N ew Hope Pr es byteri an C hurc h - Kn oxville, T enn ess ee Vo l. II, N o S ep temb er 2017

Transcription

1 N ew Hope Pr es byteri an C hurc h - Kn oxville, T enn ess ee Vo l. II, N o S ep temb er 2017 DID KNOXVILLE DODGE THE BULLET? Man s [sic] nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols. --French Reformer John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion Last Saturday racist hate groups and neo-nazis, like those who invaded Charlottesville two weeks earlier, demonstrated in our city. Thank God, people of goodwill publicly protesting their evil far outnumbered them. And relative peace prevailed because of hard work by the Knoxville Police Department and our mayor. These mostly young white supremacists were decrying the possible removal of a modest monument to 129 Confederate soldiers who died many drowning or hemorrhaging in a deep ditch as they charged Union-held Fort Sanders in freezing late November, For 103 years this marker has stood near the spot where the fortification once loomed, with a bigger monument to Union casualties a block away. How terrible that these racists have turned the Fort Sanders and other Confederate monuments into their own fetishes their idols (a la Calvin)--instead of, in Knoxville s case, a remembrance of brave soldiers and a symbol of national reconciliation that the United Daughters of the Confederacy originally intended it to be! Presumably each far-righter would have read in school The Diary of Anne Frank and in history class, learned of Hitler s depravities that brought death, destruction and poverty to Germany and much of Europe. They also would have heard about the peaceful revolution led by Nobel laureate Martin Luther King, Jr., that did so much to abolish cruel racial segregation in the U.S.A. Another of today s seductive idols, Facebook blog(s), has brainwashed them! It s true that Tennessee and other southern states were enacting the terrible Jim Crow laws during and before 1914, when the monument was erected. And some maybe many of the UDC ladies probably had fallen for the Lost Cause myth of contented slaves lovingly cared for by benevolent masters and their kind Ole Misses. Gone with the Wind never was! Thus the Lost Cause was also an idol. But political correctness can prove idolatrous, too. How sad that the petitioners against the marker have utterly failed to decry the at least three deliberate defacements of it that have occurred in the last few weeks! And Saturday, some of them hurled verbal and posted, personal insults at the racists, even questioning their manhood. Do not be overcome by evil, cried St. Paul, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21). Sitting back and wringing hands is never a stance for true Christians or real congregations. Instead, speaking out against racist jokes and racial profiling, refraining from cruel stereotyping, and loving, not ridiculing, one s neighbor, however misguided, is Christ s command to each and all of us. So is standing with our fellow Americans of all colors and creeds annually on Martin Luther King, Jr. s birthday. Hardest of all is agape love for the hater! My fellow Mississippian the late Will Campbell said, I have seen and known the resentment of the racist, his [sic] hostility, his frustration, his need for someone to punish. With the same love that we are commanded to shower upon the innocent victim, the church must love the racist. Do we just play at being Christ s Church? Or do we try, however difficult, in God s name, to overcome evil with good? Did Knoxville really dodge the bullet? Or is it still heading straight towards us? --Dwyn Mounger, Interim Pastor HELP DESPERATE VICTIMS OF TEXAS & LOUISIANA S HURRICANE HARVEY S FLOODING Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, headed by the Rev. Laurie Kraus, whose former Miami PC(USA) parish was once devastated by Hurricane Andrew (1992), is hard at work in the Houston area. Give your tax-deductible gifts to PDA by making your check to New Hope Presbyterian Church and designating it PDA, or else visit PDA s website and do so online. Fort Sanders monument to the dead desecrated with paint by unknown vandal.

2 LUNCH BUNCH, EVEN BETTER AND MORE - EXCITING, RESUMES WEDNESDAY, -- SEP- TEMBER 6, 11:30 a.m., at Cheddar s Casual Café, 5615 Clinton Highway! Come for good food, and to get to know better your brother and sister members and friends of New Hope Church. See or call coordinator Joan Funkhouser ( ), so she ll know how many reservations to make and what size table(s). Need a ride? Contact Joan or Lucille Sweet ( ). TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, IS THE 70 th WEDDING ANNIVERSA- RY OF BOB AND NITA JONES! Nita came to Oak Ridge in the last year of World War II to work in the Manhattan Project, meeting Navy war vet Bob there, who also found a job in the secret city. They both remained as vital employees there during the Cold War years, raising a family and becoming charter members of New Hope Church! Sunday, September 10, the post-worship reception will be in their honor. Bring no presents but your love and goodwill and anniversary cards for this fine, still youthful couple! EXPLORE WITH US THE BIB- LICAL ROOTS OF THE PROT- ESTANT REFORMATION BEGUN 500 YEARS AGO BY M. LUTHER Starting with weekly suppers September 20, and continuing for seven Wednesdays (through November 1), we ll - explore what led to this major movement in the Church, using the study guide by Donald McKim The Protestant Reformations. Why plural? Because four major strands of Church renewal occurred: Lutheran, Reformed (or Presbyterian), Anabaptist, and Anglican (Episcopal). In your preparation study guide, and in our sessions, we ll concentrate on passages of the Bible that shed light on the major issues/ abuses that led to the Reformations. Among questions we ll discuss: (1) Do Protestants and Roman Catholics still disagree on the place of good works and faith in regards to salvation? (2) Why did Reformers Luther and Zwingli differ on the meaning of the Eucharist (Lord s Supper)? How was Calvin s much closer to Luther s view? And why do Lutherans and Presbyterians now agree on the fullness of the Eucharist? (3) What gifts did the Anabaptists ( radical reformers; e.g., Amish, Mennonite) contribute to the Church catholic, the U.S.A., and the world today? (4) What major agreement did the 80-million member World Communion of Reformed Churches, of which our PC(USA) is a part, reach with Roman Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists two months ago (July 2017) in Wittenberg, Germany, where the Reformations began? As with our well-attended Wednesday series on the Heidelberg Catechism last fall, we continue to need volunteers each time to prepare the supper. A basket for free-will donations (suggestion $5 per person) will help you cover expenses for food. Also a tear-off form in each Sunday s bulletin will let us know how many will be joining our supper and discussion on the particular Wednesday evening. Bring your interested friends and relatives! Leaders of the World Communion of Reformed Churches, of which our PC(USA) is a part, sign in July the multi-denominational agreement on salvation through faith alone, in the medieval Stadt- und Pfarrkirche St. Marien [City and Parish Church (Lutheran) of St. Mary], Wittenberg, Germany, July SEPTEMBER 24 IS CHOIRS & INSTRUMEN- TALISTS RECOGNITION & DEDICATION SUNDAY! In 10:45 a.m. worship we ll honor Director of Music Sarah Davis, Organist and Soloist Debbie Moore, members of our accomplished Choir, Bell Choir, and individual players of instruments. Our liturgy will include a Litany of Dedication for them for the coming new Christian seasons! Tell this to your relatives, friends, and neighbors, and bring them with you that day for glorious music! Join a choir yourself, and/or play an instrument!

3 September Calendar continued overleaf A NOTE FROM MS. JOR- DAN FRYE, GREAT SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP REPRESENTATIVE, NOR- WOOD ELEMENTARY (OUR NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR): To New Hope Presbyterian Church: Thank you all so much for providing food for our teachers on their first day back to work. The food was delicious, and it was a nice treat as they eased back into their work schedules. Our teachers work so hard for our kids and families, and it means so much to have community support from our neighbors. We look forward to a great school year and working more closely with your church. Best, Jordan Frye

4 Coming in WORLD COMMUNION SUN., Oct. 1, God s Friends Outside the Church (Luke 7:1-10). 18 th aft. Pentecost, Oct. 8, The Limits of Self-Esteem (Romans 12:1-12). 19 th aft. Pentecost, Oct. 15, The Clink of a Coin (Luke 21:1-4). Service for Wholness follows. 20 th aft. Pentecost, Oct. 22, guest preacher the Rev. Diarmuid O Hara. REFORMATION SUNDAY, Oct. 29, The Protestant Contribution (Ephesians 2:1-10).

5 New Hope Presbyterian Church 1705 Merchant Drive - Knoxville, Tennessee (865) Dwyn M. Mounger, M.Div., Ph.D., Interim Pastor (865) , cell: (904) dwynmounger@gmail.com Sarah Davis, Choir and Music Director Debbie Moore, Organist Jennifer Lane, Administrative Secretary/Treasurer Missy Smith, Custodian/Sexton THE SESSION (Governing Elders): Class of 2017 Class of 2018 Class of 2019 James Burkins Connie Carter Alyx Chapman Pamela Burkins Cathy Forester Sandy Hodsden Deborah Coffield Lucille Sweet Judy Smith Sessional Responsibilities Moderator Dwyn Mounger Clerk of Session Cathy Forester Building & Grounds Connie Carter Christian Education Debbie Coffield Congregational Care Lucille Sweet Hospitality,Church Life Sandy Hodsden Missions Judy Smith Music/Worship Jim Burkins Publicity/Website Alyx Chapman Stewardship/Personnel Pam Burkins