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Presbytery of East Tennessee E-NewsletterOctober 2010
In This Issue
Presbytery Meets November 2nd
General Assembly Forums
Hunger Action!
John Knox Center News
Serve Mission Team News
Maryville College News
APCE Annual Conference
News and Events Around the Presbytery
Quick Links
 
Hunger Program
 
 
John Knox Center
 
Meeting Highlights from the August 21, 2010 PET meeting
 
MissionInsite - web-based demographic service
 
PC(USA) News
 
PET Budget Report as of 08-31-10
 
Resource Center
 
Workshops & Conferences
 
Websites

Presbytery of East Tennessee 

PC(USA)
 
Synod of Living Waters
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Presbytery Meets November 2nd
New Providence Presbyterian Church in Maryville, TNThe One Hundred Fifth Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of East Tennessee will be held on Tuesday, November 2 at New Providence Presbyterian Church in Maryville.  Registration opens at 9:30am and the meeting will begin at 10:00am.  The packet for the meeting will be available on the Presbytery's website by the end of the day on October 19.

General Assembly Forums
The Presbytery of East Tennessee will host three forums in December to provide information about the General Assembly amendments that will be voted on by our Presbytery in February. 

Tues. Dec. 7 at Mars Hill Presbyterian Church in Athens

Thurs. Dec. 9 at Rivermont Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga

Tues. Dec. 14 at Lake Hills Presbyterian Church in Knoxville

Each forum will run from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.  Our commissioners to the General Assembly will serve as presenters: Rev. David Bell, Rev. Sharon Carter, Elder Corita Swanson, Elder Harvey White and Ms. Megan Paris (our Young Adult Advisory Delegate).  Everyone is welcome to attend.
Hunger Action! 
Cents-Ability logoCents-Ability's Impact in 2010

One way that congregations can connect with the Presbytery of East Tennessee's Hunger Program is through the Cents-Ability offering. According to Second Harvest, one in six East Tennesseans will go hungry tonight. Grants from this offering are making an impact in the fight against hunger.

Good Shepherd Center in Madisonville ($500)

Good Samaritan Center of Loudon County ($500)

Food/Life Services of Campbell County ($500)

Chattanooga Area Food Bank's Sack Pack Program for Children ($500)

Chattanooga Community Kitchen ($500)

Sunset Gap's Food Pantry ($500)

FISH Hospitality Pantries ($500)

Claiborne Hunger Ministry ($500)

Roane County Cooperative Ministries' Garden Project ($1,000)

Fountain City Ministry Center ($500)

Morgan Scott Project's Good Earth Garden Program ($500)

Church World Service ($60.50 - Haiti relief efforts)

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance ($60.50 - Haiti relief efforts)

New Grant: Scott County Emergency Food Assistance ($400.00)


Update on Pinto Bean Project


Pinto beans in bowlTo date, 87 bags have been purchased and delivered to Sunset Gap, Claiborne Hunger Ministry, Montgomery Village Ministry in Knoxville, Food/Life Services of Campbell County, Good Shepherd Center in Madisonville, Sevier County Pantry, Good Samaritan Center of Loudon County, Morgan Scott Project, and Chattanooga Community Kitchen.


Congregations can become part of the Pinto Bean Project by sending donations to: The Presbytery of East Tennessee, P.O. Box 5436, Knoxville, TN 37928-0436 (memo section: Pinto Bean Project). The cost of one 50 pound bag is $25. I am purchasing the bags from Sysco and making arrangements to deliver them to food pantries within the Presbytery as needs are brought to my attention.

 

Cool Weather Crops Planted in Presbytery Garden

cauliflower 

The summer harvest from the Presbytery garden has reached area food pantries. It's time to venture into new territory - cool weather vegetables. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, and Brussels sprouts have just been planted, and they are thriving!


"Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with your God." Micah6:8


Deborah Phillips

Hunger Action Enabler

[email protected]

John Knox Center News

John Knox Center Women's Retreat - Nov. 5-7

 

Sunset at John Knox CenterWe all lead busy lives. We are constantly moving, working on tasks, washing, cleaning, helping, driving, calling, correcting... the list goes on and is never ending. Juggling all the balls can get very difficult and tiring. Sometimes you just need a break!

 

That's what this retreat is about; giving you a break from all the busyness that consumes life. It is about getting a chance to get away to relax in natural surroundings that put us in awe of God's creation. It is about recreating with others in our community; enjoying warm conversations by a fire or around a good meal, playing outside with others, or taking a nice peaceful walk. It is about rejuvenating yourself and your faith through teaching from a guest speaker and group discussions.

 

Our guest speaker for 2010 is Rev. Robin Humphreys from the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta. Robin, a recent graduate from Columbia Theological Seminary, is a likeable and dynamic speaker and has a passion for leading retreats. She works closely with Greater Atlanta Presbytery's camp, Calvin Center and has led many retreats.

 

Weekend Cost: $110, includes accommodations, meals and activities

Day Cost: $40, includes Saturday meals and activities

 

Recreation options include massage therapy ($50/hour), yoga, archery, high ropes, and a class in making accessories.

To register, go to www.johnknoxcenter.org or click HERE.

Serve Mission Team News
Red Bucket Special Mission Offering

Red Bucket Last year, there was a $30,250 budget shortfall to the Serve Team's budget, and 18 churches participated in what was dubbed Red Bucket - as in keeping our mission entities from being "in the red" in 2009. Total donations were just under $20,000, which was two-thirds of what was needed.

This year, the shortfall to the Serve Team's budget is even greater: $48,367.00. It also affects more than Newton Child Development Center, the Morgan Scott Project, the Marcella Center, and Sunset Gap; it also affects our two campus ministries.

The Serve Team is encouraging all 75 PET churches to participate in the Red Bucket offering, so that this very difficult financial transition will be eased as the entities seek other avenues of support going forward.

Buckets can be covered with construction paper if red ones are difficult to find. Churches decide when they want to take up this offering. The Presbytery office will accept donations at any time, but the sooner the better! Please mark the memo section: Red Bucket. The money will go to the entities based on the percentage that they would have received from the budget.
 
International Peacemaker Paul Beran Visits October 2


Dr. Paul BeranInternational Peacemaker Paul Beran will be speaking at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Saturday, October 2, in the Fellowship Hall.  You are invited to join members of the church and the local community for a potluck supper at 6 pm.  Please bring a side dish or dessert.  Or come for his presentation at 7 pm. He will be talking about peace and justice issues in Israel/Palestine. Childcare will be available at 7 p.m.

 

Paul Beran is the director of the Outreach Center at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University.  The center is a National Resource Center of the US Department of Education and serves the general public, educators and students on topics related to the Middle East region.  Read more

Westminster Presbyterian Church is located at 6500 Northshore Drive in Knoxville. For additional information about the event at Westminster Presbyterian, please contact the church office, 865-584-3957 or go to  www.wpcknox.org. 

For information about the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program, please call 1-888-728-7228, extension 5784, or visit www.pcusa.org/peacemaking.

Disaster Response Network Trip to Nashville


Your Presbytery just completed another "Rebuilding Trip" to Nashville in response to the flood of April/May 2010. New Providence Church took a group a number of weeks ago and Fountain City Church will journey to Slidell, La in November for perhaps the last Disaster Rebuilding trip to the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

 
The latest trip was September 9 - 25 when 10 people from this Presbytery (representing First Knoxville, Erin, Sequoyah Hills, Fairfield Glade and Rivermont) joined with 14 others from Detroit and Cincinnati to work in a number of homes whose owners have had to stay out of their homes because the flood waters (rising as much as 10-15 feet) devastated the insides of their homes.  Read more

 

Presbytery's Disaster Steering Committee is contemplating another trip in early Spring as there are still some 6,000 homes affected by this disaster and rebuilding will continue for some long time. An email soliciting church members to go and searching for Crew Chiefs and cooks to accompany them will be sent out to all the churches in the Presbytery after the first of the year.

 

This is a great way to serve others!!


Your Disaster Response Coordinating Committee:

Keith Jones, Charles Montgomery, Les Rust, Fritz Schilling, Colleen Shannon, John Thomasson

Maryville College News 
Community Conversations Series


Sand and Sorrow posterDarfur, Sudan, is a long way from East Tennessee, but the strings of humanity bind together people from the two areas. As a part of Maryville College's Community Conversations Series, which is focused this semester on human rights, there will be a screening of an HBO documentary about genocide in Darfur.


Free and open to the public, "Sand and Sorrow" will be shown at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 4, in the College's Alumni Gym.


Dr. Scott Brunger, professor of economics at the College, has lived and studied extensively in Africa. He will facilitate discussions along with Sudanese refugee, Mathiang Gutnyin, who is a sophomore at Maryville College.


The next film in the series, "Argentina Turning Around," will be shown at 7 p.m., Oct. 6 in Lawson Auditorium of Fayerweather Hall. This screening is also free and open to the public.


Read more about the Community Conversations Series


Northern Irish Play "Fair Faa Ye, USA"


A new theater production from Northern Ireland is coming to the Clayton Center for the Arts to say "Fair Faa Ye, USA," or "Hello, America." 

"Fair Faa Ye, USA" is a one-act play that looks at the links between Northern Ireland, Scotland and Appalachia that have developed over the last 400 years.  The play highlights the cultural legacy of the Ulster-Scots, or what is commonly known as the Scots-Irish population. 

On Oct. 8 and 9, there will be two free performances at the Clayton Center for the Arts' Haslam Family Flex Theatre. Both performances start at 8 p.m.

 Read more

Clayton Center for the Arts logo

APCE Annual Conference
Association of Presbyterian Christian Educators to meet in Albuquerque, NM - Feb. 3-5, 2010

APCE 2011 Annual Conference posterMore than 1,000 participants will gather for the annual APCE conference being held February 2 - 5, 2011, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with the focus of, "Walking in balance." This is an excellent continuing education event for pastors, educators, resource center directors, and youth leaders serving in educational ministries. During this four-day event we will be motivated through one theme each day: offering our lives, engaging culture, responding to God, and living with gratitude. Workshop leaders and speakers will also work with these themes in order for us to see fully how important it is to be "Walking in balance." The Scripture text is Romans 12:1, and our conference speaker is Rick Ufford-Chase (moderator of the 216th General Assembly of PC(USA) from 2004-2006).

There will be great workshops in a variety of subject areas that will assist you in your church ministry, as well as the Market Place with representatives from many Christian publishers and suppliers. This is a wonderful opportunity to not only learn a great deal about curriculum and educational activities, but also a time to network and connect with other educators from around the country. For registration information, go to: www.apcenet.org . Scholarship opportunities are also available at this site.

I look forward to working with you and will be happy to discuss the conference opportunities with you!  Laura Tappan, [email protected] ; 800-542-4246; 865-688-5581.
News and Events Around the Presbytery
Fall is Festival Time in our Presbytery!  Check out these events at our churches:

Bethel Fall Festival, Sat. Oct. 2 - 10am to 7pm
Bethel Presbyterian Church, 203 S. Kentucky St., Kingston TN
More info
 
Pumpkin Festival SignPowell Fall Festival, Sun. Oct. 3 - 2 to 6pm
Powell Presbyterian Church, 2910 West Emory Rd., Powell TN
More info

West Emory Pumpkin Festival, Sat. Oct. 16 - 10am to 3pm
West Emory Presbyterian Church, 1035 Emory Church Rd., Knoxville TN
More info

Concord Fall Festival, Sat. Oct. 16 - 11am to 4:30pm
Concord Presbyterian Church, 11000 Second Drive, Concord TN
More info

Washington Apple Festival, Sat. Oct. 23 - 8am to 3pm
Washington Presbyterian Church, 7405 Washington Pike, Corryton TN
More info

High School Fall Retreat, Oct. 30-31

High School Fall Retreat logoPlans for the High School Fall Retreat are now underway!  This is going to be an exciting event, and you don't want your youth to miss out!  Our speakers and youth council members have wonderful lessons prepared from the Scriptures Deut. 6: 4 - 9. Please encourage your high school students (grades 9 - 12) to attend, and let's help our youth Tune Into God!

Retreat letter

Retreat Brochure

Church Group Registration Form

Continuing Education for Commissioned Lay Pastors, Oct. 30
 
A Continuing Education event for Commissioned Lay Pastors (CLPs) will be held on Saturday, October 30 from 9:00am to 3:00pm at Highland Presbyterian Church in Maryville.   Lunch will be provided.  Leaders Wendy Neff and Miki Vanderbilt will speak about Ensuring a Healthy Congregation.

Knoxville Interfaith Network Concert, Nov. 3

Make plans to attend the Sixth Annual Knoxville Interfaith Network "KIN in Concert" at Graystone Presbyterian Church on Sunday, November 3, 2010, at 3:00 p.m.  Guest artists will include Wendel Werner from Graystone, Cantor Karen Gilat, Alan Eleazer and the Ballet Gloria Dance Company. 

The Knoxville Interfaith Network is a multi-issue, racially diverse, interfaith organization composed of Knoxville area congregations in which people of different faiths work together to promote justice, equity, and social change. KIN is unique in its focus on systematic change rather than service.

From Mission to Missional: the excitement of being faithful in changing times - Nov. 6 Retreat
 

Powell Presbyterian Church logoPowell Presbyterian Church is hosting an outreach day retreat on Saturday, November 6 from 9:00am to 4:00pm.  We would like to invite congregations from the Presbytery to attend the retreat.  The cost will be $5 to cover lunch. Childcare will be provided.

 

It has been said that the current cultural transformation is as big as the changes that took place when writing was invented or when the printing press began to be used...and we are just at the beginning of this change.  God is calling the Church to be faithful in the midst of this tremendous change.  We can rest assure that God is doing new things and inviting us to be a part of the new ways God's love is shared in the world.  We will explore this cultural shift and ways we can respond as God's faithful people in this day and time.

 

Rev. Jean Davidson, who will lead us in this exploration, is the Associate Pastor at Springdale Presbyterian Church in Louisville, KY.  More info including a link to printable registration forms.

Spread the News!
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, [email protected].