The Equip Mission Team and John Knox Center are teaming up again this year to host a Confirmation Retreat.  The Retreat is scheduled for February 13-14.  Registrations are due right away (Feb. 3) This year's theme is "Baptism, what now?" This is an event where inquiring youth can learn from their peers as well as other pastors and teachers to supplement their faith development.  Youth will experience John Knox and meet other youth from around the Presbytery. For more information, contact Connie at resourcepet@gmail.com 

 

Retreat flyer  

Registration form  

February 27 - March 1

Glenstone Lodge, Gatlinburg

 

Youth Retreat for 8th-12th graders with big group games, small group times, keynote speaker, music, and exploring around Gatlinburg!

  

Register by February 2nd (postmarked); $130/person

 

Money is nonrefundable. If you prefer a single occupancy room, there will be an additional cost of $45.

 

Youth Summit Flier

Leaders Form 

Individual Registration Form 

 

Contact Keli Shipley (PET Youth Committee Member) with any questions.

kship32@gmail.com or 423.544.9551  

Mercy Junction has a new home at the St. Andrews Center on 1918 Union Avenue in Chattanooga. Opening at the first of the year, the Mercy Junction Justice and Peace Center includes partners, programs and worshiping communities that already called the building home, as well as new partners who are coming into the space.

 

The St. Andrews Center has been a historic hub of ministry on Chattanooga's east side for a century. Mercy Junction will continue a heritage of social righteousness that originally led Presbyterians and Methodists to start a Sunday School near this site.

 

From the St. Andrews congregation's early days of meeting in a worker's bunkhouse to the current burgeoning immigrant population, Mercy Junction has found a home in a diverse and unique community. Partnering with multiple worshiping communities, a bike co-op, a Methodist non-profit, Chattanooga State, Haitian nutritional programs, a sports ministry and labor unions, we find ourselves forging a new legacy for the church.  

 

To kick off our move, we will be having a Friend-Raiser at the center on Feb. 7 at 7 p.m.  Bean soup and cornbread dinner will be provided. A cash donation, a book for our Social Justice Library, or a dessert for the dinner is the suggested admission price. We are also having an online fundraising campaign with a goal of $3,000. You can donate to our Indiegogo here.

 

With daily prayer, a weekly worship, justice school, peacemaking, a fair trade shop and partnerships with a multitude of local organizers, we are excited about the possibilities for the church of the future. With a gospel in practice with hands and feet, from the pews to the streets, Mercy Junction hopes to not only worship a living God, but live out a vital witness to that God in the world.

Martin Luther King Day Parade

 

Thirty members of the PET spiritual family marched in Knoxville's Martin Luther King Day parade January 19. They ranged from early elementary age to retirees.

 

Churches represented included First, Fourth United, Fountain City, and Westminster, all in Knoxville.  Also Highland and New Providence, Maryville; Rocky Springs; and First, Spring City.

 

The Rev. William Pender of First, Knoxville and the Rev. Max Reddick of Fountain City each drove their church vans for the group.

         

Some PET marchers donned giant puppet costumes, representing pioneer workers for U.S. civil rights and also children martyred in the struggles of the 1960s. The photo was taken by Cindy Spangler, of Westminster.

First Presbyterian Church, Knoxville

The Presbyterian Campus Ministry and First Presbyterian Church, Knoxville will be holding the annual Chili Cook Off to raise money for the campus ministry on February 11th at 5:30pm at First Presbyterian Church, 620 State St.  Please let us know if you'd like to attend or if you'd be willing to make and donate chili.  You can call or email the campus ministry at 865-394-9242 or email us at pcutk@utk.edu.  

 

Presbyterian Campus Ministry

  

The Presbyterian Campus Ministry is looking for people who would be willing to serve as mentors to some of our students.  We hope to partner students with adults currently working in the student's desired profession.  The purpose of the mentorship is to help students discern their calling and connect them to the larger Church.  Email us at pcutk@utk.edu if you are interested. 

New Hope Chattanooga Celebrates 40 Years!

  

In January of 1974, six families in Chattanooga started meeting in homes on Wednesday evenings to establish a new Presbyterian Church with the help of The Rev. Willard Peak. By October of that same year, they had called a pastor, The Rev. William Warlick, and began meeting in the home Presbytery purchased for his use. New Hope Presbyterian Church was officially organized on February 23, 1975, with 35 charter members and Rev. Warlick was officially installed as Pastor on April 13, 1975. Our church family continued to grow, property was purchased and groundbreaking for the church building was held on June 18, 1978.

             

As we reflect on the past forty years, we have much to remember and celebrate and much to look forward to as we continue our journey in God's service. We cherish our pastors that were wonderful, loving shepherds of our flock: The Rev. Bill Warlick who served until 1984; the Rev. Dr. Art Jones, Jr., who served from July 1985 until April 2006; Commissioned Lay Pastor Diane Stocker who served as interim pastor from July 2006 - Dec. 2007; the Rev. Keith Jones who served from January 1, 2008, through June 2014; and now our interim pastor, The Rev. Frank Jump.

             

We invite our friends throughout the Presbytery to join us on Sunday, February 22, 2015, as we celebrate our 40th Anniversary with the theme "Continue the Journey." We will have a special worship service followed by a lunch and program that will include a video featuring our charter members and their memories of the life of this vibrant church family. We hope that you will join us in our celebration!

 

 

Canon David Porter, the Archbishop of Canterbury's director for reconciliation, will be the guest speaker for Maryville College's 2015 February Meetings, scheduled for Feb. 24. He will provide two lectures centered on the 2015 February Meetings' theme, "Dancing at the Crossroads - Transforming Conflict and Building Peace in Church and Society."

 

On Feb. 24 at 1 p.m., Porter will deliver an address titled "On the Far Side of Revenge: Hope for Peace in a Divided World," and at 7 p.m., he will speak on the main theme. Both events, which are free and open to the public, will take place in the Alumni Gym on the Maryville College campus.  Event poster 

 

In the words of President Harry S. Truman,"Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude. America will never forget their sacrifices."

 

The exhibit, "Faith and Courage", recognizes the contributions of a special group of veterans whose story is rarely told, U.S. Military Chaplains. Chaplains' dedicated service to those who go into harm's way for our country, their humble self-sacrifice, and their common, but little-known acts of heroism, exemplify personal values, traits, and traditions that are of unquestionable benefit to any society. This exhibit honors these exceptional individuals and attempts to extend the value of their service and sacrifice by keeping their memories alive as an example for later generations.

 

This presentation of Chaplain stories includes text and photographs from World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. Much of the information was collected with the help of the Army Chaplain Museum and the Navy Chaplain Archives.

 

This exhibit will be on display the entire month of February at Shannondale Presbyterian Church, 4600 Tazewell Pike and is free to the public. Hours are Sunday afternoons until 3:00p.m.; each Monday, Wednesday and Friday 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.; other hours by appointment. Please call Pastor Don Grady at 865-654-8299 for more information or to arrange another viewing time.

 

Additional exhibit information
Visit Shannondale's Facebook Page and Faithstreet listing


237 Reagan Drive, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
(865) 436-5592
email: gatlinburgpres@att.net
website: gatlinburgpresbyterianchurch.org

Conveniently located in beautiful downtown Gatlinburg just two blocks from the Gatlinburg Convention Center, the Gatlinburg Presbyterian Retreat Center is ideal for Christian youth groups, choir groups, and men and women's retreats. Dorms for men and women, great room for TV and games, and dining hall/kitchen available. 

As a church in the gateway city of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park,
we seek to be a church for those living here and for the many visitors to our city who come to enjoy the beauty of God's creation by providing facilities for religious services and retreats. We seek to minister to other like-minded Christians in the local, national, and international community. We seek to use our time, talents, and resources to assure that all who visit our church, worship with us on Sundays, or stay at our facilities will grow closer to Christ our Savior.  Retreat Center brochure

The National Association of Presbyterian Clergywomen will gather for its Triennium

April 16-19 at

Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center of Little Rock, Ark. The theme for the event is "God Moves - Be Still." Stephany Graham, a pastor at Peekskill Presbyterian Church in Peekskill, N.Y., will be the keynote speaker and Adele Crawford, pastor at Valley Presbyterian Church in Brookfield, Conn., will lead worship. Crawford came to the ministry after a 15-year career as a professional singer. Details about the event can be found at the NAPC website.

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.