September 2014

The Banner

Inside this issue:

From your pastor 2

Member spotlight &

Alpha reflection

3

Food for thought &

Evangelism

4

Financial news, P&M,

and 70th celebration

5

Parish nurse 6

Youth & children

All-Church retreat 7

Solar house & picture

directory 8

Bits ‘n’ pieces 9

Worship volunteers 10

Calendar 11

First Presbyterian Church

Oak Ridge, Tennessee

This Month’s Events

PYC movie nights

Sun. school resumes

Choir rehearsals &

guitar workshop back

Solar light house tour

Alpha course

Health luncheon

Sign-ups for photo

directory

and more...

impact on me that I stayed to

be part of the music team for

the next session, so I could

not only be a participant, but

a contributor.

What was your experience?

Alpha was an overwhelm-

ingly positive experience for

me. I made friends with a

group of people I probably

would not have otherwise

interacted with. I got to hear

many different points of

views on Christianity and

what that means. I was part

(Continued on pg. 2; more re-

flections on pgs. 2 and 3.)

Sumner Byrne is a junior

at George Washington Uni-

versity in Washington, D.C.

Sumner grew up at FPC and

spent four years with her

mother, Sue Byrne, in Basel

Switzerland. Sumner agreed

to share her Alpha Course

experience with her FPC

family. Here is her response

to questions by Rosalyn

McKeown-Ice:

When and where did you

take the Alpha Course?

At our church in Basel,

Switzerland, when I was in

eighth grade. It had such an

Alpha Course: “Invest in yourself and your faith!”

The Alpha Course

at FPC starts soon!

Sunday evenings from

5:00 to 7:15 p.m.

Sept. 14 to Nov. 16.

Sign up today at fpcor.org,

or call 483-1318.

The course is free. Dinner

and childcare are provided.

First Presbyterian Church: The First 70 Years

Our church will celebrate its 70th anniversary in June 2015. To coordinate activities

that will celebrate this milestone, the session and Planning Committee commissioned a

70th Anniversary Team composed of Priscilla Campbell (chair), Pat Clark, Bob Clausing,

Fred Haywood, Carolyn Krause, Anna Robinson, Dennis Strickler, and Sharon Youngs

(staff liaison). This group, which recently held its first meeting, is excited to start sharing

information about our anniversary celebration.

The theme is “First Presbyterian Church: The First 70 Years.” While we definitely want

to celebrate the rich history of our congre-

gation, we also look forward to a future

filled with worship, education, fellowship,

and service. Picture a timeline starting in

1945 and going well past 2015.

See pg. 5 for plans, dates, and ways you

can help!

All-Church Retreat set for

Oct. 18 at John Knox Center

Registration begins soon for a

full-day retreat—a time the

congregation sets aside for

“recreation” as a church family.

Go to pg. 7 for full details and

plan now to attend!

It’s picture directory time! In celebration of the First 70 Years and

to help establish relationships well into

the future, a new pictorial directory will

be assembled for 2015.

FPC will work with

Lifetouch photographers

this fall to prepare our

new directory, and we

need you to make it

complete! Photos will be

taken Wed., Oct. 22, and Thurs., Oct. 23.

See pg. 9 for information on how you can sign

up online or in person.

I can never adequately ex-

press my gratitude to you

for the opportunity to be

involved with CREDO as

part of my terms of call as

pastor of First Presbyterian

Church. Since I will be at a

CREDO conference later

this month, I want to re-

mind you what it is and why

I am involved.

CREDO (“craydo”) is a

clergy wellness program of

the Board of Pensions of

the Presbyterian Church

(U.S.A.). The program had

its inception in the Episcopal

Church more than 15 years

ago. We Presbyterians bor-

rowed it from them almost

10 years ago and continue

to work closely with them

in every aspect of the pro-

gram.

In Latin, CREDO means “I

believe.” Its deeper meaning

is “I give my heart.” The

program is designed to help

PC(USA) pastors plumb the

depths of mind, heart, and

spirit as they cultivate their

spiritual, vocational, health,

and financial well-being. By

the end of an eight-day con-

ference, among other bene-

fits, the vast majority of par-

ticipants have rediscovered

a sense of the initial passion

that led them to ministry.

I was a CREDO participant

in 2006 and began serving

on one of three PC(USA)

CREDO faculty teams in

2007. I credit my involve-

ment with CREDO for help-

ing to “prime the pump” of

my own sense of call and

readiness to return to par-

ish ministry—even when I

wasn’t looking for it. I con-

tinue to be involved because

I truly think CREDO is mak-

ing a difference in PC(USA)

clergy wellness and reten-

tion. Plus, I know it helps

me to be a better pastor.

Up until this fall, I have

served as a faculty member

on a team. Now, I am a

team leader for one of two

new PC(USA) faculty teams

that have been added this

year to work with pastors

ordained within the past

two to five years. I have a

wonderful team of col-

leagues from across the

country that will gather in

southern Indiana the last

week of this month for our

first conference together. I

covet your prayers for the

participants and for the

team!

With a grateful heart,

Sharon

From your pastor

Page 2 The Banner

Sharon Youngs, Pastor

Sumner Byrne on Alpha (cont. from pg. 1)

of an open and thoughtful

community that valued not

only the dialogue on religion

but also the fellowship of

others. I looked forward to

it every week.

What impact did it have

on your life?

Alpha ignited an excite-

ment about Christianity in

me that had never occurred

before. It seems that for

those who have grown up

going to church and have

continued all their lives, we

take it somewhat for

granted. This program really

highlighted how incredible

and uplifting and astonishing

Christianity is. I was fired

up! It was a very new, but

robust realization.

What did you enjoy about

the experience?

I loved the community, the

fellowship, the music, the

speaker, the open-

mindedness, the lack of judg-

ment, the flow, and the en-

thusiasm for life and for

Christianity that Alpha

brings. The food was also

great!

In six words or less what is

your advice to people con-

sidering taking Alpha?

Invest in yourself and your

faith!

If you want to walk on water...

The season of stewardship is year-round. As Frances

Caldwell writes, “…stewardship is all about the way

we choose to live our lives with all that God has given

us. Our work, our wisdom, our wealth – one can’t

take the place of another, one isn’t better than an-

other.” (gotapconsulting.com)

During the month of October, we will take time to

focus on stewardship – to give thanks for the bounty

of God’s good gifts to us, to celebrate all that God is

enabling us to do in and through FPC, and to commit

ourselves anew to the mission and ministry of our

own lives and the life of this congregation.

Our 2014 stewardship theme is, If you want to walk

on water, get out of the boat (Bill Hybels). Exciting plans

are taking shape. Look for details in the coming

weeks!

Page 3

September 2014

Janet Swift, who grew up

in north Knoxville, is a

church and community vol-

unteer and world traveler.

She is a first-generation col-

lege graduate in her family;

her parents were blue-

collar workers. A graduate

of Fulton High School, she

attended the University of

Tennessee on a full aca-

demic scholarship and re-

ceived a B.S. degree in com-

munications with a major in

journalism in 1975.

One of her professors, the

late June Adamson (who

attended our church), rec-

ommended that Janet apply

for a writing position at

Oak Ridge National Labora-

tory. She was hired and

worked at ORNL for her

entire 31-year career. In the

mid-1980s Janet earned a

master in business admini-

stration degree from UT.

Using the MBA, she spent

the second half of her ca-

reer at ORNL in human

resources management. She

retired in 2007.

She met her husband Don

Spong, an ORNL physicist in

fusion energy research,

through a mutual friend

from work. Their common

interests have included

square dancing, hiking in the

Great Smoky Mountains,

skiing, and traveling.

“Don is a lifelong Presby-

terian, and he was already a

member of FPC when we

met,” Janet said. “I started

attending church with him

and joined First Presbyte-

rian in the early 1980s. We

were married in FPC in May

1981. My faith background

is Baptist. I have learned

much and continue to grow

in faith through my Presby-

terian journey while re-

membering my Baptist

roots.”

Their daughter, Kate Swift

-Spong, 25, is a graduate

student at the University of

Southern California in Los

Angeles working toward a

Ph.D. degree in computer

science, specializing in hu-

man-robot interactions.

Member spotlight—Janet Swift

Janet, Don, and Kate have

traveled together on family

ski trips and beach vaca-

tions. Because of Don’s

many business trips abroad,

Janet and Kate have accom-

panied him to Germany,

Australia, and Japan; Janet

traveled with him recently

to Ukraine, Italy, and

Spain. She toured India

with Girl Scout leaders,

visiting Mumbai and the

Taj Mahal.

She served as president

of the Oak Ridge chapter

of Altrusa International.

She volunteers with the

American Museum of Sci-

ence and Energy and serves

as a guide for the Depart-

ment of Energy Public Bus

Tour of the Manhattan Pro-

ject’s Oak Ridge sites.

At FPC Janet has served

on session, chairing the

Worship and Human Re-

sources committees; she

will teach Sunday school

and continue to volunteer

at the Ecumenical Store-

house.

Jim Wessel: Enjoyed spiritual basis of Alpha Course

Helen and I experienced

the Alpha Course many

years ago when it became

available at Second Presby-

terian Church in Knoxville.

We enjoyed the Christian

fellowship and hospitality

associated with Alpha and

especially the spiritual basis

of what some call Christian-

ity 101.

Although the course offers

no new information for ma-

The Alpha Course was

originally designed for in-

quirers so it is appropriate

to invite your friends who

do not attend church to join

the course with you. Believ-

ers will find the course valu-

able as a personal revival of

the Holy Spirit.

ture Christians, the unique

presentation by gifted public

speaker and pastor Nicky

Gumbel gave us a new per-

spective on an old topic that

caused us to consider the

teachings of Jesus compared

to how we act and what we

say. The Alpha Course set

us on a renewed track to

continually improve in this

area of our lives.

Janet, center, with daughter

Kate and husband Don in

Cancun last year.

Designed for those

inquiring about

Chrisianity, mature

Christians, and all

those in between,

Alpha provides the

opportunity to explore

the basics of Christian-

ity. The Alpha Course

at FPC begins Sunday,

Sept. 14. Sign up today.

in a written prayer: What

would you like to say to

God? What is making you

happy or sad or afraid? How

do you need God’s help

today?

September 7 marks

Grandparents’ Day!

The term “Golden Years”

must have been invented by

the young. (Billy Graham)

In the past you have encour-

aged many people; you have

strengthened those who were

weak. Your words have sup-

ported those who were falling;

you encouraged those with

shaky knees. But now when

trouble strikes, you lose heart.

You are terrified when it

touches you. Doesn’t your rev-

erence for God give you confi-

dence? Doesn’t your life of

integrity give you hope? (Job

4:3-6)

Reading a Psalm slowly and

prayerfully as your prayer

to God is one way to pray

the Psalms. Here are some

other ways:

Praying Psalms aloud

The Psalms were written

to be spoken or sung. Read

the Psalm aloud, taking your

time and thinking about the

words and how they repre-

sent your feelings and your

life situation. Notice the

difference between speaking

the Psalm and merely read-

ing it in silence.

Writing psalms

The Psalms seem to invite

us to express our own

thoughts and prayers to

God in a similar manner.

Try writing your own psalm

by giving testimony to your

joys and pain or by re-

sponding to these questions

Why do bad things hap-

pen to good people?

A special adult Bible study

will explore this topic this

fall. The regular 45-minute

class, led by Jim Wessel, will

begin at 11:15 a.m. on Sun-

day, Sept. 7, in the parlor

next to the sanctuary.

Praying the Psalms

(continued from last month)

The Psalms have been

called the prayer book of

the Bible. These 150 songs

and prayers have been sung

and prayed for many thou-

sands of years by Jewish and

Christian believers, gath-

ered together and individu-

ally. They express the full

range of human emotions

from anguish to doubt to

joy. As such, they provide a

natural and wonderful place

to begin to pray the Scrip-

tures.

Food for thought Jim Wessel, Clerk of Session

Page 4 The Banner

Speaking of

Grandparents’ Day…

Shirley Knight has a new

great grandchild, as does

Margaret Mott.

Former Interim Pastor

Craig Hendrix and wife

Dana are first-time

grandparents! Son Cullen

and daughter-in-law

Sarah had a baby girl on

Aug. 26.

Congratulations all

‘round!

Evangelism is not one

of my strengths, nor does it

seem to be a strength of

many of my Presbyterian

friends and church family.

I have never felt comfort-

able trying to convince any-

one to give Christianity a

try. The closest I have come

to evangelizing is taking my

children to church. I was

fairly comfortable with that

approach until I started in-

depth Bible study. Then, I

could no longer ignore the

exhortation from Jesus: “Go

therefore and make disciples

of all nations” (Matthew

28:19).

Although I would have pre-

ferred to stay in my comfort

zone, I decided I needed

some evangelism skills. I

enrolled in a Sunday school

class in which we read Just

Walk Across the Room: Simple

Steps Pointing People to Faith

by Bill Hybles (2006). It was

an enjoyable book from

which I learned to give a

one-minute elevator speech

to explain how I came to

faith. I wrote a brief speech

and practiced it; however, I

have not had a chance to

use it. I was still stuck in the

no-evangelism rut.

Fortunately, FPC is help-

ing me out with my evangel-

ism efforts by offering the

Alpha Course. It is a 10-

week course on the basics

of Christianity. I am going to

invite a friend who does not

Alpha Course: Be an evangelist for Christianity

have a church affiliation.

We are going to take the

course together. It will be

fun to chat during dinner

and then watch a DVD and

be part of a discussion. For

me this is a low-stress form

of evangelism.

If you worry about your

lack of evangelism skills, but

still take the commissioning

Scripture seriously, you can

invite someone to the Al-

pha Course. The two of

you can participate to-

gether. Pick up a postcard

or registration form in the

fellowship hall and share it

with someone.

- Rosalyn McKeown-Ice

Alpha Course

leader training

Training for leaders

of the Alpha Course

will be held on Sunday,

Sept. 7, at noon in fel-

lowship hall. Lunch will

be served.

Page 5

September 2014

We are well into the second

half of 2014 and our income

continues to lag behind

where we expect it to be.

Expenses are slightly below

budget, but we anticipate a

number of significant outlays

over the next five months.

While we don’t budget on a

monthly basis, the

“Budgeted” column reflects

what we might expect if our

annual income and expenses

occurred on a consistent

basis month after month.—

Dave Mullins, church treasurer

Our financial snapshot Actual through

July 31

Budgeted through

July 31

Pledges 167,800 175,183

Other

Contributions

12,900 18,957

Other Income 7,500 8,628

Total Income 188,200 202,768

Expenses 199,498 202,768

Surplus/

(Deficit)

(11,298) 0

Addressing the drainage system problems

during our all-church work

day on Oct. 4. If you have

special expertise and would

like to help, please contact

Kathy Carney-Layendecker

or Paul Akers.

The next committee

meeting is scheduled

for Sept. 10, 5:30 p.m.,

in room 6 of the Sanctuary

building. A plan will be for-

mulated for the Oct. 4

work day. All are welcome

to attend.

You may have noticed that

the area in front of Fort Cal-

vin (aka the Activities build-

ing) looked more like a lake

than a courtyard on some

occasions these past few

months! Heavy rains, cou-

pled with a partially plugged-

and-collapsed drainage sys-

tem, produced the near-

flooding conditions.

To prevent water from

entering the building, a con-

tractor was hired to replace

the 40+-year-old portion of

the underground drainage

system that was causing

most of the blockage prob-

lem. Costs for the camera

investigation and replace-

ment exceeded $6,000.

Members of the Property

and Maintenance Commit-

tee will identify the addi-

tional work needed

on other portions of

the drainage system over

the next few weeks and

A section of pipe in the courtyard—

clogged with roots—that was re-

placed to relieve drainage problems.

The First 70 Years (cont. from pg. 1)

Why celebrate 70 years and

not wait for 75? You know

First Presbyterian Church of

Oak Ridge likes to be differ-

ent. Besides, we have such

good energy right now with

Sharon Youngs as pastor,

plus new service and educa-

tion ministries starting up…

let’s go ahead and celebrate!

Save the date: A cele-

bration event will be on Sun-

day, June 7, 2015. In true

Presbyterian tradition, there

will be lots of food.

What’s next? Let the

brainstorming begin! In addi-

tion to a party next June,

what do you suggest we do

to celebrate our anniver-

sary?

The team will collect your

ideas, decide which are fea-

sible within the ongoing

work of the church, and

communicate plans to the

congregation. Through Sep-

tember, we will solicit your

ideas via a list on the bulle-

tin board in the fellowship

hall, email messages to

Priscilla Campbell at

pbc122@comcast.net,

special pew cards, and good

old-fashioned conversation

with any member of the

team.

To spark your creativity,

here are some ideas that

have been suggested or are

already in process:

• Publish an updated

membership pictorial direc-

tory

• Update the written his-

tory of the church

• Feature the church’s

history in upcoming issues

of The Banner

• Create an anniversary

commemorative banner or

quilt.

What are YOUR ideas?

Church workday

Saturday, Oct. 4

Put it on your calendar

now and look for more

information in weekly

emails from Sharon and

the announcements in

Sunday worship bulle-

tins. There will be

plenty of tasks for all

skill levels and interests.

Thank you in advance

for your help!

From your parish nurse: Plenty of sleep is essential for kids

Page 6 The Banner

Meg Tonne, Parish Nurse

Health luncheon Thursday, Sept. 18,

at noon. See below

for a description of

the discussion this

month. Call the

church at 483-1318

for reservations.

The average child in ele-

mentary or middle school

wakes up around 6:30 a.m.

to catch a bus, spends a full

day in school, participates in

at least one after-school

activity, gets home around

5:00 p.m., and does home-

work before going to bed.

Teens have even a longer

list of activities, increased

stress, and fluctuating hor-

mone levels to cope with.

That’s why sleep is so im-

portant for school-age kids

and teens, says Margaret

Richards, Ph.D., a director

at the Pediatric Behavioral

Health Department at

Cleveland Clinic. Sleep pro-

vides opportunities for cells

to regenerate, muscles to

repair themselves, and the

brain to recalibrate hor-

mone levels that affect

mood, appetite, and ability

to focus.

“Sleep really affects how

well kids’ brains function,

from how much information

they can absorb to how

they perform on a test,”

says Richards. For example,

a teenager may have studied

plenty to prepare for a test,

“but if they don’t sleep well

the night before, they will

have a harder time access-

ing the information in their

brain.” Numerous studies

have verified the link be-

tween sleep and many dif-

ferent facets of heath, in-

cluding obesity, academic

performance, risky behav-

iors, and emotional stability.

On average, teens need

about 10 hours of sleep a

night, while school-age kids

need 10 to 12 hours a night.

The sad truth is that very

few of our kids are meeting

these numbers. In a survey

of 800 Kentucky high school

freshmen, 48% reported

getting eight hours or less

sleep per school night. And

for every hour of sleep un-

der eight they got per night,

their chances of having an

emotional or behavioral

problem rose significantly.

The good news is that for

every hour of sleep per

night they got above eight,

their GPAs rose and their

likelihood of having an emo-

tional or behavioral prob-

lem dropped by 25% and

34%, respectively.

“One of the most impor-

tant things you can do to

promote healthy sleep hab-

its is keep electronic de-

vices out of your kids’ bed-

rooms,” Richards says. That

means TVs, computers,

video games, and cell

phones. Because these ubiq-

uitous devices are stimulat-

ing, using them too close to

bedtime disrupts the sleep

cycle, making it harder to

fall asleep quickly and eating

up precious sleep time. If a

computer must be in the

bedroom for homework

purposes, make sure it is

powered off and not on

screen saver mode.

Teens with sleep problems

should not push their bed-

times during the week and

then sleep in on the week-

ends. “When kids with

sleep problems get out of

their routine of waking up

early, they have to start

from scratch every Monday

morning,” Richards says.

Instead, encourage your

child to go to bed and get

up at roughly the same time

every day—even on Satur-

days and Sundays.

Source: Cleveland Clinic

skilled home care and other

options.

The Health Luncheon

starts at noon on Thursday,

Sept. 18, in Room 102, Ac-

tivities building. The pro-

gram is free and open to

the community. Lunch

costs $5. Seating may be

limited. Please call 483-

1318 for reservations.

Health Luncheons resume

in September! In conjunction

with ElderWatch of East

Tennessee, FPC will host

a panel discussion on

“Discharge Options, Take

Charge of Your Health.”

When you are discharged

from the hospital, you face

many choices when your

stress levels are high and

time is limited. You may not

understand what the op-

tions are for different levels

of care and whether you

qualify for the level you

think you need.

Panel experts will discuss

the criteria for skilled care

facilities such as NHC, per-

sonal home assistance,

Health luncheons resume September 18

Page 7

September 2014

Youth and children’s ministry

Children’s Moment

9/7: Gene Ice

9/14: Karen Pence

9/21: Colin Colverson

9/28: Ronnie Griffin

10/5: Mike Hilliard

Activity time

9/7: Mary Keller, Lily Jaques

9/14: Teresa Brittain, Andrew Brittain

9/21: Bonnie Murray, Laura Budai

9/28: Alex Hoppestad, Kate Fulcher

10/5: Tiffany Murray, Lily Jaques

Presbyterian Youth Connection (PYC)

Sept. 5 and 19: Come hang out at PYC Movie Night.

The first movie this month is Mighty Ducks. We meet

from 6:00-8:30 p.m. in room 102. Pizza, popcorn, and

drinks provided. Bring friends!!!

Stay tuned for news about other events, activities and service projects.

All-Church Retreat—Saturday, Oct. 18

and $10 for children and

youth (birth to high school).

The maximum cost per

family is $50. Scholarships

are available for individuals

and families. Registration

forms will be available in the

worship bulletin and in fel-

lowship hall. The deadline

for registration is Wednes-

day, Oct. 1.

Carpools will leave at 8:15

a.m. from the FPC parking

lot and from the west-end

guardhouse of the city.

Please arrive at the carpool

site at 8:00 a.m. for an on-

time departure.

-The Retreat Team

The annual FPC All-Church

Retreat will be held Satur-

day, Oct. 18, at John Knox

Center (JKC). This full-day

retreat from 9:00 a.m. to

5:00 p.m. will be a time the

congregation sets aside for

“recreation” together as a

church family.

John Knox Center is lo-

cated on the shore of Watts

Bar Lake where the oak-

hickory forest of East Ten-

nessee meets the waterline.

The place is as restful as it is

beautiful.

This year’s retreat is de-

signed to engage everyone in

our church family by includ-

ing activities for people of a

wide range of comfort

zones. Those who enjoy the

outdoors may wish to pad-

dle a canoe, hike, or play

disc golf. For those who pre-

fer to enjoy the beautiful

surroundings while relaxing

in a rocking chair, the deck

of the dining hall serves as a

retreat. For those who like

to chat with their friends,

there is a coffee shop com-

plete with decks of cards

and board games. For those

who wish to bring a guitar

and sing with friends, the

pavilion is available.

Prayer is the theme of this

year's retreat. The theme

will be woven into our int-

ergenerational activity in the

morning and into crafts and

presentations in the after-

noon, as well as worship.

Individuals can have a

prayerful labyrinth experi-

ence during the day. JKC

has a labyrinth on the

grounds. Those who would

rather not walk the laby-

rinth might like to try the

finger labyrinth instead.

Children will

have separate

afternoon pro-

grams on

prayer from

1:30 to 3:30

p.m. Childcare

will be provided

all day for in-

fants and tod-

dlers.

The cost of

the retreat is

$20 for adults

(Below) Participants from the

2012 All-Church Retreat.

Just the facts…

All-Church retreat

at John Knox Center

Saturday, Oct. 18

9:00 a.m. to 5:00

p.m.

$20/adult; $10/child

($50 max/family)

Scholarships available

Childcare provided

for infants & toddlers

Registration forms in

the fellowship hall or

call 483-1318

Page 8

September 2014

saving techniques, such as

cylindrical solar arrays and

a specially designed home

automation system.

The demonstration house

is on permanent exhibit at

the Children's Museum, but

it continues to be used for

research. The area around

the house is a ¾-acre envi-

ronmental learning system

the museum staff uses to

teach children about gar-

dening and the environ-

ment.

Please sign up on the

sheet on the bulletin board

in fellowship hall by Sunday,

Sept. 7, so that we’ll have a

head count for lunch.

-Dale Hadden

A million people have seen

it in Washington, D.C., as

have thousands in Tennes-

see. Now, it has a perma-

nent home in Oak Ridge.

The Social Concerns Com-

mittee invites you to lunch

as part of a visit to the Envi-

ronmental Education Center

and Solar House at the Chil-

dren's Museum on Sept. 14

at 12:30 p.m. following Sun-

day school. Lunch ($8 for

adults/$5 for children) will

be in the tea garden at the

museum. Then we’ll be given

a tour of the solar house, as

well as an explanation of the

purposes and outcomes of

the environmental demon-

stration project.

Living Light is an award-

winning, energy-efficient,

solar-powered house, do-

nated by the University of

Tennessee to the Children’s

Museum on May 17. UT

students and faculty intro-

duced innovations into the

design of the house that was

built in 2011 in response to

the Department of Energy

Solar Decathlon. This bian-

nual international competi-

tion challenges teams of

college students to design

and build low- to zero-

energy homes as a way of

learning about solar power

and sustainable design.

The 750-square-foot home

features innovative energy-

Invite: Lunch and tour of the Children’s Museum solar house

Tour Living Light, the

award-winning solar

house on permanent

exhibit at the Children’s

Museum of Oak Ridge,

461 West Outer Drive,

on Sunday, Sept. 14.

encouraged to participate!

Each family photographed

will receive a free 8X10 por-

trait, as well as a directory.

You can sign up for your

photo shoot online (see side

bar to the right) or in the

fellowship hall on any of

three sign-up Sundays: Sept.

21, Sept. 28, and Oct. 5, as

well as at our first fall

Wednesday night dinner

on Oct. 8.

At the time of your photo

session you will have the

opportunity to buy portraits

if you wish. However, there

is no obligation to purchase

prints. Prices and portrait

information will be provided

ahead of time, when you sign

up for a photo session. If

your family hasn’t had a pro-

fessional portrait taken in

awhile, this might be of inter-

est to you.

Volunteers are needed

for a couple tasks. We will

need a handful of volunteers

to manage the sign-up proc-

ess on the Sundays and

Wednesday mentioned ear-

lier. Familiarity with com-

puters (maybe even bringing

a laptop) will be necessary

for this job. We also need

hosts, serving in shifts, to

help on the photography

days. If you are available to

assist with either of these

tasks, please call the church

office at 483-1318.

Help us put names with

faces! First Presbyterian is

partnering with Lifetouch

photography this fall to

create a new picture

directory for 2015.

Photography dates are

scheduled for Wednesday

and Thursday, Oct. 22-23. A

Lifetouch camera crew will

be photographing families

from 2:00 to 9:00 p.m. on

those days. A makeup date

at another nearby location

will be available if needed.

The new directory will be

available in print and online

through the church website

(password-protected).

To make the directory a

success, all members and

friends of the church are

Picture directory (cont. from pg. 1)

Beginning Sunday,

Sept. 7, there will be

a link on the church

website, fpcor.org, to

sign up for your

photography session

online. Questions

about the process?

Please call 483-1318.

Bits ‘n’ pieces

September Birthdays

9/1 Colin Colverson

9/4 Bridgett Hadden

9/5 Kate Swift-Spong

9/10 Connie Book

9/14 Jean Shipp

9/16 Walt Porter

9/18 Bill Bostick

9/21 Peggy Hilliard

9/22 Mary Keller

9/24 Martina Ward

9/26 Fred Haywood

9/27 Jim Campbell

9/28 Bill Childress

9/29 Oakley Crawford

and Anniversaries

9/2 Ryan & Wes Tilley

9/26 Brian & Gretchen

Drane

9/29 Grimes Slaughter &

Ruth Slusher

Congratulations

and blessings!

Page 9

September 2014

Women’s lunch

On Monday, September 8, the women of

First Presbyterian will gather for lunch at

Razzleberries in Oak Ridge’s Jackson

Square. The restaurant will contribute a

portion of that day’s profits to ADFAC.

Wednesday Night Dinners

start Oct. 8

FPC’S Wednesday Night Dinners are

starting up again with the first dinner

Oct. 8 in the fellowship hall. The last

dinner in the six-week series will be

Nov. 12.

Dinner will be served from 5:15 to

6:15 p.m. The charges remain the

same: $4 per person and $12 maxi-

mum per family. Kids six years old and

under eat for free.

“We look forward to cooking, serv-

ing, eating, and enjoying fellowship,”

said Susan Sharp.

“This year we will make a new rec-

ipe—Shepherd’s Pie!” said Sandy

Rohwer.

Welcome to new member

Kay Youngs, mother of Pastor Sharon,

has become a new member of our church

by letter of transfer from St. Marks United

Methodist Church in Louisville, Tenn.

Welcome, Kay!

Eco-Social Justice

class starts Sept. 7

The Eco-Social Justice Adult Sunday

School class "Seeing Gray in a World

of Black and White" will begin on

Sunday, Sept. 7, in Room 6 after wor-

ship. The four-week course, pre-

sented on video by Adam Hamilton,

focuses on religion, morality, and

politics. Bill Childress will lead the

discussion.

Morgan-Scott Project

volunteers needed

The Myhres have sold their truck

and will be unable to continue deliv-

ering items to the Morgan-Scott Pro-

ject. If you have a truck or a large

vehicle and would like to take over

this worthwhile project, please call

Elizabeth or Trygve Myhre at 865-

483-4801.

College student info needed

Do you have a kiddo away at college?

Please send Adrienne their contact infor-

mation.

Dear Church Family,

There are no words to express my

gratitude for all the love and sup-

port my family and I received during

the time of Bill’s illness and death.

The food, the cards and notes, the

hugs were so appreciated. I am so

blessed to be a part of this loving

and caring congregation.

Thank you,

Anna Robinson

Dear Members

of First Presbyterian Church,

Dr. Caldwell and I want to thank

you for your kind donation to the

Emory Valley Center. We are

grateful for generous hearts such as

yours who support our mission to

help some of our community’s

most vulnerable children and adults.

Sincerely,

Dottie Thompson & Gene Caldwell

Capital Campaign Co-chairs

Sharon in her new stoll presented by the

Prayer Shawl Ministry.

Sunday, September 7 (communion)

Liturgist: Peggy Hilliard

Children’s Moment: Sharon Youngs

Activity Time: Mary Keller, Lily Jaques

Sound Guild: Carolyn Krause

Ushers: Team IV, led by Dennis Strickler

Counters: George Darko, Gail King Flowers: Bonnie & Syd Murray

Fellowship Hosts: Vivian Jung, Anna Robinson

Opening/Closing: Mike Hilliard, Dave Mullins

Sunday, September 14

Liturgist: Parker Jarnigan

Children’s Moment: Karen Pence

Activity Time: Teresa Brittain, Andrew Brittain

Sound Guild: Dale Hadden

Ushers: Team I, led by Irene Darko

Counters: Bonnie Murray, Shirley Sauls Flowers: Pat & Wayne Clark

Fellowship Hosts: Elizabeth & Trygve Myhre

Opening/Closing: Mike Hilliard, Dave Mullins

Worship Volunteers

Page 10 September 2014

Sunday, September 28

Liturgist: Shirley Knight

Children’s Moment: Ronnie Griffin

Activity Time: Alex Hoppestad, Kate Fulcher

Sound Guild: Sydney Murray

Ushers: Team III, led by Joe Grey

Counters: Anne Backus, Sherith Colverson Flowers: Shirley Sauls

Fellowship Hosts: Jere & Jeri Duke

Opening/Closing: Mike Hilliard, Dave Mullins

Page 10 The Banner

Sunday, September 21

Liturgist: Mary Keller

Children’s Moment: Colin Colverson

Activity Time: Bonnie Murray, Laura Budai

Sound Guild: Don Spong

Ushers: Team II, led by George Darko

Counters: Bill Bostick, Carolyn Krause Flowers: Mike & Peggy Hilliard

Fellowship Hosts: Paul & Sandy Rohwer

Opening/Closing: Mike Hilliard, Dave Mullins

From the music director

Choir rehearsals resume Thursday, Sept. 4,

at 7:00 p.m. If you’ve been thinking about

joining the choir, this is a wonderful time to do so. New voices are always

welcome!

For those with small children, childcare is

available for choir rehearsal. Please let me

know by Wed. afternoons if you will need

childcare so a nursery worker will be pre-

sent during rehearsal. -Anna Thomas

Guitar workshop

The Guitar workshop is back from

summer break beginning Tuesday, Sept.

9, at 6:30 p.m. The workshop meets in

the fellowship hall each Tuesday. For

information, contact Will Lavendar at

williampreza@gmail.com.

Be sure to note: Our monthly Evening Light

and BYOB study

will resume the

first Sunday in Advent.

From left, Sharon Youngs, Angela Mullins, Randy Pietrzak, and Will

Lavendar prepare for a little bluegrass in worship Aug. 31.

September 2014

Please note this calendar is subject to change.

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

31

9 am Early Bird Class

9:19 am Choir

10 am Worship

1

Office closed

for Labor Day

12 pm Men’s

lunch

2

9 am Stewardship

10 am CC&W

12:15 Centering

Prayer

3

9:30 FPC writer’s

group

5:15 EHS meeting

7 pm Christian Ed

4

2 pm Directory

team meeting

7 pm Choir

5

6:00 *PYC

movie night

7 pm Chinese

Bible study

6

7

9 am Early Bird Class

9:19 am Choir

10 am Worship

(Communion)

11:15 am Sun. school

12 pm Alpha leader

training

1 pm Roane State learning center training

8

12 pm Men’s

lunch

12:30 pm

Women’s lunch

6 pm Boy Scouts 7 pm Soc.

Concerns

9

10 am Prayer

Shawl Ministry

12:15 Centering

Prayer

1:00 Welcome

team meeting

4:30 pm HR

6:30 pm Guitar

workshop

10

2:45 Com. Team

5:30 pm Property &

Maintenance 7 pm Worship

11

6 pm Finance

committee 7 pm Choir

12

7 pm Chinese

Bible study

13

14

9 am Early Bird Class

9:19 am Choir

10 am Worship

11:15 am Sunday school

12:30 pm Solar house

lunch & tour

5 pm Alpha Course begins

15

9 am Stewarship

12 pm Men’s

lunch

Banner

Deadline

6 pm Boy Scouts

16

12:15 Centering

Prayer

6:30 pm Guitar

workshop

17

9 am 70th planning

7 pm Session

18

12 pm Health

Luncheon

7 pm Choir

19

6:00 *PYC

movie night

7 pm Chinese

Bible study

20

21

9 am Early Bird Class

9:19 am Choir

10 am Worship

11:15 am Sunday school

5 pm Alpha Course

22

9 am Stewardship

12 pm Men’s

lunch

5:15 pm ADFAC 6 pm Boy Scouts

23

12:15 Centering

Prayer

1:00 Welcome

team meeting

6:30 pm Guitar workshop

24

25

7 pm Choir

26

7 pm Chinese

Bible study

27

28

9 am Early Bird Class

9:19 am Choir

10 am Worship

11:15 am Sunday school

5 pm Alpha Course

29

9 am Stewardship

10 am FMCOR

nutrition class

12 pm

Men’s lunch

6 pm Boy Scouts

30

12:15 Centering

Prayer

6:30 pm Guitar

workshop

1 October

9:30 FPC writer’s

group

5:15 EHS meeting

6 pm Worship

7 pm Christian Ed

2

7 pm Choir

3

7 pm Chinese

Bible study

4

*PYC—Presbyterian Youth Connection

Located at the corner of

Lafayette & Oak Ridge Turnpike

Phone: 865-483-1318

E-mail: fpcadmin@comcast.com

Website: FPCOR.org

Facebook: First Presbyterian

Church, Oak Ridge TN

The Banner team includes

Carolyn Krause, Jim Tonne,

Adrienne Pyle, and Sharon

Youngs, with thanks to

contributors from the

congregation, session, and

church staff.

First Presbyterian Church

P.O. Box 6106

Oak Ridge, TN 37831

First Presbyterian Church September 2014 Oak Ridge, Tennessee

God’s spirit, given by Christ, flows through us as

living water to wash, heal, and satisfy. As a congregation we

become a fountain, sharing this living water with others.

The Banner

Blessed with God’s love and grace, we celebrate

gifts of diversity. By Jesus Christ’s example, we welcome,

in love, all who rejoice and worship with us.