GOOD NEWS AND WORSHIP UPDATE
Sunday, June 19, 2022 @ 11 am
7th Sunday in Ordinary Time / Father's Day
Scripture: I Kings 19:1-4 (5-7) 8-15a; Psalm 42 & 43;
Galatians 3:23-29 and Luke 8:26-39
Sermon "Check Under the Bed: A Father's Day sermon"
Gary Helton, CRE, Guest Minister
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Comments: We have set our YouTube channel to accept comments. If you are viewing, we ask that you say hello or to let us know you are there so we can count you as part of our attendance.
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SPECIAL NEWS AND INFORMATION |
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FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON |
Friends,
When my contract as your interim pastor expired recently I asked the Session for a three month extension, instead of a full contract renewal, and they graciously agreed to my request. My final Sunday with you will be on August 7th.
As you know, my brother is facing significant health issues. While I love pastoral ministry and I have loved the 18 months I have been with you, my ‘call’ is now to spend time with my family and be available to them and their increasing needs. It is time to retire.
It is with deep regret that I leave you before your new pastor is chosen and in place; this was not a decision made easily or taken lightly. But please know that your community will continue to be in my prayers as you seek to follow in Christ’s footsteps and listen to the Spirit’s guidance in your life together. Under Stephen’s administrative hand and the leadership of the Session, the church is in good hands while you wait on God’s good timing. Continue to be the hands of Christ and check in on each other, especially folks you haven’t seen in a while.
I am looking forward to our remaining weeks together, and I am hopeful that I will get to experience one of your famous pot luck dinners before I go. You all have a wonderful gift for hospitality and have so much to give to the community of Johnson City. It will be exciting to see where your faith will take you in the coming days.
Blessings and Peace,
Sharon
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The Afghan family that several local churches of Holston Presbytery is sponsoring should be arriving in mid-July. An apartment is currently being secured in Johnson City that will be located on a bus line and convenient to the local Islamic center. The size of the family and the ages of the children is still unknown at this time.
WAPC has volunteered to fulfill the portion of items in the Office, School & Craft supplies section of the master list of items needed by the family to get started. Here is the list of those items: pencils; ballpoint pens; ream of copy paper; flexible (not metal) measuring tape; yardstick; sewing kit with sewing scissors; various colors of sewing thread; everyday scissors; duct tape (wide); duct tape (narrow); packaging tape; notepads; sheet of first-class stamps; sheet of international-rate stamps; box of standard-size envelopes; box of legal-size envelopes.
A complete list of those items and needs of the family has been compiled and has been posted on our bulletin board in the side entry. To keep things orderly, we request that individuals sign up for the items they would like to donate to the cause. So please check the list and sign up for the items you wish to give. Also note that monetary donations for clothing are most welcome. Thanks for your generosity.
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A STROLL AT SYCAMORE SHOALS |
Everyone is invited for a stroll along the Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals State Park on Tuesday June 28th. The trail is about a mile in length, level, stroller and walker friendly and there are benches along the way.
To get to the trail, take highway 321 toward Elizabethton. The park is about 8 miles from the church. Turn left into the park from the highway and follow the road past the fort, on your left, to parking along the trail, on the right. The entrance to the park is just before you get to Sycamore Shoals Hospital.
We plan to meet for the walk at 9:30. If anyone wants to carpool or needs a ride, contact John Hancock or Sue Shanks or the church office.
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We have re-started the Lunch Bunch. We will be going to Aubrey's this week (June 19) and have selected El Charolais for the following week (June 26). If you want to join us and have a favorite restaurant that includes outdoor seating, just give the office a call so we can put it on the list. See you Sunday!! |
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The Worship Team's goal is to have chancel flowers in the Sanctuary each week or as often as possible. To do that we need your assistance. We have outlined various ways you can contribute to the beauty of our Sanctuary on a regular basis. The most economical way is to partner with someone else to share the cost of the arrangement at $37.50 each. This way flowers can be ordered and delivered conveniently. However, we also know that many of you are keen gardeners and could easily grace our Sanctuary with gorgeous bouquets. To do this you would need to commit to a date in advance on the calendar to ensure that someone hasn't already reserved that week.
PLEASE NOTE: A form has been drafted outlining these options with a section for you to fill out and turn into the office when supplying chancel flowers. There are copies of the forms in the Narthex. Everyone should have received a copy of the form via email last week.
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We are still requesting members and other friends of the congregation to please inform the church office of any changes in your address, email, or preferred phone number. We need to have the most current ones on file so we can contact you, as needed. We have noticed that several phone numbers seem to be incorrect in our files which may have resulted when you dropped your land line. Drop us an email or give up a call at your earliest convenience if you have changes. Thanks to everyone who has contacted the office with changes thus far. |
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We are still looking for a few more volunteers to assist with the Live Streaming of our Morning Worship on Sunday mornings. There are a few of us trained, but we would like to have several more individuals trained as backup. With people in and out of town over the summer, we need to be sure that we have someone running the system each week. We will be drafting a schedule that we can post to show who will be the operator on a given Sunday. Thanks for your assistance. |
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HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE COMING WEEK |
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Sunday, June 19 - 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time / Father's Day
11 am Morning Worship, guest minister, CRE Gary Helton (in-person/ YouTube / Facebook)
12:30 pm Lunch Bunch @ Aubrey's (3029 Hamilton Place)
Wednesday, June 22
4 pm Meditation Circle (via Zoom)
NO Chancel Choir rehearsal
Sunday, June 26 - 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time
11 am Morning Worship, Interim Pastor, Rev. Sharon Amstutz (in-person/ YouTube / Facebook)
12:30 pm Lunch Bunch @ El Charolais
Tuesday, June 28
9:30 am Stroll along the Watauga River at Sycamore Shoals State Park (everyone invited)
Wednesday, June 29
4 pm Meditation Circle (via Zoom)
6 pm Chancel Choir rehearsal
Sunday, July 3- 9th Sunday in Ordinary Time
11 am Morning Worship, Interim Pastor, Rev. Sharon Amstutz (in-person/ YouTube / Facebook)
12:30 pm Lunch Bunch - TBD
Monday, July 4 - Independence Day
Church office - Closed
Wednesday, July 6
4 pm Meditation Circle (via Zoom)
6 pm Chancel Choir rehearsal
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GENERAL FUND: YEAR TO DATE:
2022 Annual Budget - $ 135,000
Budget through June 14th, 2022, Week #24 ($ 62,308)
Receipts $ 67,569.50
Disbursements - $ 58,517.11
Balance $ 9,052.39
Thanks to everyone for your continued support the church with your tithes and offerings during this extraordinary time. You are encouraged to mail your pledge to us or to drop it by the church office during regular business hours. Thanks.
We are still receiving the 5 Cents per Meal offering that is usually taken on Communion Sundays. If you would like to make a contribution to this offering please do so and designate it on your checks.
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JUNE BIRTHDAYS
June 20 - Brian Bonfardin
June 21 - Ed Snodderly
June 26 - Jack Hansel & Ruth Crawford
JUNE / JULY ANNIVERSARIES
June 16 - Mike & Janis Miyamoto
June 24 - Paul & Wilsie Bishop
June 27 - Wayne & Sherry Bailey
July 3 - George & Jo Rolling
July 11 - Fred & Alice Burrell
PLEASE NOTE: THE NEW 2022 FLOWER LIST IS AVAILABLE ON THE BULLETIN BOARD IN THE SIDE ENTRY
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For Members / Regular Attendees
Karen Martin; Phly Summers and the Turners in Maine; Wilsie Bishop; Don Loughry; Camilla & Hunter Lyle; Jack Hansel.
For Friends
Eddie & Pauline Everhart, neighbors of the Danks; Nathan Songer; Rev. Maggie Lauterer; Karen Frederick; the family of Olga Pastushenko from Odessa, Ukraine refugees in Romania; Joel Carillet, local photojournalist; Linda Solly; Sue Sheffield's nephews, Jeremiah Collins and Tanner Frye; Sue Shank's friend, Judy Klein; Sharon Amstutz's brother, Paul Hagood; Theresa Lura's cousin, Randy Carter; Sarah Suptin; church neighbor, Dorothy Harvey.
Special Prayers for Clinical and Medical Health Care Workers
The continued COVID pandemic concerns with cases still on the rise with the delta, lambda and mu variant strains, along with the new omicron virus with the highest number of overall cases in the United States, India and Brazil; a new strain BA2.12.1 subtype COVID cases are now on the rise in numerous European countries. And persons now affected by the rise in new active cases of the infectious disease, monkeypox.
Prayers for Others
Special prayers for the people of the Ukraine in light of the military invasion by Russia and the ongoing humanitarian crisis there; for our military members who serve our country here and abroad, as well continued prayers for our fragile planet during this time of extreme weather conditions, and for those who have suffered loss from recent ongoing disasters including flooding in Cuba from Tropical Storm Alex, and massive rainfall in the states of Pernambuco; Alagoas and Paraiba of Northeast Brazil; and fires in California Canyon and Hermits Peak in New Mexico; among numerous other ongoing crises and disasters. And especially prayers for our nation and for strength, endurance, faith and courage for all.
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When aSee anyone you recognize from this special event? |
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In a study of 157 sites in major metropolitan areas across the country, a team of scientists from several United States institutions investigated the value of residential yards as habitat for native wildlife. As one part of the study, the scientists tallied bird diversity in both parks and private yards in six cities with different climates. The researchers found that properties certified by the National Wildlife Federation's Garden for wildlife program support a wider variety of bird species than those dominated by lawns and other nonnative landscaping.
The scientists say their results suggest that gardening decisions made by property owners have the potential to significantly increase wild bird habitat and bird diversity—not only around their homes but also in their neighborhoods and surrounding areas. "Our study shows that when people landscape with wildlife in mind, they can contribute to conservation right in their backyards," says
U. S. Forest Service ecologist Susanna Lerman. (GSN #103)
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VIRTUAL CREATION ACTIVITY OF THE WEEK |
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Our Endless World
(June 2021 | 8:17 min.)
Parque Nacional Peneda Gerês is located in the northern region of Portugal.
It is the oldest protected area and the only national park in Portugal due to its national and international scientific interest.
The park covers an area of 695.93 km2, occupying the Districts of Viana do Castelo, Braga, and Vila Real and bordering the Spanish Baixa Limia – Serra do Xurés natural park to the north, with which forms the UNESCO biosphere reserve of Gerês-Xurés.
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IN THE POTEAT LIBRARY
NOTE: The library is open by appointment. Please remember that you are welcome to drop by the church library if you are looking for something new to read. We ask that you to sign out any books on the register sheet found on the file cabinet in the corner with the call #, book title, your name and date checked out.
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The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
By Dalai Lama & Desmond Tutu with Doug Abrams
(294.3/DAL)
Nobel Peace Prize Laureates His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu have survived more than fifty years of exile and the soul-crushing violence of oppression. Despite their hardships—or, as they would say, because of them—they are two of the most joyful people on the planet.
In April 2015, Archbishop Tutu traveled to the Dalai Lama's home in Dharamsala, India, to celebrate His Holiness's eightieth birthday and to create what they hoped would be a gift for others. They looked back on their long lives to answer a single burning question: How do we find joy in the face of life's inevitable suffering?
They traded intimate stories, teased each other continually, and shared their spiritual practices. By the end of a week filled with laughter and punctuated with tears, these two global heroes had stared into the abyss and despair of our time and revealed how to live a life brimming with joy.
This book offers us a rare opportunity to experience their astonishing and unprecendented week together, from the first embrace to the final good-bye.
We get to listen as they explore the Nature of True Joy and confront each of the Obstacles of Joy—from fear, stress, and anger to grief, illness, and death. They then offer us the Eight Pillars of Joy, which provide the foundation for lasting happiness. Throughout, they include stories, wisdom, and science. Finally, they share their daily Joy Practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives.
The Archbishop has never claimed sainthood, and the Dalai Lama considers himself a simple monk. In this unique collaboration, they offer us the reflection of real lives filled with pain and turmoil in the midst of which they have been able to discover a level of peace, of courage, and of joy to which we can all aspire in our own lives.
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Congregational Concerns / Prayer Requests - Please contact the church office or Sherry Bailey with information.
Flower List - The 2022 Flower List has been posted on the bulletin board in the side entry. Please sign up to sponsor flowers for our weekly worship services in honor or in memory of loved ones.
Arrangements are $65 each.
Liturgists - We are always looking for new people to be liturgists. Please contact the church office, if you would like to volunteer.
e-Avenue deadline - Please submit information to church office (office@wataugapc.org or 926-7942) at any time and for the July issue of the e-AVENUE, no later than Friday, June 17th. This includes team and committee meetings, news, planned events and other newsworthy items.
Photos needed - We welcome contributions to our Facebook page via your comments and photos of church events and activities. Please also submit your photos to the church office for archiving. It will be wonderful to have a visual record of all of the positive things that Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church does for our community.
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Established 27 September 1892, Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ. Reformed in theology and Presbyterian by way of organization, it is related to Holston Presbytery, the Synod of Living Waters, and to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) |
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