Grace and peace to the members of the Presbytery of East Tennessee,

 

The "Perfect Storm" has hit the Northeast and many people have been affected by the wind, rain, snow and floods. The Presbytery's Disaster Response Team will be in touch with the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to see how we can respond. On Sunday, let us lift up our hearts in prayer for all of the people who have been touched by the storm. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we affirm the power and presence of God who calmed the sea and the wind long ago, and is present and active today. Let us pray together for the peace of Christ to prevail in this time of crisis in the lives of our sisters and brothers of the Northeast.

 

Blessings,

Judd

 

 

 From the Presbyterian Mission Agency:

 

"The church is catholic, universal, so are all her actions; all that she does belongs to all."

 

These are the words of John Donne, written upon listening to the knells that rang each day announcing the deaths of plague victims in 17th-century London.

 

On All Saints' Day, as we remember those saints whose witness prompted our faith in Jesus Christ, let us also remember our brothers and sisters throughout the Caribbean and North America who are now faced with the challenges of long-term recovery in the wake of this historic storm.

Empowered by your gifts, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is responding to the needs identified by mid councils in the affected areas. Trained National Response Team members are being deployed to provide a ministry of presence, to help with assessments, and to fulfill other identified needs. Cleanup buckets and Gift of the Heart kits are being considered to help in many aspects of the cleanup and recovery process. Your generosity will make a big difference in the effectiveness of this work.

Stand in the GAP for those affected by Sandy

 

GIVE. Even after the clouds have lifted, long-term challenges brought by Sandy will face millions; we ask that you prayerfully consider giving online. You can give $10 now by texting PDA to 20222.

ACT. Assemble Gift of the Heart kits used most often following flooding in the United States. Contact the PDA Call Center at 866-732-6121 for details on how to volunteer your team's skills for efforts on the ground.

 

PRAY. Pray for individuals and communities affected by the storm. Pray that the hope of Christ will be evident in our response.

 

We know God is at work even in the aftermath of disasters. We invite those who have seen the hand of God at work around you during these trying days following the impact of Hurricane Sandy to  share your story with PDA and others. 

Erin Presbyterian Church
200 Lockett Road
Knoxville TN

 

Registration - 9:30 a.m.

Meeting - 10:00 a.m.

 

The meeting packet is now available on the Packets & Minutes page of our website.

Tusculum College - November 10

 

Tusculum College Graduate and Professional Studies Office of Enrollment would like to invite all pastors, associate pastors, youth directors, church leaders, and other interested persons to attend Kingdom Connection: A Church Enrichment Workshop on Saturday, November 10th at the Tusculum College campus in Greeneville.

 

The event will be held in the Chalmers Conference Center in the Niswonger Student Commons from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. This free event will feature creative worship services, a panel discussion led by experienced clergy, and Tusculum faculty and staff providing interactive training sessions on:

• Understanding the various learning styles and needs of people in your church
• Useful techniques and strategies for teaching children and adolescents presented by Dr. Diane Casteel from Tusculum's Education Programs
• Effective techniques and strategies for helping adults achieve deep and lasting learning presented by Dr. Melanie Narkawicz chair of Tusculum's Master of Arts in Organizational Training and Education Program
• A special presentation by Tusculum's Dr. Travis Williams from his ground breaking study "Reading 1 Peter Again For the First Time: Re-envisioning Early Christian Suffering and Resistance".
• Our Father in Heaven: A theological language and biblical studies enrichment session
• A panel discussion on developing effective mid-week programming at your church

Those planning to attend are asked to pre-register by emailing Clay Wilkerson, Graduate and Professional Studies Enrollment representative at cwilkerson@tusculum.edu or telephone at 423-636-7330.

Meet Maryville - November 10

 

You're invited to be our guest at Meet Maryville, one of our best events for students and families to experience Maryville College.  

 

Saturday, November 10
Check-in begins @ 9:30 a.m.
Program begins @ 10 a.m. and includes a full day of activities. 

 

Get more information and register online at: 

or call 865.981.8092 

 

And remember, you can always plan your own personalized campus visit by calling our Admissions Office or visiting our website. 

  

Fine Arts Showcase - Nov. 8-10

  

Maryville College invites the public to campus Nov. 8-10 for a Fine Arts Showcase, which will highlight the fine and performing arts at the College. The event coincides with the fall "Meet Maryville" event, which is hosted by the College's Admissions staff and is designed to help people become more familiar with the nationally recognized liberal arts college.

   

The series of events kicks off at 7 p.m. on Thurs., Nov. 8 with a performance by the Maryville College-Community Concert Band, directed by Tom Delozier, in the Clayton Center for the Arts' Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre.

 

The next event begins at 7 p.m. on Fri., Nov. 9 in the Harold and Jean Lambert Recital Hall and will feature the MC Jazz Band, student and faculty soloists, and theatre monologues performed by the MC Theatre Department.

 

A reception and art walk featuring student artwork will follow in the lobby of the recital hall. During the reception, students and their families will have the opportunity to talk to Dr. Bill Swann, chair of the Division of Fine Arts, as well as Emily Emadian, fine arts admissions counselor, about the College's fine arts programs.

 

On Sat., Nov. 10, Off Kilter, the College's small vocal ensemble, will perform at 3:45 p.m. in the Clayton Center for the Arts' Harold and Jean Lambert Recital Hall. Also on Saturday, the annual Invitational High School Choir Festival will be held at 6 p.m. in the Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre of the Clayton Center for the Arts. 

 

A detailed schedule of events can be found online at  http://www.maryvillecollege.edu/admissions/events/showcase/. For more information about the Fine Arts Showcase, please contact Emadian at emily.emadian@maryvillecollege.edu or 865.318.0497.

 

Fall Middle School Retreat Recap 

The Fall Middle School retreat was a great success. Our theme for the retreat was THE HERO. Our key verse was Romans 5:6-8. We had more than 80 students and adults registered for this awesome event. Our retreat was held at Camp John Knox and our speaker was the Rev. Bob Hill who serves as the pastor to the Presbyterian (USA) campus ministry at UTC. Carter Cross who serves as the youth worship coordinator and Allen Wilson who is a student at UT led worship music. The students played games, worshiped and listened to great messages. Our youth council did a great job of leading games and motivating the middle school students to participate in all of the activities. Thank you to the John Knox staff, Youth Committee and Youth Council for a great event!

 

WHO IS ARDA AGHAZARIAN?

 

Ann Owens Brunger, Co-Moderator, Presbytery Peacemaking Committee

 

"Who is Arda Agahzarian?" we wondered, as we anticipated the visit of an International Peacemaker sponsored by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and funded by our annual peacemaking offering. October 5-10 Arda spoke at Graystone, Erin, Westminster, New Hope (Chattanooga), Bethel, and Maryville College.

 

We discovered that some aspects of Arda's identity are straightforward and others are impossibly complicated. Arda Aghazarian is a delightful, intelligent, articulate 32-year-old, whose birthplace and current home is the birthplace of Christianity, the Old City of Jerusalem. Her neighborhood church is the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. One wouldn't expect a stylish young woman in jeans with an Ipad and the hip email address whateverian@yahoo.com to emerge from such ancient surroundings. But this Jerusalemite is decidedly a member of the modern generation.

 

Arda is a college-educated Armenian Palestinian Christian who speaks Arabic, Hebrew, Armenian, French, and excellent English. She is on the staff of the Jerusalem YWCA.  Read more...  

Knox Area Rescue Ministries (KARM) is spearheading several community events this fall to benefit not only those who come through its doors for food and shelter, but others in need throughout the Knoxville community. (Full press release)

Veteran's Day: KARM's annual Veteran's Day celebration, Sunday evening November 11 will recognize and honor homeless and needy veterans. A special celebratory dinner will begin at 4:45pm, with a recognition ceremony at 6pm in the KARM Chapel.

Baskets of Hope: KARM's annual Baskets of Hope giveaway, which supplies boxes of food and a turkey for a complete Thanksgiving dinner for six, is scheduled for Sunday, November 18 2pm-4pm under the overpass next to KARM at 418 N. Broadway.

Thanksgiving Celebration: KARM will continue its annual tradition of serving Thanksgiving dinner from 11am until 1pm to all in need who come on Thanksgiving Day at 418 N. Broadway. Coats for the Cold: The annual Coats for the Cold drive, which annual provides nearly 8,000 freshly dry-cleaned used coats to all who are in need, will be Saturday, December 1, 8am-12noon at the KARM Thrift Store, 733. N. Hall of Fame Dr.

To learn more about all the above events, visit www.karm.org or call 865.673.6540.

Dr. William Pender, (Ph.D. in New Testament and Pastor of First Pres., Knoxville) and Rev. Judd Shaw, General Presbyter, are organizing a tour to Greece in the spring of 2013, open to pastors who would like to organize a church group as well as to individuals in the presbytery.  Two options: eight-day land trip with an optional 3-day, Mediterranean cruise; departure date: April 20, 2013.  The eight-day trip, all inclusive of airfare (from Knoxville), lodging, two meals a day, etc., is $3276 (double-occupancy).  For more information, contact Dr. Pender at  william@fpcknox.org or 865-546-2531.

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.