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Greetings, in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
Friends, I am so glad that we are safe and dry. I know you have joined your prayers with mine for the communities in farther East Tennessee and Western North Carolina who are struggling in the aftermath of a natural disaster. As we shared by email and social media yesterday, we are collecting water at the request of our sister churches in Holston who are without potable water right now.
You may drop off your donations of bottled water at any one of the following churches:
Fountain City Presbyterian (Monday through Friday 8am -3pm)
New Providence Presbyterian (water can be dropped off at the pavilion anytime)
Farragut Presbyterian (Monday through Thursday between 9am - 3pm or Fridays 9am - 1pm)
First Presbyterian Sweetwater (Call the church office to arrange drop off: 423-337-7284)
Rivermont Presbyterian (water can be dropped off under the covered driveway anytime)
The PET disaster response team will be coordinating delivery of collected water to First Presbyterian Church in Greenville, TN. If you are able to be a driver, please let the presbytery office know and we will give your name to the response team.
I know that Western North Carolina has requested for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance to come and help them evaluate. PDA should be there this week, and we will know more how we may help our sister churches there after that assessment.
If you would like to donate money, you may do so at https://www.presbyteryeasttn.org/donate/
Please choose the PET Disaster Response Fund option when making your donation. Please continue to pray for all these communities as they begin to clean up and plan recovery steps. Montreat roads have been damaged if not destroyed in some places, so recovery there will take some time.
In the midst of all of this tragedy, there is also much to celebrate here in the Presbytery of East Tennessee. I had the delight of joining the Emmanuel congregation on Saturday as they celebrated 125 years of ministry. The food was delicious, and the fellowship was delightful. Well done, Emmanuel! On Sunday, it was my honor to join the Shiloh congregation for worship and lunch as they celebrated 159 years of ministry. I was excited to see several Fourth United Members present as well. The worship service was wonderful and the food fantastic. Well done, Shiloh!
I may have the best job ever since at least the last two weekends, I’ve been able to join so many of you at tables filled with an array of good food. Friends, next Sunday is World Communion Sunday and the day many of our churches will receive the peace and global witness offering. In these days when peace seems to be in short supply, please give generously and seek ways to follow the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, in peacemaking ministries where you are.
Grace and peace to you all,
Wendy
https://calendly.com/wendyneff
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BOP Employer Agreement Reminder | |
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A message from the Board of Pensions
The Board of Pensions is grateful for the collaboration and support of mid council leaders as we transition to the dues structure of the 2025 Benefits Plan. As a reminder, Friday, October 4, is the last day for designated employer representatives at congregations and PC(USA) employers to log in to Benefits Connect and review their 2025 Employer Agreements.
This year’s Employer Agreement process ensures that everyone will have continuity of coverage from 2024 to 2025. Absent action by an employer representative:
- Ministers enrolled in Pastor’s Participation as of December 31, 2024, will automatically be enrolled in Transitional Pastor’s Participation for 2025.
- Staff will automatically be enrolled in their 2024 benefits for 2025.
If the congregation does not want to make changes to the benefits they offer for 2025, their Employer Agreement is complete and no further action is required. If they would like to make changes, including electing the new Congregational Pastors Package, which may be a better option depending on individual circumstances, the employer representative will need to call the Board at 800-PRESPLAN (800-773-7752) (TTY: 711), and we’ll walk them through completing their Employer Agreement.
Members enrolled in any of the Benefits Plan’s three medical options (preferred provider organization, exclusive provider organization, and high deductible health plan) will continue to access care through the Blue Cross Blue Shield national network. Deductibles and copays will remain the same for 2025.
Learn more about the Employer Agreement process.
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Small Church, Big Win Grant
from the Congregational Relations and Development Committee
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The Congregational Relations and Development Committee discerned great opportunities for financial support in the PET during the Technology Grant period of 2023. The Technology Grants were funded by a Synod Grant from the Synod of the Living Waters (and subsidized by the operational budget of the CRDT). Moving into 2024, the team did not have a fraction of the financial resources available but realized that many more needs were present in the PET. In Spring 2024, the team decided to make their operational budget available through grants to meet the ministry needs of both parish and non-parish ministries in the Presbytery. Unlike the technology grant, this grant series is not limited to technology or capital but can be any item/service/capital to meet an emerging ministry need that might be inhibited by financial need.
Grant Parameters: CRDT invites PET members to discern emerging ministry opportunities that may be hindered by financial circumstance (this can be capital, personnel/services/items/consulting/etc.). These parameters are purposefully open to allow for congregations to discern ministry paths to which they feel called by the Spirit but, due to financial constraints, may be difficult execute.
Grants will be awarded to help meet or begin to meet these ministry goals. CRDT will receive and review applications from all ministries but will prioritize ministries of less than 200 members as well as ministries who did not receive a grant in 2023. We invite all to discern and apply. The application will be available on the PET website.
Grant Amounts: Congregational Relations and Development Committee will award FOUR – $1000 grants to churches and non-parish ministries in the PET.
Questions? Please contact Rev. Dr. Andy P. Morgan, Chair of the Congregational Relations and Development Committee, amorgan@fpcknox.org
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News from John Knox Center | |
Haunted High Ropes is right around the corner October 19! Are you planning to join us? Grab your costume and let's have some fun in the trees & roast hotdogs over a fire! | |
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Friends, we are sad to share that after many MANY years in service to this ministry, our Hobart dish machine has finally given up the ghost.
YOU CAN HELP PURCHASE A NEW MACHINE!
- Guess the AGE of our Hobart or the YEAR manufactured.
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Make a donation here: https://johnknoxcenter.campbraingiving.com/
Anyone who guesses the correct year of manufacturing or the current age of the machine denoted on their donation will be sent a camp prize pack!
We know many of you grew up in the dish window. Washing dishes was your first job. Donning an apron you spent your summer in the steamy dish room spraying off dishes, running them through the Hobart, and joining camp activities after dinner. We are sad to see this era come to an end. A new unit with installation will cost over $20k. Please help us continue to create memories behind the dish window with a new machine!
*To be eligible to win, please donate on our website in ANY amount. Please put "dishwasher" or "Hobart" in the Donation Note & your guess of age or year in the box under the total of your donation. Donations will go directly to the purchase of a new machine. One guess per donation. The contest will run through 11:59pm Eastern on October 15. The Outdoor Ministries Team, staff, and select friends of camp who know the answer are not eligible to win. (You know who you are!)
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Upcoming Events around PET | |
Presbyterian Older Adult Ministry Network | |
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Join us for an opportunity to learn about POAMN’s new online resource for older adult ministry leaders launched this year. “Expressions of Older Adult Ministry” covers guiding principles for serving with older adults, a reformed theology framework, and a multitude of practical ideas you can implement in your context. Take a glimpse at the instructional videos, interviews with ministry leaders, and written materials available now. Come explore the resources, meet others who are in ministry with older adults, and ask questions. Miatta Wilson from the PCUSA Office of Christian Formation will lead this conversation and plans to have a couple of the resource contributors present too.
You must be registered to zoom in. Do this—for free—on the POAMN website.
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Presbyterian Women of PET | |
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Fall Spiritual Retreat
Saturday, October 26, 2024
9:30am – 2:30pm
John Knox Center
591 W Rockwood Ferry Rd, Ten Mile, TN 37880
Mission Focus
The Morgan-Scott Project
Register today for the Fall Spiritual Retreat for the Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of East Tennessee! It will be Saturday, Oct. 26, at the John Knox Center, 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A delicious lunch will be provided. Cost is only $12. Deadline to register is Oct. 15.
“Do Everything in Love” (I Corinthians 16:14) will be the theme of the retreat. The Rev. Lyn Oakley, pastor of Washington Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, will be keynote speaker. She will lead us in worship and share her experience at the recent United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Ms. Brenda Black, our voting delegate at the Churchwide Presbyterian Women’s Triennial Gathering, will report on her experiences at that event. Ms. Crystal Tompkins, director of the Morgan Scott Project, will bring an update on this vital mission within our Presbytery. Join us for fellowship in a lovely setting!
To register, just click here and register online. Or, if you would prefer, click here and download a registration form. You can fill it out and mail it with your check. You can register individually or in groups. To download a flyer for your circle or church bulletin, click here. Please note that you do not have to be in a church circle to come. Child Care is available if requested by October 15. If needed, Contact Ann Myers at annbmyers7115@gmail.com or call 865-591-9038.
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Let's Support Morgan Scott Project!
Please bring an offering for the Morgan-Scott Project to the Spiritual Gathering. Our gifts will go directly to people in need.
Requested items include:
- canned meats
- dry goods: beans, rice, oatmeal
- shampoo and conditioner
- deodorant for men and women
- soap/shower gel
- dish soap and laundry detergent
- toilet paper
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Monetary donations can be made with Paypal on the website: www.morganscottproject.org Use the “donate” button and note “PW Fall Retreat”; or bring cash/ checks to the retreat.
To learn more about Morgan Scott Project, watch this video. Director Crystal Tompkins will speak to us at the gathering!
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West Emory is looking forward to its 19th Annual Pumpkin Patch -- beginning Saturday, October 5! Come visit us for family fun -- and every dime of the proceeds goes to East Tennessee mission projects. | |
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Climate Crisis
Oct. 6 Science & Faith lecture
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“Living in a Climate Crisis World – A Call to Hope and Action” will be the topic of an Oct. 6 talk in the science and faith lecture series jointly sponsored by First Presbyterian and First United Methodist churches in Oak Ridge.
The Rev. Jim Antal, special advisor on climate justice to the general minister and president of the United Church of Christ (UCC), will present the lecture at 1:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall at First Presbyterian Church, 1051 Oak Ridge Turnpike. The public is welcome to the talk. Drinks and snacks will be available.
Antal, a resident of Vermont, is author of the 2023 book “Climate Church, Climate World: How People of Faith Must Work for Change.”
The climate crisis, caused mostly by carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels to provide transportation and electricity, has been responsible for record-high average monthly temperatures and an increasing number of deadly heat waves and billion-dollar weather-related disasters.
Summarizing his talk, Antal said, “God has granted each of us the opportunity to address the greatest moral crisis humanity has ever faced. We will examine not only the most recent science, but also our grief over the loss of our home.
“We will ponder how a few generations of humans have reaped immeasurable profits by devastating God’s great gift of creation as they built the modern world. We will see how we are living amidst a theological emergency in which the preservation of God’s creation has been reduced to an ideological debate. And we will receive God’s call to faithfully engage a new vocation as we respond to the long emergency.”
Also on Oct. 6, Antal will speak on “Our Sacred Right to Vote” to a morning Sunday school class at First United Methodist Church and in a sermon during the 10:30 a.m. worship service at First Presbyterian Church.
Regarding his message on voting, he said, “Here in America, it’s not unusual to hear the assertion that we have a sacred right to vote. What does that mean? What are the history and theological underpinnings of this idea? What role is the church called to play in supporting voting rights?”
From 2006 to 2018, Antal led the 350 UCC churches in Massachusetts as their conference minister and president. He has preached on climate change since 1988 in more than 400 settings. He has engaged in nonviolent civil disobedience on numerous occasions.
Antal said that the revised and updated second edition of his original 2018 book “Climate Church, Climate World” is being read by hundreds of churches. The book’s foreword is written by Bill McKibben, the well-known environmentalist, author, and journalist who has written extensively on the impact of global warming and led climate campaign organizations.
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Presbytery Educator Group | |
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Food, fellowship, and formation? Join in Christian fellowship and prayer with our Presbytery Educator Gathering (PEG) as we share Christian Formation fall and Advent resources and support one another serving in our local contexts. We will provide upcoming continuing education opportunities, but more importantly help you with what you're working on. This is for children, youth, and adult workers, pastors, educators, volunteers, and anyone seeking to network in the educational field. It will be held at Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian (3700 Keowee Ave, Knoxville, TN 47919) on Monday, October 14th, 11-1 including lunch. Please bring a salad topping of your choice; a salad base and drinks will be provided.
RSVP to Mark at MLampley@sequoyahchurch.org
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Christian Ed Resources from Erin Pres | |
Does anyone need an excellent, short, Sunday School or church-wide study? Erin Presbyterian just finished a four-week study, "Sing a New Song," which is part of the PCUSA "Follow Me" series of curriculum, which offers integrated programming for worship, home, and all ages of Sunday School. This particular four weeks is about the ways we sing our faith. We have 19 copies of the adult reflection guide (for the adult class) which we would rather share than recycle! All other resources are available for download here, but we also have printouts we could share with you if needed. Let us know if you could use this material. It's really good! | |
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October Ordination Anniversaries
Rev. Heewong Chung, 22 years, October 4th
Rev. Peter Ryoo, 25 years, October 4th
Rev. Joseph Tanner, 50 years, October 9th
Rev. David Duggan, 34 years, October 14th
Rev. Clayton Thomas, 50 years, October 15th
Rev. Jennifer Jarvis, 14 years, October 17th
Rev. Stephen Mealor, 27 years, October 26th
Rev. Roy Scarbrough, 22 years, October 27th
Rev. Ann Owens Brunger, 45 years, October 28th
Rev. William Meyer, 32 years, October 31st
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Resources for Congregations | |
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. | | | | |
