FROM THE OFFICE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
THE REV. GRAYDE PARSONS,
STATED CLERK OF THE PC(USA)
AMENDMENT 14-F
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LEAD 2015
HIGHLIGHTS
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One hundred twenty participants from 24 churches gathered at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Nashville
on Saturday, February 28, for LEAD (Learning, Enrichment and Development).
Participants heard an excellent keynote message from Elizabeth Caldwell on teaching the Bible to children, attended workshops on a wide variety of topics, enjoyed fellowship over lunch, and ended the day with a powerful workshop on the parables led by Amy Jill Levine.
From all accounts, LEAD continues to be an important day for this presbytery in providing opportunities to intentionally focus on strengthening churches and leadership, bringing the whole presbytery together for learning, fellowship and worship.
The LEAD planning team, under the direction of PMT's Christian Education Committee is grateful to Westminster Presbyterian Church for its gracious hospitality in hosting this important event.
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MINISTRY OPPORTUNITIES
| Plastic Filled Easter Eggs Needed NEW CREATION NCD Attn: Lauren Powell, Program Director 1020 Avondale Road Suite 103 Hendersonville, TN 37075 615-414-0005
New Creation Church is hosting a community Easter egg hunt in Hendersonville and they are in need of plastic eggs filled with candy or trinkets. Last year they had approximately 100 children attend and it was a blast! But, they were frantically trying to buy and stuff eggs at the very last minute because they did not have enough for the amount of children that were there. New Creation Church is reaching out to the Presbyterian churches in Middle Tennessee to see if there are a few women's groups, or Sunday School classes looking for a "mission project". They need over 3,000 eggs this year! (They are thinking 20 per child). If so, please contact Lauren Powell, Program Director.
They would need the eggs by April 2nd.
Bibles needed for the HISPANIC NCD
The Hispanic NCD (currently meeting in Glencliff Presbyterian Church) are in need of 50 Spanish Bibles for their Bible Study ministry.
The bibles are approx. $20 each. Please consider supporting this important ministry.
If your church is able to help, please contact via email |
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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Presbyterian Women
2015 Spring Gathering
sponsored by Middle Tennessee Cluster 4
Sara Crawford Young
on "The Good News"
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Decherd Presbyterian Church 501 Broad St.
Decherd, TN
Registration: 10:30 - 11:00
Lunch: 11:00 - 12:00 Worship: 12:00 - 1:00
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New Creation Church
Dedication Sunday
Sunday, March 22nd at 10:00 am AT THEIR NEW LOCATION: 1020 Avondale Road, Suite 103 Hendersonville, TN 37075
St. Andrews Presbyterian Church cordially invites you to hear Guest Speaker, Dr. Pam Manning Author of My Child Would Never Do That! March 29, 2015 at 11:00 am St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church 949 TS Jackson Avenue Nashville, TN
To read more about Dr. Manning & this event, click here. |
TRIP TO ETHIOPIA IN THE SOUTH SUDAN
by Jeff Ritchie
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| David Paduil & the Rev. Nhial (Photo 1) |
Commissioned Ruling Elder David Paduil, of the Sudanese Presbyterian Church in Gallatin, and the Rev. Jeff Ritchie, Associate Director of The Outreach Foundation, made a two-week trip to Ethiopia to learn the needs of refugees from the civil war in South Sudan who are in refugee camps in the Gambella Regional State of Ethiopia.
After arrival in Addis Ababa they boxed 520 Nuer-language hymnals to take to Gambella in Western Ethiopia near the South Sudan border (see photo #1, "David Paduil and the Rev. Nhial loading hymnals"). They also petitioned the government office in Addis Ababa that administers refugee affairs for permission to enter the camps.
They then spent the next week in Gambella. First, they met for three days with church leaders from four of the refugee camps where they listened to the needs of the refugees, traumatized by the 15 month-old civil war. A phrase they heard over and over again was, "We left our country, but we have not left our God." So their great cry was for Bibles and hymnals to be able to maintain their connection to God, their hope....click here to continue reading.
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ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TRIP TO ETHIOPIA IN THE SOUTH SUDAN
Letter written by Dr. Gatluak Thach, Clerk of Session of the Sudanese American Nuer in Gallatin TN and
President & CEO Nashville Int'l Center for Empowerment
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Thanks for sharing the information of your fruitful journey to Gambella, Ethiopia. We thank God for guiding you (Jeff Ritchie) and Elder David Paduil to meet our people of God who live in such conditions due to a significant manmade catastrophe. It meant so much for these church representatives to receive and share their congregational plights in the camps with you. Although you might have not found time to visit either camp as your time did not allow, I believe the message you conveyed told most of all you may have seen had God allowed your visit to one of those camps.
Even though the fundamental priority is lifesaving now, many South Sudanese still believe their God has not left them. They know evils have invested in their leaders which has caused their lives to be in these ways, yet as it is in the Bible, there is time for everything. "A time for war and a time for peace." In this the process, it is who stood with you when you are in this trouble.
As we speak, the president of South Sudan has declared a few days ago a totally war against the opposition forces. The war he declared has now begun in all corners of the Upper Nile regions, targeting areas of opposition armies and civilians which exonerates no single living person in the areas.
People of Upper Nile who are more than 80% Presbyterians are severely affected by this catastrophe. I personally think it is within interest of our Presbytery Church to involve in whatever means possible to join other community partners in bring peace as well as addressing the immediate needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ such as providing Hymnals, Bibles, Mosquito Nets for sicked, disable, newborn, pregnant women, and more. We can as well advocate and write to our federal elected officials and human right institutions, including UN to bring to an end this crisis in South Sudan by addressing the root causes, as well as forge for compromises among the affected community.
To read the letter in its entirety, click here.
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Presbytery Trip to Guatemala
by Philip Beisswenger via "The Rooster Crows in Guatemala"
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From February 28, 2015 - March 7, 2015, a team from the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee (PMT) made an annual trek to visit with partners in the Pet�n Q'eqchi' Presbytery (PQP). "Grace upon grace" is a fitting way to describe the time spent together. Arriving a day late due to bad weather in the U.S. didn't faze the 4-member team a bit. The highlight was an overnight stay in the remote village of Xex�n II.
We hiked in with lots of helpers for our stuff (see photo), and the congregation took great care of us. Stephanie Hall led children's activities while the rest of us met with the session. The community has no electricity, so the elders were thrilled to hear that a new generator would be coming through the partnership.
The women proudly showed us a tidy pig pen holding two sows and ten piglets, results of a project sponsored by PMT women (see photo). We talked with students, five of whom are to receive scholarships from Middle Tennessee partners.
Pastor Teddy Chuquimia preached at a full house of worshipers that night, and Barb Hall and David Carlton sang a duet. Afterwards the temple was converted into two dorm areas where we slept on cots.
Read more about the trip to Guatemala, click here to read Philip Beisswenger's blog.
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JOIN THE PRESBYTERY STAFF AS WE WALK TO END HUNGER Sunday, April 26 Fannie Mae Dees Park (Dragon Park) on the corner of Blakemore Ave and 24th Ave South Nashville Registration 1:45 p.m. Walk 2:30 p.m. Local recipients are: Community Food Advocates, Luke 14:12, Second Harvest Food Bank Free T-shirt to each walker who raises $50 or more! To make a donation, go to http://hunger.cwsglobal.org/site/TR/CropWalks/ |
We would like to hear what is going on in your church. Let us know about your upcoming events/photos/stories for upcoming issues for the Presbytery's e-newsletter. Share your good news!!! Next deadline is April 3, 2015.
Linda Griffis, Administrative Assistant email: [email protected] Presbytery of Middle Tennessee |
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