Join us this Sunday morning at 10am in CLC 124 for breakfast and a discussion about the spreading video “Why I Hate Religion and Love Jesus”! This will replace Sunday school and Bible study for the night (since the Super Bowl starts at 6:30). Watch the video and we’ll see you there!
p.s. Sorry for the late update- UT’s internet has been a little weird and my first few attempts at posting were futile.
Posted by csumccollegelife on February 4, 2012
http://csumccollegelife.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/super-bowl-breakfast-24/
Dear College Friends:
I hope you have had a good week.
Except for Wednesday, the weather was nice, with perfectly blue skies. But another rain is supposed to move in by Saturday.
Are you ready for some football?
Despite the fact that we are in February, football has dominated the headlines this week, from the college football signees at Tennessee and other colleges, to, of course, this Sunday’s Super Bowl, which I think is supposed to kick off around 6:15 to 6:30 p.m.
While the Super Bowl is the biggest game of the year in the United States, many people in Knoxville and Tennessee might consider a big bowl game for the Vols or a key encounter against a Southeastern Conference rival a more tense-filled game. Since the Tennessee Titans or even Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts are not playing, most people around the Volunteer State will just consider this Super Bowl a fun diversion. Some will watch to see the athletic plays of the skilled athletes and hope the game is a close encounter, while others will be looking for the creative commercials and even the halftime show put on by Madonna.
I am old enough to remember all the Super Bowls. The first one was when I was in first grade, so when they would talk about Super Bowl XI, for example, I would quickly know it was the Super Bowl when I was in the 11th grade. Of course, now we are into Super Bowls numbering into the 40s.
I remember pulling for Joe Namath and his New York Jets to upset the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, which they did. I also pulled for the Pittsburgh Steelers when they won four Super Bowls in the 1970s after decades of mediocrity. I was also touched when the Atlanta Falcons, the team I rooted for growing up in Chattanooga, finally made the Super Bowl in the 1998 season. And then the next year, the Titans miraculously made the Super Bowl. But, like the Falcons, they lost.
I have since switched allegiances to the Titans — while still remaining a diehard Atlanta Braves baseball fan.
Anyway, if you have Super Bowl plans, I hope you enjoy the game.
But Church Street United Methodist Church is also having a Super Sunday this Sunday, just as it does every Sunday.
Due to the game’s starting time, the college ministry has a special treat in the morning. Instead of meeting for the Bible study at 6 p.m. or the free supper for students beforehand, Elizabeth Walton is preparing a delicious and free breakfast Sunday during the Sunday school hour. Everyone can gather around 9:45 a.m. in CLC 124 and a breakfast will be served a short time later by Elizabeth as part of her and Monty’s special Sunday morning Bible study. If you are interested in eating breakfast, email Elizabeth at montywalton@yahoo.com.
We have had some who come to Sunday school who have not yet been to the Bible study, and some who have come to the Bible study but have not yet been to Sunday school. So this will be a good time to get a taste of both experiences and have the evening free for any other Super Bowl plans you may have away from the church.
During the 8:30 and 11 a.m. services, the Rev. Darryll Rasnake will be preaching. Also, since this is the first Sunday of the month, Holy Communion will be celebrated and served.
And for those looking to do some service or mission work, Monty and Elizabeth W. will be serving dinner Monday following the community worship and welcome any Bible study or other college students to help them serve. The community worship is at 6, and she invites interested students to come around 5:50 at the smaller chapel adjoining the nave to greet worshipers. And after everyone worships at 6, interested students can then help the Waltons serve the meal around 6:30.
We may have to call Elizabeth Julia Child by Tuesday!
It was good to see Mike Gair, Betsey Poore, and Merry-Reid Sheffer in Sunday school last Sunday.
Have a good week and we hope to see you Sunday morning. And remember to bring an appetite!
John Shearer
adult volunteer
Posted by csumccollegelife on February 3, 2012
http://csumccollegelife.wordpress.com/2012/02/03/word-on-the-street-feb-3/
Dear College Friends,
I hope you have had a good week. It has been interesting to follow the funeral arrangements of former Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who did so much good for Penn State and for people but will also be remembered for his decision not to go to police after hearing of the initial child sexual abuse allegations against his former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky.
I was in college when the successful and beloved Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant died in early 1983 just a month after retiring, and I have not forgotten the touching scenes on television of mourners lining freeway overpasses by the hundreds to see his funeral procession go by.
Speaking of football, I am continuing my research into Tennessee football history that I mentioned a couple of “Word on the Streets” ago. I went this week and looked up some information on the 1953 season. I happened to come across the game against Duke early in the season when UT unveiled its new mascot — “Smokey” the bluetick hound. And the game at Alabama in Birmingham that year was the first time one of Tennessee’s games was televised. The neat items you can uncover doing historical research never ceases to amaze me.
I was also amazed this week watching the movie “The Artist.” I don’t know if you all have seen it, but it is a fabulous and beautifully done story about an old silent movie actor left out when the conversion is made to talking movies in the late 1920s. But he does find his place in a talking picture at the end with the help of a female friend. Despite the fact that it is a mostly silent movie and I did not really know what to expect, I was mesmerized by it. And it even has a cute dog. It is not Smokey, but Uggy, a Jack Russell terrier that almost steals the show. The movie also gives one a good insight into what the late 1920s and early 1930s were like.
For the last couple of years, I have tried to go see some of the movies nominated in the Best Picture category in the Academy Awards so that I can write a newspaper story ranking them for chattanoogan.com before Oscar awards night in late February. Nine movies were nominated this year, and I hope to see at least six or seven of them. I have seen three so far, and I would rank them in the following order: “The Artist,” “The Descendants,” and “The Help.” Of course, I saw “The Help” way back in September, so that may be the reason it is third. All of these are well done movies, however.
The Bible is full of plenty of moving and touching stories as well, and we invite you to come to church and Sunday school at Church Street United Methodist Church this Sunday, Jan. 29, and be inspired by the stories of Jesus Christ.
In case you have not noticed, Sunday school at 9:45 a.m. in CLC 124 has been renamed “Breakfast Club” and college intern Merry-Reid Sheffer is now leading the revamped student-run time of fellowship and Biblically related discussion. This Sunday she has run a tease at the CollegeLife blog saying the lesson will discuss how buttons deal with our Christian faith.
During the 8:45 and 11 a.m. services, the Rev. Andy Ferguson will be preaching.
Elizabeth and Monty Walton’s Bible study at 6 p.m. this Sunday in CLC 124 will focus in part on that hot place down under, according to another post at the CollegeLife blog. A free dinner will be served at 5:15 p.m. in the Parish Hall. On the menu are hotdogs, hamburgers and tater tots that will hopefully be as hot as ….
It was great to see Chris McCabe, Conner Schwartz, Joey Summers, Trevor Toll along with Merry-Reid in Sunday school as the class put new CollegeLife information cards in the church pews and then went back to the Sunday school room for a time of Christian fellowship. The Rev. Sarah Varnell also joined us.
We also have a couch in Sunday school, and I believe the head CollegeLife couch potatoes are trying to find some more.
Have a great weekend, and we hope to see you Sunday.
John Shearer
adult volunteer
Posted by csumccollegelife on January 27, 2012
http://csumccollegelife.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/word-on-the-street-jan-26/
Hell? Really? I’m not sure… How could a loving God do this?
This Sunday night, starting with dinner in the Parish Hall at 5:15 with Bible Study immediately following, we will look at the topic of hell and the questions that many of us have about it. Hope to see you there!
Scripture and Videos:
Posted by csumccollegelife on January 26, 2012
http://csumccollegelife.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/bible-study-129/
What do buttons have to do with our faith and spreading God’s word?
I’ll tell you what… when you join us this week at 9:45 in CLC room 124 for breakfast and a chat!
Posted by csumccollegelife on January 26, 2012
http://csumccollegelife.wordpress.com/2012/01/26/breakfast-club-129/
Great time at last Sunday’s Breakfast Club with Joey, Trevor, Chris, Conner, and myself (Merry-Reid) after putting info cards in the pews of the Nave. Look for info about this Sunday’s activities on the blog in the next couple of days and be sure to join us on Sunday!
Posted by csumccollegelife on January 25, 2012
http://csumccollegelife.wordpress.com/2012/01/25/last-sunday/
Church Street United Methodist Church’s “Word on the Street” — Jan. 20, 2012
A weekly email newsletter of the church’s CollegeLife ministry
Dear College Friends:
I hope you have had a good week.
I went down to Chattanooga on Thursday to clean off a lot on a former farm my parents had. I enjoyed the views of Signal Mountain and the woods behind the lot as I worked. A beautiful blue sky was also above me, and the mild temperatures enhanced the experience even more.
As I drove back home after the peaceful and rejuvenating experience, I was listening to the radio while scanning the dial and I heard a song that I have heard several times in recent days. I hope this is appropriate for a church newsletter, but the key words in it are: “I am sexy and I know it.”
Physical beauty has always been an important part of human culture, so much so that most people have either spent much time worrying about their looks or invested money to try to improve their attractiveness. This obsession has been heightened even more in recent years by, as mentioned, music, reality television shows, and other forms of media.
As I have grown older and long since quit worrying about my physical appearance, unless I can improve it simply by a healthier lifestyle, I have realized that everyone is beautiful in some special way.
God created us in His image, as it says in Genesis, and God does not make any junk. Some people’s outward beauty may be initially more noticeable, while, for others, their inward attractiveness is what stands out at a quick glance. And for a special few, outward beauty and inward appeal are both equally evident.
We as Christians can use our redeeming and attractive qualities to lift up God’s kingdom in some way, such as the pretty homecoming queen or handsome football hero who takes time to speak to everyone or practices some other Christian act of kindness. That is probably not always easy to remember in a world that seems to be increasingly focused more on self-glory and self-attention.
We encourage you to come to Church Street United Methodist Church this Sunday and learn more about how we can use our beautiful gifts with which we are all blessed to enhance God’s kingdom.
Merry-Reid Sheffer will continue to lead Sunday school at 9:45 a.m. in CLC 124.
We now have a couch in the room for those who like comfortable seating. This is compliments of Monty and Elizabeth Walton, I believe.
The Rev. Andy Ferguson will preach during the 8:30 and 11 a.m. services in the nave.
The Walton Bible study will start back up in Room CLC 124 this Sunday (Jan. 22) at 6 p.m. For students wanting a free supper, a taco bar dinner will be served in the Parish Hall at 5:15. Yummy!
It was good to see Merry-Reid Sheffer and Derek Ehrnschwender last Sunday, when many people may have gone home for the long holiday weekend. Derek was getting ready to head back to Tulane University, and we wish him well this semester.
Have a good weekend, and we hope to see you Sunday.
John Shearer
adult volunteer
Posted by csumccollegelife on January 20, 2012
http://csumccollegelife.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/word-on-the-street-jan-20/
Call in the troops!
Help is needed by me (Merry-Reid) to put info cards in all the pews this Sunday! Soo.. for this week’s Sunday School lesson, we will all follow God in lending a helping hand… by helping me distribute the info cards. Do not fret- we will still have breakfast! So let’s meet in CLC room 124 at 9:45am and go from there! Can’t wait to see you all :)
Posted by csumccollegelife on January 20, 2012
http://csumccollegelife.wordpress.com/2012/01/20/sunday-school-122/
Apologetics
How can we know there is a God? If God is all-good, all-powerful and all-knowing, how can there be pain in the world that He created? Can we believe the Bible? Why would a loving God send people to hell for eternity?
Monty and Elizabeth Walton will be leading a discussion on these questions and many more that we all face at some point in our faith. Please join us this Sunday at 5:15 in the Parish Hall for FREE dinner and Bible study in CLC room 124 immediately following! WE would love to have you there!
Verses and Excerpts
Posted by csumccollegelife on January 18, 2012
http://csumccollegelife.wordpress.com/2012/01/18/bible-study/
Meet with us tomorrow in CLC room 124 and join the conversation about how God tells us to deal with our personal worries and fears everyday. There will be breakfast and good company!
Posted by csumccollegelife on January 15, 2012
http://csumccollegelife.wordpress.com/2012/01/15/sunday-school-115-get-excited/
