In This Issue...

THIS SUNDAY March 6

11:15 am - Henslee Hall

We are excited that Peter Green, Volunteer and Co-Sponsorship Manager for Bridge Refugee Services, will join us again on THIS SUNDAY, MARCH 6 at 11:15 am as we continue to build our Good Sam Team to welcome and support a refugee family arriving in Knoxville.

This will be an opportunity for Peter to share with us in-person and to ask further questions. If you have already expressed interest to Malinda Lewis and/or Ed Hochnedel about being a part of the Good Sam Team working with Bridge, please plan to attend. And if you haven't yet expressed interest but are still discerning how you might get involved (or are hearing about this opportunity for the first time), please also plan to attend! CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT JOINING THE GOOD NEIGHBOR TEAM.

Good Samaritan is honored to host this year’s Absalom Jones service, presented by The Diocese of East Tennessee.

Join us Good Sam at 5:00 pm on THIS Sunday, March 6, to hear The Rev. Chris Battle, pastor of the Underground Collective, Knoxville.

Offering donations for this event will go to the East Tennessee Chapter of the Union of Black Episcopalians and the East Tennessee Freedom School.

A reception will follow the service.

Adult Formation in Lent: JOY

Beginning Sunday, March 13

At first glance, "Joy" may seem an out-of-place focus for Lent. This is the season where we put our "Alleluias" away and remember that we will one day return to the dust. What place does "Joy" have in the midst of the ashes?

His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu would say that "Joy's" place is in the center of the ashes - right in the mix - play and laughter right alongside struggle, loss, and grief. These holy and spiritual leaders invite us to practice joy, and after a pandemic season which has felt like an extended Lent - perhaps now more than ever, we need to practice joy. Only then will we arrive at Easter Day with the fullest "Alleluia!" we can proclaim.

Please join us beginning Sunday, March 13, in Henslee Hall or on Zoom as we prepare for Easter by practicing joy. Be watching for a reading schedule and further details.

The Book of Joy may be purchased at any of your favorite book sellers.

March 10 @ 6 pm

AT GOOD SAM!

For the March Book Club meeting, we have a change of venue (final, we hope!). We will begin meeting in Henslee Hall starting with the meeting on March 10 at 6:00 PM. Please bring whatever you wish to eat and drink with you. Hopefully, this will improve our ability to have better conversations with less shouting to make ourselves heard!

The book we are reading for March is The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin. Forty-four-year-old Alice Holtzman is stuck in a dead-end job, bereft of family, and now reeling from the unexpected death of her husband. Alice has begun having panic attacks whenever she thinks about how her life hasn't turned out the way she dreamed. Even the beloved honeybees she raises in her spare time aren't helping her feel better these days.

If you have any questions, please contact our Fearless Leader, Kathy Gray, at [email protected] or 423-379-0091. 

Please join us on March 27 at 5:30 pm in Henslee Hall to hear updates on all of the Justice Knox campaigns (Affordable Housing, Education, Gun Violence, Mental Health, and Transportation) and to get ready for the Nehemiah Action. This meeting is for all Justice Knox Network Members and for anyone interested or curious about getting involved. Join us!

*There will also be the option to join this meeting via Zoom.

As Tyson House looks ahead to next fall, they are opening up applications for their residency program.

Residents do not need to be UT students; they only need to be young adults who are interested in ministry and able to give some time to our programming and services.

Interested? Check out the information in the accompanying graphic.

We have been invited - you have been invited - to join in partnership with St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church to become part of this new ministry that benefits Children’s Hospital here in Knoxville.

This new ministry involves sewing very simple pillowcases for the young patients at Children’s Hospital. The pillowcases are easy to make and most importantly help Children’s Hospital provide their young patients with the added level of comfort, love, and care they so need at a difficult time in their lives. Whether you are a seasoned sewer, an occasional sewer or have wished to sew but never have, join us in our partnership project with Children’s Hospital!

Don't Miss Out On The Fun!

Mission Trip to Nashville, TN! (see the article below for more information)

Youth MUST be over 12 to attend. Youth under 12 can attend with a parent, but many places we volunteer on these trips require 12+, so we cannot guarantee that those youth could participate fully in the trip.

Grace Point Camps!! VBS!! Local service project opportunities!!

Please stay tuned for more details and information. I hope to see you Sunday! Contact Sinead at [email protected] with questions.

To register, contact Sinead Doherty [email protected]

Mark Your Calendars Now for Vacation Bible School! The theme this year is "KIDS LIKE ME" - Bible stories of amazing kids doing amazing things!"

Vacation Bible School will be held this summer, July 11-15, from 9:00-12:00 every day except Friday when it will end at 11:00. Put this on your calendar now so you do not sign up for any other camps and your children can attend this fun week of fellowship and learning.

The Cash in the Plate for Sunday, March 6 will go to BattleField Farm and Gardens.

Seeing the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables in East Knoxville, Pastor Chris Battle traded in his clergy robes for a pair of overalls and started an urban farm and community garden to fight the food disparities in his neighborhood. Relying solely on volunteers from all walks of life, BattleField Farm grows healthy, tasty produce as well as teaches gardening to groups, particularly to children. It’s motto is “fighting food insecurity and creating community”.Pastor Chris Battle is our guest preacher at the Absalom Jones service Sunday at 5.00.

Thank you for your generous gifts feeding the bodies and souls of our neighbors.

You can make an online cash plate gift to the cash in the plate on the Good Sam online giving page. There is an option on the giving page to give to the "Cash in Plate". As always, you may also send a check to Good Samaritan. (Please designate that it is for "Battlefield Farm" in the memo line).