"O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the Peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."

A Collect for the Epiphany, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)

Join us this Sunday, January 21, as we welcome guest preacher Rick Lay for the first of our special bicentennial Sundays. As usual, we will have a traditional worship service in the Sanctuary at 9am. A contemporary service in the Gathering follows at 11am, with Children's Church in the Youth Worship Room starting at 11:25am.

In 2024, we're inviting everyone to Come Home to Keith with a series of special worship services celebrating our bicentennial year. Returning ministers will preach both the 9am and 11am services. Beginning in February, the 10am hour will be home to Donut Church in the Activity Center, offering refreshments and the opportunity to visit with our guests. The year's schedule is as follows:

• January 21: Rick Lay (called to ministry from Keith Church)
• February 18: Rev. Andrew Lay (Associate Pastor, 2018-2022)
• March 17: Rev. Erbin Baumgardner (called to ministry from Keith Church)
• April 21: Rev. Nicole Krewson (Associate Pastor, 2010-2012)
• May 19: Rev. Reed Shell (called to ministry from Keith Church)
• June 23: Rev. Will Shelton (Associate Pastor, 2012-2018)
• July 21: Rev. David Graybeal (Pastor, 2016-2022; Associate Pastor, 2001-2004)
• August 25: Rev. Dennie Humphreys (Pastor, 2009-2013)
• September 15: "Come Home to Keith" Combined Worship Celebration (10am)
• Led by Rev. Stella Roberts (Pastor, 1997-2002; Associate Pastor, 1988-1997) and Rev. Mike Hubble (Pastor, 2002-2009)
• October 13: "20 Years of The Gathering" Worship Celebration
• Led by Rev. Jason Gattis (Associate Pastor, 2004-2010)

Exciting things are happening at Keith Church — even more exciting than the Snowmageddon 2024 of Athens! We had our first ever Keith program staff meeting yesterday that included some new staff faces around the table. Although we had to adjust the time to accommodate the weather, we talked about some exciting ideas and dreams that we have for our church in 2024. Let me give you just a glimpse of what we talked about:

• Mark Reedy and his merry band of 15 adults are taking 46 youth and 6 college students to the Resurrection youth conference in Pigeon Forge this weekend. This is the 39th year that this youth event has been held and it’s always an amazing weekend of spiritual refreshment and growth. Although weather is changing the plans of some groups being able to participate, they have about 3,800 registered for the event. Pray for our youth and adults and all groups that are participating in this wonderful event.
• We have heard the cries of church members and are working to bring back our Wednesday night meals. We will offer them at 5:15pm during Lent (February 21 -- March 27) as a trial run in Ensminger Hall. If things go well, we will continue. Right now, we are planning on a "pay-as-you-can" donation rather than a set price. 
• We are expanding our discipleship opportunities for adults on Wednesday nights at 6pm, especially as we approach Lent.
• From January 24 -- March 13, we are welcoming Dr. Sean Hayden from TWU and offering a 6 week Bible study on the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Sean is an amazing teacher and you will definitely want to take advantage of this opportunity to learn with him.
• Beginning February 21, we will offer a brief service of prayer and scripture in the upstairs chapel following our meal. This will be led by Micah Ketchens, our Director of Communications, who is on the ordination track through his home parish in North Carolina.
• We are prayerfully seeking ways to involve more of our neighborhood kids in the Camp in the Community day camp and Vacation Bible School we will hold at Keith this summer. Our program staff is committed to the vision of expanding our outreach of our church and we are excited to see what ways God will lead us in this summer.
• We are already throwing out ideas on bringing back our beloved Appalachian Christmas program this year. This was a crowd favorite for Keith and generated a lot of exciting discussion around the table at our meeting. Stay tuned for more information throughout the year as we put plans into place for this.
• And finally, just when you didn’t think our Christmas programming could get any better, we are looking at ways to enhance it next year and make it even better than before! God has given us wonderful opportunities to worship during this Christmas season and I think you will see that it will continue to be so.

As you can see, not even as snow storm can slow down the work and ministry of Keith Church. Continue to be in prayer for our church as we continue to be the best presence of God in Athens that we are called to be.

-Pastor Melissa 

During the meeting of the Trustees on the evening of January 8, 2024, a discussion was held regarding the warming center relative to an incident on January 1, 2024, as described in the following email to the Trustees from me:  

I want to inform you of an event that happened during the warming center on the evening of January 1, 2024. A lady went into the upstairs women’s restroom above the gymnasium and, as I am told, did not come out for at least an hour. When she was checked on there was a smell in the restroom, so the police were called. The police got her to come out of the restroom and she was removed from the building. The restroom was closed at that time. On January 2, I had the fire department come to the church to evaluate the restroom as it had been closed since the incident. The fire department advised the restroom looked clear and there were no signs of residue, syringes, etc. The restroom was washed with soap and water as advised, and materials used to wash with were disposed of. We will discuss this at our next meeting. I just wanted to keep you informed. FYI I have been through the restroom personally before the cleaning with the fire dept. 

Subsequently, we have good reason to believe that the smell and smoke came from the individual smoking, not cooking, meth in the restroom.

After a lengthy, heartfelt, and passionate discussion the Trustees passed a motion instructing the church to cease hosting of the warming center effective, January 11, 2024. The reason for this action is due to the liability that confronts the church with this incident. During this incident and for some time afterward, had someone entered the restroom they would have been in peril. Further, had there been residual left in the restroom anyone using the restroom later would have been in danger as well. As you know this is the area and restroom where the children and youth of our church use. The Trustees felt that the potential life of a child, church member, or volunteer was not worth the risk or liability.  

The Trustees took this action as the property management arm of the church. We certainly understand that this is a program of the Church and Church Council, and we support the organizational structure as outlined in the Discipline. In this case the Trustees felt that the incident brought this to the level of Trustee’s responsibility and immediate action was warranted.

I would also like to convey that the Trustees consider this a call to arms to address the issues facing our community relative to homelessness, mental health, and addiction. We recommend that the Church Council, with our support and willingness to assist, work on a plan to involve local government, the entirety of the religious community, and other applicable agencies, to craft a plan and permanent solution to these issues. This includes a viable solution and location for a warming center.

Respectfully,

Austin Fesmire, Chair of Trustees

Adopt a Hymnal is coming down to the wire! We have 8 hymnals that still need to be adopted. Your dedication—in memory of or in honor of a loved one—will live on in the pews of our church for years to come. A $35 donation covers the cost of the hymnal. Forms are available outside both services and in the church office. 

A new class utilizing Andy & Sandra Stanley’s Parenting: Getting It Right begins Sunday, January 28, at 10am. This class, led by Joy and David Rymer, will run through March 3. Copies of the study guide are available directly from the church for $15 a copy.

A new confirmation class begins January 28 during the Sunday School hour (10am). It is open to those in the 7th grade and up who have not yet been confirmed, and will meet in the Confirmation Class room. Those interested are invited to contact Pastor Mark for more information. 

Join us for a Prodigal Son study starting this Wednesday, January 24, from 6pm-7pm in Ensminger Hall. This study is led by the Rev. Sean Hayden of the TWU Department of Religion, who was guest preacher here at Keith last year. The study will run through March 13.

Welcome to Senter Stage, an engaging snapshot of Keith Memorial UMC history as we prepare to celebrate our Bicentennial on September 15, 2024.

Part III of “Spotlight on the Four Buildings of Keith Memorial UMC” will be published in the January 26, 2024 edition of Senter Stage.

As we the congregation of Keith Church prepare to celebrate our Bicentennial, each month of 2024 (through October) a guest minister will share a sermon with us. Some of the guest ministers are our own former pastors or associate pastors, while three of the guests came to the ministry through their membership at Keith Church. Our first guest minister of our Bicentennial year is our very own Rick Lay, one of our church’s 12 Certified Lay Ministers. Rick joined Keith Church in 1982 but has been attending since 1966 following the marriage of his older sister, Carla Lay Miller.

Rick is married to Dawn, and their daughter Jordan is a senior at TWU majoring in Criminal Justice.

Rick faithfully serves the church, district, and conference. He is currently the Hiwassee District Lay Leader and Director of Lay Servant Ministries. Further, he serves on the Board of Lay Ministry for the Holston Conference.

Within Keith Church, Rick teaches the Home Service Sunday school class, the longest continuously meeting class; he serves on the Worship Committee, and he recently had to vacate his post as the loyal “bell ringer” following each Sanctuary service in order to get to his Sunday school teaching responsibilities on time. (Interested in ringing the bell? Speak to Pastor Melissa!)

A relationship with former Keith minister Revered Robert “Bob” Walker was vital to the growth of Rick’s Methodist faith, and he quotes Rev. Walker regularly, particularly in the Home Service class. “He was very passionate in his faith, and he would say, ‘We all have a Sunday morning appointment with Jesus, and he all expects us to be there.’”

Rick is also grateful for former Keith minsters Revered Dennie Humphreys and Revered Ty Harrison “nudging” him when he felt a call from God to be doing more to grow his faith. Rev. Humphreys invited him to serve as Lay Leader, and later with another “nudge” from Rev. Harrison, Rick began his journey to fulfilling all requirements to become a Certified Lay Minister.

Reflecting the beliefs of the UMC, Rick sees the clergy and the laity as partners in faith, and he is an advocate of members of our congregation seeking Lay Ministry. Rick is proud to share that of the 20 Certified Lay Ministers in the Hiwassee District, 12 are members of Keith UMC!

Beyond leading, Rick enjoys regular gatherings, typically involving a meal, with other Certified Lay Ministers and church members. These meals with Bryan Jackson, Bo Perkinson, Erbin Baumgardner and others renew his spirit. As Paul writes in Ephesians 4:11-13, Rick is a saint among us who has equipped himself for the work of the ministry, and who tirelessly guides and encourages his fellow Keith congregants on their own paths toward a deeper relationship with Christ.

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Micah Ketchens

Director of Communications

Keith Memorial UMC | Athens, TN