First Presbyterian Church News (Clarksville, TN)

The One and Done Choir is becoming a THING! Everyone who attended the June and July events had a blast and sang with gusto. So, look forward to another One and Done Choir on August 29 at 9:00 a.m. in the sanctuary . If you are hankering for donuts, good company, and low-stress singing, join us  to learn and perform an easy, fun piece. Contact Hannah Cruse  for more details (call the church office). And don't forget to share this post with your friends in the community--the more the merrier!

Prelude "Just As I Am" by William Bolcom From American composer, William Bolcom (1938–):  The American Guild of Organists commissioned the first trio of Gospel Preludes; an Emory University faculty member commissioned three, and Marilyn Mason [world-renowned organist] asked for six. Though the tunes in the Preludes come from both black and white Protestant American churches, what I do with them puts them outside the category of religious music – they belong clearly to the concert world...  READ MORE Listen carefully as Bolcom enfolds the melody canonically throughout the piece, using dissonance to emphasize certain images and melodic ideas. You first hear the melody clearly in the soprano range of the organ. In the next iteration of the soprano melody, the pedal line cleverly echoes in transposition. In following iterations, the melody appears in three different voices at once in stunning intricacy.  Opening Hymn #839 "Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine" (ASSURANCE) 

Amos, What Do You See? This week, Amos sees the Lord standing beside the altar in the sanctuary, striking the capitals on the pillars until the whole building collapses, shaking even the foundations.  He hears a hymn--usually a source of encouragement--but this time it contains an ominous warning.  Finally, in the last vision of the book, he sees a sieve.  With the sieve, God is cleaning the grain: sifting out every stray piece of chaff, all the stones and pebbles of every size, and every bit of dirt.  The cleaning requires removal and destruction of the debris. Israel's response, to the bitter end, is to ridicule the prophet.  They treat him like Henny Penny--echoing his words, but mixed with laughter: "the sky is falling, the sky is falling."  They ignore him.  They think he is a boy crying wolf. But Amos has seen what he has seen.  Disaster may not fall today or tomorrow, but it will come, especially if Israel does not take the warning to heart.  These are not things

NOTICE!  Following the recommendation of our COVID-19 Task Force and based on the most recent CDC recommendation, Session has modified our COVID guidelines as follows: Masks are required indoors for everyone, regardless of vaccination status, so long as the Level of Community Transmission in Montgomery County remains high. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view Masks will be available at the sanctuary entrance for anyone who needs one.  We will continue to monitor and update the congregation as the situation warrants.  No other additional restrictions have been implemented at this time. 

Youth Community Nights have been going so well this summer that we are hosting another on Friday,  August 27 , at 6:00.  Location TBA but will either be in the church or at the AOC. Stay tuned for more details. This time, the evening will be music-themed, led by Hannah Cruse (FPC Music Director). The youth will get to participate in various music-making activities and even start the creative process of song-writing together! We cannot stress enough...No prior musical experience or interest required! We will provide a wide range of ways for each kid to get involved. We will also have regular games, snacks, and hang time!  Text your youth director, Rebecca Maurer, (call the office or search on Realm for contact info)  if you have any questions.  And while you wait, stay in the loop by joining our  FB group . Share this post with your friends, please! :-D

Paperless Bulletin:  August 1, 2021 Scripture   Reading :  Amos 9 Sermon   Preview :  "A Sieve" Online Invitation to Worship :   Youtube  or  Facebook Hymns & Music :  Music Spotlight Liturgy Explanations :  "Why do we worship this way?" Give   to the Church :   Make an Offering Get Involved:  Events This Week The Pink Sheet :  Prayer Requests & Praises

Sunday, August 1 9:00 a.m.   Friendship & Brotherhood S.S. Class (3rd floor of Education Wing) Men's Brotherhood S.S. Class 10:00 a.m.  Morning Worship & Communion Children's Church & Sunday School (after Scripture reading; nursery available) PreK-4 in Chapel 5th-8th Grade in Parlor Tuesday, August 3 5:00 p.m.  Yoga (in Fellowship Hall) Wednesday, August 4 10:00 a.m.  Bible Study with Pastor Greg In-person (in the Library) Or on  Zoom Meeting ID: 231 246 359 Password: 007472   7:00 p.m.  Biblical History Class with Pastor Greg Please register in advance on  Eventbrite Join on  Zoom   Meeting ID: 945 1988 3554 Passcode: 148088 Thursday, August 5 8:30 a.m.   Yoga (in Fellowship Hall)

Many thanks to all involved in the Haiti Conference on July 23-24! (Special thanks to Ann Waddle for organizing the volunteers.) The pictures below show partners from Clarksville, Jacksonville, and Atlanta convening to discuss the under-construction middle school in LaGonave.  We had 50 participants (including 12 virtual) from 16+ churches! These were families in Haiti, getting state test scores from the schools-at the same time we were meeting to discuss the wonderful results!