First Presbyterian Church News (Clarksville, TN)

During worship on July 2nd, Leo Adames will perform a song he wrote in 2023 based on 2019 lyrics by James McNiel. Both Leo and James are members of FPC. James is currently a high school student. Their song is called "The Way Back to Me."  Leo's comments on the song... When I read James's poem “The Way Back to Me,” what caught my eye was the idea that there’s a  center in the heart that holds a sense of unique innocence--a "garden" that holds the pure form of beauty, the basic elements of contentment, of happiness, and inspiration.  The poem is a struggle of losing sense of direction, of being in a maze of emotional dead-ends, trying different paths to “get back to the garden” on the “way back to me”.  “Where you will be” is the guiding light, the spirit that can be interpreted as maybe a parent, or someone that has passed away, or the God Spirit. The music is simple, gentle; it's a song trying to interpret the heart of a young writer. Lyrics : I wander l...

Lynette Aiken Jake Arrington Debra Bailey Amanda Brown Jane Coate Mary Ann Connell Laura Daniel Kelly Dye Randy Ellis Sarah Ellis Kris Foust Ashley Gallaher Kenneth Gillespie Janet Haase Georgia Havens Ella Hay Ross Hicks Millie Hoback Becky Hyams Todd Hyams Sarah Kanervo Katie Keen Bell Bill Kleeman Julia Lefurge Tedd Long Roxanne Lueck Annette Marks Charlsie Patterson Martin Bill Posey Tom Presler Karen Ritter Marc Schoonover Nancy Telford Ann Waddle Vicki Wallace

Learn the basics of knitting in 2 sessions with local artist Sara Coelho-Robinson! Hosted by First Presbyterian Church in the Activities and Outreach Center shared arts space, now called Makers' Corner. All levels of experience are welcome. TICKETS HERE! Saturday, August 5, 2-4 pm Learning the Basics with an Everyday Washcloth During this class you will go through the basics of this craft, focusing on two techniques: the Knit Stitch and the I-cord edge. By working on a simple washcloth, you will be able to perfect both techniques and have a useful finished object, an F.O. in the knitter's lingo, in no time! Saturday, August 12, 2-4 pm Focus on the Essentials with the Elevated Washcloth In this more comprehensive class, you will learn how to read a pattern and increase your knitting knowledge by adding five more stitches to your tool belt! After having perfected your Knit Stitch, you will be able to make a beautiful and elegant washcloth. This project will teach you the skills y...

Seasons Day Center for Adults with Special Needs has a few client openings on Mondays/Wednesdays! We are open 9am-2pm. Cost is $300/month with partial scholarships available for all. Call 931.645.6551 or email firstprezoutreach@gmail.com for more info.

Welcome Beverly Parker as our Chapel artist for Thursday Art Walk on July 6 from 5 to 8 pm. This exhibit is all about native flowers! To be out in the fresh air and stumbling across a flower you’ve never seen before is exhilarating, and this pleasure is FREE! The flowers Beverly has selected for this exhibit are not the familiar wildflowers most people are accustomed to seeing locally. Hopefully when you see these, you’ll start to pay attention to them more in the wild.  These flowers all have something in common–they were and are used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes. The possible applications are endless: toothache, fever, rheumatism, foot pain, snake bites, open wounds, sore throat, stomach pain, coughs, colds, worms, typhoid, swelling, sore eyes, skin problems, chills, and bleeding. Many of these flowers are also attractors of pollinator insects. Milkweed, for example, is one of the best attractors of monarch butterflies, which lay eggs on the plant. The emerging cate...

First Presbyterian Church is dedicated to being a center for excellence in music and art, offering a variety of musical and artistic styles as creative expressions of the human spirit’s response to God. Artists in the Reformed tradition recognize that music and art--and all artistic talents--are the gifts of God. The appropriate human response is an offering of ourselves and our art as praise and thanks to the Creator! First Presbyterian Church, long known for its music program and beautiful architecture, is dedicated to expanding its role in supporting the arts through painting, photography, sculpture, etc. We want to encourage and support local artists in their creative pursuits and help support local culture in Historic Downtown Clarksville. So, we are expanding the use of the Activities and Outreach Center (AOC) to include a shared space for artists to learn and create. Because the AOC is on the corner of Foster & Third Street, we landed on the name Makers' Corner . Artists...

FPC's bicentennial history book, “Following the Faith: A Bicentennial History of First Presbyterian Church, Clarksville, 1822-2022,” was selected as this year’s Publications winner in the small press category of The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)! Only one book in this category each year is selected to receive this national award, one of the AASLH’s Leadership in History Awards, the most prestigious recognition for achievement in state and local history.  This year, AASLH conferred fifty-one national awards honoring people, projects, and exhibits. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history. We are so proud of this accomplishment and all of the authors, especially editor Ellen Kanervo. Over the last two centuries, First Presbyterian Church, through its mission, its members, and its ministers, has significantly influenced Clarksville’s civic path. Members of this church have served the communi...

Dwell (20's through early 40's group) is invited on a Harpeth River Float! It will take place on Saturday, July 15 from 10am to 12pm. Our weather backup date will be Sunday, July 16 from 4 to 6pm. Bring your own tube (about $7 at Walmart) and meet us on the Harpeth in Pegram for an easy 1.5-2 hour float! Prepare for getting wet and being out in the sun. We'll bring some snacks and drinks to enjoy at the final swimming hole destination. No charge. Contact Hannah Cruse or fpcclarksville@gmail.com or (931) 645-6551.