August 1-3 in Louisville, KY  

Register by July 8 for the reduced fee of $295! 

The Presbyterian Church (USA)'s Big Tent event combines ten national conferences under one roof, gathering thousands of Presbyterian pastors, elders, and other church leaders to study, share, worship, and fellowship, and to build up the body of Christ.

• Evangelism and Church Growth Conference
• Compassion, Peace and Justice Conference
• Healthy Ministries Conference
• National Elders Conference
• National Multicultural Church Conference
• Presbyterian Communicators Network Conference
• Racial Ethnic and Immigrants Convocation
• Seminary Support Network Conference
• Theology, Worship and Education Conference
• World Mission Conference

It's been called "a giant Presbyterian family reunion" - and the 2013 Big Tent brings that reunion to Louisville, Kentucky, home of the PC(USA)'s national offices since 1988.

 More information and registration 

Bible Study for Interpretation and Application

July 13 and 27 

The 2013 School of the Laity Summer class will be Bible Study for Interpretation and Application, taught by the Rev. Les Rust.  The class will be held at Mars Hill Presbyterian Church (205 North Jackson St., Athens) from 9:30am to 3:30pm on two Saturdays - July 13 and 27.  The cost is $65 and includes lunch on both days. 

2013 UT Football Season Parking!   

The PCM is currently taking bids for RESERVED parking spots for the 2013 UT football season.  Bidding starts at $200.  If you receive a spot it will be yours for the entire season along with use of kitchen, tv, and bathroom facilities at the PCM.  All money goes to support the campus ministry!  Mail in your bids now to 1831 Melrose Ave.  Knoxville, TN 37916 or email us at pcutk@utk.edu.

Montreat Middle School Conference  

"Rolling Away Stones"

  July 24 - 28

On the Maryville College campus

For Registration information and to see the fun.....

Summertime, ordinary time, planning time, mission and youth trip time.  However you are spending time these days - make time to be a lifelong learner. We look forward to seeing you in the months ahead.

Movie Night at Powell Presbyterian Church - July 19
 

Saturday, July 20 from 9-4 at the Wartburg Courthouse Square, the Wartburg Presbyterian Church will be hosting a fund raising booth for Living Waters for the World at the WECO Outdoor Show. We'll have items for silent auction, baked goods, books and more. Come enjoy a county fair-type setting, with lots of great music, vendor booths, and wonderful food, and help support this worthwhile mission. Hope to see you there!

New Prospect Presbyterian Church in Knoxville will have its VBS July 22-25 and is trying to find the following resources:

God's Backyard Bible Camp Under the Stars

• Leader's guides for kindergarten through middle school
• Student books for kindergarten through middle school
• Music video

Contact: Rev. Gerry Anders

New Prospect Presbyterian Church

4920 Prospect Road

Knoxville, TN 37922

Intergenerational VBS at Lancing Presbyterian Church

July 27

Lancing Presbyterian Church (204 Shady Grove Road, Lancing) will be holding an intergenerational Vacation Bible School on Saturday, July 27 from 10-2 at the Lancing Fellowship Hall. Come join us for fun, food, and fellowship. Our topic this year is focused on healing and care giving. We'll be collecting items like Band-Aids, gauze bandages, aspirin (both adult and children), cough syrup (both adult and children), and over the counter items for the Morgan-Scott Project. We will have activities for everyone ages 3-103 (sorry, no nursery is provided). So if you like to color, play BINGO, make crafts, sing, and listen to Bible stories about healing, then you won't want to miss this fun-filled opportunity. We hope you'll join us!

Internationally acclaimed speaker coming to Oak Ridge - August 18

 

First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge is sponsoring a lecture by Bill McKibben on Sunday evening, August 18, 7:00 p.m., at Oak Ridge High School. Everyone across the Presbytery and beyond are invited and encouraged to attend.

 

McKibben, a Methodist, founder of 350.org, and dubbed "the planet's best green journalist" by Time magazine, will speak about fossil fuels and climate change.

 

McKibben's lecture will cap a full day of activities: First Presbyterian folks will join with other congregations at 11:00 a.m. for an ecumenical worship service focused on creation care. The congregation will then host a city-wide 100-mile potluck (at least one ingredient in any dish has to have been grown within 100 miles of Oak Ridge) at 1:00 p.m. on the church's soccer field.

 

For additional information, call the church office: 865-483-1318.

Congratulations to the Rev. Dr. Brian Alderman

On May 13th, Brian Alderman (pastor of Madisonville Presbyterian Church) received a Ph.D. in Hebrew Bible from Emory University. His dissertation, written under Carol Newsom, was "Arguing with Job: Consolation and Quarrel in the Joban Dialogue."

 

Congratulations to our Earth Care Congregations

 

First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge and New Hope Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga have been recertified as Earth Care Congregations by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Environmental Ministries through January 2014.  

 

To become an Earth Care Congregation, a church must affirm the Earth Care Pledge to integrate environmental practices and thinking into all facets of their church life. It must also complete projects and activities in the fields of worship, education, facilities, and outreach.

 

The Earth Care Congregation certification is designed to recognize churches that have made the commitment to take seriously God's charge to "till and keep" the garden.