April 21, 2023

Dear Peachtree Road Family,

I hope you are well. I really am looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday as we celebrate a couple of important milestones in the life of Peachtree Road UMC:

  • Confirmation Sunday — on Sunday we will receive members of the Confirmation Class at a special service in the sanctuary at 10:00 am. Nearly 60 students have been meeting together since last August to learn about the basic tenets of the Christian faith and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. On Sunday they will have an opportunity to publicly profess their faith in Christ, kneel at the altar to have their faith confirmed, and become full members of Peachtree Road UMC. I am grateful to Chris Mucha and his team in student ministries for the leadership they have provided our youth over the course of the last year. The service is open to all.

Please note that the regular Communion Service in the Moore Chapel at 10:00 amwill be held, and Rev. Elizabeth Byrd will be preaching.

  • The Preschool Sunday – this year marks the 70th anniversary of The Preschool at Peachtree Road UMC. To celebrate, we have invited students at The Preschool, their parents, teachers, and administrators to be our guests at the 11:15 am worship service so we may honor and recognize them. The children will sing, and we will offer a special blessing upon them. The message for the day is “Paying it Forward,” and is based upon the words found in I Peter 3: “Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called – that you might inherit a blessing.” – I Peter 3:9

I hope you will make plans to join us in person for these celebrations. If you cannot make it in person, our services at 8:45 am and 11:15 am in the sanctuary and at 10:00 am in the chapel can be viewed online through the church website here.

Let me take this opportunity to alert you to several upcoming opportunities:

  • Children’s Musical – on Saturday, April 22, our children’s choirs will present their spring musical at 6:00 pm in the Harp Student Center. You will be taken on a humorous trip through the story of Exodus. Come and enjoy the journey as 60 pre-K through 5th-grade choristers sing and rap their way to the Promised Land, making the best of plagues, angry pharaohs, and rule-breakers who party way too hard! Admission is free.
  • Oak Martin Graduation Recital – our own Oak Martin has graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music and will be presenting a graduation recital in the sanctuary on Sunday, April 23, at 7:00 pm on the great organ. He began organ lessons here as a young musician under the tutelage of Scott Atchison and has been a beloved part of our music family ever since. He is set to pursue his master’s degree at the Yale School of Music. All are invited to this recital.
  • Red Cross Blood Drive – on Tuesday, April 25, our church will host a blood drive in the Harp Student Center, and appointments are available between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. You can make your appointment here or contact Haley Gerlofs with the Red Cross if you have questions. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
  • Resiliency: Responding to Life’s Deeper Challenges – the One Lamb initiative is sponsoring a forum with pastoral counselor Ron Greer on Sunday, April 30, at 10:00 am in Heritage Hall. How do you respond to the stress-filled times of your life? Ron will discuss the pillars of resiliency that can enable you to cope in these times and then help you discover how these ordeals possibly can strengthen you for the challenges ahead. This forum is open to all.
  • The Missionary Journeys of Paul Class – we have over 70 folks from Peachtree Road UMC going on the Journeys of Paul cruise this upcoming October (and it’s still not too late to sign up if you would like to join us!) Jamie Jenkins will be leading a class on the 2nd and 3rd missionary journeys of Paul on Tuesdays in May at 6:30 pm in room C106. These sessions will focus on Paul’s ministry in Philippi, Thessalonica, Ephesus, Athens, and Corinth as recorded in Acts 16-20. You can participate in person or via Zoom Meeting 844 1967 0798. Passcode: 952356. For more information, contact Jamie Jenkins at jamiej@prumc.org.

Finally, I wanted to let you know that the Administrative Board has voted unanimously to name the church acolyte guild the Betty Lee Kennedy Acolyte Guild. Betty Lee led our acolyte ministry for many years, and we believe this is a fitting way to honor her service. We will honor her at the 11:15 am service on Sunday, April 30, and invite all of our acolytes and acolyte alums to be present as we recognize this important ministry of Peachtree Road UMC.

As you can read, there is much going on here at Peachtree Road UMC. I am grateful for your faith in Christ and your love for one another. You truly are shining Christ’s light in the world. I look forward to seeing you Sunday as we celebrate God’s blessings upon us and look for ways to “pay it forward.”

Grace and peace,

Bill