Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church is a congregation that 

values a diversity of belief. Whether you're full of faith or full of doubt, 

you'll find people who have been there and accept you for where you are.

We welcome all people to worship, pray, eat, seek spiritual answers,

and enjoy life within this community of faith. All are welcome!

As we enter into the month of May, CHPC is giving a special shout-out to specific ministries within the church, and the hardworking volunteers who help to make it all happen. These selfless individuals are often active in the background, but make such a significant contribution to the greater work that is happening within the life of our church family. To kick off the month, this week we shine a spotlight on our Children's Ministry!

God has been moving and shaking within the CHPC Children's Ministry! We are blessed with a wonderful crowd of fun-loving children. They have kind hearts, curious spirits, good souls, and sharp minds! They truly are a terrific and bright group of young people, who are curious about our shared beliefs and enthusiastic to grow in their faith as we all learn more about the Lord our God!

To keep up with the growth of this ministry, and in order to best meet the needs of all of our kids, we have been splitting the Children's Church gatherings during worship into two classes on Sunday mornings. Elementary or grade-school aged children come together in one class, and then our Pre-K and kindergarteners gather in another class. This is our intentional attempt to meet our children where they are, by accommodating for each child's needs according to their ages and stages of development. Doing that has already been incredibly fruitful and we are excited to see how God continues to enrich their faith by this change. A special shout out to Terry Booth, Karen Dale, and Amylyn Crawford for being the first volunteers to step in and serve while we make this adjustment! As we continue this important work, additional volunteers are needed to help make this two class room model happen. Each room needs two adults to care for these beloved children of God. If you are interested in partnering in ministry to care for our children, please get in touch with Tyler Paulsen.

Special thanks to our friend Dr. Ted Hagen II for leading worship this weekend while part of the congregation is at the churchwide retreat! Ted is a child of our church family, having participated in the youth group and Scout Troop 48. He is a graduate of Dobyns-Bennett High School and ETSU. He received his D. Min from Union Presbyterian Seminary and his Ph.D in Counseling Psychology from the University of Georgia. Ted was ordained to the Ministry of the Word and Sacrament in 1974 and served pastorates in South Carolina and Georgia before returning to the area as the Counseling Minister of First Broad Street United Methodist Church in 1987. He served as Pastor of Preston Hills Presbyterian Church from 1997 to 2004. He and his first wife, Marcy (deceased in 2020) had one child, Dr. Maggie Gainey, who is a psychologist and medical residency faculty member in Spartanburg, SC. He is married to Lucie whose adult children, Linsey Zalecki and Adam deNobriga, live in Charlotte, NC. Lucie and Ted have 8 grandchildren—all on the other side of the mountain from here. 

We are excited to welcome Ted back home to share the Good News with our church family on this retreat weekend! Please speak with him in the Narthex after service and thank him for helping us see how God can "restore and renew" us all!

Sunday's Scripture:

Isaiah 40:28-33, NRSV

Revelation 21:1-7, NRSV

John 21:1-19, NRSV

Sermon Title:

"Life Goes On..."

Wish to worship with us again or during the week?

Click Here to view last week's worship service.

The Church Wide Retreat is finally upon us! For those of our congregation who cannot make it on this trip, we ask that you would keep our group in prayers as they travel to Banner Elk. Pray this weekend is a collective time of fun, fellowship, and rest for those in North Carolina, just as we will be praying for our friends who remain in Colonial Heights to make a joyful noise on Sunday morning. No matter where we might be, we trust that God is at work finding ways to "Restore and Renew" us all through our shared faith in the Risen Christ. We'll see y'all on the live-stream and can't wait to wave right back to you!

We are halfway through our Wednesday Night Simple Suppers and they have been going great! Thanks to all who have come out and enjoyed these intergenerational nights of fellowship and fun. There are two more weeks for our casual gatherings until May 14 and it's never too late to jump in! Our theme is "Practice Joy" and our focus is on how we as the beloved community of Christ-followers may rejoice in the good work God is doing in and through our lives.

Supper kicks off at 5:30 pm in the gym before various programs begin at 6:00 pm. Children, youth, and adults all enjoy their own bible studies while others simply catch up while cleaning up after dinner. All are welcome, so please invite your friends to come as we study this most important aspect of the Christian life: joy!

Condolences are offered to the family of Ed Dempsey who passed away on Monday, April 28. Ed was a long time member of our church family before relocating to Simpsonville, South Carolina to be closer to family. A graveside service will be held here in Kingsport at 1:00 pm on Friday, May 2 at Oak Hill Memorial Park. Please keep Linda, their children, and all their family in your prayers for the days ahead.

Sunday School Classes  take a sabbath break this Sunday due to the churchwide retreat and resume next week on May 11. Both classes meet after worship at 11:15 am. The Disciples Class meets in room 218 and the Remnant Class meets in room 221. Please Speak with David to learn more about how you can participate in these lively discussions.

The Youth Group will not meet this Sunday evening due to the Church Wide Retreat. Youth Bible Study will resume next Sunday, on May 11 from 5-6:30 pm.

And don't forget to save the date for a special Youth Sunday on May 25 as our youth group leads us in worship! Please plan to attend in person if possible to support this great group of young people and to participate in a congregational photo.

The Wednesday Afternoon Bible Study takes a sabbatical for a few weeks to participate in the ongoing Simple Suppers gathering through May 14. It will resume on May 21 at 3:00 pm in the parlor. Please contact Lisa Pecorini if you would like to know more.

Please be advised that have been different phishing emails going around involving individuals pretending to be a church member asking for gifts cards. While CHPC is a caring, generous, and faithful congregation, there is never a time when someone from our church would need gifts cards in this manner. Please do not respond to these scams and remember to contact the church office directly if you ever have a question about church ministry needs.

 The Women's Ministry heads to Montreat later this year for the annual Women's Connection Conference from August 8-10. The cost is $247.00 and our friends at First Presbyterian Church Kingsport graciously allow us to stay free with them for the weekend. You must register online (do so as a commuter, we do not need rooms) and then please let Lisa Pecorini know that you have registered to go. Learn more about this great event here from Montreat's website and register here. It's going to be a wonderful weekend of fellowship and worship!  

All items for the weekly online newsletter should be emailed to Mary at office@chpres.org by the end of the day on Tuesdays.

Prayer Requests 

Emily Bowman, Joyce Callahan, Ramona Gothard, Barbara Holt,

Beverly Shelton, Boyd Holder, Bethany Thompson, Bonnie Cole,

Julius Maikis, Charles Gibson, Jonathan and Brenda Hutchins,

Tina Whiteaker (Teresa Stricker's sister), Family of Donna Whitson,

Family of Carolyn Sade (Bill Sade's sister), Family of Robert Bailey (Anne Webb's Father), Family of Dorothy Rowland, Robert Blessing (Patti Garrett's father), Callie Vance (Vanettee Vance's grand-daughter), Family of Elaine Sargent (David's grandmother), Family of Ed Dempsey

Health Care/ Assisted Living Facilities

Sue Fortney, Charles and Linda Gibson, Wayne & Millie Pruett