“Christ Presbyterian Church is a worshipping body of believers, grounded in God’s Word, increasingly gripped by His grace, growing in community, and going in mission.”
 

 

In this Issue

Letter from Pastor

Meet the Deacons

 

Coming Key Dates

 

·    Mom’s Play Group, June 8 & 27th

·    Children’s Summer Bible Camp, Tuesday’s at 6pm.

·    Men’s Bible Study, Saturdays at 9:00am at the church house.

·    Craft Til You Drop, Friday,   June 29.

·    Art Gallery, bring in a photo of God’s glory in nature to share! Contact Gwen Rodriguez with any questions.

·    We need a couple of volunteers to help with the sound team.  You do not need experience!  Contact Natalie or Carolyn.

 

June Birthdays

•          John Stroh, June 11

•          Amber Hawkins, June 12

•          Kristy Prins, June 12

•          Ainsley Kurz, June 17

•          Lukas Berg, June 18

•          Nikki Wijinans, June 18

•          Mary Leavell, June 24

•          Will Soto, June 29

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And One More Thing…

“Growing in Community”

 

One of the clauses in the CPC Vision Statement refers to our calling and desire to “grow in community.”  That statement is then helpfully unpacked with some subpoints:

 

-          Because of both the universal longing within for community and the intrinsic isolation and loneliness of our culture, we will pursue creative and intentional avenues for cultivating deep and genuine relationships and fellowship.

-          Taking seriously our Lord’s call to love one another, we are committed to biblical peacemaking in response to conflict.

-          Knowing a church and a community are ultimately only as strong as the family, we will seek to both build up marriages and train in parenting.

-          We will labor together to train our children as heirs of the covenant with a biblical worldview applied towards all of life.

-          Balancing both the authority of the elders and the giftedness of the laity, we will utilize a team ministry philosophy – delegating key decisions for the life and ministry of the church while maintaining oversight by the shepherds of the church.

 

Why this focus on growing as a community?  Two reasons.  First, because we were made for it.  Consider the fact that all that is is the work of a Triune God.  Community and friendship were not created per se but foundational to the universe itself.  Or, to put it another way, we were created in the image of an eternally relational God and thus hard-wired to find satisfaction in interdependence upon one another.  So we need it.  Second, because we are so estranged from each other.  We’re busy (or at least we think we are).  We’re mobile.  We’re guarded.  And we’re broken.  So, despite the intensity of the need for relationship, we struggle desperately with it. 

Which brings me to this.  Given that we were made for this thing we struggle so much with finding, we need to be rigorously intentional in our pursuing it.  If we are to be what we were made to be as the Church of Jesus Christ – His body, temple, and bride – we must consciously create opportunities and venues to live this out.  And, as we do so, we have the confidence of knowing our Lord delights to guide us through.  I recently came to see this in a fresh way in a familiar text.

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.  But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:29-30)

Two things are apparent in Jesus’ words – the radical call of discipleship and the radical promise of provision to disciples.  And part of that provision is relationship.  Is our Lord not good, wise, and trustworthy?

What form might this take at CPC?  Good question and I’m glad you asked!  Over the last few months, a team of folks has been prayerfully working, studying the issue, discussing the options, and laboring on what we believe to be a good approach.  With the support of the session, we’re moving towards becoming a church of “community groups.”   That is, we will in the coming months be mobilizing and encouraging the creation of “gatherings of 6 to 12 people meeting in homes and apartments throughout the area during the week.”  In these groups, “people come to know God and to experience His presence, community is developed and fostered, and people are nurtured, equipped and released for God’s work in the world” (Community Group Manual). 

Interested?  Stay tuned…

 

 

Meet the Deacon Candidates

 

Bo Arnold

Bo(32) is married to Megan (19) and they have four "therapy-destined" children: Dutch (6), Coby (4), Ellie (18 mos) and John Wyatt (4 mos). Bo currently works at Fort Campbell commanding troops and Megan spends her "terribly long" days at home with the kids. Bo and  Megan teach the three and four year old Sunday School class, coordinate children's church and "every-so-often" volunteer in the nursery. Bo also "roams the aisles" during the offertory as well as serves on the Fellowship Team.(ok, I guess you could say "ushers") The Arnold's feel tremendously blessed and privileged to be a part of the Christ PCA family.

 

David Bullock

David Bullock is married to Linda. We have 5 children and 13 grandchildren. I am a full -time civil service technician in the Tennessee Air National Guard. I help my wife in the Sunday School assembly and am ready to get into the baby nursery. We have both lived in Clarksville most of our lives and plan to stay here. Linda is a homemaker  and homeschools  2 of our grandchildren .

 

 Mike Ruess

Mike retired from the military after serving for 21 years. Currently, he is a History Teacher and Soccer Coach at Heritage Christian Academy. He has been married to Linda for 25 years. Their son Michael (22 years old)  graduated from Northeast HS,  Kentucky
Weselyn College and will attend Masters Program at Missouri State in
International Affairs. Mike serves on Worship Team and Fellowship Team

 

Skye Duncan

Skye is married to Victoria and have 3 children:

Keelin age 3 and Carys and Élise 5 months old identical twins. Skye work as CIO of 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), Fort Campbell. He is also leader of Fellowship Team, Deacon candidate, work wherever needed at the time (sound team, nursery, general computer technician, etc.).  We have loved our church home here and hope to continue to see it grow, but maintain that small church feel where we are neighbors, friends, and accountability partners as well as fellow-churchgoers.  That is our favorite part about CPC is all the true friends that make up the congregation as a whole.

 

Asa Stone

I was born at an early age in Jackson, Tennessee. I moved to Clarksville in 1989. I have two sons, Asa IV (25) and William (23) and a wife of 29 years, Kacy. I write patents, search patents, do technical drawings, and usualy fix lunch for a local patent attorney. I have been a member of the church since its inception. I have served in the nursery, cut the grass, picked up trash and weed eated along the boundaries, (our passers by prefer Bud Light two to one) and taught adult and children's Sunday school classes. Currently, I serve in the toddlers' nursery. My wife, Kacy, is active in many women's ministries, and teaches teen aged girls Sunday school classes and women's Bible Studies. She also is part of the crew which cleans the church every week, and along with Mary Leavell, brow beat the pastor selection committee into hiring Richard.

 

Stephen Rowe

Stephen Rowe and his wife Carol moved to Clarksville two years ago and have been involved in the Church ever since.  Since joining the Church Stephen has taught the adult Sunday school class and currently serves as the Treasurer.  Stephen works as an accountant in Nashville.