TENNESSEE CONFERENCE REVIEW May 2, 2008
In this issue of THE REVIEW
1. East End United Methodist Church commissions choral/orchestral work to observe 10-year anniversary of devastating tornado.
2. Bethlehem Centers President and CEO Joyce Searcy Receives ATHENA Award.
3. Savannah First United Methodist Church responds to needs of tornado-destroyed school.
4. Charis Health Center Receives General Board of Higher Education and Ministry Grant.
5. Goshen United Methodist Church Celebrates 200th Anniversary.
6. Small Church Receives New Windows –Temperance Hall UMC-Receives New Stained Glass Windows
7. Baptismal font completes labor of love for Rev. Ron Pulley
8. History of Beersheba Springs Hotel and Assembly, Part II
9. Fairfield Glade Volunteers in Mission trip to Guadalajara, Mexico
10. Bishop Joe E. Pennel to release new book, God, Cornbread and Elvis: Pondering the Things of Everyday Life __________________________________
The orchestra and chorus for the world premiere of “The Gardener”
On April 16, ten years to the day that a powerful tornado created a path of destruction through Nashville, singers from East Nashville and the Vanderbilt community, accompanied by chamber orchestra, presented the world premiere of a new work commissioned to observe the storm’s 10-year anniversary and the community revitalization that has occurred in that decade.
“The Gardener” was directed by East End UMC’s Joseph Lee.
The four-movement piece, “The Gardener,” was composed by David Childs, Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music, and directed by Joseph Lee, Music Director at East End United Methodist Church. The premiere performance, held Wednesday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the historic and jam-packed sanctuary of East End United Methodist Church, was preceded by moments of reflection from Nashville mayor Karl Dean and brief remembrances from several persons who survived the storm.
On April 16, 1998, Nashville became the first major U.S. city in nearly 20 years to be struck by an F2 (or larger) tornado in the downtown area. The tornado, which tore through neighborhoods in East Nashville, claimed the life of Vanderbilt senior Kevin Longinotti and caused approximately $100 million in damages. At the center of Nashville’s historic neighborhoods east of downtown, East End United Methodist Church served as the staging area for countless relief crews providing aide and assistance to storm victims.
Soloists Stephen Henry and Jama Bowen
“The Gardener cantata” writes composer David Childs, “is a setting of four texts for strings, harp and two horns based on the texts of three poets (Thomas Moore, Rabindranath Tagore, Lord Alfred Tennyson) and a Latin church text from the Requiem Mass. The work is to remind us of the fragility of life and also the warmth of human kindness in the wake of great tragedies. . . The use of the horn in the work is symbolic; the only Nashville victim of the April 16th, 1998 tornado outbreak—Vanderbilt University student Kevin Longinotti—was himself a horn player.
“The Gardener” was commissioned by East End United Methodist Church and sponsored by Rediscover East! and East Nashville neighborhood associations, businesses, and individuals.
Storm Survivors tell their stories
East End United Methodist Church neighbor Christine Kreyling reflects on the night the sanctuary lights came back on –offering a sense of hope to the community: “On the Sunday evening after the tornado, the lights came on in the sanctuary of East End United Methodist church. The glowing red of the Good Shepherd’s cloak in the large arch of stained glass drew me out of my cold and shadowy house across the street. Other neighbors left their candles and emerged onto front porches, rubbing their arms in the reflected warmth. . . In the three days since the winds came, we’d grown accustomed to darkness after sunset, a darkness broken only by headlights and the revolving blues of police cruisers. The police patrols alerted us that some one was taking precautions. But they also warned us that we were living in a state of emergency.
“The lights in East End United Methodist were more reassuring. I looked into the simple white and dark oak interior and felt like a pilgrim come to rest after a dark and stormy journey. Churches will do that, even to the apostate. That’s because they symbolize the shuffling off of mortal coils for some higher calling, be it faith in God or plain old human community.”
Susie Tolmie (center) presents her remembrances of the storm and its aftermath.
Suzie Tolmie recalled many things – and ten years after the storm still can remain emotional about the experience: “There are many things I could write about the tornado . . . about two houses across Eastland Avenue from ours, being pulled apart as if made of paper. Minutes after the tornado’s worst assault, I could look across the street and see into our neighbor’s living room. The front wall of that house had flow to parts elsewhere. The red roof of the other house, an historic farmhouse, was peeled back like the top of a sardine can.”
“And awful things happened. And wonderful things happened. Strangers with chainsaws and huge tucks and loving hearts and strong arms came to help us clean up. My lovely friends who live around me joined hands. They made dinner together and heaved tree branches together. And lit candles, and were humbled at the tremendous, awesome power that nature had exacted on East Nashville. And downtown. And West Nashville, And Centennial Park.”
Annual Award Recognizes Outstanding Professional Woman
Bethlehem Centers President and CEO Joyce Searcy Receives ATHENA Award
Joyce Espy Searcy
Joyce Espy Searcy, president and CEO of Bethlehem Centers of Nashville (BCN), is the 2008 recipient of the coveted ATHENA Award presented March 27 at the Parthenon. The annual award honors women in Middle Tennessee who excel in community service, volunteerism and professionalism.
Searcy, wife, mother and community leader was selected from a nominee pool of 29 Nashville-area women for her in role in redefining nonprofit management and her influence and impact on women she mentors.
To know Joyce is to admire her,” said Cris White, a Bethlehem Centers of Nashville board member. “Her influence is far reaching, and she never fails to reach back and lift another woman up to realize her worth and potential.”
Searcy is a multi-faceted social service professional with over 24 years of experience. She began her career in higher education as Director of the Writing Laboratory at Fisk University immediately after her graduation from the school. She later joined the Pearl Street YWCA board as the program Committee Chair and served on the board of directors for the Nashville YWCA.
Throughout her 20 year leadership of BCN; a not-for-profit organization founded in 1894 to serve women, children youth and their families; Searcy has built a strong board, management and volunteer team, that all include female leadership. BCN’s award winning childcare program allows young mothers to leave their children in a warm, safe environment and enables the women to learn parenting and job skills as they develop their careers on their journeys to self-sufficiency.
“My successes in life have been built on the strengths of my mother, grandmother or other influential women,” said Searcy about the prestigious honor. “If every professional woman would teach another, we’ll one day break through that glass ceiling.”
Searcy’s dedication to helping women advance professionally extends into her civic involvement as well. She helped found the Association for Non-profit executives and served as president, and was appointed by then Mayor Phil Bredesen to the first Nashville human Relations Commission. A founding member of the Nashville Youth Partnership, Searcy serves as the Secretary for the Leadership Nashville board of trustees and secretary of the New Level Community Development Committee. She is also on the Post-secondary Education Committee for the Tennessee Higher Education Committee, a member of the Nashville Rotary, co-chair for the Report Card Committee for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the national board of directors for Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.
The international Athena Foundation, launched in 1982, honors women for professional excellence and for mentoring other women to also succeed. The awards are held in 300 U.S. cities and several countries. The Nashville awards have been heralded for its inclusiveness of area women’s organizations and fairness in how award recipients are chosen.
About Bethlehem Centers
Bethlehem Centers of Nashville is a nonprofit social service agency that promotes self-reliance and positive life choices for children, youth and adults in Middle Tennessee. Delivering and advocating quality programs and services since 1894, Bethlehem Centers operates facilities in north, south and downtown Nashville and Camp Dogwood in Cheatham County. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.bethlehemcenters.org/ or call (615) 329-3386.
Savannah First United Methodist Church responds to needs of tornado-destroyed school
When a Class F4 tornado hit Savannah, Tennessee, on the day before Ash Wednesday (February 5th), one of the hardest hit areas was occupied by Savannah Christian Academy, a school sponsored by Sharon Baptist Church. Damage was so complete that the school structure had to ultimately be bulldozed.
Savannah First United Methodist Church volunteered to share its facilities with the Academy, but the church, which was constructed in the late 60s, did not come up to current state and local fire codes, so the move had to wait several weeks while waivers were arranged and a contingency plan put in place. While used as a school there would need to be a constant roving fire watch at the school, smoke alarms were installed, and doors had to be placed to cover open storage areas.
Pastor Will Wells welcomes Savannah Christian Academy principal Kris Smith on behalf of Savannah First United Methodist Church.
When the move finally took place Pastor Will Wells was amazed at the loving cooperation between the church and the school. Principal Kris Smith and the Savannah Christian Academy, were greeted on their first day with a huge welcome banner arranged by one of the adult classes. 128 students grades K-9, plus the teaching and administrative staff, were now guests of the church. The transition went smoothly and the congregation’s regular weekday ministries were carried on with little interruption. To help the visitors feel welcome, children’s Sunday School classes would leave treats for the youngsters using their classrooms Monday through Friday – and thank you notes would be prepared by Academy students and left for the Sunday School classes.
After the first week, one Academy class carefully moved all the desks back to the edges of the older adult classroom they were using and set-up regular chairs for the older adutts. The older adults sent word back that the young people didn’t have to go to all that trouble – leave the desks as they are Monday through Friday . “Now,” indicates pastor Wells, “on Sunday morning you can see the older adults seated at classroom desks for their Sunday School lesson.”
Will Wells notes that the experience of working with the Academy has made two things clear:
.Though we wear different denominational labels, we are all children of God
.Offering hospitality can be inconvenient, but you receive more than you give.
Though Savannah Christian Academy has been invited to remain at First United Methodist Church for the next school year, it now looks like the school will be moving back to its original campus with all classes held in portables.
Charis Health Center Receives General Board of Higher Education and Ministry Grant
Charis Health Center opened last January as the only unique facility in Wilson County that serves the working uninsured. As those without health insurance continue to rise in our state, the need for basic primary health care that is affordable also increases.
Dr. Ron Brown, pastor at Grace UMC, takes part in the Blessing of the Charis Health Center facility.
The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry awarded a $5,000 Emerging Ministry Grant to Charis Health Center as it was started through the efforts of Rev. Corinne Van Buren, a retired UM Deacon. Though Van Buren has no medical background, she led a small group of committed persons in the development phases and continues to serve as the president of the Charis Board of Directors.
The Center is now functioning 2 days a week, and will add a third day starting the week of May 12th. The hours are Monday 7:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday 1:00 – 7:00 p.m.. The Center is located at 9695 Lebanon Rd, Ste 320. It is staffed entirely by volunteers: doctors, nurses, office staff, and others who do all the miscellaneous odd jobs. In the first 3 months 109 patients have been seen, which is very good for these early stages.
Rev. Van Buren successfully guided the Board to hold town meetings to get input in the planning stages, to have a float in the local community Christmas Parades in order to call attention to Charis, their first Health Festival on May 10, and is now overseeing the process of hiring an Executive Director. She has spoken at numerous churches and service clubs to raise money. This grant from GBHEM will help immensely with the monthly rent bills. Other grants have been applied for, which will hopefully help to underwrite future expenses.
Official ribbon cutting for the Charis Health Center with Corinne Van Buren handling the scissors.
Some very special events that Charis held this past winter were Ribbon Cuttings and a Blessing. As Charis Health Center was officially opened and dedicated, local clergy were invited to a time of Blessing as each room was bathed in prayer for those who will serve and those will come in need of healing.
Charis has also joined the Mt. Juliet and Lebanon Chambers of Commerce. This meant that each did a Ribbon Cutting to officially mark the opening of Charis Health Center. It was a wonderful opportunity for the public to see the 14 room facility which was completely furnished by donations.
At the Ribbon Cutting (l to r) Corinne Van Buren, President of the Board of Directors for Charis Health Center, State Rep. Susan Lynn, and Phil Ponder from Rep. Jim Cooper’s office.
Since Charis (which means Grace) Health Center is faith-based, there are a number of churches that have particularly supported this medical ministry in our conference. Cook’s UMC and Grace UMC have been the primary supporters. Other UM churches are invited to also get involved through lay people becoming volunteers, through regular financial support, and by referring those who need health care to Charis. The only requirement to be a patient is to live in Wilson County, be working., and have no insurance. Patients should call 773-5785 for an appointment.
Goshen United Methodist Church Celebrates 200th Anniversary
By Jewell Shouse, church historian, Goshen UMC
Goshen Methodist Episcopal Church, South (now Goshen United Methodist Church) was organized in 1808 in the Santa Fe community in Maury County. The exact date is not known so the congregation is celebrating the church’s 200th Anniversary throughout all of 2008.
Goshen Church in 2008 – remodeled and expanded
Children’s Day/Homecoming has been observed on the third Sunday in May for at least 100 years, possibly longer. This year the third Sunday falls on May 18th. There will be no Sunday School or traditional worship service that day . Instead the children and youth of the congregation will provide a service beginning at 11:00 a.m. The 200-year history of the church will be emphasized during this special program, and as in the olden days “Dinner on the grounds” will follow. To add to the festivities there will be a quilt show in fellowship hall, and in the afternoon, a good old southern gospel sing featuring the musical talents of the Ward Family of Columbia.
Many persons whose roots are in Goshen Church attend Children’s Day/Homecoming each year. On this special occasion—the Bicentennial of Goshen Church—the congregation invites others that are interested in the church and its long history to come and help celebrate a very special day.
A brief history of Goshen Church
In the early 1800's, the first religious services in the Goshen area were held under a brush arbor on a farm 1.5 miles northeast of the present location. In 1808, John Fly was given credit for donating three acres of land for a church building and burial ground. John Fly was a faith doctor and lay preacher. He served as a local preacher until circuit riders were sent by the Methodist conference.
In 1812 the Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Church was formed through the division of the Western Conference. In November of that year, John Crane was appointed to the Duck River Circuit. (This included Franklin, Columbia, Santa Fe, Goshen, and about 20 other places.) Rev. Crane died in 1813 and was the first person buried at Goshen.
In 1882, the log building was replaced by a frame structure.
The church was organized in 1808 but it was not until 1835 that the first building, a log structure with an open fireplace, was erected. In 1882, the log building was replaced by the present frame building. In 1949, the building was repaired and wired for electricity. In 1956 gas heat was added to the building. In 1965, three new Sunday School rooms were added at the rear of the building. These three rooms were built with walls dividing them which could be folded back to make one large room when needed.
The original hand-hewn poplar benches were replaced in 1968 by more comfortable and attractive pews purchased from First Methodist Church in Columbia. Running water was added in 1979. Soon afterwards, a 15 x 17 foot room with kitchen facilities, closet, and two restrooms was added. The last addition to the church was in 1995. This was the addition of a fellowship hall and kitchen with five classrooms located in the basement area.
Goshen Church has grown steadily throughout the years. In 1945, the average Sunday School attendance was 23. The average for the year 2005 was 57. There are currently 92 professing members on the church rolls. Average attendance at Sunday morning worship was 75 in 2005.
More about John Crane
John Crane was the son of Lewis Crane, one of the first settlers in the Cumberland area. He was born at Eaton's Station, a fort about two miles down river from the public square of Nashville in 1787. At the age of twenty, Crane was admitted into the Western Conference of the Methodist Church. During the six years of his active ministry, he served circuits in North Carolina, East Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Missouri, and Kentucky. Of these early ministers it has been said, "no chance of weather or climate, no swollen stream or lofty mountain hindered them."
Crane continued to travel and preach until about two weeks before his death, when he was forced to quit from fatigue and a severe cold, which developed into inflammation of the lungs. He died February 14, 1813 at the age of 26 at the Mitchell home. The Mitchell home was located about one mile south of Goshen Church. Crane was the first member of the Tennessee Conference to die and the first person to be buried at Goshen.
After his death, his purse was opened and found to contain 25 cents and his parchment of ordination. This confirms that he was a dedicated Methodist circuit rider. In the summer of 1964, the Tennessee Conference Historical Society erected the Rev. John Crane Monument which was made of Stone Eternal Georgia Granite bearing a brief outline of the birth, life, and ministry of John Crane. The monument was dedicated on Sunday September 27, 1964 by the Rev. Fenton Warren, Superintendent of the Columbia District. At the June, 1979 Tennessee Annual Conference, his gravesite was named a United Methodist Historic Site.
Small Church Receives New Windows
By the Rev. Dickie W. Johnson, pastor, Temperance Hall UMC
Temperance Hall United Methodist Church is a part of the Gordonsville-
Temperance Hall-Lancaster Charge in the Cookeville District. It is located in a small community in the edge of DeKalb County. In 1997 the church, which had been closed for several months, reopened with five people. It has slowly grown to an attendance of around twenty each Sunday. This small church is paying 100% of its apportionments and doing outreach into the surrounding communities.
Bob Baker standing in front of a newly installed stained-glass window he created.
On March 29, 2008 four new stained glass windows were installed in the church building. This project was led by Bob Baker who actually made the windows. About 1999 he and his wife, Claudette, found a man who offered to teach Bob how to make the windows. After taking several lessons, Bob began making the windows which took a few years. He is now working on four more windows to beautify the other side of the church building.
Several people on the charge, along with neighbors in the community, gathered on March 29, 2008 to install the new windows.
The March 29 work crew. From left to right: Matt, Bob & Claudette Baker, Eddie Sykes, Jay Prichett, Richy McDaniel, Jonas Bullington, Richard McDaniel, Garlene Burton and Kenneth Carter. Not pictured: Becky Davis, Danielle Sanchez, Charles Napier, Ron, Luke & Jake Pierce, and Nadene Carter.
We are not sure of the exact year the Temperance Hall United Methodist was organized, but the earliest church records show it was active just after the Civil War. The current building was built in the late 1800’s after the previous building burned.
These church members believe in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Baptismal font completes labor of love for Rev. Ron Pulley
By Jim Bridges, Review Contributor
Retired pastor and woodwork artisan Ron Pulley
In 2005 construction began on a new sanctuary for Crossville First United Methodist Church. Since the pulpit and lectern would remain in the old sanctuary the church needed a source for these items. Retired minister Rev. Ron Pulley, who was known for beautiful woodworking as well as woodcarving, was asked to consider designing and building the pulpit, lectern and communion table. Those familiar with his work knew the pieces would be beautiful, that many hours of research and love and work would go into them and, best of all, the work would be done by a member of the congregation. Ron said he would be honored to take on the task.
From the onset he was thinking in terms of four pieces – the pulpit, lectern, communion table and a baptismal font. He planned on making all the pieces at one time but this didn’t work out so he reluctantly decided to set aside the baptismal font until later. Even before beginning work on the project he had put a lot of thought in it. He felt the design of the pieces should come out of each according to their function. For the baptismal font there was a tentative theme of living water. He envisioned using a stone bowl and until that was available he could not proceed with the base. Since crab orchard stone is so prominent in the area it had been suggested that Ron incorporate it into his design. He secured a stainless steel bowl and took it to Woody Mercer, of Turner Stone Company and a longtime member of Crossville FUMC. He told Woody what he was working on and that he needed a stone bowl but didn’t discuss the design. “Quite frankly I expected a plain old washbowl design,” Ron said. “When I saw it I was shocked and amazed but pleasantly surprised. It was gorgeous.” Despite the fact he was very pleased with the stone bowl there was a problem. It wouldn’t work with his original design. He saw this for what it was – a temporary setback – and set about coming up with a new design.
Base of the baptismal font showing some of the twelve shields, the shell on the pedestal and the stone chalice on top.
While Ron and Joan were on vacation in New England all sorts of ideas were running through his head. In Mystic, CT, they were in a chapel when he saw a baptismal font that featured a podium design with a seashell on top. He took pictures for reference. A mental picture began to form that showed a stone bowl on top of a podium. After returning home his mind was working overtime trying to come up with a podium design. While looking through a woodworking catalog he saw a router bit that could be used to make twelve-sided columns. The number twelve jumped out. He started thinking about the disciples and tied them together with baptism. He remembered that the historical church had designed shields for each disciple. Ron went online and researched the shields. He worked up designs and incorporated them into carvings for the base. The shields are individually attached with screws to the twelve-sided base.
Shield for Simon Peter showing two crossed keys and an upside down cross.
Designs for the shields and the disciples are: Andrew – an X-shaped cross because he felt he was not worthy to die on the same kind of cross as did Jesus; Bartholomew – a knife because tradition says he was put to death with knives in Armenia; James the Greater – three scalloped shells that stand for his great missionary work; James the Younger – a saw because his enemies were filled with such hate that they sawed his body into pieces; John – a serpent since legend states that when he was given a cup of poisoned wine to drink, he made a sign over the chalice and the poison became a serpent and crawled out; Judas Iscariot – a blank shield since the church gives him no official symbol; Judas, son of James – a ship with the shape of the cross on the mast because of his extensive travels on missionary journeys; Matthew – three money bags symbolizing his occupation as a tax collector prior to becoming a disciple; Philip – two loaves and a cross with the loaves for the feeding of the five-thousand and the cross to describe how faithfully he followed Jesus; Simon Peter – two crossed keys refer to Jesus’ statement about Peter being entrusted with the “keys to the kingdom of heaven” and an inverted cross which illustrates the way he was crucified because he did not feel worthy of dying the same way Jesus did; and Simon the Zealot – fish used because he was a “fisher of men” and a book as a symbol of the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ which early Christians wrote down on scrolls made of Papyrus.
The podium had taken on a lighthouse design so he made the outer edges rounded giving the effect of waves. The shell on the middle section of the podium has been the symbol of baptism from the early church. It was carved separately and mounted on the podium. It was done first and everything else was done around it. The podium is in three sections in reminiscence of the Trinity. The stone bowl resembles a chalice used in communion, one of the sacraments of the United Methodist Church.
Part II
A History of Beersheba Springs Hotel and Assembly
By Ann Troutt
1. East End United Methodist Church commissions choral/orchestral work to observe 10-year anniversary of devastating tornado.
2. Bethlehem Centers President and CEO Joyce Searcy Receives ATHENA Award.
3. Savannah First United Methodist Church responds to needs of tornado-destroyed school.
4. Charis Health Center Receives General Board of Higher Education and Ministry Grant.
5. Goshen United Methodist Church Celebrates 200th Anniversary.
6. Small Church Receives New Windows –Temperance Hall UMC-Receives New Stained Glass Windows
7. Baptismal font completes labor of love for Rev. Ron Pulley
8. History of Beersheba Springs Hotel and Assembly, Part II
9. Fairfield Glade Volunteers in Mission trip to Guadalajara, Mexico
10. Bishop Joe E. Pennel to release new book, God, Cornbread and Elvis: Pondering the Things of Everyday Life __________________________________
East End United Methodist Church commissions choral/orchestral work to observe 10-year anniversary of devastating tornado
The orchestra and chorus for the world premiere of “The Gardener”On April 16, ten years to the day that a powerful tornado created a path of destruction through Nashville, singers from East Nashville and the Vanderbilt community, accompanied by chamber orchestra, presented the world premiere of a new work commissioned to observe the storm’s 10-year anniversary and the community revitalization that has occurred in that decade.
“The Gardener” was directed by East End UMC’s Joseph Lee.The four-movement piece, “The Gardener,” was composed by David Childs, Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music, and directed by Joseph Lee, Music Director at East End United Methodist Church. The premiere performance, held Wednesday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the historic and jam-packed sanctuary of East End United Methodist Church, was preceded by moments of reflection from Nashville mayor Karl Dean and brief remembrances from several persons who survived the storm.
On April 16, 1998, Nashville became the first major U.S. city in nearly 20 years to be struck by an F2 (or larger) tornado in the downtown area. The tornado, which tore through neighborhoods in East Nashville, claimed the life of Vanderbilt senior Kevin Longinotti and caused approximately $100 million in damages. At the center of Nashville’s historic neighborhoods east of downtown, East End United Methodist Church served as the staging area for countless relief crews providing aide and assistance to storm victims.
Soloists Stephen Henry and Jama Bowen“The Gardener cantata” writes composer David Childs, “is a setting of four texts for strings, harp and two horns based on the texts of three poets (Thomas Moore, Rabindranath Tagore, Lord Alfred Tennyson) and a Latin church text from the Requiem Mass. The work is to remind us of the fragility of life and also the warmth of human kindness in the wake of great tragedies. . . The use of the horn in the work is symbolic; the only Nashville victim of the April 16th, 1998 tornado outbreak—Vanderbilt University student Kevin Longinotti—was himself a horn player.
“The Gardener” was commissioned by East End United Methodist Church and sponsored by Rediscover East! and East Nashville neighborhood associations, businesses, and individuals.
Storm Survivors tell their stories
East End United Methodist Church neighbor Christine Kreyling reflects on the night the sanctuary lights came back on –offering a sense of hope to the community: “On the Sunday evening after the tornado, the lights came on in the sanctuary of East End United Methodist church. The glowing red of the Good Shepherd’s cloak in the large arch of stained glass drew me out of my cold and shadowy house across the street. Other neighbors left their candles and emerged onto front porches, rubbing their arms in the reflected warmth. . . In the three days since the winds came, we’d grown accustomed to darkness after sunset, a darkness broken only by headlights and the revolving blues of police cruisers. The police patrols alerted us that some one was taking precautions. But they also warned us that we were living in a state of emergency.
“The lights in East End United Methodist were more reassuring. I looked into the simple white and dark oak interior and felt like a pilgrim come to rest after a dark and stormy journey. Churches will do that, even to the apostate. That’s because they symbolize the shuffling off of mortal coils for some higher calling, be it faith in God or plain old human community.”
Susie Tolmie (center) presents her remembrances of the storm and its aftermath.Suzie Tolmie recalled many things – and ten years after the storm still can remain emotional about the experience: “There are many things I could write about the tornado . . . about two houses across Eastland Avenue from ours, being pulled apart as if made of paper. Minutes after the tornado’s worst assault, I could look across the street and see into our neighbor’s living room. The front wall of that house had flow to parts elsewhere. The red roof of the other house, an historic farmhouse, was peeled back like the top of a sardine can.”
“And awful things happened. And wonderful things happened. Strangers with chainsaws and huge tucks and loving hearts and strong arms came to help us clean up. My lovely friends who live around me joined hands. They made dinner together and heaved tree branches together. And lit candles, and were humbled at the tremendous, awesome power that nature had exacted on East Nashville. And downtown. And West Nashville, And Centennial Park.”
Annual Award Recognizes Outstanding Professional Woman
Bethlehem Centers President and CEO Joyce Searcy Receives ATHENA Award
Joyce Espy SearcyJoyce Espy Searcy, president and CEO of Bethlehem Centers of Nashville (BCN), is the 2008 recipient of the coveted ATHENA Award presented March 27 at the Parthenon. The annual award honors women in Middle Tennessee who excel in community service, volunteerism and professionalism.
Searcy, wife, mother and community leader was selected from a nominee pool of 29 Nashville-area women for her in role in redefining nonprofit management and her influence and impact on women she mentors.
To know Joyce is to admire her,” said Cris White, a Bethlehem Centers of Nashville board member. “Her influence is far reaching, and she never fails to reach back and lift another woman up to realize her worth and potential.”
Searcy is a multi-faceted social service professional with over 24 years of experience. She began her career in higher education as Director of the Writing Laboratory at Fisk University immediately after her graduation from the school. She later joined the Pearl Street YWCA board as the program Committee Chair and served on the board of directors for the Nashville YWCA.
Throughout her 20 year leadership of BCN; a not-for-profit organization founded in 1894 to serve women, children youth and their families; Searcy has built a strong board, management and volunteer team, that all include female leadership. BCN’s award winning childcare program allows young mothers to leave their children in a warm, safe environment and enables the women to learn parenting and job skills as they develop their careers on their journeys to self-sufficiency.
“My successes in life have been built on the strengths of my mother, grandmother or other influential women,” said Searcy about the prestigious honor. “If every professional woman would teach another, we’ll one day break through that glass ceiling.”
Searcy’s dedication to helping women advance professionally extends into her civic involvement as well. She helped found the Association for Non-profit executives and served as president, and was appointed by then Mayor Phil Bredesen to the first Nashville human Relations Commission. A founding member of the Nashville Youth Partnership, Searcy serves as the Secretary for the Leadership Nashville board of trustees and secretary of the New Level Community Development Committee. She is also on the Post-secondary Education Committee for the Tennessee Higher Education Committee, a member of the Nashville Rotary, co-chair for the Report Card Committee for the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the national board of directors for Girl Scouts of the U.S.A.
The international Athena Foundation, launched in 1982, honors women for professional excellence and for mentoring other women to also succeed. The awards are held in 300 U.S. cities and several countries. The Nashville awards have been heralded for its inclusiveness of area women’s organizations and fairness in how award recipients are chosen.
About Bethlehem Centers
Bethlehem Centers of Nashville is a nonprofit social service agency that promotes self-reliance and positive life choices for children, youth and adults in Middle Tennessee. Delivering and advocating quality programs and services since 1894, Bethlehem Centers operates facilities in north, south and downtown Nashville and Camp Dogwood in Cheatham County. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.bethlehemcenters.org/ or call (615) 329-3386.
Savannah First United Methodist Church responds to needs of tornado-destroyed school
When a Class F4 tornado hit Savannah, Tennessee, on the day before Ash Wednesday (February 5th), one of the hardest hit areas was occupied by Savannah Christian Academy, a school sponsored by Sharon Baptist Church. Damage was so complete that the school structure had to ultimately be bulldozed.
Savannah First United Methodist Church volunteered to share its facilities with the Academy, but the church, which was constructed in the late 60s, did not come up to current state and local fire codes, so the move had to wait several weeks while waivers were arranged and a contingency plan put in place. While used as a school there would need to be a constant roving fire watch at the school, smoke alarms were installed, and doors had to be placed to cover open storage areas.
Pastor Will Wells welcomes Savannah Christian Academy principal Kris Smith on behalf of Savannah First United Methodist Church.When the move finally took place Pastor Will Wells was amazed at the loving cooperation between the church and the school. Principal Kris Smith and the Savannah Christian Academy, were greeted on their first day with a huge welcome banner arranged by one of the adult classes. 128 students grades K-9, plus the teaching and administrative staff, were now guests of the church. The transition went smoothly and the congregation’s regular weekday ministries were carried on with little interruption. To help the visitors feel welcome, children’s Sunday School classes would leave treats for the youngsters using their classrooms Monday through Friday – and thank you notes would be prepared by Academy students and left for the Sunday School classes.
After the first week, one Academy class carefully moved all the desks back to the edges of the older adult classroom they were using and set-up regular chairs for the older adutts. The older adults sent word back that the young people didn’t have to go to all that trouble – leave the desks as they are Monday through Friday . “Now,” indicates pastor Wells, “on Sunday morning you can see the older adults seated at classroom desks for their Sunday School lesson.”
Will Wells notes that the experience of working with the Academy has made two things clear:
.Though we wear different denominational labels, we are all children of God
.Offering hospitality can be inconvenient, but you receive more than you give.
Though Savannah Christian Academy has been invited to remain at First United Methodist Church for the next school year, it now looks like the school will be moving back to its original campus with all classes held in portables.
Charis Health Center Receives General Board of Higher Education and Ministry Grant
Charis Health Center opened last January as the only unique facility in Wilson County that serves the working uninsured. As those without health insurance continue to rise in our state, the need for basic primary health care that is affordable also increases.
Dr. Ron Brown, pastor at Grace UMC, takes part in the Blessing of the Charis Health Center facility.The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry awarded a $5,000 Emerging Ministry Grant to Charis Health Center as it was started through the efforts of Rev. Corinne Van Buren, a retired UM Deacon. Though Van Buren has no medical background, she led a small group of committed persons in the development phases and continues to serve as the president of the Charis Board of Directors.
The Center is now functioning 2 days a week, and will add a third day starting the week of May 12th. The hours are Monday 7:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday 1:00 – 7:00 p.m.. The Center is located at 9695 Lebanon Rd, Ste 320. It is staffed entirely by volunteers: doctors, nurses, office staff, and others who do all the miscellaneous odd jobs. In the first 3 months 109 patients have been seen, which is very good for these early stages.
Rev. Van Buren successfully guided the Board to hold town meetings to get input in the planning stages, to have a float in the local community Christmas Parades in order to call attention to Charis, their first Health Festival on May 10, and is now overseeing the process of hiring an Executive Director. She has spoken at numerous churches and service clubs to raise money. This grant from GBHEM will help immensely with the monthly rent bills. Other grants have been applied for, which will hopefully help to underwrite future expenses.
Official ribbon cutting for the Charis Health Center with Corinne Van Buren handling the scissors.Some very special events that Charis held this past winter were Ribbon Cuttings and a Blessing. As Charis Health Center was officially opened and dedicated, local clergy were invited to a time of Blessing as each room was bathed in prayer for those who will serve and those will come in need of healing.
Charis has also joined the Mt. Juliet and Lebanon Chambers of Commerce. This meant that each did a Ribbon Cutting to officially mark the opening of Charis Health Center. It was a wonderful opportunity for the public to see the 14 room facility which was completely furnished by donations.
At the Ribbon Cutting (l to r) Corinne Van Buren, President of the Board of Directors for Charis Health Center, State Rep. Susan Lynn, and Phil Ponder from Rep. Jim Cooper’s office.
Since Charis (which means Grace) Health Center is faith-based, there are a number of churches that have particularly supported this medical ministry in our conference. Cook’s UMC and Grace UMC have been the primary supporters. Other UM churches are invited to also get involved through lay people becoming volunteers, through regular financial support, and by referring those who need health care to Charis. The only requirement to be a patient is to live in Wilson County, be working., and have no insurance. Patients should call 773-5785 for an appointment.
Goshen United Methodist Church Celebrates 200th Anniversary
By Jewell Shouse, church historian, Goshen UMC
Goshen Methodist Episcopal Church, South (now Goshen United Methodist Church) was organized in 1808 in the Santa Fe community in Maury County. The exact date is not known so the congregation is celebrating the church’s 200th Anniversary throughout all of 2008.
Goshen Church in 2008 – remodeled and expandedChildren’s Day/Homecoming has been observed on the third Sunday in May for at least 100 years, possibly longer. This year the third Sunday falls on May 18th. There will be no Sunday School or traditional worship service that day . Instead the children and youth of the congregation will provide a service beginning at 11:00 a.m. The 200-year history of the church will be emphasized during this special program, and as in the olden days “Dinner on the grounds” will follow. To add to the festivities there will be a quilt show in fellowship hall, and in the afternoon, a good old southern gospel sing featuring the musical talents of the Ward Family of Columbia.
Many persons whose roots are in Goshen Church attend Children’s Day/Homecoming each year. On this special occasion—the Bicentennial of Goshen Church—the congregation invites others that are interested in the church and its long history to come and help celebrate a very special day.
A brief history of Goshen Church
In the early 1800's, the first religious services in the Goshen area were held under a brush arbor on a farm 1.5 miles northeast of the present location. In 1808, John Fly was given credit for donating three acres of land for a church building and burial ground. John Fly was a faith doctor and lay preacher. He served as a local preacher until circuit riders were sent by the Methodist conference.
In 1812 the Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Church was formed through the division of the Western Conference. In November of that year, John Crane was appointed to the Duck River Circuit. (This included Franklin, Columbia, Santa Fe, Goshen, and about 20 other places.) Rev. Crane died in 1813 and was the first person buried at Goshen.
In 1882, the log building was replaced by a frame structure.The church was organized in 1808 but it was not until 1835 that the first building, a log structure with an open fireplace, was erected. In 1882, the log building was replaced by the present frame building. In 1949, the building was repaired and wired for electricity. In 1956 gas heat was added to the building. In 1965, three new Sunday School rooms were added at the rear of the building. These three rooms were built with walls dividing them which could be folded back to make one large room when needed.
The original hand-hewn poplar benches were replaced in 1968 by more comfortable and attractive pews purchased from First Methodist Church in Columbia. Running water was added in 1979. Soon afterwards, a 15 x 17 foot room with kitchen facilities, closet, and two restrooms was added. The last addition to the church was in 1995. This was the addition of a fellowship hall and kitchen with five classrooms located in the basement area.
Goshen Church has grown steadily throughout the years. In 1945, the average Sunday School attendance was 23. The average for the year 2005 was 57. There are currently 92 professing members on the church rolls. Average attendance at Sunday morning worship was 75 in 2005.
More about John Crane
John Crane was the son of Lewis Crane, one of the first settlers in the Cumberland area. He was born at Eaton's Station, a fort about two miles down river from the public square of Nashville in 1787. At the age of twenty, Crane was admitted into the Western Conference of the Methodist Church. During the six years of his active ministry, he served circuits in North Carolina, East Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Missouri, and Kentucky. Of these early ministers it has been said, "no chance of weather or climate, no swollen stream or lofty mountain hindered them."
Crane continued to travel and preach until about two weeks before his death, when he was forced to quit from fatigue and a severe cold, which developed into inflammation of the lungs. He died February 14, 1813 at the age of 26 at the Mitchell home. The Mitchell home was located about one mile south of Goshen Church. Crane was the first member of the Tennessee Conference to die and the first person to be buried at Goshen.
After his death, his purse was opened and found to contain 25 cents and his parchment of ordination. This confirms that he was a dedicated Methodist circuit rider. In the summer of 1964, the Tennessee Conference Historical Society erected the Rev. John Crane Monument which was made of Stone Eternal Georgia Granite bearing a brief outline of the birth, life, and ministry of John Crane. The monument was dedicated on Sunday September 27, 1964 by the Rev. Fenton Warren, Superintendent of the Columbia District. At the June, 1979 Tennessee Annual Conference, his gravesite was named a United Methodist Historic Site.
Small Church Receives New Windows
By the Rev. Dickie W. Johnson, pastor, Temperance Hall UMC
Temperance Hall United Methodist Church is a part of the Gordonsville-
Temperance Hall-Lancaster Charge in the Cookeville District. It is located in a small community in the edge of DeKalb County. In 1997 the church, which had been closed for several months, reopened with five people. It has slowly grown to an attendance of around twenty each Sunday. This small church is paying 100% of its apportionments and doing outreach into the surrounding communities.
Bob Baker standing in front of a newly installed stained-glass window he created.On March 29, 2008 four new stained glass windows were installed in the church building. This project was led by Bob Baker who actually made the windows. About 1999 he and his wife, Claudette, found a man who offered to teach Bob how to make the windows. After taking several lessons, Bob began making the windows which took a few years. He is now working on four more windows to beautify the other side of the church building.
Several people on the charge, along with neighbors in the community, gathered on March 29, 2008 to install the new windows.
The March 29 work crew. From left to right: Matt, Bob & Claudette Baker, Eddie Sykes, Jay Prichett, Richy McDaniel, Jonas Bullington, Richard McDaniel, Garlene Burton and Kenneth Carter. Not pictured: Becky Davis, Danielle Sanchez, Charles Napier, Ron, Luke & Jake Pierce, and Nadene Carter.We are not sure of the exact year the Temperance Hall United Methodist was organized, but the earliest church records show it was active just after the Civil War. The current building was built in the late 1800’s after the previous building burned.
These church members believe in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Baptismal font completes labor of love for Rev. Ron Pulley
By Jim Bridges, Review Contributor
Retired pastor and woodwork artisan Ron PulleyIn 2005 construction began on a new sanctuary for Crossville First United Methodist Church. Since the pulpit and lectern would remain in the old sanctuary the church needed a source for these items. Retired minister Rev. Ron Pulley, who was known for beautiful woodworking as well as woodcarving, was asked to consider designing and building the pulpit, lectern and communion table. Those familiar with his work knew the pieces would be beautiful, that many hours of research and love and work would go into them and, best of all, the work would be done by a member of the congregation. Ron said he would be honored to take on the task.
From the onset he was thinking in terms of four pieces – the pulpit, lectern, communion table and a baptismal font. He planned on making all the pieces at one time but this didn’t work out so he reluctantly decided to set aside the baptismal font until later. Even before beginning work on the project he had put a lot of thought in it. He felt the design of the pieces should come out of each according to their function. For the baptismal font there was a tentative theme of living water. He envisioned using a stone bowl and until that was available he could not proceed with the base. Since crab orchard stone is so prominent in the area it had been suggested that Ron incorporate it into his design. He secured a stainless steel bowl and took it to Woody Mercer, of Turner Stone Company and a longtime member of Crossville FUMC. He told Woody what he was working on and that he needed a stone bowl but didn’t discuss the design. “Quite frankly I expected a plain old washbowl design,” Ron said. “When I saw it I was shocked and amazed but pleasantly surprised. It was gorgeous.” Despite the fact he was very pleased with the stone bowl there was a problem. It wouldn’t work with his original design. He saw this for what it was – a temporary setback – and set about coming up with a new design.
Base of the baptismal font showing some of the twelve shields, the shell on the pedestal and the stone chalice on top.While Ron and Joan were on vacation in New England all sorts of ideas were running through his head. In Mystic, CT, they were in a chapel when he saw a baptismal font that featured a podium design with a seashell on top. He took pictures for reference. A mental picture began to form that showed a stone bowl on top of a podium. After returning home his mind was working overtime trying to come up with a podium design. While looking through a woodworking catalog he saw a router bit that could be used to make twelve-sided columns. The number twelve jumped out. He started thinking about the disciples and tied them together with baptism. He remembered that the historical church had designed shields for each disciple. Ron went online and researched the shields. He worked up designs and incorporated them into carvings for the base. The shields are individually attached with screws to the twelve-sided base.
Shield for Simon Peter showing two crossed keys and an upside down cross.Designs for the shields and the disciples are: Andrew – an X-shaped cross because he felt he was not worthy to die on the same kind of cross as did Jesus; Bartholomew – a knife because tradition says he was put to death with knives in Armenia; James the Greater – three scalloped shells that stand for his great missionary work; James the Younger – a saw because his enemies were filled with such hate that they sawed his body into pieces; John – a serpent since legend states that when he was given a cup of poisoned wine to drink, he made a sign over the chalice and the poison became a serpent and crawled out; Judas Iscariot – a blank shield since the church gives him no official symbol; Judas, son of James – a ship with the shape of the cross on the mast because of his extensive travels on missionary journeys; Matthew – three money bags symbolizing his occupation as a tax collector prior to becoming a disciple; Philip – two loaves and a cross with the loaves for the feeding of the five-thousand and the cross to describe how faithfully he followed Jesus; Simon Peter – two crossed keys refer to Jesus’ statement about Peter being entrusted with the “keys to the kingdom of heaven” and an inverted cross which illustrates the way he was crucified because he did not feel worthy of dying the same way Jesus did; and Simon the Zealot – fish used because he was a “fisher of men” and a book as a symbol of the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ which early Christians wrote down on scrolls made of Papyrus.
The podium had taken on a lighthouse design so he made the outer edges rounded giving the effect of waves. The shell on the middle section of the podium has been the symbol of baptism from the early church. It was carved separately and mounted on the podium. It was done first and everything else was done around it. The podium is in three sections in reminiscence of the Trinity. The stone bowl resembles a chalice used in communion, one of the sacraments of the United Methodist Church.
Part II
A History of Beersheba Springs Hotel and Assembly
By Ann Troutt
Previously: John Armfield purchased the Beersheba Resort in 1854, closed it for several years to make repairs and to expand the facility. In the summer of 1857 he reopened the Resort complete with a French chef.
Armfield provided for the entertainment of guests on a grand scale. He brought in a French orchestra that played for dancing each evening in the ballroom above the dining room. Tuesday nights and Friday nights were designated as grand dress evenings and on those occasions guests sported their finest attire. Sometimes a masquerade ball was held. The ballroom was also used for theatrical productions, concerts and lectures. On Sunday, church services were held there. Episcopal priests led the services on Sunday mornings; ministers of other denominations preached on Sunday afternoons and evenings. The hotel had no saloon but there were billiard rooms, card rooms and bowling alleys. Gambling was prohibited. Daytime activities included walks to Stone Door and the Old Mill, horseback rides and fox hunts. The mountain spa became known throughout the South and was at the height of its glory from 1858 to 1860.
In 1859 Armfield sold the resort to a group of investors but, by 1861, the company had gone bankrupt with the advent of the Civil War. The hotel was closed during the war and the cottages of Beersheba Springs became places of refuge for families and their guests from time to time. Women spent their time sewing, knitting, weaving and cooking for Confederate soldiers on the battlefield and in hospitals. By mid 1863 Tennessee was losing ground to the Union and there was a continuous stream of soldiers and civilians pouring through Beersheba hurrying into the deeper South. Both northern and southern armies passed through at different times and occasionally they camped on resort property. Horses were stabled in the dining room. Many of the hotel’s furnishings were carried off to supply two military hospitals. The hotel and cottages were pillaged. On one occasion, the hotel was barely saved from destruction when a maid and a nine-year-old boy extinguished a fire set by fleeing soldiers.
The hotel reopened in 1870 but during the ensuing years it was a financial struggle to keep it open. It continued to operate as a quiet summer vacation site and ownership changed hands numerous times during the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth. Through the years the resort cottages built by John Armfield came to be owned by individuals or families and many of them have been passed down to succeeding generations until the present day.
In 1920 the hotel was used as a junior high school serving students who lived in the community and others who boarded at the hotel. Students who missed spelling words were required to spend their recess time working in the courtyard. Boys grubbed out tree stumps and girls swept the porches and the courtyard area.
In October 1941 the Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Church, responding to the need for an assembly and retreat center, purchased the antebellum hotel complex. The buildings had stood unused for several years and were in a state of disrepair. During the ensuing months Methodists from throughout middle Tennessee came with their hammers, mops and brushes. Individuals as well as entire families repaired, cleaned and painted, preparing to open the facilities for use in the summer of l942. Although there was electricity in the common areas, candles provided light in the sleeping rooms. There was one bathroom for women and one for men, each containing cold-water showers. The first season of operation the new Beersheba Springs Methodist Assembly Grounds hosted Youth Assembly, Young Adult Assembly, Pastors’ School, Children’s Workers’ Camp and three weeks of Intermediate Camp. A total of 717 persons made their way to the mountaintop that first summer in spite of the scarcity of automobile tires imposed by World War II. The next year the strain of the war continued and, even though gasoline was rationed, still more people came seeking inspiration and Christian fellowship.
During the summers of the 1940s and the 1950s attendance increased steadily as the Assembly came to be noted as a Christian retreat center. The ballroom, renamed the “assembly hall,” rollicked again with activity. Groups gathered there for Bible study, worship, hymn sings, classes, stunt shows and talent shows. During youth camps the room was used on rainy evenings for folk dancing, called folk games because some Methodists frowned upon dancing. Other evenings this popular form of recreation was held outdoors in the courtyard and, in later years, on the tennis court. Vesper Point overlooking the valley was a sacred site for outdoor services at dusk. Mealtimes were announced by the ringing of a dinner bell. Delectable home cooked type meals were served family-style on large tables in the dining room. Games of horseshoes, ping-pong and baseball were popular and hikes to Lovers’ Leap and Stone Door were favorite activities. Courts for croquet, tennis, badminton and shuffleboard were enjoyed by all ages. Porches with rocking chairs were always available.
Fairfield Glade Volunteers in Mission trip to Guadalajara, Mexico
By Paul Wennermark, 2008 VIM Team Leader
February 4-13, 2008 marked the second Volunteers In Mission (VIM) Trip, sponsored by the Fairfield Glade United Methodist Church, to Guadalajara, Mexico. The 2008 VIM trip included assistance with the ministries of Emmanuel Foundation of Guadalajara and special help for the children of Casa Hogar Emmanuel Orphanage.
The two primary ministries of Fundación Emmanuel Guadalajara include the orphanage operation and daily visits for evangelism in the nine prison facilities of the State of Jalisco. VIM team members were afforded the opportunity to participate in the latter as well. Paulette, Josh, Sherry, Joe, and Joanna made a visit to the women’s prison at Puente Grande. This visit included 3 children from the orphanage who were visiting their mothers in prison. Thirty-two Spanish Bibles and forty copies of El Aposento Alto (The Upper Room devotional) were other gifts brought by the VIM team for distribution
during prison visits.
VIM team members dressed in black preparing to do prison evangelism at the Puente Grande Women's Prison on outskirts of Guadalajara.
The primary mission work task was to finalize Phase II of the Casa Hogar Emmanuel Orphanage facility plan. Specifically, Phase II was the construction, adjacent to the main orphanage building, of a two-story 1600 square foot residence for the FEG Director. Our work tasks included the final finishing interior work of cabinet purchases and installation for the kitchen and building of closets for the upstairs three bedrooms. Purchase of a gas stove and all the necessary pots, pans, dishes, silverware and miscellaneous appliances completed a kitchen ready for use. In addition, a 50 foot brick sidewalk was constructed between the Director’s residence and the orphanage building.
All was not work for the VIM team members as we enjoyed the many opportunities for interaction with the children of the orphanage. Two especially enjoyable events included first of all, five hours spent with all the children in a local park picnic, in playing games and playing on the playground equipment, riding bikes, doing crafts, and being entertained by a clown.
Jasmine at Casa Hogar Emmanuel Orphanage.
The second treat, was the goodbye worship service on our final day at Casa Hogar. It ended in a tearful foot washing ceremony. This was followed by a two hour fiesta with singing, skits, dancing and an all-American party meal of hot-dogs, potato chips, Doritos, juices, and ice cream sundaes. Sightseeing and shopping time was included in the schedule.
Armfield provided for the entertainment of guests on a grand scale. He brought in a French orchestra that played for dancing each evening in the ballroom above the dining room. Tuesday nights and Friday nights were designated as grand dress evenings and on those occasions guests sported their finest attire. Sometimes a masquerade ball was held. The ballroom was also used for theatrical productions, concerts and lectures. On Sunday, church services were held there. Episcopal priests led the services on Sunday mornings; ministers of other denominations preached on Sunday afternoons and evenings. The hotel had no saloon but there were billiard rooms, card rooms and bowling alleys. Gambling was prohibited. Daytime activities included walks to Stone Door and the Old Mill, horseback rides and fox hunts. The mountain spa became known throughout the South and was at the height of its glory from 1858 to 1860.
In 1859 Armfield sold the resort to a group of investors but, by 1861, the company had gone bankrupt with the advent of the Civil War. The hotel was closed during the war and the cottages of Beersheba Springs became places of refuge for families and their guests from time to time. Women spent their time sewing, knitting, weaving and cooking for Confederate soldiers on the battlefield and in hospitals. By mid 1863 Tennessee was losing ground to the Union and there was a continuous stream of soldiers and civilians pouring through Beersheba hurrying into the deeper South. Both northern and southern armies passed through at different times and occasionally they camped on resort property. Horses were stabled in the dining room. Many of the hotel’s furnishings were carried off to supply two military hospitals. The hotel and cottages were pillaged. On one occasion, the hotel was barely saved from destruction when a maid and a nine-year-old boy extinguished a fire set by fleeing soldiers.
The hotel reopened in 1870 but during the ensuing years it was a financial struggle to keep it open. It continued to operate as a quiet summer vacation site and ownership changed hands numerous times during the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth. Through the years the resort cottages built by John Armfield came to be owned by individuals or families and many of them have been passed down to succeeding generations until the present day.
In 1920 the hotel was used as a junior high school serving students who lived in the community and others who boarded at the hotel. Students who missed spelling words were required to spend their recess time working in the courtyard. Boys grubbed out tree stumps and girls swept the porches and the courtyard area.
In October 1941 the Tennessee Conference of the Methodist Church, responding to the need for an assembly and retreat center, purchased the antebellum hotel complex. The buildings had stood unused for several years and were in a state of disrepair. During the ensuing months Methodists from throughout middle Tennessee came with their hammers, mops and brushes. Individuals as well as entire families repaired, cleaned and painted, preparing to open the facilities for use in the summer of l942. Although there was electricity in the common areas, candles provided light in the sleeping rooms. There was one bathroom for women and one for men, each containing cold-water showers. The first season of operation the new Beersheba Springs Methodist Assembly Grounds hosted Youth Assembly, Young Adult Assembly, Pastors’ School, Children’s Workers’ Camp and three weeks of Intermediate Camp. A total of 717 persons made their way to the mountaintop that first summer in spite of the scarcity of automobile tires imposed by World War II. The next year the strain of the war continued and, even though gasoline was rationed, still more people came seeking inspiration and Christian fellowship.
During the summers of the 1940s and the 1950s attendance increased steadily as the Assembly came to be noted as a Christian retreat center. The ballroom, renamed the “assembly hall,” rollicked again with activity. Groups gathered there for Bible study, worship, hymn sings, classes, stunt shows and talent shows. During youth camps the room was used on rainy evenings for folk dancing, called folk games because some Methodists frowned upon dancing. Other evenings this popular form of recreation was held outdoors in the courtyard and, in later years, on the tennis court. Vesper Point overlooking the valley was a sacred site for outdoor services at dusk. Mealtimes were announced by the ringing of a dinner bell. Delectable home cooked type meals were served family-style on large tables in the dining room. Games of horseshoes, ping-pong and baseball were popular and hikes to Lovers’ Leap and Stone Door were favorite activities. Courts for croquet, tennis, badminton and shuffleboard were enjoyed by all ages. Porches with rocking chairs were always available.
Fairfield Glade Volunteers in Mission trip to Guadalajara, Mexico
By Paul Wennermark, 2008 VIM Team Leader
February 4-13, 2008 marked the second Volunteers In Mission (VIM) Trip, sponsored by the Fairfield Glade United Methodist Church, to Guadalajara, Mexico. The 2008 VIM trip included assistance with the ministries of Emmanuel Foundation of Guadalajara and special help for the children of Casa Hogar Emmanuel Orphanage.
The two primary ministries of Fundación Emmanuel Guadalajara include the orphanage operation and daily visits for evangelism in the nine prison facilities of the State of Jalisco. VIM team members were afforded the opportunity to participate in the latter as well. Paulette, Josh, Sherry, Joe, and Joanna made a visit to the women’s prison at Puente Grande. This visit included 3 children from the orphanage who were visiting their mothers in prison. Thirty-two Spanish Bibles and forty copies of El Aposento Alto (The Upper Room devotional) were other gifts brought by the VIM team for distribution
during prison visits.
VIM team members dressed in black preparing to do prison evangelism at the Puente Grande Women's Prison on outskirts of Guadalajara.
The primary mission work task was to finalize Phase II of the Casa Hogar Emmanuel Orphanage facility plan. Specifically, Phase II was the construction, adjacent to the main orphanage building, of a two-story 1600 square foot residence for the FEG Director. Our work tasks included the final finishing interior work of cabinet purchases and installation for the kitchen and building of closets for the upstairs three bedrooms. Purchase of a gas stove and all the necessary pots, pans, dishes, silverware and miscellaneous appliances completed a kitchen ready for use. In addition, a 50 foot brick sidewalk was constructed between the Director’s residence and the orphanage building.
All was not work for the VIM team members as we enjoyed the many opportunities for interaction with the children of the orphanage. Two especially enjoyable events included first of all, five hours spent with all the children in a local park picnic, in playing games and playing on the playground equipment, riding bikes, doing crafts, and being entertained by a clown.
Jasmine at Casa Hogar Emmanuel Orphanage.
The second treat, was the goodbye worship service on our final day at Casa Hogar. It ended in a tearful foot washing ceremony. This was followed by a two hour fiesta with singing, skits, dancing and an all-American party meal of hot-dogs, potato chips, Doritos, juices, and ice cream sundaes. Sightseeing and shopping time was included in the schedule.
VIM team members laying a brick sidewalk to main orphanage building
Other helping activities included doing miscellaneous plumbing repairs, working in the kitchen and caring for children. Five VIM team members had the joy of riding with some of the orphans to visit with their mothers on their Wednesday visitation day at the women’s prison at Puente Grande. Evangelizing with the prison inmates by singing and witnessing to Christ was a part of this visit.
Besides the funds collected to pay for materials and supplies on the construction projects, church members and persons from the community donated resources to support and encourage the children in the orphanage—this included reading materials, craft supplies, mattress pads, and bibles. Supplies were also provided for the orphanages’ in-house dental/medical clinic.
The 14 VIM Team members who made the trip were Jorge Berrios, Tom Bowman, Marvin Hetrick, Joe & Carolyn Karl, Richard Edler, Pastor Max Mayo, Josh & Joanna Newberry, Curt & Paulette Richardson, Howard Robb, Sherry Weatherford, and Paul Wennermark.
Bishop Joe E. Pennel to release new book, God, Cornbread and Elvis: Pondering the Things of Everyday Life.
Bishop Joe E. Pennel
The inspiriational writings of Joe E. Pennel, Jr. have been popular among United Methodists for over thirty years. These popular writings are now gathered together for the first time in his new book, set to release this month, entitled God, Cornbread and Elvis: Pondering the Things of Everyday Life.
Other helping activities included doing miscellaneous plumbing repairs, working in the kitchen and caring for children. Five VIM team members had the joy of riding with some of the orphans to visit with their mothers on their Wednesday visitation day at the women’s prison at Puente Grande. Evangelizing with the prison inmates by singing and witnessing to Christ was a part of this visit.
Besides the funds collected to pay for materials and supplies on the construction projects, church members and persons from the community donated resources to support and encourage the children in the orphanage—this included reading materials, craft supplies, mattress pads, and bibles. Supplies were also provided for the orphanages’ in-house dental/medical clinic.
The 14 VIM Team members who made the trip were Jorge Berrios, Tom Bowman, Marvin Hetrick, Joe & Carolyn Karl, Richard Edler, Pastor Max Mayo, Josh & Joanna Newberry, Curt & Paulette Richardson, Howard Robb, Sherry Weatherford, and Paul Wennermark.
Bishop Joe E. Pennel to release new book, God, Cornbread and Elvis: Pondering the Things of Everyday Life.
Bishop Joe E. PennelThe inspiriational writings of Joe E. Pennel, Jr. have been popular among United Methodists for over thirty years. These popular writings are now gathered together for the first time in his new book, set to release this month, entitled God, Cornbread and Elvis: Pondering the Things of Everyday Life.
In a language and style that touches the heart of the everyday person, Pennel ponders topics like: God’s Grammar of Love; Suffering; Tolerance; What it means to be Christian; Fault-Finding; Forgiveness; Laughter; Living with Uncertainty; and the Larger Questions of Life. On the lighter side, Pennel ponders Raymond, Rudolph, and Otie; Kitchen-Table Friendship; The Big Hole; The Milk Machine; What About Elvis? Reeboks and a 
Real Friend; Busy Whittlin; Reece’s Timing; and Cornbread, Catfish and Christianity!
Pennel states, “In writing these pieces, I have tried to connect to the reader by doing two basic things. First, I wanted to reflect on life from the vantage point of the Christian faith. Second, I have hoped to help the reader to ponder, in a much deeper way, on the meaning of everyday matters.
The book will be launched on Sunday, June 8, at Brentwood United Methodist Church in Brentwood, Tennessee. Copies will be available for $14.95 in the OutPost (Brentwood Church Bookstore), and Pennel will be available from 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and again from 12:00 noon – 12:30 p.m. to sign books.
Real Friend; Busy Whittlin; Reece’s Timing; and Cornbread, Catfish and Christianity!Pennel states, “In writing these pieces, I have tried to connect to the reader by doing two basic things. First, I wanted to reflect on life from the vantage point of the Christian faith. Second, I have hoped to help the reader to ponder, in a much deeper way, on the meaning of everyday matters.
The book will be launched on Sunday, June 8, at Brentwood United Methodist Church in Brentwood, Tennessee. Copies will be available for $14.95 in the OutPost (Brentwood Church Bookstore), and Pennel will be available from 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and again from 12:00 noon – 12:30 p.m. to sign books.
posted by TN Conference UMC @ 5:38 AM
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