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Nativity celebrates Rally Day; opens new building

“I love Rally Day!” squealed Faith Terry, before splashing down the water slide on the front lawn of The Episcopal Church of the Nativity, in Fayetteville.

Parishioners and friends, including special guests R.P.M. Bowden and “Cuz” the Clown, echoed the little girl’s sentiment. They gathered on Sept. 12 to mark the beginning of a new church school year, to inaugurate a new Sunday morning schedule, and to picnic together on the grounds.

While this annual event has become a well-loved tradition, this year’s celebration held special significance — the congregation’s new education building was put into service with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Plans for the addition of the building were unveiled at last year’s Rally Day celebration. Construction began in March of this year and commuters traveling Antioch Road have watched the structure develop over the summer months. The Rt. Rev. Neal Alexander, Bishop of The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, will visit Nativity in November to officially dedicate the building, but classes will begin meeting in it now.

What’s so exciting about an education building?

Nativity’s music minister Joanne Brown explained, “Our current structure had become sort of like a New York apartment, if you know what I mean. Every space was used by ten different groups, some at the same time.”

“That’s right,” agreed The Reverend Bob Hudak, rector at Nativity. “With the growth of the parish, space was at a premium. Our intermediate Sunday School class, for example, had no permanent home, so they got creative and built an “ark” in which to carry their classroom and worship supplies with them from week to week.

“Now, for the first time,” Hudak continued, “we will be able to offer Sunday morning classes for every age from babies to seniors, all meeting during our new ‘Family Christian Formation and Education Hour’ from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. That intermediate class will have a classroom of its own in which to settle down, as will our Journey to Adulthood groups and our adult class.”

Service times have been adjusted to accommodate the Education Hour. Children and Family Holy Eucharist, a service designed especially for children, now begins at 9 a.m., and Traditional Holy Eucharist now begins at 11 a.m.

The church is at 130 Antioch Road in Fayetteville. It is one of 93 parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta and a member of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

For more information about Nativity, call the parish office at 770-460-6390, email info@fayettenativity.com, or visit the web site at www.fayettenativity.com.