The next Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of East Tennessee will be held on Saturday, Aug. 20 at Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church, 3700 Keowee Avenue SW, Knoxville, TN.  Registration will begin at 9:30am and the meeting will begin at 10:00am.

The packet for this meeting will be posted to the Presbytery website by the end of the day on Aug. 5.  

Curious about Reformed Theology or  

our Presbyterian heritage?  

Thinking about the possibility of accepting  

a leadership opportunity? 

Then we have an innovative program just for you.

Since the Fall of 2010 our Presbytery has been offering a School of the Laity to an evolving group of interested and enthusiastic students who would love to have you join them.  You do not need to be an elder to take these classes; they're an opportunity for anyone to participate in some in-depth learning and discussion.

The School offers six courses, rotating over two years.  Each course stands alone, so you may begin at any point, and take them in any order. One year includes: Introduction to the Old Testament, Introduction to the New Testament, and Bible Study for Interpretation and Application. The other year includes: Christian Ethics, Reformed Theology, and History of Christianity.

This fall, the School is offering Christian Ethics, taught by Maryville College professors Bill Meyer and Andrew Irvine.

It will meet on the campus of Maryville College on October 8 and 29, from 9am to 3pm, with lunch at the cafeteria provided.  The cost for this course is $65 and registration is due by September 28.  Suggested readings will be posted on the School of the Laity page of the PET website (under News & Events).

Online registration 

Mail-in registration form 

For more information, contact:

Elizabeth Wilson,  Elizabeth@bewilson.net,  865-671-4132

Food for the Soul  

March 16 & 17, 2012  

At the beautiful Clayton Center,  

Maryville College 

Keynote Speaker:  The Rev. Lise Worthington, pastor of Blooming Grove United Church of Christ, and chef and minister of food and faith at Stony Point Conference Center - www.liseworthington.com  

Preacher: The Rev. Thomas Daniel, co-pastor, Kairos Church, Atlanta -   www.kairosatlanta.org     

Music: The Rev. Bryan Field McFarland, singer/song writer and Hunger Action Advocate for Salem Presbytery - www.bryanfieldmcfarland.net  

What is Loaves & Fishes?

A Friday night to Saturday afternoon, presbytery wide event with inspiring worship, keynote, workshops, and music for people of all ages from churches of all sizes. Read more... 

Loaves & Fishes 2012: Food for the Soul

Food and Faith are interwoven on nearly every page of the Bible.  Table fellowship was central to Jesus' ministry with his disciples, and the modern church more than ever must embrace table fellowship as a unifying act.  When we eat with others, we know them in ways we could not otherwise, we talk with them, we enjoy one another. Read more...  

For Women from every corner of Our Presbytery,

Three Individual and Unique Retreats,  

All Three Retreats with One Theme:

Blessed are You, O Woman!

REGISTRATION: 9:30 

OPENING MEETING: 10:00

LUNCH:  12:00 

WORSHIP: 1:00

CLOSING AT 2:00

FURTHER DETAILS WILL BE IN THE AUGUST PWP NEWSLETTER.

Marjorie sat next to me at the Healthy Ministries Luncheon in a grand dining room at the second Big Tent Event in Indianapolis, IN.  She's a silver headed woman in an attractive pink pant suit from Rockville, IL, who did not initially know why she signed up to attend this luncheon.  After opening pleasantries, Marjorie could hardly contain her excitement telling me about the new parish ministry in which her church is involved.  Read more... 

Graystone Presbyterian's mission committee sponsored a two day church wide yard sale that helped the congregation amass $1,237.00 to help the hungry. After doing some research, they felt moved to send the monies to our Presbytery's Rice & Beans Campaign because of its impact - and they were right! That is 2,790 pounds worth of Rice & Beans!

Presbytery's Garden Harvest   

This summer's crop of tomatoes in the Presbytery's fourteen raised bed garden is a success, and the produce is being taken to nearby Fountain City Ministry Center and FISH Hospitality Pantries to supplement food packages for hungry families.

By Laura Tappan, Resource Center Administrator 

What's new in the Resource Center? Books! Books! Books!  New books have been arriving at the Resource Center!  We have books for use with study groups, both large and small; new devotional resources; and books to help further your knowledge of theology and Presbyterianism.  Education: Seeing Jesus in John's Gospel by Boyd Lien. Five studies of The Gospel of John, alive with deep and rich theological meanings, focuses on who Jesus is as the Messiah and what it means to believe in him.  Church Development: Transitions : Leading Churches Through Change by David Mosser. Offers practical and spiritual guidance for pastors struggling to manage and respond to changes in our world today. Bible / Theology: Matthew's Gospel From Scratch : The New Testament  by Donald L. Griggs.  From the Sermon on the Mount to the lessons found in the Seven Parables of the Kingdom. Easily accessible to those with little or no knowledge of the Bible. Find these and more in What's New.

Middle School and High School Youth Resource News:

Do you need some fillers for in between curriculum studies for your Youth?  Do you need some short term studies on relevant topics for your Youth? Check out Faith Questions studies, a great, new curriculum containing short term studies on various topics that our youth have questions about!  We have samples of these studies in the Presbytery Resource Center that you can check out to review.  

More info on the Faith Questions topic studies.

It was brought to the Equip Mission Team's attention that many Presbyterians are not as familiar with their presbytery and church histories as we think they are. The following is another installment in a series of articles from "Presbyterianisms" by Maureen O'Rourke, Media Resource Center Director of Presbytery of the Cascades. The following excerpt is used with her permission.

Liturgical Colors

Celtic Peace by the Rev. John Stuart

Liturgical colors are those specific colors which are used for vestments and hangings within the context of Christian liturgy. The symbolism of violet, white, green, red, and other colors may serve to underline moods appropriate to a season of the liturgical year or may highlight a special occasion.

The Presbyterian Church (USA) has sanctioned the use of liturgical colors and promoted their use in the 1993 (although their use was also promoted in the church's annual Planning Calendars beginning in the 1980s). 

 Learn more... 

Christ Centered Yoga Classes offered at Fourth United Presbyterian!  

Four-week Series:  beginning Tuesday, August 16, 7:45-9:15pm

We are very excited to offer yoga classes with a focus on scripture and the Christian journey.  These classes are designed as an introduction to yoga practice and are suitable for beginners or those with a bit more experience.  Instructor Lauren Hughes is the founder of Connection Yoga and will be offering this class as a 4-week series on Tuesday nights, beginning on August 16 at 7:45.  Come a little early for some light refreshment and fellowship.  Bring a yoga mat and some water.  The class is free, all students are invited to contribute what they can as a 'love offering'.  

Older Adult Ministries Certification

Reformed Theological Answers to Questions of Middle/Older Adults 

Offered in conjunction with the Annual Conference of POAMN (Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network), October 11-14, in San Antonio, TX

Course Description

Details and registration information  

Montreat Conference Center - New Conference Offered!

If you have ever wanted to try a conference at Montreat Conference Center now is the time.  This new conference held Oct. 23-27, 2011, is for church professionals and lay leaders (ruling elders).  "Getting Unstuck" aims to help leaders move from what feels like worn out programming to getting unstuck and exploring new thinking/ programming. With Keynote leaders Craig Barnes and Cynthia Rigby and 14 workshops to choose from, you will have the opportunity to nurture your congregation and deepen your discipleship.  It's two hours from Knoxville and this would be peak season for fall colors.