October 2011
The Beacon
A PUBLICATION OF ERIN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 200 Lockett Rd. — Knoxville, TN 37919 — (865) 588-5350 — www.ErinPresbyterian.org
PASTOR Rev. John Stuart pastor@erinpresbyterian.org
A Message From The Pastor Greater love has no one than this that she lay down her life for her friends. — (John 15:13 paraphrased)
SESSION Mr. Charles Snodgrass
Dear Friends,
Clerk of Session session@erinpresbyterian.org
Jean Ellison was my mother’s favorite cousin; she was also Rev. John Stuart her best friend. The two of them grew up on the streets of my hometown of Glasgow, Scotland. They played together as infants, went to the same school, shared the same faith, and were very supportive of each other during their formative years.
CONVENERS Joy Bornhoeft, Fellowship fellowship@erinpresbyterian.org
Kelli Crisp, Discipleship discipleship@erinpresbyterian.org
David Eggers, Stewardship stewardship@erinpresbyterian.org
Outreach Team outreach@erinpresbyterian.org
LouL Tate, Creative Expressions cex@erinpresbyterian.org
When my mother used to take us kids to visit Jean’s mom, she always waited until Jean arrived home from work at lunch time or in the early evening. Jean was employed in the local distillery, and it was grueling work, but she always came home twice each day to make sure that her own mom was doing well. When Jean and my mother got together, it was like watching two teenagers. They swapped stories from their past, laughed out loud, and hugged each other. Those were some of the happiest days that I can remember, and in my mind’s eye, I still see the two of them with bright joyful faces as they drank their tea together.
Dale Webb, Property property@erinpresbyterian.org
STAFF Nancy Berry, Organist oliveberry@aol.com
Jenny Dell, Administrator
Then one day the brightness was gone. Jean had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She was only 37 years old. This was also in 1965 when cancer treatment was in its infancy. As was usual at that time, Jean was only given months to live. The doctors could not do anymore, however if Jean was willing to undergo radiation and other treatments in her final months, the doctors told her that they could learn a lot from her responses.
admin@erinpresbyterian.org
Camie Entrekin, Nursery info@erinpresbyterian.org
Joe Jaynes, Choir Director
Jean had been a caretaker all of her life, so she saw this experimental opportunity as a means of helping other women in the future. The treatment bordered on being barbaric. There was no pinpoint accuracy back then. A whole area of her breasts was radiated, burning her skin and causing her a lot of sickness.
jtj@abacusarts.com
Karen Stump, Christian Ed. cec@erinpresbyterian.org
Youth Director, Vacant info@erinpresbyterian.org
My mother never told me when Jean died. She was just strangely quiet one weekend and wept every now and then. Some of the brightness in her life was gone and things were never the same. In fact, I can only remember Jean’s name being mentioned two or three times since those bygone years. Continued on pg. 5... 1