| Presbytery Staff |
Judd ShawGeneral Presbyter 865-688-5581 ext. 103 James McTyreStated Clerk 865-688-5581 ext. 104 Bri PayneExecutive Director, John Knox Center 865-376-2236 Dana HendrixOffice Manager 865-688-5581 ext. 101 Office Mailing AddressP.O. Box 31625 Knoxville, TN 37930-1625 Office Fax865-689-3364 Office Hours8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday - Friday
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| Presbytery Meeting - February 20 |
The Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of East Tennessee
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Farragut Presbyterian Church
209 Jamestowne Blvd., Farragut TN
Registration and Fellowship: 9:30 a.m.
Meeting: 10:00 a.m.
The packet will be available on the Presbytery website on Feb. 5. PLEASE NOTE: Reservations will be required for lunch - follow the directions in the packet and call the church office to place your order by Monday, February 15 - 865-966-9547.
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John Knox Center News
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Are you ready for summer?
We are too! Summer camp registration is up and running!  Visit www.johnknoxcenter.org to learn more and register. We are excited to see your camper this summer!  Camp John Knox Summer Camp 2016
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Camp
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Dates
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Covenant Partners
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June 5th-June 17th
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Mini Camp
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June 12th- 15th
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Critter Day Camp
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June 13th-17th
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Marathon
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June 19th-July 1st
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Middle School Adventure
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July 7th-15th
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Native Ways
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July 10th-15th
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Native Ways Day Camp
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July 11th-15th
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Night Owl
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July 17th-22nd
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Sr. High Adventure Camp
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July 17th-26th
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Presbytery Educators Group
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Educators at APCE 
The annual event of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators 2016 has been held in Chicago this January. With the theme "God is doing a new thing" from Isaiah 43:19, we can give thanks that our attendance tripled from last year. So, a dozen people from the presbytery of East TN not only participated in multiple relevant Christian Education workshops, but also worshiped twice daily, networked with the 750 plus attendees, and empowered one another for change. The participants included (alphabetically): Mary Boyd, Brianna Cook, Phyllis Driver, Suzann Emery, Mark Lampley, Meredith Loftis, Kelly Noelle, Sharon Pattion, Colleen Shannon, Keli Shipley, and Mary Wilson.
Kim Tremble ktribolet@2ndpreslou.org is our current moderator for Mid South Region of APCE and you may apply for funds available for the next Annual Event held at Denver, Colorado next January by contacting mlampley@sequoyahchurch.org.  Playology Workshop Saturday, March 5, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm First Presbyterian Church - Knoxville Whether you are a pastor, educator, youth minister, Sunday school teacher, playful volunteer, or high-schooler in a leadership position, if you are looking for new and creative ideas for Bible study, art and games in your ministry, or just interested in having fun, this day is for you!! Workshop options will be Intergenerational Bible Study, Around the Table games, CreArt (creative art activities), and Games Galore. Join with others from around the presbytery for PLAYOLOGY!! - A day of creative worship, a theme party, two workshops, networking and lunch! If you have questions, please contact Sheri Pender, sapender@hotmail.com, 865-686-5214 or 803-230-4473. For more information and a registration form, click here.
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| Presbyterian Campus Ministry |
UKirk at UT- Knoxville
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| UKirk-UTK at 2016 College Conference
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January has been a busy month for Campus Ministry. We had a great time at the Montreat College Conference at Montreat, learning about the complexity of the familiar verse, John 3:16 and connecting with more than 1,100 college students from across the United States.
OnCenter Worship  For the month of January, our weekly worship has been centered on the theme, "The Gospel According to Kid President." Kid President is an 11-year-old YouTube sensation that produces humorous videos that offer an uplifting pep talk to people that reminds people that they are valuable. Through sermons and liturgy, we heard about Christ's Gospel and how it reminded people of their value and worth in God's eyes. If you're interested in our sermons, you can access them at our youtube page by searching for UKirk UTK on YouTube. February's Theme: "Christian-ing" We often hear the word "Adulting" to describe the act of trying to be an adult. We might say "adulting is hard" after trying to figure out tax codes or health insurance! In February, our theme will center on the difficulty of following Christ in a complex world. Join us for a month during which we consider "Christian-ing"
Worship: Feb 3, 10, 17, and 24 @ 7:30pm Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper: Tuesday, February 9 at 7:00pm Ash Wednesday Service and Dinner: Wednesday, February 10 at 7:30pm More fellowship and service events to come! Andy Morgan (Campus Minister at UKirk-UTK) has recently represented the Presbytery of East Tennessee in several capacities: Ignite Talk Speaker by film at APCE (1/28), Co-Keynote Speaker at the Presbytery of Scotia Valley in Ohio's Youth Retreat (1/22-24), and Co-Keynote Speaker at the St. Andrew Presbytery in Mississippi's Youth Retreat (1/29-31). Andy will be Keynote speaker at the NaCoMe Youth Retreat in Middle Tennessee on Feb. 26 - 28.
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| Peacemaking Committee |
 Part of the PET contingent in Knoxville's annual Martin Luther King Parade on January 18 who braved 17-degree temps to march with hundreds. Special thank to Westminster Church youth for bearing the banner and self-made signs! A big PET contingent also marched in Maryville's parade.
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| Climate & Energy Stewardship Team |
Did you know...
In our personal energy use, the average American emits about 8 tons of carbon dioxide per year (about double the global average). Just considering driving our cars, we emit about 20 pounds of CO2 with every gallon of gas used. The 2006 General Assembly of the PC(USA) passed a resolution calling for all of us to "immediately make a bold witness by aspiring to live carbon neutral lives." (http://www.pcusa.org/resource/guide-going-carbon-neutral/ ). Carbon neutrality, as stated in this resolution, "requires our energy consumption that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere be reduced and carbon offsets purchased to compensate for those carbon emissions that could not be eliminated."
Figuring out how much CO2 we are emitting actually isn't as hard as it sounds, with the help of a carbon footprint "calculator" such as this one:http://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/. Lots of people have made great progress in reducing their energy consumption in the ten years since that resolution was passed. Driving less - or driving a more fuel-efficient car - is just one of many ways to do that. All of us can begin to act for creation NOW by becoming more aware of our carbon footprint and thinking about ways to reduce it.
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| News and Events Around the Presbytery |
2016 Sanctuary Speaker Series at Westminster - Feb 6 & 7
 Dr. Anna Carter Florence will speak at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Knoxville on Saturday evening, February 6 at 7:00 p.m., and at both services Sunday morning, February 7. Dr. Carter Florence is the Peter Marshall Associate Professor of Preaching at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia. She is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and holds degrees from Yale College and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div. and Ph.D.). Before joining the Columbia faculty in 1998, Anna served as an associate pastor for youth and young adults at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. Her books include Preaching as Testimony and Inscribing the Word, as well as two forthcoming books: 'A' is for Alabaster: A Preacher's Alphabet, and Come Back When You've Found Something True: New Ways to Read Scripture, based on her 2012 Lyman Beecher Lectures on Preaching at Yale Divinity School. She is a frequent teacher and lecturer in this country and abroad. Anna and her husband, the Rev. David Carter Florence, have two grown sons. They also have two dogs, two cats, a flock of chickens, and way too much knitting yarn.
Her presentation is entitled "Reading the Verbs." If you do a quick survey of any Bible passage, you'll find that what is true in life is also true in scripture: the verbs dominate. Not adjectives; verbs. It's what we do and don't do that preoccupies human beings. And it's the verbs we cannot imagine for ourselves (live, liberate, forgive, resurrect) that the church offers, and that we reach for, week after week. So what happens when we read scripture and let the verbs lead? Anna puts a twist on dramatic theory and invites us to read the biblical "script" by focusing on the verbs that are given and chosen by the characters. What new things will we see and hear in both our sacred text and our human drama when we connect the verbs? How can that, in turn, change and renew our preaching?Community Health Luncheon @ 1st Oak Ridge
Topic: Heart DiseaseThursday, February 18, 2016 at Noon Speaker: Dr. Hitesh Mehta with Parkway Cardiology Associates
This event is free and open to the public; lunch is available for $5.00. Call 865-483-1318 for reservations. Come and bring a friend!
Six-Week Series on Immigration Issues @ 1st Oak Ridge
Sunday afternoons, Feb. 14 - March 20
 1:00p.m. in the Fellowship Hall
From February 14 - March 20, First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge will present a 6-week series on immigration that will include first-person stories of immigrants, a look at the biblical/theological foundation, and presentations on the educational and medical aspects of immigration. Teresa Waggener, manager for immigration issues in the Office of the General Assembly of the PC(USA) will begin the series on February 14 with a look at the PC(USA)'s work in immigration. Each session will begin at 1:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall. For more information, contact the church at (865) 483-1318.
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| 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, dana@presbyteryeasttn.org. |
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