March 21, 2023  Announcements  Family Promise Opportunity Good day brothers and sisters!  We have the opportunity to help three currently unhoused families in our community through Family Promise of Athens.  (The next opportunity as a church will be in mid September.)  We’ve been asked to help from this Sunday March 26 @ 5PM through next Sunday April 2nd @ 5PM.  The 1st family is a single mom with a young toddler, the 2nd family is a mom and dad with 2 elementary school age children, and the 3rd family is coming into the program this Friday.  It is a single mom with two children.  Please visit the Signup Genius to see the various ways to help out.  Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.  Thank you SO much for your desire to partner with God in bringing His Kingdom. Steve Gibson stevenrachele@gmail.com 706-351-3092 Help needed in the Family! Dear Church Family,      Through an unfortunate chain of events, Crystal Gangelhoff and her teenage son Dane recently found themselves in an uninhabitable living situation. To add to this difficult time, Crystal has been dealing with challenges related to her traumatic brain injury and epilepsy. This has forced her to re-evaluate being a special-needs teacher. She decided that she needed to switch to a paraprofessional position that would allow her to focus on her health.       With Crystal’s reduced income and health challenges, we knew it would be difficult for them to live independently, so we invited them into our home. With all six of us living in our 3-bedroom 1200 square foot house, we are needing more room for this to work long-term.      We reached out to Steve Gooch and his organization Ground Zero Grace to help us convert our garage into a living space for Crystal and Dane. We are so grateful that Steve and his team are willing to take on this project!      They are ready to start the work but need some financial assistance to make all of this come true. If you are able and willing to help, please follow the link Donate — GZG (groundzerograce.com) All contributions are tax deductible. You can also donate by check made payable to Ground Zero Grace and sent to the address below: Steve Gooch, Ground Zero Grace, 211 Saint Martin Drive, Suwanee, GA 30024, 770-367-4061 With love, John & Rachel Konomos  Would you like to win a free tour of Israel (value $2350)?  Hello Athens church! Our two (back-to-back) Israel Biblical Study Tours are slated for February 2024. New website subscribers have the chance to be entered into a draw for a free tour. There are two ways win:(1) Become a new website member (see below) or (2) Ask a friend to sign up. Then email confirmation of the subscription(s) to dj@douglasjacoby.com. There’s no limit to the number of entries. (Sign up 5 friends, be entered 5 times.) The winner will be announced on June 14th. All you or your friend has to do is click on this link, fill out the short form, and then drop me an email. Good luck – and thank you! Douglas Jacoby Looking for a summer job? A friend of Freda Sims needs a nanny beginning in June. Contact Freda at (706) 621-1800 if interested. Tuesday, March 21 – The ACOC softball team is playing at Herman C. Michael Park tonight at 6:30 PM. Address is 1051 Elder Road, Bishop.   Wednesday, March 22 –  House Church Midweek  Friday, March 24-Sunday, March 26 – Mother Son Retreat @ Camp Swamp Register here: https://www.campswamp.com/youthcamp/registration/retreats/ Saturday, March 25 – HOPE worldwide special event with Marty Solomon “Asking Better Questions of the Bible” will be held in person in Marietta, GA, and live-streamed on YouTube at 7:00 PM. To register for this event, click on the link: Marty Solomon Event Sunday, March 26 – House Church Sunday – Check with your House Church leader for details. If you are not in a House Church and would like to be, contact the elders at acocservant@gmail.com. Tuesday, March 28 – ACOC Softball Game at Herman C. Michael Park Wednesday, March 29 –  Congregational Midweek @ 7:00 PM   Looking ahead to April…  Saturday, April 15 – Teen Prom “Masquerade” at Cornerstone Church in Duluth 7:00 – 10:00 PM. Tickets are $30 per person online and $33 at the door. Tickets can be purchased here: 2023 Teen Prom  Sunday, April 23 – Children’s Ministry Volunteer Appreciation/Training Luncheon. Everyone who is signed up to work in the Children’s Ministry in 2023 is invited! We want to show our appreciation for your service to the children and also go over some important information regarding the children’s ministry. The luncheon will take place after church in the courtyard.  Summer Events   Youth & Family Summer Camps Family Camp I (May 31-June3) & Family Camp II (July 26-29) Summer Camp Weeks 1-6 (June 4-17 & June 25-July 22) Shining Stars Camp (June 18-24) Registration is OPEN for all Summer Camps (including Family Camp)! This also includes applications for paid full-time counselors and volunteers (counselors, kitchen workers, teen workers, and nurses). Please see the website for more information/details: https://www.campswamp.com/youthcamp/registration/summercamp/  If you have any questions regarding these events, please contact Steve Gibson at 706-351-3092 or steve@campswamp.com.  We can’t wait to see you at Camp! Campus Ministry: ICMC July 6 – 9   Norman, OK  This conference is an annual highlight for college students across North America to come together to be unified, trained, and inspired. We are anticipating over 1500 college students and campus ministers to gather for a life-changing time. To register, click on the picture: