First Presbyterian Church News (Clarksville, TN)

Experience Maundy Thursday at FPC on March 28. 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, a short sermon, and communion.

We are starting a little free pantry for folks who need food and items unavailable with food stamps. It will be located near the AOC outside. You may provide items for the “grand opening” sometime in March by dropping them off in the community room (formerly the parlor). Recommended items include canned goods with pop tops, healthy packaged snacks, toilet paper, toothbrushes, soap, etc. Special thanks to Tom Presler and Ben Haynes for constructing this pantry! 

Children and their families are invited out the Easter Egg Hunt on March 30. Games start at 2:30 followed by the hunt at 3:00 in Glenwood Park.

March Birthdays Brooksie Arrington Christina Barnett Whit cobb Bessie Costanza Hannah Durbin Julia Giles Amy Goder Steve Griffey Gail Hudson Kathryn Kemmerly Hank Livingstone Patrick Neuman Charlie Patterson Talley Posey Kenny Pryor John Sadler Sara Salyer Nancy Sneed Abigail Sturdivant Talen Waddle

Youth are invited on the Spring Work Trip on March 16-17. We will depart the AOC on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and return on Sunday by 6:00 p.m. The form below and $40 fee is due by March 10 to Emily Vaughn. We will work as a team to perform various tasks around camp, preparing for summer camp season. Of course, we will also have time to have fun and fellowship as well!  What to bring: work clothes gloves toiletries sleep gear for bunk beds outdoor shoes and medications games to play (optional) snack money (optional) Please Note: Cell phones do not work at NaCoMe. In case of emergency, you may reach the Dining Hall at 931-729-9969.

Watch and discuss "Inshallah a Boy" at Cinema Night on Thursday, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. Come to the Chapel at 213 Main St.  FREE TICKETS HERE! After the sudden death of her husband, Nawal is struggling to cope with the upheaval in her life. However, her pain is soon compounded by the possibility of losing her home to her brother-in-law. Desperate to keep her home and provide a stable life for her daughter, Nawal resorts to deception by faking a pregnancy. But as time passes, the lie becomes harder to sustain and Nawal faces a difficult choice. With only three weeks to find a solution, Nawal embarks on a journey that challenges her fears, beliefs, and morality, as she fights to secure her rightful inheritance and protect her daughter’s future.  Runtime 1h 53m  Released 2023

Dwell Ministries young adults are invited to box up meals after Second Sunday Lunch on March 10 and hand them out to the hungry at the Downtown Commons. Plan to stay until 12:30 pm. This is a great opportunity to reduce food waste and help those in need.

Come out during Art Walk on March 7 to see artwork by Tracy Bettencourt!  The Chapel at 213 Main St. will be open from 5 to 8 pm.  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 30's 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. She uses assistive technology on her iPhone and iPad to identify colors and textured acrylic/puffy paint. Her hands are her eyes as she moves the paint across the canvas. Her paintings reflect hope, adversity, love, positivity, strength and determination. There will always be a mountain to climb, yet no matter what the obstacle, there is light within darkness and therefore hope!

Join us for Open Studio on Saturday, March 9, 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.

For Faith Focus this week, Tyler Nolting--FPC member and APSU professor of public health--will present "God Moments: Embracing the World through a Lens of Love." Join us at 5:00 in Fellowship Hall (dinner and childcare provided) to reflect on the importance of leaving our comfort zones and embracing diverse people and cultures with love, all while recognizing God’s presence in these moments.

Adults are welcome to help stain the wood for a little free pantry after worship this Sunday around 11:15. Some of our members have been hard at working building it. We plan to install it outside near the AOC & fill it with food and toiletries. 

Join us after worship around 11:15 am on March 10 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. 

Sebastian L. Fenton and Austin Shaw will be performing the opening set at Open Mic Night on March 14 at 6:00 p.m. at 213 Main St. in the Chapel. Bring your musical talent (ie. vocals, trombone, guitar) and share your music with us, or just listen! 

Men of all ages, you are invited on a Work Trip to NaCoMe Camp on April 5-7. We will do chores to get the camp ready for kids this summer! To sign up or for questions, contact Mark Banasiak by March 31. Checks for $66 can be made out to NaCoMe and given to Mark. 

Ladies, we hope you can make it to our Women's Retreat this year at NaCoMe Camp on April 5-7. Our theme is "Rediscovering Jesus." Sign up on the bulletin board outside of the church office or talk to Rhonda Banasiak by March 24. The $100 fee can be made payable to FPC.   

On Wednesday February 21, Army flight paramedic and member of our congregation Blake Tindle will talk on "Experiencing God: the Wilderness." We will explore his spiritual journey, what it means to experience God, and where you can experience God. Faith Focus starts at 5:00 with dinner in Fellowship Hall. Child care/activities pro vided.

The FPC Green Team will be amending the soil in our Teaching Garden after worship on February 25 to prepare for spring planting. We need all hands on deck! Bring a shovel and gloves. Hannah Cruse will provide a truck bed of compost. 

The Learning Center, Seasons, Preschool, Faith Focus, and choir will take off during Spring Break, March 4-8. Please check with your scheduled groups to see if they are still meeting that week.

The preK-5th grade classes will begin a Lenten learning journey called "Wandering Heart." Each week’s lessons will focus on Scripture and somatic activities to connect the mind, body and spirit. Kids will go out after the Children's Moment during 10 a.m. worship services and come back after the sermon. 

Faith and Fellowship will meet on Sunday, Feb 25, 2:00-4:00 at the Basham’s home. Let Lynda or Hershel know if you'd like to come!

Our hosts will lead a discussion about memoir and truth in "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi and "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri. Join us on Thursday, March 21 at Hudubam Booktraders starting at 6:30 p.m. Some copies of the books are available on the welcome table by the office. 

Join us for Open Studio on Saturday, February 24 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.

  Lent & Easter 2024 Sermon Series Christian Somatics: A Celebration of Incarnation February 14 - March 31 We are called to follow Jesus with our whole self. This is what Jesus meant when he affirmed that the two greatest commandments are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Our “self” or “me-ness” does not just live in our heads or our minds. We are also our bodies. ( Soma is the Greek word for “body” in the New Testament.) Our “self” is just as much in our shoulders, knees, and toes as it is in our head. I am my body and you are your body. In this series we will go to Scripture to learn what it means to follow Christ with our whole body. Along the way, each Sunday we will introduce a new body-prayer practice into our discipleship: somatic awareness, conscious breathing, radical resonance, mindful movement, attuned touch, and the like, as we seek to become more and more like Christ. Ash Wednesday, February 14 (Dinner, 5

FPC's schools are in need of a few items this spring. The Preschool copier/printer needs immediate replacing, and the Learning Center is requesting a set (~20-25) of reusable writing tablets for building math and writing skills.  The Education Fund would welcome donations in the form or cash, check, or Amazon gift cards. When making a donation, please put Education in the memo line. Thank you for promoting, encouraging and supporting our school programs at the church!

One Great Hour of Sharing invites us to join together in expressing our gratitude for what we have and generosity towards others in need. May these daily prompts guide you in joyful giving this Lent.  Download the sharing calendar here. Ash Wednesday 14th: Read Isaiah 58:6–8, 12. What are we asked to do? Who helps meet those same needs for you (v. 12)? Say a prayer of gratitude for them. Thursday 15th: Our Gracie Fish coin boxes will hold many gifts of money this season, but what other kinds of gifts can we give? What gifts can share? Friday 16th: Sunday is PDA’s Blue T-Shirt Sunday. What does PDA do to show God’s love? Choose something blue to wear or share with your congregation. Sunday 18th: God, open our eyes to your face in every person. Let us see the ways we are all connected with all of Creation. May we as your Church, together, seek love, justice and peace with all. Amen.  Monday 19th: Over 23 million Americans live in a food desert, far from a store where

Birthdays in February 2024  Janet Hudson Jennifer Griffey  John Moser  Albert Marks  Eric Salyer  Billy Shepherd  James Grigsby  Scott Giles  Doug Hildreth  Margaret Wallace Lyle  Sam Sitter  Sarah Moser  Jack Brown  Matthew Goder  Jeanne Bettencourt  Grace Glover  Emily Briggs  Laura Black  Kristie Kimmell  Julia Adames Purdue  Annabeth Lee 

Empty Bowls needs individually wrapped desserts like cookies or bars for the dinner on Tuesday, Feb. 20. Bring the items to Fellowship Hall no later than Sunday, Feb. 18th. We also need folks to greet, help with bowl selection, package bowls, and clean up. Let Kris Foust or Margaret Adames know if you can assist in any way!

Chi Alpha wants to help FPC by doing little chores around the property on Tuesday, Feb. 27 starting at 7:00 pm. Ann Waddle has agreed to buy pizza as a thank you. DWELL young adults are invited to come out, have pizza, introduce themselves to the students, and help with chores. This will be a great opportunity to connect more with the young adults on APSU campus. 

Instead of "The Trek" on Feb. 18, DWELL will take lunch at Blackhorse Pub around 11:30 and then tour the Customs House Museum at 1:00 pm. They are currently exhibiting "From Here to There," how things move on land, sea, and air demonstrated through 10 hands-on interactive stations. $12/adult and $5/child. Kids and friends welcome!

Pictures from the Youth Game Night in January! What a great group and fun time! 

Learning Center pre-registration opens Feb. 21 for current and church families. It opens on Feb. 27 for new students. Book a tour, save your spot for fall, and prepare for a great school year! Contact reports.alc@gmail.com.

The Preschool waiting list is now open. Save your spot! Registration begins Feb. 21 at 9:30 a.m. for current families and church families. Registration opens to new students on March 11 at 9:30 a.m. Contact preschoolatfpc@gmail.com.

The Worship Committee is in need of individuals to provide sanctuary flowers from March 24-April 28. Contact Rhonda Banasiak or Lesa Goder if you are interested. The cost is $25 plus tax, and we will provide you with all the information you need to make your order.

Our February card shower is for Nan Summers and Missy Keen. Join us in sending them cards of warm wishes.

Join us for Game Night on Monday, Feb. 12, 7 to 8:30 pm! You are welcome to bring a card game, board game, or just plan to play Quirkle. It will be hosted by Paul Cox at his home. For more information, please contact Paul or Ann Waddle.

  Join us for Open Studio on Saturday, February 10 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.

At Faith Focus this week, Emily Vaughn will lead us in a Poverty Simulation, designed to shift the paradigm away from poverty being seen as a personal failure and toward understanding it as structural, a failure of society. Join us in Fellowship Hall from 5 to 6:30 for dinner, the presentation, and discussion as we put our faith into action.