eNewsletter

On Saturday, May 3rd, our intrepid Visioning Leadership Team led the body in the third and final listening session.  Participants considered different models of staffing the Presbytery and discussed other structural issues as well.  On Saturday, May 10th, the Team met for its retreat at which members began the tedious process of analyzing their gathered data and compiling their report.  We will all get to see this report in the summer.  Please continue to keep the Team in your prayers as they undertake this difficult task on our behalf.  This liminal time for the Presbytery is exciting as we all move toward potential changes, both big and small.  If you were not able to attend the Stated Meeting, the highlights are available on our website, along with information about registering for various gatherings both inside and outside the Presbytery. Read below to learn more about these opportunities to gather, to learn, and to connect.  Thanks be to God for this Team and for each of you as we live our faith.

TADP invites you to join with leaders and members of Tennessee's faith communities for an interfaith service to reflect, to pray, and to ask Governor Lee to take action to stop the three scheduled executions in Tennessee as part of:
 

The Faith Community's Call to Prayer and Action Event
Thursday, May 15, 6:00 p.m. CT
Second Presbyterian Church (3511 Belmont Blvd., Nashville, 37215)
TADP will live stream this event via Facebook Live @tndeathpenalty so that you can participate even if you can't make the trip to Nashville.

The Presbytery approved trainings for Ruling Elders who would like to be allowed to administer the Lord’s Supper.  Pursuant to the Book of Order, G-3.0301b, individuals who attend and complete the trainings will be able to administer the Lord’s Supper in the absence of a Teaching Elder and at the request of a congregation’s session.  The Rev. Sally Hughes will lead the gatherings, and registration is available on the Presbytery’s website or by clicking here: https://forms.gle/kpaKhYDdctA1pbeh8
 

The dates, places, and times are:

Saturday, June 14th, Trinity Presbyterian, 3201 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, TN 37215, 10:00 am

Saturday, July 19th, First Tullahoma, 200 East Grundy St, Tullahoma, TN 37388, 1:00 pm

Sunday, July 27th, First Cookeville, 20 N.  Dixie Ave, Cookeville, TN 38501, 3:00 pm 

Clerks of Session are invited to gather at any of the various times and places to participate in a peer review of their 2024 minutes and share best practices or challenges in their roles.  Additional times and places are being added, so if one of those listed isn’t convenient, check back! Click here to register if you are clerk of session: https://forms.gle/8k8K8jZrkb7oaotZ7
 

Sunday, June 22nd, 2:00 pm, First Tullahoma

Sunday, July 13th, 3:00 pm, First Franklin, 101 Legends Club Ln, Franklin

Sunday, July 27th, 3:00 pm, First Cookeville

Sunday, August 17th, 3:00 pm, Second Presbyterian, Nashville

Sunday, August 24th, 3:00 pm. First, Murfreesboro

Our ministry engagement advisor at the Interim Unified Agency (formerly Presbyterian Mission Agency), Lauren Rogers, has gathered lots of resources for congregations including new gun violence resources, information on Presbyterian Advocacy Hour, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance’s 2024 At a Glance report, and more all in one convenient place!  Click here to access: pcusa.org/qrp.

Kennan Rodgers, Church Consultant with the Board of Pensions, shared excited resources at the Stated Meeting.  These include the Shared Ministry program, which provides monetary support to two congregations who are sharing an installed Teaching Elder (not a yoked call) and ten grant programs which awarded $9.5 million to 2700 hundred applicants last year.  Click here to learn if some of these programs might work for you and your congregation! https://www.pensions.org/your-path-to-wholeness/assistance-program/receiving-assistance

The Foundation is offering its Day of Learning focused on stewardship on Thursday, June 26th.  This Zoom event will be from 10:30 am – 2:30 pm.  You can find out more here: https://www.presbyterianfoundation.org/day-of-learning-storytelling-stewardship-and-generosity/#:~:text=Join%20the%20Presbyterian%20Foundation%20on%20Thursday%2C%20June%2026,storytelling%20to%20increase%20stewardship%2C%20planned%20giving%2C%20and%20generosity.

While you are welcome to register and participate in your home or office, watch for exciting details on an opportunity to come together with others to watch the event and share best practices and challenges with others across the Presbytery!  (Bonus: it could include free lunch!)

Please help your Presbytery staff update our records!  Are you any of the following:

 A CRE not currently commissioned?

Mediation trained? 

Trained as an interim? 

Don’t hide those lights under bushels!  Let us know at either Gregory.midtennpres@gmail.com or sc.midtennpres@gmail.com

We forgot to send you the Property Health Assessment we mentioned in the last edition of the eNews.  It is available on our website in the filing cabinet and in a banner on a homepage.

To date all proposed amendments have been approved by the required majority except 24-C, which proposes to amend G-2.0104b.  To date, 79 presbyteries have voted in the affirmative and 44 have voted against the proposal.  123 presbyteries have voted, and 43 have not yet voted.  The amendment needs five more affirmative votes to be approved.