May 2023 2nd Edition

This month is a busy things going on here at the church, but personally. My daughter is graduating from high school while my son is graduating from college. I am so proud of the both of them – the people they are and the people they are becoming.

Graduations are transitional moments that prompt us to look back and celebrate with our children what they have accomplished, their journey to this moment, and who they are right now. Yet, they also beckon us to look ahead to what comes next, to imagine the journey that lies ahead, with all of its wonderful possibilities, and to think about who they are becoming and who they will become in the future.

Transitional moments can often be unsettling to those experiencing them. Leaving behind the security of the known and embracing the as-yetunknown future can produce anxiety, worry, and uncertainty, even in the healthiest and most certain of us. It’s okay to admit this. It’s okay to feel this way. I certainly do.

The anxiety I have around my children’s future, however, has nothing to do with them at all (they will be fine). Rather it has to do with me – my hopes, my dreams, my worries for what lies ahead for them in their journeys. This anxiety is tempered, however, by the knowledge – by the assurance – that God is already in their future, waiting for them. As we said on Easter Sunday, Jesus’ promise to the women at the tomb, and through them to the disciples, is, “I am going on ahead of you.” It was true for them then, and it is true for us today.

It occurs to me that transitional moments like graduations are an opportunity not only to

process and say aloud a truth that is always at play in our lives. We are always on the way from who we have been, to who we are, to who we are becoming. Our past is always there in the rearview mirror, informing the decisions we make, influencing who we will choose to be, in one way or another,aswejourney intothe future.

When we readily embrace the notion that we are, all of us, not finished yet, always on the way to becoming who we will be, we are much more able to show ourselves (and others) a littlemoregrace, a little more understanding, and a little more love. Our past mistakes can be reinterpreted as important learning opportunities because they helped shape who were becoming at that time. Our current situations can feel a little less immediate or dire because they aren’t the final word in who we areor whowe will be.

This is true of individuals and it is true of congregations, this one included. Some of us may feel some anxiety or worry because we aren’t what we used to be or don’t have things we once did. Others may love things just as they are now and feel some anxiety that things might change, that things will be different in the future. The reality is, we are still on the way to becoming who we are meant to be as a congregation. Who we were is great! Who we are is also great! And this congregation’s beautiful past will certainly have bearing on how we journey into the future, on who weare becoming. Wearen'tfinished yet.

Whatever the future looks like for 2nd Presbyterian Church, we can rest assured in the knowledge that Jesus isgoing aheadofus,preparingtheway.

Graceand peace…

Our journey through the Narrative Lectionary Year A concludes at the end of May. We will take a hiatus from the Narrative Lectionary for the summer and pick back up with Year B in the fall.

Brice

Duane Grieve

SUNDAY FELLOWSHIP TIME

Our Sunday Fellowship Time will be held outside in the Sanctuary Courtyard (between the Sanctuary and Chapel) for the next few months, weather permitting. In the event of inclement weather, we will move back indoors to the Mary Chambers Room.

I am so thankful when my son, daughter-in-law and I came to Knoxville for the last time to finish cleaning out the condo and were able to come to 2nd Pres to worship. I can’t tell you the surprise I received when I saw the flowers were given in my honor. And the large number of friends who greeted us after the service in the Mary Chambers Room! It was so strange but I felt I was at my own reception before I see all of you again in Heaven.

It was great and I thank those who initiated it and all those who came.

Peace to all, Bobbie Denton

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN

MEET IN MAY MEET IN MAY

Presbyterian Women will meet on Tuesday, May 9, in the Fellowship Hall from 10:00 to 11:30 for its monthly meeting. Dick and Lauren Dodson will be with us to present a mission report on Second Presbyterian Church’s Fish program, one of the church’s oldest mission outreach efforts.

Helen Grant will conclude this year’s Bible study on gentile converts in the first century A.D. with a concentration on Paul and his efforts to bring to Rome the message of the Way (the first name used to describe Christianity) This year’s study is an amazing demonstration of the ways God used the power, influence, and wealth of the Roman Empire to spread the message of the coming of the Messiah to much of the known world.

All members and visitors of the church are welcome to attend our meetings. Join us!

May 10th, 11:30 a.m.

We are reading The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes. Marienne Thuesen will lead our discussion.

Bring your own lunch and join us.

It is sure to be a wonderful time of fellowship, learning, and worship.

If you are interested in learning more about the conference and those leading worship, or bible study, go to www.montreat.org.

If you are interested in attending, please let Pastor Sarah know by May 31st. Workshop registration will open on May 1st, and workshops fill up quickly, so if you want the first choice of workshops, let Pastor Sarah know you'd like to attend TODAY.

PRAGMATIC PRESBYTERIANS

Pragmatic Presbyterians (formerly known as The Poverty Group) is a group of members and friends committed to responding in gratitude to God's love and grace by following Jesus and serving him among Knoxville residents who are experiencing the impacts of poverty. Churches throughout our community are working together to meet needs that fall in the gaps between social service offerings for these individuals and families.

Did you know? According to Eric Tars, the legal director of the National Homelessness Law Center, "the biggest cause of homelessness in America is lack of affordable housing." According to the Knoxville News Sentinel on April 24th, rent in Knoxville rose nearly 13% from January 2022 to January 2023 and the average cost to rent a one bedroom, one bath apartment is $1269.

Pragmatic Presbyterians will meet at 7 PM on Wednesdays May 10th and 24th in the Barbour Room. Zoom is available for interested people who cannot attend in person. Please contact Kathy Duggan (kduggan55@gmail.com) or Janis Smith (smithjb1@gmail.com) for more information or if you would like to attend via Zoom.

Several months ago, Mary Farmer, one of our Fish volunteers, said to me, “It might be a good idea to publish a description of how Fish works. Many people probably have heard of it, but don’t know what we do and who benefits ” To which I replied, “That’s a good idea.” It’s taken me a while to actually follow up on her suggestion, but here goes…

Fish is one of Second’s longest on-going missions at our current location Countless numbers of church members have been involved over several decades, going back at least to the ‘70’s. And some current participants are into the legacy category for their long-term commitment

Food insecurity being a critical issue for families and individuals in every community including Knox County, Second is one of over a dozen area churches in an umbrella group known as the West Knox Fish Pantry that attempts to address this daunting problem.

Most of those churches contribute to and pull food from a single large pantry, but we are one of the few that maintains its own pantry It’s located in one of the small rooms off the hall leading to the portico. We buy most of our food from Second Harvest, a large non-profit operation located in Maryville that supplies several east Tennessee counties. They are a more cost effective procurement source than buying commercial, but items on our shopping list that they may not have we buy from retail sources.

The WKFP churches take turns on assigned days throughout each month, using software that forwards the Fish call-in phone number to that church’s phone system Our day is the 4th Tuesday, and we are committed to doing that every month.

We take calls, pack, and deliver food (mainly canned and dry), household products, personal toiletries, disposable diapers, and even pet food to Knox County residents in

need. The Fish call-in phone number is widely published via various social service agencies and also spreads peer to peer. And it’s an honor system – there is no vetting. diapers, and even pet food to Knox County residents in need The Fish call-in phone number is widely published via various social service agencies and also spreads peer to peer. And it’s an honor system – there is no vetting.

Our table set-up is in the Fellowship Hall. Between coordination, packing, and delivering, a dozen or more volunteers are typically involved in the effort. We open the phone line by 8:30 in the morning, getting information from each caller that includes name, phone number and addresses, how many in the household (which determines how much food we pack), age ranges (for Second Harvest record keeping), and optional requests such as pet food.

Supplies are brought out from the pantry room, and the packing team goes into motion by 9:00, picking items and filling paper grocery bags as needed for each household along with plastic bags pre-packed with the household/toiletry items. The grocery bags for each client household are labeled and moved to alphabetized stations for pickup by the delivery folks. We also attach flyers with contact info for all sorts of additional assistance resources.

Delivery addresses are sorted into separate routes and assigned to pairs of drivers, who arrive around 11:00, load up, and begin their deliveries Our household total is typically capped at twenty (but we’d like to do more – see below), and clients can be scattered all over Knox County in a variety of living scenarios – public housing, apartments, single-family residences, and motels.

The follow-up includes inventorying and restocking the pantry with the pickup of our monthly order at Second Harvest, reporting household age-range numbers to Second Harvest per their requirements, and then putting out the call once again the following month to our pool of dedicated volunteers.

We also announce via the Friday church-wide email what household/personal items we are running short on We are blessed to have some very generous church members who track that wish list and online order those items for us

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT OUR FISH PANTRY MISSION:

1) Volunteer for the delivery team. It’s just one day/month (the 4th Tuesday) for a few hours in the early afternoon. The number of households we deliver to is limited only by the number of people available to participate as drivers and codrivers.

2) Donate to the Fish Pantry designated fund. All purchased food and other items are paid out of this fund. List “Fish Pantry” in the memo line of your check.

3) Come to the May 9th Presbyterian Women’s gathering at 10 a.m. where Lauren Dodson and I will be talking about the Fish mission to get more information.

Contact Dick Dodson, (rtdodson52@gmail.com or 865-414-7413) with any questions or to join this decades-long community mission.

The Entrance Garden has been planted with hibiscus and other flowers for the summer thanks to Ileen and Jimmy Cheek, Bill Tapp and Sandra Butler.

The Pentecost Offering will be received on SUNDAY, MAY 21ST AND PENTECOST SUNDAY, MAY 28TH.

SECOND PRESBYTERIAN

SECOND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

TUESDAY, MAY 9TH

MEDIC Mobile on Site 2829 Kingston Pike

ALL TYPES NEEDED! APPOINTMENTS ARE PREFERRED. Call to schedule an appointment at 865-524-3074, visit www tndonor org or scan the QR code

Highlights from April 2023 Highlights from April 2023

Stated Session Meeting Stated Session Meeting

Received reports from the Preschool and Ministry Teams as information. Received the Treasurer’s Report as information

Approved the transfer of Cathy Gray to the Washington Presbyterian Church, Corryton TN.

Chose Elder Mary Kay Sullivan to represent the church at the Presbytery of East Tennessee Meeting at Westminster Presbyterian Church on May 16, 2023.

Thanked outgoing Elders Tracy Horton, Neal Peebles, Charles White, and Tim Wright for their service.

T h e e v e n t s i n c l u d e d i n t h i s c a l e n d a r w i l l t a k e p l a c e a s l i s t e d i f w e a r e i n C O V I D P h a s e G r e e n o r Y e l l o w , B U T N O T i f R e d P l e a s e s e e t h e h o m e p a g e & c a l e n d a r o n o u r w e b s i t e , 2 n d p r e s . o r g w i t h u pt od a t e i n f o r m a t i o n o n C O V I D P h a s e c h a n g e s a n d n e w c r i t e r i a , a s w e l l a s r e a lt i m e c a l e n d a r u p d a t e s .