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The Open DoorPublished monthly by and for the members and friends of VOL. 32 
E-Mail & On-Line Newsletter
February is here and with it, hearts and flowers. This is the month we chocoholics wait for. I am beginning to understand more about putting our newsletter together. Look for changes that will be coming and feel free to tell me what you like and what you don’t like. Valentines Day is a time of showing love, but can also be a time that persons feel singled out because they don’t have a “significant other.” Depression can creep in and affect all ages. In this column, I want to address some signs and symptoms of depression that you might notice in a friend. Here are some common symptoms:
Scientists have proven that it is normal to have some depression. Commonly, winter months that are marked with short daylight hours cause “seasonal depression.” Also the anniversaries of the death of a loved one or holiday times are prime occasions for depression. However, if you or a loved one has persistent bouts of depression where you feel hopeless and lack any energy or drive you might be part a very large group that needs professional help. Now, this doesn’t mean that you are crazy……. it means you might benefit from any of a number of prescription drugs to treat depression. Among the most common pharmaceuticals are: Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa, Effexor or Effexor XR. There are many causes of depression; among these are chemical imbalances in your brain that affect the level of serotonin that is produced. This is the kind of depression I have. If you feel that you or a loved one needs help….please don’t despair. There are so many ways of treating this disease. To reiterate, this is a disease, much like the flu or pneumonia....you can’t help it and you can’t just snap out of it. If you have questions please call me at 376-6340 or at home-376-1685. I would be glad to refer you to a doctor and give you some hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. To your health ..................... Deb
Wish List for Sunset Gap Community Center • Small trailer or truck bed to make a portable dumpster • Medium Size Tractor with Bush Hog and Blade • Lighting for Stage in the auditorium • Computers or Computer Peripherals (200 MHZ or better) • Landscaping • Copier for Preschool (personal would be O.K.) • 25 wooden, funeral home folding chairs (for Log Cabin Chapel) • Various years of National Geographic to complete set • Funds to help Families with Electric bills • Scholarship funds for Preschool Program • Funds for Bak to School Supplies • Teachers for Computer Lab Programs (Computer Literacy, MS Word, Excel, Quickbooks)
Bethel in New Mexico-June '04 This summer Bethel members will have a chance to become acquainted with a place very dear to Kathy and Me. We lived in New Mexico from 1976 until 1987, and (perhaps you have noticed) we have never been the same! This summer’s activities will be inter-generational and will come in two parts. Participants may engage in either one or both parts. The first activity will occur during the week of June 14-20 and will be at Ghost Ranch Conference Center, which many of might consider a “Southwestern Montreat.” Located In Abiquiu (which is 50 miles northwest of Santa Fe and approximately 50 miles south of the NM-Colorado border), Ghost Ranch hosts a wide array of educational and recreational activities. You can learn more about them at www.ghostranch.org. Courses during the week of June 14 include: Parables of Jesus, Photography & Spirituality, Birds of Ghost Ranch, Watercolor & Geography, Outdoor Adventures, Archaeoastronomy, Digging Fossils, Raku Building & Firing, several other arts and writing courses, a Service to Ghost Ranch opportunity and a Comparative Study of Southern Appalachia & Hispanic New Mexico, that I will lead. To learn details about these courses, go to the website then navigate to “Seminars.” From this site, go to the “Abiquiu Campus” and scroll until you get to the week of June 14. Courses meet in the mornings and evenings, and free time is scheduled in the afternoon. I recommend a siesta! But you may participate in an array of activities, including: swimming, horseback riding, hiking, etc. Costs for courses are $205.00, and the charge for room and meals for the week is $290.00- although that could be less or more depending on your choice of accommodations. On June 20, some of us will head north from Ghost Ranch to Tierra Amarilla. This small town is only a few miles south of the Colorado border and is largely populated by Hispanos, whose forebears settled this rugged country in the 17th and 18th century. During the following week, our Bethel party will engage in an array of service activities in Centro de los Santos, a child care center. Depending on your interest and skills, you may volunteer to work with local children, who come daily to the center or help in some area of need, including: Home repairs, landscaping, and painting. One special treat for those who participate in this part of the venture will be the outstanding culinary skills of our own Nelda Toon. Nelda has kept work-campers well fed and content for several decades in many and varied locales! She has been involved in several work camps to the Southwest. We hope that many of you will be able to participate in both parts of this outing but realize that both time and expense will impose limits for some. So, to reiterate, interested persons may prefer to participate in either one or the other parts of this venture. Regarding transportation: Our current thinking is that considering the time required for land travel, flying Southwest Airlines from Nashville to Albuquerque will most likely be the best option for us. We think a fare in the $200-250.00 range (with some restrictions) will be possible. We are certainly amenable, however, to other travel arrangements. Please let Reverend Pat Harvey or Rev. Sherrod, or me know if you have an alternative plan. Other expenses will include: for those who fly a per person charge for a rental van from and back to the Albuquerque airport; and for those going to Tierra Amarilla approximately $100.00 per person for food and other shared expenses for the week. We anticipate that some scholarship funds will be available for youth participants at Ghost Ranch. I will share more information after the Fellowship Supper on Wednesday February 18. We hope most who want to participate can make a commitment by March, and we anticipate having orientation meetings on March 7 & 21. Stay tuned for details! In the meantime see Pat, Marc, or me if you have questions or have ideas that would enhance our planning.
Small Group Ministry Update Day after day they met together as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts, praising God, and enjoying the good will of all the people. And everyday the Lord added to their group those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47 Implementation of the Small Group Ministry Initiative is in progress, and several members of the congregation have already been involved in implementation planning. The potential benefits from this initiative are endless, from spiritual enrichment of the lives of individuals to enhanced and/or increases fellowship opportunities. All members of the congregation as well as others in the community will eventually be exposed to the benefits of this initiative. All of you are welcome to be a part of the planning process. The ministry team is currently composed of Pat Harvey, Small Groups Ministry Coordinator, along with Carolyn Matthew and Bob Jones. We are seeking additional volunteers to help with planning and to participate as Facilitator of small groups. The first planning meeting was held on Monday, January 19th, to seek support and input for planned programs, and to stimulate discussion about the future of the initiative. The next phase will be Facilitator Training, which will be held February 4th fro 7-9 P.M. at the church. Follow-up sessions will be scheduled at this time if necessary. Everyone is welcome to attend, and there will be no obligation to lead a small group at church. If you are currently facilitating any type of group at church, at work, or in any other setting, it is anticipated that you will find this training helpful. Our first new small group event fo the congregation and guests will be a Lenten study to be held for six consecutive Wednesday nights beginning March 3rd. If there is enough interest for alternate times, a daytime group and /or a group on a different night will be arranged. You will be given an opportunity to sign up for this study through inserts in the Sunday bulletin on February 8th and February 15th, as well as Wednesday night, February 18th at the Fellowship supper. If you are interested in attending Facilitator Training please call:
Presbyterians Today Magazine Please call the church office if you would like to receive this magazine subscription at home. The cost is $11.25 for one year. We already have all the current elders names on the sign-up list. Please call before February 18th. Times for Ministry initiative meetings
JOHN KNOX Mark your calendars!
Interested in Youth Ministry? You are welcome to attend the annual lecture series at Maryville College on February 26-27 with Dr.Kendra Creasy Dean speaking. This year’s February meeting theme is: The Godbearing Life: Young Adults and the Passionate Church.” Presentations are at 11 A.M. and 7 P.M. Thursday Feb. 26, and at 11 A.M. on Friday Feb. 27th. There will be a luncheon for church leaders on Thursday Feb 26 following the morning lecture. For more information, contact Anne McKee, Campus Minister, at 865-981-8298. For luncheon reservation, contact Kathleen Farnham, Director of Church Relations at 865-981-8217. 2 Cents-A-Meal Our 2 cents a meal offering is collected on the last Sunday of each month. The whole idea is for each of us to contribute 2 cents for every meal we eat to feed the world’s hungry. This effort is supported by the Presbyterian hunger ministries and uses the money to feed people locally and internationally. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the Bethel Always cookbook also support this program. Carolyn McNew has graciously agreed to provide a new container in which to place the pennies. This container will be in the narthex. Found
Men's jacket - left at King's house after the Christmas caroling party. Please call 376-9951 -- someone must be getting cold in this weather!
Valentine Fun Luncheon February 10th at 12 noon in Fellowship Hall. Bring your sweetie or a friend and join us! From Parish Life We still have Bethel T-shirts for our youth. Cost: $6/shirt. Please check with Kathy or Debbie at the office or call Marianne Shadden. Hands of Mercy Enterprises Treasurer’s Report From January 1, 2003- Dec. 31, 2003 Total food purchase total- $11,247.15 H.O.M.E.’s income came from the following sources: Bradbury United Methodist-$108.00 The board of HOME and the volunteers wish to thank the congregation for their contribution, not only of money, but of canned goods which gave us a very successful year. Book Club Bethel’s Book Club will meet at Janet and Dave Nippert’s home on February 26th at 2 P.M. The selected book will be Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon. Everyone welcome! Please call Janet for directions to her house at 717-2701.
Mission Outreach Committee Report One of our Mission projects is Grace School in Kenya. On December 19th we received word from Samuel Wambugu that he had some dire needs for the school Without some much-needed building funds, the children would not have the rooms to meet in when they came back after Christmas break. I asked Samuel how much was needed. He stated fitting the doors and internal finishing would cost $3,000.00 To furnish the classrooms with 60 desks would cost $1,500.00. Therefore, the total needed would be $4,500.00. I quickly tallied the votes from all the Mission Outreach Committee members(through the miracle of e-mail) and it was unanimous- we would send $1,000.00. So, on December 22nd, Chuck Bunch deposited the money in the Knoxville Credit Union. I got to e-mail a Christmas card to the Wambugus stating we had sent $1,000.00! However, we still worried–would anyone else help Samuel and Monica? Dan McDowell had the answer! He is formatting a graceministries-limuru.org web page. Dan and Samuel have sent several e-mails back and forth regarding what to put on the page. This is what they will include on the page regarding the needs of Grace School:
Please be sure to thank Dan McDowell for all his help in this effort. P.S. There will be a Morgan Co. Regional Facility Prison Worship and Communion on the 5th Sunday of every month. The next one is on February 25th. If interested in becoming a prison volunteer, please contact Karen Schall at: 423-369-2955. youth speak Published for the Youth of Bethel Presbyterian Church February 2004 203 S Kentucky Street January Happenings On January 4, 2004 the youth of the church under the leadership of Gary Lemasters, did an excellent job of un-decorating the church sanctuary. All enjoyed a pizza lunch, followed by fellowship time. Thanks to all the Bethel Youth who participated. Bethel youth met on January 11, 2004 to discuss future events, and discussed the upcoming June mission trip to New Mexico. The youth of Bethel prepared a wonderful lunch of lasagna, salad, and hot dogs for the congregation to enjoy before the annual congregational meeting on January 25, 2004. Thanks to all youth and adults who helped with this meal. Upcoming Activities February proves to be a busy month for Bethel Youth. They will be meeting on February 8th for either ice-skating or a UT Basketball game. As of this printing details were still being worked out. Please refer to the weekly bulletin for more information. Skating will be rescheduled to a later date, if Youth attend the basketball game. On February 15th and 22nd, the youth will meet in the Fellowship Hall at 6:00 P.M. for a time of working on corn pillows. Special thanks to Kathy McDowell and Melanie Sherrod, for working on this fund raising project with the youth. The Junior and Senior High Youth will host a pancake supper in the Fellowship Hall at 6:30 P.M. on February 18th. Youth will meet at the church directly after school to prepare for the supper. All proceeds will benefit the Youth Program at Bethel. Any youth needing transportation please contact Amber Jacks at 717-6756. If you have been watching or reading about events unfolding on Mars you may be interested in this scientific study. Scientists need your help in order to better understand Mars. Send in a rock collected by you or your classroom, and scientists will use special instruments to determine what it’s made of, and compare it to rocks found on Mars. Your rock will be posted on the web, along with a special report on what kind of rock it is. An official certificate will be sent to you for your contribution. Send a 2” - 6” clean rock (4” preferred), name and address. Dr. Phil Christensen *cheers* In this section of Youth Speak in the coming months we will highlight accomplishments of our Bethel Youth. Parents are encouraged to e-mail Amber Jacks at teamjacks@msn.com with praises such as academic, sports or hobby achievements, volunteer or community recognition, and jobs well done. A little praise goes a long way! Hannah, Jordan, and Eden Sherrod have been busy "working out" and getting ready for the Spring tennis season at Roane County High School. In December, Eden received first chair (flute) honors in the 7th grade All-State East (lower division). Hannah, also a flute player, will perform at the All-State East High School Music festival on February 7 in Gatlinburg, along with Caleb Sherrod who is first chair clarinet at the festival. Caleb is the All-East Jazz Band principal tenor saxophone player, and he will perform on January 31 in at that festival in a concert that is open to the public. He continues as principal clarinet in the Knoxville Youth Symphony Orchestra, with the next performance (also open to the public) on February 23. Bram Hyder earned his Eagle Scout award last June. He will be taking his ACTs in February and hopefully be starting Roane State in the Fall. He works part-time at McDonald’s in Kingston. Kerry Hyder is in the 7th Grade and plays Clarinet in the band. She was recently a finalist in the Miday Middle School Spelling Bee. She is an “unofficial” boy scout and goes on all the campouts and activities with Troop 304 of which her parents Dan and Debbie Hyder are both adult leaders. The Kingston Public Library along with the Kingston Elementary School will sponsor a Valentine’s Day Essay Contest for youth in grades K-5. The topic for the essay is, “A book I would give to someone I love.” Rules and submission forms are available at the Kingston Public Library. Essays are to be submitted January 12 –31, 2004 at the Kingston Public Library or at the Kingston Elementary School Library. Submissions can also be made by e-mailing webmaster_kl@kpltn.org. Essays will be judges on creativity, originality, and presentation. First and second place prizes for each grade will be awarded and will include $25 and $15 Barnes and Nobel gift certificates. All entries will receive a certificate of participation. Happy Valentine’s Day Valentine Jokes What did the chocolate syrup say to the ice cream? “ I’m sweet on you!” What did one light bulb say to the other? “ I love you a whole watt!” The Greatest Valentine that he gAve
Notes of Sympathy
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1 - CAROLYN MATTHEWS 590-1422 Madge Benfield
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15 - SCOTT MCGILL376-2177 Simon Barrett |
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8 - Reid Hutchinson |
22 - MARGARET MURR Margaret & Greg Campen |
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Gilbert Pickel |
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