First Presbyterian Church News (Clarksville, TN)

Habitat's ReStore ( 404 Madison St. ) is taking donations of household goods, furniture, tools, and building supplies for families who lost their homes in the tornado. They are also looking for new mattresses. If you have any resources, please let them or Ann Waddle know.

New Year, New Event! We are starting a regular game night! You are welcome to bring a card game, board game, or just plan to play Quirkle. The first event will be hosted by Paul Cox at his home on Monday, January 8, starting at 7 pm. If you are interested in joining, please contact Paul or Ann Waddle.

The January card shower is for Libby Stewart and Annelle Gracey. Please join the Congregational Care Committee in sending them cards of warm wishes!

Youth and friends are invited on a snow tubing and skiing trip at Perfect North Resort in Indiana from February 17 through 19!  Reserve your spot with a $25 payment to Emily Vaughn (checks written to FPC) by January 21st.

FPC Youth-in-Action will get together for fellowship and fun on Sunday, January 21 from 4 to 6 pm in the AOC. Hope to see you there! Contact Emily Vaughn for more.

Are you ready for a little friendly competition? Join us on Sunday, January 7 from 4 to 6 pm in the AOC building (215 Foster St.) for food, games, and prizes! Contact Emily Vaughn for more details. 

Join us for Open Studio on Saturday, January 13 from 2 to 4 pm at Makers' Corner (215 Foster St.). This is a time set aside for people to work on projects begun in classes or at home. Bring any project you are working on, knitting, painting, etc. and work in fellowship with others.

RSVP for the January 3 Faith Focus program and help our Faith Focus committee plan for 2024!  Please click the link below to fill out the short and quick form.     Faith Focus RSVP and Feedback

Cinema Night: The Philadelphia Eleven February 22, 2024 @ 6:00 p.m. in the Chapel REGISTER HERE FOR FREE In 1974, a group of women and their supporters organized their ordination as Episcopal priests in an act of civil disobedience, and challenged the very essence of patriarchy within Christendom. This documentary film tells their story. The ordinations of the Philadelphia Eleven opened the way for fifty-years of living more fully into  equity across the gender spectrum in an historically patriarchal institution. While there is still much  work to do to dismantle oppression in all its forms, the Episcopal Church has inarguably been  changed because of what happened on July 29, 1974 at the Church of the Advocate. “To me this is a story about how to break down barriers with grace, and be true to oneself in the process. And it is a story about standing up to institutions that do not allow all people to be who they are called to be.” – Director Margo Guernsey “The church is already split i

Literary Roundtable RESCHEDULED FROM NOVEMBER ! Now on Monday, January 8 at 6 pm. New VENUE : Hudubam Booktraders , 110 Franklin Street, #101, Clarksville, TN 37040 Our hosts will lead a discussion about choice and consequences and time travel in This Time Tomorrow  (Emma Straub) and " Dead Men's Path " (Chinua Achebe, Girls at War and Other 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 First Presbyterian Chu

  MEMORIALS   Don Beck Vicki & Lew Wallace Mary “Missy” Keen Robin Mealer Ross & Nancy Hicks   Bold font indicates those who have passed away; regular font indicates those who have requested the memorial.     Memorials received after December 17 will be on the Newsletter dated January 14.    

  Empty Bowls Painting After Second Sunday Lunch Plan to stay and Paint a bowl or two at the Second Sunday Lunch on January 14!  We still need 25 more bowls to complete our needs for our Empty Bowls fundraiser happening at the end of February.  Thanks to the generosity of Morgan Construction the bowls are paid for; they just need to be painted. Eat lunch and then channel your inner Picasso and paint a bowl or two!  Empty Bowls raises awareness about hunger in the community and supports local agencies addressing food insecurity.

  Artists, crafters, and friends... you are invited to hang out at Open Studio, located at 215 Foster St (Makers' Corner), on Saturday Dec. 23 from 2 to 4 pm. Bring any artistic project you're working on and enjoy good company and snacks. Great time to make last minute Christmas presents!

All are invited to an Epiphany Celebration on Wednesday, Jan. 3 from 5 to 6:30 pm! We'll provide catered dinner, live music by the Red River Breeze band, lighting ambience by Morgan Adames, and a special presentation from members of the Faith Focus Steering Committee. Start off the new year with a party at FPC! Please RVSP FOR DINNER HERE .

On December 24, we will collect the Christmas Joy Offering. When you give to the Christmas Joy Offering, you share your love with the leaders of our Church – past, present, and future – who point us to God. Your gifts provide assistance for current and retired church workers and their families with critical financial needs and provide support to Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color.

Our community is in great need as they heal and rebuild after the tornado that struck this past weekend. Along with prayers, please consider offering donations to the Irene Center for Hope, which will use the funds to provide shelter and necessities to those in need. At the link below, use the "Donations" pull down option under "Fund" and add "Tornado" as the note in the memo line. https://www.fpcclarksville.org/give We can use volunteers to help with clerical work as we process tornado relief paperwork. We are working 10-2 at the church now during tornado relief. 99% is virtual, but we have to print, document, and create files.

This month, Agriculture Program Coordinator Jean Thony Joseph and his Veterinary Agent, Frantz Toussaint will travel to the mainland to procure new goats for the Goat Program. This program service nine rural partner communities. Upon enrollment, widows, widowers, and school children receive training, a pregnant goat to raise, and ongoing support. Pictured above is a mobile veterinary clinic. Jean Thony and Frantz visit remote communities to check on program goats and other livestock. These clinics provide education, medications, wound care, and vaccinations.

 

Art Walk on Thursday, January 4 will feature work by students from Chapel Hill Christian Academy Art Club! Come out to the chapel from 5 to 8 pm. CHCA Art Club features artists who are in 4th or 5th grade and middle school, 6th-8th grade. These artists have had the opportunity to attend one or more art sessions taught by CHCA's Lower School Art Teacher, Heather Sugg, or Upper School Art Teacher, Kristi Huang. During the fall sessions, the focus was nature inspired and lions, CHCA's mascot, themes. Their artwork covered a variety of media such as natural object collage, scrapbook paper collage, printing, and acrylic painting. For more information about our school visit us at www.chapelhillchristianacademy.com.

Join us at 6:00 pm on Dec. 24 to hear Scriptures, sing favorite carols, worship by candlelight, and celebrate Christ's birth. All are welcome to attend, so please invite your friends and family. Regular Sunday worship will be held that day as well at 10 am. 

In these classes taught by Sara Coelho-Robinson, we will learn to follow an easy pattern for cozy and fast knitted mittens! As a group we will learn how to knit using the "magic loop" method, and different techniques such as a long tail cast on, ribbing, increases, and decreases. In two classes you will be able to start and finish one mitten and then able to knit the second mitten at home. This class is ideal for adventurous beginners and those familiar with the most common stitches. Part 1 on Jan. 13    Part 2 on Jan. 20 ***Please purchase tickets for both days.*** If you cannot attend a session, Sara can assist you at Open Studio from 2 to 4 pm at Makers' Corner on January 27. Materials students are required to get: Needles: US11 circular needles w/ 24" to 32" cable (knitters choice). Suggested brands are Knit Picks, Knitpro Smartsix, ChiaoGoo, or Clover. Wood or Metal is ok. Yarn: Super Bulky yarn, preferably wool, 66 yards aprox. Suggested brands: Malabrigo

Join us Saturday, December 16 at 10am in the Fellowship Hall to assemble food boxes. The whole family, including children, can join in this mission project for our neighbors. After packing the boxes, we will deliver them to some seniors from the Crisis Call Center and families from Liberty Elementary School. Please let Sara Little know if you are able to deliver any extra boxes in addition to the ones you packed. This year, we will be providing 60 boxes total. If you would like to contribute additional food, please bring your donations to the Fellowship Hall by December 15. We need: peanut butter, tuna, pasta, canned fruits and vegetables. You may also give monetary donations for food. Thank you!

We can't believe that we're almost halfway through this grant project called Faith Focus! Come and experience this unique program where we put faith into action starting with dinner at 5:00, followed by a presentation and discussion. This Wednesday, Mary Johnson will speak about personality types, communication styles, and how to work with people better.

Seasons Adult Day Care  has a wish list! If you would like to help them out, please bring any of the following items to 215 Foster St. Monday-Thursday 9am-2pm or drop them at the church office during office hours. Seasons is thankful for their FPC family!  Dish detergent Laundry detergent Bottled water Gift cards to Sanctuary on Main, restaurants, grocery stores Seasonal decor Treats - we love to party! 

Please join the Congregational Care Committee in sending cards of warm wishes and a Merry Christmas to  Melanie Cobb and  Virginia Lowe this month. 

In realizing that the holidays can be difficult for some, the church is once again providing literature that we hope will help guide you through the season. We have subjects ranging from grieving during the holidays to holiday depression. These pieces of literature are located on the table outside the church office. Feel free to take what you need free of charge. Please reach out to us if you need support. 

 

The Scholastic Book Fair will be taking place Dec. 10-13. Come after worship from 11 to 12 in the chapel or Mon-Wed 8:30-9:30, 11:30-12:30, and 2-3.

Ivy Prall Charlotte Graves Beth Glover Candy Schryver Deborah McNiel Dale Childers Janice Ledbetter Evan Duncan Tim Arrington Charlie Keene Issac Wright Les Barnett Gene Black Kodi Kimmell Frank Childers Jane Wallace Calen Kimmell Dorothy Havens David Lindsay Mary Kaylyn Posey-Primasing Benjamin Giles Sasha Dye Janice Traxler James McNiel Laura Towell Sabrina Pryor Morgan Adames Melanie Cobb Lucy Goad Maggie McGrady-Sumonka