First Presbyterian Church News (Clarksville, TN)

Announcing multiple Summer Camps for all ages at FPC this summer! Available dates are June 5-23 and July 10-28. Children may attend 1 or more weeks during these periods, a full month, or both months. Families may also choose half or full days. Attendance is very customizable! Prices range from $100 to $1200 per child depending on attendance.  Students will enjoy activities like summer bridge academics, arts and crafts, outdoor play, movies and games, and walking field trips. Register soon to save your spot! Contact the Learning Center for more info and to register.  Get 25% OFF if you register by May 1. 

What does kindergarten readiness mean for your child? Kindergarten Readiness Camps at FPC are specifically structured to ease the transition between preschool and kindergarten. Sign your kids up soon before spots run out! Contact the Learning Center for details and to register.

Please join us in sending cards of warm wishes this month to Yvonne Hiett and Brayden Hulleman.

On Easter Sunday, April 9, we will be collecting a special offering. Your gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing are shared with the ministries of the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Self-Development of People, and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. You can make an offering by dropping a check in the plate or by visiting pcusa.org/oghs

FPC Youth Group welcomes all youth grades 6th-12th! Their upcoming meetings will be used to prepare for Youth Sunday on May 7. Please join us on April 2 4-6pm and April 16 4-6pm. Call Emily Vaughn or the office at 931-645-6551 to get involved!

The youth have begun practicing and planning... Put YOUTH SUNDAY on your calendars for May 7! This year’s theme is “Where I Find God”. The Confirmation Class and Seniors will be presented to the congregation during the service and honored during a reception after worship.

TN Interfaith Power and Light (an interfaith organization dedicated to upholding sacredness of all creation) will partner with Wednesday Family Fellowship to bless our new garden space, built by the Green Team, on April 19! We are looking forward to celebrating and sharing our budding green space.  We will have dinner together in Fellowship Hall at 5:00 pm and make our way out to the garden area (if good weather) around 5:40 for the short blessing service. Afterwards, we will screen a 75 min documentary called "Current Revolution: A Film Series for the Energy Transition" back in the Fellowship Hall. More about the film here.

No dinner or program on April 5 for Wednesday Family Fellowship. Instead, come to Maundy Thursday dinner and service on the next day, April 6, at 6 pm! We will resume our Wednesday Family Fellowship programs the following week. 

During "The Trek" Discussion Group time on April 2 (around 11:15), the young adults will join the Green Team for spring planting in our garden plot across the street from Fellowship Hall. Any and all helpers welcome! Bring veggies, flowers, seeds, starts, whatever you can. Weather forecast looking sunny and pleasant. 

Join FPC and Trinity Episcopal in a joint Easter Sunrise Service in the Downtown Commons! We will gather at 6 am on Sunday, April 9. Bring a jacket in case it's chilly and your own chair!  Coffee provided in Fellowship Hall afterwards. 

$1 Coffee Special through the end of March! Ask the ladies at the FPC Cafe in Fellowship Hall about this deal. Hungry too? Order some lunch with your coffee!

Please join in sending cards of warm wishes to Lynette Aiken and Cari Dobbs (surviving wife and daughter of Dan Aiken) as well as Janie and Danny McGregor. For address information, please check Realm or call the church office.

We need helpers to donate candy to fill the eggs for our Easter Egg Hunt! This year we are grouping eggs into bags of 50 eggs and would like to have volunteers or groups pick up a bag and stuff the eggs and return them to the church by April 5. 

April Art Walk will feature photographs from Cliff Whittaker in FPC's Chapel. Art Walk is on Maundy Thursday, April 6th, from 5 to 8 pm. Come to view the show and then join others in Fellowship Hall at 6 pm for worship! 

"You Turn My Tears to Dancing," which will be performed on March 26, is based on Psalm 30 and my personal experience with health struggles over the years. This is a proclamation of praise despite and even because of hardship. Our lowest lows in life can show us the true love of God. The darkest pits of despair reveal a light unimaginably bright and warm. The love of the Father is deeper and more unconditional than we could ever comprehend. We do not need to prove our worth to be worthy of this love. We are worthy because God made us--because God calls each of us by name. I hope this song brings you assurance and peace, as the songwriting process has to me.  - Hannah Cruse  Verse 1 - 2 When I felt secure, I said to my God, "I never will be shaken." Finding beauty was so easy then When You called, when You called my name. Some days I'm caged down in the depths Wailing, "Have I lost Your favor?" Then you lift me for a moment, Lord When You call, when You ...

Please join us for Maundy Thursday service on April 6. At 6 pm, we will enjoy a simple meal of soup and homemade breads in the casual setting of our Fellowship Hall and then will worship with acoustic music, prayer, and a short sermon.

Men, join us for a weekend of work at NaCoMe to help them get ready for summer camp! We will be going Friday, April 28 - Sunday, April 30. The cost is $65. To sign-up or for questions, contact Mark Banasiak. Make checks out to NaCoMe, given to Mark by the deadline, April 23.

Our Music and Worship Committee beautifies the sanctuary every Easter with an array of lilies. If you would like to help us to defray this cost, we encourage you to give a gift in memory or honor of a loved one. When you give, please let the church know your loved one’s name by emailing  fpcclarksville@gmail.com  or calling the church office by April 3. The names of those in memoriam or in honor of, along with the donor’s name (unless anonymous), will be listed in the Easter Sunday bulletin. If giving by check, please write “Lilies“ in the memo line.

Learn from a Master Gardener about how to refresh your lawn and garden this spring on March 29 at Wednesday Family Fellowship! Dinner at 5:15 and program at 5:45 in Fellowship Hall. No cost but donations appreciated. Childcare provided. 

High Tea on Sat. May 6 at 3pm in Fellowship Hall!  For anyone who would like to celebrate a special lady in their life... mothers, aunts, grandmothers, etc. Be treated to an afternoon of mom and daughter activities and homemade savories.  Tickets go on sale April 1 and RSVP due by April 30. $15 per adult and $10 per child.  CLICK HERE.

Christian Friendship in an Epidemic of Loneliness April 9-May 21, 2023 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), loneliness is on the rise and is now considered epidemic in many countries, including the U.S.  This epidemic of loneliness is a public health issue and a significant risk factor for physical and mental problems, including heart disease, depression, and anxiety.  In this context, it is very good news that the Christian Gospel offers salvation, even from an epidemic of loneliness, through the formation of genuine friendships based in faith, hope, and love.  In an age when many live alone, and are living further from family and friends--an age in which the promises of social media and digital communication have proven false, or at least problematic--our faith offers an opportunity to reimagine and renew our friendships, our lives together, and our community.  Now more than ever we need genuine Christian friendship. Join us this Easter season as we ex...

We are always seeking volunteer instrumentalists to enrich our worship services! Currently putting together an ensemble for Easter, April 9. If you play any instrument (beginner-intermediate level) and would like to contribute, please fill out  this form   and our music director will get back to you soon.

Faith and Fellowship is for adults of all ages. It is usually held on the 4th Sunday of each month from 2-4pm or as listed on the calendar. It is hosted by Lynda and Hershel Basham in their home. For additional information, please contact the church office. April 2 April 30 June 25 July 23 Aug 27 Oct 29 Dec 23

FPC offers childcare every Sunday morning so that parents can join small groups and worship!  Infant - PreK: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. in the Playroom Elementary: 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. (Check-in at the Playroom) 11:15-12:00 during "The Trek" Discussion Group Children's Church: begins 10:15 During Worship

FPC invites you to our annual Easter Egg Hunt! It's at the park on Glenwood Dr. on Saturday, April 8. The hunt starts at 3:00 with games at 2:30. Bring your basket and your friends! No rain plan; watch Facebook for updates.

Announcing a special dinner to celebrate new members!  We are so glad to have you at FPC! Friday, April 28, 6:00 pm Home of Ann Waddle For new members, staff, and current Session (Menu TBA) Please RSVP by contacting Ann or the church office! 

The next three Wednesdays at FPC are filled with delicious dinners, inspiring presentations, and even a movie showing! We invite you into our Fellowship Hall for these programs at 5:00 pm. Usually wraps up around 6:30. Nursery care and activities for kids are provided so parents can enjoy as well! March 15  Dinner: Meatballs, Baked Potatoes, Salad, Bread, Dessert  Program: "Finding Beauty in Painting Outside the Lines"  Presented by blind artist, Tracy Bettencourt  March 22  Dinner: Cuban Sliders, Fruit, Veggies, Bread, Dessert  Program: Chapel Cinema Screening  "Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser"  March 29  Dinner: Pasta Bake, Salad, Veggie, Bread, Dessert  Program: "Preparing Your Yard and Garden for Spring" Presented by Montgomery County Master Gardeners UT Extension

Please join the Congregational Care Committee in sending cards of warm wishes this month to: Lynette Aiken and Cari Dobbs (surviving wife and daughter of Dan Aiken)  Janie and Danny McGregor Addresses can be found in Realm or by contacting the church office. 

We no longer need the older, very heavy, 60” round tables laid against a wall between Fellowship Hall and the bathrooms. Would love to free up the rack for our newer tables. If there are no takers, the tables will go to the Re-Store at the end of the month. 

Tracy Bettencourt, a blind artist and Clarksville local, will tell her inspiring story and display her work in our Fellowship Hall during Wednesday Family Fellowship on March 15! Join us for dinner at 5:15 and program at 5:45 in Fellowship Hall. Music, games, and nursery care for children is available. Dinner this week: meatballs, baked potatoes, salad, bread, dessert Biography Tracy Bettencourt, owner/artist of Bettencourt Originals, advocate for persons with disabilities,  former fitness competitor,  motivational speaker and APSU alumni, began to lose her eyesight in her early 30s from an eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa. Although the disease has left her blind, the hardships she experienced have not prevented her from living her life to the best of her abilities. She brings new insight to how art is viewed.  Artist statement I am blind. I lost my eyesight over 16 years ago and within the past 9 years began painting using my han...

Please join us at FPC during Holy Week as we reflect on the life and sacrifices of Christ. We prepare our hearts and minds penitently in order to remember and celebrate Christ's resurrection on Easter!  We hope you will join us for one or more of our special services. Please feel free to invite family and friends.  Palm Sunday, April 2, 10 am Maundy Thursday, April 6, 6 pm Easter Sunrise, April 9, 6:00 am Easter Service, April 9, 10 am

FPC Chapel Cinema Screening "Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser" on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 at 6 PM – 7:30 PM  A documentary film about the life of pianist and jazz great Thelonious Sphere Monk. Features live performances by Monk and his band. The footage of Monk in the documentary was more than 20 years old, shot for German TV by Christian Blackwood in 1967 and 1968, when the movie first appeared in 1988. Two decades passed before the by-now forgotten footage was mentioned by Blackwood to Bruce Ricker, whose "Last of the Blue Devils" (1980) was a landmark documentary about Kansas City jazz. Using the Blackwood footage of Monk as their foundation, Ricker and documentarian Charlotte Zwerin began tracking down the survivors who knew Monk best: his son; his tenor sax player, Charles Rouse; his manager; his road manager, and Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter, who appeared later in Monk's life. As Roger Ebert said, "They all seem to remember more or less the s...

The Congregational Care Committee would like to reach out to those who are dealing and struggling with grief.  This can be the result of a death, chronic physical struggles, response to medical treatments, loss of joy from anxiety and depression, divorce, and so many other reasons. This group will be led by our very own Dr. Jennifer Ellis. She is a hospice and palliative medicine physician and is trained in spiritual direction through Dovehouse Ministries in Nashville.  Please contact Jennifer or Rhonda Banasiak if you are interested or if you have questions.  Once we have a group formed, frequency and time of meetings will be discussed. 

Our organist Hannah Cruse will be giving a 30-40 minute recital for the Lenten season, open to all congregants and friends for free. Two opportunities to hear this program:  Sunday, March 26 at First Presbyterian in Clarksville 1:00 pm Thursday, March 30 at West End Methodist in Nashville 12:00 pm (with lunch provided if you buy tickets ) Program will include pieces by Ralph Vaughan Williams, Jehan Alain, Herbert Howells, Bert Matter (20th cent. minimalist composer from the Netherlands), and Gillian Perry (graduated from SMU with Hannah). 

All members, visitors, and friends are invited to Second Sunday Lunch on March 12 after worship, about 11:15 am, in Fellowship Hall!