PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: Thank you to everyone who have brought in donations for our friends at the Wesley House! You have one more chance to bring in bags of pinto beans and boxes of cornbread mix to the Welcome Center this Sunday!

Church closed on Labor Day! 



In observance of the holiday, the building will be closed on Monday, September 1. Building codes will not work during this time, and alarms will sound. Have a great and safe holiday!

For more information on upcoming events, or ways to get involved in the college ministry, reach out to Pam Smith at pam.warnock.smith@gmail.com.

Join the College Fellowship Group Me here!

Church Street News & Upcoming Events

Make sure you join United Women in Faith, as they come back together after a warm summer. Their September General Meeting program will be presented by Church Street member and Knox County Public Library’s Reference Service Manager, Jamie Osborne. She will review a book from the UWF 2025 Reading Program, The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. 

Join us for a thoughtful reflection and discussion of this book written by former First Lady Michelle Obama. She shares practical wisdom for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s highly uncertain world. She opens a dialogue with readers by considering the questions many of us wrestle with: How do we build enduring and honest relationships? How can we discover strength and community inside our differences? What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness? What do we do when it all starts to feel like too much? A New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

Lunch will be served in Parish Hall immediately following the meeting. Reservations are necessary. Please register by Friday, September 5 for lunch. Lunch will be $15. You may pay online, drop a check by the office, or pay in person on the day of our meeting!

If you are interested in reading other UWF Reading Program selections, you can explore the 2025 reading list here!

The Youth Ministry Needs Your Help!

The Youth Ministry is in search of volunteers to provide dinners and breakfasts for the fall semester. These meals and sign-ups are managed by youth parents and volunteers.

Things to be aware of: 

• You can get reimbursed for your supplies or costs for dinner. Simply take a picture of your receipt and send it with a reimbursement form. Breakfasts are donated by families.
• The church should have all paper supplies for meals. But if anything is needed, you will be contacted the week of. 
• You should estimate 25-30 people for breakfast. 
• You should estimate 35-40 people for dinner. (Pro-tip: if you are ordering from a restaurant, pull that amount back. Restaurants usually give more food than is needed.)
• If you volunteer for a dinner, you will also be helping with set up, serving, and clean up.  

Sign-up for breakfast here!

For any questions, please call Caroline Lamar at (865) 384-7441.

Sign-up for dinner here!

For any questions, please call Jamie Osborn at (865) 809-9043.

Fall Book Study

Creed: What Christians Believe and Why

We’re all searching. Sometimes the search is easy: simply type a question and the answer pops up. But sometimes our questions are complicated, and the answers are difficult to see and harder to articulate. How do we discover and examine the truths that give meaning and purpose to life? Adam Hamilton believes that some powerful answers are contained in the Apostles’ Creed, an early statement of foundational Christian beliefs.

This study will be six weeks long, and led by Rev. Amber Lloyd and Rev. Tim Best. It is free to join, and books are provided! To learn more, check out the introduction video here! More details and sign-up information to come!

Missions Opportunity in Mountain City

As we approach the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Helene, many families in the region are still displaced or working to rebuild. Please consider joining our missions team to serve in Mountain City, TN, September 15 – 16.  The crew will likely be building decks and an accessibility ramp at a new home. Help for one day or both. Housing, meals and carpool opportunities are available.

Robert Bedwell will be leading the team. For more information or to join the team, please contact Marc Gamble at mgamble@churchstreetumc.org. 

New Lecture Opportunity by Dr. Lester Ruth

All are invited to attend lectures in September presented by The Reverend Dr. Lester Ruth of Duke Divinity School.

Dr. Ruth will join us as a guest preacher on Sunday, September 21, followed by a lecture at 4 pm in the Parish Hall. Dr. Ruth will define Christian Nationalism in its past and present forms, whether found in the United States or elsewhere. Dr. Ruth will address your questions and more from research he has been doing at Duke Divinity School.

Dr. Ruth will continue this discussion on Monday, September 22, at 10 am for clergy. Dr. Ruth will focus on how Christian Nationalism is impacting American congregations, their worshipers, and their worship services. The goal? To provide resources and insights to help pastors in these tumultuous times. 

Dr. Lester Ruth has been a worship professor since 1998, and currently teaches at Duke Divinity School. Prior to teaching, he was a pastor of four congregations in the Texas Annual Conference. An author or editor of fourteen books, he most recently co-authored (with Lim Swee Hong) A History of Contemporary Praise and Worship. Dr. Ruth describes himself as a liturgical historian who maintains his pastoral sensibilities, always interested in seeing how classic forms of worship can renew congregations today.

Greece & Turkey Trip Interest Meeting

Interested in taking a trip to Greece and Turkey in 2026?

Join Rev. Tim Best and Kate Spencer for an interest meeting for Journeys of Paul in Greece & Türkiye, on September 28 at 3:45pm in CLC 123.

The trip will depart in September 2026, and is a 13 day trip across the Mediterranean. Some sights include Athens, where you will stand on Mars Hill, visit the House of Parliament, and see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Visit Veria, Amphipolis, Philippi, Neapoli, Istanbul, Cappadocia, and many more!

Parish Health Ministry Team Event

Church Street UMC Parish Health Ministry Team and Stephen Ministry present "Options for Paying for Care: Navigating Long Term Insurance, VA Benefits, Medicare, Medicaid, and White Card" on Sunday, October 19.

The event begins with guest speaker Glen Kyle, CELA (certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation). Glen is the owner of the Knoxville law office of Franklin & Kyle Elder Law, LLC, winner of the Knox Stars Award for the Best Law Firm in Knoxville for the last five years. He focuses his practice in the specialized field of elder care law which includes Life Care Planning, Medicaid planning and advocacy, estate planning, special needs trusts, as well as probate and trust administration. He will be speaking on “Means-Tested Public Benefits: TennCare CHOICES and VA Aid and Attendance.” 

A panel of healthcare programs and insurance experts will follow the speaker. The panel includes:

• Gabe Blake is moderating.
• Nancy Hertwig of New York Life will cover Long Term Care Insurance.
• Brooke Thurman from Core Insurance Advisors will cover Medicare.
• Bryce Terry from Maxim Healthcare will cover Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA) “White Card”.
• Glen Kyle will cover CHOICES and Aid and Attendance

When: Sunday, October 19, 2025, 12:30 - 3:30 PM

Where: Parish Hall

Cost: $15 per person registration. Your registration includes lunch of your choice.

Register by using the link below! If you need help with your registration, please call the church office at 865-524-3048.

Get Principled!

Monthly blurbs about the UMC Social Principles,

Sponsored by Church & Society Committee

The United Methodist Church Social Principles are described in the document's preface as the “prayerful and earnest efforts of the General Conference to speak to issues in the contemporary world,” and as such recognizes the devastating impacts of substance abuse and addiction on individual users, extended families and entire communities.

The church supports programs and policies that comprehensively address the causes and cures of debilitating addictions. We are called to have compassion for people who struggle with addiction, while refraining from the use of any illicit intoxicants, drugs or other substances.

Learn more about the Social Principles here.

Our Presence

August 24- 688

In Person Worship - 513

8:30 am - 192

11 am - 287

Nursery - 34

Online - 175

Soup Kitchen August 28 - 24 Volunteers, 161 Meals

Our Gifts

Altar Flowers

The chancel altar flowers are given in loving memory of A. Orin Bishop & Ethel Bishop by the Bishop family.

Our Prayers

In Memoriam

Martha Bushore-Fallis

Joined: 4/3/1955 Died: 8/23/2025

Christian love and sympathy to:

The family and friends of Linda Ramsey, mother of Cindy Cihak, who died on August 22.

Recently Hospitalized

Lily Varner

All are welcome at Church Street!

We believe every person is of sacred worth and created in God’s image. We welcome and celebrate the gifts God has given to all persons without regard to race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, disability, status, economic condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religious affiliation. We respect diversity of opinion and expressions of Christian faith. We believe God loves everyone unconditionally! As God loves us, so let us love and serve in the name of Christ.

Church Street United Methodist Church

www.churchstreetumc.org

P.O. Box 1303, Knoxville, TN 37901

Office: 865-524-3048 Fax: 865-521-0288 Pastor On-Call: 865-320-9100

Please call the church office to reach a specific member of our staff.

Church Street Office Hours: Monday - Thursday, 9 am - 4 pm and Friday, 9 am - 3 pm

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