ridden relationships. Both of these orientations toward conflict fail to recognize the opportunity for learning through collaboration that conflict presents. ` Peacemakers do not live conflict-free lives. Instead, peacemakers see conflict as necessary for growth and change. They enter into the very heart of conflict with willingness to engage and struggle to reach new understandings with the others involved in the situation. Becoming a peacemaker must begin with your attitude.

 Peacemakers develop skills of listening and engaging with others.

One of the most important skills for peacemaking is listening. When we listen well, we stop talking, we make eye contact with the speaker, and we assume a posture of openness. Good listeners leave behind assumptions and presuppositions and attempt to really hear and understand what the speaker is trying to communicate. Good listening also involves checking our understanding with the speaker by asking clarifying questions and rephrasing what he or she communicates, like a mirror. This allows the speaker the chance to say, “Well, what I really mean to say is…”  Listening well is the basis of peacemaking because it helps us determine the needs, wants, interests, and feelings of the parties in a conflict situation.

Beyond the basic and crucial skill of listening, peacemakers must be able to communicate their own feelings and needs in responsible ways. They must also be able to clearly communicate their goals for the situation and preferences for the actions each party of the conflict will take without being demanding or threatening.

True peacemakers are willing to skillfully and creatively push beyond quick and simple solutions to conflict to reach more satisfying and beneficial solutions. Peacemakers get to the heart of the situation and seek to transform it, to create something totally new out of the conflict.
Peacemakers are called by God At the core of our lives as Christians is the call to be peacemakers. We are surrounded by conflict, within our smallest family units, in our churches and communities, and on intercultural and international levels. Yet God is present in the midst of all this conflict, making things new in and through and among us. Peacemakers recognize the sacredness of the presence of God in others and in their relationships with others. When we cooperate with God as peacemakers, we honor God’s desire for shalom – wholeness and peace – in all creation.

As we enter into the season of Lent in the life of the church and approach Passover and Easter, remember the considerable conflict Jesus faced. Jesus journeyed into Jerusalem to face Pharisees and political leaders who wanted to kill him. And yet he made the journey, teaching truth (albeit controversial truth) along the way, ultimately bringing transformation and new life to the world. In the Spirit of Christ, we must go boldly and skillfully into situations of conflict, seeking transformation and newness in our own lives.