In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1 (KJV) If I have a system, it is limited to a recognition of what Søren Kierkegaard called the ‘infinite qualitative distinction’ between time and eternity, and to my regarding this as having negative as well as positive significance. ‘God is in heaven, and thou art on earth.’ The relation between such a God and such a man, and the relation between such a man and such a God, is for me the theme of the Bible and the essence of philosophy. Karl Barth, “Preface,” Romans (2nd ed.) On June 4 we will begin again at the beginning, with the launch of a three-year summertime sermon series on the Book of Genesis. It is a well-known principle of biblical interpretation that every verse of the Bible should be understood within its context and never without reference to the verses and chapters that immediately precede it. But Genesis 1:1 is unprecedented. Indeed, the whole of the Book of Genesis is unprecedented. Genesis is the foundation--the precedent, if you will--for everything that follows it in the Bible. Genesis is the story of the beginning of everything--the beginning of the universe and time and space, and humanity, and culture and religion, and even you and me--the beginning of everything, that is, except God. For more than 2500 years Genesis has yielded insight to diligent readers and has been a source of true wisdom for people who wish to understand this God who has no beginning--and the humanity that is created in his image, and their sin, and their need for reconciliation, and the nature of salvation, and the like. For the next three summers, we will follow in the ancient sandals of our ancestors verse-by-verse and chapter-by-chapter, laying a strong foundation for our own understanding of the rest of the whole of Scripture. Our Reformation forebears Calvin and Luther understood that in the Book of Genesis is contained all of God’s goodness and grace and all that is necessary to be known of God’s character and will and law. Genesis is a mirror of the whole theater of life and a primer on repentance and forgiveness. It contains, as Calvin says, the whole gospel of Jesus Christ. All of these things are there incipiently, in nuce, ready to be unfolded and expounded and fulfilled in all of the rest of the pages of Scripture to follow. This summertime journey is well worth taking! So, let us begin, again with Holy Scripture, “In the beginning, God….” Grace and Peace, Pastor Greg June 2017
Transcript
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Genesis 1:1 (KJV)
If I have a system, it is limited to a recognition of what Søren Kierkegaard called the ‘infinite qualitative distinction’ between time and eternity, and to my regarding this as having negative as well as positive significance. ‘God is in heaven, and thou art on earth.’ The relation between such a God and such a man, and the relation between such a man and such a God, is for me the theme of the Bible and the essence of philosophy.
Karl Barth, “Preface,” Romans (2nd ed.) On June 4 we will begin again at the beginning, with the launch of a three-year summertime sermon series on the Book of Genesis. It is a well-known principle of biblical interpretation that every verse of the Bible should be understood within its context and never without reference to the verses and chapters that immediately precede it. But Genesis 1:1 is unprecedented. Indeed, the whole of the Book of Genesis is unprecedented. Genesis is the foundation--the precedent, if you will--for everything that follows it in the Bible. Genesis is the story of the beginning of everything--the beginning of the universe and time and space, and humanity, and culture and religion, and even you and me--the beginning of everything, that is, except God. For more than 2500 years Genesis has yielded insight to diligent readers and has been a source of true wisdom for people who wish to understand this God who has no beginning--and the humanity that is created in his image, and their sin, and their need for reconciliation, and the nature of salvation, and the like. For the next three summers, we will follow in the ancient sandals of our ancestors verse-by-verse and chapter-by-chapter, laying a strong foundation for our own understanding of the rest of the whole of Scripture. Our Reformation forebears Calvin and Luther understood that in the Book of Genesis is contained all of God’s goodness and grace and all that is necessary to be known of God’s character and will and law. Genesis is a mirror of the whole theater of life and a primer on repentance and forgiveness. It contains, as Calvin says, the whole gospel of Jesus Christ. All of these things are there incipiently, in nuce, ready to be unfolded and expounded and fulfilled in all of the rest of the pages of Scripture to follow. This summertime journey is well worth taking! So, let us begin, again with Holy Scripture, “In the beginning, God….” Grace and Peace,
Pastor Greg
June 2017
Pastoral Care
PLEASE KEEP IN YOUR
PRAYERS
Special Care Concerns:
Marita Beck
Sara Brooks
Katie Hildreth
Hank Livingston
Ruby Jean McLeod
Erika Mitchell
Joel Thomas
Deaths:
Billy Smith
Memorials:
Page 9
213 Main Street, Clarksville, TN 37040
SUNDAY MORNING WORSHIP
10:00 a.m.
ON THE WEB AT
www.fpcclarksville.org
TELEPHONE
Office: 931-645-6551; Pastor: 931-257-1780
OFFICE HOURS
Monday through Thursday
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Friday 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Sunday School Classes
Classes for all ages
meet each Sunday,
9:00-9:45 am
in the Christian
Education building.
CHILD CARE
is provided for infants
and toddlers on the
2nd floor.
PRESCHOOL
3-year-olds through
Kindergarten meet on
the 4th floor
CHILDREN &
YOUTH
1st through 12th
graders meet on the
4th floor
ADULTS
4 different
classes meet on the
2nd and 3rd floors
Page 2
First Presbyterian
Church
Page 2
Advanced Study: Genesis 1-11 (The Primeval History) This summer on Wednesday evenings, 6:00 - 7:00 pm, July 5 - August 9, Pastor Greg will offer a six-week, college-level introduction to the literature, culture, and history of the first eleven chapters of the Book of Genesis. The class will compare Israel’s Primeval History--creation, flood, and tower building--with similar ancient Near Eastern accounts (the Egyptian Instruction of Merikare, the Babylonian Epic of Creation [Enuma Elish], Gilgamesh, the Epic of Atra-hasis, the Sumerian Eridu Genesis, and others). The course will also introduce students to the most recent scholarly discussion regarding the composition history of Genesis; and it will describe the religion of ancient Israel, as reflected in the Primeval History, within the wider religious context of the levant during the 10th-6th centuries BCE. The class is free and open to the public and will take place in the fellowship hall.
~ SERMONS AND SCRIPTURES~
Sunday Morning Schedule: Worship at 10:00am. Sunday School for all ages 9:00 -9:45am.
The next 3 Summers! Summer 2017 In the Beginning: The Primeval History Genesis 1-11 Summer 2018 In the Beginning: The Ancestors Genesis 12-36 Summer 2019 In the Beginning: The Story of Joseph Genesis 37-50 2017 Summer Sermons June 4 Day of Pentecost Genesis 1:1-2:3 Creative Work and Sabbath Rest
June 11 Trinity Sunday Genesis 2:4-25 Companion June 18 Genesis 3:1-24 The Desire to Know June 25 Genesis 4:1-26 Adam's Sin in Abel's Death July 2 Genesis 5:1-32 He Walked with God July 9 Genesis 6:1-22 Dissipation and Destruction July 16 Genesis 7:1-24 Ark of Salvation July 23 Genesis 8:1-22 God Remembers
July 30 Genesis 9:1-29 Covenant Promises August 6 Genesis 10:1-32 Mighty Man, Great Nations
August 13 Genesis 11:1-26 Let's Make Bricks
Page 3
BULLETIN BOARD
7
.CONGREGATIONAL CARE COMMITTEE
Please contact the church office, or any member of the Congregational Care Committee (list on page 8) with news of someone taking ill, in the hospital or needing prayer that the Committee may be able to help. We visit folks at home, hospital or wherever we can to provide the loving care we all need during stressful times. We cannot help you if we are unaware of a need.
VBS WILL BE JULY 24-28 from 9am to 12 noon at FPC. Our theme this year is Hero Central-Discover Your Strength in God! We will employ art, music, storytelling, science, and play to teach children and adults all about God’s strength and love for us. Please plan to volunteer with this important out-reach! Look for opportunities to get involved soon! VBS website to register children or to volunteer is: http://2017.cokesburyvbs.com/fpcclarksville/
WORSHIP LITURGISTS: The Worship Committee has a rotating group of people who serve as liturgists for a one year term. If you are interested in continuing as a liturgist or if you would like to join this group to serve both Sun-day services on a rotating basis, please contact Sam Mills.
FREE YOGA CLASSES
Our Yoga Class is restorative and involves gentle
stretching and basic poses. Mats and blocks are avail-
able in the fellowship hall where we meet each Tues-
day from 5:30-6:30 pm. and in AOC each
Thursday at 9:00am.
PROPERTY COMMITTEE THE PROPERY COMMITTEE
WILL MEET THE SECOND
WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH AT
5:00PM.
FINANCE COMMITTEE
NO MEETING THIS MONTH
BULLETIN BOARD Page 4
VBS Registration, page 11.
SPACE AVAILABLE!
Monday’s at the Frist, page 7.
There is no Martha Circle, and Professional Staff
Committee meeting this month.
RECORDED WORSHIP SERVICES ON OUR WEB-SITE (www.fpcclarksville.org)
Let’s welcome Maggie Randolph and Justin
Bradberry to the FPC staff. Maggie is the pm
receptionist working M-Th 1-5 & Justin is
our “IT Guy” working 10 hours a week!
HAPPY
Macedonia Presbyterian Church Homecoming, Page 6
VAN OTTEN FAMILY, PAGE 6
SAVE THE DATE
CITY CHURCH/VBS KICK OFF PICNIC
July 23, 4:30-7pm Bring a family picnic and, if you’d like , a dessert to share. Time for fellowship, paddle-boating, fishing, kayaking and Emma Feldman will be singing! More details to follow.
There are no Circle Meetings (except for the Prayer Circle) the months of June and July! Have a wonderful summer and we will see you in August.
A HUGE thank you to Diane for leading us the last three years!!! She did a wonderful job and I only hope that I can do as well as she did! Our next PW gathering will be a potluck on June 12. Since it is at 6:00pm please bring a savory finger food/dish to share. We will have our own Yvonne Hiett leading us in a crafty endeavor! There is no charge for this but please still sign up on the bulletin board so we can get a count for the craft. Yvonne asks that you bring a hammer and flower heads to use for flower pounding! For more information call or text Yvonne at 302-7896. Also we have two PW walking groups--one meets on Wednesday morn-ings at 8:45 at the Wendy's located at the end of the Riverwalk and the other group meets on Thursday evenings at 6:00 at Marcia Wiliams,1264 Madison St. If you would like to go for a "walk & talk" just show up at one of these times. There is a format/topic we discuss. Just a reminder that if you are a woman and you attend first Presbyteri-an, You ARE a Presbyterian Woman!!! Usually the circles don't meet in June and July but resume in August. Please think about joining one:-) More information on our programs during the next year will be in future newsletters. Have a great June!
Page 5
Every woman attending First Presbyterian Church is automatically a member of PW and is welcome to attend all functions. Guests are also welcome. PW meets Monthly, Au-gust -April, for interesting programs, services, and fellowship. August and April are dinner meetings and the remainder are 12:30 luncheons, held on the 4th Monday of each month. The meals are ca-tered (10.00) Sign-ups are in the bulletin, on the bulletin board or through the church office.
PW SERVICE PROJECTS Service projects for PW have included *F.U.E.L., Empty Bowls, Safe House (battered women’s shelter), special offerings, and more. *F.U.E.L.-a community wide program in all public schools. The program provides bags of food to take home, on Fridays during the school year, with children who will not have enough food for the weekend. Many churches and civic groups support the program. Our church provides 20 bags of food for Byrns Darden Elementary School each week.
PRAYER CIRCLE MEETING
11:15am THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE
MONTH. THIS CIRCLE WILL BE MEETING THROUGH
THE SUMMER.
~MACEDONIA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH HOMECOMING~
Macedonia (our sister church located on Briarwood Road) will have their annual homecoming Sunday, June 4 beginning with worship at 10:00am with a covered dish lunch at 11:30am.The church will provide the meat and drinks. Please RSVP to Laura Palmer at 931-645-4260.
We would like each month to highlight a new (to fairly new) family to First Presbyterian Church. The
Van Otten family has been attending church at FPC for about a year. You likely have seen their
boys walking up front for the children’s message and moving out of the sanctuary for children’s
worship. They have been a delight in Sunday School and we are thrilled that they made FPC their
church home during their time at Fort Campbell. A great way to get to know this family better is to
volunteer at VBS!
Both Charles and Liz are from Arizona. They met in college while attending Northern Arizona
University. Since being married they have lived in Arizona, Georgia, California, Colorado, Hawaii,
Kansas, and now Tennessee! Before being a mom Liz was a 7th grade teacher. Charles is active
duty Army and is stationed at Fort Campbell.
The boys are Charles (10), George (6), and Sam (4). The older
two attend Rossview Elementary and Sam will start Kindergarten
there next year. They all enjoy playing soccer. Charles and
George play the piano, and they all enjoy music. As a family they
like being outdoors and being together. Most weekends they can
be found either at kids’ sports games or doing yard work. If able to
go on a day trip, they enjoy exploring Tennessee and visiting one
of its outdoor parks or historical sites.
They say they have enjoyed attending FPC for the past year and have felt very welcomed. George
and Sam especially love music with Miss Beth and Miss Liz and Charles loves his Sunday School
class with Miss Gail and Dr. Bob. They are all looking forward to VBS this summer, treasure the
friendships they have made so far at FPC, and look forward to meeting more of you this next year!
Page 6
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Page 6
Meet The Van Otten Family
~WEDNESDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY~ You are invited to join the group who gather for Bible study with Pastor Greg on Wednesday mornings each week at 10:00.
~THEOLOGY ON TAP~ Theology on Tap is a group that meets each Monday at 5 pm @ Shoney’s on Riverside Dr. Come, join us for conversations about theology and real life! Want more details about Theology on Tap, contact Margaret Adames at 931.980.1646.
~SENIOR MONDAYS AT THE FRIST~ The Frist Center presents Senior Mondays, a series of events for those who admit their “senior” status. On these days, gallery admission is half price for seniors and a special senior parking flat rate fee of $3.00 in the Frist Center lots is offered. Seniors receive 15% discount on purchases made in the gift shop and on refreshments in the Frist Center Café during the event. Snappy Pappy performs in the Grand Lobby at 12:30pm. Programming on Senior Mondays also includes tours and in-gallery activities, all included with discounted admission. Upcoming dates are June 19, July 17 and August 21.
Page 8
HAPPENINGS Page 7
CELEBRATE, CELEBRATE!!!
Nancy Hicks (1st)
Jerry Reynolds (1st)
Susannah Knust (1st)
Niesha Wolfe (2nd)
Margaret Hennis (2nd)
Denice Williamson (2nd)
Sue Pryor (3rd)
Jennifer Ellis (3rd)
Rand McKellar (4th)
Liam Nolan (4th)
Bill Hutton (5th)
Meadow McDonald (5th)
George Watson (6th)
Bob Lueck (7th)
Dick Pryor (7th)
Drew Sturdivant (7th)
Brayden Deardorff (8th)
Linda Lyle (9th)
Tina Sitter (9th)
Anna Brown (10th)
Clara Grigsby (11th)
Rhodes Walton (11th)
Matt Dye (12th)
Michael Vernich (13th)
Linda Guinn (14th)
Don Atkins (15th)
Carter Briggs (15th)
Jacob Bailey (15th)
Steve Wallace (16th)
Barbara Street (17th)
Margaret Adames (18th)
Zach Davis (20th)
Justin Deardorff (21st)
Mark Nolan (22nd)
Amy Sturdivant (22nd)
Megan Hass (22nd)
McKayla Gallaher (22nd)
Janie McGregor (22nd)
Judy Lowe (23rd)
Paul Burns (23rd)
Colton Woodson (26th)
Faye Hand (27th)
Jared Griffey (27th)
Ellie Arrington (29th)
Barbara Grigsby (30th)
Christina Glover (30th)
BIRTHDAYS
If you don’t see your name listed, please let the church office know your date!
Committee News
~CONGREGATIONAL CARE COMMITTEE~
Elynor Busler, Co-Chair (h 368-9596) Eleanor Hay, Co-Chair (801-2380) Sallie Armstrong (h 270-438-3636, c 980-2637) Linda Crear (ad hoc) (h 648-9694) Charlotte Graves (h 368-1614, c 624-6668) Charlyne Harvey (h 645-4483) Vicki Hildreth (h 358-2637, c 980-8736) Kathryn Kemmerly (645-6905) Mary Jo Patterson (h 647-4600, c 801-4723) Ivy Prall (h 552-0056, c 206-1447) Carolyn Riggins (c 801-7760, h 647-4144) Marcia Williams (h 647-9636, w 648-4459) Congregational Care would like to have the names and addresses of our deployed members so that they can be put on the prayer list and be sent cards. Please call Eleanor Hay at 647-3204 or 801-2380 or email the information to [email protected] ~MISSIONS COMMITTEE~
PROJECT TRANSFORMATION Thank you to all who have volunteered with Project Transformation. We have folks lined up to prepare 3 meals and we have reading tutors Monday June 26-Thursday June 29. If you are reading and have not both signed up on line to be a volunteer or completed the link for a background check, these two items need to be addressed asap. If you have a current background check on file (current is less than 4 years old as of June 29) then I will need a copy along with information on the qualifying agency. Project Transformation is required to follow a strict TN mandated policy regarding church volunteers working with children. Thank you for your attention to these procedures.
~STEPHEN MINISTRIES~
Stephen Ministries is in full swing here at FPC! We currently have five trained Stephen Minis-ters who are assisting members of our congregation. We have five church members who have taken advantage of our program to date. With that being said, this program cannot run without people volunteering to become Stephen Ministers. We are seeking men and women who are up for the task! If we have enough interest, we will start a new training session in the fall. If you are interested in becoming a Stephen Minister or just have questions about the pro-gram, contact Rhonda Banasiak at [email protected]. We also welcome information on people who may benefit from our services.
AGES 3-RISING 5TH GRADERS WELCOME Early Registration is encouraged!
(Please fill out a separate form for each child.)
Child’s name________________________________________________________________ Birth date____________________ Gender (circle) male female FPC Member? ___yes ____no FPC Preschool Attendee and class?________________ Allergies or other conditions which may limit activity______________________________ Please check the appropriate age group for your child: ____Age 3 (must be potty-trained) ____Age 4 or 5 (preschool, but not entering Kindergarten) ____Entering Kindergarten ____Entering First ____Entering Second ____Entering Third ____Entering Fourth ____Entering Fifth Address__________________________________________________________ Home Phone______________________________________________________ City __________________________________ Zip __________ Email ___________________________________________________________ Parent or Guardian name ____________________________________________ Work or Cell _______________________________ Primary contact in case of emergency (Name and 2 phone numbers)
Parent signature _____________________________________ Date _____________ Childcare is available for babies-age 2 for all volunteers’ children or children whose parents are attending the adult study. If you need childcare, please give the name(s) of your nursery-age children and their date of birth. Name________________ Age______ Allergies____________________ Name________________ Age______ Allergies____________________
SENIOR HIGH YOUTH
No Sunday Night Meetings the month of June.
WEDNESDAYS at Chick-Fil-A at 6:30pm. Please bring $$ for meal. We will eat and then hang out until 7:30 pm.
If you have any questions, contact Mark Banasiak at 980-8185.
Have a
great
summer!
MIDDLE SCHOOL YOUTH
Sunday Night Meetings
No Youth Group Meetings for June!
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!
Bring
a
friend!
Page 12
June 18
Page 13
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
This calendar can be printed up to two weeks before the beginning of the month, please check Google Calendar for updates and changes.
1 10am Bible Study 11:15am Prayer Circle 6:30 Senior Highs @ Chick Fil A
1 9am Yoga 10:30am Staff Meeting
2 3
4 Communion MACEDONIA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH HOMECOMING, page 6
5 5pm Theology on Tap @ Shoney’s
6 5:30pm Yoga
7 10am Bible Study 5pm Property Committee 6:30 Senior Highs @ Chick Fil A
8 9am Yoga 10:30am Staff Meeting
9
10
11
12 5pm Theology on Tap @ Shoney’s 6pm PW Potluck dinner
13 5:30pm Yoga
14 10am Bible Study 6:30 Senior Highs @ Chick Fil A
15 9am Yoga 10:30am Staff Meeting
16 17
18
19 5pm Theology on Tap @ Shoney’s Deadline for newsletter information
20
5:30pm Yoga
21 10am Bible Study 6:30 Senior Highs @ Chick Fil A
22 9am Yoga 10:30am Staff Meeting
23
24
25
26 5pm Theology on Tap @ Shoney’s
27 10am PW Planning Meeting 5:30pm Yoga
28 10am Bible Study 6:30 Senior Highs @ Chick Fil A
