In this Issue

Church News

Page 3

United Methodist Men

Page 4

Message From The Trustees

Page 5

Sponsor Church Anniversary

Page 7

Church Anniversary Celebration

A Religious Reflection for Independence Day 2015

July 4, 2015 was America’s Independence Day .

Acts 17:24, 26, 27 states: "God made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of Heaven and Earth. And he made of one blood, all nations of people to dwell on all the earth, and determined the places where they would live; that they should seek the Lord and find Him."

In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a national holiday commemo-rating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.

America has been blessed as the longest on-going Constitutional Republic in the history of the world. These bless-ings are not accidental – they are blessings of God. This is evident as we look at the turmoil in other nations and contrast that to the stability we see in America. Preserving American liberty depends first upon our understanding of the foundations on which this great country was built, and then it depends on preserving the principles on which it was founded. Is this country perfect? Not at all but, we have many things for which to celebrate and be thankful. One of the bedrocks for our country which we most appreciate is the way we have maintained our sense of religious freedom and have kept to the tenets of the First Amendment to the Constitution. Through life experience we have learned that our commitment to religious freedom requires renewal with each successive generation. Never can we take for granted that all of our citizens will understand and appreciate this crucial component of our history. Today, many people in the world live in bondage. Too many are enslaved by the sins of fear, violence, racism, reproductive genocide, sexual perversion, economic idolatry, sickness and greed. These issues must now be addressed with agape love and truth.

May July 4th, truly become a symbol of freedom, not just for some, but for all.

“Homecoming: From Worthy to Wealthy”

Join us as we celebrate together!

Sunday, July 19, 2015

11:00 am Worship Service

Guest Preacher:

Rev. Dr. Bernice Kirkland, District Superintendent Atlanta College Park District

JULY 2015 East Point First Mallalieu United Methodist Church

Birthdays in July

W O R D

T A L K

2

Latisha Rector 1

Kerri Williams 2

Waverly McMichael Jr. 3

Megan Kemp 3

Betty Maddox 5

Carl Leroy Joyner 5

AnnJanette Allen 7

Lyndell Norwood 7

Clifton Dyer 10

Dianah Rector 10

Quinard Reid 10

R. Deloris Levine 12

Cornelia Stuckey 12

Doiche Travis 13

G.W. Banfield 14

Morgan Gore 14

Glynova L. Green 18

Shirley Harps 17

Shirley Ashley 21

Brandon Jones 23

Freddie Brooks 24

Sara Morgan 26

Stephanie McMichael 28

Joshua Leonard 28

Carlton Arnold 29

Renee Solomon 29

Wimbley Hale 31

ACCOMPLISH

ANSWERS

CLAIM

COMFORT

COMMANDS

GUIDE

HEED

LESSONS

MEDITATE

OBEY

PRAISE

PRAYERS

PRINCIPLES

PROMISES

PROSPER

QUESTIONS

READ

SOOTHE

STUDY

WARNINGS

O O A S Y I P R A I S E R G S B S T

S G P B N J S R P D U E O D U K T L

A O M N L O G E K H P I N O O M I F

S W O A Q U S A L S X A J D P G Q L

N N K T I P N S O P M T R O F M O C

O A H D H S R R E M I D G I Z N O T

I X E E W E P O O L A C Y D U T S F

T C D E V R V C M E Y V N X V D Z L

S H R T N U P A R I E V V I M N V A

E S O R L B D G B Q S P J W R G P C

U C X K T C D Y X Q R E Y A H P O O

Q M O K N L E S L E P W S R S A L R

A T E G J A K C D Z Z P Y N R U G H

K K M E D I T A T E S J E I E G V P

B G E X L M N G D T E A B N Y P T H

H S I L P M O C C A L H O G A N V S

I P U O Q E O A M K T W Y S R I K W

I F S E S G F E O L X M P S P C D F

NATIONAL PARENTS DAY

Sunday, July 26, 2015

National Parents Day is annually celebrated, in the

United States, on the fourth Sunday in July. Similar

to a combination of Father’s Day and Mother’s Day,

National Parents Day is a day to honor your parents

and show appreciation to them and to celebrate

family.

This holiday was established in 1994 when President Bill Clinton signed a Congressional

Resolution into Law (36 U.S.C. § 135) for “recognizing, uplifting and supporting the role

of parents in the rearing of children.” The bill was introduced by Republican Senator

Trent Lott.

HAPPY PARENTS DAY!

Riddle Me This…

I am the first in earth, the second in heaven,

I appear two times in a week.

You can only see me once in a year,

although I am the middle of the sea.

Who am I?

Answer: The letter “E”

STUDYING THE BIBLE

3

Church News

Welcome Back

Pastor Armstrong

-Staff Parish Relations (SPR)

We believe 2015-2016 will be blessed more than before because of our love of God. We will be unified in love for our fellow man and for the growth of our church. We pray, Pastor, for your continued faith that all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord. We also pray for your health and strength. Please join us in the Library immediately following Worship Service to welcome Rev. Armstrong back as our pastor.

Calling All Children & Youth

-Jackie McMichael

On Sunday, July 12, 2015 during the wor-ship service all children and youth will re-ceive a certificate honoring their progression to another grade. After service, they will be treated to a "Sundae Sunday" where every-one makes their own ice cream sundae. The gathering will be in the Library.

Acolyte and Jr. Usher Training

-Worship Committee

100% participation needed. Training is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, 2015 at 10am to 12 noon. Parents are asked to accompany their children to this session. Breakfast will be served!

Love & Incredible Belief

We believe in you and appreciate all of your efforts to beautify the sanctuary by signing the Flower Calen-dar. Thanks to you, all July dates are filled! August 23rd and August 30th are still available. Please sign up today. The Flower Calendar is located at the Cross-roads.

Vacation Bible School

-Stephanie McMichael, Coordinator

July 8th

, 9th

, and 10th

Our theme is “Shining Star: See the Jesus in Me!” Please join us for three days of cool awesome fun. We want to provide the children of East Point First Mallalieu with a joyous experience that will help them let their light shine. For more information, please contact Stephanie McMi-chael via e-mail at mcmichaels@fultonschools.org or at 404-734-5341.

Join the Usher Board

-Willie Bowens

The EPFM Eddie McMichael Jr. Usher Board is in need of ushers every Sunday. If you would like to serve, be a blessing to others and to God’s church, please see Willie Bowens, President of the Usher Board or contact him at 404-702-1487 for more information.

A Time Of Listening and

Discernment

Please pray and ask God for discern-ment and direction concerning how you may lead and or contribute to the work of God here at EPFM. A time of sincere searching for how we can support our call to ministry will be announced soon.

Tuesday Night Bible Study

-Don Sumlin

The Tuesday Night Bible Study is on vaca-tion for July and reconvene on August 4th with an exciting new topic. Please mark this date on your calendar! Bring a covered

dish, and let us break bread and the Word of Life to-gether.

Fun & Fellowship Night

-Outreach/Evangelism Committee

Bring your entire family and join us for a fun night of Bingo, door prizes, Karaoke Spotlight and a delicious meal. We will also receive words of inspirations from our Small Group leaders as we spread the Good news about our Lord Jesus Christ!

July 15, 2015 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM

Adults $5.00 Children $2.50

For more information see Pat Ivey or Jackie DeWitt. Sign-up sheets are available in the bulletin and at the Crossroads.

Silent Auction Bonanza

Featuring: Braves Tickets for the August game with SF Giants on the Terrace level, IPad, Movie Passes, Mas-sage/Spa, Gift cards and much more! Auction will take place throughout the month of July and is open to anyone who wants to participate. Spread the word and listen for details!

4

Join the United Methodist Men -Larry Few

The United Methodist Men continue to lead the way in supporting the spiritual growth of the East Point First

Mallalieu UMC. We are also looking for members to join the United Methodist Men. The dues are $12.00 per year

and we meet monthly on the 3rd Wednesday of the month from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. You may see Chief Few,

Russ Madison, James L. Jackson or any of the United Methodist Men to pay your dues to join in fellowship with

men in supporting the spiritual growth of the church.

The United Methodist Men are also an avid supporter of the Men’s Choir. We invite all men to join on the 3rd Sun-

day in each month to sing in the Men’s Chorus directed by Mr. Nathaniel Fisher. If you enjoy singing and want to

be a part of the morning service this is your opportunity.

The next event the United Methodist Men will host is the annual Fish Fry on Saturday, October 3rd from 11:00 AM

to 3:00 PM. The menu will include two fish fillets, baked beans, coleslaw, bread and water or soda. The cost of

the meal is $7.00. The tickets for the fish dinners will go on sale shortly and we will also entertain “walk up sales.”

Chief Few Receives Lifetime Membership To United Methodist Men

On Sunday, June 21, 2015 Fire Chief Larry Few, President of the United Methodist Men was presented with

the Lifetime United Methodist Men Award. The award was presented on behalf of all the United Methodist Men of East Point First Mallalieu (EPFM) United Methodist Church. Mr. James L. Jackson, Financial Secretary of the United Methodist Men, presented Chief Few with the award.

Chief Few received the award because of his continued support of EPFM UMC and the United Methodist Men. The Lifetime Membership included the following:

Lifetime Membership Certificate

Lifetime Membership Card

Life Membership Pin

United Methodist Men support, participate, and fund mission work including the following and so much more:

Supporting local, district and conference units of United Methodist Men

Scouting and Youth Civic agencies as ministries of the local church

Society of Saint Andrew – Gleaning America's Fields, Feeding America's Hungry

Upper Room Ministries – 24/7 Prayer Ministry in partnership with the United Methodist Board of Disci-

pleship and praying men and women around the world.

Helping Men Grow in Christ, So Others May Know Christ ———

UUNITEDNITED MMETHODISTETHODIST MMENEN EEASTAST PPOINTOINT FFIRSTIRST MMALLALIEUALLALIEU

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Message from the Trustee Board -Irvina Mayner

The Trustees were approached by the WODA Group to sale some of the property

owned by the church. In anticipation of the sale an Ad hoc was formed. The mem-

bers were Robert Scott, Sylvia Cobb, Larry Few, Jacyne Gibson, Ann Douglas,

Thua Barlay, and Corbett Lovett. Dr. Colbert Lovett served as the negotiator. The

committee provided the needed guidance to determine an asking price favorable to

EPFM UMC. There were limited time constraints leading us to the final contract.

We will move to a sales contract only when the state of Georgia approves WODA’s

funding application; later this year or early next year.

We are looking forward to the next phase of this process. As we anticipate God's next move, let us be

prayerful and ask for God's guidance. As we anticipate the sale of the property, we will reach out to you

for your assistance as we gather information and ideas that will preserve and enhance our edifice.

We appreciate Pastor Armstrong for supporting us with his prayers. He has challenged us since his arri-

val to preserve and appreciate the beauty of this marvelous facility God has given us. We hope the sale

of the property will take us to the next level of our growth and development.

EPFM Trustee Board

Message from the Church Treasurer -Mark Jackson

The General Budget needs our help! What is the general budget? It’s the first

line listed on the Sunday service offering envelops, but of course it represents

much more than just a mere line on an envelope. When you designate your con-

tributions to the general budget, you are providing funds for the operations and

maintenance costs at East Point First Mallalieu (EPFM) United Methodist Church.

This year the general budget contributions are down over seven thousand dollars

for the first six months of the calendar year 2015 as compared to last years’ con-

tributions. The finance committee and others are pleading that everyone give more to the general budg-

et in an attempt to sustain the church’s financial position.

A more pressing financial dilemma that EPFM faces is the fact that we have been operating at a deficit

for several consecutive years. What does that mean? Simply put, the expenses have exceeded the in-

come causing the reserves and/or cash balances to decrease to critical levels. The finance committee

and other church officials are definitely working on solutions to cut cost like other churches or business-

es. Cutting cost is never a pleasant thing to do, but may be necessary to aid in the life of the church.

In summary, the general budget contributions must improve and church spending must decrease in

order to sustain and/or improve the financial position at EPFM. As church treasurer, I am responsible for

financial reporting and transparency. On paper things don’t look very good financially, but I know God

will provide the answers to all of EPFM’s financial dilemmas. So again, I am pleading that everyone in

the church make every effort to give more and find ways to cut costs. I know Jesus will move in our fa-

vor.

8 Simple Ways to Improve Church Communications

1) Don’t say too much – If you are trying to say

everything, you’ll end up communicating nothing.

Say less and you’ll communicate more.

2) Respect everyone’s time – Whether they are

listening to announcements on Sunday, reading your

bulletin or surfing your website, don’t waste their

time. Make sure that what you are bothering to say

is important to your people (not just to you). And try not to broadcast to everyone the things that only a small group

of people need or want to hear. Eventually, they will just tune you out completely.

3) Have an up-to-date web presence – This means everywhere you’re on the web. When people visit your web-

site or Facebook page, they are wanting to communicate with you. They are wanting to build a relationship with

you. If they get to your website and can’t find up-to-date info, it’s a missed opportunity. And if they find out-dated

info, it communicates to them that there must not be anything going on here. And they move on.

4) Don’t waste opportunities to connect – When somebody visits your website (or your church), what are you

doing to continue the relationship? Don’t let them leave without connecting. Get some information from them. Give

them an action item. Something to do. An event to attend. A way to take a next step in their faith walk. Get them

on your emailing list and immediately plugged in to your active ministries. Don’t waste an opportunity to connect.

5) Use a proper emailing service – The #1 (and easiest) way to keep your members up to date this day and age

is through email. Almost everyone uses it. It’s cheap, fast and easy. But it’s a good idea to use a proper emailing

service if you’re sending large amounts of email. It will improve deliverability (i.e. avoid spam filters), keep your own

web server off of blacklists, make sure you’re legally compliant (like giving people easy, immediate ways to

subscribe and unsubscribe), make your newsletters beautiful and – empower all of your ministry leaders to manage

their distribution lists as a team and communicate professionally and effectively. How are you continuing your rela-

tionship in between Sundays? This is one of the easiest and essential ways you can expand and bolster your

social network.

6) Consider your audience – Too many churches get caught only listening and catering to the vocal minority or

the already engaged. So they shouldn’t be surprised when they don’t seem to reach anyone else. If you want to

engage the unengaged, you need to consider that particular audience. Don’t just say things that are interesting to

you. Say things that are interesting to them and in a way that they will understand and be intrigued.

7) Remember that communication goes both ways – Communication is as much (or more) about listening as it

is about talking. What are you doing to listen first to your people? Find out where they are and what they’re think-

ing. Then you’ll know where to meet them with the message you’d like to ultimately communicate.

8) Don’t be scared – Many churches are scared to communicate. They’re either intimidated by the latest technolo-

gies or frozen in fear of breaking burdensome guidelines and making mistakes. So they do little or nothing. There is

really no such thing as not communicating. Not communicating is still communicating something. It communicates

fear. It communicates apathy. It communicates maybe we don’t have something worth communicating. And since

we work for the Church, none of these could be further from the truth.

We are not afraid. And we have the most important message to communicate in the entire world.

Let’s help each other do it better!

United Methodist Women’s Event

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Faith, Fun and Everyone & Ubuntu Day of Service East Point First Mallalieu United Methodist Women are honored to host this ½ day of fun and service for

the Atlanta College Park District. The event will be held on Saturday, August 22, 2015 from 8:00 a.m. to

noon. This event is open to all church members. The registration fee is $5.00 or $10.00 if you are stay-

ing for lunch. While some of the activities include prayer, praise worship, trivia games and light exercise,

Ubuntu is the service component. Ubuntu is a Zulu word and concept that exemplifies a coming together

of God’s people to celebrate God’s presence and prompting to act on behalf of others. This celebrates

the United Methodist Women of the Atlanta College Park District mission through community action and

service as we act and advocate on behalf of survivors of domestic violence.

The guest speakers will be Daphne Walker, Esq., President and CEO of the Partnership against Domestic

Violence and April Ross, Esq., a domestic violence survivor.

We are asking for either monetary donations to purchase the following items for mothers and children or

donation of the items themselves. All items should be new.

Mothers Children

Large Tote Bags Rolling Bags Night Shirts Pajamas Pairs of Slippers Pairs of Slippers Inspiration Books Coloring Books (i.e. Daily Devotional) Boxes of Crayons

Contact Patricia Ross (bdiamond3@comcast.net or 404-669-9902) for registration information.

We look forward seeing you on Saturday, August 22nd.

Come, have fun and provide a service.

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2015 Church Anniversary

Our church anniversary is Sunday, July 19th and your financial support is needed. This re-quest for financial support is above your regular tithes and offerings.

Platinum Sponsors: $113.00 - $87.00

Gold Sponsors: $74.00 - $48.00

Silver Sponsors: $35.00 - $13.00

Your contributions will be accepted beginning Sunday, July 5th through Sunday, August 2nd. There are special anniversary envelopes or you may mark your regular giving envelope “2015

Church Anniversary”.

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