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Dogwood Blossoms

Presbytery of East Tennessee E-Newsletter
January  2016  
In This Issue
Quick Links
  Websites
Presbytery of East Tennessee  

PC(USA) 
 

Synod of Living Waters
Presbytery Staff
Judd Shaw
General Presbyter
865-688-5581 ext. 103

James McTyre
Stated Clerk
865-688-5581 ext. 104
 
Bri Payne
Executive Director, John Knox Center
865-376-2236

Dana Hendrix
Office Manager
865-688-5581 ext. 101



Office Mailing Address
P.O. Box 31625
Knoxville, TN 37930-1625

Office Fax
865-689-3364

Office Hours
8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday - Friday
Join Our Mailing List
2016 Presbytery Meetings
Mark Your Calendars!

The next Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of East Tennessee
 
Saturday, February 20
Farragut Presbyterian Church
209 Jamestowne Blvd.,Farragut, TN

Registration and Fellowship at 9:30 a.m.
Meeting begins at 10:00 a.m.

Future meetings in 2016
Tuesday, May 17 - John Knox Center, Ten Mile, TN 
Saturday, August 20 - Rivermont, Chattanooga, TN 
Tuesday, November 1 - Lake Hills, Knoxville, TN 

PET Budget Discussion
Sunday, January 10
3:00 p.m.
Mars Hill Presbyterian Church
205 North Jackson St., Athens, TN

The Finance & Stewardship Committee of the Presbytery invites all interested parties, especially church session members, to attend this gathering to discuss the PET budget and priorities for 2016 and beyond.

Invitation from Finance & Stewardship and budget projections analysis
Presbytery Communications
Email issues with TDS, Comcast, and Charter resolved

In December, we discovered that the Presbytery's emails (those coming from addresses ending in @presbyteryeasttn.org) were being blocked from customers with TDS, Comcast, and Charter.  If your email is routed through one of these companies, you may not have received some emails from the Presbytery office, including the December issue of the E-Newsletter.  You can view that issue, and other past issues of the newsletter, in our archive located at the bottom of our website home page:www.presbyteryeasttn.org

Have you changed our mailing address?


Some months ago, the Presbytery office mailing address changed to:

Presbytery of East Tennessee
P.O. Box 31625
Knoxville, TN 37930-1625

We continue to receive a few things forwarded from our old address.  Please check to make sure you use our new address for any regular mail, including church financial contributions to our shared mission and ministry. This may require changing our address in the computer program used by the church to generate checks.
John Knox Center News
It's almost here!
Sewing on the River 2016
January 25-29
 
Retreat Cost:
$150  Monday - Wednesday 
$195  Monday - Thursday
$235  Monday - Friday
 
Now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over, it is time for some rest and relaxation. Join us at John Knox Center for three, four, or five days of Sewing on the River.  Come and enjoy fellowship around a sewing machine and good conversations around delicious food. The schedule for this retreat is wide open. Come and enjoy the beauty of John Knox and set your own schedule of sewing and chatting.
 
To register for this event, please visit our website, www.johnknoxcenter.org, or call our office at 865-376-2236.
 
We look forward to seeing everyone this January.
 
Have your next retreat at John Knox Center

Is your church, scout troop, or club looking for a place for your 2016 retreat? Let John Knox Center host your event!  We provide meeting space, overnight accommodations, and day programming for groups of various sizes, along with delicious food service for most any occasion. 


Let us help you add some fun to your event by scheduling time on our ropes course, nature center, waterfront and other programming options.  Whatever the  occasion, a visit to John Knox Center provides a natural setting for people to get away from the distractions of everyday life and experience a time of rest and fellowship. 

Call our office at 865-376-2236 or email us at [email protected] to learn more and to book your event.
Peacemaking Committee News
March with us, your brother & sister Presbyterians,
in Knoxville's Martin Luther King Parade,
Monday, January 18 2016!*

Meet either at First Presbyterian Church, 620 State
St., by 9:15 a.m., & ride together in that congregation's and/or Fountain City Church's van to our
rendezvous point.

Or go directly to Tabernacle Baptist Church parking
lot, 2137 MLK Jr. Ave., by 9:30.  Just look for the "Presbyterians for Peace and Justice" sign. Step-off is at 10.

Youth, children, toddlers & babies (with parents), WELCOME!
  A GREAT way on this school holiday to attack those pounds gained between Thanksgiving & New Year's. Parade route mainly level, easy!

*For the past two years the youth of Westminster Church, Knoxville, have
especially turned out in force, and largely carried our banner!
Presbytery Educators
Presbytery Educators Gathering - Feb. 2
 
Our next Presbytery Educator Gathering (PEG) is at Maryville College, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 11:45am-1:45pm, which includes a buffet lunch, resource sharing from APCE workshops, and Chapel with students and faculty.  Please mark your calendars and plan to bring a colleague or committee person.  for more information, contact Mark Lampley, [email protected]


Saturday, March 5
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
First Presbyterian Church
620 State St., 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, [email protected] , 865-686-5214 or 803-230-4473.

Information and registration

You may register with Sheri via her email or you may send registrations to: Sheri Pender, 535 Locust St, #303, Knoxville, TN 37902.
Equip Mission Team News
New partnership with Maryville College to serve youth in our Presbytery

We are excited to tell you all about a grant Maryville College has received from the Lilly Foundation.  In partnership with our PET Youth Council, Maryville College will provide staff support to serve the youth of our presbytery! What a creative way to nurture our growing youth, and future Presbyterian leadership!! Here is the exciting "official" press release.

The Lilly grant of $433,152 will establish the Maryville College Adventures in Studying Theology (MAST) program, which aims to cultivate youth leaders for the church and world by helping them discover and embrace the traditions of Christian faith, put their faith into practice, and explore - through the lenses of Bible study and theology - important questions of our time. The MAST program has a number of components, with the College's weeklong summer youth theology program, Horizons, as its centerpiece. 
 
The grant is part of Lilly Endowment Inc.'s High School Youth Theology Institutes initiative, which seeks to encourage young people to explore theological traditions, ask questions about the moral dimensions of contemporary issues and examine how their faith calls them to lives of service.

Search for MAST program administrator for Maryville College
Maryville College Maryville College is seeking a qualified person to administrate their new MAST (Maryville College Adventure in Studying Theology) Program. This position is full-time and includes benefits. We are trying to spread the word about this new Maryville College position which will straddle the world of youth ministry and program organization/planning.  Excellent candidates can apply by following this link on the Maryville College website: http://maryvillecollege.edu/about/inside/employment/99/ .
Youth Events in the Presbytery
Youth Summit 2016
And other questions we ask Jesus
February 26-28
Gatlinburg, TN

Youth Summit is a youth retreat for 8th-12th graders held at the Glenstone Lodge in Gatlinburg, TN. We gather for a wonderful time of fun and fellowship. The keynote speaker this year is Rev. Derek Macleod, Myers Park Pres, Charlotte, NC. He will be guiding the youth through the many questions we ask Jesus. Jason Graffis will lead the worship music. There will be big group games, small group discussions, music, and time to explore Gatlinburg!

Youth Summit flyer
Leader letter
Leader form
Registration form

Register by January 14th (postmarked): $125/ person
Register by January 22nd (postmarked); $140/ person

Contact Becca Hunley (PET Youth Committee Member) with any questions.
[email protected] or (865) 659-4064

Presbyterian Youth Triennium 2016
July 19-23 at Purdue University

The Presbyterian Youth Triennium is a five day event for high school age youth (entering freshmen through graduated seniors) and accompanying adult youth leaders.  The Triennium is focused on equipping young people to be transformational Christian leaders and seeks to join the home churches of the attendees to help call young people into deeper discipleship in Jesus Christ.  The Youth Triennium is a high energy, biblically infused and focused, youth friendly conference.

2016 Youth Triennium - PET delegation information
2016 Youth Triennium info sheet

For information about the delegation from the Presbytery of East Tennessee, contact Keli Shipley, [email protected] / 423.544.9551
Presbyterian Campus Ministry
UKirk at UT-Knoxville  
The students of UKirk-UTK hope you had
a merry Christmas, filled with joy and love. 
 
UKirk students enjoyed a week of "Exambreakers" to relieve the stress of exams of final exams. From jumping on trampolines and Jump Jam to winning first place at group trivia at Blackhorse, it was a wonderful week in which the UKirk ministry at UTK was able to serve as an oasis in the midst of a stressful time. We thank you for your generous support and prayers. 
 
UKirk and Second Presbyterian Church in Knoxville will join together from February 14 - March 6th. The young adults and college students from Second will be joined by UKirk students after worship for lunch and a Bible study series that will center on living with a Christian faith lens. For more information, contact Andy at [email protected]  
 
If your congregation would like Andy Morgan, UKirk's campus minister, to lead worship, teach Sunday School, or preach, please contact him at [email protected].
2016 General Assembly
GA 222 in Portland OR
June 18-25, 2016

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) will hold its biennial meeting in Portland, Oregon this coming June.  Here is a link to all the information available about this important gathering in the life of our denomination.

General Assembly website

You will find information on the proposed docket for the GA, as well as a link to  PC-Biz, where you can find information about overtures and committees of the General Assembly, and follow the business of the GA in real time using SessionSync.

The Presbytery of East Tennessee has elected the following individuals to attend this year's GA:

Teaching Elders: Ann Myers (validated ministry with Dept. of Correction) and Max Reddick (pastor, Fountain City Presbyterian Church)
Ruling Elders: Kenneth Kim (Korean, Knoxville) and Mary Boyd (Westminster)
Young Adult Advisory Delegate: Malerie Lazar (New Providence)
Climate & Energy Stewardship
Reducing your carbon footprint


Carbon footprint - a term you may have heard of in relation to humanity's impact on the earth's climate and environment. It is a measure of greenhouse gas emissions (primarily carbon dioxide) released into the atmosphere that result from human activities. We all contribute to carbon emissions in our daily lives - driving cars, heating or cooling our homes, turning on the lights.

So we all contribute to the global carbon footprint, but the idea is to minimize that footprint in order to minimize the damage we do to the earth. The Climate and Energy Stewardship Team will be exploring ways in coming months for churches and individuals in our presbytery to reduce their carbon footprint. The PC(USA) Investment and Loan Program (PILP) has taken the step of offering the "Restoring Creation Loan" program to help churches do just that, providing funds geared toward energy conservation and reduction of fossil fuel use. You will be hearing more about the topic of carbon footprint, how to measure it, and how to reduce it in the near future. Or feel free to email us at [email protected] to start the conversation about restoring God's creation in 2016.
News and Events Around the Presbytery
Interfaith gathering promotes understanding

Imam Rafig Mahdi of the Muslim Community of Knoxville speaks during a service bringing people of various faiths to pray for peace.
Photo by Wade Payne.
People of all faiths came together to pray for peace, to meet, greet and socialize with each other as neighbors at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on Monday, December 21. As Christians, Muslims, Jews, and people of conscience of all beliefs we rallied together to stand against religious terrorism, oppose reactive religious bigotry and appreciate religious freedom. The program began with an offering of prayers and words from many different faiths, including Rev. Chris Buice of TVUUC,
Imam Rafiq Mahdi of the Muslim Community of Knoxville, Deborah Oleshansky of the Knoxville Jewish Alliance, Rev. Dr. Buran Phillips of Westminster Presbyterian Church, and Rev. John Gill of Church of the Savior. A time for dialogue with one another followed the prayer service.
 
The event was co-sponsored by Women's Interfaith Peace Initiative,TVUUC, Church of the Savior, and Westminster Presbyterian Church.

Link to WBIR video and article 

GeekWorks, a new worshiping community in PET

GeekWorks, a new worshiping community in the Presbytery of East Tennessee, has received a grant from the 1001 Worshiping Communities initiative of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).  Here is a link to an article featuring GeekWorks among several innovative projects that received $7,500 seed grants.  The ministry describes itself as a ministry "that embraces people for who they are and for their nerd and varied interests."  GeekWorks is led by the Rev. Jonathan Warren, pastor of Powell Presbyterian Church.

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, [email protected].