First Presbyterian Church News (Clarksville, TN)

A Three-Year Journey through the Gospels: Introducing the Lectionary A lectionary is a collection of readings or selections from the Scriptures, arranged and intended for preaching during worship.  Lectionaries have been used in churches since the fourth century, when large churches began to arrange their Scripture readings according to a schedule which follows the calendar of the church’s year. The Revised Common Lectionary provides a three-year plan or pattern for the Sunday readings. Each year is centered on one of the synoptic gospels. Year A is the year of Matthew, Year B is the year of Mark, and Year C is the year of Luke. John is read each year, especially in the times around Christmas, Lent, and Easter, and also in the year of Mark (the shortest of the gospels). Each year, we will follow the path of one of these gospels as it leads us again to Christ. Year A, Matthew, November 30, 2025 - November 22, 2026 Year B, Mark, November 29, 2026 - November 21, 2027 Year C, Luke...

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CLARKSVILLE, TENNESSEE ALL SAINTS' DAY 2025 COMMEMORATING THE FAITHFUL "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2, NRSV) Don Atkins Ted Atkinson George & Margaret Ackley  Angel & Helen Adames  Dan & Lynette Aiken Janet Aiken Judy Aiken Marshall Aiken Robert Aiken Kathleen Rowe Agnew Dee Albright Celia Ambrester  Barbara Ann Arnold John M. Arrington  John K. & Mary Arrington Bayless G. Atkins Ed & Anna Kathryn Atkinson Ned Atkinson William Hunter Atkinson Harper N. Ausenbaugh  Crit Austin Elizabeth Baddley  Meredith Baggett ...

  The Christmas story is filled with familiar sights and sounds: a lowly manger, a brilliant star, humble shepherds, and adoring parents. And weaving through it all are angels. We often see them as silent, decorative figures with halos and wings. But in the biblical narrative, angels are anything but quiet. They are God’s messengers, dynamic agents of change who arrive with earth-shattering, history-altering news. When they appear, they interrupt the ordinary with the extraordinary and command one thing: “Listen.” This Advent, we invite you to join us for a five-part sermon series, "The Angels of Christmas," based on the work of Susan Robb. Our theme will be "Hearing God’s Message, Listening to God’s Messengers." We will journey through the familiar nativity story by focusing on the four pivotal angelic encounters that paved the way for Christ’s birth. We’ll explore the visits to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, examining not only the message they receiv...

We live in a world obsessed with comparison. From social media feeds to career ladders, we are constantly measured—and measuring ourselves—against one another. This relentless "striving for superiority," as Miroslav Volf says, is exhausting. It promises fulfillment but often leaves us feeling anxious and inadequate. What if there was a different way to live? What if our true worth wasn't based on how we "stack up against others" at all? This November we will explore this question with a four-part sermon series: "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God: Trust in God and Freedom from Striving." Inspired by Miroslav Volf's The Cost of Ambition (Brazos, 2025), we will explore how our identity in Christ frees us from the toxic cycle of comparison and competition. True stewardship isn't about outdoing others; it's about discovering God's grace, which allows us to live with joy, gratitude, and genuine freedom. Join us for this four-week journey. The Ser...

A PLACE WHERE LOVE CAN BE FOUND They say I'm known in this sacred place, But how could they really know me? I've hidden my truth, locked it away, Afraid of the price I might have to pay. They wear their masks with practiced grace, And I do too, just in case. We trade our smiles, nods, and names, But no one dares to name the pain.  (Chorus) Let's make a place where we can be found, Where mercy and love come pouring down. Faith over fear will lead us there. Loving each other builds God's house everywhere. Show me your scars and I'll show you mine. Not wounds to hide, but holy signs. God placed us here to heal as one-- Reflections of the risen Son. (Bridge) See me seeing you, See me seeing God in you, And God in me. WE ARE BLESSED I am the doctor, I am the nurse, The responder who gets there first. I am the miner who braves the dark. We share the light that's in our hearts. (Chorus) We are blessed, we are blessed, We are blessed, we are blessed. Through your grace,...

FPC has been awarded $24,880 by the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship as a recipient of the 2025-2026 Vital Worship Grant! We were first awarded this grant in the amount of $17,000 for the Faith Focus Wednesday program in 2023-2024 and then reapplied this spring. Our new project--developed by Hannah Cruse, Doug Young, Greg Glover, and the Steering Committee--will build on the mission of Faith Focus to  connect faith to action through cycles of education and reflection, liturgical creativity, and discipleship practices that aim to address homelessness and hunger.  We will continue to offer dinner, childcare, and a program each Wednesday this year during Faith Focus at 5:30. Many of these evenings may be devoted to learning about and taking part in missional work in partnership with the Irene Center for Hope. Join us in our pursuit to answer the question "How can we end homelessness and hunger for children in Clarksville?" We will also ask how our worship forms us to be mis...

Don't miss the jazz ensemble during worship this Sunday, June 8! Expect jazzified hymns and fun choral numbers.

Summer Sermon Series ( 2023-2025): "Isaiah: The Lord Saves" "Isaiah 1-39: Prophet of Faith" (2023) "Isaiah 40-55: Prophet of Hope" (2024) "Isaiah 56-66: Prophet of Love" (2025) June 22, Isaiah 56, Keep Justice June 29, Isaiah 57, What Happens July 6, Isaiah 58, Share Bread July 13, Isaiah 59, The Lord's Hand July 20, Isaiah 60, Arise, Shine! July 27, Isaiah 61, The Spirit of the Lord In no other book of the Bible is God’s wonder and grandeur so clearly displayed; it is no wonder then, that Isaiah is the most often quoted prophet in the New Testament. This book has so shaped the faith and life of the church--our doctrine, liturgy, and practice--that some of the earliest Christians thought of Isaiah as the “Fifth Gospel.” The great preachers and thinkers of the church have always meditated on its message and used it as a special guide for truthfully hearing the Word of God--from Chrysostom to Augustine, and on to Martin Luther and John Calvin. ...

Childcare has been extended to 9:00 a.m. through June 8 so that parents can attend choir practice.  (Childcare workers will not be able to stay for The Trek during Memorial Day weekend.)

Our beloved FPC Director of Music and Creative Arts, Hannah Cruse, will be departing from her staff role with us this summer to follow the call of God to explore new horizons and greater opportunities. Since joining FPC in 2020 during the challenging days of COVID, Hannah has served our church with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love. She has not only graced our worship with her musical gifts as organist and choir director but has also expanded her ministry in countless ways. From revitalizing our young adult ministry to spearheading the successful grant application for our Faith Focus program, and from coordinating our newsletter and social media to helping form our Green Team and contributing to the work of the Hospitality Committee, Hannah's dedication has been truly remarkable. She has also been instrumental in developing Maker's Corner and ArtsConnect, enriching our church's creative arts outreach. Her passion for social and eco-justice issues and her willingne...

Easter Lilies in Memory of: William Banyas  by Pixie McCord Mills  Meredith Baggett & Lew Wallace  by Vicki Wallace & family  Hershel Basham Jr. & Susan Basham Lamb  by Sarah & Don Morgan & Lynda & Hershel Basham   Buddy & Shiela Foust, Scott W. Hedstrom, Heidi Kathleen Hedstrom & Mitcheal K. Ostlund  by the Foust, Hedstrom & Neuman families  Kibler & Margery Williams and  Arvo & Mary Kanervo  by Ellen & David Kanervo  Karen Goggin & Liz Thomas  by Mark, Rhonda, & Allister Banasiak  Tom Graves  by Charlotte Graves  Greer Busbee  by an old appreciative friend Charlyne & Aubrey Harvey & Cindy C. Harvey  by the Harvey family  Ruby Jean McLeod  by Roger & Elynor Busler   Loretta Mattade  by Pixie McCord Mills, Lori Jordan & Ryan McCord  Janie Mast, Betty Crane, Thomas Crane Sr. & Thomas Crane Jr.  by Mi...

FPC will join Christians around the world in celebrating the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed (Council of Nicaea, May – July, 325). The Nicene Creed is the most ecumenical of our creeds, affirmed by Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and most Protestant churches. It represents the preservation of the biblical witness to the truth of the Trinity in the face of conflict and persecution in the context of Graeco-Roman ideas and culture. It is a firm foundation for expressing our faith in a changing world. 

Foundational Presbyterian Principles (Being the Church in an Age of Chaos) In times of deep political division and polarization, amid expressions of hate and intolerance, even under tyranny and persecution, Presbyterians have stood firm in the faith through the affirmation of a set of principles first articulated in the wake of the American Revolution by the Synod of New York and Philadelphia and the first General Assembly in the United States in 1788 – 1789. Our Spring Sermon Series (April 27 – June 8) will examine these principles: freedom of conscience, separation of church and state, the right to govern the church and determine its membership without interference, the right to choose our leadership by election, our commitment to truth and holiness, mutual forbearance, and right use of church power and discipline. We will illustrate the strength and effectiveness of these principles in the resistance by Barth and Bonhoeffer and the Confessing Church in Germany to Hitler’s N...