As we reflect on the year that has passed, my heart is full of gratitude for each of you. The Apostle Paul once wrote, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel…” (Philippians 1:3-5). I find those words resonate deeply as I think of the many ways you have poured yourselves into the life and ministry of our congregation this past year.
Thank you for your prayers —those quiet, faithful moments when you lifted our church, our community, and one another before God. Your spiritual support has sustained us in both seasons of challenge and joy.
Thank you for your presence —for celebrating in worship, in Belong Groups, at Seeds of Hope, and gatherings of recognition and remembrance. Your presence is a vital part of our community and an expression of God’s love in action.
Thank you for your service —for the countless hours you have volunteered to lead, to teach, to feed, and to disciple others. Your labor in the Lord is not in vain; it is a witness to the love and hope we have in Christ.
Thank you for your generosity —for your faithful annual giving that makes possible our worship services, Honour Academy and the Pentz Speaker Series, mission work, and pastoral care. Your gifts supported the Overflow annual discipleship initiative; helped to create Wonderfully Made, a new ministry serving adults with intellectual disabilities; successfully launched LightUp Peachtree in our new green space; supported young women and children escaping trafficking; and more.
In every way, you have embodied what it means to be the body of Christ: a people committed to loving God and loving others. As we look to the year ahead, I am filled with hope and eager anticipation for all that God will continue to do in and through Peachtree Church.
With anticipation in Christ,
Dr. Richard Kannwischer Senior Pastor
A Message from Dr. Richard Kannwischer
153 new members welcomed
People viewed Sunday services from 24 different countries
Online views equaling 637 days 21 hours and 17 minutes
28,500+ Overflow podcast downloads/listens
1,478 average Sunday morning worship attendance
7,171 attendees for Christmas Eve services
4,354 attendees for Easter services
154+ members in our choir, orchestra and band
A Year in Worship
“Our family was blessed by the Overflow series this past year. Worshipping alongside at Peachtree, we grew in our faith, prayed together, lifted our voices in praise, and experienced God’s presence in a powerful way within the Sanctuary walls.”
Elizabeth and Clay Zielinski
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
MATTHEW 18:20
A Year in Community
1,004 people in a Belong Community
888 people participated in Overflow Groups
608 women attended the Christmas Tea
120 men attended IRONMEN
120 moms participated in MomCo
71 people took part in Support Groups (Divorce Recovery & Grief Share)
800+ Gym members
450 people in group fitness classes at the Peachtree Gym each week
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ROMANS 12:4-5
“We selected our retirement location based on the experiences we had when visiting Peachtree. We sought to become an active part of a welcoming, Christ-centered community where the Gospel is preached, and certainly have found that here. Our involvement with several ministries—Wonderfully Made, Ironmen, and Peachtree Women’s Bible study—truly has been a blessing, as has the way we have been lovingly embraced by the caring members of the Credence Sunday School class.”
Tammy and Tommy Herrington
“Raising our twin girls at Peachtree has truly been one of the sweetest gifts. Their baptism filled our hearts to the brim—it was such a beautiful outward sign of God’s grace already at work in their lives. We are so thankful they’re growing roots in a church that keeps Jesus at the center and reflects His love so radiantly.”
Hailey and Sean Delagrange
A Year of Children’s Ministry
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”
MATTHEW 19:14
484 children at VBS
346 parents attended the Justin Earley presentation
427 average Sunday attendance for children
382+ took part in the inaugural LightUp Peachtree event
86 baptisms
2,800+ children took part in camps at the Gym
A Year of Student Ministry
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
1 TIMOTHY 4:12
“Student Ministry at Peachtree Church has provided me with lifelong friends and a sure place to grow my faith. Each Sunday I show up to church knowing I have a community around me who will be there on my best day and my worst. So thankful for Peachtree!”
Clara Gregson
68 students on average attended Sunday morning
102 students on average attended Sunday night
261 students attended Ducktown and Rutledge
147 students Launched (678) Middle School Program at the kick-off event
59 students took part in Student Mission Trips to Knoxville, TN and Costa Rica
“I was able to go to Malawi on the Peachtree Mission trip. It was a blessing to play a role in the development of the next generation of Christian leaders in a country that has few resources other than its people. While they might not have much materially, the students Peachtree sponsors are incredibly spiritually rich!”
Ken Shigley
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive. ACTS 20:35
6 global mission trips, 2 local mission trips
over 360 students sponsored in Malawi and India
158,205 seed envelopes packed for partners in Malawi and Liberia
352 hours served by the Zacchaeus Fellows with local mission partners (including Wonderfully Made)
154 children, teens, and parents sponsored for Christmas
203 volunteers served to build our 161st Habitat home
1,613 hours (equates to over 2 months of time) were given by Peachtree congregants to build the Habitat home
33 Young Adults volunteered with Nicholas House to host their Christmas party
A Year of Serving Others
A Year of Serving at Peachtree
“I find true joy when the gifts God has given me meet a need in his church. He’s called us to be his hands and feet—and there’s no better way to live that out than by serving in his house alongside my family, friends, and the Peachtree community.”
Millie Tucker
97 Ushers
116 Greeters
13,843 events at Peachtree supported by Hospitality and volunteers
115 VBS volunteers
24 mentors served Zacchaeus Fellows
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
1 PETER 4:10
2,745 hours served by Wonderfully Made volunteers from September–December 2024
58 Stephen Ministers served congregants with compassion and discernment
20 Memorial Guild members
13 Wedding Guild members
35 Ironmen table leaders
35 MomCo volunteer Table Leaders and Mentor Moms
176 volunteer coaches for youth sports
$36,802,955 total received for Renewing the Promise through 2024
$48,004,248 pledges for Renewing the Promise through 2024
2,240 joined us as we opened the Sanctuary on Sunday, November 17
$1,490,308 missional dollars dedicated/given through Renewing the Promise through 2024
A Year of Renewing the Promise
“We were honored to support the Renewing the Promise campaign and are thrilled with the outcome of the renovation—our new Sanctuary is a true blessing! We believe this renewed campus will serve our congregation for generations to come, while also welcoming new members to worship Christ with us at Peachtree.”
Marianne and E.G. Lassiter
The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.
ACTS 2:39
A Year of Giving
“The incredible generosity of our Peachtree congregation continues to inspire me each day. Whether it is through your prayers, your time, or your giving, you show what it means to live with open hands and servant hearts.”
Ginny Nickles, Senior Generosity Director
1,781 families gave to the 2024 Annual Fund campaign
859 families pledged to 2024 Annual Fund
$14,833,222 total given to the 2024 Annual Fund
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 CORINTHIANS 9:7
How We Invest
* 56% of Peachtree’s expenditures support salaries, benefits, and professional development of staff. These costs are distributed based on the ministry area supported.
Statement
Balance Sheet (as of 12/31/24)
• Belong Community classes gave an additional $69,000 to Benevolences.
• At the direction of the congregation and Session, the Personnel Committee reviewed compensation for all ordained & non-ordained staff and made adjustments where appropriate.
• $553,000 of the Net Earnings generated in 2024 was applied to repayment of the Net Loss generated in 2023, with the majority of the remainder going to capital/facilities reserves.
