Miss this week's message?
Have you ever notice the almost theatrical display from a young child when they see their parent at a distance and desire to be embraced them? Usually they make eye contact, their arms go up, they call out to their parent “Mommy, Daddy,” as they run closer and closer towards them there is absolutely nothing that can stand in their way, and then, the joy on their face when their parent, waiting with open arms, embraces them! This describes a beautiful act of intimacy between a child and parent that most of us have either seen or experienced. In this week's message, Growing in Intimacy with God, Pastor Olin Holly shares with us some key points on how we can draw near to God as we develop a more intimate relationship with our heavenly Father.

Click here to listen to this week's message

ATTENTION: NEW AND EXCITING CHANGES TAKING PLACE

We are excited to announce that because God has blessed us with continued growth, it's time to make some major changes. Beginning the weekend of January 31st, we will be changing our main service times to accommodate the addition of a third Sunday service!

Our new service times will be at 8:30am, 10:30am and 12:30pm. Saturday services will remain the same - at 6pm.

In addition to the changes to our main services, our 212 Youth Ministry is also making some big changes that same weekend. Services for High School students, 9th - 12th grade, will be moving from Sunday mornings to Sunday nights! That means families will now have a chance to worship together during Saturday and Sunday services. Activities for High School students will be available during a community center atmosphere from 2 - 5pm in V2 with services beginning at 6pm.

Junior High students, 6th - 8th grade, will meet during the 6pm Saturday service and the 8:30 and 10:30 Sunday morning services.; More info about 212 is available at two2welve.com

30 DAYS OF FASTING AND PRAYER
We feel that God is challenging us as a church to start off 2009 with a 30-day fast, beginning January 2nd. When we fast together, tremendous breakthrough is released. So, we encourage everyone to join us in this fast. We also invite you to join us for corporate prayer and worship each Sunday evening in January at 6pm in V1 beginning on the 4th. In order to help you in this, information about the how's, what's and why's of fasting are available online (click here), as well as in the V1 main lobby.

ACCESS VICTORY MEMBERSHIP CLASS
If you'd like to join the Victory Family, join us on Saturday, January 17th in the V2 Sanctuary from 9am to 12:30pm for our Access Victory Membership Class. You may pick up a Membership Packet at the Guest Services Desk. We ask that you return the completed forms to Guest Services before the class.

Registration is available online at victoryatl.com or at the Guest Services Desk now through January 14th. We look forward to welcoming you to the Victory family!

SPRING '09 FINANCIAL CLASSES REGISTRATION
Attention everyone! Online registration for our spring classes opens January 10th at victoryatl.com. Lobby Registration will be January 17th-18th ONLY. If you want to get set on the right course in your finances or in starting a business, you'll want to register as soon as possible - the classes fill up very quickly. You may choose from: How to Start a Business, Crown Biblical Financial Study and Financial Peace University.

SPRING '09 MARRIAGE COURSES
Victory's Family Ministries is happy to offer four invaluable and relevant courses that will enrich, help repair, or simply further educate you as you continue in or enter marriage: With this Ring; With this Ring Blended Version (those who already have children); Married Forever and Married Forever Blended Version (step-families). Online registration for our spring session of these classes will be available this weekend at victoryatl.com. Although classes begin February 16th and 21st, please be aware that there is a required orientation session on Jan 11th or 18th from 11am - 12pm, in V4 for the pre-marital courses. Please visit our table in the V1 main lobby for more information.

V-GROUP TRAINING CAMP
Attention new and potential V-Group leaders: We want to invite you to our V-Group Leaders Training Camp on Saturday, January 17th at 9:30am in the Zone in V1. This is a great opportunity for you to learn more about the vision of the V-Group Ministry, Foundations of V-Group Leadership, Developing the Heart of a Shepherd and The Art of Listening. We will also talk about group preparation and developing leaders from within your group, as well as techniques for caring for your individual small group members. If you are interested in becoming a V-Group leader or currently are a V-Group leader who hasn't yet attended Training Camp you don't want to miss this opportunity! Childcare will be provided for a nominal fee of $5/child or $10 max/family. Please register to reserve your childcare spot.

VICTORY WORLD CHRISTIAN SCHOOL'S OPEN HOUSE
Would you like to meet the dynamic faculty and staff of VWCS? Want to know about the incredible things God is doing through our children? Then join us on Sunday, January 11th from 4 to 6pm in the V3 Auditorium for our VWCS Open House. You'll see high-tech demonstrations of the interactive Smartboards, Rosetta Stone and RenWeb. You will also catch a glimpse of how we use accelerated math and reading to enable students to grow academically several grades in one year. In addition, you'll have the opportunity to meet and talk with the parents of some of our currently-enrolled students. We'd love to have you there. Come and discover the incredible experience God has for your family at VWCS!

NEW - Special Needs Ministry
Your children are welcome! At Victory, we believe that all children are created in God's image. Every child has value to God-and us! If you would like your child with special needs to grow in an understanding of his or her value to God and to enjoy time with other children in an inclusive classroom setting or have one on one assistance in our current classroom environments, please click here for more information and to apply. If you have any immediate questions, please contact Amanda Dance at adance@victorywc.org or 770.849.9400 ext. 304.

Victory Blog
Do you read the Victory Blog? Did you even know it exists? Well, it does and it's a great source of news, updates, stories and thoughts from our pastors, as well as photos and video from our events. Check it out at victory.vwcblogs.com.

V•Groups -- a place to belong
In the high-tech, low-touch culture of America, many of us are searching for a place to belong. We wrestle with issues of life such as relationships, money, self-discipline, insecurity and fear in our search for peace and significance.

We weren't meant to walk through life alone. True growth--both spiritual & personal--often takes place in loving, supportive, grace-giving, truth-telling relationships -- like those found in V•Groups.

V•Groups are small groups of 10-12 people who meet weekly across Metro Atlanta. They are places for people just like you, who are seeking answers, change, real relationships -- and above all, God.

Click here to find a V•Group near you.

Growing in Intimacy with God

It seems hard to believe that 2008 has come and gone and we now sit at the threshold of another year. And, as is usual at the end of every year, there is a lot of speculation about what next year might hold. These days, most of that speculation is anything but positive. The future is uncertain. We don't know what it holds. However, we do know Who holds the future. And that's why we need to draw closer to Him. This is exactly what my good friend and the newest pastor on our staff, Olin Holly, spoke about in our last weekend services of 2008. Here are some of the highlights of his timely and profound message:

God has a plan for each of us - often we don't know what He wants to accomplish. Yet, we can trust that because He is good, His plans are good. Sometimes, things that seem more like evil to us are actually things that God is using to accomplish His purposes.

Often, when things get difficult and uncertain, God is trying to shake things up a little bit in order to get our attention. He wants us to draw close to Him. When we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. His desire is intimacy.

In order to walk in intimacy with the Father, we need to:

• Surrender to God's plan for our lives, pushing past the barriers of fear, pride and confusion and learning to trust and obey Him.

• Encourage one another. We are not meant to do this on our own. We need one another. We have much to learn from one another.

• Rejoice in the Lord, no matter what the circumstances are. If God is good, loving and in control of our lives, we can trust Him completely and rejoice, knowing that He is accomplishing His good purposes in us.

If there is some shaking going on in your life right now, consider that this is probably God at work to bring you into deeper intimacy with Himself and to accomplish His higher purposes in your life.

That's a good word. As we face the coming year, the best way to have a certain and secure future is by connecting deeply with God. To learn more about doing that, let me encourage you to listen to this message again (or for the first time if you missed it last weekend).

Also, let me mention this: one of the best ways to draw nearer to God is through fasting and prayer, and God has invited us to set aside 30 days at the beginning of the new year for just that. So, I encourage you to join us in 30 Days of Fasting and Prayer beginning this Friday, January 2nd. I'm excited to see what will happen as a result of our church coming together and drawing nearer to God as a body. What a great way to issue in a very happy and blessed new year! And that is my wish for you and your family!

• Pray for President and Mrs. Bush as they continue time at their Crawford, TX ranch. President Bush is monitoring the situation in Gaza with Secretary of State Rice. Pray for wisdom and breakthroughs and for the protection of innocent life.
• Pray for rest and renewal for President Elect and Mrs. Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha as they continue an extended vacation in Kailua, Hawaii, asking God to meet them there with His presence and a spirit of refreshment. Pray for protection and blessing, for Jesus Christ to be honored in their midst. Pray for wisdom and good intelligence for the President Elect as he, too, monitors the situation in Gaza.
• Pray for those impacted by harsh winter storms as they pass across the United States. Pray for those without power and other services to be kept safe, and pray for those restoring services to work quickly and effectively.
• Pray for the situation in the Middle East, where ongoing rocket fire and air strikes between Hamas and Israel have left hundreds dead and wounded.
• Pray for our troops as they work to safeguard our freedom, giving thanks for their sacrifices on our behalf. The U.S. military says a suicide bombing Sunday near an Afghanistan primary school in Kabul killed 14 children.