SECOND EDITION AUGUST 2026
SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
2NDPRES.ORG
ON SECOND
Thought...
A few weeks ago I preached a sermon on the myth, “Forgiving means forgetting.” I talked about what a big deal forgiveness is to God and how forgiving is more about being healthy ourselves, rather than restoring a relationship. I even said that we could forgive someone without ever even telling them. It may not surprise you to find out that forgiveness is also a sign of a healthy congregation. One of the Hebrew Bible’s words for forgiveness means to remove a weight. One of the New Testament words means to let go. Forgiveness is an act of release or removal. Forgiveness is liberating for us. To forgive is to believe in transformation. Destruction can be transformed into new life; despair can be transformed into hope. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “My sin is forgiven. Therefore I am no longer in death, but in life.” The apostle Paul wrote that if anyone is in Christ they are a new creation. Forgiveness is about new life. Forgiveness is giving power to the future. It is moving towards others without reacting emotionally in the same old ways. We can only offer forgiveness when we change our stance in relationship to others. When we forgive, we approach others in a thoughtful and intentional manner. It’s saying that, even though we have been wronged, we refuse to let that wrong define who we are and who we are in relationship to others. This leaves the door open for restoration in the future. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, someone who knew first-hand the difficulty of forgiveness, wrote, “Forgiveness is taking seriously the awfulness of what has happened when you are treated unfairly. It is opening the door for the other person to have a chance to begin again. Without forgiveness, resentment builds in us, a resentment which turns into hostility and anger. Hatred eats away at our wellbeing.”
Archbishop Tutu also wrote about the African concept of ubuntu. It means that my humanity is caught up in your humanity because a person is a person only through another person. I have always liked this concept. To me, it brings to mind the Christian concept that each of us bears the image of God. Once we stop seeing what other people do or how they act, and instead look for the image of God in all people, it becomes easier for us to recognize our shared connection – ubuntu – which makes it easier to forgive. Forgiveness is the distinguishing mark of the Christian community. Theologian Paul Tillich said that forgiveness “means acceptance of those who are unacceptable.” He was getting at the very essence of forgiveness – it is unconditional. It is a gift with no strings attached – only grace. Forgiveness is what distinguishes the Christian community from other communities based on friendliness, likemindedness, or shared interests. Healthy congregations offer forgiveness to each other. When we are hurt, we are not afraid to go to the person who hurt us and let them know. When we hurt others, we acknowledge our wrongdoing and ask for forgiveness. This allows for reconciliation and the possibility of new life as we move forward into the future, together, with grace.
Grace and peace...
Table of Contents Worship Connect Grow Go Support
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Worship
Upcoming Sermon Texts and Topics
Pastor Tim continues his Religious Mythbusters sermon series in August while Pastor Sarah continues her Holy Home Décor series.
August 2nd
Mark 2:1-12
Religious Mythbusters: God Helps Those Who Help Themselves
August 9th
Revelation 21:1-5
Religious Mythbusters: Our Souls Go to Heaven and We Become Angels When We Die
August 16th Acts 10:1-36
Religious Mythbusters: All Religions Are Basically the Same
August 23rd Luke 1:26-38
Holy Home Décor: Faith Makes It Possible
August 30th 1 Thessalonians
Holy Home Décor: Pray Without Ceasing
5:12-28
-Pastor’s Bible StudyWe will conclude our study of Revelation this month. On August 6th we’ll be covering Chapters 15-19 and on August 13th we will cover Chapters 20-22. It’s not too late to join if you’re interested. We meet on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m. After the Revelation study, the Pastor’s Bible Study will be on hiatus until sometime after Labor Day.
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Beginning Sunday, August 2nd, you may notice some new faces in the building on Sunday mornings. Grace Christian Church, a multicultural Slavic and English congregation consisting mainly of Eastern European immigrants and their families, will be worshiping in the Fellowship Hall and sharing our facilities during the week. Grace Christian was founded in 2019 by immigrants from the former Soviet Union and various other countries of the former Soviet Republic, with a large number of Ukrainian refugees among its number. Many of the families contain second and even third-generation immigrants, so for this reason they are a bilingual congregation, conducting services in both English and Russian. Their worship service will be at 11:00 a.m. on Sundays and their usage of our space will be comparable to that of Church of the Savior. Please make them feel welcome when you see them in the building!
Connect
The next gathering of Second Readers will be Wednesday, August 19, at 11:30 a.m. in the church library. Bring your lunch and join us for a discussion of Saving Emma, led by Liz Peebles. All are welcome to join us and if you have questions about our group, call Margaret Sullivan at 865-363-3967. If you have further questions, call Margaret Sullivan at 865-363-3967.
: E T A s UPD men’
Wo n a i r e in e m t u s y b e Pres gs will r tuned rin e tay and h S t . ga r be m tins e e t l l p u e ore b S m e r r u o t f to in fu e-news t i a y ’t w a n d a i c r F We in! . a s l g i a a ou det y e se
Join us for Arts & Crafts!
The Arts and Crafts group of PW meets on the FOURTH WEDNESDAY at 10:00 a.m. in room 227 upstairs. Come and enjoy the fellowship!
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AUGUST BIRTHDAYS 8/3 Nichole Duran 8/21 Kathryn Freeman 8/7 Finley Kennedy 8/21 Taylor Jones 8/7 John Reynolds 8/21 John Penmore 8/11 Charles White 8/24 Pat Bailey 8/13 Patricia Kennedy 8/24 Betsy Foster 8/15 Dean Turner 8/26 Caroline Buckner 8/16 Sarah Morgan 8/30 Marcelis Brown
See a name that we missed? Let us know in the church office so we can update our records accordingly! Fun Fact About the Background: Poppies are one of the August birth flowers (the other is the gladiola). Happy birthday, August babies!
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th
Happy 10 Anniversary, Pastor Tim!
This month marks ten years since Pastor Tim began serving at Second Pres, and we simply must celebrate this! The Connect Team invites all to attend a reception in the gym after worship on Sunday, August 9th, in honor of Pastor Tim. Lunch will be provided, and we hope you’ll make plans to celebrate this wonderful decade with Tim and his amazing family! In lieu of gifts, we invite you to bring a card or note for Tim letting him know how much you appreciate him, maybe a memory that has impacted your life, etc. There will blank cards available to write on at the event for anyone who needs one, and if you cannot attend on the 9th, you may drop your note off with Kathryn in the church office at any time before Thursday, August 6th. We are so excited to honor a wonderful pastor and this milestone - here’s to many more! 7
(More!) SummerTime Memories We are excited to have gotten even more photos from you all with fun things you’ve been doing this summer. The Tucker-Anders family had a great trip to Colorado earlier this summer. Those views are breathtaking! Thank you for sending these photos!
Barb and Glenn Lamping were at it again with their amazing travels! This time they took to Italy and Malta. Beautiful photos!
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Ancient ruins in Paestum, Italy
The Kennedy kids have been very busy tending to their growing pumpkins and sunflowers! Perfect for the upcoming Fall season. Way to go!
A lovely wedding shower took place here at the church on July 19 for Seth Reynolds and Blythe Lundberg! We are so excited for this sweet couple , and for Tim and Tuesday as they welcome Blythe into their family later this month. Congratulations!
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Summer Fun with at Second Pres
Exploring the playground
Field Day 2026!
Zoo Day Pre Blue Family (Zoo Knoxville) Our kids and teachers at SPC Preschool have had a summer full of learning, splashing, growing, field tripping, and exploring! 10
Pre Blue Character
Dress-Up Day
in r e m m u S t a e ! r s e G r a P g d n n i 2 t Hav a y r t s i in M s ’ n e r Chi ld
Grow
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Young Songwriters: Music to Our Ears! Check out the praise song our children wrote together earlier this summer. Great job!
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GO Team Report – July 2026 The GO Team is responsible for extending the ministry of 2nd Presbyterian beyond the church both locally and globally through financial donations and volunteer activities. The team relies on the generosity of the congregation to fund their efforts and welcomes recommendations for donations and volunteer opportunities. If you would like to join the Go Team, contact Lauren Dodson at april392002@yahoo.com or Glenn Lamping at glamping0743@gmail.com. Next meeting is Thursday, August 6, at 1:00pm, in the Barbour room.
Disbursements:
GO
-Presbytery of East Tennessee - $1,300. This is the monthly pledge of 2nd Pres.
Activities in July: Several members of the Go Team served lunch at KARM on July 8. We served over 200 guests.
chool entary S m le E w ie 6-27 West V eeds 202 N ly p p u S s:
Need Ongoing Tissues & t n e r r • u C
owels • Paper T es ysol Wip • Clorox/L iz anit er • H an d S izes) ags (all s • Ziploc B
pply: Low in Su Currently • Colored Pencils
• Pens (b
s • Marker e lu G • Liquid ) e lu b , lack, red
Could Use S
ome Extra: • Backpack s • Water Bot tles (with p op top) • Compositio n Books & Notebooks • Folders w ith Pockets (red, green blue, and ye , llow) • Wide-Rule d Paper Clothing Clo
• Boys’ Pants
set Needs:
& Shorts (X
S, S, M, L)
Items may be dropped of any time in the bin outside the church offic e Thank you !
Going &Serving in 2026
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Family Promise is a national organization that provides community-based resources to empower and equip families experiencing homelessness and housing instability to achieve sustainable independence. Churches in Knoxville shelter and provide warm hospitality on a rotating basis every week of the year. We have an opportunity to assist our neighbors at The Knoxville First Seventh Day Adventist Church who will be hosting for Family Promise the week of August 23-30.
Watch for upcoming volunteer opportunities at KARM, West View Elementary, Compassion Coalition, and others in upcoming weekly newsletters. Reminder: Annual Work Day at West View Elementary is Saturday, August 1!
Volunteers are needed on Sunday, August 23rd, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. to put the finishing touches on the home for its guests, as well as pray for each family who will enter the home for dinner that evening. Doug Barbour will coordinate their meal from 5:30-7:30 PM. This part is special because it allows us to sit with families and their children over a meal, hear their stories, and get to know them. Shortly after worship on August 30th, help is needed to close the house from 12:00-1:00 PM. This teardown shift involves collecting linens, deflating and storing air mattresses, and anything else that is needed - we need as many hands on deck as possible! If you are interested in being an overnight host for Family Promise, please talk with Doug Barbour, as he has done this before and can share his experience. If you are able to help with any of these opportunities love and serve our neighbors, contact Doug Barbour: dhbar1@gmail.com or (865) 307-4545.
Support
August Staff Vacations
Pastor Tim will be on vacation August 17th – 23rd.
Best of luc k to our students, f aculty, and staff who a re returnin g to school t his month. Praying for safety, resilience, a nd patience during the 2026-27 school year !
REMINDER:
ion The next Sess y, a d s e u T s i g n Meeti p.m. 0 3 : 6 t a , 1 1 t Augus om. o R r u o b r a B e in th
Give Online
Visit us at www.2ndpres.org/give, text 2ndPresKnox to 73256 OR scan the QR code to the right.
JUNE BUDGET REPORT
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Preliminary
JUNE
YTD 2026
BUDGET 2025
TOTAL GIFTS
$87,812.02
$566,801.87
$893,040.00
TOTAL EXPENSES
$77,929.75
$440,745.16
$994,188.00
EXCESS (SHORTAGE)
($9,882.27)
$126,056.71
($101,148.00)
August 2026
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THE SECOND EDITION
2ND PRES KNOX
WELCOMING + FAITHFUL + HOPEFUL
SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 2829 KINGSTON PIKE KNOXVILLE, TN 37919
CLERGY STAFF Pastor Tim Reynolds Pastor/Head of Staff treynolds@2ndpres.org Pastor Sarah Morgan Transitional Associate Pastor for Congregational Life & Mission smorgan@2ndpres.org PROGRAM STAFF Matthew Mimbs Director of Music & Arts mmimbs@2ndpres.org Holly Grimm Children & Youth Ministry Coordinator hgrimm@2ndpres.org Sarah Warner Organist swarner@bellarmine.edu SUPPORT STAFF Kathryn Paden Church Administrator admin@2ndpres.org
Responding in gratitude to God's love and grace, we are a welcoming, faithful, and hopeful community, following Jesus and serving him in the world.
follow us on social media 2ndpres.org
2ndpresknox/
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MINISTRY TEAMS & MODERATORS
PRESCHOOL STAFF Linda Sue Byrd Director lsbyrd@2ndpres.org Holly Grimm Assistant Director hgrimm@2ndpres.org --------------------------------------------------CONTACT US: Second Presbyterian Church 2829 Kingston Pike Knoxville, TN 37919 Ph. 865.523.2189 Fax 865.637.2617 www.2ndpres.org
ELDERS
CLASS OF 2027 Betsy Foster John Gill William Owen Cheryl Ragsdale CLASS OF 2028 Geoffrey Kennedy Kathy Duggan Lauren Dodson Cleston Jones CLASS OF 2029 Andrew Butler Becca Kite Glenn Lamping Janis Smith
WORSHIP Betsy Foster John Gill Andrew Butler CONNECT Geoffrey Kennedy Becca Kite Cheryl Ragsdale GROW Kathy Duggan GO Lauren Dodson Glenn Lamping SUPPORT William Owen Janis Smith PRESCHOOL Cleston Jones