Help with Fellowship Time

The Fellowship Committee is looking for volunteers to provide snacks after the church service the first Sunday of every month. If you can provide snacks for September 4th, October 2nd, November 6th, or December 4th please contact Stacy Nordquist, Kathy White, or Carole Schenk. Thank you!

Adult Sunday School Class: Christmas Carols and Hymns

Church member Kim Chaney-Bay will lead an Adult Sunday school class this fall centered around advent hymns. Christmas Carols and Hymns will begin on September 18 in the Burchfield House parlor. It will take place alternate Sundays through December 11. We’ll start at 9:00 am and end by 9:50; please feel free to come early for coffee and juice.

Each Sunday we will focus on one carol or hymn. We’ll learn about the story/history behind the song’s development, gain insights into the people who wrote the lyrics and music, and consider how the song relates to our own faith.

If you would like to attend the first class on Sunday, September 18th, please let Kim or Pastor Matthew know. 

Happy Highlanders September Meeting

Happy Highlanders will meet on September 20, 11:30 in the Fellowship Hall. We will be honoring Joann Booker with a pot luck lunch. We will also have story teller and retired pastor Jean Davidson as our guest. 

The  lunch is at 11:30 am. Please bring a dish to share  (beverages and dessert are provided). After lunch, weather permitting , we will move outside to the pavilion for story telling. While inside, please wear a mask, per Jean's request.

Please join us! Everyone is welcomed.

Sustainability Committee Resources

With the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Sustainability Committee wanted to share more details about the tax credits for energy saving home improvements and purchasing electric vehicles. There's a lot of information to sift through, so here are a few resources to help you begin. Click the links below to learn more. 

The Electric Explainer

Inflation Reduction Act: Tax Credits for Homeowners

How to decarbonize your home, with help from the Inflation Reduction Act

Plug-In Electric Drive Vehicle Credit (IRC 30D)

Here's How to Take Advantage of the New Federal EV Tax Credits

Celebrating Joann Booker September 25th

We will celebrate Joann’s time with Highland on Sunday, September 25^th with a cake celebration following worship. Please plan to stick around that day so we can share our love and appreciation of her. 

We would love to put together a gift basket of gloves, scarfs and warm socks as Joann prepares to move to DC where the winters are a little colder than hear. Bring any items to church and give to Pastor Matthew and we will send Joann off warmly and with a lot of love. 

It's a baby girl for our Communications Manager

Tabitha Parker, our Communications Manager, and her husband, Roland, welcomed a baby girl to the world! Baby Lola was born on August 28 and is home doing well with mom and dad.

Tabby will be on parental leave the next 8 weeks. During that time, please send all weekly announcements that you would like to include in the Highland Happening or on our website to Pastor Matthew or William in the office. Please join us in praying for a safe and speedy delivery for mom and baby!

Fall Book Study Wait, Is This Racist?

Sept. 13 to Nov. 16

Join Pastor Matthew this fall as we read through the book Wait, Is this Racist? as we continue our engagement in being a Matthew 25 congregation and working on dismantling structural racism.

This study will have two meeting times- Tuesday nights at 7:00 pm on Zoom and Wednesday mornings at 10:00 am in the parlor. This study will start the week of September 5. 

Read an expert of the book here 

RSVP to Pastor Matthew. Book and the study packet are $20. 

M.A.Y. September Event 

Sunday, September 18th 

The youth of Highland are invited to Farragut Pres for a game night and dinner. We will carpool up there so RSVP to Pastor Matthew if your child would like to go. 

Handbells are Back

Recently new church member, Kerry Remp, has cleaned and tuned our collection of hand bells and we are looking for church members who would like to be a part of a bell choir for performances during worship. Whether you have played for years or never played at all, there is room for all! 

If you are interested, please contact Jussara at [email protected] or Kerry at [email protected]

Presbyterian Women in the

Presbytery of

East Tennessee (PWPET)

FALL SPIRITUAL RETREAT

OCTOBER 8, 2022

Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of East Tennessee (PWPET) will hold their annual Fall Spiritual Retreat on October 8, 2022, at the John Knox Center in Ten Mile, TN. Check-in begins at 9:30 am for a 10:00 am start. Longtime mission co-worker and Mission Haven partner Nancy Dimmock will be the guest speaker. The cost to attend is $10.00, which includes lunch. You may register by contacting Diane Brown by Friday, September 16.  The $10 fee is due at the time of registration.

The John Knox Center is the Mission Project for the Fall Retreat. At the Retreat, we will gather permanent markers, dish soap, paper towels and Sonic gift cards to donate to the JKC.  Monetary donations may be made through the Center’s website.

PWPET has a presbytery-wide newsletter, which can be viewed here:  

PWPET also has a page on our Presbytery’s website.  See it here.  

PW BIBLE STUDY for 2022-2023

“Celebrating Sabbath”

Highland’s Presbyterian Women’s Circle is hosting the new PW Bible study for 2022-2023, “Celebrating Sabbath”.  We will meet to discuss Lesson 2, “Sabbath and Creation” on Thursday, October 6, 2022 at 1:30 pm in the church parlor. The Lesson 2 is based on Genesis 1:1 – 2:3.

Rosalind Banbury’s overview of the new study can be seen online at this link. 

If you are interested in the new study and still need a study guide, you may order one here. 

or call 800-533-4371, Monday – Friday, 10am – 5pm. 

Guides are $10.00 each (large print is $15.00) plus shipping. Allow up to 2 weeks to receive your guide via USPS.

We hope you will join us for study this year!

Questions? Contact Diane Brown, Circle Moderator, at [email protected]

“…Sabbath reminds us to honor God who honors us by giving us a day each week to reset our pace, our priorities, and our lives.”

Good Neighbors Fundraiser

FORE Our Neighbors Inaugural Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, October 3rd, 2022. 8:30 am "Shot gun" start (7:15 am registration) at Egwani Farms Golf Course. Cash Prizes for 1st and 2nd place teams! $5000 Hole-in-One cash prize! Prizes for Closest to the Pin and Longest Drive! $100 per player to register, lunch included. Teams of 4. Sponsorship opportunities available. Good Neighbors' mission is to empower, educate, and partner with our neighbors to improve the quality of life in Blount County. Learn more at Good Neighbors website. 

Questions? [email protected]

PCUSA Special Offering 

Peace and Global Witness

Sunday, October 2nd 

On Sunday, October 2^nd we will collect the next PCUSA Special Offering, the Peace and Global Witness Offering. We will hear a minute for mission every Sunday between now and then to share stories of how this offering has impacted the life of those around the world. 

A gift to the Peace & Global Witness Offering enables the church to promote the Peace of Christ by addressing systems of conflict and injustice across the world. Individual congregations are encouraged to utilize up to 25% of this Offering to connect with the global witness of Christ's peace. Mid councils retain an additional 25% for ministries of peace and reconciliation. The remaining 50% is used by the Presbyterian Mission Agency to advocate for peace and justice in cultures of violence, including our own, through collaborative projects of education and Christian witness.