May 14, 10a ET, Zoom and in-person. In the workshop you will be introduced to contemplative photography, learn ways to use your camera (on any device) to help you open to deeper, fuller encounters with life, engage in some contemplative photography practices, and have time for reflection and sharing. All ages welcome! Email allen.jones@dhbc.org to RSVP.

This workshop is open to all ages, with kids art activities provided by our families ministry team.

Materials to bring:
    Your camera —any type, including your phone
    A journal or notebook and something to write with
    A mask – masks are required while we’re inside together
    Your sense of wonder and curiosity!

Katie Archibald-Woodward is an Atlanta-based spiritual director, photographer, educator, and pilgrimage leader, in the ordination process with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). She serves the local and global communities through her ministry Life Illuminated, which aims to support people on their journey of awakening to life’s fullness through art, spiritual formation, and compassionate action. You can learn more about Katie and Life Illuminated on her websites: www.lifeilluminated.com and www.life-illuminated-travel.org

Spring Planting Garden Day: Sat, April 30. Email colleen@dhbc.org or allen.jones@dhbc.org if you can donate or lend gardening tools, or want to get involved.

Our theme this Lenten season is “Erasing the Lines We Draw.” From March 6 to April 10, we’ll examine some of the lines we draw about what it means to be Christian, even when God does not. We’ll look at questions and doubts, the Bible, hell and punishment, the gender of God, social conventions, and the meaning of the Cross. As we journey toward that great mystery of Cross and Resurrection, we will practice giving up certainty and embracing mystery together.

Jakaela/Jai Davis (they/them) is a native of Mobile, AL by way of Atlanta, GA and considers both to be home. It was during their time at Tuskegee University where they began exploring their call to the fields of teaching, missions, and theology. While at Duke Divinity School, they developed a fruitful and professional experience in the fields of theology, culture, ethics, gender, race, and sexuality. They are a passionate leader with enthusiasm to serve, mentor, and guide those who cross her path daily. Jakaela’s interests are focused and geared towards understanding theology and learning from the voices of those who live on the margins daily. In their free time, Jai enjoys reading, writing, cooking, biking, and relaxing with those they loves. Jai is a child, sibling, friend, and a lover of all things. Jai recently graduated from Duke Divinity School with their Masters of Divinity in May of 2020 and they are currently at Candler School of Theology working on their Masters in Theology. Jai will be working primarily with our children and families ministry, but also with adults.

Co’Relous Bryant (he/him), a CBF Leadership Scholar and third-year student at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology specializing in homiletics, is a graduate of New York University where he received a bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He completed additional study at Cornell University and the University of Michigan, and has been honored for his public speaking as the National Oratorical Champion (American Legion) and as the recipient of the John Claypool Preaching Award (McAfee School of Theology). He has been licensed for ministry at CBF partner congregation Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. This year Co’Relous was awarded the Vestal Scholarship, CBF’s most prestigious scholarship. Co’Relous believes that being the presence of Christ to others in life’s heights of happiness and saddest sorrows fuels his passion for ministry. Co’Relous will be working primarily with adults and in worship.

Anna Faith Adair (she/her) serves the church in several areas, primarily with the families with children. Anna Faith sees the beloved community as God’s tangible love to God’s children. She has a ministry background in primarily student and children ministry, leading Bible studies, teaching, and community building. She graduated from Young Harris College in 2021 with an Interdisciplinary Degree and is in the process of getting a Master of Divinity at McAfee School of Theology. Anna Faith will be working primarily with children and families at CPH.

Tune in as our pastoral staff and friends share contemplative spiritual practices that can help you connect spirit to body and recognize the presence of God in your life.

In order to find community in the midst of a pandemic – and without braving Atlanta traffic – we offer both weekend and weekday Zoom-based small groups. These groups meet on either a monthly or weekly basis, usually discussing a book.

Some of the books we have read together recently include:

• Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez
• Jesus Feminist: An Invitation to Revisit the Bible’s View of Women by Sarah Bessey
• My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
• Sabbath as Resistance: Saying No to the Culture of Now by Walter Brueggemann
• Untamed by Glennon Doyle
• The Cross & the Lynching Tree by James Cone
• An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
• Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps by Richard Rohr

We are always open to new ideas and new opportunities. If you’re interested in joining a discussion group, email Pastor Colin at colin.holtz@dhbc.org or text GROUPS to 470-317-6435 to find out more.

This is a year like no other — especially for kids. So we’re doing something special. This July 2020, the Church at Ponce & Highland is holding an online vacation Bible school (VBS), using the Compassion Camp curriculum from Illustrated Ministry.

We will hold one weekly, 1-1.5 hour online gathering to go through portions of each session together, while other portions will be done at home. We will provide an at-home curriculum that can be completed on your own time while physical distancing or quarantining. Together, we will explore what it means to have compassion for others, ourselves and the world.

Every session will include interactive elements such as Movement, Create and Play, Bible Story, and Compassion in Action. Participatory activities like yoga & breathing exercises, crafts, arts, and more will get kids moving and keep them engaged.

Compassion Camp is designed as an inter-generational experience, so we encourage adults and seniors in the church community to consider volunteering as teachers, assistants, musicians, tech support, or participants (see more info below).

What: Explore what it means to have compassion for others, ourselves and the world using Compassion Camp by Illustrated Ministry 

Who: For all ages (kids and kids-at-heart alike)

When: Starting the week of July 6 and continuing for 5 weeks. We will host one optional, 1-1.5 hour, Zoom meeting per week as an opportunity to experience the lesson together. The entire curriculum is created to be done at home, so whether you are able to make it to the Zoom calls or not, you can participate in this VBS.  Exact dates and times for the Zoom calls will be determined in consultation with parents and volunteers.

How: You can click here to register, or click here to sign up to volunteer

More info about volunteering:

Colleen and Colin will make sure you have all the resources you need to volunteer. If you have ever successfully joined a Zoom meeting, you have what it takes to help at CPH Compassion Camp.

The volunteer roles are as follows:

– Teachers will lead sessions and walk the participants through each element of the session. Includes directing and engaging participants of all ages. Elements of each session include Movement, Create and Play, Bible Story, Compassion in Action which incorporate activities such as yoga & breathing exercises, crafts, and other participatory activities.

– Assistant Teachers will take the lead on certain elements of sessions (Movement, Create and Play, Bible Story, Compassion in Action). These elements include activities such as yoga & breathing exercises, crafts, and other participatory activities).

– Tech Support volunteers will be on call for teachers and participants who may experience technical difficulties before or during each session.

– Musicians will play a song or two from the curriculum’s music selection (either live or recorded). 

– Participants will join the other kids and kids-at-heart in the fun! The camp is great for families, so parents are encouraged to join too (whether that is during the virtual lesson or on their own time as a family).

Want to learn more about business cooperatives — what they are, how they work, and how they benefit workers, communities and our planet?

Join us for a new, free series of monthly workshops on the basics of cooperatives, sponsored by the Church at Ponce & Highland and the Organization for Human Rights and Democracy.

What: Cooperatives 101
Where: ZOOM Online Discussion — email Wayne Early wayne@early-economics.com for the link.
Upcoming Dates: Monthly on Thursdays — email Wayne for the schedule

• Service is online at 11am via Facebook Live every Sunday
• You can find Facebook Live instructions by clicking here

Announcements:

• Beacon Sunday School Class: 9-945a every Sunday via Zoom. Email colin.holtz@dhbc.org for the zoom link and curriculum.
• Jesus vs. Caesar study? If you are interested in studying spiritualities of justice and liberation, starting with Jesus vs. Caesar: For Christians Tired of Serving the Wrong God by Joerg Rieger? Email Pastor Colin at colin.holtz@dhbc.org and we can decide on times.
• Church Social Time: Missing your church family, or just human contact? Join us Wednesdays at 5p. Click here for info.
• Lee Bains Inclusivist, Liberationist Old-Time Gospel Hour: Wednesdays at 6p at facebook.com/gloryfires. Church member Lee is giving free live old-time Gospel music concerts.
• Radical Reading Group: Meets May 3 at 5p on Zoom. The book is Blue Marble Health: An Innovative Plan to Fight Diseases of the Poor Amid Wealth by Peter J. Hotez.
• The World Religions Discussion Group: Thurs, May 7 at 630p on Zoom. We are using The Religions Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained to talk about the similarities, differences and history of some of the major religions. You don’t need the book, just bring your questions. Email mimi.walker@dhbc.org to get the link.

Important needs & community notes:

• Welcome Table Meal: We have an urgent need for more people to make food for the under-threat homeless community. Email Allen Jones at allen.jones@dhbc.org if you can help.
• Emergency Food Distribution: Intown Collaborative Ministries also needs help with food donations and distribution. You can find more information here. 
• Pastoral Care and Fellowship: Please email or call Pastors Mimi (mimi.walker@dhbc.org) or Colin (colin.holtz@dhbc.org) if you need anything or just want to talk. If you have ideas for how the church can help people in this moment – in any way – email Pastor Colin.
• Families: Parents, please look for resources that Colleen sent, and please contact her if you need anything, even 30 minutes to breathe