1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity

The Amen Almanac
November 2014
First Presbyterian Church, 721 Church St., Jefferson City, TN 37760
Phone/Fax: 865-475-2761 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.fpcjeffcity.org
Rev. Andrew C. Whaley, Pastor
From the Pastor’s Desk...
First Presbyterian Church
721 Church St.
Jefferson City, TN 37760
MISSION MINDED
On Sunday, November 2, we will
have Rev. Chris Roseland sharing
the message with us during Worship.
Rev. Roseland is based out of Lexington, KY and is the Communications Director for the World Mission Department of the PCUSA.
Following worship, the entire congregation is invited to join us
in the Fellowship Hall for a Missions Fair. Rev. Roseland will be
joining us and answering any questions we may have about the
PCUSA Mission Work. Also, joining us will be representatives
from Rural Medical Clinic, SafeSapce, and Habitat for Humanity to share information about their work and to answer any
questions. We, as a church, support these organizations
through our mission giving. Come and find out how the money is
used and discover if there are ways you can be involved in their
mission and service.
We are a church seeking to reach out in service and missions.
Take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with these mission
opportunities. Light refreshments will be served.
OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD
God works in wonderful ways! A Samaritan Purse worker distributing
Shoe Boxes in Ethiopia related the following story. She watched the children
opening their boxes and saw one little
boy sitting away from the group holding a pair of
gloves and crying. Realizing given local temperatures
the gloves would not be useful she took a toy (they
have extras for things like this) and went to the boy
and suggested a trade. But the little boy said no, the
gloves were perfect as every day he worked with his
father, the local baker, and his job was to take the
hot bread from the oven to the selling rack and now
he would not burn his hands every day.
Please bring your completed boxes to the prayer
shawl pew by Sunday November 16.
When we renovated our Fellowship Hall last
summer, one of our goals was to create a space in
which to welcome our community. This was a renovation not only to enhance our congregational events,
but a renovation that might motivate us to bring our
community together within our walls. I felt we appropriately “premiered” the renovated hall during the week
when we host the home repair volunteers from Appalachian Outreach.
An odd problem appeared during AO week:
there were more people volunteering to cook and serve
and clean up food than we had jobs for them to do!
While Joanne Vest did a marvelous job of making everyone feel included, it seemed as if God was trying to
tell us something, “I’ve given you all these people to do
my work. Now get to it!”
This overabundance of volunteers came right
on the heels of our 2012 mission trip CROSS Missions
in Charlotte, North Carolina. During that trip the
youth of our church spoke about how much they enjoyed preparing meals and serving others in the city.
They wondered if that was a possibility in our own
community. In the car and walking down the street,
Pam Kustermann, Jennifer Cureton, and I began discussing these same questions. Were our experiences
here calling us to see what opportunities to serve
might be around us in our local context?
Consider the neighborhood that surrounds our
church facility. In addition to Carson-Newman University, there are beautiful historic homes, working class
apartments, middle income brick ranchers, and run
down street corners. When looking at this diversity,
two scriptures immediately come to mind: 1) Luke 14:7
-24 where Jesus teaches about honoring the least at
the dinner party table and the parable of the master
who threw a party, and when his respectable friends
refused to come, he beseeched the “poor, crippled,
blind, and lame” to join him. And 2) Luke 13:29-30
where Jesus puts forth the vision of the Kingdom of
God when people will gather around a table from
north, south, east, and west.
Could a meal offered by First Presbyterian
Church be an embodiment of these teachings of Jesus
and a visual witness to the kingdom of God? Could
we organize a meal to bring people together in our
community, to form bonds of friendship and care, to
feed those who are trying to stretch their income,
to open ourselves to the transformation that inviting the stranger into our home brings?
A task force of your mission committee
(Linda Noonkesser, Roxanne Moser, Jennifer Cureton,
Pam Kustermann, Del Deaton, Wayne King, and Vicky
Garbacik) has been exploring this opportunity.
Church members have visited two other congregations that do this ministry, New Providence Presbyterian in Maryville and Good Shepherd Lutheran in
Morristown. Members observed the logistics, asked
questions of the leaders, and began devising a plan
for how this ministry could take place in our neighborhood.
This group is also working closely with Julie
Davis, a senior at Carson-Newman University in the
Bonner Scholar Program. Our plan is to partner with
the Bonner program to bring this meal to life, involving several service scholars each meal to help prepare
and serve food and occasionally involving other service learning groups from the university to come and
help us create this experience of hospitality.
We want you to join us on November 9th following worship to learn more about how you can help.
While the meal plans to be bi-monthly, our four cooking teams will be responsible for six meals annually
(one meal every other month) and positions on each
team vary in skill and time commitments. Other good
news, we already have our team captains in place, so
you will have a leader to guide you in the process. Joanne Vest, Roxanne Moser, and Kay RutherfordWilliams are each serving as team captains and Carolyn Berryhill and Katie Lupton are co-captains for a
team. So sign up at church and join us to learn how
you can be part of this ministry that seeks to deepen relationships, offer friendship for the lonely, healing for the hurting, and food for the hungry.
Gratefully,
Andrew
SMOKY MOUNTAIN HIKING GROUP
The Smoky Mountain Hiking Group will meet on
Saturday, November 1st, at 8 :00 a.m. We
will be hiking the Mount Sterling Trail. Don’t
forget to pack a lunch and some water, and plan to join us!
WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY
The Thursday night Women's Bible Study will
meet November 6th, at 6:30 p.m. at The Creek.
If you have any questions, please contact Rebecca Whaley (404-520-4544).
MEN’S PRAYER BREAKFAST
The Men’s Prayer Breakfast is scheduled for
Saturday, November 8th, at 8:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. If you enjoy biscuits, bacon, and the Bible, join us
at 8:00 a.m. for study and fellowship.
YOUTH GROUP
On Saturday, November 8 th, from 8:30 a.m.—
12:00 p.m. the youth will be helping with the Coats
for the Cold Drive at Jefferson Elementary.
Please see Andrew for more information.
WOMEN’S PRAYER BREAKFAST
Women’s Prayer Breakfast will begin on Saturday,
November 8th, at 9:00 a.m. at the home of Debby
Rinehart (6980 Harmony Circle, Talbott). We will
be studying lesson 2 "Love Pays Attention". If you
do not have a book we will have them available for $5.00. We
look forward to seeing you there.
GRACE NOTES FLUTE CHOIR
We are pleased to announce that
on Sunday, November 16th, the
Grace Notes Flute Choir will be
with us during our worship service.
The Grace Notes Flute Choir is a
group of professional and amateur flutists based in Maryville.
This inspiring group of flutists, directed by our own Dr. Sue
Swilley, is sure to enrich our worship experiWALTERS STATE COMMUNITY BAND
The fall concert of the Walters State Community Band will be held on Sunday, November
16 at 3:00 pm. The location is the Walters State gym at the
main campus in Morristown. The band is co-directed by Greg
Woodruff, and other members of the band from our church are
Beth Folsom, Anne Woodruff and Carolyn Berryhill. The concert
is free and a great event for children as well as adults!
YOUTH GROUP— LES MISERABLES
On Sunday, November 16th, from 5:00— 7:00
p.m., the Youth will be meeting in the Fellowship
Hall to discuss, “How are we defined by Mercy?”
We will explore this through Matthew 18:21-35
and Les Miserables, along with recreation and dinner provided!
Sunday
Monday
SIT ‘N KNIT GROUP
The Sit ‘n Knit group will be meeting on Friday, November 21 st,
at 7:00 p.m. at the home of Libby Moser (217
Fieldcrest Dr., Jefferson City). If you have any
questions, please see Libby.
COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING SERVICE
The Community Thanksgiving Service will be held on
Sunday, November 23rd at 6:30 p.m. at First
Baptist Church. We hope you will come and join
the community for this time of Worship.
POINSETTIAS FOR ADVENT
One of our cherished traditions is to decorate the
sanctuary with poinsettias during Advent. These
beautiful flowers are placed in front of the church
in honor or in memory of friends and loved ones. We will only order a specific number of the flowers, so please be sure to check
the box on the order form if you would like to take yours home
after the Christmas Eve service. Look for the order form in
the Sunday bulletins. The cost is $10 per plant.
CHRISTMAS IN JEFFERSON COUNTY
Christmas in Jefferson County is a program
of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce that brings together all the resources
of the community to provide food and toys to needy families
of Jefferson County. We are collecting 1,000 boxes of Macaroni & Cheese for Christmas in Jefferson County. If you wish
to give monetarily, please make checks payable to First Presbyterian Church and note “Christmas in Jefferson County”.
Donations need to be at the Church by Sunday, November
30th. If you have any questions, please call Heather in the
Church Office or see Linda Noonkesser.
Friday
Saturday
1
Hiking Club
8 a.m.
Taylor Anne Bates
2
FAMILY NIGHT SUPPER
Family Night Supper will be on Wednesday, November
19th, beginning at 6:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
The program for this month will be our Yard Sale
Recipients. The entire church family is invited to attend! Bring
a dish to share and join us for an evening of food, fun, and fellowship!
Tuesday Wednesday Thursday
3
4
Sunday School
9:30-10:30 a.m.
Worship Service
10:45-11:45 a.m.
Worship
6:30 p.m.
5
6
7
Women’s Bible Study
7:00 p.m.
Men’s Breakfast
8 a.m.
8
Youth Group 8:30
a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Women’s
Breakfast
9:00 a.m.
Mission Fair
12:00 p.m.
Jake Moser
9
10
11
16
17
18
Sunday School
9:30-10:30 a.m.
Worship Service
10:45-11:45 a.m.
Sunday School
9:30-10:30 a.m.
Worship Service
10:45-11:45 a.m.
Grace Notes
Flute Choir
Youth Group
5:00-7:00 p.m.
23
Sunday School
9:30-10:30 a.m.
Worship Service
10:45-11:45 a.m.
Community
Thanksgiving Service
6:30 p.m.
Tom Kirkpatrick
Phil & Kay Williams
Larry & Mev Musick
30
Sunday School
9:30-10:30 a.m.
Worship Service
10:45-11:45 a.m.
First Sunday
in Advent
Andrew Whaley
Tyler Needs
Shane Hollingshead
Fellowship &
Evangelism
5:30 p.m.
12
13
19
20
26
27
Family Night
Supper:
Yard Sale
Recipients
6:30 p.m.
14
15
21
22
28
29
Sit ‘n Knit Group
7:00 p.m.
Samantha
Van Bruggen
24
25
OFFICE CLOSED
Ken Winslow
OFFICE CLOSED
Rachael Williams
Harry & Judy Finley
Jim & Del Deaton
COVENANT LEARNING GROUPS
NOVEMBER 16-DECEMBER 21
Study One: When God Comes Down
Room: Fellowship Hall
When God Comes Down is a five-week study, providing one lesson for each week of Advent and one for Christmas. Each lesson includes a key Scripture, a brief reflection, discussion/reflection questions, a brief prayer, and
a focus for the coming week. In this study, Harnish explores the meaning of the incarnation…God with us in human flesh.
Often our Advent/Christmas journey is focused on us – our memories, feelings, relationships and experiences. This study puts the focus on God’s action in Jesus Christ. It encourages participants to think more deeply
in terms of the biblical, theological, and spiritual meaning of the Nativity and to apply it to their own lives.
The study looks at the stories of the primary biblical characters in the birth stories through whose lives the
miracle of incarnation happened: Zechariah, Elizabeth, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Harnish also looks at a traditional character in nativity
plays, one who is not mentioned in the Bible, the innkeeper. Through all these characters, he helps us claim for ourselves the reality of
God's presence with us.
Study Two: Prayer with Beads
Facilitator: Kay Rutherford-Williams & Libby Gardner
Room: Upstairs, 1st Classroom
Prayer with Beads: Making and using prayer beads is a practice as old as time itself, a nearly universal
practice. In this study, we will learn about the history and symbolism of prayer beads in the Christian
faith as well as creating our own prayer beads. We will have an introduction to praying with beads followed by three classes in which we will study different methods of praying with beads and making appropriate prayer bead bracelets, circles or shawl. There will be a $5.00 fee for the beads. Please join us!
Study Three: The Present Word: In Awe of God.
Facilitator: Peggy Hypes
Room: Parlor
In this study we explore the awesomeness of God in Hebrews, Matthew, and Luke. We will explore such
things as, How do Christians respond to people doing seemingly miraculous things with their gifts and
talents? For the true miracle of Jesus Christ, the gift of salvation, God's people respond with worship; Many people realize that a power beyond them gives meaning to their lives. How do they respond
to this knowledge? The psalmist declares that God is the rock of our salvation and is worthy of
praise and worship; Sometimes an event in people's lives causes spontaneous celebration. What might cause people to be wild with
joy? Angels announced the birth of the Savior, and a multitude of heavenly host praised God; Many things inspire awe in people.
How do Christians know what is truly worth their reverence? Matthew tells about the times when Jesus healed the sick and
when Jesus miraculously walked on water to meet his disciples in a boat, which led them to worship him as truly the Son of God.
ANNUAL CHILDREN/YOUTH
GINGERBREAD HOUSE DECORATING
Mark your calendars for Saturday, December
13th, at 12:00 p. m. for the annual Christmas gingerbread house decorating and pizza
party at the Juroff's. This year Lyle and I are including any
youth, first-timers or those who have expressed their desire to
come back for the fun, to join us at our home, 1250 Groseclose
Rd. Jefferson City. You may bring your own kit or pick from ones
that we have provided. If you plan to come, please sign up on the
sheet provided in the library or email me at [email protected]
or call us at 475-8634. Looking forward to seeing you in December, Lyle and Kathy Juroff.
SAMARITAN HOUSE DINNER
On Wednesday, December 10 th, we will be hosting
a Christmas dinner for the residents and staff
of Samaritan House. If you would like to provide
a covered dish or would like to volunteer to
serve, please see Juanita Dykstra (865-3972718) to sign up. Please have the food to the church no later
than 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 10 th. The kitchen
door of the church will be unlocked starting at 9:00 a.m. If
you have any questions, please contact Juanita Dykstra.
PRAYER CONCERNS
SPECIAL CONCERNS:
Ron Martin, friend of Bryce Kivlighn, whose wife Cheryl passed
away
Those struggling with addiction
All members of the military and their families, especially those
stationed overseas
The unemployed
ILL AND RECOVERING:
Helen Cordell, friend of Judy Watkins’, who is 87 years old and
will be undergoing back surgery on
November 5th
Mitzi Dunham, Ruth Meadows’ niece, has a recurrence of lymphoma and is undergoing treatment
Dave Foulk, friend of Phil Williams, who has Stage 4 colon cancer
Karen Rogers, Jefferson County High School Teacher, who has
been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré
Syndrome
Rhonda McClanahan, Donna Jenkins’ daughter, as she undergoes chemotherapy
Ann Canfield, Debby Rinehart’s cousin, who is awaiting different
therapy options
Ava Swilley, Sue’s mother, who has 2 broken bones in her leg and
has been moved to a nursing home
Cheryl Rice, Roxanne Moser’s sister, who is undergoing chemotherapy
Mark Knisley, Former Pastor of Hopewell Presbyterian Church,
who has been diagnosed with liver
disease
THOSE UNABLE TO BE WITH US: Lucille Tinsley
IN RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES:
JEFFERSON COUNTY NURSING HOME: Celeste Reneau
CHANDLER HOUSE: Argie Saylor
DARBY HOUSE: Betty Wolfe; Rachel McCurley
HERITAGE CENTER: Bonnie Young
GRATEFUL KIDS
Adults aren’t the only ones who benefit from counting their blessings. Research shows that thankful kids get better
grades, experience less depression and jealousy, and maintain a more positive outlook on life.
Experts emphasize that parents must model gratitude, especially in today’s consumer-driven culture. But professor
Robert Emmons notes that being thankful usually comes pretty easily for children. “Kids have a natural affinity to
gratitude,” he says. “They often teach parents as much or more about gratitude than the other way around.”
PRAYERS OF THANKS
To give thanks in solitude is enough. Thanksgiving has
wings and goes where it must go. Your prayer knows
much more about it than you do.
— Victor Hugo