First Presbyterian Church News (Clarksville, TN)

FPC Chapel Cinema will screen "Jesus Revolution" this Wednesday, May 3 at 6 pm in the chapel. Come for dinner at 5:15 in Fellowship Hall as well. The event is free, though donations are appreciated.  Jesus Revolution is a 2023 American Christian drama film directed by Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle. Based on the book of the same name co-written by youth minister Greg Laurie, the film follows Laurie, Christian hippie Lonnie Frisbee, and pastor Chuck Smith as they take part in the Jesus movement in California during the late 1960s. Trailer below:

Dinners start every Wednesday in Fellowship Hall around 5:15. Programs follow at 5:45. Check out our menu for the month of May, provided by the FPC Cafe:

May card shower recipients are Kitty Boaz and Nell Harris (Vicki Hildreth's mother).  Please check Realm or contact the church office for addresses.

Serve with Project Transformation Tennessee and support young lives in the community this summer! If you are not familiar with Project Transformation, click here:  https:// projecttransformation.org/ tennessee/ . Their  mission is to transform communities by engaging children, college-age young adults, and churches in purposeful relationships. Anyone can volunteer! Our church is responsible for providing 8-10 volunteers daily on Monday, July 17th through Thursday, July 20th. Volunteers report to Forest Street United Methodist Church from  9:30 to 12:15  to read or listen to children reading. You can do single days or all four days.  In addition to reading with the children, you could help by collecting new books, snacks, or supplies. Project Tra nsformation has an Amazon wish list of supplies that are needed for this summer's program.  Would you like to get involved? Talk to Margaret Adames (contact info in Realm)!

The FPC Learning Center and Preschool are registering students for 2023-2024! The Learning Center offers small group instruction, time for individual help, a chance to advance at your own pace, and caring, qualified instructors in a stress-free setting.  The Preschool offers a safe space with TN licensed teachers for learning play, kindness, and curiosity.  To register, contact 931-648-2665 or reports.alc@gmail.com for the Learning Center and 931-645-0313 or preschoolatfpc@gmail.com for the Preschool. Plan a tour before classes are full!

The FPC Learning Center is proud to offer year-round, 1-on-1 tutoring in all subjects for K-12 students. Our teachers seek to build confidence, bridge the gap, and give each student the chance to excel. Email reports.alc@gmail.com or call 931-648-2665 for details.

Afternoon 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.  The window to get your tickets is CLOSING on April 30 , so register now! $15 per adult and $10 per child.  CLICK HERE.

We are having "Open Mic Night" for Wednesday Family Fellowship on May 10! Program at 5:45 with dinner beforehand at 5:15 in Fellowship Hall. Contact Pastor Greg if you would like to get on the schedule to share a reading, a personal triumph, a poem or short story that you've written, a piece of art you've created, a piece of music you've prepared, or just a subject that you are passionate about. We'll even give you a soap box! We hope that every second Wednesday each month will become "Open Mic Night." Come enjoy dinner and stay to learn more about the amazing people who worship at FPC.

Art Walk will feature work by our very own Leo Adames in FPC's Chapel on Thursday, May 4 from 5 to 8 pm.  This exhibit will focus on the experimental exploration of silk screen mono printing, and the uniqueness of the process. With a background in Art Education, Leo Adames has continued to explore painting, printing, and, more recently, silkscreen mono prints. It is the experimental nature of this process that is the feature of his most recent art show. The actual process is a combination of painting and printing. The results leave a painterly effect on the paper or canvas with a touch of unexpected “visual flavor”. Each print in a series of prints is unique because of this “individualized visual flavor”. Come to view the show!  

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

Youth Group Final Rehearsal The Youth Group will rehearse on May 6th from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. for Youth Sunday on May 7. All youth will meet in the sanctuary then enjoy lunch downtown. Youth Sunday Our youth will provide all aspects of worship, including the sermon and music, on 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. Summer Sundays Family Series Be on the lookout for updates about our Summer Sundays Family Series. We are planning bimonthly family activities throughout the summer months of June and July like creek stomping, fishing, hiking, swimming, and more!

On April 26 at 6 pm, Chapel Cinema presents:  ¡Viva Maestro!  Follow LA Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel as he devises an innovative concert amidst social unrest in his native Venezuela to celebrate the power of art to renew and unite. Dudamel is a conductor with a passion for discovering, developing, and supporting young musicians.  Watch the trailer here:

The Christian Education Committee is seeking volunteers to help share the good news with our children! We need volunteers during VBS (week of June 26-29 from 9:00-11:30) to be snack helpers, song leaders, group leaders, or assistants in any other way. Our daily lessons this year will be grounded in traditional Bible stories with a twist! Not only will children learn Bible stories; they will also bring them to life through hands-on creations, songs, and movement. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to join in this learning and fun with our children. Our children’s ministry is growing and needs volunteers to assist on Sunday mornings during the worship service. Right now, all children ages 4yrs old - 5 th   grade are meeting together. With your support, we will be able to break into two small groups to better share our message with the children. All you need to do is sign up and show up. All lessons and materials will be prepared for you.  Please let Emily Vaughn or Brandi Goodwin kno

Our congregation has been blessed for many, many years with beautiful, fresh flowers in our sanctuary every Sunday. Margaret Ackley (Charene Watson’s mother) wrote the history of the sanctuary flowers for Margaret Bailey (the church historian at the time). One summer, Miss Lucy Bailey (Clarke) called Mrs. Howard J. Hiett, Sr. (Irene) with a plea for flowers to place in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church. Miss Lucy told her that, “Mother’s garden doesn’t have anything in bloom.” In the summers, Miss Lucy placed flowers in the sanctuary. Starting around 1933-1934, the Hiett family has provided the flowers for us. After Howard Hiett, Sr. retired, his son, Howard J. Hiett, Jr., continued with the same service for our congregation. After his passing, Margaret Hiett Ackley (Howard Hiett, Jr.’s sister) took over the payment for the flowers and hired Joe Stephens to prepare them. After her death in 2012, her daughter Charene Watson took over until Joe Stephens retired March 1, 2023. Th

We give thanks for the Garden Blessing service last Wednesday where we unveiled and celebrated our new "Teaching Garden," created by The Green Team and Seasons' Adult Day Care. Many thanks to all who participated, especially Leo, Joey, Paul, and representatives from TN Interfaith Power and Light. 

We are so excited to announce that the FPC Learning Center is having a Spring Showcase and Open House on May 4th! Learning Center families, Preschool families, and FPC families are all welcome to attend. The Drama Enrichment class has been working hard on their spring production, and all of the students in the class have a role to play. There will also be a variety of performances after the play.  Art will be on display in the Fellowship Hall with several of the students' projects, writing pieces, and work. The show starts at 10:00 a.m., and after the performances are over, feel free to stay and have lunch. The FPC Cafe will be selling treats and a special for lunch that day. We are so excited to see you all there!

Our graduating high schooler, Allister Banasiak, will present a concert of guitar, organ, and piano music on Wednesday, May 24, at 6:30 pm in the FPC sanctuary. All are invited to this one-night-only show! The Banasiak family will host a reception in Fellowship Hall immediately following. (NO dinner provided beforehand as part of Wednesday Family Fellowship, but you are encouraged to go support one of the great restaurants downtown!)

Ted Atkinson                          Charles D. Keene     Memorials received after April 16 will be  on  the Newsletter dated May 14.

VBS will be held Monday-Thursday from June 26th to the 29th.  VBS is for all FPC, Learning Center, and Preschool families  and friends ranging PreK-5 th grade. The registration form will  be available in the office from April 17 - May. We  would like to have a good count for the VBS campers by the  end of May, so please sign up as soon as you can. Volunteers are needed for groups and activities as well.  Contact Emily Vaughn, Brandi Goodwin, or Dianne York if  you would like to be involved - thanks!

You are invited to One and Done Choir on May 14! What's One and Done Choir? You come, you sing, you're done! No long-term commitments to choir, no high-pressure rehearsal or performance. This is great for beginners who have always wanted to sing in choir but couldn't commit or felt intimidated in the past. Come to the sanctuary at 9 am to learn a fun, easy piece with the support of our regular choir members. Then sing the piece together during worship!  Our song this time will be "Alleluia! Christ Is Arisen (¡Aleluya! Cristo resucitó)," #253 in the hymnal.

All members of the congregation are invited to the next Town Hall meeting on Sunday, May 7 at 9 am in Fellowship Hall. You will hear from Pastor Greg about church updates and plans. This is a great time to ask questions and learn about what's going on in the life of the church. Coffee and snacks provided. 

Easter Lilies in Memory of: Dr. & Mrs. George Ackley, Mr. & Mrs. Guy Watson, Mr. & Mrs. Howard Hiett, Sr. by Larry & Charene Watson and families William Banyas by Pixie McCord Mills Greer Busbee by Millie Armstrong Buddy & Shiela Foust, Scott W. Hedstrom, Heidi Kathleen Hedstrom & Mitcheal K. Ostlund by the Foust, Hedstrom & Neuman families Karen Goggin & Liz Thomas by Mark, Rhonda, & Allister Banasiak Tom Graves, Lowell & Ruth Graves, Charles & Louise Murray by Charlotte Graves & family Aubrey and Cindy C. Harvey by the Harvey family Jack & Edith Hudson by all of their children Loretta Mattade by Pixie McCord Mills, Lori Jordan & Ryan McCord Dr. & Mrs. Harry McLeod and William L. McLeod by Linda Knox, Larry & Cathey Travis, &Allison McLeod Jerry Mealer by Robin L. Mealer, Brandi, Dave & Aiden, Jerry Jr., Ben & Maya Edgar & Sara Frances Mills by Sam Mills & Martha M. Richardson Judi Banks Moore by Carol

Mark Banasiak Greg Glover David Goder Karen Hedstrom-Neuman David Kanervo Amy Lee Leong Lee Kip Lindsay Linda Marchant Danny McGregor Jennie McNiel Diane Miner Mary Beth Morgan Bill Moser Joyce Norris Dodie Render Greg Williamson Paige Schoonover Amelia Guinn

We need volunteers to help with the end-of-year behavior celebration at Liberty Elementary School on Tuesday, May 23. Volunteers will help with various activities, including popcorn/snacks, face painting, bouncy houses, etc. Anyone who can give a few hours during the 9:30-3:10 time frame (doesn't have to be the whole day) would be much appreciated by the teachers and students! For those who stay the whole time, there will be a lunch break around 12:40. Please RSVP both to the church office (fpcclarksville@gmail.com) and to Melinda Riggins (melinda.riggins@cmcss.net) with your availability. Thank you!

This Sunday, April 9, you are invited to bring flowers and newly leafed branches to decorate the Easter cross that will be on the landing outside the sanctuary. (If you forget or cannot bring flowers, there will be a bucket of flowers there for you to participate in the decorating.) After worship, families often gather for photos in front of the cross--with people helping one another, so that every member of every family can be in their family photo and so that individuals can have their photo taken without resorting to a selfie. You are invited to participate in these wonderful Easter traditions! 

We are so grateful for all the adult and children helpers who planted with the Green Team! (Thanks to Mary Johnson for the great photos below.) We have met twice so far this spring to sow seeds and seedlings. Big plans for a Garden Blessing on April 19 and more garden maintenance dates soon.