MARCH 2023 2ND EDITION

MARCH 2023

SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH - WWW.2NDPRES.ORG

I don’t know about the average church member, choice and unfettered desire. It calls us to enter but for those of us in church leadership, into a time of disciplined self-reflection, especially worship leadership, Lent often seems repentance, and confession for the ways in which to sneak up on us way too quickly following we violate God’s good intentions for our lives. It Christmas. I’m not sure why this is. After almost 22 begs us to pray with King David, “Create in me a years of ordained ministry, and many years of clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit leading music in worship prior to that, you would within me.” think that I might have figured out the rhythm.

While Lent may be unexpected and surprising, it But, no. Lent is almost always an unexpected is also a beautiful gift. Lent invites us to ponder surprise. our journey of faith- to think and pray about how Maybe this is because Presbyterians arrived late we travel with Jesus in obedience and trust. It is a to the Lent party. Historically, Lent was not time to renew our Christian discipleship, to focus observed in Presbyterian denominations because on what it means to follow the One who lived, it was considered “too Rome-ish”. When the 2nd died, and rose from the dead for our salvation. As Vatican Council concluded in 1965, the resulting Presbyterians standing within the Reformed reforms and growing interest in ecumenism Tradition, we believe that this begins and ends caused many Presbyterians to look at the with dwelling and being immersed in Scripture. liturgical calendar with renewed curiosity. Still, it We are called to let the words, poetry, images, wasn’t until the 1980s that American commands, stories, and hymns found in Scripture Presbyterians began to interact with the rhythms to seep into our hearts and imaginations so that of the liturgical calendar on a widespread basis. we may deepen our spirituality and our And it wasn’t until the 1990s that Presbyterians discipleship. began to celebrate Ash Wednesday services. So To be a disciple requires discipline. So if you “old-timers” like me can still remember when we want to add a valuable spiritual discipline to didn’t celebrate Lent, but younger Presbyterians, your life this Lenten season, I can think of none like my children or Pastor Sarah, have grown up better than to sit with Scripture every day from with it. now until Easter. (And beyond, if you like!) Open While Presbyterians observe Lent differently than your heart and mind to God, so that Jesus himself our Catholic (and even Lutheran and Anglican) can teach you through the Word what it means brothers and sisters, preferring to add spiritual to be his disciple. I guarantee that you will disciplines to our life instead of fasting or “giving receive the surprising and unexpected gift of something up” for Lent, the season does offer Lent! value in today’s world. For instance, Lent summons Grace and peace… us to take stock of our lives as we live in the midst of a consumer culture that emphasizes unlimited

CONTENTS 4. WORSHIP

6. CONNECT 8. GROW 9. GO 10. SUPPORT follow us on social media www.2ndpres.org

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UPCOMING SERMON TEXTS & TOPICS We will be in the season of Lent throughout March.

As we continue our journey through Matthew, we will be hearing some of Jesus’ parables.

MARCH 5th MARCH 12th MARCH 19th MARCH 26th

MATTHEW 20: 1-16 MATTHEW 22: 1-14 MATTHEW 25: 1-13 MATTHEW 25: 31-46

LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD WEDDING BANQUET BRIDESMAIDS LAST JUDGMENT

Spring Forward

Remember to set your clocks ahead one hour before going to bed on

Saturday, March 11th, or you’ll be an hour late for worship on Sunday, March 12th!

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03.06 Doug Matthews 03.08 Ally McLean 03.12 Beth Robertson 03.14 Terry Weaver 03.15 Jack Lewis 03.16 Marian Broome 03.17 John Gill

03.20 Bo Wall 03.22 Nancy Montgomery 03.23 Sydney Jones 03.25 Charlotte Klieman 03.29 Ann Payne 03.30 Mariann Thuesen

IF WE INADVERTENTLY MISSED SOMEONE...HAPPY BIRTHDAY! PLEASE HELP US UPDATE OUR RECORDS SO WE'LL HAVE YOUR SPECIAL DAY ON FILE.!

SECOND

readers

Our Second Readers group will meet on Wednesday, March 8, at 11:30 a.m. at the Buckingham Clubhouse.

The book for the month is The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Bring your lunch and join us!

Contact Margaret Sullivan at (865) 363-3967 if you have any questions.

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VISIT TO PW The Presbyterian Women’s group held its monthly meeting on February 14 in the Fellowship Hall where they hosted a team from the Emerald Youth Foundation. The team presented an excellent, inspiring program on the status of the Foundation’s progress after its founding 30 years ago at Emerald United Methodist Church.

In 2021, EYF served more than 2,200 inner-city children, teens, and young adults.

EYF’s team explained that their multiple community services address three different needs that Knoxville’s urban community, populated with 12,000 young people, has.

JUST LEAD A church and the after-school ministry provides a safe and fun place to share God’s love and provide academic support. EYF operates through a network of roughly 15 churches and faith-based organizations in Knoxville’s inner city.

EMERALD YOUTH SPORTS It provides youth opportunities to play sports like volleyball, basketball, swimming, and soccer.

CALLING AND CAREER MINISTRY EYF Provides support to high school-age youth by helping them transition to postsecondary experiences, careers, and Christ-centered calling. One of EYF’s most recent efforts has been establishing and managing the Emerald Academy, Knoxville’s only charter school for K-8 in a college preparatory program. The program is designed to help with the academic disparities among inner-city youth.

We thank the EYF team for coming to our meeting and sharing with us about the work they do in our community. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to serve our city.

To learn more about Emerald Youth Foundation, please visit their website at https://www.emeraldyouth.org/

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Presbyterian Women will present its customary second Tuesday of the month program on March 14, with a short mission report to allow for adequate time to discuss the life and work of Luke, often referred to by Bible scholars as Luke the Physician.

In the opinion of most Bible scholars, Luke was a gentile who served in a rather unique position among the leaders of the early missionary efforts to spread Christianity to the world in the first century AD. He was an assistant to Paul and was with him for part of his travels and in Rome.

Luke is credited with the authorship of the book of Luke in the New Testament, which provides the beautifully descriptive story of Mary, Joseph, and the birth and life of Jesus. Luke is also known for writing the book of Acts, which gives us many details of the beginning of the first-century church as it struggled with proselytes, Jewish leadership, and opposition to Roman leadership.

JOIN US ON MARCH 14 as we explore this great early Christian leader! PW meets from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall.

We invite all who are interested in learning more about The Bible.

Thank you, Second! from Knox County Juvenile Court

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Lenten Devotional Discussions This Lenten season we are reading the daily devotional Lent of Liberation by Cheri Mills. We are offering two times each week to gather and reflect on the readings – Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. and Thursdays at noon. If you would like to come and share your thoughts and feelings about the readings, or hear what others are thinking and feeling, please join us.

TAKE THE

!

E G N E L L A H C LENTEN

During this Lenten season, we are reminded that Jesus said, “Take up your cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) This is a solemn and weighty request, and many of us find it so daunting that we do nothing, or at least not as much as we are able. We are somewhat like the tennis team that forfeits a match because they don’t have enough players when they could play for pure enjoyment. This “all or nothing” approach robs us of the joy we receive for the good we do. It keeps us trapped in thinking we can never be good enough when nothing is farther from the truth. Each of us has more capacity for goodness than we can imagine, and even a drop of goodness shared can make a difference.

During this season when Christian denominations focus on the concept of sacrifice, the members of the Poverty Study Group invite you to participate in a Lenten Challenge. Most of us can name at least one luxury we could do without, something that if lost, would change our lives very little. These are things like eating out, getting your nails done, Starbucks coffee, lavish trips, or shopping. We challenge you to “freeze,” or at least decrease, one luxury for Lent, and donate the money you save, or items purchased with the money saved, to a church charity of your choice.

It might be Fish, West View Elementary, Cagle Terrace, or anything highlighted in our Weekly E-News or Worship Bulletin each week during Lent. A little sacrifice in our own lives can make a huge difference in someone else’s life, and working together we can impact many lives. Please join our Lenten challenge!

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NEWS FROM TANZANIA Happy New Year!

I hope all is well.

I am sending you some photos of Michael as he starts off to school in January. Michael just completed year 4 of Primary School and sat for the National Class 4 Exams. Robert should have his grades by now, so I'll share them when I receive them. The dormitories are complete with the roofs but we are waiting for funding to plaster the walls, floors and also to get doors and windows.

Just want to drop a note to say how much we continue to appreciate your support of Michael!

All the best, Lisa Michael lives in Tanzania and our GO Team sends money for his tuition every January through donations from our parishioners. Thank you for your generosity!

2023 BREAKFASTS

VOLUNTEER MINISTRY CENTER RESOURCE CENTER

Volunteers Needed The Go Team has arranged to serve breakfasts at VMC’s Resource Center each quarter this year. No food prep or cooking is involved. We will provide Chick-Fil-A breakfast sandwiches, fruit, orange juice, and coffee. Volunteers are needed to help serve the food and to have a caring fellowship with those at breakfast.

Offering a transitional day program for the homeless, the Resource Center is a case management program that assists people in their efforts to work their way out of homelessness. Every member is assigned a case manager who works with them to overcome barriers to housing and self-sufficiency. Once they find housing, the case manager remains involved until they are fully independent. The members receive classes, a meal program, showers, laundry facilities, and social activities as a part of the programming. Since 2007, over 1,080 (and counting) of Knoxville’s most vulnerable have achieved freedom from the streets through the Resource Center and now have a safe place to call home. Ninety-four percent of these individuals have been able to maintain housing for a year or longer.

We only need a few volunteers for each breakfast. The first breakfast will be Friday, March 31 at 7:30 a.m. If you are interested in helping contact Leonard Bailey by email at lbailey@chartertn.net or by phone or text at 865-207-4947. If you are interested in volunteering to serve later in the year, we will also be providing breakfast on June 30, September 29, and December 29.

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Highlights from February 2023 Stated Session Meeting Received reports from the Preschool and Ministry Teams as information.

Received the Treasurer’s Report.

Approved the transfer of Julie, Andrew, Owen, and Reed McGranaghan to Grace Presbyterian Church of Knoxville and the transfer of Karen Cleveland to the Kirk of Kildaire Presbyterian Church in Cary, North Carolina.

Approved the recommendation from the Budget and Finance Committee for the gift of $50,000 received from a donor in memory of her late husband to be accepted and used to establish the Robinson Fund, an unrestricted, custodial endowment fund whose purpose is to support the missions of Second Presbyterian Church.

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JANUARY

YTD

BUDGET

TOTAL GIVING

$152,728.69

$152,728.69

$784,417

TOTAL EXPENSES

$53,860.74

$53,860.74

$819,176

EXCESS (SHORTAGE)

$98,867.95

$98,867.95

(-$34,759)

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10:00 a.m. Staff Mtg. (Barbour) 12:00 p.m. Pre-School Board Mtg. 3 p.m. Budget Finance Support Team 2022 (Barbour) 4:00 p.m. Deadline 2nd Edition

20

6:00 p.m. GROW Team (Zoom)

13

10:00 a.m. Staff Mtg. (Barbour) 4:30 a.m. Cross Ministries Board Mtg. (Barbour)

6

27

MON

28

9 a.m. Fish Pantry (Fellowship Hall)

6:00 p.m. Session Meeting (Barbour)

21

9:30 a.m. Presbyterian Woman (Fellowship Hall) 6:00 p.m. Worship Team(Barbour)

14

4:30 p.m. CONNECT Team 5:00 p.m. Facilities Support Team

7

28

TUE

9

15

29

6 p.m. Lenten Book Study (Barbour) 7 p.m. Pragmatic Presbyterian (Library)

6 p.m. Lenten Book Study (Barbour) 7 p.m. Pragmatic Presbyterian (Library)

22

2:00 p.m. Compassionate Cuisine (Fellowship Hall) 6 p.m. Lenten Book Study (Barbour) 7 p.m. Pragmatic Presbyterian (Library)

12 p.m. Lenten Book Study (Barbour)

30

12 p.m. Lenten Book Study (Barbour)

23

10 a.m. Arts & Crafts (Room 227) 12 p.m. Lenten Book Study (Barbour)

16

12 p.m. Lenten Book Study (Barbour)

8 11:30 a.m. 2nd Readers Book Club (Buckingham) 6 p.m. Lenten Book Study (Barbour) 7 p.m. Pragmatic Presbyterian (Library)

2 12 p.m. Lenten Book Study (Barbour) 1 p.m. GO TEAM (Barbour)

1

THU

2:00 p.m. Compassionate Cuisine (Fellowship) 6 p.m. Lenten Book Study (Barbour) 7 p.m. Pragmatic Presbyterian (Library)

WED

31

24

17

10

3

FRI

The events included in this calendar will take place as listed if we are in COVID Phase Green or Yellow, BUT NOT if Red. Please see the home page & calendar on our website, 2ndpres.org with up-to-date information on COVID Phase changes and new criteria, as well as real-time calendar updates.

9:30 a.m. Faith, Science & The Future(Barbour) 10:30 a.m. Worship

26

9:30 a.m. Faith, Science & The Future(Barbour) 10:30 a.m. Worship

19

10:30 a.m. Worship

9:30 a.m. Faith, Science & The Future(Barbour)

12

9:30 a.m. Faith, Science & The Future (Barbour) 10:30 a.m. Worship

5

26

SUN

MARCH 2023

1

25

18

9 a.m. CCR & R Training (Fellowship Hall)

11

4

SAT