The Church Bell
Vol. 6, No. 5
July 2022
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July 3rd red, white and blue picnic lunch |
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On Sunday, July 3rd, our church family will gather for an early celebration of Independence Day!
Following our 11 o'clock Sunday service, we will hold a Red, White and Blue picnic lunch in the parish hall.
We invite you to bring a favorite side dish or sweet and share in a good meal and fellowship.
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We have a new banner on the way! |
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We are very pleased to report that our new processional banner has been ordered!
We appreciate all of the support and encouragement that this project received. We are now preparing to officially recognize the 30 years of service from the St. Agnes' Altar Guild that was re-started by Kathleen and Alice Black in 1992.
The processional banner that they constructed in 1993 will be retired and placed on permanent display as soon as the new banner is dedicated.
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The parish hall is undergoing some minor cosmetic and functional enhancements this summer.
The most noticeable improvement is our freshened coffee station with new decor and improved lighting.
We also added an extra shelf and extra lighting in the kitchen plus a new backsplash above the stove.
As the summer rolls on we will make other small changes here and there. Our goal is to create a more cheerful, welcoming, and user-friendly space for classes, meetings, meals and fellowship.
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Other improvements in the works |
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Sacristy: One of our goals from the 2022 Annual Meeting is to make cosmetic and functional improvements to the Sacristy.
Long-term we plan to have the room painted and add a new sink/cabinet/countertop; however, for the moment we added two new shelves that opened up some much-needed counter space.
Vestry: The old vestry room is our primary storage space. Later in the summer we plan to find a new home for the corner desk, install new shelving, and re-organize the entire room to make everything easier to store and find.
Parish Hall: besides the kitchen improvements, we are also freshening the decor in the fellowship room and making the church library more visible.
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A closer look at church security |
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The Mission Council has taken a closer look at church security in light of troubling events across the nation in recent weeks.
The safety of the congregation is always on our mind, however, the recent shooting at a sister congregation in Alabama grabbed our attention.
Here is a quick summary of actions we have taken in recent days:
1) Designated Safety Officer - Jonathan Scott will serve as our Designated Safety Officer. Jonathan is a trained and licensed security officer who is employed with a global security company. Besides the safety of the church campus during scheduled services, Jonathan will advise us on other aspects of church safety, such as fire prevention and emergency first aid.
2) Empty commercial building next door - several members of the congregation expressed concern about the empty commercial building next door to St. Agnes'. In light of these concerns, we added a padlock to the unlocked door on the building and installed a solar-powered security lamp.
3) Empty lot behind the parish hall - we added an additional security light behind the parish hall and will soon remove excess vegetation to make the area more visible from the street. We also purchased paint and completely repainted the brick wall to improve its appearance and to cover up some graffiti.
4) Crawl space under the Nave - while looking over the property we found the crawl space to be a weak spot in need of immediate attention. The space is now secured with a lock and a stronger latch. As soon as possible we will repair or replace the old security lamp on the wall above.
5) On-site first aid kit - we now have one in the parish hall! Thank you, Liam!
In the coming days we will look into other changes and enhancements. If you have ideas or feedback, please share then with Jarod, Christie, Shelia, or Brian and we will investigate further.
It's also important to note that we have a great relationship with our neighbors and with the Cowan Police Department. However, and most important of all, we trust in the Lord to be our light in these dark and troubling times.
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June was a big-impact month! |
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The month of June provided visible proof that St. Agnes' has a vibrant mission and a strong, highly-visible presence in the community!
Members of our congregation attended a local Ribbon Cutting on June 8th.
Our church family well-represented in the June 9th Faith in Action workshop hosted by Cowan Fellowship Church.
We were well-represented again at the June 14th Flag Day ceremony.
On June 19th we turned in an impressive amount of coins for the Change for Life Campaign benefiting Life-Choices Pregnancy Center.
And, at the end of the month we sent a financial gift to the Family Counseling Center.
In between these times, members of our church family were serving at Cowan Railroad Museum, Isaiah 117 House, Franklin County Historical Society, Cowan Commercial Club, and the Mosaic Center.
Indeed our church family had a big impact in the month of June. And, thanks be to God, we have a big impact the rest of the year too!
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Updates from our extended family |
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Please note the following updates and concerns from members of our extended church family:
Linda Hutton welcomed a recent visit from her brother from Oregon. This family reunion is especially joyful as the last time he visited Linda was recovering from illness. We hope they enjoyed their time together as they are normally many miles apart!
Steve Pearson had his long-awaited surgery. Bless the Lord! As of June 30th he is making plans to transition into inpatient rehab.
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Get Ahead on Recent Sermons |
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Take full advantage of our online presence, especially if you are unable to attend services in person.
Here are some of our recent Video Sermons:
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Each and every Sunday we post the day's sermon on our Facebook page and on our YouTube channel. These posts are followed by an e-mail with video links to everyone in the congregation who was unable to attend on that particular day.
You can show your support by liking and commenting whenever you see a video sermon on YouTube and/or on Facebook. The more likes and comments we receive the more our posts will be visible to the general public.
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July 5 - Greg Powers
July 9 - Pearson Garner
July 14 - Clifford Summers
July 15 - Robert McDonald
July 21 - Nancy Glenn
July 27 - Alice Black
August 7 - Liam Dervin
August 9 - Rose Pearson
August 29 - Duncan Weddington
August 31 - Pat Underwood
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"Watch over thy children, O Lord, as their days increase; bless and guide them wherever they may be. Strengthen them when they stand, comfort them when discouraged or sorrowful; raise them up if they fall; and their hearts may thy peace, which passeth understanding abide all the days of their lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
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Tom Knowles, Steve and Rose Pearson, Stephanie Jellison, Beth Rhoton, Sandi Gibson, Richard McCallie, Kathy Owens, Peyton McLaughlin, Dave Myers, Harold Black Jr., Scott James, Wynona Gibson, Steve Pearson, Dick and Mary Ann Austin, Marty Judd, Iris Ellidge, Mary McDonald, Roy Tankersley, Royana Stewart, Bill Keller, Linda Milligan, and Karen McCallie.
We pray continually for Christians around the world in grave danger.
We pray for those witnessing increasing danger and crime in different areas of the world. We pray especially for God's help and wisdom in the very troublesome situation in the The Ukraine.
We pray for God's help and wisdom in the school shooting tragedy in West Texas and the church shooting in Alabama.
We pray for those in our armed service especially Wes Nevels and Anthony Russell.
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"O God, the strength of the weak and the comfort of sufferers: Mercifully accept our prayer, and grant to your servants the help of your power, that their sicknesses may be turned into joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
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Sunday Service ....................................11:00 a.m.
Sunday School .....................................10:00 a.m.
Location/Address: 105 England Street E., PO Box 356, Cowan, TN 37318
Telephone: (931) 636-6313
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The Rt. Rev'd John C. Bauerschmidt..................Bishop of Tennessee
The Rev'd Dr. Linda Hutton.................................Supply Priest
L. Jarod Pearson.................................................Lay Reader
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