404-633-4505 | Join Us On Sundays at 11AM!
404-633-4505 | Join Us On Sundays at 11AM!
Read the latest news for our church.
Can I tell you some Good News? Read the whole note, because I put at the end 🙂
Our Reshaped worship series comes to a close this Sunday. In the first sermon of this series, I shared that we would not reach the end and say “great. Mission accomplished.” Instead, my hope is that the lessons, thoughts, and ideas that have emerged during this series will carry forward throughout the rest of the year.
I have loved seeing and hearing how this series has impacted you! One member shared that they bought play-doh for the first time in their life after our first Sunday in the series. Others have noticed that play-doh now has multicolor cans and glitter, so they asked, and of course, were able to take more cans home.
In Messy Church, our kids took the idea of being made out of clay to new levels!
And, our young adults will do the same during our Pottery Night this Sunday. 3 folks came out for our on-site book chat for Everywhere You Look. We enjoyed a wonderful conversation about the churches we grew up, our church today, and what we hope for the future. I really do hope that more folks will engage with this timely read.
On Sunday, we’ll consider what it might look like to step into faith. We’ll sit with the story of Peter walking to Jesus.
Finally, it’s important to me that you know that August, and so far September too, saw an incredible increase in Sunday participation and engagement. Our average on-site attendance was higher than our average total attendance(onsite and online) for the same period in previous years:
| Period | Onsite | Online | Total |
| August 2026 | 84 | 18 | 102 |
| August 2025 | 65 | 16 | 81 |
| August 2024* | 59 | 17 | 76 |
| August 2023* | 56 | 30 | 86 |
*Onsite for August 2024 & 2023 includes onsite attendance for both the early and 11AM services.
I hope to continue seeing this increased participation throughout the coming weeks. And don’t just come for worship! We have wonderful opportunities to gather before worship too:
New Perspectives has just started a new journey back to the First Century, to live among the followers of Jesus and students of Paul.
Practical Theology continues to study topical articles and have a time of sharing/updating on going-ons in one another’s lives. You can also zoom in to this group!
Sunday Morning Bible Study continues to explore the Book of Acts and how we should respond to it today.
The Choir begins rehearsing at 9:45AM and is always open to join!
The Commons is always open, and coffee, tea, and water are all available by 9:30! Feel free to just hang out and chat with folks… a handful of people do that every week 🙂
So, come on Sundays! Not because you have to, but because part of being the church is sharing life together. There are so many ways to do that. Don’t miss out!
See ya Sunday,
Thomas
25 years ago, our world was changed. Indeed, we are living in a world that has been shaped and re-shaped by the deadly and deliberate attacks in New York City and Washington DC. I was six years old on 9/11. I had no real sense of the magnitude of what had happened. I’d never been to New York, nor DC. I did, however, have a newspaper with pictures of NYFD firemen on my wall. I knew that those guys were heroes. For a time, I wanted to be a fireman too.
Read MoreSep 06, 2026
The mission and action committee invites members and friends to walk together in AID Atlanta’s annual AIDS walk on September 26, 2026.
We will be walking to support Georgia Equality, one of the beneficiary organizations of the walk.
This year, Georgia Equality is receiving a 75% Match on all donations, that means every dollar we raise goes even further.
To register for the Central AIDS Walk team or make a donation to the team visit
http://www.aidswalkatlanta.org/goto/UCCFriends
Walkers can register for free using the code “gefree“. For more information contact Kimble Sorrells – [email protected].
Sep 05, 2026
Saturday, September 12th, 8:30 am – 1 pm
Virginia-Highland Church UCC is inviting you to a Morning of Contemplative Practice that they are hosting at Central.
Structured and gently guided, this will give you quiet time to reflect, walk, sit, read, nap, and journal.
It will be a good opportunity to experience how silence and contemplation help us slow down, pay attention, and embrace whatever might ordinarily be pushed aside by noise and activity.
Thursday, September 10, 8 pm
@ The Alley Stage, 11 Anderson St SE, Marietta, GA 30064
Come see Central’s own Josh Zilberman and Angie Acedera in Rhinestone Rodeo, a high-energy country cabaret celebrating the stories and spirit of country music. From timeless classics to today’s biggest hits, this unforgettable evening brings together powerhouse vocals, rich harmonies, and a touch of Nashville sparkle in an intimate, up-close setting. Grab your boots, bring your friends, and get ready for a night of unforgettable music and rhinestone shine! Let’s show Angie and Josh lots of support for this show!! More details: https://www.overtureseries.
Purchase tickets at: https://www.overtureseries.
Sep 01, 2026
We are excited to present to you “The Monthly” for September 2026.
Check out this month’s newsletter for:
Click here to download “The Monthly”! There are also paper copies in The Commons, in The Sanctuary, and in the Church office. Be sure to add events and gatherings that you‘re interested in to your calendar.
Enjoy “The Monthly” and all the events and gatherings you are going to attend!
This Sunday, August 23rd, you are invited to attend the 60th Anniversary Worship Service for the Southeast Conference, hosted at First Congregational UCC at 11 am.
We will not have a worship service at Central and we are looking forward to seeing you at First Congregational UCC (105 Courtland St NE, Atlanta, GA, 30303) for the joint service.
This service will also be livestreamed on YouTube. Use this link if you want to join online.
Our Sunday School classes canceled their meetings for this Sunday morning. The Sunday Morning Bible Study, the Practical Theology Class and the New Perspective Class will meet again on Sunday, August 30th, 9:45 am.
The Sandwich Sunday group rescheduled their meeting for August 30th as well.
We’ll see you again at Central on August 30th for the New Member Sunday and the start of a new Worship Series. Be on the lookout for more updates next week!
My time in Vancouver is nearing its end. I’ve enjoyed this week gathering with a little more than a dozen other clergy at the Guder Pastoral Retreat, which is being hosted at the University of British Columbia. I’m used to being the only UCCer in some clergy spaces, but not the only American! All the other participants in the retreat are Canadian clergy serving in the United Church of Canada or The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
I’ll be away this Sunday, but I hope that you’ll still be in worship. Rev. Cassandra Henderson, the Executive Director of the Interfaith Children’s Movement. Prior to this role, Rev. Cassandra, an ordained Baptist minister, served as an Assistant Pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church. She has preached at Central before, and I’m so glad that she said “yes!” to the invitation to preach here again. Please offer her the warm and wonderful welcome that we’re becoming known for.
With you in spirit,
Thomas
I’ve Been Meaning to Ask: Where Do We Go From Here?
That’s a wide open question for the future! As our Summer worship series comes to a close, it’s important to understand that that question doesn’t mark the end of this journey. It simply welcomes in the next chapter. I’m sure that folks are tired of hearing the words “in discernment” or “in transition,” but I think that part of that is the fault of how denominations often use that language! In the UCC, we say that a church without its pastoral roles filled by settled ministers is a church that’s “in transition.” The honest reality is that the church should always be in discernment… in transition. How else can we be attentive and responsive to the Still-Speaking Voice of God?
So, again, I ask: Where Do We Go From Here?
On Sunday, we’ll close out this worship series, celebrate our 4th Annual Blessing of the Backpacks, and share communion. If you worship online, please have bread and a fruit of the vine ready. And, if you’re someone who would like to receive communion at home, in a care facility, or elsewhere, please email Rev. Thomas to set that up.
Homework this week: Bring a friend on Sunday!
See you Sunday,
Thomas
P.S. I’ll be in Vancouver from Aug 4 – 9, participating in the Guder Pastoral Retreat.
Jul 29, 2026
We are excited to present to you “The Monthly” for August 2026.
Check out this month’s newsletter for:
Click here to download “The Monthly”! There are also paper copies in The Commons, in The Sanctuary, and in the Church office. Be sure to add events and gatherings that you‘re interested in to your calendar.
Enjoy “The Monthly” and all the events and gatherings you are going to attend!
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