What: Cornerstone and friends family outing. Weather Permitting
Where: Kingston Springs 30 minutes from WEUMC- Directions below.
When: Starts at Noon on Nov. 13

Family Style dinner (chicken and hotdogs) served around 4.30pm (starts to get dark early)

Bring your own drinks, field chairs, blanket, footballs, soccer balls, canoes, kayaks, fishing rods, walking shoes or anything fun to do outside.

There is a creek and two ponds.

There is an opportunity to campout, please bring your breakfast food.

Please RSVP by filling out the following survey:

Turnbull Creek Farm Directions
1299 Glendale Rd, Kingston Springs, TN 37082

• I- 40 West towards Memphis
• Exit 188 Kingston Springs. Turn right at the top of the ramp.
• Go left at the first stop light with the Sonic on the right.
• Stay on this road to downtown Kingston Springs for approx. 1.4 miles.
• Go Right at the at 3-Way Stop (Church of Christ on the Right). Take a Left at the next 3-Way Stop (Municipal Building on your Right) onto West Kingston Springs Rd. for 1.1 miles
• After 1.1 miles the road goes up a small hill to a 3-way stop. stay straight onto what becomes Craggie Hope Rd with Railroad Tracks on Right and Turnbull Creek on Left.
• After 1 mile, continue straight on Lover’s Leap Road (semi-paved road) as Craggie Hope Rd bears right and down thehill.
• After 1.2 miles on Lover’s Leap Rd. take left onto Weaver Farm’s blacktop driveway.

Click here to download pdf flyer with information and directions.

John Feldhacker told me on Sunday that the church is finally going to replace the percolator urns we have with some new equipment. He was excited because he is embarrassed when showing potential new members the church and they have to walk buy the old urns. Since I sell coffee equipment, I offered to help and sell anything I have at cost.

The bad news I have learned is that the church has only budgeted $500-$600 for the purchase of new equipment, which will only buy more of the urns like we are currently using. Nobody buys urns anymore - urns are 1950’s technology that boil the coffee in order to brew it - coffee should be brewed at 195-205F and not be continually heated. The good thing about urns is that they come in designer colors such as avocado and harvest gold.

To bring us up to 21st century coffee-brewing standards and handle the volume we need would cost $1500-$2100 - I don’t have a clear idea of our volume usage, so the numbers are not exact. The brewer would be able to hook up to a filtered waterline in the kitchen and would brew into 1.5 gallon thermal dispensers, which could be carried to the current urns locations around the church. We could throw in some fresh cream carafes. It could also be programmed to brew smaller batches for use during the week.

Since the church doesn’t have the money budgeted for the equipment, and we have many coffee drinkers in class, is this something Cornerstone would want to fund for the church (above and beyond normal pledges and contributions)? I realize it is a lot of money, and there are needier causes, but it would be an investment that would last for 15-20 years and potentially help with new members.

Let me know your thoughts - and keep in mind that the next step will be sourcing better Fair-Trade coffee.

Thanks,

Paul Ballenger

Please see list below and comment below what you would like to bring and if you can be an overnight host and / or driver.

Room in the Inn – Wednesday, March 3rd

Driver:

1. (Wednesday pm) Dave Mullendore or Paul Ballenger

2. (Thursday am) _________________________

Overnight hosts:

1. _____________________

2. _____________________

Hosts:

1.  Steve Beckham

2.  Skip Malone

3.  ________________________

4.  ________________________

5.  ________________________

6.  ________________________

Food Contributors:

1. 20 hamburger patties: Mullendore
2. 20 hamburger patties: Lowe
3. 40 buns: Tettleton
4. 40 cheese slices: Byassee
5. Condiments: Creekmore
6. 3 big bags of tater tots: Hoffman
7. Baked beans: Bryant
8. 30 individual bags of chips: Ryans
9. Ice cream/chocolate sauce: Creekmore
10. Drinks: Pritchett
11. Grill: Burrus or Ferrara
12. Breakfast items: Ferrara

13. 12 sack lunches each consisting of 1 or 2 sandwiches, fruit cup or applesauce, chips, drink and dessert: Horner
Heavy Bath Towels #1: Bryant
Heavy Bath Towels #2: _________

Disposable Safety Razors #1: Bailey
Disposable Safety Razors #2: Ballenger

Clothes - coats, sweaters, gloves and jeans, khakis, work pants:
#1: _____________
#2: _____________
#3: _____________
#4: _____________

Please contact me with questions at ballenger4@yahoo.com.

Sunday, January 24
First of a two part study on Romans
Whitson Lowe

Sunday, February 7
Second of a two part study on Romans
Whitson Lowe

Driver #1 (Wed night): Paul Ballenger
Driver #2 (Thurs AM): Paul Ballenger or RT Williams

Overnight Hosts:
#1: Paul Wallace
#2: Chris Ferrara

Hosts:
Steve Beckham, John Bryant, Allan Horner, Tammy Gray, Kevin Gangaware, Skip Malone
(Note to hosts: be there about 5:30)

20 Hamburger Patties (hand-patted): Lynch
20 Hamburger Patties (hand-patted): Bryant
40 Buns: Ryan
40 Cheese Slices: Ryan
(Note to Lynchs, Bryants, Ryans: please coordinate with Burrus‘ to drop off at his house for grilling)

Condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayo, tomato, lettuce, onion, pickle): Hornsby
(Note to Hornsbys: you might want to check fridge first - there is often plenty of some condiments already there)

3 large bags Tater Tots: Sarah Sisk

Lots of Baked Beans: Missy Wallace

30 Individual bags chips: Pritchett

Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce: Babs White
(Note to Babs White: you might want to check fridge first to see what is already there)

Drinks: Sandy Lowe (already delivered)

Grill: Byron Burrus

Milk for Breakfast: Slattery
OJ for Breakfast: Mullendore
Breakfast Casserole: Tammy Gray
(Note to Tammy: let me know if you need help or recipe)
Muffins or Donuts: Chris Ferrara

12 Sack Lunches (1/2 sandwiches, fruit, chips, drink, dessert): Laura Creekmore
(Note to Laura: let me know if you need help or advice)

Feel free to comment below or contact Paul Ballenger with any questions.  Thanks.

We will devote the last 20 minutes or so to Selecting / Electing class positions for 2010.

Jean Byasee will convene our class next year.
Chris Ferrara is happy to continue as communications liaison.

Areas that will need folks are as follows:

Spiritual Formation a/k/a Curriculum Committee
Sunshine Committee
Outreach
Inreach
Social

Current positions are as follows:

Convener: John Bryant

Communicator: Chris Ferrara

Spiritual Formation a/k/a Curriculum Committee: Amy Lynch, Tom Hooper, Larry Graves, Allan Horner, Sean Ryan, John Nance, Missy Wallace, Byron Burrus, Steve Slattery

Sunshine Committee: Gretchen Horner, Rachel Hornsby, Jill Beckham

Outreach: Anna Tettleton

Inreach: Elizabeth Ryan, John Nance

Social: Elizabeth Slattery, George Lynch

Treasurer: Gretchen Horner

Secretary: Amy Lynch

We are moving Gourmet Market to the fall rather than the spring – thinking folks would appreciate the opportunity to purchase casseroles before the holidays.

We are looking for cooks – folks who can commit to preparing casseroles from the recipes we give you.  We will also give you a shopping list of ingredients, clear directions, and the pans in which to freeze the casseroles.

We need to know NOW if you are willing to be one of our cooks!  If so, please send an email to Susan Sandlin - ssandlin@westendumc.org -  letting us know we can count on you.  Also download and print the volunteer form - click here to download, complete and return it to the folder at Margaret’s desk.  We will have supplies to you by the end of this week.

If cooking is not your favorite activity, you might like to volunteer to sell casseroles or donate funds for the supplies.  If so, please complete and return the volunteer form to the folder at Margaret’s desk.

Thanks for your help and support in advance!

The following story reminded me of our discussions last Sunday regarding ‘faith’.  My dear friend back home that I grew up with sent this to me.

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth’s rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him and leaves him
alone.

He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the
blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it.

He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he does this, he must not talk about it.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must
come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified.
He can hear all kinds of noises.
Wild beasts must surely be all around him.
Maybe even some human might do him harm
The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat
stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could
become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his
blindfold.

It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to
him.

He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm.

We, too, are never alone.
Even when we don’t know it,
God is watching over us,
Sitting on the stump beside us.
When trouble comes,
All we have to do is reach out to Him.

If you liked this story, pass it on.
If not, you took off your blindfold before dawn.
Moral of the story:
Just because you can’t see God,
Doesn’t mean He is not there.
‘For we walk by faith, not by sight.’