The information is out for the Jesus Seminar on the Road in Elizabethton, September 12-13. Go on-line to register. Here is the information: Competing Early Christian Voices The Contest for AuthorityCharles W. Hedrick & Hal Taussig In the beginning, orthodoxy was but one of many diverse movements tracing their origins in some way to Jesus of Nazareth. Initially these groups u
The Emmanuel School of Religion, a seminary right here in Elizabethton, will hold commencement on Sunday. This is a good seminary and we are fortunate to have it. It comes from the Stone-Campbell tradition and while some might consider it "conservative" it most certainly is scholarly. A few of our candidates under care in Holston Presbytery are ESR students.I was a bit disappointed a coupl
I have just confirmed with Westar that we will host a Jesus Seminar on the Road September 12-13. Charles Hedrick and Hal Taussig will present, Competing Early Christian Voices: the Contest for Authority at First Pres., Elizabethton. This is a description of the program they did in Pennsylvania: In the beginning, orthodoxy was but one of many diverse movements tracing their origins in some wa
First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton will hold a screening of the film, IRD: Renewal or Ruin? on Sunday, April 27th at 7 p.m. The producer of the film, Rev. Steven D. Martin, will be at the screening. We are excited to be able to have Rev. Martin with us. He wrote here and here why he produced this film. We will be able to hear from him what the response to this film has been so far. This screening will be open to anyone. It will be of special interest to those in mainline denominations and to those who are interested in the influence and tactics of the religious right in America. You can watch the 25 minute film on-line and read the transcript on Talk2Action.For more resources on the IRD, check the sidebar of this weblog.
Jesus and the defenders of Christmas are searching the advertisements for anti-Christian words like "holiday." Here is a letter in today's Elizabethton Star:Editor: I have looked with much interest at the advertisements for Christmas this year. There are some companies who refuse to list in their ads any reference to Christmas; using Family and Holiday instead. When there is no reference to Christ or Christmas, these companies are telling us they do not believe in honoring Christ's birth. We as consumers should not purchase Christmas gifts in their store. There can be no Holiday without Christ, therefore, no gift purchase. Please personally check each advertisement. That's right, Carter County, merchants. That includes you, Wal-Mart! No Christ, No Sale. You be messin' with this dude.Thanks, Monkey!
Greg Miller of the Elizabethton Star wrote a nice article for our "Blessing of the Animals" service that will take place tomorrow (Saturday) at 1 p.m. We really like animals at First Pres. Here is First Presby, Kathy Woody, with Henrietta. Henrietta was our guest when we were encouraging the congregation to participate in the Heifer Project, International. Here is a portion of the article from the Star about tomorrow's blessing:Shuck encourages people to bring their pets to the Blessing of the Animals service. "As we know, pets are like family to many of us and this is a way to give thanks to God for the love and affection our pets show us," he said. "It is also a way for us to be aware of our connection with all of creation. It is a time to celebrate all living things and to remind ourselves of the need to care for them. Many of us, including me, believe that animals are not outside of the realm of the spiritual. Animals have sacred qualities and our bond to them is sacred." Shu
Saw this in today's Johnson City Press. The Blue Grays was a black semi-pro baseball team that traveled throughout the segregated South during the Great Depression and until the 1950s, playing games and winning against teams from much larger cities. The team’s home field at Douglas Park was named in honor of the team by the Elizabethton City Council earlier this year. (Read More)
We are very excited to have Lama Gursam visit us next Saturday when he tours the Tricities area. Here is his biography and his schedule. DRIKUNG KAGYU ACHARYA LAMA GURSAM At the age of six, Lama Gursam entered Drikung Kagyu Monastery in Tso Pema, India, where he completed his basic education and studied Buddhist philosophy, practice, ritual and conduct. In 1981 he began his college education at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (university) in Sarnath, Varanasi, India. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1988 in the Sanskrit, Hindi, Tibetan and English languages and in Buddhist philosophy. Pursuing graduate study at the university, he was President of the student union, and served two years as a Kagyu committee member. In 1990 he received his Master’s degree in advanced Buddhist philosophy. Upon graduation he also received a special award from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. After graduation, Lama Gursam was requested by His Holiness K
This is from the Elizabethton Star. Hope you can join us Sunday night at 7 at First Presbyterian, ElizabethtonAward-winning film to be shown at First Presbyterian Church Are you concerned about global warming? Want to know what you can do to prevent global warming and save money on your energy bill? The public is invited to a local debut screening of "Kilowatt Ours," an award-winning video by Jeff Barrie, at the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, on Sunday, May 27, at 7 p.m. Produced on a $20,000 budget, this 65-minute documentary reveals the under-reported side effects resulting from America's voracious appetite for coal-generated electricity. "Kilowatt Ours" follows the filmmaker on his 18-month journey across the Southeastern United States, where more than six tons of coal are burned annually to generate electricity for the average home. Barrie takes viewers from our light switches at home to the sources of our energy, examining social and environme
Have you seen the film, Kilowatt Ours? Much of it is filmed in Tennessee and it is filled with creative ways to save energy and help our environment. The Peacemaking Committee of our congregation is hosting a screening and workshop on Sunday, May 27th from 7-9 p.m. Everyone is welcome! Read some success stories!
Dr. Patricia Williams is the editor of the Universalist Friends journal, a publication of the Quaker Universalist Fellowship. Take time to read her spiritual autobiography, Hazardous Engagement: God Makes a Friend. She writes in the introduction:To understand this pamphlet, it is necessary to know how it came to exist. It began with a series of spiritual experiences that occurred over a period of seven years, from early 1993 through 1999. During those years, I wrote a daily spiritual journal and also retained my weekly planners. Thus, when I decided to write a spiritual autobiography of those years, I had the raw materials available. I wrote the autobiography during 2001 and 2002, framing it as a series of monthly letters to the spiritual presence I refer to as Jesus or Christ or God or the Holy Spirit or any of several other metaphors typical of Christian references to the deity: Comforter, Advocate, Light, Savior, Teacher. (Read More)I hope our Friends from Foxfire Friends Meet
Put this one on your calendar. Dr. Patricia A Williams is going to do a workshop, lead the adult forum, and preach the weekend of May 19-20 at First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton. The news is hitting the streets and hollows this week. Here is the flier:The First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, Tennessee is honored to host Dr. Patricia A. Williams on May 19th and 20th. Dr. Williams is a philosopher of science and a philosophical theologian who writes at the interface between science and religion. She is an editor and author. She writes books for general readers and also publishes academic articles. Her articles have appeared in journals, collections, and encyclopedias. She also speaks on science and religion at universities, in churches, and at other venues. She is a Fellow of the Westar Institute (Jesus Seminar) and editor of the Quaker journal “Universalist Friends.”Dr. Williams has taught at universities in Australia, Canada, and the United States. Currently, s
Hi Folks! We are jazzin' tonight with Rick Simerly and the band at 7:30 at First Pres., Elizabethton. Get there early. It will be a great concert! Sunday morn we jazz again. The band is playing a jazz worship service at 11:00 a.m. The sermon topic is "Letting Go of Staying Still" in my Lenten "Beliefs to Let Go in Order to Grow" series. For a preview of Palm/Passion Sunday, my sermon title is "Letting Go of the 'Good' in 'Good Friday.'" This will be about, among other things, moving beyond the need for doctrines such as substitutionary atonement. For Easter, the sermon is entitled, "What if We Found the Body of Jesus?" We will explore the power of the symbol of Resurrection without resorting to literalism.
The First Presbyterian Church of Elizabethton, Tennessee is honored to host John and Carolyn Martin as they present a seminar entitled: The Language of the Soul: The Psychology of Carl Jung. Friday and Saturday, January 19th and 20th This seminar is designed for those new to the psychology of Carl Jung; or desiring a refresher course. John and Carolyn comment: The purpose of this seminar is to familiarize participants with the basic concepts of Jungian Psychology. We have discovered that the best way to do this is in terms of a living model of the psyche as it was understood by Jung. The structure of the seminar allows us to do just this. The Life of Jung and The Nature of Symbols We begin by introducing the man himself. We do this with film and personal comments. What we discover in this segment is that for Jung the basic problem for modern men and women is the enormous chasm that has opened up between the conscious and the u
Due to popular demand, our Christmas Show, Christmas in Elizabethton, is ready for you to view and hear! It is about 12 mb so it could take a minute or two to download. I use windows media player. Turn up the volume to hear the narration. We presented this powerpoint to the congregation at our Christmas dinner. The laughter is our live studio audience!
If you are roundabout East Tennessee on Christmas Eve, come visit us. We will go to church twice on Sunday. Once at eleven a.m. to celebrate Mary's Song and then at ten p.m. for our Christmas Eve candlelighting service.At last week's Christmas dinner, the youth and children put on a powerpoint show called "Christmas in Elizabethton." We will get it on the web page hopefully before Christmas.Here are a couple of pics to whet your appetite:Mary and Joseph getting married.The shepherds and the innkeeper looking with wonder at Baby J.Herod questioning the Wise Women.Herod sending out his soldiers.Mary and Baby J.The singing angelsWhere is the Messiah to be born? Herod checking out the prophecy.
Our hero, controlled by the BorgHere is a final plug for the book study on Marcus Borg's latest, Jesus: Uncovering the Life, Teachings and Relevance of a Religious Revolutionary.The study will begin this Thursday in Martin Hall from 10:30 until noon. We will meet every Thursday until March 29th, skipping March 1st when I will be in Miami for Westar's Spring Meeting. Come join us. Bring a friend.While Borg's book will be the focus text, I will introduce other material regarding the historical Jesus quest. Any serious quester will at some point need to read Albert Schweitzer's Quest of the Historical Jesus. Schweitzer's book is a century old, yet the church as a whole has not caught up with him.Folks may be surprised to find a breadth of views regarding the historical Jesus. Contrary to popular opinion, it didn't start with the Jesus Seminar casting their red, pink, gray and black beads. Thomas Jefferson when he had time on his hands took scissors to the gospels in se
