Congregation Celebrates Parents’ Day Together

Contributed by Rev. Tom Cutts, National Executive Director, ACLC

On Sunday, July 24, 2016, Pastor Mark Abernathy and First Lady Edna Abernathy of the American Clergy Leadership Conference (ACLC) held a Parents’ Day Picnic at Briscoe Park in Snellville, Georgia along with members from their congregation at the Connect Point Christian Center of Snellville, Georgia. Members of the congregation invited their friends and relatives to the day’s event, and even some congregants who don’t regularly attend services came out for the picnic. There were over 200 participants at the gathering.

Danny Fortner and Scott Galt worked all through the night, smoking pork butt and skirt steak for 15 hours before the picnic. Other church members prepared baked beans, watermelon, and salads.  First Lady Edna Abernathy’s mother, Mrs. Kathleen Krantz, prepared a huge amount of delicious coleslaw.

The picnic had been planned for several months.  However, as the day of the picnic approached, a couple of people requested the picnic be postponed because several families would be out of town at the time. Pastor Abernathy, however, knew the fourth Sunday of July was National Parents’ Day and decided to keep the date as planned in order to connect in heart with celebrations happening around the country.

After listening to a brief message about the importance of fatherhood, motherhood and God-centered families, everyone gathered together to enjoy the delicious food, warm fellowship, and later, line dancing.

Copies of The Washington Times‘s special edition on Parents’ Day were shared at the gathering.  All were impressed that their pastor and first lady were finalists for the national competition for Parents of the Year.

In the coming weeks, Pastor Mark Abernathy and First Lady Edna Abernathy will bring copies of the special Parents’ Day edition to the offices of the Honorable Hank Johnson, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, whom the couple knows well. The visit will provide a valuable opportunity for Pastor Abernathy to introduce Parents’ Day to the congressman.

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