2nd Edition. June 2024

This past weekend we were in Gallatin to celebrate the graduations of both my niece and nephew We had a luncheon at my brother’s house, a sprawling Mexican food buffet provided by Dos Bros. It was good to be with family and friends, both old and new. I noticed that as friends came and went during the drop-in celebration, for the most part everyone congregated in the kitchen around the table with the food on it.

munity was created, even if for just a short time. All the Gospels tell stories about conversations and events that happened with Jesus around a table sharing a meal with people

Later that day, we drove to downtown Nashville to meet up with some friends from Switzerland whom we hadn’t seen since 2011. We went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Monell’s. Located in the Germantown section of Nashville, Monell’s serves Southern Comfort food like fried chicken, meatloaf, catfish, ribs, green beans, cole slaw, cucumber-onion salad, corn pudding, mac and cheese, and banana pudding.

What I love about Monell’s, apart from the fabulous food, is that all meals are served family-style around large tables. There were three parties at our table – us and our Swiss friends, an African-American family from Clarksville celebrating a birthday, and a white couple from Colorado visiting their adopted Asian-American daughter who lives in Nashville – passing around heaping helpings of food. On Saturday at 5:00 p.m. we were all strangers By 5:05 p m we were all tablemates, sharing food while sharing our stories with one another

This is what happens when meals are shared around a table, community is created, even if for just a short time. Food connects.

Gathering people around a table was one of Jesus’ primary mission strategies People from very different backgrounds and social circles would share a meal

For the first part of this summer, we are looking at the stories Luke tells about people having dinner with Jesus. In these stories we see who Jesus is, what Jesus cares about, and what kind of people Jesus invites to the table with him In these stories we see biblical principles lived out before us. These meals with Jesus represent something bigger than just a meal, they enact the grace, community, hope, mission, salvation, and promise of God’s Kingdom.

Pastor Sarah and I hope that during this sermon series you, members of this congregation, will take the opportunity to find occasions to gather people into your home for a meal Perhaps it will be with friends you haven’t seen in a long time Perhaps it will be with members of this congregation that you don’t know as well as you would like Perhaps it will be someone you have only recently met and would like to know better. Perhaps it will be all of the above!

When my wife told my mother that we were headed to dinner with some friends on Saturday night, my mother responded by saying, “How can you eat more after just eating?” My wife replied, “I don’t know, but that’s what you do with people when you get together, isn’t it? You eat It’s always around a meal, it’s always around a table.” I think this is right. I think it’s what Jesus was trying to tell us. The seemingly ordinary act of sharing a meal can be a holy experience of connection. Bon Appetit!

Grace and peace…

Topics Topics

This summer we will have two different sermon series. Our first is called Dinner with Jesus. A significant part of Jesus’ ministry and mission was long meals shared with disparate people around a common table. Following the Gospel of Luke, each week we will join Jesus around a meal to learn more about who he is, what he cares about, and who he welcomes. We hope to use this series to help us see how we can use meals to minister to those around us, like Jesus did. We encourage you during this summer sermon series to invite people – maybe people you don’t know well – into your home to share a meal. This is a simple way to help people feel invited and included in our family of faith.

May 26th

June 2nd

June 9th

June 16th

June 23rd

June 30th

July 7th

Luke 5:27-39

Luke 7:36-50

Luke 9:10-17

Luke 10:38-42

Luke 11:37-54

Luke 14:1-24

Luke 24:13-35

Dinner with Jesus: Levi’s House

Dinner with Jesus: Simon’s House

Dinner with Jesus: Outside Bethsaida

Dinner with Jesus: Mary & Martha’s House

Dinner with Jesus: A Pharisee‘s House

Dinner with Jesus: A Pharisee Leader‘s House

Dinner with Jesus: Cleopas’ House

S U N D A Y S U N D A Y W O R S H I P W O R S H I P th

Our next 5th Sunday Worship will be in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday, June 30th. Worship on these Sundays is a little less formal and allows being together in a different way than usual. We hope you will join us!

Please Help Us Be Good Stewards & Turn Off the Lights!

For the past several years we have paid to have a service come to the church at 11:00 p.m. every evening to turn off the lights and set the alarm We now have a new alarm system that can be set remotely, so we have discontinued this service. This means we ALL need to help be good stewards of our resources and the environment by turning off the lights when we leave an area of the church. This is especially important if you or your group are the last to leave the church building on a given evening PLEASE – turn out the

All members and visitors at Second Presbyterian Church are invited to the Presbyterian Women’s annual picnic on Tuesday, June 11, at 11:00. We will gather at the Pavilion behind the First United Methodist Church (3316 Kingston Pike (about one mile west of Second Church on the left). The entrance to the Methodist Church Pavilion is the first driveway with the second driveway serving as an exit. The church sign reads, “First Church Knox”. The Pavilion is located down near the river with excellent parking nearby).

The PW mission program will be led by Nancy Welch, Director of the Volunteer Assisted Transportation Program whose volunteers give their time to provide door-through-door- transportation assistance to those who need help. Together the volunteers assist local seniors and the disabled to live independently.

JOIN US ON JUNE 11 FOR LUNCH, LEARNING, FELLOWSHIP, AND FUN!

Second Readers will meet next Wednesday, May 8th, 11:30 a.m. at the Buckingham Clubhouse. The book of the month is

“God Spare the Girls”

by Kelsey McKinney

SUMMER SUMMER

KICKOFF CELEBRATION KICKOFF CELEBRATION

ON SUNDAY, JUNE 2ND,

EVERYONE IS INVITED TO CELEBRATE THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER FROM 4:30 TO 6:30 P.M.

PLEASE BRING DINNER OR SNACKS FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AS THERE WILL NOT BE FOOD TRUCKS AVAILABLE AS ORIGINALLY PLANNED. THE CHURCH WILL PROVIDE ICE CREAM TREATS.

THERE WILL ALSO BE INFLATABLES ON THE CHURCH LAWN FOR EVERYONE TO ENJOY!

Following worship on Sunday, June 23rd, we will have a congregational luncheon and town hall. The church will provide sandwiches and we ask that you bring a salad, chips, or dessert to share. At the end of the lunch, we will have a Congregational Town Hall to hear what the Session and Vision Task Force have been praying about and discussing since last summer. This will be a valuable opportunity for us to think together about the future of our congregation, share ideas and opinions, ask questions, and learn how we can be in prayer for the leadership of this congregation.

We hope that you will make every effort to attend this very important congregational gathering.

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. They rely on the generosity of the congregation to fund their efforts and welcome recommendations for donations and volunteer opportunities.

May Disbursements:

Presbytery of East Tennessee - $1,100

Sunset Gap Ministries - $3,000. Sunset Gap is a Christian-based organization that unites people of all faiths and provides programs to support the physical, social, economic, and spiritual growth of individuals in Cocke and Sevier counties. Services include food distribution, a thrift store, and home repair assistance

Morgan Scott Project - $2,000. Since 1972 the Morgan-Scott Project for Cooperative Christian Concerns (MSP) has formed a base from which the needs of low-income families in Scott and Morgan counties can be addressed MSP functions as both a social services agency and as a community development organization. For a video describing the Morgan Scott Project go to https://youtu.be/HoC31hpchc0

Compassion Coalition - $500 This is our annual membership dues that support the organization and provide eligibility for resources including training.

KARM - $250. Earmarked for Pastor Mychal to purchase fast food gift cards and bus passes for those in homeless camps who are unwilling or unable to come to KARM facilities

Volunteer activities for May:

May 3 – Emerald Youth Foundation Breakfast. 2nd Pres hosted a table with nine in attendance from the church.

May 3 – West View Carnival – 2nd Pres was represented by several volunteers popping popcorn, helping with the cake walk, and selling jazzy jars. The church, with the help of John Henley and Coca-Cola, also provided 300 soft drinks and 120 bottles of water. Members also donated a generous number of snacks and many jazzy jars

May 31 – Volunteers will be providing and serving breakfast in the Resource Center at Volunteer Ministry Center.

GOing and Serving in 2024 – Watch for upcoming volunteer opportunities at VMC, KARM, Love Kitchen, West View, and others in upcoming weekly newsletters Coming up in June and July –Love Kitchen and KARM.

NOTE: The GO Team is changing the team meeting time from 1 pm to 6:30 pm on the first Thursday of each month. This change is to provide an opportunity to serve for those whose work schedules prevented attending afternoon meetings. YOU are invited and encouraged to join the team. The next meeting is June 6.

Patricia and Geoffrey Kennedy

Please join us for a baby shower honoring June 2nd at 2 p.m. / Fellowship Hall

Please look for links to their Registries in our Friday E-News!

Nichole Duran will be on vacation from June 2nd – June 14th. Please help us during these two weeks by tidying up after yourself when you are at the church building

Pastor Tim will be away on vacation from May 31st – June 8th. He will also be away on Sunday, June 16th, and Sunday, June 30th officiating at out-of-town weddings.

Pastor Sarah will be out of town on vacation June 17th – 23rd.

(Buckingham Clubhouse) 5:30 p.m. GROW Team meeting (Small Conference Room) 6:30 p.m. GO Team

2ND PRES KNOX

WELCOMING + FAITHFUL + HOPEFUL

CLERGYSTAFF

PastorTimReynolds Pastor/HeadofStaff treynolds@2ndpresorg

PastorSarahMorgan

TransitionalAssociatePastorfor CongregationalLife&Mission smorgan@2ndpres.org

PROGRAMSTAFF

MatthewMimbs DirectorofMusic&Arts mmimbs@2ndpresorg

JohnLasater Organist jdlasater77@gmail.com

HollyGrimm

Children&YouthMinistryCoordinator hgrimm@2ndpres.org

SUPPORTSTAFF

BonnieSmith ChurchAdministrator bsmith@2ndpresorg

MartaP.Villalta Media&CommunicationsCoordinator mvillalta@2ndpres.org

JulieHill

Receptionist 2ndpresJulie@gmailcom

PRESCHOOLSTAFF

LindaSueByrd Director lsbyrd@2ndpres.org

HollyGrimm AssistantDirector hgrimm@2ndpresorg

CONTACTUS:

SecondPresbyterianChurch

2829KingstonPike

Knoxville,TN37919

Ph 8655232189

Fax8656372617

www.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. THE

ELDERS

CLASS OF 2025

Zachary Burch

Lisa Henley

Terry Weaver

CLASS OF 2026

Leonard Bailey

Doug Barbour

Monica Casey

Clara Hardin

CLASS OF 2027

Betsy Foster

John Gill

Bill Owen

Cheryl Ragsdale

MINISTRY TEAMS & MODERATORS

WORSHIP

Betsy Foster

John Gill

CONNECT

Terry Weaver

Cheryl Ragsdale

GROW

Zach Burch

Monica Casey GO

Leonard Bailey

Clara Hardin

SUPPORT

Doug Barbour

Bill Owen

PRESCHOOL

Lisa Henley