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SPIRE
June 17, 2013
Mission Statement
Growing Disciples of Christ by Seeking God, Sharing Love and Serving Others
Welcome to Our New Members, Adam Long and Robyn Laurent!
Adam and Robyn placed membership and were baptized on Sunday, June 16th (above pictured with family).
Core Values:
Welcoming Outstanding Worship Outreach Different Traditions Mission & Ministry On the Move Nurturing Transforming 2013 Areas of Focus
Prayer - Presence - Peace
woodmontchristian.org
The Theological Ethics of Stanley Hauerwas by Rev. Clay Stauffer, Senior Minister
I am now in my second week of classes at Sewanee continuing to work on my Doctor of Ministry. With a wife, two young children, and a busy church in Nashville, being back in school for a few weeks is not the most convenient of exercises but I am grateful for the opportunity to continue my formal education, and I am always challenged by it. Sewanee is a beautiful place, especially in the summer, and I enjoy my time up here on the mountain. One of the classes that I am taking this summer is called "The Theological Ethics of Stanley Hauerwas." Hauerwas is an ethicist at Duke University who just retired in May. Back in 2001, Time Magazine named him the most influential theologian in America, an honor that caught him by surprise. He will be in Sewanee this week to give two public lectures (Wednesday and Thursday at 7:00 p.m.) and to meet with our class. One of Hauerwas' most famous sayings is that, "the church does not have a social ethic, the church is a social ethic." In other words, the church is called to be the manifestation of the "Peaceable Kingdom" in the world. We began the class by looking at "Ten Theses" that Hauerwas formed back in the seventies to challenge the way that both the Catholic and Protestant Church understood and did social ethics. Some of these are clearer than others and they come from chapter five of The Hauerwas Reader. They are worth some time and reflection. 6. Christian social ethics can only be done from the perspective of those who do not seek to control national or world history but who are content to live "out of control." This means that Christians must find the means to make clear to both the oppressed and the oppressors that the cross determines the meaning of history. They should thus provide imaginative alternatives for social policy as they are released from the "necessities" of those that would control the world in the name of security. To be out of control means Christians can risk trusting in gifts and not on what we can achieve and hence must protect at all costs. 7. Christian social ethics depends on the development of leadership in the church that can trust and depend on the diversity of gifts in the community. The authority necessary for leadership in the church should derive from the willingness of Christians to risk speaking the truth to and hearing the truth from those in charge. This is the kind of community that can afford to have their leader's mistakes acknowledged without their ceasing to exercise authority.
8. For the church to be, rather than have, a social ethic means we must recapture the social significance of common behavior, such as kindness, friendship, and the formation of families. Trust is impossible in communities that always regard the other as a challenge and threat to their existence. One of 1. The social significance of the Gospel requires the recognition the most profound commitments of a community, therefore, is of the narrative structure of Christian convictions for the life providing a context that encourages us to trust and depend on one of the church. The church is founded on the premise that the another. creator God decisively calls and forms a people to serve him 9. In our attempt to control our society [American] Christians through the history of Israel and through the work of Jesus Christ have readily accepted liberalism as a social strategy to bring about the redemption of the creation. appropriate to the Christian story (that is, story-less 2. Every social ethic involves a narrative, whether it is living). Liberalism (uniquely defined by Hauerwas), in its many concerned with the formulation of basic principles of social forms and versions, presupposes that society can be organized organization and/or with concrete policy alternatives. The without any narrative that is commonly held to be true. We must constantly remember that as Christians, we are a story formed form and substance of the Christian community is story formed. community and that story is what defines our existence. 10. The church does not exist to provide an ethos for democracy or any other form of social organization, but stands as a political alternative to every nation, witnessing to the kind of social life possible for those that have been formed by the story of Christ. The church's first task is to help us gain a critical 4. Communities formed by a truthful narrative must provide perspective on the stories that have captivated our vision and lives. the skills to transform fate into destiny so that the unexpected, By doing so, the church may well help provide a paradigm of especially as it comes in the form of strangers, can be social relations otherwise thought impossible. welcomed as a gift. From our story, we learn that we own I know, this might be more than you bargained for in a Spire nothing, and whatever we have is a gift. This understanding allows article. Hauerwas has never been afraid to go deep. But I will say us be less attached to our stuff. this the God who manifests himself in Jesus Christ calls us to 5. The primary social task of the church is to be itself - that is, live a life consistent with who we are and what we believe. Our a people who have been formed by a story that provides them faith in Christ and our social ethics are intertwined. with the skills for negotiating the danger of this existence, Blessings, trusting in God's promise of redemption. The church is a people on a journey who insist on living lives that are consistent with their conviction that God is the lord of history. They thus refuse to resort to violence in order to secure their survival.
Woodmont Christian Church 3601 Hillsboro Road Nashville, TN 37215 Visit our Webpage: www.woodmontchristian.org (615) 297-8563 fax: (615) 297-9319 email: wcc@woodmontcc.org Kim Adair, Editor Copyright 2013
3. The ability to provide an adequate account of our existence is the primary test of the truthfulness of a social ethic. The first task of the church is to help Christians form a community that looks like their story, the story of God showing up in unlikely places to bring about transformation and restoration.
We all know how true this is when it comes to diet, exercise, losing weight, reading the Bible, daily devotionals, and other such disciplines. We know we want to do it. We should do it. Our physical and spiritual health depends on it. Yet, we don't do it. We used to make New Year's resolutions to do these things, but we didn't keep them long. And now we don't even make This is what the church has been trying to teach us for resolutions any more. centuries! I'm glad the world of medicine is now preaching it. But if the church has been trying to get us to do it. For our The same Sunday Clay preached on this passage, one of our own betterment and good health Then why don't we do it? Sunday School classes was doing a study on the Holy Spirit. That's the question. So how do you answer it as far as you're They discussed how the Bible says we must "prepare ourselves" concerned? if we want to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Such preparation includes belief and trust, prayer, meditation, quiet time, and ~Roy
Join us this Wednesday Night - June 19th! 5:30 p.m. Gospel Sing-a-Long with David Regen and his pickers/players
(Gathering Hall) 6:15 p.m. Pot-Luck Supper (Rm 200) 7:00 p.m. After Supper Devotional led by Andra Moran (Rm 200)
9:30 a.m. Disciples Class (105) - Led by Pete Kyne "Book of Acts: Chapter 6"
If you currently receive a hard copy of The Spire in the mail and would like to receive it in an email format, please call the office at 297-8563 and let us know. All we need is your email address and we'll get you set up to receive it every Tuesday.
Challenge Class (200) Led by Bob Herrick "Acts of the Apostles" Young Adult Class (Boardroom) Led by Rob Quinn "There Are Rocks Everywhere" Spiritual Journeys Class for Women (The Bay) - Led by Anne Alexander Stauffer "Renewing Your Spirit - Setting Your Boundaries in Our Digital Society"
11:00 a.m. Second Hour of the Spiritual Journeys Class (The Bay) (Open to Men Also) Led by Anne Alexander Stauffer Reflections Class (200) Led by Marcella Derryberry Points of View (105) Led by Ralph Parsons and Doug King Book Discussion: "I Knew Jesus Before He Was a Christian" College & University-Aged Young Adults (107) - Led by Allen McDonald
Why:
2013Summer ReadingList AndraMoran *Brim:CreativeOverflowinWorshipDesign byAndraMoran&SuzanneCastle TheLittlePrincebyAntoinedeSaintExupry WishfulThinkingbyFrederickBuechner MessengerbyLoisLowry HomelessBirdbyGloriaWhelan CarlaSchooler *IAmNotButIKnowIAmbyLouieGiglio Grace(Eventually):ThoughtsonFaithbyAnneLamontt TheBarbarianWaybyEdwinMcManus TheLifeYou'veAlwaysWantedbyJohnOrtberg ClayStauffer *+EnoughbyAdamHamilton AmericatheBeautifulbyDr.BenCarson ThomasJefferson:TheArtofPowerbyJonMeacham OnGod'sSidebyJimWallis TheNewDigitalAgebyEricSchmidtandJaredCohen HowWillYouMeasureYourLife?byClaytonChristensen +IntroducingtheBiblebyWilliamBarclay SoRich,SoPoorbyPeterEdelman FarrellMason *SanctuarybyBeccaStevens APrayerforOwenMeanybyJohnIrving GospelMedicinebyBarbaraBrownTaylor TheEnergyofPrayerbyThichNhatHanh ThePoweroftheMythbyJosephCampbell JustinGung *LoveDoesbyBobGoff TraumaandRecoverybyDr.JudithHerman TheWillofGodasaWayofLifebyDr.GeraldSittser +ASevereMercybySheldonVanauken GenerousJusticebyTimKeller *StockedinSpireBooks +InWCCLibrary(Room208)forCheckout
MaryClareCarpenter *TearSoup:ARecipeforHealingafterLoss byPatSchwiebertandChuckDeKlyen +TheScrewtapeLettersbyC.S.Lewis +Man'sSearchforMeaningbyViktorE.Frankl TheTruthAboutMoneyLiesbyRussCrosson MichaelGraham *EveninginthePalaceofReason:BachMeetsFrederick theGreatintheAgeofEnlightenmentbyJamesR.Gaines Temperament:HowMusicBecameaBattlegroundfor theGreatMindsofWesternCivilizationbyStuartIsacoff LifeofPibyYannMartel RoyStauffer +LifeTogetherbyDietrichBonhoeffer +Man'sSearchforMeaningbyViktorFrankl +*NearingHomebyBillyGraham AmericatheBeautifulbyBenCarson +ChristianityAfterReligionbyDianaButlerBass TalluQuinn Roots,Shoots,BucketsandBoots:GardeningTogether withChildrenbySharonLovejoy SmallisBeautiful:EconomicsasifPeopleMattered byE.F.Schumacher DoingLife:ReflectionsofMenandWomenServingSentences byHowardZehr *Given:PoemsbyWendellBerry ProdigalSummerbyBarbaraKingsolver WhatArePeopleFor?:EssaysbyWendellBerry ThomSchuyler TheMansionontheHillbyFredGoodman AWalkintheWoodsbyBillBryson +TheRoadLessTraveledbyM.ScottPeck TrumanbyDavidMcCullough *TheKnowledgeoftheHolybyA.W.Tozer TreyFlowers *"ThouDearGod":PrayersThatOpenHeartsandSpirits byMartinLutherKing,Jr. PurposeDrivenYouthMinistrybyDougFields *BrimbyAndraMoran&SuzanneCastle *TheHeartofChristianitybyMarcusBorg *+TheWoundedHealerbyHenriNouwen
You are not alone If you need a confidential and caring Stephen Minister to talk with when you go through life's transitions or difficult times, call Kathy Patten (838-4957).
Special Guest Author, Jody Cartrell Dyer @ Woodmont Sunday, June 16th
Save the Date! Spiritual Journeys for Women Retreat at Bethany Hills November 9 & 10, 2013
Led by the Reverend Anne Alexander Stauffer
Plan to have your spirit, soul, mind, and body fed and nurtured by a wonderful team of guest speakers and teachers. More details to follow!
6/22 - Beau Collins 6/23 - Charlotte Crop 6/24 - Ben Smith 6/25 - Elise Mason 6/26 - Wyatt Wills
Needed!!
Decorating supplies for VBS:
Large Appliance
We will be "visiting" Australia, the UK, Zimbabwe, Mexico, and Japan. If you have any cultural items we could use for display please contact Catie Pratt at jc-pratt@comcast.net Please no valuables.
Bulletin Board
Opportunities at Woodmont
Wednesday, June 19 6:15 a.m. Men's Small Group (107) 7:00 a.m. Men's Bible Study (105) Younger Men's Bible Study (BR) 5:30 p.m. Gospel Sing-a-Long (GH) 6:15 p.m. Pot-Luck Supper (200) 6:30 p.m. Stephen Ministry (100, 107, Library) 7:00 p.m. After Supper Devotional (200) Thursday, June 20 Library Workday 7:00 p.m. Restore Classes (200, Youth Rooms) Saturday, June 22 2:00 p.m. WCC Golf Tournament at Forrest Crossings in Franklin Sunday, June 23 8:00 a.m. Elder Board Meeting (BR) 9:30 & 11:00 a.m. Sunday School 9:30 & 11:00 a.m. Worship (Sanctuary) 4:45 p.m. WCC Knitters (GH) 5:45 p.m. The Bridge Service (DH) Monday, June 24 4:00 p.m. "The Geezers" Men's Group (BR) Tuesday, June 25 9:00 a.m. Women's Prayer Group (CS) 10:30 a.m. WCC Book Club (107) 6:30 p.m. Young Adults (Off-Campus)
whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess." Martin Luther
Planning group and volunteers for VBS Welcome Neighbors, Everywhere
Fun Fair
Our youth and children attending Bethany Hills church camps this summer
attend worship
Prayer, Presence and Peace
SYMPATHY TO: Stuart & Jennifer Lackey and family on the death of Stuart's grandmother, Rebecca Lackey, on Monday, June 10, in Henderson, KY. Funeral services were held on Saturday, June 15, in Henderson. Keith Walker and family on the death of Keith's aunt, Ardoth Martin, on Thursday, June 13, in Dayton, TN. Arrangements are incomplete at this time. MILITARY PRAYER LIST: Wade Gossett, brother of Becca Gossett Dave Albritton, nephew of Dave & Pat Malone Clay Perry, son of Tim & Diane Perry Dan King & wife, Ashley King, brother and sister-in-law of Stephen Daniel King THOSE SERVING ABROAD: Jesse Garrison, Peace Corp in Armenia Courtney Valk, Peace Corp in Republic of Georgia
Let Us Know: Have information about someone in the hospital or with another ministry need? Please notify the church office during the week (297-8563) and Let Us Know.
DEACON SCHEDULE
June 23, 2013
Communion Prep: Service Coordinator: Video Camera: Willie Bandy 9:30 - Mike Fuller 11:00 - Rich Sanderson 9:30 - Grant Smothers 11:00 - Nicole Clayton 11:00 a.m. Steve LaForge Deb LaForge Stuart Lackey Don Mitchell John Hartong Jeremiah Pyron Mart Sesler Jean Ramsey
5:45 p.m.
WORSHIP SERVICES: June 23, 2013 9:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m Dr. D. Roy Stauffer, preaching "Paul's Letter to the Romans" Sermon Series: "Keeping Faith Focused" Scripture: Romans 10:5-13 5:45 p.m. - The Bridge Andra Moran, preaching "Tough Questions" Sermon Series: "What Does It Mean to be Made in God's Image?" Scripture: Genesis 1:27; Psalm 139:1-18
9:30 a.m. Kasey Clymer Mark Clymer Martha Galyon L.A. Galyon David Reynolds Jack Derryberry Betty McHugh Marcella Derryberry
9:30 a.m. David Conrad and Alan Sowell 11:00 a.m. Anne Mitchell and TBA 5:45 p.m. Park Owen