eNewsletter

Thank you to all who attended the Presbytery’s Stated Meeting this past Saturday. It was a joy and a privilege to join in worship at Nashville Korean Presbyterian Church. We are exceedingly grateful for the wonderful lunch they provided and for their gracious hospitality throughout the meeting.

We were fortunate to be joined in the meeting by three guests. Erin Skinner, Ministry Relations Officer for the Presbytery Foundation, shared a variety of available resources that may be of particular interest or benefit to our congregations. Cindy Fisher and Suzanne Cornett were also present to share information about the Presbyterian Home for Children. 

Worship was led by the staff and talented musicians of Nashville Korean Church. From the offering, $2,417 was collected for the Nueva Vida Food Project. RE Chris Williams and TE Erin Howton-Angel were installed as the 2026 Moderator and Vice-Moderator. 

In addition to worship, meeting highlights included: Mr. Gage Arnold was examined and recommended for ordination and installation. He will be commissioned on May 3 at 11:00 am at First Presbyterian Church of Nashville. The ministries of recently-retired Pastoral leaders Jim & Heidi Hudnut-Beumler, Ed Keith, and Sally Hughes were recognized. Brentwood First Presbyterian Church was dissolved, followed by a heartfelt tribute to its legacy by Rev. Perry Muse and RE Barb Hall. Milton-Hopewell was approved to merge with Northminster-Murfreesboro. Southminster-Nashville was approved to sell a portion of their property to Woodbine Community Organization for the purpose of constructing homes for persons with disabilities.

A number of other actions were considered and approved or defeated. These will be detailed in a highlight document and in the minutes of the meeting. Both will be added to the Presbytery Website under the “Meetings” heading. 

Saturday was a wonderful day to gather in the Lord’s house. 

Respectfully Submitted,
Erin Bell
Temporary State Clerk

Dear Friends in the Presbytery,

The 163rd Stated Meeting of the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee was held on Saturday at Nashville Korean Presbyterian Church. As Executive Presbyter, on behalf of the Presbytery, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to Pastor Kim, the staff, and the congregation for their extraordinarily gracious hospitality and thoughtful preparation which created a warm and welcoming atmosphere that enriched our gathering.

The day began with a beautiful service of worship, highlighted by the musical gifts of the church’s choir and praise team. Their leadership added depth, joy, and a spirit of praise to our gathering. Behind the scenes, the tech team’s skill and attention to detail ensured that each element of the service and meeting flowed seamlessly.

Not only did the Korean church nourish our spirits, they also nourished our bodies with a deliciously prepared lunch. Our time together at table was a time of fellowship and joy.

I am also grateful for the energy and commitment of the Presbytery’s staff and leadership, whose efforts contributed to a smooth and fruitful meeting.

Each time we gather as a Presbytery, we rediscover that we are more than an administrative body—we are a sacred community, a church woven together in faith and shared ministry.

The next meeting wil be held on May 2 at First Presbyterian in Cookeville. See you there!

Blessings,
Sherard

The Presbytery of Middle Tennessee is hosting a week-long mediation training at First Presbyterian Church of Nashville March 2nd through the 6th. Led by the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, the Mediation Skills Training Institute is designed to equip church leaders with the knowledge and skills necessary to deal effectively with interpersonal, congregational, and other forms of group conflict. 

The cost to attend the training is $850. Members of the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee may register at a discounted rate of $500. The Presbytery is absorbing some of the registration fees for members who are willing to serve on the Mediation Team in the future. 

Registration information will be sent via email and posted to the PMT website on February 16th. Spaces are limited to an ideal attendance of 12-15 people.

Nueva Vida Food Project Update

One of the newest missions of the Presbytery is the Nueva Vida Food Project, operating out of Glencliff Presbyterian Church. At the Food Project, we remember that Jesus’ words continue to speak truth into today’s world. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, an expert in the law asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). Jesus answers throughout the Gospels—including in Matthew 25—that our neighbors are the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the unclothed, the sick, and the imprisoned. These are the ones we are called to serve with compassion and care.

Here in our own backyard, we have the opportunity to live out this call in a tangible and meaningful way. Through donations of food and financial gifts, as well as through the gift of time, volunteers help feed and support our neighbors each week.

Every Tuesday from 5:30–7:30 p.m. and every Saturday from 12:00–3:00 p.m., the Food Project serves 60–70 families, providing enough groceries to support their households for one to two weeks. To make this ministry possible, 15–18 volunteers are needed each day.

In addition, we receive food distributions on Tuesday and Friday mornings from the Nourish Food Bank in Murfreesboro, and 3–5 volunteers are needed to help unload these trucks and prepare the food for distribution.

If you or your church is interested in becoming part of this vital ministry, there is a place for everyone.

• To volunteer, please contact Renee Kasman, volunteer coordinator, at glencliff@nourishfoodbanks.org.
• For more information about our services, to host a food drive at your church, or to invite someone to speak with your congregation about this ministry, reach out to Evelyn Graham, Director of the Food Project, at evelyn@nourishfoodbanks.org.

Jesus taught us what it means to be good neighbors. All of us at the Nueva Vida Food Project look forward to working alongside you as we serve our community with love, dignity, and hope.

Houses of Worship in declared counties are eligible to receive FEMA Public Assistance for certain eligible, uninsured or underinsured expenses. Any house of worship that experienced damage or assisted with any kind of response activities, like sheltering or feeding, is encouraged to complete TEMA’s Preliminary Damage Assessment. This form collects basic information like storm-related impacts to receive appropriate follow-up.

Boundary Training for Church Leaders: 

Thank you to everyone who has used the Presbytery’s website to sign up for boundary training. It is important to note that the email will come from "Praesidium Do Not Reply", not from the Temporary Stated Clerk or your Clerk of Session. Registrants cannot share links. If you signed up last week, you will receive the email this week. 

Per the Book of Order, councils are mandated to require certificates of completion of boundary training, particularly around sexual misconduct and child sexual abuse prevention, every 36 months from its members, all Certified Christian Educators, all Commissioned Ruling Elders, and all Inquirers and Candidates.  This also means that sessions must require boundary training for their members as well. If this training applies to you, click here to register.

Another key project for the coming weeks is the annual statistics report. The statistics portal access opened to Clerks on January 2nd, and will close on February 20th. Any data that you would like me to enter on your behalf must be emailed to sc@pbymidtn.org by February 27th. The most recent report, along with instructions for access & completion, was emailed to clerks on December 12th. 

If you are a Clerk of Session, and did not receive this information, please email sc@pbymidtn.org. 

Rev. Diarmuid O’Hara died on January 28, 2026. He served congregations as pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Oak Hill, West Virginia, and First Presbyterian Church in Bainbridge, New York, until his retirement in 2015. Rev. O’Hara transferred to the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee in August 2025. A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Murfreesboro on March 14.

POAMN’s 2026 resource guide for older adult ministry is now online. Check it out for fresh, informative, and interesting approaches to your work with older adults. The majority of the articles center on the theme of this year’s guide: Building Community Across Generations.

Montreat Conference Center’s newly published 2025 Annual Report is now available on their website. 

Registration is open to attend Montreat’s Worship & Music Conference this Summer, an event hosted in partnership with the Presbyterian Association of Musicians (PAM). Leadership for this year’s conference includes David Hufford, Ariel Merivil, Brian Blount, Mel Bringle, and Katie Aumann, along with many others! Explore the full leadership roster, class options, and more by clicking here.

A full list of events and programs is available on the Montreat website calendar.

UPSem is excited to announce the Ecumenical Transitional Leadership Training - a collaborative program between Union Presbyterian Seminary’s Leadership Institute and Eastern Mennonite University! Starting May 17 through the 31st, this hybrid program equips pastoral leaders with practical frameworks and skills for guiding congregations through seasons of change. The curriculum covers essential topics including trauma-informed approaches, conflict transformation, systems thinking, and soul care - all grounded in ecumenical perspectives from across denominational traditions. 

The Presbyterian Historical Society is in the process of developing a resource and/or training to help churches research and write their own histories through an anti-racist lens.  We want to hear directly from churches and mid councils about the resources and guidance that would be most useful to them as they engage in anti-racism work, regardless of where they are in this process. 

Please share this survey with your congregations:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SNPM69N 

Click here to read more about this project, view examples from other congregations, and learn how to submit your own research products on this webpage.

Currently, these are the job opportunities available within the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee.