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Welcome to our weekly e-gram! Read on to discover what’s happening in our church family this week and beyond.
Church News
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EASTER SUNDAY RECAPWhat a wonderful celebration of the resurrection! From the pancake breakfast to beautiful lilies to wonderful music from the Chancel Choir to Paul Yoon playing the clarinet, Easter Sunday was a special day for LFCC. In her sermon, Rev. Diane reminded us all to observe the Three Rs after the resurrection — take time to rejoice and celebrate, find ways to rejuvenate yourself for the journey ahead, and re-engage in the work that Jesus taught us all to do during his earthly life. And remember that the celebration is not over yet. Easter is so special and important that it can’t be contained in one Sunday. We will continue to celebrate the resurrection during the six weeks of Eastertide. Plan to join us!
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Image: “The Incredulity of St. Thomas” by Caravaggio, c. 1602
SERMON PREVIEW: JESUS APPEARS TO THE DISCIPLESThis Sunday, we will continue our celebration of the resurrection by remembering Jesus’s first appearance to his disciples on Easter night, and his appearance to Thomas (and the rest of the disciples) a week later. Rev. David Kenley will be our guest preacher this Sunday. His sermon is titled, “Can You Believe That!?” You may want to read John 20: 19-31 to prepare.
David Kenley is an ordained Disciples of Christ minister and a graduate of Lexington Theological Seminary. He had a 15- year ministry providing pastoral care for senior citizens in retirement communities and nursing facilities, followed by a 10-year expatriate stay in the United Kingdom, where he served as a Guest Minister in Church of England and United Reformed congregations. After returning to the United States he served as Senior Minister at Johns Creek Christian Church. He now serves as chaplain for Capstone Hospice in Atlanta. David has a passion for motorcycling and is married to Kim. See you Sunday, in person or online.
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YOUTH GOING BOWLING!The youth of LFCC (and family and friends who want to join us) will be going bowling this Sunday after worship. We’ll meet at Stars and Strikes in Dacula (1700 Winder Highway, Suite 100, Dacula, GA 30019) at 12:30 pm and will be finished by 2 pm. The youth fund will pay for your bowling games and shoe rental. Please bring money for food and any other games you want to play.
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APRIL FOCUS ON CARING FOR CREATION
Honoring creation is one way we can honor God. How can we be good stewards of God’s creation in a way that supports appropriate use and care of this gift? As followers of Christ, we can make a difference by working with others to create healthy and safe communities for our families, leave a thriving world for future generations, and protect God’s creation. During April, LFCC will focus on ways to care for the natural world around us.
As part of our April focus on working individually and corporately to learn more and do what we can to preserve the beautiful environment God has provided for us, we will celebrate Earth Sundays on Sunday, April 16 and Sunday, April 23. We are providing some links to information here in the egram, and will provide an information sheet on Sunday about ways to live in God’s world with less impact on the environment.
There are lots of simple changes we can make as part of our commitment to live more abundantly in God’s world for ourselves and for others. The Hefty Orange Bag program is a program that allows you to recycle plastics that are harder to recycle and not usually collected by curbside recycling companies. Here is the link that explains how the program works. We will be giving everyone their first orange bag at church on Earth Sundays. You can return your filled orange bag to church, or drop it off at the Gwinnett County drop-off location at Westrock (Gwinnett County): 384 Maltbie Street, Lawrenceville, GA 30046.
On Saturday, April 22 from 9 am to 12 pm, Gwinnet County and Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful will sponsor their 2023 Earth Day Recycling Event at Cool Ray Field. This event is for hard to recycle items like electronics, paint, shredded paper, etc. Here is the link listing the items that can be recycled. You take the items to Cool Ray Field, stay in your car, and volunteers will unload items for you to be recycled. Easy!
Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful provides a link to information about where certain kinds of items can be recycled. If you have things you would like to recycle, but don’t know where to take them, check out the list at https://gwinnettcb.org/recycling/.
“The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.” ~Psalm 24: 1 – 2
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ELDER AND DEACON COMMUNION TRAININGAll Elders and Deacons should plan to participate in a short 15-20 minute training session for our new way to serve communion on Sunday, April 16, 23, or 30 during Sunday School (10:10-10:30) or on Sunday, April 30 immediately following worship. The training will be the same each time; please choose the time that works best for you. If you have not returned your serving request sheet to Kim Peeples, please do so ASAP. The new serving schedule will begin in May. Thank you for your commitment to serving LFCC in so many ways.
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PULPIT COMMITTEE UPDATE
The Pulpit Committee has been interviewing candidate for interim minister over the past two weeks, and will have a report for the Leadership Council and Board soon. Once we get an interim in place, the committee will begin the process of finding a settled minister. If you have questions or ideas about the search process, please talk to Committee Chair Frank Hawkins, or any of the committee members (Andrew Jensen, Marilyn Parks, Candace Richardson, and Lee Thompson as ex officio member). Please be in prayer for the Pulpit Committee as they do this important work for the congregation.
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WEEKLY CALL TO PRAYER FOR OUR CHURCHDuring this time of transition for LFCC, the Pulpit Committee invites all of us to a time of intentional prayer for our congregation. Each Wednesday at 7 pm, you are encouraged to pause for a few minutes to pray for God’s guidance as we search for an interim minister and continue the work of discerning God’s path for our church. You can pray wherever you are, in whatever way feels most comfortable for you. If you are not able to pause and pray Wednesdays at 7 pm, please choose a different time to set aside for intentional prayer for LFCC. We need all of our prayers to guide our church forward.
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LET’S EAT! ON APRIL 18Let’s Eat! will gather next Tuesday, April 18 at 6:30 pm at Frontera Mex Mex Grill (1430 Five Forks Trickum, near intersection with Sugarloaf) for dinner and fellowship. Jeanie Morgan especially recommends this restaurant! Please let Anna Harrison know by Tuesday at noon if you plan to attend so she can provide an accurate headcount. Hope you’ll join us for pre-cinco de mayo Mexican food.
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GET READY FOR CHANGE IN WORSHIP TIME ON MAY 7
The Leadership Council and Board voted in March to change the worship start time to 11 am, beginning Sunday, May 7. This will allow more time for choir rehearsal and Sunday school, and will make it easier for visitors to remember what time worship starts. Worship will continue to start at 10:50 am through April; this is just a heads-up that this change is coming!
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 CHURCH CAMP REGISTRATIONCamp registration for counselors and applications for camp counselors are now available online at https://www.gadisciples.org/summer-camp-2023. If you are registering a camper, remember the church will pay half of the registration cost for members and children of members. Please talk with Rev. Diane or Marilyn Parks before you register a child who qualifies for this discount.
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CAMP WORK DAYS
Help get Camp Christian ready for the Summer 2023 camping season. Specific tasks include painting (bathhouse, pool house, shutters on cabins, possibly other places), pressure washing (picnic tables, 2-3 seater benches with arms and other things), painting picnic tables after pressure washing, repairing cabin roofs, cleaning and repairing steps to Peachtree suites and steps to office, and cleaning windows on front of Woodland (this could be a big project). Cabin cleaning will take place on another day.
Here are the camp workdays; mark your calendar now.
- Saturday, April 22
- Saturday, April 29
- Saturday, May 6
- Saturday, May 20
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SPRING CONFERENCES FOR WOMENDisciples Women in Georgia are invited to attend one of two Spring Conferences with the theme “Celebrating Women: Honoring Our HERstory Then and Now.” The one closest to us is on May 20 at New Hope Christian Church on Old Norcross Road from 11 am to 2 pm. The registration cost is $25. Several of our women are interested in attending. The featured keynoter is Rev. Nancy Oliver and the musician is Rev. Ann Haines. Please register at https://www.gadisciples.org/disciples-women.
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E-GRAM DEADLINE
Thanks for all your contributions to the e-gram. Please send any information for next week’s e-gram to Rev. Diane (diane@lawrencevillechristianchurch.org) no later than Tuesday at 5 pm.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
Sunday, April 16
9 am: Choir Rehearsal
10 am: Sunday School
10:10 am: Elder/Deacon Communion Training
10:50 am: Worship (Rev. David Kenley preaching)
12:30 – 2 pm: Youth Bowling at Stars and Strikes in Dacula
Tuesday, April 18
6:30 pm: Let’s Eat!
Saturday, April 22
9 am – 12 pm: 2023 Earth Day Recycling Event at Coolray Field
Sunday, April 23
9 am: Choir Rehearsal
10 am: Sunday School
10:10 am: Elder/Deacon Communion Training
10:50 am: Worship (Rev. Dr. Diane Bales preaching)
Monday, April 24
2:30 – 6:30 pm: Red Cross Blood Drive at the church
Check the calendar of events on our church website at https://lawrencevillechristianchurch.org/calendar/ to stay updated on what’s happening in our church community. If you have events to add, go to https://lawrencevillechristianchurch.org/event-form/ and complete the form. The password is LFCC2023Event. If you have problems with the form, please contact JT Clements or Rev. Diane.
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THIS SUNDAY’S WORSHIP LEADERS
Elders: Julie Thompson and Sanford Thompson
Communion Meditation: Jimmy Peeples
Greeter: Jeanie Morgan
Scripture (John 20: 19-31): Julie Thompson
*If you are interested in serving as a worship leader or greeter, please contact Marilyn Parks
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ZOOM LINK FOR WORSHIP AND CHURCH MEETINGS
For Sunday worship and other online meetings, use this link:
https://zoom.us/j/6284633067?pwd=YzVMN0EwQUVrb0FRM1phVkZEUjZFQT09
Zoom Meeting ID: 628 463 3067 Password: 1234
For those who DIAL IN, Call (646) 558-8656
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SIGN UP TO GIVE BLOOD IN APRIL
Lawrenceville First Christian Church and the American Red Cross are hosting an upcoming blood drive. Please join our lifesaving mission and schedule an appointment today!
Date: Mon Apr 24, 2023
Time: 2:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Click here to make an appointment
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LAWRENCEVILLE CO-OP UPDATE
The Lawrenceville Co-op still needs food donations to help feed those who are hungry in Lawrenceville. This week’s most-needed items include
- Canned vegetables
- Canned fruit
- Canned meat
- Canned pasta
- Canned soup
- Peanut butter
- Jelly
- Oatmeal
- Cereal
- Snacks
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DISCIPLES OF CHRIST
REGIONAL AND GENERAL CHURCH NEWS
Keep up with the latest news going on in our region and our general church. Click the links below to find the latest news within the Disciples!
Region: https://www.gadisciples.org/news
General Church: https://disciples.org/
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Immediate Needs (names in bold are newly added)
Our world
Our church family and friends
Our pulpit committee, as they interview interim minister candidates
Ongoing Needs
Our members and friends at home, including Odessa Adams and Barbara Bagwell
Our family and friends with ongoing health challenges
Students/teachers/administration of Gwinnett County Public Schools
Those affected by COVID-19
Patricia Saturday
Ada Mullinax
Martha Ann Wages
The Yoon Family
Peg and Wes Morgan
Chris Klimshuk and family
Kali Parks (Marilyn Parks’s granddaughter in Florida)
Rev. John Lambert (former minister of LFCC)
Rev. Peggy Edge (Anna Harrison)
Sadie Severt (Harrison family friend)
Mardell Brown (Mabel Simmons)
The Carroll Family
Connie Worrel’s sister, Pat
Regina Halvorson (Chris Klimshuk)
If you have an update to the prayers and concerns, please let Rev. Diane know (diane@lawrencevillechristianchurch.org).
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That’s all we have for this week! Please be in prayer for the church and all its members, that we continue to do what the Lord has called us all to do. God bless you all!
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