Good News at The Grove — Week 44

Welcome to The Grove! As we embrace this season of worship, growth, and community fellowship, we invite you to stay connected and get involved. Under the leadership of Pastor Rev. Dr. Johnnie B. Porter, M. Div., let us continue to build God's Kingdom together!

THIS WEEK

• TODAY — Pastor Porter's 4th Pastoral Anniversary Culmination Service, Sunday, October 25 at 3:00 PM, with Bishop Randy Parker and the Greater Mt. Olive Ministries church family. Theme: "Rooted, Resilient, and Reaching Forward" — Nehemiah 2:18.
• Sunday School — Sundays at 10:00 AM
• Worship Experience — Sundays at 11:00 AM
• PG YFC (Youth for Christ) Bible Study — Tuesdays at 7:00 PM EST via Google Meet
• PG Community Bible Study — Wednesdays at 7:00 PM EST via Google Meet

Bible studies resume this week! The anniversary celebration wraps up Sunday, October 25 at 3:00 PM — so join us Tuesday (Oct 27) and Wednesday (Oct 28) at 7:00 PM via Google Meet.

• Daylight Saving Time Ends — Sunday, November 1. Set your clocks BACK one hour before bed on Saturday night, October 31 — then join us for Sunday School at 10:00 AM and the Worship Experience at 11:00 AM.

UPCOMING EVENTS & HIGHLIGHTS

What's Happening at The Grove

• October is Clergy Appreciation Month! From the PGMBC congregation: thank you to Pastor Porter and our entire PGMBC ministerial staff for your tireless dedication, spiritual guidance, and unwavering service to God's Kingdom and our Church Family. We love and appreciate you! (Jeremiah 3:15)
• Church Anniversary Celebration — Sunday, November 15, 2026. Save the date as we commemorate another year of God's grace, spiritual growth, and faithful ministry at Pleasant Grove!
• Fifth Sunday: All Choirs Combined Worship — Sunday, November 29, 2026. Experience a powerful morning of praise and worship led by all of our church choirs uniting into one voice!
• Christmas Banquet — Saturday, December 12, 2026. Check-in at 3:30 PM, banquet at 4:00 PM at Sweetwater Park Event Hall. $40 per person — save the date! Contact: Deaconess Tressa McCoy, (770) 572-5293.

Invitations / Local Fellowship Opportunities

• Pilgrim Baptist Church Unity Choir Celebration — Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 1600 Old Concord Road, Marietta, GA (time TBD). Pastor Porter, PG Music Ministry, and PGMBC Community have been invited as special guests of the Unity Choir's celebration. (Venue confirmed Oct 18 via pbc1600.com; time still TBD — update this bullet if Verna Jones replies.)
• Mt. Prospect Baptist Church Pastoral Retirement Banquet — Honoring Pastor Dr. James E. Potts and family, celebrating 40+ years of faithful service. Saturday, December 19, 2026 @ 2:00 PM at Venue 1625, 1625 Bankhead Hwy, Carrollton, GA 30117. Tickets: $50/person plus fees.

Community Events

• Possum Holler Pumpkin Patch & Hayride — Saturdays & Sundays in October, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM, 3861 Hwy 166, Douglasville. Pick a pumpkin, hop on the hayride, and enjoy food trucks and local vendors — a sweet fall outing for all ages!
• Data Center Community Meeting — Thursday, November 12, 2026, 5:30 PM – 7:45 PM at the Ike Owening Community Center, Douglasville. The National Center for Urban Solutions invites our community to the first Data Center Subcommittee Community Meeting — a working session on data center growth in Douglasville: share your concerns, explore opportunities, and help shape recommendations for how this growth benefits our community. Food will be provided. Please RSVP by November 9 to Thomas Gunn at tgunn@ncusolutions.com.
• Girls & Boys College Fair: Find Your Fit! — Saturday, November 14, 2026, 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM at Westlake High School, 2400 Union Road SW, Atlanta, GA 30331. Presented by Thrive USA, Inc. in partnership with Westlake High School. Connect with top colleges & universities, win scholarships, play college fair bingo, and get answers about admissions, scholarships & more. Open to the public — registration is required.
• Serving Our Seniors (SOS) Annual Thanksgiving Meal Distribution — Wednesday, November 25, 2026, 12:00–2:00 PM at New Hope, Austell (Pastor Ralph Steed). "Giving Thanks, Giving Back." Seniors: please sign up for a meal October 25 – November 8 with Mother Barbara Lindley. Volunteers are needed for preparation and distribution, or you can contribute financially. Contact Barbara Lindley at 404-583-9304. (Ephesians 6:7)

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Free and low-cost breast cancer screening options for October are now on our Bulletin Board — download the handout here.

GET CONNECTED

• First-time guest? We'd love to connect with you! Fill out our First-Time Visitor Connect Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdc5nXdqCdoSYaRA5Tm9d8ObfRNdU40oEJL7hpAhQvZbXheLQ/viewform — say hello, request prayer, and get plugged in at The Grove.
• Text pgmbcme to 84576 to receive church updates, prayer requests, and event reminders directly to your phone.
• Submit prayer requests online through the church website.

Prayer Requests: Need prayer? Submit a prayer request through our Flocknote page — our prayer warriors will pray over your concern.

• Worship through giving: donate and view updates on our web portal. Every gift helps.

A PRAYER FOR OUR COMMUNITY

As we enter this harvest season and draw near to Thanksgiving, we thank God for His faithful provision — for every seed sown in faith and every blessing gathered in due season. To our cherished PG church families, community, and friends, we extend our heartfelt prayers of gratitude, and we lift up all those who are recovering from illness, facing hardships, or navigating challenging seasons. May our tables and our hearts be full, and may we be generous with what God has placed in our hands — showing compassion that truly reflects the love of God.

Thank you to all ministry leaders, volunteers, and supporters who helped put this edition together. Your service builds God's Kingdom daily!

'Inspire, Inform, and Motivate by Faith — Building God's Kingdom'

Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church • 2525 Old Lower River Road, Douglasville, GA 30135 • (770) 949-8242 • pleasantgrovedouglasville.org