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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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FROM JERUSALEM TO THE CROSS TO THE EMPTY TOMBHoly Week – beginning with Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday – is an emotinoal week in the lives of Christians. As you reflect on the story this week, try to put yourself in the place of the disciples. In just a week, you experienced joy and excitement as your friend was greeted with cheers and celebration. You felt the world become a little darker and more anxious, as Jesus told you that one of his followers would betray him. You were puzzled when he washed your feet and declared that ordinary bread and wine were actually symbols of his bread and body. And your world turned upside down when he was arrested, tried, and crucified. That Good Friday must have been a time of despair, of lost hope, because the Messiah you had followed for three years was suddenly gone. Saturday passed in a blur of grief as you marked the Sabbath. And then on Sunday morning, you were greeted with the unbelievable news that the tomb was empty, the grave clothes left behind. Excitement. Fear. Anxiety. Grief. Disbelief. Joy. As we move through Holy Week this week, remember that beyond the despair of the crucifixion is the promise of the risen Christ, and hold fast to that promise!
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MAUNDY THURSDAY WORSHIP SERVICEOn Thursday, April 6, we will gather at 7 pm to remember the events of Jesus’s last night with his disciples. We will mark Maundy Thursday with handwashing, communion, draping the cross in black, and a service of tenebrae, where we gradually extinguish light in the sanctuary as we hear the story of Christ’s arrest, trial, and crucifixion. I hope you’ll plan to join us for this special service.
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SERMON PREVIEW: RESURRECTIONThis Sunday, we will celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, with all the disbelief and wonder and joy that goes with it. We’ll look at the ways things were not as they seemed on that long-ago Sunday morning, and we’ll explore the resurrection as the start of “the rest of the story.” You may want to read the resurrection story in John 20: 1-18 to prepare. See you on Easter Sunday, in person or online.
Image from the Basilica in Venice, Italy
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EASTER PANCAKE BREAKFASTAfter several years’ break, the men of the church will be preparing breakfast for everyone on Sunday, April 9. Please plan to come enjoy pancakes and a time of fellowship on Easter Sunday morning. We won’t have Sunday school on Easter morning, so you’ll have plenty of time for breakfast before worship starts. Breakfast will be served between 9:30 and 10:30 am.
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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. One of our projects will be distributing orange bags to recycle hard-to-recycle plastics, in order to keep them out of landfills. We will share more information about the orange bag project, and other outreach projects to care for the world around us, throughout April. What will you do this month to ensure that God’s creation is cared for?
“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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 EASTER OFFERING APRIL 9The Easter Special Offering supports several of the general ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Your gift supports college students in leadership development programs, global mission partners, health and social service ministries, the formation of new congregations, support for pastors and chaplains, and so much more. We will receive the Easter Special Offering on April 9. You can place your offerings in the plate at the back of the sanctuary with “Easter offering” in the memo line or give online.
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OTHER HOLY WEEK AND EASTER WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
If you are looking for other times to worship during Holy Week and Easter, the Salvation Army is holding the following services:
Good Friday Service – Friday, April 7 at 3 pm
Easter Sunrise Service – Sunday, April 9 at 8:30 am (outdoors under the portico)
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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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PULPIT COMMITTEE UPDATE
The Pulpit Committee has received profiles of several possible interim ministers, and will be interviewing at least three candidates over the next two weeks. 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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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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NOTES AND CARDS FOR PATRICIA SATURDAY
We were blessed to have LFCC member Jimmy Saturday with us in worship last Sunday. His wife Patricia has had a stroke and is in rehab. She would love to receive cards and calls from her church family. You can contact her here:
Patricia W. Saturday
Parkside Rehab Room E-25
3000 Lenora Church Road
Snellville, GA 30078
You can also send cards or notes to Jimmy, or call him, at home:
Jimmy Saturday
345 Rack Road
Lawrenceville, GA 30044
770-995-6334
Please keep Patricia and Jimmy in your prayers during this time!
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CAMP WORK DAYS
Help get Camp Christian ready for the Summer 2023 camping season. Here are the camp workdays; mark your calendar now. More specific details about tasks to complete will be shared later.
- 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” on April 22 at St. Andrew Church, Macon, GA, and May 20 at New Hope Christian Church, Lawrenceville, GA. The conferences will take place from 11 am to 2 pm with connections, lunch, and worship. The featured keynoter is Rev. Nancy Oliver and the musician is Rev. Ann Haines. Please register for the spring conferences at https://www.gadisciples.org/disciples-women.
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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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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
Thursday, April 6
7 pm: Maundy Thursday service in sanctuary
Sunday, April 9 – Easter Sunday
Easter Special Offering
No Sunday school this week
9 am: Choir Rehearsal
9:30 am: Easter Pancake Breakfast in Fellowship Hall
10:50 am: Easter Sunday Worship (Rev. Dr. Diane Bales preaching)
Tuesday, April 11
1 pm: CWF/DWF Meeting in Conference Room
Sunday, April 16
9 am: Choir Rehearsal
10 am: Sunday School
10:50 am: Worship (Rev. David Kenley preaching)
12 pm: Youth Group Meeting
Tuesday, April 18
6:30 pm: Let’s Eat!
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: Lee Thompson and Connie Thompson
Deacons: Elizabeth Anders and Rebecca Thompson
Communion Meditation: Anna Harrison
Greeter: Lynn Lane
Scripture: Rebecca 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
Thanks to everyone who donated food for the co-op in the past month. Sophia and Rod Baker delivered LFCC’s monthly food donations to the co-op on Tuesday, and we donated an impressive 162 pounds of food (about twice our usual amount). Keep up the good work!
This week, add a canned food hunt to your Easter festivities to be sure the co-op has enough food to 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
The families and friends of those who died in the Nashville school shooting
Patricia Saturday
Ongoing Needs
Our Homebound members and friends, 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
Ada Mullinax
Martha Ann Wages
Rev. Bob Harris and family
The Jensen Family
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
Taylor Harper (Elizabeth Sloan)
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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