Dear Friends, FPC is finally out of the dry-cleaning business! You may or may not have been aware, but for the past 52 years, FPC has owned the property at 319 East Main—the site of Sparkle Cleaners. In 1971, Mr. R.H. Trigg willed this property at 319 East Main to the Board of Missions of the Presbyterian Church US—the former “northern” church headquartered in New York City. The gift stipulated that the property was to be rented and all proceeds were to be forwarded to the Board of Missions. First Presbyterian Church would oversee the property and keep one month’s rent each year as an administ ..read more

Dear Friends, On Tuesday of this week, several of us met with representatives from the “New Covenant Trust”—the investment arm of the Presbyterian Church. Our church has much of its money invested through them. I thought it would be helpful to share some information with you about our investments and finances. On April 1, 2019 (five years ago), FPC consolidated a number of CDs and savings accounts and opened an account with the New Covenant Trust. Our initial deposit was $295,243. Over the past five years, we have withdrawn $86,209 to cover operating expenses. But also in that time, our invest ..read more

For the Season of Lent 2024, you are asked to engage in five Missional Habits. You are invited to enter a comment here and share what you did and the response you received. You are welcome to be anonymous. 1. Bless: Words of Encouragement, Act of Kindness, Gift. The post Missional Habits Journal appeared first on First Presbyterian Church - Lebanon, Tennessee ..read more

In the United States, Veterans Day is observed on November 11 to honor all those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces. FPC would like to honor all Veterans on Sunday, November 12, both in prayer and also by listing their names in the worship bulletin. Please submit the names of Veterans you would like to have honored by placing their names in the comments below. Please feel free to tell us more about them. (Comments are moderated and won’t show up immediately.) The post Veterans Day 2023 appeared first on First Presbyterian Church - Lebanon, Tennessee ..read more

SABBATICAL PLAN FOR SHERARD EDINGTONOctober 9, 2023 All full-time (35 hours per week or more) teaching elders in permanent installed positions and full-time commissioned ruling elders shall be granted a compensated sabbatical of at least three months after completion of six years of continuous full-time service to a particular church, and such sabbatical is part of the terms of call. –from “Ministerial Compensation Guidelines of the Presbytery of Middle Tennessee Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a S ..read more

Dear Friends, FPC is about to embark on a new journey as we institute a second worship opportunity. In August, the Worship Committee brought a recommendation to the Session to institute a contemporary-style worship service. The motion passed unanimously. This worship service will be known as the New Covenant Community and will meet at 9:00 a.m. each Sunday in the Chapel. The service will feature a praise band to be led by Natalie Loader. Natalie is an accomplished musician with years of experience as a church worship leader. This service will be promoted in the community as a new opportunity f ..read more

The Columbarium Project is moving forward. The hold-up has been in securing a contractor to take it on and we are now on our third contractor. The builders in town are extremely busy and don’t want to commit to a small job like this. Right now, we are just waiting for this latest contractor to get back to us with a bid so that we have an idea of what this project will cost. Once that happens, we can get started. A columbarium is a set of niches that hold cremated remains—kind of like post office boxes. The FPC columbarium will be located on the west side of the church in the upper parking lot ..read more

For 12 weeks, Sherard Edington is taking part in the Community Police Academy offered by the Nashville Police Department. Through lectures and demonstrations, he is learning about the inner workings of law enforcement in Davidson County. These are his reports. Dear Friends, The subject for this week’s class (our next-to-last class) was Domestic Violence—another of the weighty and complex topics that is a scourge on our communities that the police must deal with. Domestic Violence can be defined this way: Violence committed by someone in the victim’s domestic circle. This includes partners and ..read more

In my sermon, The Lord Is My Shepherd, on April 30, 2023, I discussed Jesus’ statement, I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). I then posed the question, “What is abundant life?” As an answer, I suggested that Psalm 23 is an excellent descriptor of abundant life. When we live in relationship with God, then God provides for us and watches over us. I then requested that the congregation write down examples of abundant life that they had received or witnessed. Below are the examples that have been shared with me. Blessings, Sherard   Abundant Life is… Compassio ..read more

For 12 weeks, Sherard Edington is taking part in the Community Police Academy offered by the Nashville Police Department. Through lectures and demonstrations, he is learning about the inner workings of law enforcement in Davidson County. These are his reports. Dear Friends, When we think of policing, we like to think of the more “exciting” aspects of law enforcement like homicides and gang shootouts and bank robberies and high-speed pursuits—the stuff you see on TV. But tonight, we examined the more loathsome side of society as we looked at crimes against children and sexual assault and traffi ..read more