A number of the members have responded regarding saving postage and mailing by reading the newsletter online. If you wish to add your name to that list, call (865-376-6340) or e-mail the church office.

We also maintain a master list of e-mail addresses. Please include yours if you wish.

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From the Minister

The first Sunday of Advent (November 30) marked the beginning of the Christian year. For the next 25 days, our time will get marked by family and festival, offerings and obligations, crèches and children, stars and stores. An apparent shortage of time will seem to stretch us to the breaking point, but somehow, mysteriously, the commemoration of birth and the renewed hope of Christ’s coming again will happen with or without us. Ready or not, Christmas comes to the earth once more. It comes, not because we deserve it but because the annual rhythm of God’s stooping to this tiny planet spinning in darkness somehow keeps happening despite ourselves. In the rush, again this season, to “do it all,” may we slow enough to be present, if not in silence at least in partial silence, with the one who brings order out of chaos, light out of darkness, life from the earth’s dust. Here’s a Christmas poem by Oscar Romero:

No one can celebrate
a genuine Christmas
without being truly poor.
The self-sufficient, the proud,
those who, because they have
everything, look down on others,
those who have no need
even of God – for them there
will be no Christmas.
Only the poor, the hungry,
those who need someone
to come on their behalf,
will have that someone.
That someone is God.
Emmanuel. God-with-us.
Without poverty of spirit
there can be no abundance of God.

May the blessings of this Advent season be yours,

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Parish Nurse

Happy holiday greetings to you! In the midst of all the “greening up” of our church and present buying, I am reminded of my duty to educate you about our health concerns. Do you realize that out of our 50 states, Tennessee is rated 46^th ? This eye- opening fact is from The Tennessean, a Nashville newspaper. Well, you may say, at least we are not 50^th ! The truth is, last year, we were 44^th . The healthiest states are Minnesota and New Hampshire (now, you can use that for trivia.)

Overall, Southern states tend to fare worse on various health rankings, but Dr. Georges benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, said that doesn’t have to be the case. “If you look at things like smoking, health disease and cancer,...there are very proven measures that if funded, implemented and followed would dramatically improve the state’s ranking over the next several years.”

Benjamin is the former secretary of the Maryland Department of Health and said that in his term the state implemented aggressive anti-tobacco programs that reduced its use. It stands to reason that if there is less smoking then there will be less secondary effects such as heart disease and cancer. In 2003, 21.8% of people in Maryland smoke, as opposed to 27.6%. Tennessee had 219.1 cancer deaths per 100,000 people this year, up from 200.9 deaths per 100,000 in 1990.

As the chair of the Roane County Health Council, I have been noticing government getting involved in such programs as the “Campaign for tobacco-free kids”. This would include cigarette excise taxes increasing. Some of the benefits would be:

• New state cigarette tax revenues each year: $371.0 million
  
• New sales tax revenues: $14.0 million
  
• Pack sales decline in state: -72.9 million
  
• Percent decrease in youth smoking: 16.1%
  
• Increase in total number of kids alive today who will not become smokers: 62,000
  
• Number of current adult smokers in the state who would quit: 45,000
  
• Number of current adult smokers saved from smoking-caused deaths: 9,900
  

These facts can be found on the Center for Disease Control site at www.cdc.gov/tobacco/StateHighlights.htm Or the USDA Economic Research Service at www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/tobacco or at http://tobaccofreekids.org/research/factsheets/index.php?CategoryID=18.

Danny and I have both lost our fathers to cancer. If you do smoke, consider giving your family a gift of quitting smoking. Imagine your family without you....then quit.....for good.

Peace and holiday health to each of you ..................... Deb

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Just a reminder...

Our Bethel medial equipment closet has some things you might find useful! Hopefully, you won’t have need of any of these items, however, accidents (and surgeries) do happen..... We have wheeled and stationery walkers, a wheelchair, toilet seat riser, bedside commode, a “reacher”, an immobililizer, quad canes and a single cane, as well as adult and child crutches. Just call Debbie Hyder if you need any of these at 376-6340.

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MISSIONARY NEWS

Dear Brother's and Sister's in the Lord.

Greetings from my family, Teachers and Children of Grace School.

Let me first express my gratitude for your continued prayers. I am very happy for all of you who prayed for Samuel varicose veins which were very serious to the extent of immobilizing him. The necessary medical care were taken and he is now feeling better with a very big dose of vitamin E.

We are not doing very well at the School due to lack of funds. We have tried various methods but we are still not able to make it. We tried giving the children food three days a week instead of five, but saw that it had very negative effects on the children. We therefore decided to reduce the ration and give them something little everyday. Our Teachers have also gone for two months without any support. We might close the School after next week if the situation does not change. We are however trusting that the Lord who gave us these children is able to offer a solution.

We are therefore appealing to you that if there is any help you can give, it is very needed.

Thank you for being our partners in this ministry.

Your fellow servant in ministry, Monica Wambugu

Michael Rodgers sends this message regarding his CD: “If the CD which you purchased has ‘skips’ , please return it to me, via Dianne Griffith, and I will replace it with another one.

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CONGRATULATIONS

Advent at Bethel 2003

As we enter the Advent season, we find that Bethel’s calendar is full of activities designed to help us prepare to celebrate the miracle of Christmas.

Here’s a list of what’s happening at Bethel in the coming weeks:

On Nov. 21^st and 23^rd, many of our members will be taking part in the Roane Choral Society’s presentation of Handel’s Messiah.
Nov. 21^{st --} 8:00 p.m. at South Harriman Baptist Church
23^rd -- Farragut Presbyterian, 3:00.

November 30 marks the first Sunday in Advent. We begin our season of anticipation with the lighting of the first candle in the Advent wreath. This year a candle will be lighted each week, culminating in the lighting of the Christ candle on Christmas Eve.
We also begin to focus on the gifts we have to share:

• There will be an Angel Tree in the rear of the sanctuary (beginning Nov. 23) and everyone is encouraged to take a name and provide a gift(s) for someone on our Christmas basket list. All gifts should be at church by Sunday, December 7^th.
  
• In the evening, members of our prison ministry team will carry Christ’s message of hope to the regional prison, where they will worship and celebrate communion with prisoners there.
  
  

December 7 – the 2^nd Sunday of Advent – is time for Bethel’s traditional Hanging of the Greens. This is an all-church activity, with something for everyone to do. The schedule looks like this:
From 3:30-5:00 these activities will be going on:

• Crafts and cookie baking in the kitchen/fellowship area
  
• Assembling the life-sized Nativity scene for the church yard
  
• Senior high youth will erect and decorate the sanctuary Christmas tree.
  
• Middle schoolers will decorate the fellowship hall tree and help with banners and baking.
  
• Adult volunteers will be hanging wreaths, greenery and bows outside the church and education buildings.
  

At 5:00, children and youth will travel to Wellington Place to hand out gift bags of cookies to residents there.
At 6:00, we’ll share a simple meal of soup and sandwiches, followed by a reading of “Whose Birthday is it, Anyway?”, cupcakes for dessert, and singing of Happy Birthday to Jesus.
At 7:00, we will proceed to the sanctuary for worship. In hymn and liturgy, we’ll be reminded of the significance of the decorations we use, and as we worshipfully decorate the sanctuary we will also take the time to meditate and “prepare Him room” in our hearts and lives.

Friday, December 12^th – Mission committee members, friends and youth will meet at 6:00 p.m. to prepare Christmas baskets for those in need in our community. There’s plenty to do: groceries to buy, presents to sort out, cookies to bake – why don’t you plan to join us?
Saturday, December 13^th – Families come from 9-11 a.m. to Bethel to pick up baskets. Youth will help carry baskets to cars, and cookies and hot chocolate will be served.

Sunday, December 14^th – During Sunday School hour, children will work on special handbell music (note to newcomers: these bells are color-coded and anyone can play – come and join us!)

In the afternoon, several members of our youth groups will be performing with the joint Middle/High School band concert at 2:00.

Later on, we’ll have a dress rehearsal for the children and youth in our Christmas play (this is also our only rehearsal – you didn’t miss anything – come and join in!) Schedule follows:

4:00-5:00 meal for Jr. and Sr. Highs, with rehearsals to follow:
5:00-5:45 for Jr. & Sr. Highs
5:45-7:00 for all children and youth (extra adults needed here to assist with costume distribution).

Wednesday, December 17^th – Fellowship Supper and Christmas Play – bring a covered dish and come enjoy one another’s fellowship, and afterward we’ll adjourn to the sanctuary for “The Innkeeper’s Busy Night.”

Sunday, December 21^st:
11:00 a.m. Worship – A Service of Lessons and Carols; a retelling of the Christmas story through scripture and song, with special music provided by Bethel’s youth.

In the evening: Christmas caroling to our home- and nursing-home bound members and friends. After caroling we’ll have hot chocolate and cookies at Vic and Nancy King’s home.

Christmas Eve, December 24^th:
There will be two worship services. The first will begin at 5:00 p.m. The second will begin at 11:00 p.m. enabling us to end the waiting days of Advent with the joy of worship and the sacrament of Communion as we go into Christmas Day.

As you can see, there are many opportunities for worship, service and fellowship at Bethel during this Advent season. We hope you’ll keep this brochure handy, mark your calendars, and make room in your hearts and lives for the coming of Christ this season.

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Session Committee Articles

In this special time of Noel, we celebrate the joy of sharing the Good News with friends, family, coworkers, neighbors, even cashiers at Food City who wish us “Merry Christmas!”

In Presbyterian Evangelism our denomination reminds us that we are called to “do” the Good News by participating in God’s activity in the word, to “be” the Good News by showing love for one another, and to “tell” the Good News by inviting others to Worship and participation in Christian Education.

Our Open Door this month is filled with Advent activities for children and adults, each one a special opportunity to extend an invitation, offer transportation, or bring a stranger into the Christmas warmth of the Bethel faith community. We can use the Bethel website to send a special seasonal e-mail invitation, or include our site address on Christmas cards (http://www.bethelpcusa.org.), deliver one of the Blue Visitor’s Packets to a neighbor along with our Christmas cookies, or just phone and say, “Come with me, and see!”

Traditionally, many inactive Bethel members return at Christmas, and unfamiliar faces pop up in our congregation. Since everyone on our Evangelism Committee will be away this year for Christmas, we are counting on “the priesthood of all believers” to linger after Worship on Sundays and on Christmas Eve to meet and greet guests, especially those sitting nearby, and to follow up with a friendly phone call later in the week; please let us know names of those whom you’re able to contact.

Finally, as Ben Campbell Johnson writes in Rethinking Evangelism: a Theological Approach, “The task of making disciples, both intensively and extensively, never ends. In some form the church is forever inviting its members to claim the full meaning of their baptism.” Let us, each one, invite one another to a new commitment in the coming year to seek a deeper personal understanding of the Good News of God’s love and restoration, and to watch for opportunities to invite others to come and hear that Good News at Bethel.

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Mission Outreach Committee Report

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Prison Ministry:

Bethel's Prison Ministry team has been hard at work this fall, baking goodies for two banquets, taking photos of inmates and their families at holiday time, and leading worship on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Thank-you to all who helped out, both with your presence and in your prayer support. The inmates are always grateful to know that people in the "free world" care for them.

Library News:

The church library has been relocated (on the 2nd floor of the Ed Bldg., 2nd door on the left). It's been unpacked, and is now open for your browsing convenience. At this point we don't have all the books cataloged, so checkout will be on the honor system. If you take a book home to read, please try to return it within 3 weeks so others may have a turn. Many thanks to Nancy King, Chad Gaffin, and Anneke Oonk for their tireless efforts in unpacking and sorting all those books!

Property and Personnel Committee

For those who did not hear this at the Fellow ship Dinner on November 19th.

As chair of Property and Personnel, I was asked by Session to address your overwhelmingly positive response to our initiatives on signage, accessibility and possible physical plant modifications. Every visioning small group have many wonderful suggestions. It is clear that everyone realizes the importance of maintaining the appearance, accessibility and soundness of our buildings and grounds and how important it is that they be adequate to support and enhance Bethel's vision and mission. As a result of this positive input from you, Session has instructed Property and Personnel to form a subcommittee to immediately obtain and install needed signage and to work with a church-experienced professional firm to address our larger issues. Since we are moving forward with this initiative immediately, you did not see this initiative listed on the Vision 2010 literature distributed during November at the Fellowship Supper and during subsequent Worship services. Hopefully, Session's instruction to Property and Personnel to address this initiative will free you to concentrate on the vision. We will keep you informed every step of the way as we move forward.

Thank you all. Nancy King.

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Stewardship & Finance Committee

Christmas Joy Offering

The Christmas Joy Offering will be received on Sunday, December 21. This is one of four special offerings each year that is authorized by our Session, the Presbytery of East Tennessee, and the General Assembly. The offering is divided equally between the Board of Pensions and Presbyterian Racial Ethnic Schools and Colleges.

The Board of Pensions uses their half to help current and retired ministers and other church workers through difficult times. This help in times of special need is one way of recognizing their faithful service to the church.

The portion of the offering going to Presbyterian Racial Ethnic Schools and Colleges is used to help provide basic operating costs and scholarships to deserving students at the seven racial and ethnic schools and colleges supported by the Presbyterian Church (USA). These include Barber-Scotia College in North Carolina, Knoxville College, and Menaul School in New Mexico.

At this busy time of the year, remember these important mission opportunities on December 21.

BETHEL SYMPATHY is extended:

Thank You, Bethel! You are awesome!! We can never thank you enough for your prayers, flowers, cards, visits, food, and support while Donald was hospitalized. This congregation has truly been a blessing to us in all of our trials. May God richly bless each of you as you continue to function as the body of Christ. With deepest gratitude, Clay & Nancy LandersDear Bethel,Thank you so very much for supporting me through prayer, visits, cards, and flowers during my recent hospitalization. I am grateful to all of you; those who knew me as a child, and those of you who are relatively new to Bethel. A special thanks to Marc for his many hospital trips on my behalf. You are truly a caring and generous congregation.

THANK YOU. Sincerely, Donald Cross

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THANK YOU to Ella Winsbro for the last two years as scheduler for Liturgist in Worship. As she requested that a replacement be sought, she commented that it was a very satisfying way of serving in the worship program of Bethel.

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To My Wonderful Bethel Family,

Just a note to let you know that thanks to your prayers, my hip replacement surgery went well. I stayed in the hospital 4 days and now I am recuperating at home. It is a very SLOW process, and if any of you feel bored or lonely or just want to talk, give me a call or come by for a visit – I am here.

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers, for calls and visits, for flowers, get-well cards and food. Bill and I appreciate you very much and we feel very fortunate to belong to such a wonderful church family.

Love you, Marianne Shadden