Highland Happening
July 22, 2021
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Welcome to the new format for our Highland Happening email that goes out every Thursday! Below you will find all the same announcements you would see in our old format, but now organized more distinctly and with pictures. We hope that this will provide an easy way for you to keep up with what is going on in the life of the church.
A few things to know about this new format:
- Wherever you see a button, you should be able to click on that and it will take you to the appropriate link.
- At the bottom on the email will be permanent buttons to take you to our giving page, a monthly calendar and our website. Below those buttons you'll see social media icons that will take you to our Facebook page and YouTube Channel.
- Announcements will attempted to be put in the best chronological order with recurring events at the top and the order of upcoming events following that.
- If you ever want to unsubscribe from our email list, you can click on a link at the very bottom of this email to do so. If you'd rather be on a list of occasional emails, reply to this email and we will get you moved over to a new email list.
We hope that this new format will allow our congregation and friends to keep up with what is happening in the life of our church!
Thanks and blessings,
Rev. Matthew Benz-Whittington
Pastor of Highland Presbyterian Church
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This Sunday, July 25, we will have our 9:00 am pavilion service and 10:30 am sanctuary service.
Session has voted that the 9:00 am outdoor service is now mask optional.
Use the buttons to our Facebook Page and YouTube Channel.
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Join Matthew in the church pavilion on Wednesdays from 10:00-11:00 am for Children’s Story Time. Matthew will bring some of his favorite children’s books to read to children who would like to come out. Story time itself will last about 30 minutes but there will be time to hang out, play on playground or maybe do some artwork together. |
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Carol Blankner's Celebration of Life |
We will gather to celebrate the life of Carol Blankner at Highland Presbyterian Church this Saturday, July 24 at 2:00 pm. This service will be limited to 50 people in the sanctuary and will also be streamed online. More details will follow.
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As we search for our next office administrator, we could use volunteers in our office. If you're willing to come sit in the office with a book, hang out and answer the phone as needed or more importantly, if you're willing to come on Thursdays at 11:00 am to help pack the envelopes for our shut-ins, contact Matthew and let him know.
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Going forward we are going to outsource our bookkeeping. Our new team, Cherie & Rebecca started this past week and below is their bio.
Cherie has been a CPA for a number of years and for the last 15 years has worked exclusively with small organizations & businesses. She founded Larson SMB Consulting, PLLC in 2016 to be able to provide clients with the help and personal touch that she found missing in other larger firms. Rebecca Larson has done bookkeeping work for the last 4 years and has enjoyed working with a number of different clients.
For the past 20 years, they have been members at Central Baptist Bearden.
Their firm works with non-profit organizations and small businesses to provide accounting and bookkeeping. They consider it a privilege to help churches manage and track their funds in a way that maximizes the impact the churches can make in their community and throughout the world.
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Daytime Circle Bible Study |
Highland’s Daytime Circle will begin the new 2021-2022 PW Bible study in September: “What My Grandmothers Taught Me: Learning from the Women in Matthew’s Genealogy of Jesus”. The study is open to ALL circles, and the entire congregation! Our first meeting will be Thursday, September 2 at 1:30 pm in the church parlor. We will meet the first Thursday every month thereafter. For more information, or to sign up, contact Diane Brown (865-323-7701 or dianebrowntn@gmail.com).
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This year’s Progressive Dinner is scheduled for September 19th! As in the past, we are asking for 3 volunteers to offer their homes-actually their yards! -for this favorite tradition at Highland. We will begin at the first home for appetizers, the next for the main dishes, the third for desserts. In case of rain, we can move everything to the church. If you are willing to offer your home for one of the courses or have any questions, please contact a member of the Hospitality Committee.
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If you would like to get a copy of the 2021-2022 PCUSA planning calendar, we are able to get a discounted price by ordering them through the Presbytery of East Tennessee. They are normally $17 plus shipping if you order on your own, but we can get them for $11 through the presbytery. Please let Matthew know if you would like to get a copy. Deadline to submit an order is Monday, August 2. |
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Being a Matthew 25 Congregation means we are constantly working toward creating the beloved community. Each week, in this email, we will share resources or stories of ways of engaging the three challenges of Dismantling Structural Racism, Eradicating Systemic Poverty and Building Congregational Vitality. For more information on the Matthew 25 initiative, visit their website by clicking on the picture to the left..
The Daily Times wrote about our very own Lucille Thares and her trip back to Minnesota for the dedication of a mural. The mural featured her and others who helped guide two young girls who came to the US from Mexico. Lucille, a speech pathologist, created their ASL program, and developed a lifelong friendship. The girls went on to successful careers, and commissioned the mural as a way to say 'Thank You' to the many friends who welcomed them to a strange land with open arms.
Stories like this show how using our God-given gifts and skills, we can create opportunities otherwise out of reach to so many.
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Prayers, Joys and Concerns |
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Please pray for our members, families, and friends.
We lift-up prayers for those among our community who are shut in. Be with them as they are separated in body from their loved ones.
Larry Davis- Church member, Larry Davis, passed away on Monday, July 19 in Wisconsin, where he has recently moved to be closer to family. Please keep his wife, Nancy, and the rest of his family in your prayers. There will be a private service for his family in Wisconsin, but any condolences to the family can be sent to the church for forwarding.
Birth of Andre Finn Durand Brod- Zoe Durand, daughter of Mark Durand and Beverly Green, and her husband Ryan Brod, welcomed to the world baby boy Finn on Wednesday, July 7. Join us in celebrating this wonderful gift of new life!
Carol Blankner- Carol passed away peacefully at home on Monday, June 28 surrounded by family. See details of her service above in our announcements. Please keep Leonard, their three daughters, grandchildren and all their family and loved on in your prayers.
Mike Outler- Stacey Nordquist’s Brother-in-Law will begin cancer treatment at MD Anderson in Houston, TX. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.
We lift-up especially the following prayer concerns:
All in the world who are suffering from Covid-19, especially for patients, the mourning survivors of those who have perished, and the heroic medical professionals who are fighting the battle for us.
At home:
Mildred Engelhardt
Jim Cornett
At Shannondale:
David Campbell
At Asbury Place:
Bruce Watt
Corita Swanson
Nancy Davis
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Click the button above to visit our online giving page. It only take a few minutes to set up an account and you can schedule automatic payments to keep up with your pledge. |
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Download a copy of the church calendar. |
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