Presbyter's Ponderings

Greetings in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,

Yesterday I had the privilege of gathering with members of PET at Lancing Presbyterian Church for the commissioning of Commissioned Pastor, Cathy Goodman. Cathy is the third of the recent CLP course graduates to be commissioned to pastoral service. The worship service was joyful with beautiful music, wonderful preaching, and a true sense of our connection to one another. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Later this week the August Presbytery meeting packet will be available. The meeting is August 9th at Farragut Presbyterian Church. Keenan Rogers, our BOP rep, will be with us as well as Erin Skinner, our Presbyterian Foundation representative. Keean Rogers is also hosting a lunch and learn on Thursday, August 7th to talk about benefits and answer questions. Please plan to join us that day. He will also host a lunch on August 8th for retired members. If you are a retired member but did not get an invitation, please let Jaclyn know and she will make sure you receive one.  Mark your calendar for the presbytery meeting as well as the lunches with Keenan Rogers.

If you, like me, often find yourselves struggling to know how to respond to each morning’s news of more deaths, more violence, more weather related tragedies, more de-humanizing behavior, more division, more of everything it seems except hope, then maybe, you, like me, will find this prayer a balm for your soul and a call to hope. This prayer was written by Dr. Walter Brueggemann for the opening of a class on Oct 29, 2001. It is included in the book, Awed to Heaven, Rooted to Earth: Prayers of Walter Brueggemann, edited by Edwin Searcy.

Ours is a Seduced World

God of all truth, we give thanks for your faithful utterance of reality.

In your truthfulness, you have called the world “very good.”

In your truthfulness, you have promised,

“I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

In your truthfulness, you have assured,

“This is my beloved Son.”

In your truthfulness, you have voiced, “Fear not, I am with you.”

In your truthfulness, you have guaranteed that 

“Nothing shall separate us from your love in Jesus Christ.”

It is by your truthfulness that we love.

And yet, we live in a world phone down deep, 

in which we participate at a slant.

Ours is a seduced world, 

where we call evil good and good evil,

where we put darkness for light and light for darkness,

where we call bitter sweet and sweet bitter (Isa. 5:20),

where we call war peace and peace war,

so that we rarely see the truth of the matter.

Give us courage to depart the pretend world of euphemisms,

to call things by their right name,

to use things for the right use,

to love our neighbors as you love us.

Overwhelm our fearful need to distort,

that we may fall back into your truth-telling about us,

that we may be tellers of truth and practitioners of truth. 

We pray in the name of the One whom you have filled

with “grace and truth.” Amen. 

Grace and peace,

Wendy

https://calendly.com/wendyneff

Around the Presbytery

Lunch and Learn

Board of Pensions

Join Keenan Rodgers, Church Consultant with the Board of Pensions, for lunch and some learning on August 7th at Mars Hill Presbyterian Church! At this lunch & learn, he’ll talk about the medical coverage landscape, spotlight the new partnership with Spring Health for mental/emotional health, and discuss how the benefits and programs the Board of Pensions offers weave together to support Benefits Plan members.

*This Lunch and Learn is for active pastors and benefits decision makers.

Keenan is hosting a lunch for our Retired Ministers and Survivors on Friday, June 8th at Mimi's Cafe in Turkey Creek. Be on the look out for an invitation soon!

Save the Date: PET Meeting

Save the New Date!

Campus Ministry

UKirk UT Knoxville

Practical Resources for Churches

Another resource free to you and your congregation is Practical Resources for Churches. The presbytery has recently purchased a subscription for everyone. There are resources for leadership training, writing policies, using technology, finance and stewardship, the liturgical seasons and so much more.

Theocademy is an example of some of the Leadership Training that they offer.

This website has faith formation materials for Presbyterians including high quality video series and study guides. There is curriculum for New Member classes, and training programs for Ruling Elders and Deacons, and Confirmation.

Go to the PRC website and click on any webinar that you would like to view, fill out the Zoom form with the name of your Presbytery of East Tennessee church and you're all set! When using the Theocademy trainings don't miss the downloadable guides that accompany the videos!

PC(USA) News and Events

Font & Faith Summits

Partner with the Center for Excellence in Christian Education in nurturing faith in children and families through worship and prayer. Pastors, educators, families, and congregational leaders are invited to join in the Font & Faith journey. Fall 2025 Summit and Intergenerational Family Day application deadlines are approaching. 

Learn more and apply on our website.

College and Young Adult Sunday

A message from the Office of Christian Formation

Take note that August 3rd is College and Young Adult Sunday on the PC(USA) Planning Calendar. Make plans to lift up the collage students and other young adults in your faith community. You can find worship liturgy, commissioning, and programming ideas at www.pcusa.org/collegesunday. You can also find ways to connect college students to UKirk Collegiate ministries across the country.

Ordination Anniversaries

July Ordination Anniversaries



Rev. Thomas Gilliland, July 1, 45 years

Rev. Gradye Parsons, July 1, 46 years

Rev. Charles Farmer, July 1, 46 years

Rev. Dr. William Carl, July 1, 52 years

Rev. Dr. James McTyre, July 7, 34 years

Rev. Max Reddick, July 11, 32 years

Rev. Samantha Hudson, July 12, 13 years

Rev. Sharon Younds, July 12, 38 years

Rev. Dennis Maxey, July 17, 48 years

Rev. George Preston, July 17, 58 years

Rev. Dwyn Mounger, July 18, 60 years

Rev. Candace Worth, July 22, 24 years

Rev. Lyn Oakley, July 23, 2 years

Rev. Jerome Ferrari, July 23, 36 years

Rev. Ron Sabo, July 25, 26 years

Rev. Mark Lampley, July 27, 28 years

Rev. Wyn Bryant, July 27, 45 years

Rev. John Stuhl, July 29, 46 years

Rev. Jon Faraone, July 31, 37 years

Resources for Congregations

The PET website has many resources to help our congregations.

Check it out at www.presbyteryeasttn.org.

If you need to find someone to preach and lead worship, here’s the link to the pulpit supply list: https://www.presbyteryeasttn.org/wp-content/uploads/Pulpit-Supply-Directory.pdf

Want to learn more about the Commissioned Lay Pastor program, click here: https://www.presbyteryeasttn.org/clp/.

Looking for a login to access the great Christian Education resources on Amplify? Fill out this form: https://www.presbyteryeasttn.org/amplify-request/

You can find all of this information and much more at the PET website under the resources tab. Check it out!

All articles must be submitted by Wednesday of the week prior to publication. Repeat publication of articles is at the discretion of the editor. Send your submissions to office@presbyteryeasttn.org.

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