October is Pastor Appreciation Month and the Support Mission Team celebrates the ministry of the parish pastors, non-parish clergy, retired pastors and CLPs who live and serve in the Presbytery of East Tennessee.  We praise God for guiding you in your work with congregations and the Presbytery.
 
During this month we urge pastors to reflect on your calling and the way God has led you through the years especially centering on the positive ways you have served God and the positive influences you have experienced in your pastoral and personal life. Pledge to do one thing in the coming year to care for yourself and/or enhance your effectiveness in your professional or family life.
 
During the month we urge each congregation to do something special for their pastor/s whether it be sending a card, placing a notice in the church bulletin or newsletter, or giving a gift card to do something extra as a person or family. You can certainly think of a creative way to show your pastor your appreciation for his/her care of the congregation.
 
Corita Swanson, moderator of the Support Mission Team

 

The Presbyterian Center at UTK would like to invite you and your session, youth group, committee, or any other group in your church to worship on Sunday nights at 6pm on campus.  We have an uplifting joyful time of worship together and then continue our fellowship by eating dinner together after worship.  Please let Kally know if you are planning on bringing a group to worship!
 
The Presbyterian Center at UTK is looking for working computers for our student computer room.  If you have a working computer that you'd like to donate, please contact the Presbyterian Center at pcutk@utk.edu or 865-525-7475.

 

Rev. Kally Elliott
Campus Minister
Presbyterian Center
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
1831 Melrose Ave.
Knoxville, TN 37916
work: (865)525-7475

 A New Vision for Churches and Congregations

By Donna Hoppestad, marketing consultant

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20)
 
What has happened some of us in the PC(USA) during the last forty years cannot continue another forty if we intend to survive as a church.  Some of us have become inwardly focused and maintenance-oriented, where outreach and evangelism happens by accident more than by strategy and training.  We should all be growing in faithfulness and inviting others into that growth.  The goal of this portion of the New Vision Program is to assist churches in following Jesus' instruction - "go...and make disciples."  Somewhere, change must begin, so in the Presbytery of East Tennessee, CHANGE HAS BEGUN.

1. Have a firm meaning of what it means to be a disciple:  We cannot encourage others to explore our faith if we do not first know how to discern and discuss our own faith.
2. Have an understanding of the community: a) What every church member needs to know about the culture around them; and b) How to identify cultural trends in the community.
3. Be aware of differences AND similarities between your church and your community: Why you attract whom you attract and why you miss with others.
4. Have a firm marketing foundation:  What every church member needs to know about marketing.
5. Have realistic goals and strategies to achieve those goals: a) Becoming culturally "strategic" in order to build a culture of both numerical and spiritual growth both for the church and for the community; and b) Learning to build bridges to the community around you.
6. Identify both strengths and stumbling blocks: a) Getting your team on board to go to the next level; and b) Developing specific goals and realistic timetables to achieve those goals.

 

Check out the newsletter in November for how A New Vision can help you achieve these goals.  For more information, please contact Donna at 2009newvision@gmail.com.

 
Join us for a relaxing weekend with NO STRESS! "You couldn't have asked for a better weekend." said one of the 7th Annual John Knox Center Women's Retreat participants.  Crisp mornings, warm afternoons, and colorful fall foliage make John Knox Center the perfect setting for a relaxing weekend of fellowship and spiritual retreat for women from around East Tennessee. Join us for a relaxing weekend away where you can restore your balance and renew your spirit.  You can look forward to a time of spiritual renewal, delicious food, and great conversation surrounded by friends old and new.  Enjoy a relaxed schedule that offers valuable opportunities to build quality relationships...with God...and with one another.  There is also time for rest, reflection, and appreciation of God's creation on your own.
 
The theme for 2009 is "Seeing Past Ourselves, Compassion for Today" with Susan Entner joining us as the keynote speaker. Susan is the Area Coordinator for Compassion International and has spoken at many women's retreats and conferences.  There will also be great program options including soap making 101, the exciting Zipline, and ever popular massage therapy.  November 6th - 8th, 2009 at the John Knox Center. Visit www.johnknoxcenter.org  or call 816-376-2236 for more information. Register now online!

 

 

The River Ridge Environmental Education Program employs six naturalists, all of whom love sharing the wonders of God's creation with others: Elizabeth "Eli" Collins, Charlie Creagh, Lindsay Beene, Erin Burnett, Mike Knoerr, and Sean Prockter.  To read their biographies, click HERE.

 

 

Grab your paint brush and take an active role in the ministry of the John Knox Center. We need your help! Several buildings including the Dining Hall, A-Lodge, & Cabin A-5 need a facelift. This work day will be dedicated to priming and painting. For those who just aren't painters, we will also be landscaping trails in A unit and B unit with new gravel.

 

Come with a group or on your own. We'll provide lunch and plenty of ice water!  Bring your rollers, brushes, ladders, and a gallon of Kilz.

 

This is a great way to contribute to this valuable ministry while
enjoying the fellowship of others at this beautiful place. Call the
office at (865) 376-2236 or send an e-mail to
admin@johnknoxcenter.org to let us know you are coming.

 

John Knox Center

591 W. Rockwood Ferry Rd.
Ten Mile, TN 37880
865-376-2236 (office)

 

For a flyer about other fall events at John Knox Center, click HERE.

 

It's right in our back yard!! The annual APCE (Association of Presbyterian Christian Educators) Conference will be in Nashville, January 27 - 30, 2010.  Opening night with Amy Grant... worship that engages all the senses to glorify our living Lord... and workshops for teachers, youth leaders, parents, educators, pastors, musicians on topics like - Goodbye Class Chaos, Going Green - Children Lead the Way, Christian Education for Smaller Congregations, Motivating God's People to Learn More Effectively, Mission Beyond the Short Term Trip, Powerful Ministry on a Tiny Weeny Budget, Biblical Feasting - The Spirituality of Taste, Live Long & Prosper in Youth Ministry and dozens more.  There are also in-depth seminars, tours, and of course the amazing Market Place with  thousands of resources, books, and other resources to empower any ministry of your church.  The event is not cheap, but it's also priceless.  Look online for more information - http://www.apcenet.org/
           
If you need any personal testimonies about how enriching this event can be, talk to Crystal Fallesen at Rivermont dcm.rpc@rivermontpc.org, (who already has her hotel reservations), Melanie Rasnake at New Providence in Maryville melanie@newprovidencepres.org, or Lina Hart (865-388-2381, Lina@presbyteryeasttn.org).  Many pastors and youth leaders have also attended for an equally inspiring experience.
 
If funding could be a major obstacle keeping you from attending, consider partnering with your church and the Presbytery by submitting a Conference Registration Form - found on the Presbytery's website http://www.presbyteryeasttn.org/ under the Forms section of Resources.  The APCE event's deadline for an Early Bird rate is December 1, 2009.  The Equip Mission Team would need the form submitted to the Presbytery's office by October 15th in order to review the requests at their end of October meeting. That may be their last meeting of the year. 

November 3-5, 2009
Kanuga Conference Center
Hendersonville, North Carolina

 

Lecturers:
Rodger Nishioka, professor of Christian education at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA.
Kenda Creasy Dean, Associate Professor of Youth, Church, and Culture, Princeton Theological Seminary

Preacher:
Pam Driesell, pastor of Oconee Presbyterian Church in Athens, Georgia

 

Leadership also includes...
Sarah Arthur, Brent Strawn, Mark DeVries, Fred Edie, Jeffrey Tribble, and more.

 

Fees: The fee of $580 includes tuition, materials, coffee breaks, all meals, and
double occupancy lodging for three nights (Tuesday-Thursday). Commuter rate of
$356 includes tuition, materials, coffee breaks, lunch and dinner each day.

 

For details and registration go to www.ptsem.edu/iym

 

Pam Byers, the Executive Director of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, will be attending an East Tennessee gathering of the Covenant Network at First Presbyterian Church, Oak Ridge, on Thursday October 1 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  First Presbyterian invites you to come for delightful desserts, live music and even livelier conversation. Bring your checkbook to support the purpose of the Covenant Network. Just a few items will be auctioned off for fun - a dinner party hosted by Chuck and Kerra English and a "Skipperdees" concert/church music gig. Please RSVP to Kerra Becker English if you plan to attend, kerra@fpcor.org .

 

The Covenant Network of Presbyterians is a broad-based, national group of clergy and lay leaders working for a church that is simultaneously faithful, just, and whole. The Covenant Network seeks to:

 

We invite you to share your news with us.  All articles and news items must be submitted by the 20th of the month prior to publication.  Send your information to Dana Hendrix, dana@presbyteryeasttn.org.