THE WINDOW - Hendersonville FPC · THE WINDOW A publication of First Presbyterian Church...
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THE WINDOW A publication of First Presbyterian Church Hendersonville, TN February 2015 Dear Friends, Once upon a time the church got very protective of its life. The priests believed God had entrusted them with the Holy Bible and the sacred sacraments. They elevated themselves above the people, saying God has made us more special than those in the pews. The role of priest and clergy was the most important part of the church. People came to worship but only listened to scripture read in a different language (Latin) and were excluded from tasting the bread and juice of Communion. The ministry of the church was entrusted only to those with the honored titles and positions of priest and clergy. The community of faith became the community of spectators! Reformation leaders challenged this two-class system of the medieval church. They refused to accept the dis- tinction between the priests/clergy and the people of God. They endorsed the doctrine, “Priesthood of all be- lievers,” that proclaimed all Christians living stones in God’s temple and a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5). Jesus Christ is the last high priest who offered Himself as a sacrifice. Scripture also tells us that Jesus Christ is our high priest who intercedes for us (Hebrews 4:14-16). Therefore every person can approach the throne of grace with boldness. We don’t need an earthly priest with Jesus Christ interceding on our behalf. We receive the mercy and grace through the Cross and Resurrection. Luther and Calvin proclaimed the calling of the priest/clergy is not superior to the calling of the farmer in the field. Wherever we work in the world, we are doing sacred work. We reflect the call of God on our lives in the quality of our work, attitude towards colleagues, and words we use in conversations. God calls our work place the mission field, wherever it is. We not only have access to God but also are called into full time Christian service. In his book, In Search of Faithfulness, William Diehl identified the marks of a faithful Christian executive in the world. He got respons- es from 174 top executives. There were seven marks identified – personal growth through Bible study, active prayer life, commitment to a church, stewardship of one’s wallet and world, commitment to justice, commit- ment to a simple lifestyle, and a sense of call. Those executives who felt called to their present occupation scored visibly higher on all of the other marks of discipleship. For example of all the executives, 26% said they read the Bible regularly. Among those who felt a strong sense of call, 73% read the Bible regularly. Those executives who felt a sense of call in their lives and in their professions were more committed to devel- oping their relationship with Jesus Christ. The belief that God had a purpose for them and the Holy Spirit was actively working through them in their workplaces, ignited their commitment to discipleship. Peggy L. and Donald W. Shriver wrote an article in the magazine, Presbyterians Today . “As a called people, we continue to fulfill our vocation in service and witness wherever we carry out our work. Whenever the work of the church is assumed by laity to be the ‘job of the paid clergy,’ we slip back into medieval thinking.” As one priest to another, may we all see our daily work as ministry for the Kingdom of God. Love and Prayers,
Transcript of THE WINDOW - Hendersonville FPC · THE WINDOW A publication of First Presbyterian Church...
THE WINDOW
A publication of
First Presbyterian Church
Hendersonville, TN
February 2015
Dear Friends,
Once upon a time the church got very protective of its life. The priests believed God had
entrusted them with the Holy Bible and the sacred sacraments. They elevated themselves
above the people, saying God has made us more special than those in the pews. The role of
priest and clergy was the most important part of the church. People came to worship but
only listened to scripture read in a different language (Latin) and were excluded from tasting
the bread and juice of Communion. The ministry of the church was entrusted only to those
with the honored titles and positions of priest and clergy. The community of faith became
the community of spectators!
Reformation leaders challenged this two-class system of the medieval church. They refused to accept the dis-
tinction between the priests/clergy and the people of God. They endorsed the doctrine, “Priesthood of all be-
lievers,” that proclaimed all Christians living stones in God’s temple and a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:5). Jesus
Christ is the last high priest who offered Himself as a sacrifice. Scripture also tells us that Jesus Christ is our
high priest who intercedes for us (Hebrews 4:14-16). Therefore every person can approach the throne of grace
with boldness. We don’t need an earthly priest with Jesus Christ interceding on our behalf. We receive the
mercy and grace through the Cross and Resurrection.
Luther and Calvin proclaimed the calling of the priest/clergy is not superior to the calling of the farmer in the
field. Wherever we work in the world, we are doing sacred work. We reflect the call of God on our lives in
the quality of our work, attitude towards colleagues, and words we use in conversations. God calls our work
place the mission field, wherever it is.
We not only have access to God but also are called into full time Christian service. In his book, In Search of
Faithfulness, William Diehl identified the marks of a faithful Christian executive in the world. He got respons-
es from 174 top executives. There were seven marks identified – personal growth through Bible study, active
prayer life, commitment to a church, stewardship of one’s wallet and world, commitment to justice, commit-
ment to a simple lifestyle, and a sense of call. Those executives who felt called to their present occupation
scored visibly higher on all of the other marks of discipleship. For example of all the executives, 26% said
they read the Bible regularly. Among those who felt a strong sense of call, 73% read the Bible regularly.
Those executives who felt a sense of call in their lives and in their professions were more committed to devel-
oping their relationship with Jesus Christ. The belief that God had a purpose for them and the Holy Spirit was
actively working through them in their workplaces, ignited their commitment to discipleship.
Peggy L. and Donald W. Shriver wrote an article in the magazine, Presbyterians Today. “As a called people,
we continue to fulfill our vocation in service and witness wherever we carry out our work. Whenever the work
of the church is assumed by laity to be the ‘job of the paid clergy,’ we slip back into medieval thinking.”
As one priest to another, may we all see our daily work as ministry for the Kingdom of God.
Love and Prayers,
Responding to God’s love and grace,
our vision is to serve Christ through service to others.
Mission Project Participation—February Spotlight
Apostles Build – Let’s Build A House
Can you help?!?!? Habitat For Humanity has asked us to be one of 12 churches to help build their up-
coming Apostles Build. In an Apostles Build project, 12 churches or coalitions of churches, come together to
build a Habitat for Humanity house. They raise the money and provide the labor and prayer support to build a
house in partnership with a local Sumner County family. With an Apostles Build, churches can share God’s
love by building houses in the way that Jesus’ apostles served.
Sumner County Habitat for Humanity was founded in 1994 and will have completed 44 houses by the end of
2014. The Apostle Build house will be #45! This is not a hand out. Before receiving the title to the home, the
partner family must provide 200 “sweat equity” hours and will receive a zero % interest mortgage with pay-
ments to fit their budget. Habitat builds homes for families that could not otherwise afford a safe, decent and
affordable place to live. Joshua is the Partner Family for this Apostle Build. Joshua is a severely disabled
adult and lives with his grandmother and a caregiver in a rental home. Even though he receives government
assistance, his monthly income does not support his monthly rent. His grandmother, who adopted him as a
child, has the beginning stages of dementia. Joshua’s new Habitat home will be fully handicap accessible,
allowing more freedom for him and his caregivers.
So we need your help and ANYBODY and EVERYBODY can help. We don’t have the exact details right
now of when our week will be or what we will be doing, so right now we just want to know if you can help
with this great project. We need bodies to do all types of skill level jobs and we will also need to provide
lunch that day as well.
Please call or e-mail Linda at the church office and let her know she can put you on the list!
In Christ Vision,
Scott Ball
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The Sudanese After School Program is in need of substitute tutors to fill
in when a regular tutor has to miss a meeting. This would be on a Mon-
day or a Wednesday from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm. If you are interested in
this service opportunity, you are welcome to visit and see if volunteering
as a substitute is something you would enjoy doing. The program can
always use children’s books, pre-K through 7th grade, and educational
games or puzzles. Perhaps there are some who might wish to donate
books or other learning materials to help the children. These items may
be left at the collection table on the second floor landing. As always,
your contributions are most appreciated.
SEW MANY BLESSINGS
If you are handy with a needle and thread, we need you.
Sew Many Blessings is a group of women that like to sew
and serve our church and community. Our projects vary
depending on a need or request. One of our ongoing pro-
jects are making personal care kits which are distributed to
organizations for the Homeless, the American Red Cross,
and the Hope Lodge.
Since 2008 we have been involved with Alive Hospice in
their “Memories of Love” project. Bears and Pillows are
made from clothing provided by the families. These bears
and pillows help bring comfort and healing to the families
that have lost a loved one. The feedback from the families
are heartwarming.
We continue to make prayer quilts for our church family.
The quilts are kept in room 211 and are available for any-
one that would like to take a quilt to someone. If you take
a quilt, just let Linda know who you took it to. We keep
track of who has received one.
For more information you can contact Sandi Martin 826-
5403 or Cari Lou Westendorf 824-5219.
MISSIONS BUDGET FOR 2015
The Missions Unit voted once again to send all
our mission money to the agencies during the
month of January. $18,700 has been sent to 16
agencies and 4 global missionaries and agen-
cies. They have followed a Biblical guideline
of giving to God first and not waiting til the
end, giving Him leftovers.
“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the
firstfruits of your labor (Proverbs 3:9).”
This is a good practice for all of us, when con-
sidering how much and when to give to God.
Local Missions:
Monroe Harding $ 500.00
Martha O’Bryan $ 500.00
Eastminster $ 500.00
HomeSafe $ 1,000.00
Salvus $ 500.00
Homebound Meals $ 1,500.00
Hend. Samaritan Center $ 1,500.00
Presbyterian Day School $ 1,000.00
Community Child Care Ctr. $ 1,000.00
Sudanese Program Support $ 1,200.00
C.A.S.A. $ 500.00
Shalom Zone $ 500.00
Sumner Co. Literacy Council $ 500.00
Children Are People, Inc. $ 1,500.00
Glencliff Hispanic Ministry $ 500.00
Habitat for Humanity $ 1,000.00
Global Missions:
Missionary-Leisa Wagstaff $ 1,000.00
Heifer International $ 1,000.00
Trinity Hope $ 2,000.00
Missionary-Beisswenger $ 1,000.00
On Saturday, March 14th at 6:30
pm please join John & Cari Lou
Westendorf at their home at 127
Shorecrest, Hendersonville, TN
for a potluck dinner. All adults are invited! We are asking
everyone to bring a side dish, appetizer, or dessert. Please
RSVP to Kelly Horton @ 294-8309 and let her know what
you will be bringing. We look forward to seeing you
there.
Parking Issue: Lately our paved parking lot has been filling up on Sunday morn-
ings. Thanks to those who have been parking on the grass or at the funeral home.
Please avoid blocking the access next to Gallatin Road from the paved lot to the grass.
We want to make sure that we have available parking space in the paved lot for our
visitors and for those who need closer parking.
The past few months have been very busy ones at Presbyterian
Day School. We celebrated the birth of baby Jesus, made special
Christmas surprises for moms and dads, performed Christmas
programs for our families and enjoyed pizza parties. Our 3’s also
performed “Let’s Dress Up For Christmas” for the Sunshine Club.
We appreciate their continued support and generosity each year!
In January, the children welcomed the New Year and the season
of winter. They learned how important it is to help take care of
all God’s creatures and made bird feeders for the birds.
This month we will discover the different ways we get around on
land, sea, and in the air. We will also learn that not only people
use different vehicles to get from one place to another. We won’t
forget to celebrate Valentine’s Day and remember those who love
us, especially God!
We are looking forward to the Chili Supper and Dessert Auction
on February 8th. Many of our families plan on attending and our
3’s and 4’s will be singing Valentine’s songs again this year. It
will be nice to enjoy fellowship and fun together! We are blessed
to have the church’s support.
It is already time to register for the 2015-2016 school year. It will
take place on Sunday, February 22nd for church members and will
be open to our current families on Monday, February 23rd. On
Wednesday, February 25th registration will be open to the public.
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Annual Chili Supper
Talent Show & Dessert Auction
To Benefit the Presbyterian Day School
When: Sunday, February 8, 2015
Where: FPC—Martin Hall
Time: Dinner will begin at 5:00 pm, Talent Show to follow.
Dessert items will be auctioned in between talent acts.
Please contact Leigh Masters to sign up for the event!
Contact: Phone: 615-476-0672
Email: [email protected]
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The Confirmation Class began on
January 25. There are seven kids
participating in the Sunday morn-
ing classes. They will also serve
at the Samaritan Center and have a
retreat at NaCoMe. Please keep
Ellen, Kaitlyn, Gloria, Lucas,
Ryan, Espoir, and Seligio in your
prayers.
***************************
Women’s Bible Study and
Lunch: The Women’s morning
Bible study continues our study
and discussion of Romans. We
will be discussing Romans 10 and
11 at our February meeting.
Please make plans to join us Tues-
day, February 10th at 10:00 am;
and, of course, please plan on
joining us for lunch at a local res-
taurant to be determined by the
group. Several of us would like to
furnish rides. If anyone would
like a ride, please contact Jackie
Decker at 824-1902.
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Evening Book Club News:
Evening Book Club meets the sec-
ond Monday monthly at 6:30 pm.
In February we will be discussing
The Girls of Atomic City – the Un-
told Story of the Women Who
Helped Win World War II by
Denise Kiernan. The story centers
around the activities in Oak Ridge,
Tennessee, during WWII. Join us
for discussion on Monday, Febru-
ary 9th at 6:30 pm in Room 205.
For March we will be reading and
discussing Ordinary Grace by
William Kent Krueger, a book
suggested by Sandy Keene. We
are always looking for good reads.
If you have a suggestion, please
let us know.
“ When are they having another one of those?!?” was the reaction of one of the children of First Presbyterian
after our most recent Kids Club event. The church hosted a New Years Party on January 9 from 5:00 pm to
10:00 pm, and 18 children attended. We played Sardines (a form of hide and seek), ate lots of pizza and
popcorn, tie dyed t-shirts, played board games, and watched a movie. The session room has never been so full
of laughter or popcorn!
Every month, children are invited to a fellowship activity called Kids Club. Our goal is to provide fun, lasting
memories and form a strong foundation of friendship among the kids. We hope that they will “stick” together
to become a vibrant and active youth group in a few years! Our October activity was a visit to Shuckles Corn
Maze in Gallatin and in November we went bowling. Our next event will be roller skating on February 3 at
Sumner Skate Zone. Hope your kids can join us!
SERMON SCHEDULE
February 1—Faith, fear, and money (Communion)
February 8—Devotional life on the run
February 15—Imagining heaven
February 18—God’s grace and mercy
(Ash Wednesday Service)
February 22—The importance of studying the Bible
SESSION ACTION
Approved minutes
Approved the wedding of Lee Oliver
Approved financial and committee reports
Approved transferring the surplus from 2014 of $1,876.66
to the Reserve Fund
Agreed to have a Town Meeting in February to update the
congregation on Presbytery voting
Elected Bud Anderson as Treasurer and Steve Martin as
Clerk of Session
Elected Conn McConnell as President of the Corporation
Reviewed and signed the covenant between Michael and
the Session.
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In Memory of: Susan Martin
From: Jeanine Johnson
In Memory of: Allan Booth
From: Richard & Judy Wallis
Al & Linda Ballenger
Presbytery of Middle Tennessee
LEAD EVENT 2015
Saturday, February 28th
8:00 a.m.—2:30 p.m.
Westminster Presbyterian Church
3900 West End Avenue
Nashville, TN
Keynote Speaker:
Rev. Dr. Elizabeth F. Caldwell
Professor Emerita,
McCormick Theological Seminary
Adjunct Professor,
Vanderbilt Divinity School
Sunday Monday
Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
9:00 am Sunday School
9:00 am Confirmation Class
10:00 Worship-Communion
11:00 am Handbell Choir
11:00 am Bldg./Grounds Meeting
11:00 am Staff Meeting
4:30 pm Suda-nese Program
6:00 pm PDS Staff Meeting
6:15 pm Local Missions
5:15 pm Kids Club-Dinner/Skating
6:30 am Men’s Bible Study
4:30 pm Sudanese Program
7:00 pm Adult Choir
7:00 pm NA-MH
6:30 pm Disciple 1
6:30 pm Disciple 2
7:30 pm NA-MH Presbytery Meeting-FPC Columbia
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
7:00 am Downtown Min-istry
9:00 am Sunday School
9:00 am Confirmation Class
10:00 am Worship – Scout Recognition Sunday
11:00 am Handbell Choir
11:00 am Education Meeting
5:00 pm Chili Supper / Talent Show / Dessert Auction
4:30 pm Suda-nese Program
6:30 pm Book Club
10:00 am Women’s Bible Study
6:30 am Men’s Bible Study
4:30 pm Sudanese Program
6:15 pm Worship Committee
7:00 pm Budget & Finance Meeting
7:00 pm Adult Choir
7:00 pm NA-MH
6:30 pm Disciple 1
6:30 pm Disciple 2
7:30 pm NA-MH
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
9:00 am Sunday School
9:00 am Confirmation Class
10:00 am Worship
11:00 am Handbell Choir
Cherry- 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration
10:00 am Women’s Book Group
4:30 pm Suda-nese Program
7:00 pm Ses-sion Meeting
10:30 am Sun-shine Ministry
5:00 pm Care-giver Support Group
6:30 am Men’s Bible Study
4:30 pm Sudanese Program
7:00 pm Ash Wednesday Ser-vice
7:00 pm NA-MH
Window Deadline
6:30 pm Disciple 1
6:30 pm Disciple 2
7:30 pm NA-MH 8:00 am Session Retreat
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
9:00 am Sunday School
9:00 am Confirmation Class
10:00 am Worship
11:00 am Handbell Choir
4:30 pm Suda-nese Program
6:30 am Men’s Bible Study
4:30 pm Sudanese Program
7:00 pm Adult Choir
7:00 pm NA-MH
6:30 pm Disciple 1
6:30 pm Disciple 2
7:30 pm NA-MH Presbytery-LEAD Event-Westminster
5:00 pm Cub Scout Banquet-MH
February 2015
First Presbyterian Church
172 W. Main St. | Hendersonville, TN
(615) 824-8604 ; Fax (615) 824-3631
Website: www.hendersonvillefpc.org
Email: [email protected]
Sunday School—9:00 a.m.
Worship Service—10:00 a.m.
CHURCH STAFF
Michael Davis, Pastor
Dr. Anthony Williams, Organist/Choir Director
Linda Agee, Church Administrator
Chuck Adamson, Building Maintenance
Amy Bleich, Nursery Attendant
Gloria, Braswell, P.D.S. Director
6 - Laura Brooks
7 - Jane Watts
9 - Richard Wallis
Mike Smith
10 - Kaitlynn Edmonson
11 - Jackie Decker
12 - Emma Wells
13 - Ethan Minor
14 - Susan Keen
15 - Jim Lacy
17 - Sprigg Ebbert
18 - Ben Dye
Clint Young
20 - Debra Obrock
25 - Cathy Lind
27 - AnnaBelle Say
28 - Kelly Horton
Were you able to figure out who our Mystery
Member was in the January Newsletter? The
ardent sports fan is Mary Anna Womeldorf!
