THE WINDOW. A publication of First Presbyterian Church Hendersonville, TN. January Dear Friends,

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1 THE WINDOW A publication of First Presbyterian Church Hendersonville, TN January 2015 Dear Friends, We like to show off our new things. I am sure you ladies like to show off your nails, after you have had a manicure. Many of us will want to wear our new clothes from Christmas, displaying the new tie, slacks, or dress. The staff bought me a drill set for Christmas. The first thing I did, when I got home that evening, was to show Pam. Look what the staff got me! It is almost like our joy is not complete until we share it with others. That is what C.S. Lewis said. He explained that worship is not complete until we share it with others. He used the illustration of seeing a sunset or landscape while hiking. Everyone on the hiking trip is called to share in the experience. Come and see what I see, come and see the beauty and experience it with me. Worship is the central role of Christians. Worship is what we do. Sundays we gather to worship. We sing hymns, offer prayers of confession and intercession, accept God s forgiveness in the assurance of forgiveness, pass Christ s peace to one another, read scripture and hear it proclaimed, give our financial offering to the Lord s work, and affirm our faith using a litany. At the end of the service there is a benediction that sends us out into the world. Each Sunday we hear the benediction Richard Halverson used when he was U.S. Senate chaplain: You go nowhere by accident. Wherever you go, God is sending you. Wherever you are, God has put you there. God has a purpose in your being there. Christ lives in you and has something he wants to do through you where you are. Believe this and go in the grace and love and power of Jesus Christ. Many of the Psalms remind us that God s saving love and power sends us out into the world to tell others. One writer describes God s salvation this way, You turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever (Psalm 30). The writer concludes that living is synonymous with telling others about God s faithful love. Worshipping Jesus Christ influences our living our energy, our words, our focus, our purpose, our service, everything. You and I may not leave the church property telling people at restaurants, stores, neighborhoods, or on Facebook, but our lives are telling about our experience worshipping Jesus Christ. Everyone who visited Jesus that first Christmas came to worship Him. After they worshipped him, their lives were impacted by God s love in the cradle. Wherever you go, God is sending you. Love and Prayers,

2 Responding to God s love and grace, our vision is to serve Christ through service to others. **************************************************************************************** AFTER SCHOOL MENTORING & TUTORING MISSION The Mission Committee elected to provide a program designed to provide mentoring and tutoring to school age children from the Gallatin Sudanese Presbyterian Church. The program is staffed with volunteers from FPC Hendersonville. We are currently serving sixteen students who carpool to FPC from Madison, Goodlettsville, and LaVergne and range from pre-school to the 8th grade. This is proving to be a very rewarding experience. Brenda & George Heinrich, Diann Hall, Sherry Tarbutton, Kathy Campbell, Sprigg Ebbert, and Mitzi & Gary Head have been very generous with their time and effort to engage the students in motivating and assisting with their homework assignments. It is no secret that some of us among the current flock of volunteers are deficient in the knowledge in the new methods of learning math and science. As a remedy to this dilemma we have plans to recruit some honor students from the local high schools to assist with the more challenging homework assignments. This program takes place in Martin Hall on Mondays and Wednesdays from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and will continue through the school year. You are welcome to join this effort by just showing up. Just as we have, you will find it to be a very inspiring and worthwhile endeavor. The students and their parents are very appreciative and grateful for our willingness to extend a helping hand in their education. It is impressive to witness positive attitudes of students who are loved and revered by their very close knit families and community of friends. Our goal in this mission is to become part of their community of friends and contribute to their success in life.

3 Scott Ball raised in San Antonio, TX; recently moved to Goodlettsville; likes the Hendersonville small town feeling and everything he and his wife, Elizabeth, need is here; he is a Director of Sales for Superior Imaging; favorite hobbies are golf, softball, racquetball, and woodworking; Scott likes the welcoming attitude of the church. Karen Baylor raised in Shreveport, LA and Greenville, TN; lived in Hendersonville for 41 years and likes the small town feeling near a large city; retired kindergarten teacher; her hobbies include organizing. Neal Duke raised in Somerville, TN; lived in Hendersonville for 18 years; Hendersonville offers a small town feel but near everything one would need; retired from American Airlines as General Manager after 39 years and retiring soon from consulting for the Federal Government; his favorite hobby is traveling; he likes the church s history, size, and inspiring worship. Billy Dye raised in Pineville, KY; he and his wife, Eva (and boys Ben and Joseph), have lived in Hendersonville for two years and appreciates the schools, size, and close proximity to family; profession of biology at Volunteer State and before was a molecular biologist at St Jude; he likes the church s hospitality, traditional worship, and sense of community. Becca Pendergrast raised in Bristol, VA; lived in Hendersonville for 11 years; loves the sense of community in Hendersonville where churches, golf courses, and parks bring the community together; she is retired from BellSouth Corp and is now a realtor; her hobbies include singing, music, walking, and biking; Becca likes our church size and the sense of belonging.

4 Amy Bish Ryan Hales *************************************************** Annual Chili Supper Talent Show & Dessert Auction To Benefit the Presbyterian Day School When: Sunday, February 8, 2015 Where: FPC Martin Hall Time: Dinner will begin at 5:00 pm, Talent Show to follow. Dessert items will be auctioned in between talent acts. Please contact Leigh Masters to sign up for the event! Contact: Phone: *************************************************** The Session Class of 2014 Stan Campbell Steve Young Thanks for a job well done! Women s and Lunch The Women s morning Bible study continues our study and discussion of Romans. We will be discussing Romans 9 and 10 at our January meeting. Please make plans to join us Tuesday morning, January 13, at 10 am; and, of course, please plan on joining us for lunch at a local restaurant to be determined by the group. Several of us would like to furnish rides. If anyone would like a ride, please contact Jackie Decker at *************************************************** Evening Book Club News Evening Book Club meets the 2 nd Monday monthly at. In January we will be discussing The Evolution of Faith How God is Creating a Better Christianity by Philip Gulley. Join us for discussion on the 2 nd Monday, January 12, at in Room 205. For February we will be reading and discussing The Girls of Atomic City the Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan. The story centers around the activities in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, during WWII. Caregiver Support Group Caregiving in our society today can be stressful, life changing, and yet a wonderful experience. If you are taking care of an elderly parent, an ill spouse or child and wonder if the feelings you are experiencing are normal, we could be the group for you. We have a group of people (men/women) who are taking care of a loved one. Many of our group have been there since the inception of our group and we still have multiple concerns as the loved one s condition changes. The group has experienced guilt, anger, frustration and multiple other feelings. We discuss these feelings, we listen to others who have experienced the feelings and frequently we have solutions that the caregiver can utilize. A support group is better than trying to wing this by yourself. We aren t professionals but we are people who care. Our group is called the Caregiver Support Group. We meet once a month but we do meet more frequently if a member is having a crisis. We meet on the third Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. at the church. Please feel free to call Paulette Farnham (coordinator) at if you should have any questions. Please feel free to join our group. *************************************************** Mystery Member Can You Identify Her? By Michelle Seibert This month s Mystery Member is another ardent sports fan specifically Saturday football and basketball. It may surprise many to learn that as a teenager, she played organ in her church. She arrived in Middle Tennessee one hot, humid, sticky day in August 1978 and was soon thinking that she would find a way to return home within a year. Something changed her mind, for two years later she was serving her first term as an Elder. Her professional life has an ecumenical flavor as she has worked for Catholic, Methodist, and Seventh Day Adventist organizations. She has been blessed with the opportunity to travel overseas, including Europe, China and several islands. While traveling has brought joy, it does not surpass the joy of family: three daughters, seven grandchildren, and three greatgrandchildren. Don t be surprised if one day you spot an orange and maroon bumper sticker on our Mystery Member s vehicle.

5 2014 At A Glance A.S.P. Graduate Luncheon Annual Church Picnic NaCoMe Stop Hunger Now Scout Recognition Service Montreat Vacation Bible School Easter Chili Supper & Talent Show

6 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 10:00 am Worship- Communion 11:00 am Handbell Choir 11:00 am Bldg./Grounds 1:00 pm New Elder Training Connection Groups Begin New Year s Day Office Closed 7:30 pm NA in MH :00 am Sunday School 11:00 am Staff 6:30 am Men s 6:00 pm Kids Club 6:00 pm PDS Staff 6:15 pm Local Mission 7:00 pm Adult Choir 7:00 pm NA in MH 6:00 pm Women s Disciple 1 Disciple 2 7:30 pm NA in MH :00 am Downtown Ministry 6:30 am Men s 7:30 pm NA Disciple 1 in MH 9:00 am Sunday School 10:00 am Worship 11:00 am Cong. Care 11:00 am Education 11:00 am Handbell Choir Installation of Elders Book Club 10:00 am Women s 6:15 pm Worship Committee 7:00 pm Budget & Finance 7:00 pm Adult Choir 7:00 pm NA in MH Disciple :00 am Sunday School 10:00 am Worship 11:00 am Handbell Choir 10:00 am Women s Book Group 7:00 pm Session 10:30 am Sunshine Ministry 5:00 pm Caregiver Support Group 6:30 am Men s 7:00 pm Adult Choir 7:00 pm NA in MH Window Deadline Disciple 1 Disciple 2 7:30 pm NA in MH :00 am Sunday School 10:00 am Worship 11:00 am Handbell Choir 11:00 am Annual Congregational Confirmation Class Begins January :30 am Men s 7:00 pm Adult Choir 7:00 pm NA in MH Disciple 1 Disciple 2 7:30 pm NA in MH Presbytery Glen Leven

7 SERMON SCHEDULE January 4 Direction for the year (Communion) January 11 We are God s beloved children January 18 Called to serve God during the week January 25 How patient is God? The Staff of FPC would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to everyone who graciously remembered the staff during the holiday season. Your love offerings and gifts were greatly appreciated. We are truly blessed to be surrounded by such a loving congregation. Mark Your Calendar! The Annual Congregational has been scheduled for Sunday, January 25th immediately following worship. Hope to see you there. Recently, while cleaning my parent s house, I came across a church bulletin dated January 15, That was my first service at First Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville. It s hard to believe it s been nine years! Where has the time gone? When people ask me how long I have been at the church, I really have to think about it. Often I figure it out, as someone told me, like an old person. I say this is 2015 and I started in 2006, and do the math. Other times I ask How old is Sasha Dishman? She was born a couple of weeks after I started here. I believe that was the first time I saw us light the Birth Candle. I know that this article might be a little more personal than musical, but as I looked through the bulletin, I started thinking about all that has happened in the last nine years. Through it all, First Presbyterian Church of Hendersonville was there. The church stood by me while I was dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. For those who don t know, I lived in New Orleans, Louisiana for fifteen years and evacuated to Nashville the day before Hurricane Katrina made landfall. My house did flood. The church supported me as I took care of my father who had Alzheimer s. I can remember the times that I brought him to the church, he always felt welcomed and loved. He often commented to me how nice the people are at the church. The church stood by me at the time of his passing and a great number of members came to his funeral. During the service, my father s pastor commented several times on the large number of people from First Presbyterian Church in Hendersonville. And of course, the church celebrated with me during the happiest time of my life my marriage to Allison. We were both so moved by the number of people that came to the reception that you gave us. I think First Presbyterian s greatest asset is the ability to show love and to make others feel loved. I believe that is what has made the nine years go by so quickly. Since this section of the newsletter is called Music Notes, I ll move to the music side. One of the great joys of being here at First Presbyterian is working with a great choir. I have to say, I have so much fun making music with them. I can come into a rehearsal tired and dragging after a long day of teaching and leave feeling uplifted. Choir rehearsal is more than just a rehearsal; it is fellowship. This past year, the choir has done a lot of music, most recently the Lessons and Carols during the December 21 service as well as Christmas Eve. They actually learned several new pieces for Lessons and Carols. Not to mention there was a lot of music for Maundy Thursday service and Easter Sunday including several new pieces. I want to say thank you to the choir for your hard work and dedication to serving God through music. Also, the 2015 Montreat Worship & Music Conference is scheduled for June 21 through 26. Last year, twelve people from the church went and I think they found it to be a very uplifting experience. I believe that it is truly a mountain top experience. I encourage everybody to think about going. More information is forthcoming. I know that this one was a bit more personal, but thank you for nine wonderful years. I look forward to many more years together. - Tony Williams

8 CHURCH STAFF Michael Davis, Pastor Dr. Anthony Williams, Organist/Choir Director Linda Agee, Church Administrator Chuck Adamson, Building Maintenance Amy Bleich, Nursery Attendant Gloria, Braswell, P.D.S. Director First Presbyterian Church 172 W. Main St. Hendersonville, TN (615) ; Fax (615) Website: linda@hendersonvillefpc.org Sunday School 9:00 a.m. Worship Service 10:00 a.m. The church office will be closed Thursday, January 1st for New Years Day! 6 - Ed Covington 7 - Jackie Andrews Rosie Lewis 11 - Jerry Keen Andrew Getter Tim Bish 14 - Sam Venable 17 - June Still 20 - Drew Covington Ruth Faulkner 25 - Wendolyn Ebbert Jadon Wells 28 - Jonathan Davis 29 - Steve Martin 30 - Kyle Ingram 31 - Sasha Dishman