March 18, 2022
Join us for our Sunday Worship Service, virtually or in person, at 11:00 a.m. To watch: click the button above or visit our website, www.2ndpres.org, and click the "Sunday Live stream" button on the home page.

We will also email an active link on Sunday morning.

Also - if you click the gray button above you will be able to download the worship order so you can follow along at home!
We are in 
PHASE GREEN!
SUNDAY BRUNCH! March 20th at 9:45 A.M.!

Join us for food and fellowship at the church brunch on Sunday, March 20 at 9:45 am! We ask that those attending bring either their favorite breakfast casserole, fruit, pastries or other breakfast foods (bagels and cream cheese etc.) to share. Coffee and juice will be provided. We’ll start at 9:45 in the fellowship hall. Be there and let’s get reacquainted as a congregation!
The Faith Science and the Future Sunday School Class will resume meeting in the Barbour Room at 9:45 a.m. next Sunday, March 27th!
Welcome to our new Church Administrator

Bonnie Smith comes to us by way of her hometown of Macon, GA, where she and her husband Mark have lived for the past 20 years. They moved to Lenoir City in December, making what Bonnie refers to as their first "semi-retirement" move (Mark being the retiree!)

Bonnie brings a diverse business background to 2nd Presbyterian, including physician practice management, managed healthcare, hospitality/sports management, and church administration. For the past four years, she served as the assistant administrator at Vineville United Methodist Church in Macon.

She and Mark have two adult sons and daughters-in-law in Columbus, GA, and Lynchburg, VA, all of whom are classically trained musicians. She is an enthusiastic pickleball player, and also loves to read and help tend the family’s four rescue cats.  

She is excited to be part of the team, and looks forward to meeting and working with the staff and members of 2nd Pres, and is grateful to Audrey for her willingness to share expertise during this time of transition. Her new email is bsmith@2ndpres.org. However, don't worry: if you accidentally send something to Audrey, it will come to Bonnie as well.
The PCUSA is making an appeal to its members for funds to help support the Church’s humanitarian effort response to the war started last week when Russia attacked Ukraine. According to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees, the situation is on pace to become Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century with more than 660,000 having already fled Ukraine to neighboring countries. All neighboring countries are keeping their borders open to Ukrainian refugees, the UNHCR says.

More information on the PCUSA’s response can be found at the following links:



You can donate through either of the above websites, or you can go directly to the donation page by clicking the button below.
The PCUSA is calling on people to stand in the "GAP" - Give. Act. Pray.

Give.
Gifts can be made online by clicking the button above, by calling 800-872-3282, by texting PDAUKR to 41444 or by check made payable to Presbyterian Church U.S.A. with Ukraine, DR000156 on the memo line.

The mailing address is:

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
PO Box 643700
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700

Please do not send checks directed to this cause to the church.

Act.
Urge the US Government to support generous aid for refugees and civilians suffering in Ukraine, and call for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Pray.
God of mercy, justice and peace
Our spirits are heavy with sorrow, our souls shocked
At the sudden and breathtaking violence,
the invasion of Ukraine by their neighbor, Russia.
We pray for lives caught in the grip of war,
who hear the bombs in the night,
the ominous movement of troops on the road into town
the whistle of incoming shells,
for a cry from a desperate neighbor or a shout of warning.
For those who huddle in subways and basements
or flee for the borders, clutching their children’s hands
We pray for families separated from fathers, brothers and sons
who must remain to fight and protect their homeland.
We pray for neighbors in Eastern and Central Europe
As their hearts and doors open to these refugees
That strained resources will become an abundance of hope
That fears and struggles with racism will yield to a generosity of profound welcome
That communities of faith within Ukraine will be protected from harm
and sustained in their efforts to feed and shelter their neighbors.
That peacemakers and protesters in Russia will be heard and their lives preserved.
May we undergird our prayers with tangible resources to help.
May we reach deeply, give generously, and welcome extravagantly.
May we lift our voices in a strong and unified advocacy.
May we all, even as we breathe in lament, breathe out mercy, hope and peace.
And in this Lenten season, when we walk the way toward death and resurrection, repent our complicity in cultures of violence and renew our efforts toward justice and peace. 
Policy and Procedure Manual

At its March meeting the Session adopted a new Policies and Procedures Manual for the congregation. It is posted on the website under the “Members” tab.
Save the Date!

West View Community Day is Saturday, April 9th, from
10 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Second has signed up to host a table (details to come) and help grill hot dogs, so we'll need plenty of volunteers. Stay tuned for more details, but in the meantime, make sure it's on your calendar! 
We are holding two more information sessions regarding the new organizational structure presented at the Annual Congregational Meeting. These information sessions will give us a chance to have some dialogue around the changes, answer questions, and determine how we can best serve Christ through the ministry and mission of this church.

A link to sign up for one of the meetings is below. Sandwiches and drinks will be provided at the first two meetings for those who sign up in advance. A food truck will be present an hour before the third meeting so we can have a time of fellowship together.

We hope you are able to attend on of the two remaining sessions!
The April Second Edition Deadline is THIS Sunday,
March 20th!

Contact Bonnie Smith at bsmith@2ndpres.org in the church office with your submissions!
WEDNESDAY NIGHT LENTEN STUDY

Please join in "Learning Forgiveness: A Lenten Study" for the 6 weeks of Lent on Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m. both in-person as we are able and on Zoom. 
 
We will explore the often difficult task of Forgiveness. The study is authored by Marjorie Thompson.

Click the link below to download a copy of the study. If you prefer a printed copy, please contact the church office to have one printed for you.  
Wednesday Night Dinner!

We hope you'll join us for supper this Wednesday evening at 5:30 pm before the Lenten study.

This week's menu will be spaghetti! Come prepared to eat, relax, and socialize with church friends prior to the program. If possible, let Kathy know you’ll attend, but reservations are not required. We’ll always have plenty of food!

If you’re interested in helping Kathy by preparing or purchasing food, you may contact her at kduggan55@gmail.com or 865-441-8683 (text).
Caroline Buckner has been Second’s reception coordinator for many years. Understandably, Caroline is ready to “hand off the baton.”

We are looking for two or three people to share this responsibility going forward.

If this is an area of service you would be interested in, or if you’d like more information, please contact either Marty McLean at mclean1605@gmail.com or (423) 677-7414 or Joe Clarke at jclarke859@gmail.com or (865) 335-0421.
If you like to shop, the Fish Pantry mission is in need of the following household and personal items:

-Dish Soap
-Bath Soap
-Shampoo
-Toothpaste
-Deodorant
-Pet Food Only
(small canned or bagged quantities, wet or dry for dogs or cats)

Our once-a-month Fish team receives phone call requests for food and these additional items; then they are sorted, packed, and delivered to each client's household.

All donations should be newly purchased, and any quantities would be greatly appreciated.

Please contact the church office (865.523.2189 or ajohnson@2ndpres.org)
if you have items you would like to drop off at the church.

PLEASE DO NOT DONATE FOOD (other than for pets). Thank you!
Compassionate Cuisine is a program from the Care and Compassion committee and our Cooking Teams. This group is collaborating to create a homecooked meal, and will gather safely at the church to package them into individual portions, that they will then distribute to some of our members who are living in their homes but may not be getting out and about to pick up dinner or groceries to make a home-cooked meal.

The teams would love to have your help in cooking and/or distributing meals in hopes that this ministry might be able to grow in the coming months. If you’re interested in helping by cooking a portion of one of the meals and/or would be willing to deliver some of the meals, please contact Leslie Matthews: flowlilly@gmail.com, (865) 765-0549.
Pick up your
March-April
Upper Room Devotional
in the vestibule
(Monday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) or at the narthex entrance into the sanctuary!
On the Pastoral Care page of our website, we will share more specific updates regarding those on our prayer list. It will be updated frequently by the church staff.

Visit our website: 2ndpres.org. The page is located under the 'Members' tab.

To keep all information private, the page is password protected. Please contact Bonnie at the church office (via email: bsmith@2ndpres.org or phone: 865.523.2189) for the password.
Our Wi-Fi network is for use by anyone who visits the building.

The network is “Second Presbyterian Church” and the password is Psalm100.

Please feel free to save it as a network that connects automatically for your device.
Prayer List:

Please keep Beverly White, Arlys Milligan, Beth & Daniel Robertson, Frances Johnson, and Peter Douglas Hamilton in your prayers. 
 
Please contact the Church Office (865.523.2189 or bsmith@2ndpres.org) with prayer concerns to be listed in the weekly email or bulletin.

Names remain on the prayer list 4 weeks unless requested by the individual or a close family member of the individual to keep them on longer.