hope: christ our hope, even in the darkest hours” | december 1...

My Friends,

Of the hymns often sung during the season of Advent, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is one that often resonates with me more than the others.

Many may be able to recite the first stanza: “O come, O come, Emmanuel, / And ransom captive Israel, / That mourns in lonely exile here / Until the Son of God appear.” Those are powerful words, words of expectation for the deliverance of the people of God.

The second stanza, perhaps a bit less familiar, is just as powerful: “O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer / Our spirits by Thine advent here; / Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, / And death’s dark shadows put to flight.” In singing these words we proclaim hope that by the breaking forth of the light of day, gloom and shadow will be dispelled.

When we come into the season of Advent, hope is at the center of it. On one hand, we as the church already know the good news of Christmas: Christ is born; the light of the world has indeed come into the world to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). On the other, during this season, we adopt the posture of anticipation and hope for the coming of Christ anew each year.

That hope endures. It shines a light on each day—especially on the darkest days.

There’s a reason why many years ago the church identified this season as one in which to remember Christ’s birth and the expectation leading up to it. These are, literally, the darkest days of the year, but in the midst of the darkness, hope breaks through, like a ray of light through the morning dusk.

On December 1, the first Sunday in Advent, we’ll begin a new sermon series exploring the hope and longing found in four passages in the Old Testament, a hope that we know is fulfilled in Christ Jesus.

But as we dive into the Scriptures of the people of Israel, we may find that their hopes, their fears, in many ways mirror our own, and by their testimony, my own hope and prayer is that the Lord may guide you to (re)discover that in Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, as the other old hymn puts it, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.”

Hopefully,

Dr. Jay Howell Pastor | Head of Staff

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www.sequoyahchurch.org | Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church | 865.522.9804

12.19

“Hope: Christ Our Hope, Even in the Darkest Hours” | December 1 though December 25

Sunday Monday Tueday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 8:30a & 11a Worship Services 9:30a Sunday School 10:15a Chancel Choir rehearsal 12p Family Advent Workshop 6p Sequoyah Tree Lighting

2 10a Staff Meeting 10a Yoga

6:30p Disciple Bible Study

3 7p Advent by Candlelight

4 10:30a Bible Study 4:30p Children’s Choirs Practice 5:15p Wednesday Night Dinner 6p Light up Lonsdale 7p Chancel Choir Concert

5

10a Yoga

6 9:30a Beginner’s Tai Chi

7

8

8:30a & 11a Worship Services 9:30a Sunday School 9:30a & 12p B.P. Checks 10:15a Chancel Choir rehearsal 6p Stephen Ministry Christmas Party

9 10a Staff Meeting 10a Yoga 12:30p JOY Fellowship meeting

10

11 10:30a Bible Study 4:30p Children’s Choirs Practice 5:15p Wednesday Night Dinner 6p Carol Sing in the Sanctuary 6:15p Children’s Choirs Concert

12

10a Yoga 12p Church & Community Luncheon 5p Cobbling Together 2.0 at HVF Pavilion


Tower articles for next month are due now.

14

15 8:30a & 11a Worship Services 9:30a Sunday School 10:15a Chancel Choir rehearsal 6p Middle and High School Christmas Party in The Loft


6:30p Disciple Bible Study

17

9a FISH 6p Disciple Bible Study

18 10:30a Bible Study

19 10a Yoga


21

22 8:30a & 11a Worship Services 9:30a Sunday School 10:15a Chancel Choir rehearsal


24 Christmas Eve

4:30p Early Communion in the Chapel 5p Lessons and Carols Service 9p Communion and Candlelight Service

25 Christmas Day

The church office is closed.

26 The church office is closed.


28

Minnows’ food delivery

29 8:30a & 11a Worship Services 9:30a Sunday School 10:15a Chancel Choir rehearsal


31 The church office closes at noon.

1 The church office is closed.

2

3

4

December 2019 | at a Glance

We are a Stephen Ministry

congregation. Stephen Ministers are members of

our congregation who receive special training to provide one-to-one Christian

care to people in our congregation and community who are experiencing life difficulties. If you would like to learn more about Stephen Ministry, please contact Sis Mitchell at 584 - 8447

or Rachel Hamburger 522 - 9804.

To donate a CHRISTMAS POINSETTIA for the Sanctuary in honor or in memory of a loved one, please call 522-9804 by Monday, December 9. The cost is $25/each (checks made payable to SHPC, marked “Poinsettias”).

The annual FISH Christmas cards are available in the church office. For a donation of $5 you can feed a family of four for almost three days; for $10 you can feed two families. Fish cards are a great way to give a gift to

family and friends while helping to end hunger in our community.

Join us for the Chancel Choir’s

A Celebration of Christmas Wednesday, December 4, at 7:00 p.m.

in the Sanctuary, following dinner in Barron Hall

The concert, which will include traditional carols and congregational hymns, will feature the SHPC Chancel

Choir, soloists, and an orchestra.

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12:00 p.m. | Advent Family Workshop 6:00 p.m. | Sequoyah Hills Christmas Tree Lighting at the Talahi Fountain on Cherokee Boulevard The Joyful Noise and Joyful Praise Choirs will sing.

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7:00 p.m. | Advent by Candlelight in Barron Hall with guest Suzanne Stelling

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5:15 p.m. | Dinner in Barron Hall 7:00 p.m. | Chancel Choir Concert in the Sanctuary Infant nursery will be available.

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5:15 p.m. | Dinner in Barron Hall 6:00 p.m. | Christmas Carols in the Sanctuary 6:15 p.m. | Children’s Choirs Concert in the Sanctuary Infant nursery will be available.

The last WNF Dinner for 2019 is December 11. We will resume WNF on January 8, 2020.

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12:00 p.m. | The Church & Community Holiday Luncheon in Barron Hall featuring the “Singing Seniors” Please RSVP by Tuesday, December 10, at 522 - 9804. 5:00 p.m. | Cobbling Together 2.0 at the HVF Pavilion, Men’s Holiday BBQ Bonfire in memory of Steve Cobble RSVP to [email protected]

|Our Worship Committee is offering a new Christmas Eve Communion prior to our family friendly 5:00 p.m. worship. If interested, please join us in the Chapel promptly at 4:30 p.m. for a hymn, Scripture, brief devotion, and Communion. Anticipation ending by 4:45 p.m.

4:30 p.m. | New - Early Christmas Eve Communion in the Chapel

5:00 p.m. | Lessons and Carols in the Sanctuary (includes our young people in a live nativity) Infant nursery will be available.

9:00 p.m. | Communion and Candlelight Worship Service in the Sanctuary

Our 4th annual

ADVENT BY

CANDLELIGHT

“Yes”

Suzanne Stelling

is Tuesday, December 3, at 7:00 p.m. in Barron Hall

HO P E

“Christ Our Hope, Even in the Darkest Hours” December 1 though December 29

COBBLING TOGETHER 2.0 | MEN’S HOLIDAY FELLOWSHIP

For the second year, the men of the church will gather on Thursday, December 12 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at The Pavilion

at Hunter Valley Farm, to ring in the holiday season by bringing together friends and fellows, old and new, to remember

and renew faith, friendship, and fellowship over a bonfire BBQ in memory of Steve Cobble. This event is open to the members

of Sequoyah, First, and Second Presbyterian Churches. RSVP to Justin Martin at [email protected]

We hope all the women of our church are marking their calendars for the Women's Retreat at RT Lodge in Maryville, February 28 through March 1, 2020!

Our speaker will be Laura Strunk.

Laura and her husband David live in Maryville with their three children ages 9, 6, and 3. David is pastor of a growing "church plant" in Maryville. The Strunks moved in late 2016 from Denver, where Laura worked for 10 years with Young Life, training scores of leaders, building teams of volunteers to work with high school students, speaking at events, and administrating a very active ministry. Laura is currently going through training in Spiritual Direction, a practice which helps people grow in awareness of God's presence in their everyday lives and invites them to live out of that awareness in ever-deepening ways. Laura says her work in this season of life is to nurture a posture of hospitality towards whatever God brings each day, focusing first on

the beautifully ordinary care of their children and home.

We are so thankful God led her to us, and us to her, as she comes to share with us at our retreat! It's going to be a great weekend of rest, fellowship, and fun! Brochures with all the information will be available this month.

Publication Photo Policy regarding Children and Youth Under 18

Important | Please Read The Session approved an updated “Guidelines for Safeguarding Our Children and Youth | Maintaining a Safe Sanctuary” at the stated meeting on November 12, 2019. Please note that parents /guardians of minors who prefer that their children's image and name NOT be used in SHPC publications or media should indicate so in writing by completing an

opt-out form and sending it to Business Administrator, Katie McHargue at [email protected].

Women’s Retreat | RT Lodge February 28 - March 1, 2020

Follow us on Social Media

A big thank you to our wonderful Flower Guild volunteers for the month of November: Sunny Biden, Amelia Daniels, Adrianne McPeake, and Ashley Reed.

SESSION RECAP | November 12, 2019

► 23 of 27 elders were present along with three clergy and the clerk.

► Elder Megan Landers led devotional.

► The main order of the day was a discussion on Acts 16:6-10, tying into thoughts on addressing deferred maintenance issues, developing a master plan and vision, and the possibility of a capital campaign within the next few years.

► Approval of a new Safe Sanctuary Policy

► Heard reports from Joe Huie, Budget & Finance Committee; Vance Link, Clerk of Session; Revs. Hamburger, Lampley, and Howell.

Save the Date | Men’s Retreat

Townsend, Tennessee

Dr. Jay Howell | Keynote Speaker April 24 - 26, 2020

Contact | Joey White at [email protected]

Follow our church on social media! Look for us on Facebook at SequoyahChurch and on Instagram at sequoyahchurch.

Share in the Joy | How SHPC Reaches outside its walls

2019 Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church, Benevolence Giving

The Benevolence Committee of Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church is charged by the Session to make a recommendation as part of the annual budget to give funds to the people of God in order to relieve suffering and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We approach this responsibility with full reliance on the Holy Spirit, acknowledging that we must set aside our own personal biases and in openness to God’s leading, consider every request brought to us on an individual basis. We prayerfully consider the nature and history of the benevolent causes, the opinions of our colleagues on the committee, and the resources available to us in asking for funding for needs beyond our own congregation. We hope that our gifts will have maximum impact on recipient agencies and individuals and in advancing the kingdom of Jesus Christ; therefore, we are more likely to request funding for ministries that hold the promise of either reducing the most suffering or completely transforming lives.

This year, the SHPC 2019 annual budget allocated $165,733.00 to support 37 organizations and programs. Organizations were awarded grants between $1,000 and $10,000 and SHPC programs, including the Disaster Relief Fund, SHEEP Scholarships, the SHPC Food Pantry, and the Community Support Fund for local needs, were supported through this portion of the budget.

The organizations include: Campus House of Prayer, Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti, Compassion Coalition, C.O.N.N.E.C.T. Ministries, Contact Careline, Emerald Youth Foundation, Family Promise, FISH Hospitality Pantry, Florence Crittenton Agency, Gideons, Habitat for Humanity, Impact, Interfaith Health Clinic, Intervarsity/Graduate and Faculty program, Jesus Is My Savior, Knox Area Rescue Mission, Knoxville Inner City Kids Outreach, Knoxville Leadership Foundation/Amachi, Knoxville Young Life, Living Waters for the World, Locked Down on the Outside, Office on Aging/Connecting Hearts, Reformed University Fellowship, Reformed University Fellowship International, Second Harvest Food Bank/Pond Gap Backpack, Steps House, Team Expansion /Syrian Refugees, Thrive - Lonsdale (formerly Soar), UT Medical Center Chaplain Training, Vine International, Volunteer Ministry Center, Wears Valley Ranch and Yoke Ministries.

Additionally, with funds from the Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church Endowment Fund, a special one-time gift of $50,000 was made to Emerald Youth Foundation. Emerald Youth Foundation's mission is to raise up a large number of urban youth to love Jesus Christ and become effective leaders who help renew their communities. The organization began as a summer outreach ministry with youth in Knoxville's Oakwood/Lincoln Park community. The ministry has expanded serving youth in the East Knoxville and Beaumont /Western Heights. The JustLead afterschool program for elementary and middle school students includes tutoring, homework help, health/fitness/nutrition instruction, field trips, and service-learning opportunities and is part of the JustLead network of churches and faith-based organizations in neighborhoods across the city. The sports complex in downtown Knoxville serves to advance Emerald's field sports ministry and soon a second sports complex with a health center will open in Lonsdale.

The current members of this committee are Denise Anderson, Eleanor Barron, Cory Beilharz, Victoria Cleveland, Martha Dolinak, Myron Ely, Cynthia Foster, Jonathan Frazier, Allan Grossman, Tina Gillespie, Melissa Harrison, Mark Lampley, Ginny Lyon, and Margaret Ritchie.

At the November Church & Community Luncheon, Danielle King, Audiologist shared her program on healthy hearing and amplification devices. Thank you to Susan Hyde for the lovely floral centerpieces on each table.

SHPC’s next Church & Community

Luncheon is scheduled for Thursday,

December 12, at noon in Barron Hall.

Join us for lunch from Carrabba's Italian

Grill and The O’Connor Center’s “Singing

Seniors” Holiday Program. Cost for lunch

is $5. Please RSVP to the church office

by Tuesday, December 10.

Inviting all members of our Joy Fellowship to a

Christmas Open House at Pastor Rachel's new home!

Sunday, December 15, 2:00-4:00 p.m. 1302 Cherry Tree Lane Knoxville, TN 37919

All are invited to tour her sweet home, taste some Christmas treats, and enjoy

one another's company. Come have a jolly time!

RSVP to the church office at 522-9804 If you need transportation, please let

us know as well!

Congratulations to Karen White, who was installed as the Vice Moderator of

the Presbytery of East Tennessee on November 12, 2019 at Maryville College. She will be installed as the Moderator in November 2020.

,| : - : . .

Pizza, salad, and dessert will be available at noon, followed by lots of shenanigans and decorating the Barron Hall Christmas

Tree. Don’t miss a minute of this joyful, holiday event.

Children’s Ministries

please join us for the

Children’s

Choirs

Christmas

Concert

“Room for Christmas” a musical by Mark Burrows

Wednesday, December 11

Come for dinner in Barron Hall at 5:15 p.m., a “Christmas Carol Sing” in the Sanctuary at 6:00 p.m., and the Children’s Choirs Concert at 6:15 p.m.

Dear SHPC Families,

Once again, we would like the children of SHPC to be involved in a live Nativity Scene at the 5:00 p.m. Christmas Eve Service. We are asking the children to come to this service in the costume of their choice: Angel, Barn

Animal, Shepherd, or Wise Man. These costumes do not have to be elaborate! We

have some costumes in our drama closet if you would like to come borrow one. During the service

when it is time for your child to come forward, they are to walk up to the front and we will place them where they need to be (the speaker will direct when it is time for each group). This interactive service is a wonderful way for our children to actually be a part of the retelling of our Savior’s birth!

Director of Children’s Ministries

The children who participated in the October First Communion Class were welcomed to the Lord’s Table on November 3: Baker Daniel, Duncan Drysdale, Chloe Dye, Jackson Dye, Caroline Hall, Leighton Morris, Walt Reistenberg, and Cameron White.

February 14 - 17, 2020 | Boone, NC

ski in, ski out cabin on Beech Mountain | 3 nights lodging | 2 days skiing or tubing rental | all meals while in Boone | worship, games, learning, and community

The cost of the Ski Trip is $399 plus money for two meals in transit. Your $100 deposit is due upon sign-up and balance of $299 due by January 7, 2020. Parents: $25 Ski Trip Christmas gift certificates are available

with registration and deposit by 2/11/19. (A great gift idea for your high school student this year.) Scholarship funds are available, please see a leader for more details. Laura Cutter | [email protected]

Things to Know | Upcoming Events

it’s the little things

Sometimes we feel the tug from the Lord to do the little things. They often seem insignificant or there isn’t any fruit. But for whatever reason, we hear that still small voice and we respond. This happened to me a few weeks ago. The Loft was hosting Thrive Parkridge’s Fall Festival. We decided to set up a photo booth with a

polaroid camera. It was a lot of work to set up with a background, and props, buying film. But we did it anyway. We took kids pictures and they were so excited to take them home with them.

I didn’t think much about it, until this week. We were back at Thrive. I was in Class 1 with the second graders. I immediately see KK, a face I have gotten to know well from our time at Thrive. She gives me a big hug and says, “You are the photographer!” It took me a second to remember what she was talking about. Then KK reached in the pocket of her hoodie sweatshirt and pulled out her polaroid picture, with her cute face painted with a rainbow. She has brought it to school everyday since our festival on November 1, as a reminder of the amazing day she had. Who would have thought that a homemade photo booth would have made a difference for KK? But it did. Just like 2 Corinthians 4 says may "we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” That little picture that she had hidden away, an unseen way that Jesus was loving on KK. May we never stop leaning into the little unseen things that God may be calling us to.

We’

re s

o he

re fo

r it!

3700 Keowee Avenue | Knoxville, TN 37919 865.522.9804 | sequoyahchurch.org

12.19 Strongly rooted by years of abundant growth, fostering simple beginnings,

we entrust all that we are to Him.

Church Records

Birth

James Marvin Hatfield IV | Saturday, November 2 son of Jim Hatfield and Christine Lauro

Baptism

Zoe Jean Purnell | Sunday, November 24 daughter of Carson and Samantha Purnell

Deaths

Hallie Galyon | Monday, November 11

Berta Swan | Monday, November 18

FISH items that are needed for December 17 are L and XL Diapers, Dishwashing Liquid, and Shampoo. Food is delivered on the third Tuesday of each month. If you can help, contact Kim Zirkle at 805 - 4232 or [email protected].

All College Age Students

We’re having our “Annual Lunch at Lenny’s”

in Bearden with Lampley

Thursday, December 19, at noon

RSVP to [email protected]

or text 771.5044

First Grade Students of Sequoyah Elementary are bringing their Singing and Dancing Gingerbread Program

to Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church

on Friday, December 6 at 9:15 a.m. in Barron Hall

Please join us!

mailto:[email protected]

hope: christ our hope, even in the darkest hours” | december 1...

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