Members of the Episcopal Church of the Nativity, Fayetteville, have a lot to celebrate this afternoon at their family picnic.

The congregation is now in a building that is not paid for monthly by rent, but by mortgage notes. Several weeks ago the church had a dedication and consecration service of its very own building on Antioch Road. It is nestled on seven acres in the woods right next to St. Gabriel's Catholic Church. The congregation will be 11 years old this November.

The congregation numbers about 100 each Sunday morning and the new facility will accommodate about 250 persons, leaving plenty of room for growth.

The 4,200-sq. ft. building houses offices, a kitchen and Sunday School rooms.

In the fall, church members hope to build a deck outside the kitchen and place picnic tables out in the woods. Children's play yards are in the works right now.

The outstanding wooden pews, obtained from St. Simon's Episcopal Church in Conyers, are quite a conversation piece. They originally came from the Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Atlanta. This church, along with a Presbyterian church, were specifically kept from being razed by Gen. W. T. Sherman during the War Between The States in 1864.

A woodworker in the Nativity congregation copied the swirl design on the pews into the alter table, made and stained to match the pews. As soon as things settle down, efforts will be made to authenticate the pews to determine if, indeed, they predate the Civil War.

An overnight vestry retreat is planned this fall to be sure of vision, mission and policy statements and their pertinence to this congregation. The vestry consists of Andy Anderson, senior warden, Tom Overson, junior warden, Crystal Callaway, Toby Crafton, Robert Gowin, Celia Hoffman, Mary Jordan, Jo McDonough and Sue Sosebee.

Many church members have specific areas of strength and these are being pursued, drawing more people into the workings of the church. The Parish Directory will be analyzed to identify the geographical areas of members and to encourage the various areas to have “cottage meetings” in homes through which members can get to know one another and provide an opportunity to share their faith.

The Rev. Robert A. Hudak, vicar of Nativity, conducts an inter-faith communion service at Azalea Estates Senior Home every other week; and once a month it is the church's responsibility to provide lunch at a Habitat for Humanity house for workers there.

The Fayette Samaritans have always been at the top of the list at Nativity and support it with donations several times a year. The collection taken at its recent dedication service went to the Samaritans.

As a way of keeping families together, and as a way of “testing the waters,” an additional Sunday morning service is being tried at 9 a.m. This service is conducted entirely by family members and it has met with much encouragement to date.

By fall, the church hopes to add a part-time youth minister.

Sunday School is Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and Worship Service is at 10:30 a.m.

The church is at 130 Antioch Road and can be reached at 770-460-6390.

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