September 27, 2020
Seventeenth Sunday in Pentecost
Service via the Internet 10:30AM
TODAY’S MESSAGE: “To Be or Not to Be” Vicar Alyce Keener Matthew 21:23-32
VS> 31-32 “Jesus said, “Yes, and I tell you that crooks and whores are going to precede you into God’s kingdom. John came to you showing you the right road. You turned up your noses at him, but the crooks and whores believed him. Even when you saw their changed lives, you didn’t care enough to change and believe him.”
VS.16 “Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”
OWN YOUR FAITH, DON’T RENT IT!
Effective July 1, 2014 until further notice, no firearms of any kind are allowed at any Gentle Spirit Christian Church of Atlanta event. This is pursuant to the Safe Carry Protection Act of 2014, which allows Georgia residents with concealed carry permits to bring firearms into churches that give express permission to do so. Gentle Spirit Christian Church of Atlanta under no circumstances grants this permission.
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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT CONCERNING GSCC AND COVID-19
- While the office remains closed, you can reach the pastor by calling the office. Appointments are being made via phone, facetime, FB messenger and e-mail. Continue to expect to hear from the pastor via one of those afore mentioned ways of communication.
- When we get back to the Park, we need your input as to how you think this should work in terms of making sure we are safe. Please respond on the comments section of our Facebook Group or send an email to Pastor Paul’s church e-mail. Some things to consider: Bring your own chair, should we continue with our potluck breakfast/lunch? We will have masks at service and hand sanitizer and our feeling is that folks should wear them and make use of the sanitizer. Vicar Alyce and I are checking this week concerning city codes for restaurants for safe practices…only because they seem closest to what we do on Sunday’s. This is all contingent upon the CDC continuing to say we are a low risk meeting and there is not a huge spike in COVID-19 and things are not being shut done. Also, we are not going to do anything that puts people in harm’s way. Your lives and health mean more to GSCC then being in the park. So if we make errors it will be on the side of an abundance of caution.
- No face to face meeting with the Pastor, for now the office remains closed.
- Hygiene Kit Sunday provided the afore mention all goes according to plan will take place 2 weeks after we return to the park for the making and distributing Kit’s starting at 9AM
- Bible Study every Monday. The study will last 30 to 40 minutes. Our start time will be 7:30pm Vicar Alyce will be leading the study We will meeting via zoom so watch for an e-mail invitation to join with us.
- Pastor Paul office time Monday-Wednesday 10:00 AM till 3:00 PM He will be off on Thursday’s. Friday’s will be a study day and Saturdays the Pastor will be available as needed or by appointment.. For now Dana’s office time or church time will remain the same.
- We thank you for going to the church website to take care of your tithe, gifts, donations and offering. Just go to gentlespirit.org and click on the donate button and follow the instructions. Or if you are more comfortable with the US mail then send your tithe, gifts, donations and offerings via a check or money order to GSCC 601 West Ponce de Leon Decatur, GA 30030
God Bless, Rev. Paul M. Turner (Pastor Paul) Senior Pastor
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Pastor Paul’s hours for appointments: Beginning August 1st:
Monday through Wednesday from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Day off on Thursday, Friday is a study day and Saturday’s as needed
Pastor’s Personal Assistant Dana Owings Tuesday through Friday 10:00 am-2:00 p.m.
Please call for appointments (404) 604-8124 or send an e-mail to:
office@gentlespirit.org
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Want to know about Pastor Paul? Check this out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82-5mutxGLM&feature=youtu.be&list=PLTpetkN815QzXtvqYp-6pzKKRDbVMjd6e
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Consider donating to Gentle Spirit Christian Church. Your gift is fully tax deductible.
Checks and Money orders can be written to: Gentle Spirit Christian Church and sent to 601 West Ponce de Leon Decatur, Georgia 30030
Or you can go to the website and click on the Donate button.
Your generosity and gifts will allow Gentle Spirit Christian Church to continue to do what it has done for the last 18 years…to be a life changing helpful hand to those in desperate need.
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Pastor Paul has a twitter account. If you would like to follow him go to:
https://twitter.com/PastorPaul55
Get to the previous week’s sermon by going to:
https://gentlespirit.org/announcements/latest-sermon/
Read the most recent blog of our pastor go here:
https://gentlespirit.org/if-only-this-were-fake-news-but-its-not-even-alternative-facts/
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Gentle Spirit Christian Church’s 2nd Response to the Coronavirus/COVID-19
We are encouraging these common-sense precautions to help protect our Community.
First and foremost, we encourage you to follow the CDC’s recommendations about preventing the spread of the virus
- Stay home when you are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
· Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, and then throw the tissue in the trash.
· Wash your hands often with soap and water; if soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. We will make sure there is plenty of these at each service.
· Additional information can be found here:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html
Finally but not least Billy and I have found great comfort from this particular scripture: Philippians 4:4-9 (MSG)
“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you’re on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”
The challenges are great, but our God is greater and we will come through this together stronger than ever.
God Bless,
Rev. Paul M. Turner-Sr. Pastor
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PIHC’s COVID-19 Response Update 4/17
Condoms By Mail
Positive Impact Health Centers (PIHC) now offers FREE CONDOMS by mail.
Stay protected during the COVID-19 pandemic! Our condoms by mail initiative will help the agency continue to provide urgent care for those with living with HIV while limiting potential exposure of staff and patients to COVID-19. PIHC is committed to ending the HIV epidemic in Atlanta and continues to develop new strategies during this time of physical distancing. We are all in this together!
Ordering is easy. Just follow these 3 steps!
- Choose one condom pack:
- Option 1: Magnum Pack (10 Magnum condoms)
- Option 2: Variety Pack (15 condoms)
- Option 3: Non-latex Male Pack (10 non-latex condoms)
- Option 4: Internal Condoms (5 previously known as “Female” condoms)
- Call one of PIHC’s confidential condom line at (678) 990-6435 or (404) 977-5122.
- Leave your name, mailing address, phone number (only needed for address confirmation) and preferred condom pack. ************************************************************
Housing Justice League’s Eviction Defense Manual is a great resource. Fulton County renters are facing a unconscionable eviction crisis with close to 800 evictions filed every week. Eviction has catastrophic effects on individuals and communities, trapping them in cycles of debt, dangerous living conditions, and further displacement. Meanwhile, eviction is used by corporate landlords as a way to further enrich themselves through fees and fines charged to very low-income Black and Brown communities. Housing Justice League will be mass printing the Manual to support Fulton County renters in fighting eviction as is accepting donations to cover costs. But you can see the Manual online and connect to HJL at https://www.housingjusticeleague.org/evictiondefense
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Transportation barriers for Georgians seeking health care. Georgians for a Healthy Future has announced a new partnership with the Arc Georgia aimed at addressing the transportation-related challenges faced by Georgians as they try to access health services. Adequate transportation is important to the health of Georgians because in most cases people need to go to a location outside of their homes to receive medical care. Without access to reliable, safe transportation, Georgians may be forced to skip health appointments, go without medication and ultimately, see their health decline. Georgians experiencing some of the biggest challenges getting to and from needed health care are those that rely on non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT). NEMT is a benefit provided to Medicaid-covered Georgians who do not have their own means of transportation to get to health appointments, the pharmacy, and other health facilities. The program is especially important for people living with disabilities, seniors, rural residents, and people of color. Want to connect with this project? Go to https://secure.everyaction.com/3pWgwvJhEEmSQZBBR5Zs5A2
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There are currently over 14,000 children in Georgia’s foster care system and the number climbs daily. These children are more than a number, they are an indication that families in Georgia need the community now. If your congregation or you personally feel called to help visit www.fostergeorgia.com and find out what you can do.
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Resources for you or friends who need Free Immigration Help all over the US, just click on the appropriate state https://www.immigrationadvocates.org/nonprofit/legaldirectory/index
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Georgia Alliance to Prevent Homelessness Help Line is now operating. Feel free to call or refer clients in search of assistance in Georgia Toll Free: 1-877-540-4671; Main Office: 770-575-5785.
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Volunteer Services, Atlanta, VA Medical Center needs volunteers to help prevent missed appointments by our Veterans, this is a loss for the veteran and a dollar loss for the facility. The hours of operation for the call center are Monday-Thursday, 4:30 – 1:00 p.m. and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. The call center is located on the ground floor (RM GC 233A) across from the Peter Wheeler Auditorium. Can you help? Should you have any questions, contact Mr. Franchi Clark at (404) 728-7728 or by email VHAATGVoluntaryService@va.gov.
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Help Connect is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping veterans and the disadvantaged by providing basic computer skills at shelters. Volunteers teach homeless vets and other disadvantaged people basic computer and internet skills which help them reconnect with family and friends and find employment on their way back onto their feet. They also help veterans with resumes and job search. If you are interested in helping, contact Tom Chernetsky at (404)791-8534 or tomchet2@mindspring.com. Tom is a member of the St Ann’s Catholic Church VFC Military Ministry team.
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Jewish Family & Career Services, operates the only full-time free dental clinic in Atlanta. The Ben Massell Dental Clinic has been in operation for 100 years and serves individuals and families that are at or below 12% of the poverty level. The clinic is in midtown. Please refer folks who need this service to the website to obtain instructions for securing an appointment, at http://www.benmasselldentalclinic.org/patients *************************************************************
Help Watch over Our Seniors. If you know seniors who spend all or part of their day alone, you might be interested in telling them and their families about a new service. The State of Georgia has partnered with ADT Home Health Division to provide a personal emergency response system, 24/7. Seniors 55+ are eligible thorough Medicaid for this service, free. Find out how this program operates by calling Audrey Railey, Georgia Governmental Program Coordinator at 404.629.3386 or 770.889.8887 *************************************************************
Emergency Utility Assistance Program! Here’s to Life, Inc has acquired funds to pay past due utility bills and will start accepting applications for eligible clients. Applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements: Provide proof of positive HIV sero-status (Examples of acceptable documentation include HIV-positive Western blot test results, medical providers diagnosis and/or medical therapies prescribed by a medical provider) Reside within the twenty-county eligible metropolitan areas (Must match bill address or name must be on lease agreement) Have an income no greater than 300% of federal poverty level (Proof may include pay stubs, Department of Labor statement of income, SSI/SSD benefit letter, DFCS Summary, Unemployment initial statement) Be enrolled in primary medical care (examples of documentation include a letter from your physician or copy of prescriptions) This temporary assistance is provided on a first come, first serve. Funds provided through Ryan White Part A Funding. (Thanks Tracee McDaniel, Certified Peer and HIV/AIDS Assessment Counselor, Juxtaposed Center for Transformation, inc. for providing info on this resource.)
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Monthly Health Clinic: With these Services, available: Blood Pressure Screenings (No charge, Blood Glucose Screenings (No charge), Cholesterol Screenings ($5* – help offset cost), Bone Density Screenings ($20* – help offset maintenance cost), Acupunctures (No charge – based on needs/doctor’s workload) and *No Charge if you cannot afford the offset costs. Services provided by volunteer nurses from the Philippines Nurses Association of Georgia, medical students, and health professionals. Medical consultations/exams/prescriptions by volunteer physicians: Dr. Hansen Chang, MD – Internal Medicine/Acupuncture, Dr. Regina Wang, MD –Internal Medicine. Ongoing on the last Sunday of each month 2-5 pm at the Sheltering Arms in Chamblee, 3375 Chamblee-Dunwoody Rd Chamblee. Questions? Want to help? Volunteer credits? Check out Facebook: Chinese American Lions Club of Atlanta. More info email ericvlu@gmail.com
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Most Recent Job Opportunity listings: For job descriptions, details and qualifications; follow the contact or application instructions included below.
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THIS WEEKS HUMOR:
Jimmy, a little boy, was in church one Sunday with his mother Linda, when he started feeling sick.
‘Mummy,’ he inquired, ‘can we leave now?’
‘No,’ his mother replied, ‘the service isn’t over yet.’
‘Well, I think I’m about to throw up.’ Marty announced.
‘Then go out of the front door and around to the back of the church and throw up behind a bush.’ said Linda.
After about sixty seconds, Jimmy returned to his pew, alongside his mother.
‘Did you throw up?’ Jimmy’s Mum asked quietly.
‘Yes,’ Marty answered, embarrassed.
‘How could you have gone all the way to the back of the church and returned so quickly?’ Linda demanded.
‘I didn’t have to go out of the church, Mummy. They have a box next to the front door that says, “For the Sick” ‘.