Peachtree Road UMCAttention: Business Office3180 Peachtree Road, NEAtlanta, GA, 30305
July 7, 2023 

Dear Peachtree Road Family, 

I hope you are well. I know it’s the summer and many of you are spending time away from the city on weekends, but I hope you will plan to worship with us each week either in person or online during the month of July as we celebrate Summer in the City. We intentionally have planned for these services to be less formal with inspirational special music and familiar hymns. In fact the three hymns we are singing Sunday are three of my favorites from the old Cokesbury Hymnal we used in my youth:

-I Stand Amazed in the Presence
-Victory in Jesus
-Fill My Cup, Lord 

I don’t plan on needing a bulletin this week! At the close of the services this month, you are invited to join your friends on the front lawn of the church for lemonade and cookies. I believe the warmth in the shadow of the trees will be exceeded by the warm fellowship, and I hope you will join us.  

This Sunday also marks the beginning of our July series of messages entitled “At the Movies.” Each week we are considering a different family movie and the theological themes we find in them. This week’s movie is “The Princess Bride.” I hope you will take the time to watch the movie and familiarize yourself with this epic story and its cast of characters including Westley, Princess Buttercup, the swordsman Inigo Montoya, and the giant Fezzik. We also will reflect upon Paul’s words concerning the enduring love of God, from which nothing can separate us! (Romans 8:35-39). I hope you will worship with us in person at one of our services at 8:45 am, 10:00 am, or 11:00 am or online at www.prumc.org.   

Last, Last Call!! This is the final week you can register for two upcoming spiritual life enrichment opportunities with other Methodists and members of Peachtree Road UMC: 

-There are a few cabins still available for this year’s “Journeys of Paul Cruise” to Turkey and Greece. Jamie Jenkins and I will be leading a trip tracing Paul’s 2nd and 3rd missionary journeys this fall (October 20-30). I know this may seem last minute, but we would love to have you join us aboard the Azamara Onward for this once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the land of Paul with other United Methodists. The online brochure is here: www.prumc.org. For more information, please contact Jamie Jenkins at jamiej@prumc.org

-You are invited to participate in the Anniston Civil Rights Trail experience on August 26. This is a joint venture being sponsored by Cascade UMC and Peachtree Road UMC. Members of our two churches will travel together on Saturday, August 26, to Anniston, Alabama to commemorate the events of the American Civil Rights Movement and receive an introduction to the cultural changes that have transformed Anniston into the city it is today. Participants will leave Atlanta at 10:00 am, travel together via charter bus, eat lunch together, learn together, and return by 5:00 pm. The cost is $20 per-person, and you may register here. We already have one bus nearly filled and are looking at adding a second bus. Join in the experience. 

Finally, let me offer a word of gratitude for your generous support of the church’s ministry, especially during these days of economic uncertainty. We are pretty much “on track” with our giving through the first half of the year, but inflation is wreaking havoc with the budget! Thank you for your faithfulness in this important part of Christian discipleship! Please know we are grateful for every gift we receive. You can give four different ways: 

Through the Church Website or App – just click the amount you would like to give, the cause you would like your gift to support from the menu of options, and whether you would like for this to be a recurring gift or one-time gift. It’s just that easy! Here is the link. (Note: the church pays a surcharge of 2% on all credit card gifts, so giving by automatic withdrawal enables your gift to go further.)

Stock Donation or Wire Transfer – all of the information you need to make a stock gift is found on the website, or you may contact Roger Laney at rogerl@prumc.org

Check – make your check payable to Peachtree Road UMC and send it to the church at the following address: 

Peachtree Road UMC
Attention: Business Office
3180 Peachtree Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30305

Planned Gift – you can join the hundreds of other families who have signed up to leave a financial legacy to Peachtree Road UMC through the John Wesley Society. Planned gifts can be made by anyone in any phase of life. Your gift is invested and never touched. The earnings from the gift provide support for the ministry of the church. To learn more about the opportunity to give a gift of a bequest in a will, offer a gift of securities or property, or set up a Charitable Remainder Trust, please contact our financial controller Roger Laney at rogerl@prumc.org.  

Again, thank you for your generous support. Your giving is changing lives and our community.  I hope that you will enjoy these days with loved ones. Please stay safe and call me if you need me. 

Grace and peace,  

Bill