First Presbyterian Church News (Clarksville, TN)

Our 2024 Sabbatical Preachers: Revs. Austin and Sara Hill The Hills are a clergy couple who were ordained in 2009 and served 15 years in a church slightly larger than ours in worship attendance (600 members) in Fort Dodge, Iowa.  He is from California, she from Philadelphia.  They met and married at Princeton Theological Seminary.  They have two children, Lyla and Everett.  They moved to Franklin, TN in 2023 to be closer to family and are at-large members of the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee.  Austin currently flies commercially as a pilot.  They share a deep faith and love of the church and have extensive preaching experience.  You can hear either (and both) of them preach by going to First Presbyterian Church, Fort Dodge (http://fpcfd.org/), clicking on “Sermons” and choosing Austin or Sara from the pull down menu of preachers. Originally from Southern California, Austin received a B.A. in Psychology from Seattle Pacific University, in Seattle, Wash...

Contact FPC's Learning Center at reports.alc@gmail.com or 931-648-2665 for information about homeschool classes, test prep assistance, tutoring, and piano lessons. Visit https://fpcclarksville.org/learning-center or https://fpcclarksville.org/preschool. We've got your education needs covered!

Matt Shaw is presenting on "A Spiritual Solution to a Physical Problem" this Wednesday at 5 pm. Join us for dinner, the presentation, and discussion in Fellowship Hall. Nursery and parallel children's activities provided.

The Green Team will meet online on Thursday, Feb. 1 at 5:00 pm. We are looking forward to planning and hearing from TN Interfaith Power & Light representatives Josh Richardson and Dan Joranko. Let Hannah Cruse know if you'd like to attend.

Empty Bowls benefits Loaves and Fishes, Mana Cafe, and Urban Ministries.  The next Empty Bowls event will be on Tuesday, February 20 from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church. The meal will include soup, bread, drinks, dessert, and a hand painted bowl. You get to pick out your bowl! Tickets for $15 are available at the church office or after Sunday worship in the vestibule. You can also purchase them online at  emptybowlsclarksville.com .

At our Session meetings each month, different committees report to the Session about what they accomplished the previous year and some goals for the upcoming year. We also share our areas of greatest need. Each month, we are going to highlight those committees so that the congregation will know what our committees are up to!  Congregational Care Committee Accomplishments: presenting prayer books for newly baptized babies ordering a rose in the sanctuary for newborn babies providing meals or food gift cards for members who are sick or in need sending cards and Starbuck’s gift cards to our college students sending an inspirational Christian book to our recent college and high school graduates sending notes and cards to the sick and those in need of sympathy sending cards to those with joyful occasions and visiting members in assisted care Our greatest need:  We always welcome new members! People who like to cook meals for others People who would like to visit our sick or ...

Youth and parents, save the dates for these trips to NaCoMe camp this spring! March 1-3 is the District Youth Retreat, and FPC's Youth Work Trip is on March 16-7. More information to come. Reach out to Emily Vaughn if interested. 

Join us after worship around 11:15 am on February 11 for Second Sunday Lunch in Fellowship Hall. These monthly meals are always a great time to meet new people or catch up with old friends. Pasta is on the menu.

La Gonavans must make a life-or-death journey to the mainland of Haiti to procure what their island cannot produce. They face unsafe boats, robbers, and kidnappers along the way. Though resilient and independent, they are suffering due to rising dangers and inflation. Please hold the people of La Gonave in your heart and mind. We are partners with them through joy and pain. Visit www.lagonavepartners.org for more information. 

Looking forward to seeing you at our  Open   Art   Showcase  & Potluck on Thursday, February 29, starting at 6:00 pm! This is part of our ArtsConnect series at FPC. Come to the Chapel at 213 Main St. Bring a dish and share whatever artistic or musical project you’re currently working on . This is a great time to meet other artists and get feedback!

On February 8, join us at 6:00 in the chapel for Open Mic Night.  APSU students  Jocelyn Bradley and Austin Shaw will open the program with some familiar pops and jazz tunes. Then other artists are invited to share their latest work. 

Faith and Fellowship will meet Sun, Jan 28 from 2:00-400 pm at Basham home. Contact Lynda for more information.

  Join us for Open Studio on Saturday, January 27 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.

Join us in the FPC Chapel for Art Walk on Thursday, February 1 from 5 to 8 pm! For more than 20 years, Gregory Player, a self-taught impressionist and Los Angeles native, has produced custom designs for art enthusiasts across the United States. In 1998, Gregory founded Creative IV Life Designs to share his unique style. His passion is to create art that captures the authentic essence of the subject, a piece that speaks to the individual each time it is viewed.

Dwell Ministries young adults are invited to box up meals after Second Sunday Lunch on Feb. 11 and hand them out to the hungry at the Downtown Commons. Plan to stay until 12:30 or 1:00 pm. This is a great opportunity to reduce food waste and help those in need.

The Green Team is about to ramp up for spring and summer 2024. We will be working on the Teaching Garden across the street from Fellowship Hall and potentially other projects. If you would like to come to our planning meetings or service days, please contact Hannah Cruse or Ann Waddle.

Parking in the lot at 3rd and Main adjacent to the Downtown Commons  is free every Sunday morning for church services. For meetings or drop ins throughout the week, you may park free by scanning the QR code in the lot and then scanning the QR code on the wall in the office before you leave within a 2-hour window. There is always free parking behind the church building, in front of the Activities & Outreach Building, and on Main St. 

DWELL is going bowling at Pinnacle Family Entertainment Center (430 Warfield Blvd, Clarksville, TN 37043) this Sunday starting at 12:15! Those of us attending worship will have Second Sunday Lunch together at 11:15 beforehand.

Registration is open for summer camp at NaCoMe.  If interested, you can visit  www.nacome.org  to find out more about the camp.  Please contact Emily Vaughn if you would like to sign up or seek financial support for your child to attend.

All members of the congregation are invited to the Town Hall meeting on Sunday, February 4, 2024, 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. 

We are looking for ambassadors to represent FPC at Art Walk--an ArtsConnect event every first Thursday from 5 to 8 pm in the Chapel. We will work with your schedule. All that is required is a friendly face and willingness to interact with visitors. Contact Kris Foust if interested; thank you!

Come start your Lenten journey with FPC at our Ash Wednesday Service, complete with the Imposition Ashes, in the sanctuary on Feb. 14 at 6:00 pm. Dinner will take place beforehand at 5:00 in Fellowship Hall. 

Mark your calendars for Planning Day this year on Saturday, March 16 from 9 am to noon! Planning Day is when all the committees and teams of the church gather to plan the church’s goals and activities for the coming year. It is a wonderful opportunity to check out any area of church life about which you have been curious. Please consider joining one of the committees on this day to “observe.” Our church is very blessed to have such strong volunteer leadership in every facet of our life together.

At Faith Focus on Wednesday, Jan. 17, Hannah Cruse will talk about "Joy, Play, and Gratitude"--how playfulness as an adult can lead us to appreciate the present moment more and find our joy in the Lord. Join us for dinner, the presentation, and discussion at 5:00 pm in Fellowship Hall. Nursery and parallel children's activities provided.

Enjoy a stunning voice recital by APSU professor Penelope Shumate, accompanied by Hannah Cruse, on Sunday, February 11 at 4 pm. This concert entitled "Bach to Broadway" is free and open to the public at FPC!

Shower Love provides haircuts, toiletries, showers, etc. to the unhoused of Clarksville each month at Loaves and Fishes. If you would like to donate or volunteer on January 22 from 9 to 11 am, please contact Margaret Adames or the church office.

Come play pickleball in FPC's Activities and Outreach Center ( 215 Foster St. ) The program is open to all, and donations are accepted.    We have balls and four paddles for those who do not have their own equipment.  Walk-in play is on Wednesdays and Fridays, 3:00-5:00 pm. Please email  fpc.pickleball@gmail.com to request a schedule or reserve courts.

A draft of the new church directory will be on the welcome table in the hallway outside of the office. After worship, please take a moment to review your details (name, address, phone, picture, etc) and write in any requested edits. The final directory will be available soon!

Did you know that we offer Childcare and Children's Church every Sunday at FPC? Infant through Pre-K children can check-in starting at 9:45 at the Playroom on the 2nd floor. Childcare is available through 12 pm so that parents can go to "The Trek" Discussion Group or out to lunch.  Children may also go to Children's Church right after the Children's Moment during 10 am worship. They come back into worship around 10:45.  If you have any questions, please let us know! We want parents and kids to feel welcome and served. 

This month, we will have a discussion about race and passing as related to the books The Vanishing Half (Brit Bennett) and Antiracist Baby (Ibram X Kendi). Join us at Hudubam Booktraders at 110 Franklin Street on Thursday, February 15 at 6:30 pm. Some copies of the books are available to borrow on the welcome table outside of the church office.  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 Church. Greg holds...

  Winter 2024 Sermon Series We sometimes forget how malleable our brains are and how susceptible we are to outside influences.  Our subconscious thoughts and beliefs, if left unexamined in the light of faith, can sabotage our desires for a vibrant spiritual life.  However, it is also possible for us to take advantage of this “plastic” quality of our minds to enhance our understanding and transform our lives for the better. That is why the Scriptures are so full of encouragement and frequent exhortations to be renewed in the spirit of our minds (Ephesians 4:23), to resist conformity to the thought patterns of this world (Romans 12:1) and not to let our minds be “set” on the flesh (Romans 8:6-7). The key to a Christian mindset is to allow our minds to be molded into the image of Christ (Philippians 2), to set our minds on the Spirit, and to love God with all our mind (Mark 12:30). In this series we will use the insights of cognitive science about the brain’s plasticity--...

Those in their 20's through 40's are invited to The Trek Discussion Group after worship each Sunday (unless otherwise notified). We meet around 11:15 am in Fellowship until noon to share our ups and downs, talk about faith questions, and encourage each other in our spiritual journeys. Childcare provided.

Our free   yoga class  meets on Mondays at 4:30 pm in Fellowship Hall. Everyone, of all levels, is welcome to join us. This is a gentle stretch yoga class all seated or laying on the floor. Mats and other props/equipment are provided. You do not have to be a pretzel to enjoy this activity! It might even help you sleep better (but no guarantees)! For more information, contact Kris Foust.

Join us at Faith Focus on Jan. 10 from 5 to 6:30 pm for dinner and a presentation entitled "Set Meaningful Resolutions through Silence and Creativity." APSU Prof. and FPC member Joanna Grisham will lead us in a creative writing exercise partly inspired by poet CAConrad’s "Equinox Eve, Silent Meeting Group" to help us develop New Year's Resolutions.

Look forward to the first sermon series of 2024, entitled "Our Plastic Brain," running from Jan. 14 through Feb. 11!  We sometimes forget how malleable our brains are and how susceptible we are to outside influences. Our subconscious thoughts and beliefs, if left unexamined in the light of faith, can sabotage our desires for a vibrant spiritual life.  However, it is also possible for us to take advantage of this “plastic” quality of our minds to enhance our understanding and transform our lives for the better. That is why the Scriptures are so full of encouragement and frequent exhortations to be renewed in the spirit of our minds (Ephesians 4:23), to resist conformity to the thought patterns of this world (Romans 12:1) and not to let our minds be “set” on the flesh (Romans 8:6-7). The key to a Christian mindset is to allow our minds to be molded into the image of Christ (Philippians 2), to set our minds on the Spirit, and to love God with all our mind (Mark 12:30). In th...

Join us after worship around 11:15 am on January 14 for Second Sunday Lunch in Fellowship Hall. These monthly meals are always a great time to meet new people or catch up with old friends. And the food will be delicious!

Grace Lutheran (2041 Madison St.) invites you to their Epiphany Concert this Sunday, Jan. 7, at 4 pm. Choir, soloists, and orchestra will be performing portions of Bach's Christmas Oratorio. It will be glorious!

Linda Wall Mark McNiel Graham Duncan Millie Armstrong Robin Mealer Carolyn Riggins Craig Schryver Cathy McLeod Chip Connell Marissa Pryor Missy Keen Lesa Goder Ellen Kanervo Sharon Duncan Susan Marks Chuck Render Elwyn Patch Annelle Gracey Mackenzie Pryor Sallie Allen Cleve Guinn Jeff Shepherd Sam Mills John Sneed Pam Briggs Stephen Daugherty Sherrie Giles Lee Hudson Mary Jo Patterson Rick Prall Jim Thomas Tim Schoonover

Join us during worship on January 7 as we ordain and install Linda Marchant, Loy Duncan, Mary Kaylyn Primasing, and Ella Hay as elders. This is an important event for the congregation and elders as we lay on hands and pray for the Holy Spirit to lead and guide their decisions for the church in the next three years.