May 2012 Newsletter

May, 2012

The Beacon

A PUBLICATION OF ERIN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 200 Lockett Rd. — Knoxville, TN 37919 — (865) 588-5350 — www.ErinPresbyterian.org

Upcoming Events!

May 1 5:15pm Let’s Do Dinner

May 2 5:45pm Youth Chili Cook-Off

May 4 7:00pm Smokies Baseball

May 5 2:00pm Youth Players Auditions

May 6 11:00am Communion 2:00pm Youth Players Summer Show Auditions

May 8 10:00am PW Circle II

May 9 5:45pm Last Wednesday Night Dinner of Season (Cookout)

May 12 8:30am Men’s Breakfast

May 13 12:30pm Conveners Mtg

May 14 7:00pm PW Circle IV

May 17 7:00pm Session Mtg

May 18-19 30 Hour Famine Lock-In

May 19 6:30pm Breadbreakers

May 20 12:00pm Bell Dedication 4:00pm POETS Meeting 5:00pm 8th Grade Con=irmation Class

May 27 11:00am Pentecost & Con=irmation Last Day of Sunday School

A Message From The Pastor

Have you ever heard of the term ‘Keep on keeping on’? Most people think it belongs to the 1960s because of a popular Curtis May3ield song, but the phrase was actually 3irst used towards the end of the World War 1 in 1918. It was a part of a college report about how important rest and recreation were to the well being of the troops who fought in the trenches. Soldiers couldn’t be expected to ‘keep on keeping Rev. John Stuart on’ day after day, week after week, and month after month without respite. In order to win the war, furlough and recreation were necessary if the men were to 3ight effectively and victoriously.

At Erin, we’ve been ‘keep on keeping on’ for almost three years with regard to our complete renovation. We’ve almost reached the end of our tasks, and a wee bit of weariness is setting in. We’ve worked hard to accomplish many things together and our campus is beginning to look amazing. By the end of this Fall, we should be 3inished and will have a wonderful celebration of thanksgiving to God in November.

Until then, we need to ‘keep on keeping on’ through the summer months. Like everything else in life, the last parts of a project are the most arduous to complete. With God’s guidance, Christ’s grace, and the power of the Holy Spirit we have persevered and endured. By those same three sacred qualities, we will faithfully 3inish what God has asked us to complete. In years to come, a generation yet unborn and unknown to us will bless the present generation of ‘bankers and builders’ who have dutifully served the Lord by giving of their resources to renovate the church. Much of it has been sacri3icial; all of it has been greatly appreciated.

This is also a good time to make an extra special pledge to the whole project.

We will have a mortgage to pay like most other renovated churches in our area. It will take time to ful3ill our payments but we can all shorten that time with special gifts, extra offerings, the giving of annuities, and bequeathing parts of our estate to the church. We may never see the full fruits of what we are doing here at Erin today, but we can leave behind a strong and vibrant church with our special gifts. After all, wouldn’t it be wonderful to come face to face with Christ in eternity and be personally given those beautiful words, “Well done faithful servant. Come in and enjoy God’s everlasting house.”

May God bless you as you have blessed Christ’s Church at Erin.

~John

MAY BIRTHDAYS 2– Britani Massengill 2– Joan Miller 3– Carson Matthews 6– Kelcey Levering 7– LaVonne Knight 9– Justin Bornhoeft 12– Ruth White 13– Ann Snodgrass 18– Cade Quinn 19– Joanne Clelland 19– Donna Schall 21– Katherine Delise 21– Beverly Owen 22– Jim Thompson 26– Colton Pennington 27– Zach Cowen 27- Julia Hoskins 28– Diana Chappell 30– Libby Dunaway

NEWSLETTER Submissions to “The Beacon” are due on the 20th of each month. Your articles may be submitted by calling 588-5350 or by sending an email to admin@erinpresbyterian.org.

PRAYER CHAIN Would you like to receive weekly prayer requests by email, phone, or even text message? Call or email the Church Of/ice to sign-up for the communication of your choice!

UPDATE YOUR INFO If your contact information has changed, please call or email the Church Of/ice at admin@erinpresbyterian.org to update your information.

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MEMBER

SPOTLIGHT

________________________________________

CLASS OF 2014 ELDERS Last month, you got to know Allyson Streckfuss and John C. House, PhD. This month, we bring you the Statement of Faith from Farrah Linkous ________________________________________________

I was born in Chattanooga, TN and have lived in Tennessee since the day before my 3irst birthday. My father’s name was Arnold Ralph Linkous II, but everyone called him Sonny. My mother is Susan Linkous, and I have an older brother, Darrell. My brother is married to Stephanie, and I have two nephews, Drew and Dillon. We moved to Spring City, TN the day before my 3irst birthday so that my father could work at the Watts Bar nuclear plant. I lived there until I left for college at UT Knoxville, and I have been here ever since.

All of my extended family on my father’s side are members of the Church of Christ – my grandparents attended Allegheny Church of Christ in Christiansburg, Virginia, and the church my family attended when I was a child was Glen Alice Church of Christ in Rockwood. Those two churches are where my earliest memories of church and what it meant to have a church family come from.

My father passed away when I was 3ive, after a long hospitalization following a snow skiing accident. he congregation at my grandparent’s church and at our family’s church did so much for us during that time. While my father was hospitalized, church members provided

food, babysitting, housing, and a million other things for us. They really helped so much during that time.

Several years after my father passed, we stopped attending Glen Alice on a regular basis. The church split, and the new building was even further from home, and we just became lazy about getting there. When I was around 11, I started attending First Baptist Church in Spring City. It was the church that all of my friends went to, and they had a large and very active youth group. It was at First Baptist that I was saved and baptized. I continued to attend church at First Baptist through my college years, on weekends when I was home and holidays. I also visited some churches here in Knoxville during that time, but didn’t 3ind one to call home.

After I moved to Knoxville permanently, I was a casual church attender, going with friends and attending my brother’s church on holidays. My brother and his family had joined Mars Hill Presbyterian in Athens, TN. I enjoyed the atmosphere there, so I began to look for a Presbyterian Church here in Knoxville at the beginning of 2008. I think Erin was the third church I visited and I liked it immediately. Everyone was so friendly and I loved that there were so many young families and children. I also loved a church experience that allowed women to take a much more active role than I had grown up with. I attended for about a year before I joined, and have been here ever since. I’ve helped with vacation bible school, led enrichment, and I’ve helped with a Sunday school class for the past 2 years. I love spending that time with the kids. I have also been attending the evening PW circle this year, and I have enjoyed getting to know those ladies better.

~Farrah Linkous

The Middle and High School youth groups will be participating in the 30-Hour Famine, sponsored by World Vision, on May 18-19. Students will participate in a variety of activities that will raise awareness and understanding of global hunger issues, including fasting for 30 whole hours! At the end of the fast, the youth groups will have a "feast" and share their experiences with family and friends.

On Wednesday, May 2, the youth groups are sponsoring the 2nd Annual Erin Chili Cookoff! Each ministry team is cooking up a delicious chili recipe to compete for 1st place. This year's judges will be Larry McKay, the chef of last year's winning recipe, and Elizabeth Snodgrass. There will also be a people's choice award, determined by everyone who attends the cookoff, which will be held during the regular Wednesday Night Dinner time at 5:45-6:30. The youth groups will be providing all the "fixins" for the chilis, as well as drinks, cornbread, and desserts. All proceeds will go towards sending the youth to Montreat Conferences this summer, so mark your calendars, and bring your appetites!

It’s nice to take a break during the summer and lighten up a little on church programs, including Sunday School. We enjoy the chance to spend extra time with family and friends, quit looking so closely at our calendars, and experience the slower pace. But the Discipleship team heard from some who wondered if we couldn’t get together at least a few times over the summer to talk and exercise our minds. Thus was born the Summer Book Club.

Here’s how it works: anyone who’s interested can read one or both of the books we’ve selected (see below). Then, we’ll meet one Sunday morning before church to discuss each book over coffee. It’s not a huge investment of time – you can read at the beach, on a plane, or sitting on your deck. And you’ll have the chance to talk with others about everyday life from a Christian perspective, and be inspired along the way. Here are the books: Peace Like a River by Lief Enger was named one the of the year’s top five novels by Time magazine when it came out in 2002. Described as a rich mixture of adventure, tragedy, and healing, it draws from sources sacred and profane, from the Old Testament to the Old West, from the Gospels to police dramas. The story, narrated by eleven-year-old Reuben Land, an asthmatic boy who has reason to believe in miracles, shows how family, love, and faith can stand up to terrifying enemies and tragic fates. We’ll discuss Peace Like a River on Sunday, June 24 at 10 a.m. in the JavaScripture classroom in the new education wing.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, also the author of Seabiscuit, is a current best-seller about Louis Zamperini, who ran in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and was training for the 1940 Olympics in Tokyo, but instead ended up in Japan as a World War II prisoner of war when his plane was shot down over the Pacific. The detailed account of his perseverance in horrific situations is harsh at times but an inspiring testament to endurance. After the war he became a Christian at a Billy Graham crusade, and today at age 95 he still speaks occasionally about his amazing life. The discussion for Unbroken will be Sunday, July 29 at 10 a.m. in the JavaScripture classroom. Though it’s so exciting you won’t want to put It down, this is a long book (400 pages) so don’t wait too late to get started.

A book club for kids is also in the works, so watch for more details.

Senior Adult Ministry The annual SAM picnic will be Thur., May 10 at the Cove on Northshore Drive. We'll be under the covered pavilion to the east of the bathroom building, where we can watch & laugh at the ducks & geese. There are a few easy steps, and one-level access from the adjacent parking lot. We'll have Buddy's BBQ , chicken tenders and iced drinks. All you have to do is bring a dish for 8 and your friends! Please call or email Donna Schall (531-1788 or schalldon@att.net) by May 7 to let us know you're coming. Hope to see you there.

The Outreach Team thanks the congregation for your generosity in contributing to the Presbyterian world-wide "One Great Hour of Sharing" during Easter week. Erin's $576.96 will go to national PC(USA) to support Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Hunger Program, and Self-Development of People (a boot-strap grants program). Our next special offering will be on Pentecost Sunday, May 27. This one benefits children and young adults at risk. Our congregation can use 40% of receipts locally. You'll see more in upcoming church bulletins.

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SonRise National Park VBS June 18th – June 21st Monday – Thursday, 9 am – Noon

Registration Now Open Registration forms are now available in the Narthex, or download a form from the church website.

Please fill out one form for each child attending VBS, including Middle School volunteers and children in the nursery.

Register early and receive your own copy of this year’s SonRise National Park Music CD. Featuring such hits as: Cool, Cool Summer – Forever Safe – We Wait in Hope for the Lord.

Play it at home, play it in the car, and be the first to memorize all of the songs!

VBS Wish List Help transform Erin Church into SonRise National Park by donating or lending the following items: Donated Items: Place in Collection Box in the Narthex Item

Borrowed Items: See Joy Bornhoeft if you can Loan an

* old wildlife/nature magazines * old park brochures, maps * nature objects, such as pinecones, leaves, twigs, acorns, rocks * children’s toys, such as magnifying glasses, bug catchers, toy plastic binoculars, toy compasses * bottled water

* artificial Christmas trees (3-6 ft) prefer no lights * small tents * wildlife posters * field guides/nature books * small garden hooks * birdhouses/birdfeeders * fishing poles/tackle boxes

You may start bringing in items on May 20th. Donated items are intended to be used and not returned. Borrowed items will be used for decoration only and will be returned. Please label

Please make plans to attend services on May 20, 2012, and join us afterward for a very special, short bell re-dedication ceremony to be held in memory of Marjorie McLean.

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Let’s Do Dinner!

Breadbreakers Dinner Our next dinner is Saturday, MAY 19th at 6:30 pm. Please call Suzanne Levering at 766-0909 for location information or to host an upcoming dinner. Remember: If you will be needing child care, please let the church of3ice know at least 48 hours prior to the dinner.

Wednesday May 2nd will be our 2nd Annual Erin Chili Cook-Off. Each Ministry Team will prepare their special recipe with hopes to take home the trophy! Proceeds from this dinner will help fund our youth at Montreat.

Tuesday, May 1 at 5:15 pm Cracker Barrel at Cedar Bluff Contact Mary Scarbrough at 691-8658 or Barbara Brazelton at 693-3749.

Each Sunday, the pastor teaches an adult class in the Noah’s Ark room from 9:45AM to 10:30AM. Each month, he chooses a different subject for the participants to discuss.

Throughout May, and into June, the topic will be about Other Christians, What Do They Believe?

The schedule is as follows:

6 Week series:

MA Y 12 at 8:30 a.m.

Fellowship Hall

May 9th will be the last Wednesday Night Dinner of the season. We’ll be cooking out, on May 9th, so bring your friends and the whole family!

Reminder for those attending the Smokies Baseball Game on May 4th: Park gates open at 6 pm and the game starts at 7:15 pm. Meet in front of “Will Call” at 6:45 pm to receive your tickets.

If you have any questions, please contact Joy Bornhoeft at the church office (865) 588-5350, or email to cec@erinpresbterian.org.

May 6 What do Lutherans Believe?

May 13 What Do Baptists Believe?

May 20 What do Roman Catholics Believe?

May 27 What Do Episcopalians Believe?

June 3 What Do Methodists Believe?

June 10 What Do Greek Orthodox Christians Believe?

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You can read John’s latest devotions on his blog “Heaven’s Highway” at: www.glenkirk.blogspot.com.

There is a link to it on our church’s website. You can also receive the email devotions on a regular basis by subscribing to them. Just send an email to admin@erinpresbyterian.org and ask to be subscribed. We’ll then add your email address to the devotions list.

You can also read about John’s e-books for Kindle at his author website on Amazon. The website address is: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/ B005MAJRNE.

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A Message from Stewardship The Stewardship team is charged with the task of keeping the congregation at Erin informed about the financial health of the church. We have not always done that so well over the last few years, and we intend to do better. As you probably know now, the church has been struggling a little over the last several years. We discussed this openly towards the end of last year when we were trying to develop our 2012 budget, and the members of the Erin family responded with typical faithfulness and our numbers began to look a lot better.

More recently, our numbers have begun to dip again, and while this may just be part of the normal cycle of ups and downs that characterizes church giving, we cannot risk getting behind because we do not have the buffer we have had in the past. It's a lot easier to keep up than catch up. We cannot afford to get behind. Without any buffer, we simply will not be able to pay our bills. At that point, we can only cut back on what the church is able to do, making it harder to attract the new members we need to grow the church back after the losses we suffered last year. Not a good cycle to get caught up in. Please check to make sure your giving is current, and if it is possible to chip in a little extra, that would be helpful.

We can do this, and to be faithful to God and His work at Erin, we must.

GENERAL OPERATING BUDGET ProďŹ t & Loss Year-to-Date Comparison (Through April 30, 2012) Jan - Apr 12

Jan - Apr 11

Creative Expression Income

3,217.25

3,396.00

Discipleship Income

1,861.15

1,202.00

Fellowship Income

4,218.73

2,945.53

43.51

237.69

Memorial Income

75.00

1,525.00

Outreach Income

614.46

1,884.00

Offerings

100,393.98

123,462.16

Total Income

110,424.08

134,652.38

9,071.93

12,151.75

24,884.01

20,305.39

Discipleship Team

4,731.71

4,970.78

Fellowship Team

4,759.86

4,803.73

Outreach Team

6,180.00

13,051.00

41,446.04

49,682.46

1,338.44

1,210.46

Income

Stewardship Income

Expense Creative Expressions Ministry Property Team

Stewardship Team Worship Team

36,411.56

37,298.04

Memorial Expenses

0.00

14,806.84

Session

0.00

515.51

PW expenses

0.00

0.00

Payroll Expenses

0.00

0.00

128,823.55

158,795.96

-18,399.47

-24,143.58

Pastoral Ministry

Total Expense Net Income 6

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: Profit & Loss Report (Through April 30, 2012) April 30, 12 Income 40000 · Capital Campaign 41800 · Non-Pledged Giving 41900 · Pledges 45000 · Memorials Total 40000 · Capital Campaign

84,789.04 951,427.00 5,558.48 1,041.449.52 1,041,774.52

Total Income Expense 60000 · Expenses 60100 · Administrative 60200 · Building and Property Security Total 60000 · Expenses

51,280.05 111,008.62 162,288.67

879,485.85

Net Income

CAPITAL CAMPAIGN: Statement of Cash Flow (Through April 30, 2012) April 30, 12 OPERATING ACTIVITIES Net Income

879,485.85

20000 · Accounts Payable

52,349.35

Net cash provided by Operating Activities

931,835.20

INVESTING ACTIVITIES 13001 · Building 13002 · Kitchen Net cash provided by Investing Activities

-1,323,248.35 -30,932.20 -1,354,180.55

FINANCING ACTIVITIES 25000 · Line of Credit Net cash provided by Financing Activities Net cash increase for period Cash at end of period

466,865.12 466,865.12 44,519.77 44,519.77

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May 2012 SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

6 Communion 11:00 am CEX Mtg Outreach Mtg 12:30 pm Youth Players Summer Show Audi3ons 2:00 pm

7, 14, 21, 28 Body Recall 4:00 pm

1 Let’s Do Dinner 5:15 pm

2 Youth Chili Cook-Off 5:45 pm

10 MOPS 9:15 am

4 Smokies Baseball Game 7:00 pm

AA 7:30 pm

Friendship Force 6:30 pm

5 Youth Players Summer Show Audi3ons 2:00 pm

14 PW Circle IV 7:00 pm

Discipleship, Fellowship, & Property Team Mee3ngs 7:00 pm

13 Conveners Mtg 12:30 pm 20 Teacher Apprecia"on Sunday Bell Dedica3on 12:00 pm POETS Mee3ng 4:00 pm 8th Grade Confirma3on Class 5:00 pm

*CHURCH OFFICE CLOSED on 28th

Staff Mee3ng 6:15 pm Stewardship Mee3ng 7:00 pm

27 Pentecost & Confirma3on 11:00 am Last Day of Sunday School 6, 13, 20, 27 SS & Nursery 9:30 am (Pastor-led SS at 9:45 am) Worship, Nursery, & Planet Worship 11:00 am DaySpring 3:00 pm Journey 7 4:00 pm Middle School 5:00 pm Such Is The Kingdom 5:00 pm Erin Express 6:00 pm Youth Group Fellowship 6:00 pm EPC Youth H.S. 7:00 pm *Last Day of Sunday School is May 27

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8 PW Circle II 10:00 am

9 Wednesday Night Dinner 5:45 pm (Last WND of Season) 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Body Recall 4:00 pm Childrens Handchimes 5:00 pm Kids Art Club 5:00 pm Adult Handbells 6:30 pm SonShine Co. 6:30 pm Pioneer Club 6:30 pm Oasis Bible Study 6:45 pm Choir 7:30 pm *No Art Club, Sonshine Co, Pioneer Club 7 Oasis Bible Study aŌer May 9th *No Choir Prac"ce a#er May 23rd *No Handchimes a#er May 2nd

NEWSLETTER DEADLINE— May 20th

SAM Picnic 12:00 pm 17 Session Mtg 7:00 pm 24 MOPS 9:15 am

18 30-Hour Famine Lock-In begins 8:00 am 4, 11, 18, 25 Bulle3n Team 10:00 am Body Recall 4:00 pm AA 8:00 pm

12 Men’s Breakfast 8:30 am 19 30 Hour Famine Lock-In con3nues un3l 2:00 pm Breadbreakers 6:30 pm

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Online at Erin Join us on the web! http://erinpresbyterian.org.

You can read about our ministries and missions, projects and programs, staff and beliefs on the various pages of the website. Current and archived newsletters can be read online and a whole host of other material and links is constantly available.

The pastor’s collectible artwork and latest drawings can be viewed at his site called “Stushie’s Art.” You can 3ind this at http://stushieart.com.

Erin also has its own page on Facebook where the pastor, staff, and church members highlight forthcoming events and share some church photos. If you are a member of Facebook, just search for the Friends of Erin Presbyterian group or visit the following link: https:// www.facebook.com/groups/52670786548/

ERIN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 200 Lockett Road Knoxville, TN 37919-4808 Ph: (865) 588-5350

Fax: (865) 584-7775 www.ErinPresbyterian.org

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

OUR VISION: To be a hearth of faith; a lighthouse in our community; a beacon of God’s Word.