Holiday outreach opportunities |
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Heart for Africa ornaments on sale now
Help us support the care of 270+ orphans in Eswatini, Africa by shopping at Khutsala Artisans! These artisans create beautiful, handcrafted jewelry and home décor items whose profits support the care of orphans. It’s definitely a purchase that you can feel good about! Shop our special Heart for Africa link to let Heart for Africa know this is our precious church supporting them and get your holiday shopping done EARLY!
If you have any questions or would like to shop in person please contact Mary Welsh Owen, mwowen1123@gmail.com. Please share this link with anyone who enjoys shopping with a purpose!
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Last week to buy wreaths from Boy Scout Troop 92
Boy Scout Troop 92 is distributing wreaths a week earlier than usual this year! Pick up is this Sunday, so please get your order in by Friday, Nov. 20.
Wreaths will be available for pick up on Sunday morning, November 22, at the back near the Bay from 10 am to noon or starting November 23 in the church office.
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Our 2020 Angel Tree
This year’s Fannie Battle Angel Tree is online! To participate, go to:
In 1891, while walking through Nashville, a woman named Fannie Battle came across a young boy, who had been injured by a wagon. She took the boy to the hospital and went in search of the boy’s family. She learned that the boy had six siblings. Their father was no longer with them. Their mother worked long days in a cotton mill, leaving the children unattended. Though Ms. Battle had limited means, she rented a room in a house near that cotton mill and began caring for those children. So began the very first childcare center in our city.
Today, Fannie Battle Day Home serves over a hundred children ranging in age from six months to twelve years old. As these children receive the highest-quality care and education, their parents work or attend school, thereby giving that family greater chance of escaping the cycle of poverty. The tiny seed that Ms. Battle planted way back in 1891 has grown into a towering evergreen!
Speaking of evergreens, for many years, Woodmont Christian Church has sponsored an Angel Tree. It’s very simple. Church members go to an evergreen tree in our Gathering Hall. From off the tree, they take information about someone in need: that person’s age, gender, needs, and requests. Next, they shop for that person. Finally, they bring all gifts back to the church by the end of November.
Of course, like everything else this year, our Angel Tree is a bit different. This year, we invite you to go to woodmontchristian.org/angeltree. Many of the angels have already been claimed, which is wonderful. However, some remain, so it’s not too late for you to get involved. There is still time for you to bless a family and make a difference in the life of a child.
Special thanks goes to Tracy Crawford, Ann Wiles, and Steve LaForge, who lead this charge every year. And, of course, thank you, the church, the people of God, the body of Christ, for your continued generosity!
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Coat and mask drive for Fall-Hamilton collection times extended
Our partnership with Fall Hamilton Elementary School through United For Hope continues even during this pandemic! Students have been coming back to school in a staggered process and teachers and staff are navigating new challenges inherent in educating during a pandemic. While in-person tutoring is not possible at this time, Woodmont Christian Church continues to support the teachers, staff and students with various needs ranging from encouragement to supplies.
Many of the students come from families with low incomes or who've been financially affected by the pandemic. The school has requested donations of winter coats -especially boys' coats-- as well as masks in children's sizes. Masks can be homemade and coats/jackets can be gently used in sizes for 5 to 11 year olds. Coats and masks may be dropped off at our Church Office during normal business hours through Friday, Nov. 20 or on Sunday, Nov. 22 at our 2 afternoon services: The Bridge Vespers at Campbell West (3:30) or The Gathering in the church parking lot (4:30). If you would prefer to purchase masks or other needed school supplies through the school's Amazon wishlist, it is here:
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Hanging of the Greens next Sunday, Nov. 29
Due to the pandemic, our annual Hanging of the Greens will be modified this year to be an outdoor service at 4:00 PM next Sunday, Nov. 29.
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Our Culture's Struggle for Truth
by Clay Stauffer
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The election is over. It appears that Joe Biden has received enough votes to become the 46th President of the United States. Lawsuits are pending in multiple states. Recounts are happening in certain places. We have ongoing accusations of voter fraud, ballot manipulation, and foul play at the polls. The President has not conceded and may never do so.
What has become very clear to me in the aftermath of this election is not just that we debate winners and losers, that the pollsters were wrong again, or that there was no blue or red wave. What is clear is that we continue to live in a time where intelligent people simply cannot agree on what is the “truth.”
Facts seem to be evasive, debatable, and difficult to find. Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said, “You are entitled to your own opinion, but you are not entitled to your own facts.” It feels like we live in a culture where different groups have their own facts.
When I first entered Princeton Seminary eighteen years ago, we talked about the many challenges of doing ministry in a “postmodern” age. Nobody really knew exactly what that meant but certain definitions were given. Postmodernity is the idea that reality is no longer grounded in rationality but in individual experience. In postmodernity, realities are subject to change and can be viewed as social constructs that limit individuals. It is grounded in skepticism and even a rejection of grand ideologies and narratives that defined the modern era. In other words, you cannot tell others what their lived reality is because, by definition, it is theirs.
So here we are, almost two decades later, and it’s all making sense. If the truth is relative then it’s always up for grabs. The recurring problem with postmodernity is that it leads to constant chaos and uncertainty.
The President is legally entitled to challenge the outcome of the election. The vote count was very close in certain swing states. I’ll let the legal minds tell us how long that might take. What continues to concern me is that we live in an age that so often does not seem tethered by evidence. Or, if evidence exists, it is often ignored or dismissed. If there is clear evidence of widespread, systemic voter fraud, it needs to be brought forward. We have independent courts for that reason.
On a macro level, the postmodern mindset is problematic because we do not have a shared set of facts, and frankly, that is completely exhausting. This leads to an ongoing erosion of trust: trust in institutions, systems, and people. Many no longer know where to find accurate information that is not biased or slanted with an agenda. Echo chambers prevail. Yet, seeking the truth is still worth it. It’s part of living a moral life.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Truth is the property of no individual but is the treasure of all men.” Thoreau said, “Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.” Confucius argued that, “those who seek the truth are not the same as those who love it.” Elvis even said, “Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time but it’s not going away.”
Jesus taught, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Therefore, we must continue to seek the truth because it does matter, and it will set us free.
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This Sunday: "Giving Thanks in Tough Times," Clay Stauffer, Philippians 3:12-14, 4:4-9
YouTube Service 7:00 AM
Drive-in Service 9:00 AM
Sanctuary Service with livestream 10:30 AM
Sunset Vesper Service 3:30 PM
The Gathering 4:30 PM
Beginning in Advent, we will be offering a second sanctuary worship service on Nov. 29 as the drive-in service takes a winter break
Sanctuary services beginning Nov. 29: 9:15 AM & 10:30 AM.
Scaled back Children’s Sunday School through 2nd grade will be available at the 9:15 AM service.
Nursery for children age 4 and under will be available at the 10:30 AM service.
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The Gathering is this Sunday, Nov. 22, at a new time of 4:30 PM
The Gathering is a new worship and fellowship opportunity that you don't want to miss!
This month's theme is gratitude and we are asking all families to bring unwrapped toys to donate as an offering to our community.
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Sunset Vespers with The Bridge concludes this Sunday, Nov. 22, 3:30 PM at Campbell West |
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Do You Know Someone Who Is Hurting?
If you know someone—perhaps a friend, neighbor, coworker, or relative—who is going through a difficult time, there’s a wonderful way you can help them receive the care and support they need. Tell them about Stephen Ministry! Our Stephen Ministers have received 50 hours of training to provide high-quality, confidential, one-to-one, Christian care to hurting people. Stephen Ministers meet weekly with their care receivers to listen, care, encourage, and provide emotional and spiritual support. (Males are matched with males, and females are matched with females.) The caring relationship lasts for as long as the person needs care. It’s free, and it’s a powerful way you can help a hurting friend.
To learn how to connect someone you know with a Stephen Minister, contact Sara Kate Hooper at allsk@aol.com. Our Stephen Ministers are there to care!
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Songwriter & Ted Talk guest speaker Damien Hornet to speak at Dec. 1 YP & Couples meeting
Zoom link:
Passcode: YP&Couples
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You are invited to join the YP & Couples ministry this Christmas season for a night of uplifting stories and song by hit songwriter and Ted Talk guest speaker, Damien Horne on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 PM.
Damien Horne is an international recording artist and Cohost of TV show “The Song“. He is a top 20 hit song writer and has shared the stage with artists like John Legend, Keith Urban, The Commodores, and countless others. This Lewis Hine Award Winner has given two Ted Talks and shared his “Rise and Shine” journey at numerous events. Damien travels the globe encouraging others with his gifts and abilities.
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Order your poinsettias online
The Advent Season is quickly approaching and during this time members may purchase poinsettias in honor of and/or in memory of family and friends. They are 6 1/2" foil wrapped pots and following the 10:30 service on December 13 you may take your poinsettias home to enjoy or give as gifts.
If you have trouble ordering your poinsettias online, you may contact the church office at (615) 297-8563 or info@woodmontcc.org
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Walk Thru Bethlehem update
At this time of the year, we start thinking about Thanksgiving plans, the holidays and our annual “Walk Thru Bethlehem.”
Unfortunately, because of COVID-19, we will NOT be walking through Bethlehem this year.
But mark your calendars for Dec. 12, 2021 as we celebrate the 37th “Walk Thru Bethlehem.”
Also, if you have not returned costumes from last year, please return them to the church office so we can complete our inventory.
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Virtual Thanksgiving service is tomorrow, Wednesday, Nov. 18, 6:30 PM
Link will be sent via email
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DivorceCare "Surviving the Holidays" tomorrow, Nov. 18, 6:30 PM
Zoom link:
Passcode: 388313
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Latest sermon "Wise & Foolish Builder" |
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Watch "COVID Conversation" part 2 with Dr. Dan Rudd |
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Prayers for our church family
NEW CONCERNS:
- Lucy Siegmann, daughter of Lucy and Wilbur Sensing, will have back surgery on November 18.
- Laura Crenshaw - transferred to Stallworth Rm 2020
CONTINUING CONCERNS:
FAMILY/FRIENDS OF MEMBERS - CONCERNS:
- Mary Welsh Owen's mother, Kate Pease - with Hospice
- Martha Elzen's granddaughter, Emerson Elzen - heart ablation now scheduled for November 19 at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital
- Charlie Biter's sister-in-law, Debbie Biter - in Marietta, GA.
- Kimmy Bennett's mother-in-law, Arline Bennett - in the ICU -- Malta, Ohio
- LuAnn Brent's brother-in-law, Earl Milroy in Pine Bluff, AR
- Bill Heyne's mother, Edie Holmstrom (90 yrs) in Ohio
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Our elders invite you to join them in prayer
1. Pray for our college students as they adjust to their altered educational situations and job prospects.
2. Pray for our nation's leaders on the state and national level as we move through this precarious health care crisis.
3. Pray for the people of Honduras who have been so devastated by floods.
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Giving
October 25: $39,211
November 1: $80,330
November 8: $40,970
November 15: $23,161
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Growing disciples of Christ by seeking God, sharing love, and serving others. |
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