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The Open Door
VOL. 34 NO. 6 Marc Sherrod, Minister June, 2006 
E-Mail & On-Line Newsletter
On a recent camping/white water rafting trip to the New River Gorge in West Virginia, I decided that river and faith have much to do with each other. A large, inflatable yellow raft whose bulging sides we sat on – four more or less straddling a side with our guide/steersman in the middle, with eight feet tucked tight for safety – became our “way of salvation” through treacherous rocks, swirling currents, and giant waterfalls. (O.k., the waterfalls weren’t exactly huge, but there were more than a few menacing rock monsters we narrowly avoided!) As a novice rafter, one of the truths I learned is that whoever sits up front and outweighs the person on the opposite side will get the wettest. Although I’ve never thought of myself as unduly heavy, at the end of the journey I did win the prize for being the wettest, so you know where I sat. I can testify that the last face-full of water is not nearly as scary as the first one, but first or last, it is still a face-full of cold river water. (Thankfully, one time our guide whose nickname was “crazy Carl,” did take our raft backwards through a rapid, which meant that family members to the rear got their own surprising “baptismal” moment!) Time and time again, Carl (who had his own crazy Carl’s fun scale for each rapid), as we approached a section of white water, instructed us on what to do should one of us fall overboard (swim to the left as fast as you can; avoid the right side because you’ll get sucked under some rocks and die) or should the raft, in an unlikely event, capsize and trap us underneath (get out from under and stay with the raft no matter what!). Since I was in front, listening hard for Carl’s instructions, and paddling with all my strength through the rapids, I had no way of knowing if anyone had fallen out behind me. I had to trust that crazy Carl, who had rafted this section of the New River “thousands of times,” but who also had a penchant for telling tall tales with just enough of a hint of verisimilitude so that you were never sure what, exactly, to believe, that he knew what he was doing and would take of us. I suppose that if faith is a journey, then river rafting reminds the faithful that faith involves some risks: 1) part of the “adrenaline rush” is not knowing exactly what awaits you around the next bend, yet you know getting to your destination means passing through whatever “troubled/exciting waters” might pop up; 2) if you are sitting in the forward-most position, more or less leading the way into the unknown, then be prepared to catch some flak, er, water, along the way, for every group needs a pace-setter and risk-taker to silence protests from the crowd; and, 3) realize that the journey is less an individual enterprise than something you do together, that while your team paddling may not be picture perfect, you depend on one another, and your guide, to carry you through till the end. While, I confess, I didn’t exactly jump at the chance to be at the front of the raft, everything turned out alright since a little cold river water (usually) never hurt anyone. In the coming days, I hope that your and Bethel’s faith journey will involve just enough paddling into the unknown, just enough risk-taking, that you can reach beyond your usual comfort level, just enough awareness of others also along for the ride, not to mention a good guide, so that your fear can be awash in faith. And whatever might be your vantage point on the raft, figure out a way to enjoy the ride. That makes everyone a whole lot happier! Shalom!
Greetings and happy June blue skies to you! As I write this article, a summer storm is passing, with all the bluster and deluge of rain that is common to this area. I am also getting ready to go on the June 3-10th mission trip to work in Bayou la Batre, Alabama. Right now, we have 7 teens and 7 adults who will be going. I ask for your prayers that we have safe journeys and work times while we are gone. Ruth Bloxham from the Lutheran Disaster Response Network will be sending us our work assignment before we go. We have many skills in our little group. I expect for this to be an eye-opening trip for all of our participants. Please plan to attend the worship service on June 18th for the synopsis of our adventures. Our intrepid work team consists of: Kerry and I, Dave Nippert, Carolyn McNew, Eden and Jordan Sherrod, Max LaDue, Jim Schall, Shelby Hickey, Matt Hines, Frank Jones, Gary Lemasters, Denise Martin (health permitting), Dr. Burt Cunningham from Harriman Pres., Benjamin Smith (Dr. Cunningham’s nephew), and Tonya Thomas from Emmanuel Pres. All trip members appreciate the support of our church. We look forward to being the hands of our Lord in Bayou la Batre. As always, to your health ...
... none reported this month ... Invitation Ladies, Bethel is having our Annual “Birthday Salad Luncheon,” on June 6 at 12:00 noon in the Fellowship Hall. Bring a salad and join us. Da Vinci Code Seminar to be held at Dr. Robert Bast, professor of Medieval History at the University of Tennessee will be the guest speaker during a seminar on the Da Vinci Code to be held at the Kingston Community Center on Thursday, June 8 from 6 to 8 pm. The Kingston Public Library and the Kingston Community Center sponsor the program. The Kingston Friends of the Library will provide refreshments. Dr. Bast’s program is entitled “The DaVinci Code: Fact or Fiction?” and was well received by patrons of the Knox County Library during a series of discussions held in April. Dr. Bast specializes in Early Modern European History. He received his B.A. degree from Hope College; his Masters in Divinity from Western Theological Seminary, and his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. He was a Fulbright scholar at the University of Tubingen in Germany before coming to the University of Tennessee in 1994. Last March Dr. Bast participated in a series of discussions on Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ and is currently Editor-in-Chief of the prestigious book series Studies in the History of Christian Traditions. For more information on the program contact Director of Library Services Steve Jacks at 865-476-9905 or Joann Knies at the Kingston Community Center at 865-376-9476. MEET OUR NEWEST MEMBERS Bethel is blessed by the addition of new members Marsha McCaslin, Stephen and Alyson Cutshall, and Pat Hale. They joined our congregation on Palm Sunday, April 9th. Marsha McCaslin moved from Missouri to Kingston in August of 2005 when her husband, Leigh, became the director of John Knox camp. Leigh is a member of the Presbytery of East Tennessee. They have two sons, Zack (12) and Josh (14) whom we also welcome as baptized members of our congregation. For the past twenty years, Marsha worked as a special education teacher. She quickly put her training to use at Rockwood Middle School where she taught this past year. Her degree is from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, the capital of the Cherokee nation. Marsha is a Cherokee descendant who grew up within the Cherokee Nation. She and Leigh met when he was the pastor of her church. They moved to Missouri when Leigh accepted a position as a church camp director and lived there for seven years. We are delighted they accepted the call to East Tennessee and know that Marsha and her family will contribute much to our community and congregation. Keep Marsha in your prayers as she recuperates from surgery and look to welcome her when she returns to health this summer. Stephen and Alyson grew up in Greeneville, Tennessee, not knowing that their future life mate was just up the road. Both left home to attend college. Stephen majored in finance and accounting at East Tennessee State University, and Alyson majored in social work receiving her undergraduate degree at UT and her master's degree at the University of Georgia. They met after school in Greeneville and were married November 16, 2002. They moved to Kingston 1 year ago because they found more "community" in Kingston than in Knoxville, where they had lived for 2 1/2 years. Stephen works as a Branch Manager for the Y12 Credit Union in Oak Ridge. Alyson is a regional educator for the Caris HealthCare Hospice program. ("Caris", she said "means grace in Greek."). They have "one rotten dog" named Stafford, a Maltese "who rules the roost." They are a young couple clearly devoted to each other.--- he is tall and protective; she has eyes that sparkle when she speaks. Be sure to introduce yourself to them when you see them. Pat Hale is the grandmother of Joshua Smith who is the son of Tim and Marci Smith. Many of you know her from the time Joshua was baptized. Pat is on vacation and her story will be in the next newsletter. Thanks be to God that Pat, Marsha, Leigh, Zack, Josh, Alyson and Stephen's life journeys brought them to Bethel. We are enriched. Book Discussion Group Bethel’s Book Discussion Group will not meet in the month of June. We will resume in July with a meeting at Carol Brown’s home. Building Fund Summary
Mission and Outreach Two Cents a Meal In the fall of 2005, the East Tennessee Presbytery decided to use some of the money from the “Two Cents a Meal” program in food banks within the presbytery. They found out about Roane County’s “Hands of Mercy”. They called the director and learned the numbers of churches supporting the program, the number of clients served and the number of elderly and children among those clients. In late December of 2005 they gave Hands of Mercy a grant of $5000. The grant has been used to give clients a voucher of $25. The director and the manager of the Kingston Piggly Wiggly store worked out an agreement whereby the client would use this voucher for milk, eggs, fresh vegetables and fruit at the store. The manager and clerks have worked diligently to see that the clients receive full value for the vouchers. At the beginning of 2006 the Presbytery notified Hands of Mercy of another grant for 2006 which will be paid at $125 a month. This grant amounts to $1500 and is also from the Two Cents a Meal program. The board of directors, the volunteers and the director of Hands of Mercy would like to thank each and every member of the congregation who contributes to the Two Cents a Meal program. The money received is very much appreciated.
The month of April was a very busy one for the Bethel youth. We held our annual Youth Sunday on April 23 and our luncheon and youth auction on April 30. The auction has raised $3,371.00 for the mission trip to the Gulf, so far. The final total will be more because some people have not yet paid for items which they bought and we haven’t gotten a final total for the money raised at our car wash. The car wash was held on Memorial Day weekend. Thanks to all of you who brought your dirty cars by the church to be washed. Things have slowed down a little in May. All of the young people had tests and were preparing to get out of school for the summer, so it has been hard for us all to get together at once this month. We may not have accomplished as much, but we did work on plans for July. As many of you know, the boat races are returning to Kingston for the 3rd and 4th of July and we’re making some big plans for lots of fun at Bethel during that time. On the 3rd, during the day while the races are going on, we will be cooking and selling hotdogs and hamburgers. Later that evening, after the races end for the day, we will be hosting a contemporary Christian music concert in our parking lot. We have two bands and a gospel youth choir already booked. The concert will end by eleven that night. It should be a lot of fun for the kids, as well as adults. On the 4th, we will again be selling food, while everyone hangs around having fun, watching the races. The food sale will end about 7:00 p.m., so that we can clean up and get ready for the fireworks. We are inviting youth from all around the area to come enjoy the holiday with us. We hope you will also be able to join us in welcoming everyone to Bethel during this time. As with all big plans, work will be involved too. We will be looking for volunteers to help us grill, cook, and sell. We will also have other jobs, such as handing out balloons with Bethel’s name on them, etc. If you want to help, we have something for you to do and we will be very glad to have you. There will be a sign up sheet floating around soon, or you can reach me by phone or email at gregmurr@yahoo.com. The Lord has truly blessed me by allowing me to be Bethel’s youth leader. I hope you will all come and share in that blessing on the 3rd and 4th of July. Thanks to Frederick Morgan and his mother, Joni, for hosting the youth meeting on May 21. We all had a lot of fun playing games and roasting hotdogs over the fire at their house. It was a beautiful place for a cook out. We hope to have more gatherings like that throughout the summer.
We would like to extend our sympathies to the Landers family for the loss of Nancy's sister in Kansas on May 10 and Clay's brother in Atlanta on May 22. Bridal Coffee Celebration You are cordially invited to attend a bridal coffee celebration honoring Rebecca Dailey, bride-elect of Joseph (Joey) Pierce. When: Saturday, July 1st, 2006, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Hosted by Marianne Shadden, Nancy King, Ruth Ann Ludwig, Edith Miles, Peggy Sheppard, Nelda Toon, Debbie Hyder and Anita Richmond. Rebecca and Joey are registered at Targets, Dillards, and Linens-N-Things. Camp Opportunity A Musical Theatre Summer Camp will be offered this year at the Oak Ridge Academy of Dance. The teacher is Samantha Harris. Classes will be for ages 8-17 years and will include instruction in improvisation, stage presence, vocal technique, script analysis, character development, stage makeup, musical theater style dance, and introduction to costume and set design. This course will be taught July 10-14 and again on July 17-21st and the cost will be $185.00. After a week filled of training there will be a final performance for friends and family for the student to display the skills learned. If you are interested in having your kids or grandkids signed up for this camp, please drop by the church office for registration forms. Thy Kingdom come, This summer, the Christian Education Committee and the children and youth of Bethel Presbyterian will be practicing doing God’s will on Earth. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus teaches us that we see Jesus any time we see people in need. At the end of the summer you will be given and opportunity to join us in doing the will of God on Earth as in heaven. STAY TUNED What we need from you:
.... none reported for this month ... ... nothing to ponder this month ...
Bethel Family Prayer Calendar - June, 2006  The members and regularly attending friends of Bethel are assigned to elder care groups. Each month in the newsletter for your prayers, we publish the list of one or more elder care groups. The elder’s name and phone at the top of the list are listed as a reminder of their role in nurturing and supporting those who belong to Bethel. You should feel free to contact your elder or the pastor if you have a particular spiritual need or other matter that needs to be brought to our attention. (*Non-member ^Shut-in +Inactive)
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Marci Smith