Join us for lunch

The Connect Mission Team is sponsoring a lunch at the Mars Hill Presbyterian Church at 12pm immediately following the service of Healing and Wholeness. The lunch will be $6.00. Come stay and enjoy some additional opportunity for fellowship.

The Presbytery of East Tennessee Proudly Announces

The First-Ever

Sponsored by the Connect Mission Team of Presbytery, Mission Fishin' is an opportunity for congregations to get together around two of East Tennessee's favorite spring/summer pastimes - fishing for perch and a fish fry! The beautiful John Knox Center, overlooking Watts Bar Lake, is the site for this auspicious and unique event.

Styled after bass fishing tournaments, Mission Fishin' will determine who the best perch fisherpersons are in the Presbytery. Only fish broadly categorized as "perch" are eligible for the exciting prizes that will be awarded.  Non-fisherpersons may take advantage of the Frisbee golf course, the basketball and volleyball courts, or hike on the beautiful Caldwell Trail.

The tournament will take place on Saturday, April 28 from 8:00am to 11:30am, followed by lunch and the award ceremony.  If you would like to spend Friday night at John Knox Center, please call them at 865-376-2236.
 
The entry fee for Mission: Fishin', which includes lunch, is a modest $15 for adults and youth 11+, $7.50 for children ages 5-10, and $1 for children under 5 years of age. Use of canoes is on a first come, first served basis at no additional charge.

Registration and details - including prize categories and "official rules"

We look forward to seeing you there!

Life Changing Adventure....Life Changing Summer!

For 52 years summer camp at Camp John Knox has been part of the faith journey of thousands of children throughout our Presbytery and beyond! This summer campers will be nurtured in their faith, gain confidence through success, and build lasting relationships with other Christians.  For more information visit www.johnknoxcenter.org 

Bible Study Theme 2012:  Keys of the Kingdom

In Matthew 16:15-19, the Apostle Peter declares that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus tells Peter that his confession of faith will be the foundation of the church and that he will give the Apostles the keys of the kingdom of heaven. In our creative Bible studies and worship, we will discover together the Kingdom of God and the keys to being disciples of Christ in our world today.

THANK YOU to all Presbyterians in East Tennesssee who have expressed your commitment to peacemaking by contributing to the 2011 Peacemaking Offering on or around World Communion Sunday last October. To date, the Presbytery's Peacemaking Committee, the recipient of 25% of the total offering, has received $1,408 from 18 congregations. They are (in alphabetical order): Concord, Erin, Fairfield Glade, Farragut, First Knoxville, First LaFollette, Fountain City, Graystone, Highland, Kirk Hills, Lake Hills, Mars Hill, New Providence, Northminster, Second Chattanooga, Spring Place, West Emory, Westminster.

In 2011 the Presbytery Peacemaking Committee supported seven projects. One of them was the Children's International Summer Village in Louisville, TN.   Delegations of teenagers from 6 different countries spent two weeks learning to communicate with each other, appreciate their different cultures, and live together as members of one big human family sharing this planet. We co-sponsored a Martin Luther King community event in January at Beck Cultural Exchange Center, at which Madeline Rogero spoke and representatives from several community groups shared ideas. Also, three people from our Presbytery were sent to the 2011 multi-conference "Big Tent" in Indianapolis.

Aware of the amount of storm damage sustained by folks in Tellico Plains, your Disaster Response Committee has offered the Session of Center Presbyterian Church up to $3,000 in aid to be dispensed by the Session of that church to be used as they see fit in helping to rehabilitate their community. The money comes from funds made available by members of Presbytery through gifts made for such purposes.

Our prayers and hearts go out to all who have been affected by the recent violent weather.

Fritz Schilling, Chair

Keep up on all the General Assembly news, overtures, and decisions at:  pc-biz.org. You can set up an account or use the service as a guest. If you set up your own account, your news can be personalized as you follow discussions and overtures.
 

Question of the Month: Does the Moderator of a session meeting have a vote? Absolutely yes. The Moderator of a session meeting (usually the pastor of the church), is a member of session. S/he can vote on any and all matters before the body. The question for the moderator to consider is... do you want to vote? Should you? Some moderators vote on every matter. Some vote on none. If a matter comes to a tie vote, a moderator sometimes feels as though it's his or her duty to break the tie. That's not necessarily so. A matter receiving a tie vote fails, since no majority has been established in favor of the matter. If a session is so divided on an issue, should the moderator cast the deciding vote? Or, should the moderator lead the session in more discernment so a clear majority decision can be made one way or the other? So... yes, a moderator is free to vote in session meetings. But the session (including the moderator) is also free to ask, Why is the moderator exercising this right?

A webinar "Thriving Small Church Youth Ministry" with Stephanie Caro, is being offered April 16, 2012, 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.  There is no cost for this online course, but you must register to participate.  Webinar information

The Princeton Forum on Youth Ministry is taking place on the Princeton Seminary campus April 23-26, 2012. The theme is "Create."   Information and registration

The next cohort of The Certificate in Youth and Theology program will kick off with a retreat April 21-23, 2012 at Princeton Seminary.  This program offers training in youth ministry that focuses on theological reflection and ministerial practice.  More information/apply for the 2012 cohort  

What Are You Waiting For?  July 30-August 2, 2012
2012 National Evangelism and Church Growth Conferences

Five of the ministries in the Evangelism and Church Growth Program area of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will host their conferences July 30-August 2, 2012, at the TradeWinds Island Resorts (www.tradewindsresort.com) on St. Pete Beach, Florida. Each conference will provide individual learning opportunities, but will share group meals, worship and plenary speakers. The same registration and housing fees also apply to all conferences.  These include:

Youth Worker Conference
Collegiate Ministries Conference
Church Transformation Conference
Evangelism Conference
New Church Development Conference

Information and Registration 

The Wonder of the Cross - April 6   

Center Presbyterian Church in Tellico Plains invites you to join them as Sandy Childress and the CPC choir present a powerful Musical presentation remembering the final week of Jesus' life - The Wonder of the Cross.  Communion will be served at this special service.

Good Friday, April 6 @ 7pm

Center Presbyterian Church 

6265 Highway 360

Tellico Plains

Dr. Tom Long will be speaking at a free seminar on Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville, 10:00 am to noon with lunch at noon. This is sponsored by Rose Mortuary and seating is limited to 250. He will be talking about his experiences regarding death and dying highlighting his book, "Accompany Them With Singing: The Christian Funeral."  Reservations must be made by Tuesday, April 3 by calling either of the Rose Mortuary chapels, 865-523-2121 or 865-588-8578. This seminar is for anyone in the ministry, hospice caregiver, chaplain, Stephen Minister or those who have experienced loss.  Event Flyer  

Dr. Tony Campolo - April 14 an 15

Dr. Tony Campolo, preacher, educator, and founder of Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education (EAPE), will speak at Second Presbyterian Church on Saturday, (2829 Kingston Pike, Knoxville) April 14, 2012 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.  Dr. Campolo will be speaking on the relationship of the Christian faith and the American political environment highlighted in his book, Red Letter Christians.  Dr.  Campolo, Professor Emeritus of sociology at Eastern University in St. Davids, PA is among the most celebrated and sought-after speakers and writers in the United States. He has authored close to 40 books.

All You Should Know About Cataracts - April 18

Everyone is welcome to attend the Health Luncheon Wednesday, April 18 at First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge. Thomas L. Dahl, M.D. will speak on "All You Should Know About Cataracts." First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge is located at 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The program is free and open to the community. There is a $5.00 charge for the lunch. Please call 865-483-1318 for reservations.