Putting Feet to Faith, Hands to Hope and Legs to Love
on the Corner of Fifth and Main
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HFPC SEPTEMBER 2021 NEWSLETTER |
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From Pastor Toby...
1 Corinthians 12:4-12 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
I love the body of Christ. And I love our presbyterian understanding of Christ’s body – that every person has been given gifts to share with the body. No one person has it all. No one person can do it all. Each of us bring different things to the table, which not only diversifies what we’re able to do, but also encourages us to lean upon one another.
I’m reminded of this when a death occurs, and I visit remaining family members. Because at that very hard moment, those who are grieving may not be able to do everything, attend to every detail, that they want to. There simply is not enough bandwidth when we are grieving. So, part of what I say to folks is, ‘Let someone else do this. You have done this for others in this same situation. Now it’s your turn to let someone else do it.’
But this is so hard. Many of us are hardwired to be Martha, when what we need to be is Mary. And if we insist on being Martha (i.e. doing everything ourselves,) then it eliminates the possibility of someone else using their gifts for us.
This is true for ministries in the congregation, as well. If I, as your pastor, insisted on teaching every adult class, or cooking for every congregational meal, or accompanying every hymn, or fixing every toilet, well, I wouldn’t have enough hours in the day to do everything. AND, I know I don’t do lots of things well (please don’t ask me to cook for large quantities of people… it’s not pretty!)
This is why we have committees. People who have a passion for one thing or another, and then they use their gifts to carry out these ministries. Every person has gifts. It’s important to help people recognize those gifts, and find a way to use them.
What do YOU have a passion for? What do you LOVE to do? How can YOU use that passion/skill/talent for God’s kingdom, for God’s people? We want to hear from you, and we want to hear your ideas! The Body of Christ works only when the Body’s individual members each do their thing. As we move into the season of Fall, it means we think about what we have to offer God. I pray you lift this up in prayer, and that you find a way to help the Body of Christ “Put Feet to Faith, Hands to Hope, and Legs to Love on the corner of Fifth and Main,” as it says at the bottom of my emails.
I continue to serve,
Pastor Toby
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Notes from Mark....
Fall is upon us (even though it’s 103 outside as I write this.) The freshness of a new program year begins, giving us all the opportunity to start anew. We are a singing congregation – just listen to those hymns every Sunday!
I invite you to seriously consider sharing your voice in helping us lead worship in the Choir. We meet Wednesday evenings at 7:15-8:00 and sing most Sunday mornings. These are wonderful folks who are dedicated to their church, to leading in worship, and to each other. Please speak to me, any of the choir members, or just come and join us Wednesday evening. I hope to see you with us soon!
Peace,
Mark Ring
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Sept. 5, 12, 19, 2 9:00 AM Learning for All Ages
10:15 AM Worship Services (In-house and Live Stream)
Sept. 7,14, 21, 28 2:00 PM “Tuesdays @ Two“ Zoom call
Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29 10:00 AM Bible Study
6:00 PM Bell Choir
7:00 PM Choir Practice
Sept. 1 11:30 AM Personnel Committee Mtg.
Sept. 3 6:00 PM Franklin Art Scene/Crawl
Sept 7 7:00 PM Communications Committee Mtg.
Sept. 11 10:30 AM Labyrinth Walk
Sept. 12 11:30 AM Stated Session
4:00 PM Christian Education Committee Mtg.
Sept. 13 6:30 PM Mission Committee Mtg.
6:30 PM Congregational Life Mtg.
Sept. 17 5:00 PM Friday Night Live! - the Johnson’s home.
Sept. 18 9:00 AM Member Care Committee Mtg
8:00 AM Church Work Day
Sept. 19 11:30 AM Homecoming Potluck
Sept. 20 6:00 PM Worship Committee Mtg.
Sept. 26 11:30 AM Building & Grounds Committee Mtg.
2:00 PM Elder Training (2- 4 PM)
Sept. 28 10:00 AM Presbyterian Book Club
6:30 PM Finance Committee Mtg.
Sept. 29 6:00 PM Last Wednesday Fellowship
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Columbarium Update
After an 11-year wait, funds have finally been gathered to order the Columbarium for the church. It has been officially requested and we anticipate a wait of approximately three months before it arrives. The installation has been entrusted to John Lee's company, overseen by Ed Triggs. If providence smiles on us, it should be finished by the end of November. Thank you to the 18 families who have donated to make this a reality. Please be aware that the price going forward for a niche will be an all-inclusive price of $1800. That does NOT include the cost of cremation.
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Please join us for a Labyrinth walk at the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin on Saturday, September 11 at 10:30 a.m. (101 Legends Club Lane Franklin, TN). Walking a labyrinth is an ancient meditative practice to clear the mind and feel closer to God. If you are not familiar with labyrinths, here is a link to a TED talk that is wonderfully informative: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNN8ZMHC9r0 .
Please bring a picnic lunch, so we can picnic together after the walk. There are many labyrinths in Middle Tennessee, and we would love to continue a monthly practice of discovering new labyrinths to walk followed by a picnic. Stay tuned for the next labyrinth walk in October. If you are interested in carpooling, please contact Andrea Paine at andrea.stover@belmont.edu or via text at 615-957-2404. This will be a lovely worship practice that we can partake of together. Looking forward to it!
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- The Bell Raisers are already back in the Wednesday practice routine.
- We’ve seen some new ringers join, and had to say goodbye to our high school senior.
- We played for the first time in church since January of 2020 in August!
- The choir would especially like to thank Samantha Dreussi for joining us on violin.
- More music and collaborations to come!
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Another Good reason to join the Bell Choir.... |
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The Library class is starting a new series of studies beginning August 1st. Debra Vanderveer is responsible for the months of August, September, and October exploring the following topics:
- Hosea, Amos, and Micah: The Minor Prophets
- The Importance of Context in Scripture
- Understanding God's Grace through Parables
It is generally expected each topic will be studied for a period of one month, This
may vary. Others will serve as teachers after January. Please watch for more
information as it develops. Please feel free to join us.
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Weekly Bible Study
Wednesdays, 10am in the Fellowship Hall, we are gathering to study and discuss. All are welcome including drop-ins!! I’ll have the coffee on, you bring your Bible, and get ready for some good conversation! If you would like to join us by Zoom, email for a link to join in! – pastor@hfpc.org
– 9/8: read Acts 25-26
– 9/15: read Acts 27-28
– 9/22: read Romans 1:1-17**
– 9/29 read Romans 1;18-2:16 **
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MISSION COMMITTEE NEWS
“…Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these
who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
Matthew 25:39
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Sunday, October 3rd
Additional Information Coming Mid-September
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2021 Mercy Clinic’s Franklin Classic –Labor Day Weekend, September 6 ***LIVE***
The Franklin Classic is live this year and we are putting together a team! Join in the fun and help support one of our Mission Partners. Registration Link: https://franklinclassic.org/
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Bridges Domestic Violence Center -
A Mission of the Heart from The Jeweled Magpie
(Caroline Stewart)
At the First Friday Art Scene, Sept 3 there will be an opportunity to support BRIDGES, domestic violence center. Caroline Stewart will have a table in Memorial Hall.
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Waverly Flood Victims - HFPC Collecting Items
Please drop your donations off on the back table in the HFPC Fellowship Hall
by Sunday, September 6.
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CONGREGATIONAL LIFE NEWS
As always, Congregational Life practices in the thinking of "All May, Some Will, None Must".
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Homecoming Pot Luck –September 19th. We are bringing back this historical gathering celebrating the congregational move back to the Main Street location to become what is now Historic Franklin Presbyterian Church. This will be held after church in Fellowship Hall as a potluck to celebrate the HFPC congregation coming back to Fifth & Main from First Presbyterian. Meat will be provided. Bring a side dish or dessert. If you have any questions contact Nora Jewel at noracobbjewell@gmail.com .
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Last Wednesday Fellowship: Wednesday, September 29th in the Fellowship Hall Contact Nora Jewel noracobbjewell@gmail.com if you have ideas for a speaker or presenter.
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Presbyterian Book Club – Our September Book is
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
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When: Tuesday, September 28th
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Where: Fellowship Hall @ 10:00 am
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Ladies Arrington Event
Date is set for Sunday afternoon, October 3, at 2 PM. Please bring a light appetizer. For those interested in carpooling, we will meet in the church parking lot at 1:15 PM to ride over together.
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Address: 435 Main St
Franklin, Tennessee, 37064
Phone: 615-794-9094
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