7 from Kevin - November 2023
Kevin Jeske-Polyak • November 16, 2023
- In 2011 a group of 8 congregants, including John Mark, decided to have some fun and perform an art project. The life of our patron Saint, St. James, became the subject. Each congregant decided on one aspect of St. James' life and painted an image of that. Four of those 8 recently rediscovered paintings are currently on display in the Administration wing hallway. Eventually, the full set will be displayed along with a short story about each painting.
- Linda Goins has been lending her exacting and creative talents to compile, edit and publish our weekly service bulletins for many years. It's not as easy as it looks. It requires great organizational skills, patience, and concentration. Linda is always at the ready whenever the need arises to produce bulletins for special holiday and memorial services as well. Recently, she responded to an "emergency" situation when it was necessary to print bulk mail envelopes one by one on short notice!
- In addition to lining up performers and food vendors for the annual Neighbor Day Concert, there is much more work that goes on behind the scenes. Thanks to Ashley, Bill Y, Butch, Carol, Carla, Drew J-P, Hoyt, John Mark, Kevin, Rick B, and the folks at HP Video for all their help in planning and managing our Third Annual Neighbor Day Concert in the Parking Lot! Special thanks to all of you who attended the event and enjoyed the music provided by the New Dismembered Tennesseans bluegrass band.
- Jere Myers & DeAnna Franklin certainly know how to organize pancake breakfasts! Through four of six events, the number of participating neighbors has steadily increased every week. Thanks to their skill in budgeting and managing the actual tasks performed, the costs associated with all six Saturdays was covered after the first 3 Saturdays. The rest of the money raised during the final 3 Saturdays will be used to support our ministries.
- Balancing HVAC energy efficiency considerations with the individual comfort preferences among hundreds of assembled guests is a challenging task. Add to that, the dynamics of meeting & event schedules and the effects of the constantly changing weather conditions in East Tennessee. We are so thankful for Colby with Trane Technologies and Ed with J&F Mechanical who are working so conscientiously and patiently with us as we continue to tweak the schedule.
- Now that renovations have been completed, our focus has shifted to doing everything necessary to ensure preventive and corrective actions are promptly taken to care for an maintain our spaces. An important part of that has been contracting with a professional part-time housekeeper through DT's Housekeeping Services. Although Suzette only works in the mornings, (Mondays and Fridays), she has already proven to be a very conscientious, thorough and efficient part of our team!
- Carol & Butch Yates provide enormous assistance in helping us
reorganize items stored in and around the church. They also help us dispose of
"clutter" and
useless items that seem to collect in these areas over time. In addition to all of that, Butch & Carol perform other
"home improvement" tasks like replacing light fixtures, mounting brackets, and hanging window blinds. We appreciate everything everything they do to help us keep our spaces
organized and
comfortable.
Friends and Neighbors, This Sunday is Mother's Day and also Good Shepherd Sunday. Both celebrations have been shaped and changed over the years. Good Shepherd Sunday got the name as we do read the passage from John 10 about Jesus the Good Shepherd, and Mother's Day has roots going back to Mothering Sunday in England. The establishment of Mother's Day in the United States was motivated by the recognition of the work of Ann Reeves Jarvis, Julia Ward Howe, and Anna M. Jarvis. These women worked for sanitary health care for soldiers and were advocates for peace during the Civil War. They imagined a union of mothers who would call for peace because mothers knew so deeply the loss of their children to war. Mothering and shepherding call for similar qualities of protection and care.
We continue celebrating Easter as we move into a month full of celebrations and transitions. I am looking forward to just hanging out with folks this Saturday night at our spaghetti dinner. You can find details about that in this email. Please mark your calendars for the annual Justice Knox Celebration on May 19 from 6:30 PM- 8:30 PM at First Presbyterian Church. We will have dinner and share stories about the next steps. You will also be asked to consider making an investment in the work of Justice Knox. I hope that you will consider giving to this important ministry.
Alleluia. Christ is risen. We celebrated the resurrection with so much joy this past Sunday. The Easter feast continues for 50 days. Thank you to everyone who made Holy Week and Easter Sunday so special. You helped people feel welcomed to this place where we proclaim the welcoming love of Christ in word, deed, song, Easter egg hunts, and something good to eat. We welcome others because we have known the love of Christ and want to share it.
Friends and Neighbors, As we journey through Holy Week, I encourage you to pause and consider those events that lead us to the joyful celebration of Easter. May that also be reflected in our lives. We walk through hard things and know that God is with us. We hold to the hope that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Friends and Neighbors, As the weather teases us with warm days followed by chilly ones, we enter Holy Week. You have probably heard me encouraging folks to experience the journey to the cross and the grave so we might celebrate the resurrection with that insight. God has shared this human experience and is with us in the darkness and the light. Our liturgies of Holy Week take us on that journey with Jesus and remind us that God is indeed with us on our own journeys.