First Presbyterian Church News (Clarksville, TN)

There will be a Service Committee meeting on Sunday, October 8 at 4:30 pm in the library. We will be re-organizing and preparing to help people with utility bills, gas vouchers, and bus passes. We now use a system that includes making appointments with clients. Anyone who is interested in assisting us once a month can select the best time for themselves, and we will train them on procedures! We ask for a minimum of 1.5 hours per month. Volunteers will interview people and/or set appointments and receive paperwork. Contact Ann Waddle if you have any questions or would like to help. 

Please join the Congregational Care Committee in sending cards of warm wishes this month to  Jo Jenkins and Anita Randolph.

Join us this Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:30 pm in Fellowship Hall for the next Faith Focus program, including dinner, a presentation, children's activities, discussion, testimony, and an exercise for your week. Leo Adames will lead us in thinking about where God is in our lives, what language we use to describe God, and how to expand our concepts of God. 

ArtsConnect, a new Thursday night arts programming series in downtown Clarksville, will host Open Mic Night on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 6 pm in the Chapel. All ages, peoples, and artistic expressions--music, readings, magic, a unique talent, etc.--are welcome! We do not pre-schedule most performers. Just sign in when you arrive by 6:30. "JJ, Jules & Allie" will provide a cabaret-style opening act. Songs will include All I've Ever Known from Hadestown and Someone to Watch Over Me by Ella Fitzgerald. JJ is a composer and is working on a new musical that will have a workshop at APSU after Christmas. Allie will be appearing in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at APSU November 16-19. 

You are invited to One and Done Choir on October 1! 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. 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. Contact Hannah Cruse with any questions or concerns.

Join us for a congregational lunch in Fellowship Hall after worship around 11:15 am on Sunday, October 8! The menu is breakfast-themed this month. All are welcome. Donations are appreciated. 

The Learning Center, Preschool, church events, and pickleball will take off for Fall Break on October 9-13. Enjoy some rest and relaxation in this gorgeous weather!  Note that all choir practices and Faith Focus are canceled. We will still have Mon. yoga and Wed. Bible Study.

Our hosts will lead a discussion of perception vs. reality in Jonathan Franzen's "Crossroads" and Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People." There will be a few copies to borrow in the church office in the weeks leading up to the event.  Books: Crossroads (Jonathan Franzen) and "Good Country People" (Flannery O'Connor, Complete Short Stories) Hosts: Joanna Grisham is an instructor in the Department of Languages & Literature at APSU. Joey holds an MFA in creative writing from Georgia College. She was named a finalist for the 2021-2022 Very Short Fiction Contest at the Tennessee Williams & New Orleans Literary Festival and a finalist for the 2021 Ember Chasm Review Flash Fiction Contest. Her work has appeared in Gleam, The Emerson Review, On the Run, The Write Launch, Construction Literary Magazine, and other places. Her first chapbook of poems, Phantoms, is forthcoming in 2023 from Finishing Line Press. Gregory Glover is pastor at F...

We are bringing back our "Halloween Hunt" which was very successful and a ton of fun in the last two years! Ever seen the hidden nooks and crannies of our 19th-century building in the dark? Dress up in costumes (no face masks please) and bring the family to FPC for a team scavenger hunt, plus treats, on the spooky eve of Saturday, Oct. 28. Starts at 7:00 p.m. and wraps up at 9:00. You'll also be delighted by spooky pipe organ music. 👻 This is a perfect alternative to the craziness of Halloween night for families and children!

Mark your calendars for Art Walk in the Chapel from 5 to 8 pm on Thursday, October 5. We will feature photography by Shane Moore. Shane Moore's Artist Statement “Am I an Artist?” I have asked myself at times over the years. The answer is a definitive yes, but my creativity and output ebb and flow to the extreme. I scheduled this exhibit at DAC in 2022 to force myself to make Art with some ideas and loose concepts in mind and a deadline (I seem to work best under deadlines)!  I started the journey that is “echoes” with the idea of giving myself assignments: some familiar, some out of my comfort zone. I proceeded to languish, procrastinate, find excuses (some real, some made-up), then life really happened and I was a few months out from September 2023 with little Art of substance or quality. I had my assignments and some firm ideas: all darkroom photography using film, night photography, local history, experimental/alternative processes, abstracts, street photography, people, to name...

Come join another amazing class at Makers’ Corner! Learn the basics of crochet with local artist Jane Olson. Participants will need to bring their own supplies. Please click here to register .

Join us this Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:30 pm in Fellowship Hall for the next Faith Focus program, including complimentary dinner, a presentation on “Persevering through Struggle" by blind artist Tracy Bettencourt, children's activities, discussion, testimony, and a "Practicing Our Faith Exercise" for your week! 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.

"Shower Love" at Loaves and Fishes in Clarksville provides free haircuts, showers, toiletries, and lunches to the unhoused every 4th Monday from 9 to 11 am. The next event is coming up this Monday, September 25 . If you would like to volunteer with the FPC team or drop off donations, please contact Margaret Adames or the church office.

World-renowned guitarist Stanley Yates to perform solo recital, October 22 The Clarksville Arts & Heritage Council is pleased to host an exclusive performance by world-renowned soloist guitar player  Stanley Yates . The public is cordially invited to what will certainly be an unforgettable recital. The British-born classical guitarist has enjoyed an illustrious international career, both as a renowned concert artist, and also as a teacher, composer, and scholar. The performance is scheduled for 3 p.m., Sunday October 22 at First Presbyterian Church, 213 Main St. Clarksville, Tennessee. Admission is free. About Stanley Yates: He is Professor of Music and director of guitar studies at Austin Peay State University, home of Tennessee’s Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts. In his 30 years at the university, he has been recognized for his exemplary academic accomplishments winning the University Award for Scholarly and Creative Achievement. He was the University Presidential ...

The  Peace & Global Witness Offering will be taken up during worship on World Communion Sunday, October 1. Envelopes will be provided if you would like to make a donation during worship or you can click on the link below to give online.  GIVE HERE A gift to the Peace & Global Witness Offering enables the church to promote the Peace of Christ by addressing systems of conflict and injustice across the world. Individual congregations are encouraged to utilize up to 25% of this Offering to connect with the global witness of Christ's peace. Mid councils retain an additional 25% for ministries of peace and reconciliation. The remaining 50% is used by the Presbyterian Mission Agency to advocate for peace and justice in cultures of violence, including our own, through collaborative projects of education and Christian witness.

  In Loving Memory of:   Charlotte Jolly John & Mary Linn Sadler Carter & Pamela Briggs       Memorials received after September 10 will be  on  the Newsletter dated October 8.

REGISTER HERE Join our exciting class with artist Sarah Spillers and discover the creative world of upcycling paintings with ghosts! In this unique class, you will learn how to breathe new life into pre-existing artworks by incorporating ghostly elements using acrylic paint. Spillers will guide you through the process with a demonstration and provide personalized one-on-one assistance to ensure you grasp the techniques effectively. By the end of the class, you will have gained valuable skills in upcycling and acquired the ability to infuse your own artistic style into existing artworks. This class not only allows you to tap into your creativity but also introduces you to the trending TikTok-inspired art movement. You'll learn how to transform a simple painting into an eye-catching and whimsical masterpiece that will impress your friends and family. No prior artistic experience is required for this class. All you need is an open mind, a willingness to learn, and a passion for trying...

October 1 at 4 pm - The WannaBeatles Return November 5 at 4 pm - Bach Organ Music December 3 at 4 pm - Music City Chorus January 7 at 4 pm - Epiphany Concert February 4 at 4 pm - Cumberland Winds Dixieland Band March 10 at 4 pm - The Elliston Trio April 7 at 4 pm - Paul Rosewood

The DWELL young adult group is invited to the "Day with the Dead" walking cemetery tour on Saturday, October 7 from 5 to 6:30 pm. Tickets are sold out, but all are welcome to dinner afterwards. Hear the historic stories of past Montgomery County residents when actors in period clothing portray the deceased along the trails of the Historic Clarksville City Cemetery! The Riverview Cemetery is the final resting place of several of Clarksville's most interesting characters, with the first burial dating back to 1800. Come hear the life stories from those who lay in rest while you get a guided tour of the cemetery.

Join us this Wednesday at 5:00 in Fellowship Hall for the next Faith Focus program, including complimentary dinner (pizza and sides), a presentation on “Doing Justice, Loving Mercy, Walking Humbly” by retired judge Ross Hicks, children's activities, discussion, testimony, and a "Practicing Our Faith Exercise" for your week. 

For many years, we have supported the Medical Benevolence Foundation as a church.  You are invited to join us for dinner at Ann Waddle's home on Monday, Sept. 25 at 6:00 pm.  Chris Petkovich and Patrick Coughlin from MBF will be here to talk about what their program is doing and how we might partner with them to support work in Haiti, Rwanda, and South Sudan going forward.  Please let Ann or the church office know if you plan to attend as space is limited.  Please bring a side dish. Meat and drinks will be provided.

Do you play an instrument? Do you love to sing? Consider joining us on Sunday, October 1 on hymns and an easy anthem with the choir! Let Hannah Cruse know if interested. Rehearsal for instrumentalists will be at 8:30 and 9:00 for singers. 

Joe Arrington Scott Atkins Kelly Ayers Allister Banasiak Taylor Brinkmann Rhonda Burney Isaac Cleghorn Laura Clinard Jill Crow Julie Garnett Grace Giles Nancy Gillespie Brandi Goodwin Caitlin Guinn Mark Hennis Karlee Hetland Yvonne Heitt Vicki Hildreth Stacie Hoback Randy Kelley Karlee Kimmell Zachary Lindsay Lew Metts Cecil Morgan Wesley Parsons Jason Rice Ed Ritter Grant Schryver Don Trotter Liz Van Otten Larry Watson Laura Weigandt Lee Williams

We had so much fun on the last float that some have requested we do it again! We're going to explore the Red River this time on Saturday, September 16 at 4 pm. Weather is looking clear so far. Backup date will be Sunday, September 17 at 4 pm if rained out. The Blueway is a roughly 2-mile section of Big West Fork Creek (a tributary of the Red River) running from Robert Clark Park (at the corner of Tiny Town Road and Broadripple Drive) to Billy Dunlop Park (on Trenton Road next to the Clarksville Speedway). We will put in at Robert Clark and take out at Billy Dunlop. The trip between the two parks is short, about 2 hours in an inner tube. Email/text Hannah Cruse or the church office to RSVP please!!!

Splash, slide, and swim into the last Sunday of summer! FPC children, youth, and families are invited to come party at the home of Emily and Eli Vaughn on September 17 from 12 to 3 pm. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP to Emily no later than Sept. 13. 

Join us this Wednesday at 5:00 in Fellowship Hall for the next program, including complimentary dinner (fajitas), a presentation by Loaves and Fishes Director John Durnell , a hymn, children's activities, discussion, testimony, and a new "Practicing Our Faith Exercise" for your week! The exercise we are currently working on (from Rhonda's presentation last week) is:  As you go about your daily tasks this week, see if you can identify all four parts of purpose (passion, mission, profession, vocation). In which activities do they overlap? In which activities are some of them missing?

You shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace! - Isaiah 55:12 For World Communion Sunday this year, we are celebrating our unity through song! Hymns and music will replace the sermon. You can expect to sing some old standards as well as new-to-us songs from other cultures. You may even hear some of the liturgy read in other languages. We cannot wait to hear the sound of FPC echoing through the sanctuary! 

  All members of the congregation are invited to the Town Hall meeting on Sunday, September 10 at 9 am in Fellowship Hall.  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.