September 19, 2021

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost 

Service  via the Internet and Facebook Live 

10:30 AM 

TODAY’S MESSAGE: “So You are listening, but do You Hear” – Pastor Paul Mark 9:30-37

 VS. ³⁵ ”He sat down and summoned the Twelve. “So you want first place? Then take the last place. Be the servant of all.”

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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Here are this weeks announcements:

1. 1. Church office is open. However, we are not providing in-person appointments. Call the church. Dana will set you up an online meeting via Zoom or Facebook Messenger.
   2. Worship in Candler Park has been stopped.  Service will only be live streamed via Facebook messenger each Sunday morning at 10:30 AM. 
   3. Bible Study is BACK. September 20^thand each Monday thereafter. We will be studying the 1 letter to Timothy chapter 1 at 7:30pm on Zoom.  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83256000210…
   4. Pastor Paul’s office time Monday-Wednesday 10:00 AM till 3:00 PM The Pastor 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 has changed to Tuesday through Thursday 10 AM till 3 PM. She is available via e-mail or text on Monday’s and Friday’s
   5. We thank you for going to the church website to take care of your tithe, gifts, donations and offering.  Just go to www. 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
   6. Gentle Spirit Christian Church is in search of a keyboard player for Sunday morning services in the park.  If you are interested or know someone who is please contact the Church office at 404-604-8124

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Pastor Paul’s hours for appointments: 

Monday through Wednesday from 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM 

Day off on Thursday, Friday is a study day and Saturday’s appointments and events as needed

Pastor’s Personal Assistant Dana Owings Tuesday through Thursday 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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Did you know that Whosoever.org is a ministry of Gentle Spirit Christian Church?  Whosoever is celebrating it’s 25th Anniversary.

Founded July 1, 1996 by Rev. Candace Chellew to be a safe place for the LGBTQIA Community. Over that period Whosoever has not only been a safe place but a place of in depth, profound and honest challenging of those spiritual issues that the traditional and mainline churches have used to shame, tell lies and used distortion to leave our community drowning in shame and fear.

Through 2.5 decades Whosoever have brought the best and most knowledgeable writers to the table. At our best Whosoever.org received more than 500,000 site visits a year — and many wrote to say how it had either changed or literally saved their lives. For 25 years Whosoever’s mission was to stay on the cutting edge of the LGBTQIA movement for acceptance in both church and society. We are here to stay and we hope you will join us in this exciting journey! God Bless, Rev. Paul M. Turner Editor in Chief

The Mission of Whosoever

Whosoever exists to publish resources, primarily in the form of curated content, for those who seek a deeper understanding of the truly loving God, whose unconditional love is experienced as boundless grace.

Our Vision

We aim to present a true diversity of voices that allows for the perspectives of those of various faiths, traditions, creeds, cultures, abilities, sexualities, ethnicities, socio-economic levels, geographies and gender expressions. Whosoever doesn’t limit itself solely to what Christians call God.

We aim to do this in a way that finds questions more interesting than answers, that values individual prayer and discernment over interpersonal argument, and that values real-world interaction over digital discourse.

We give ourselves permission to walk away from negativity, particularly online – and as necessary, to remove that negativity if it crosses the line into abuse and/or isn’t done in the spirit of true mutual understanding.

Our Core Values

A core value of Whosoever is that the individual has been granted by God the free will to pursue their own faith journey. Because of that, nothing is more important than an individual’s own relationship with their Creator, which is where the best work in the Omniverse takes place. This is opposed to having that relationship defined, controlled, mediated or disrupted by any person or institution.

Whosoever rejects all forms of fear-, guilt- or shame-based religion. We support the view that human beings start from a place of original blessing, not original sin.

Taking the example of the radically inclusive Jesus; Whosoever supports an infinitely expansive view of God that values inclusion over exclusion.

Whosoever defines as spiritual violence anything that attempts to disrupt an individual’s relationship with their Higher Power.

Founded by one of our founding members and 2nd person to be ordained as clergy by us, the Rev. Candance Chellew. She is our Editor Emeritus with  Pastor Paul as the current Editor in Chief,  Dr. Robert N. Minor Assistant Editor, Mr. Lance Helms service as the Communications Director and a host of members of GSCC write for the magazine including; Branden Mattox, Alyce Keener,  Rev. Dr. James Brewer-Calvert, Jennifer Hasler, Darlene Wagner

Feel free to check us out at: www.whosoever.org

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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. www.gentlespirit.org

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  Response to the Coronavirus/COVID-19

We are encouraging these common-sense precautions to help protect our Community  as we have return to the park.

First and foremost, we encourage you to follow the CDC’s recommendations about preventing the spread of the virus

• Continue practicing these preventative measures to help protect yourself and others:
• Get Vaccinated
  • Stay home when you are sick, except to receive medical care.
  • Wear a mask correctly (covering nose and mouth) when you are at work or out in public.
  • Maintain a 6-foot distance between yourself and others.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.
  • Avoid touching your mouth, nose, and eyes.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Avoid close contact with others that are sick.
  • If you have not been vaccinated, consider and pray about  getting one.

  Additional information can be found here:
  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html

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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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.