First Presbyterian Church News (Clarksville, TN)

Help the Worship Committee on Tuesday, November 28 decorate the church for the Advent and Christmas season! We will be decorating outside at 2 pm and inside at 5:30 pm. If it is raining, the alternative outside time is Thursday, November 30 at 2pm. We will have a fun time making the church look beautiful. Hope you can join us! 

First Presbyterian Church will again participate in the annual Salvation Army Christmas   Tree   Angel   Program. The   Angel   Tree   will be located in the hallway on the third floor of the Education Building. Please select an   angel   from the   tree , shop for the requested item, and return the gift(s) to the Friendship Classroom by December 7.  Gifts should be new, unwrapped, and have the   angel   tag affixed to them for identification purposes.  For more information, please contact Millie Armstrong & Jennifer Griffey. Thank you! 

Liberty Elementary has asked First Presbyterian if any of us could help during their  school-wide Thanksgiving Feast on Thursday, November 16 th   from 10:30-1:00. Tables will be set up in the gym for families to eat lunch with their children. They need volunteers to guide families to seats and possibly wipe tables off between visitors. Anyone that would like to volunteer for the entire time or just a few minutes within the time frame would be most appreciated.  If this is something that you think you could help with, let Melinda Riggins know at  Melinda.Riggins@cmcss.net   and the church office at fpcclarksville@gmail.com. Thank you for supporting First Presbyterian's partnership with Liberty Elementary! 

Join the Worship Committee  on November 11 th  during Open Studio at Makers' Corner as we make Christmas bows for decorating the church. It is time to replace some of our old ones! Come and help us get ready for the holiday season. Prior bow making knowledge is not needed!

Help the Green Team clean up the Teaching Garden for the season after worship around noon on Sunday, Oct. 15! We'll be tearing out old plants, saving what we can, and direct sowing a cover crop.

We need volunteers to help move furniture right after worship on Oct. 15. We have had a room painted and cleaned and want to get the desks and tables set up in preparation of hosting Presbytery in November. This Sunday, please come to the third floor near the office if you can help us move furniture; thank you!

Shower Love provides toiletries, haircuts, showers and more to the unhoused of Clarksville. Come volunteer from 9 to 11 am on Monday, Oct. 23 at Loaves and Fishes or drop off supplies with Margaret Adames. 

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. 

"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.

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.

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.

Seasons' Adult Day Care is currently searching for a worker for Monday-Thursday, 9:00-2:00. If you are interested, please contact Ann Waddle. 

The Worship Committee is looking for anyone who may be interested in helping to prepare the Communion elements on the first Sundays of each month.  If we have enough people, the commitment would be only a few Sundays a year.  If you are interested, please contact Rhonda Banasiak.

Please join the Congregational Care Committee in sending cards of warm wishes this month to David Morgan and Lew Metts.

Please consider supporting the Loaves and Fishes fundraiser at Applebee's on Tuesday, September 12. 50% of all sales from the special menu during the 11 am to 11 pm window will be donated to Loaves and Fishes. Dine-in, to-go, and online orders are included. 

The Hospitality Committee intends to create a cozy welcome area right under the bulletin board when you walk in through the church office door. It will feature  coffee, flyers, and information about the church. Hopefully this will provide a nice space for visitors, parents with little ones, or anyone passing through the hallway to sit, relax, and learn more about FPC.   We need an aesthetically pleasing, long table, such as the one pictured below. If you have something similar to this that you would like to donate, please reach out to Dianne York. We appreciate it! 

FuelKids' Vision: To end child hunger in our community. FUEL is a local mission which provides food to school children who might not otherwise have much to eat over the weekends. We bag this food and then Liberty Elementary School discreetly puts it in each child's backpack on Fridays.  Our children and youth will be helping to bag up the food items this year. If you would like to support this wonderful mission, you may include FUEL on the memo of your donation. Give Here.  You may also provide food items. Just remember that these are going to small children who may not have adult support or kitchen resources. All items need to be wrapped as individual servings and openable without a tool (like a can opener, scissors, etc.). Assume the food will not be refrigerated or heated. Nutrition is also key, so focus on protein, fruit, and whole grains. FUEL donation examples: Milk in boxes (similar to juice boxes but with shelf stable milk) Carnation Instant Breakfast Drinks (liquid) P

MINISTRIES Wednesday Night Faith Focus Contact: Hannah Cruse or Dianne York " Faith Focus ", funded by a Lilly Endowment grant through the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, aims to be a congregational boots-on-the-ground laboratory for connecting our worship and work. We will explore together what it means to put our faith into action. Come out on Wed, Aug. 30 from 5 to 6:30 pm in Fellowship Hall for dinner, a presentation from the Steering Committee, group discussion, and a "Practicing Our Faith" send-off exercise! Music Ministries Contact: Hannah Cruse or Carolyn Riggins We believe that music-making is transformational. Musical participation expresses our love for God, affirms and teaches our beliefs, strengthens faithful relationships, exposes our strengths and growing edges in a safe space, and inspires discipleship beyond these church walls. All ages are welcome to join us in choir, bell choir , or come talk to our director about contributing your artistic

  "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, August 28. If you would like to volunteer with the FPC team or drop off donations, please contact Margaret Adames or the church office.

Join us on Rally Day Sunday, August 13, to discover exciting opportunities for children and adults to learn, grow, and fellowship in Christ this coming year at FPC. Events include One and Done Choir (rehearsal at 9 am in the sanctuary), Blessing of the Backpacks (during 10 am worship Children's Moment), and Second Sunday Lunch (in Fellowship Hall around 11:15).