April Youth Info

Sunday Morning Worship

Church Street is offering in-person worship experiences at 8:30 and 11:00 on Sunday mornings and online via YouTube at 11:00 each week.  We would love for you to join us!  If your family would like to attend in-person, please use the link below to register!
Confirmation Sunday
This Sunday, April 25 is Confirmation Sunday!  We are so excited to welcome our 6th and 7th graders into the congregation.  They have worked hard all year and have been committed to Zoom meetings on Sunday mornings.  They have partnered in mission with the Beacon on Hope to provide items for the Food Co-Op and have raised funds with Heifer International to provide animals to families in need around the world.  If you want to help us celebrate this special Sunday, join us at the 8:30 service to welcome them!

In-Person NightLife

NightLife is back!! We had such a special evening on Sunday night as we gathered together for the first time. We’ll be back again this Sunday at 5:00 in the gym! Here is everything you need to know:
  • Masks are required and social distancing must be observed
  • Bring your own Bible
  • Temperatures will be checked upon arrival
  • Enter through either the CLC Breezeway doors or the Youth Area doors
  • NightLife will be in the gym
  • We will sit (6 feet apart) with our small groups for the whole evening and we won’t go into small rooms
  • Pick up will be in the Youth Lot at 6:00
  • We will have office hours until 6:30
We are SO THRILLED to be together and to see your faces. If you’re not ready to join us for in-person activities yet, please log in to Zoom! We’ll have a small group there as well.
Senior Deadlines Extended
Our original deadline for our college applications was set for Sunday, March 28. But due to some technical issues we are extending the deadline until April 30! Please get those applications in before that date! Let Jenny know if you have any questions.
If you have not submitted your form for Senior Form, please do that ASAP to be included as we celebrate the class of 2021!
MAD in the City
Mark your calendars for one of our favorite events of the year – Making a Difference (MAD) in the City! We’ll be serving together in mission July 11-14.
This year, we will modify the event to allow for appropriate COVID-19 protocols, so we won’t be staying overnight at church. But it is still going to be a special week of service, worship, and fellowship. Stay tuned for more info!
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Senior Spotlight: Anna Grace Cathey

One of our favorite things about the spring semester each year is celebrating our graduating seniors.  And this year, we’re a special Senior Spotlight series on our blog.  Our seniors answered interview questions earlier this spring and it has been so much fun learning their answers! Check back in each week to get to know our seniors better and help to cheer them on as they wrap up high school and prepare for their next steps!

Meet Anna Grace Cathey!

What high school are you graduating from?
Webb School of Knoxville
What are your plans for next year?
University of Tennessee Knoxville
What is your favorite bible verse?
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” – John 3:16
If you could choose one meal to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Mac and cheese
If you could give some advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Stand up for your beliefs
What is your favorite Church Street memory?
Children’s worship with Miss Sue
What are you most excited about going into the next season of your life?
Going to college!
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Senior Spotlight: Graham Lischer

One of our favorite things about the spring semester each year is celebrating our graduating seniors.  And this year, we’re a special Senior Spotlight series on our blog.  Our seniors answered interview questions earlier this spring and it has been so much fun learning their answers! Check back in each week to get to know our seniors better and help to cheer them on as they wrap up high school and prepare for their next steps!

Meet Graham Lischer!

What high school are you graduating from?
Webb School of Knoxville
What are your plans for next year?
Attend University of Virginia
What is your favorite bible verse?
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” – Jeremiah 29:11
If you could choose one meal to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Steak and Potatoes
If you could give some advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Step out of your comfort zone.
What is your favorite movie?
Dazed and Confused
What is your favorite Church Street memory?
MAD in the City
What are you most excited about going into the next season of your life?
Meeting new people and discovering my career path.
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Senior Spotlight: Mary Kate Holladay

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One of our favorite things about the spring semester each year is celebrating our graduating seniors.  And this year, we’re a special Senior Spotlight series on our blog.  Our seniors answered interview questions earlier this spring and it has been so much fun learning their answers! Check back in each week to get to know our seniors better and help to cheer them on as they wrap up high school and prepare for their next steps!

Meet Mary Kate Holladay!

What high school are you graduating from?
West High School
What are your plans for next year?
Attend college (undecided as of now)
What is your favorite bible verse?
“I can do all things through who Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13
If you could choose one meal to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Chicken minis from Chick-fil-a
If you could give some advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Don’t take the little moments for granted- life is very precious and you should cherish it.
What are your top 3 favorite movies?
Titanic, 10 Things I Hate About You, Sound of Music
What is your favorite Church Street memory?
Getting the opportunity to start off my summer by traveling to a new place, singing to unfamiliar people, and growing closer with those around me in the youth choir.
What are you most excited about going into the next season of your life?
To step out of my comfort zone and experience new things that will help me grow as a person.
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March Info

In-Person NightLife is happening!!!!!! Mark your calendars for Sunday night, April 11 at 5:00.  More details to come!!!!

In-Person Worship

Did you see the news?! Church Street is opening back up for in-person worship! Glory be and hallelujah. There will be services beginning March 14 at 8:30 and 11:00. Online worship will still be available on YouTube, as well. Sunday school and NightLife are not far behind! Please click at the link below to register for worship.

Register for Worship

Lent Study

During Lent this year, we will do a study during NightLife called “Seven Words: Listening to Christ from the Cross.” We will take a look at the final statements Jesus made at the end of his life. This study offers a hopeful and reflective look at the cross during Lent, and we are so looking forward to working through it together.  We are looking at participating in Lent through three categories: giving something up, taking something on, and being mission minded.  Join us at 5:00 on Sundays to learn more about the work of Christ on the Cross.

In-Person Pick-Up

This Sunday night, we are having an in-person event in the Magnolia Lot (outside the Welcome Center) for Palmer Sunday!
We are putting together a box of supplies to help us practice stillness and be intentional during Holy Week. We will be in the lot from 4:00-6:00 – come by and see us and pick up your box!

Youth Website Update

We’re excited to share that we have a fresh page dedicated to Youth Ministry on the Church Street website. Our old website (churchstreetyouth.com) will still be up, but our info and blog posts will be shared on this new page. Click below to check it out!

Youth Page

Senior Info

Graduating Seniors, it is so hard to believe you are in the home stretch of your high school careers. You should have already received an email from me about with everything you need to know about Senior Sunday, scholarships, and senior info we need from you.  If not, please let me know and I will forward it to you.  Click below to access our Senior Info form and our scholarship application.

Senior Info

Scholarship Application

Dates:

March 7 – Regular NightLife, Lent Session 3

March 14 – No NightLife, Knox County Spring Break

March 17 – Youth Parking Lot Hang Out

March 21 – Regular NightLife, Lent Session 4

March 28 – Drive-by NightLife – Holy Week Pick-Up, Palm Sunday

NightLife Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86994229398

Confirmation Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85193587558

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February 2021

Jenny is Back from Maternity Leave

Thank you so much to everyone who made it possible for me to step away for a time as we brought Baby Sam into the world. As I’m sure you can imagine, navigating all of this in the midst of a pandemic has certainly been strange, but we have felt so loved and cared for. We can’t wait for you to meet him! We are all doing well! Sam is looking great, Cooper LOVES his little brother, and Jordan and I are so grateful to have been entrusted with these two little boys.

Click here to listen to a “welcome back” message from Jenny

In-Person Worship

Did you see the news?! Church Street is opening back up for in-person worship! Glory be and hallelujah. There will be services beginning March 14 at 8:30 and 11:00. Online worship will still be available on YouTube, as well. Sunday school and NightLife are not far behind! The official dates are to be determined – but we are looking forward to being together after Easter!  Stay tuned for more info!

Lent Study

During Lent this year, we will do a study during NightLife called “Seven Words: Listening to Christ from the Cross.” We will take a look at the final statements Jesus made at the end of his life. This study offers a hopeful and reflective look at the cross during Lent, and we are so looking forward to working through it together.  We are looking at participating in Lent through three categories: giving something up, taking something on, and being mission minded.  Join us at 5:00 on Sundays to learn more about the work of Christ on the Cross.

Ash Wednesday

February 17 is Ash Wednesday! Church Street is offering several opportunities to receive ashes as well as an online service of repentance at 6:00 on YouTube. To receive ashes, there is a drive thru option – just head to the Welcome Center at one of the times below and a pastor will impose ashes when you roll down your window.  You can receive ashes during three different windows of time:

7:00-9:00 AM
12:00-2:00 PM
6:00-8:00 PM

Youth Website Update

We’re excited to share that we have a fresh page dedicated to Youth Ministry on the Church Street website. Our old website (churchstreetyouth.com) will still be up, but our info and blog posts will be shared on this new page. Click below to check it out!

Youth Page

Senior Info

Graduating Seniors, it is so hard to believe you are in the home stretch of your high school careers. Be on the lookout for information later this month about college scholarships & Senior Sunday!

Dates:

February 7 – No NightLife

February 14 – Regular NightLife, Lent Series Introduction

February 17 – Ash Wednesday

February 21 – Regular NightLife, Lent Session 1

February 28 – Regular NightLife, Lent Session 2

NightLife Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86994229398

Confirmation Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85193587558

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Lent 101

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday and marked the beginning of the season of Lent. But what is Lent? And why do we honor this season?

Lent is the 40 days (excluding Sundays) leading up to Easter Sunday. It is a season of repentance and reflection, of turning toward the Cross and fixing our eyes on Jesus.

Each year during NightLife, we discuss 3 specific ways we can participate in Lent.

1. Giving something up: fasting from something that is a regular part of our life in hopes of reminding ourselves daily of our need to repent and rely on Christ
2. Taking something on: adding something to our daily lives that will deepen our relationship with Jesus through spiritual growth
3. Being mission minded: being focused on seeing our everyday world as a mission field in need of Christ’s love and grace AND challenging ourselves to serve our community with intention

So, how do we choose what to do during this season if we want to participate?  There is no magic formula to choose the “right” thing.  But here are some questions to ask to help us discern what God might be calling us to during Lent.

  • What is distracting me from my relationship with Jesus?
  • Where might I need to grow spiritually?
  • What have I neglected in my life that needs attention?
  • Where do I see need a in my community?
  • How can I invest deeply in my faith?
  • What is a daily practice that would influence my relationship with God?
  • How can I become more aware of the Holy Spirit each day?

Most importantly, let’s pray about what God might be challenging us to do during this season.  And then ask ourselves why?

If I feel lead to give up sweets, why?

If I feel lead to take up a new quiet time practice, why?

If I feel lead to give financial support to a ministry or cause, why?

The answers may seem obvious, but it’s important to pray about the answers, all the same.  Often times in my own life, God has used seemingly simple things to challenge and grow me the most.

Psalm 51 is a beautiful psalm that is especially relevant during Lent.  Verses 10-12 say:

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

This is our hope for the season of Lent – that by giving up or taking on or focusing on serving others, God might create clean and pure hearts within us all.  That His Spirit might renew us and that we might become more aware of His presence. That we might draw near to Jesus and become more like Him each day.

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Confirmation Class Zooms Along!

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Confirmation Class

During this time of the COVID pandemic and in-person classes being suspended, Church Street’s Confirmation class has continued without any interruption. This year’s class of fifteen 6th and 7th graders began last September and will continue through April 2021. They meet every Sunday at 11 am via Zoom. The parents join the students on screen the first Sundays in the month.

The class is taught by Rev. Rick Isbell with on-screen help from Russell & Melanie McNutt and Jeri Strong. Behind the scenes Jenny Cross’ support has been tremendous in setting up electronic student folders, and Paula Buckner’s filing system of past Confirmation materials has been invaluable in helping us continue to get important Confirmation materials to students.

We have been delighted for our clergy staff to join the class periodically along with Confirmation mentors. In addition to weekly class sessions, class members have also been collecting food items for BOH Food Co-op as well as money to contribute to Heifer Project International.

In spite of all the challenges and hurdles of doing class via Zoom, the students have been great in their attendance and participation. We’ve even had some class members to join us while traveling in the car on trips (there are some advantages to Zoom!). What the future holds, we don’t know; but the Confirmation class will keep zooming along.

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Seek Joy …

We’ve made it to the weekend! Way to go, friends! I knew you could do it.  Time always feels warped in the midst of transitions – flying by or dragging on or somehow both? But either way, it is Friday. And Fridays are good.

We’ve spent the week looking at different ways to adjust to the start of the new year.  We’ve consider taking things one step at a time, being still, quieting our souls, and making room for grief.  (If you missed any of those posts, click here to access the rest of the blog).

Today, we focus on one final mindset: seek joy.

If you’re like me, it’s far too easy to get stuck in the weeds these days.  And if I’m not careful, I forget to look around and celebrate the good things that are all around.  I want to be clear, seeking joy is not turning a blind eye to pain or ignoring the hard things in our lives and world.  That is why yesterday’s post was all about making room for grief!  No – seeking joy is about opening our eyes to the grace that sustains and delights in the midst of our ordinary lives.

Today’s resource is a simple practice, one we’ve talked about before.  I call it gratitude journaling, but you could call it something else: thankful list, joy sightings, you get the idea.  The concept is simple.  Challenge yourself to document the things that bring you joy each day.  Here are some different ways you can practice this:

  • take a photo everyday of something joyful
  • write down three things each night that you are thankful for
  • share around the dinner table your favorite parts of the day
  • start each morning by saying a “thank you” prayer for things that bring your joy

This is not an exhaustive list, it is merely a starting place.  This practice can be tweaked to fit your life in a multitude of ways.  Make it your own.  Whenever I am consistently practicing this, I am always surprised by the way my mind is transformed.  I start to see joy popping up all around, even in the most unexpected of places.

There is joy to be found, I believe that with my whole heart.  And honestly, I think seeking joy while we’re walking through darkness is one of the ways that we become more Jesus.

Our scripture today comes from Romans 15:13:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

These are some of Paul’s closing words to the Roman church.  For the past 14+ chapters of this letter, he has been diligently teaching about the truth of the Gospel to a body that is viciously divided.  The Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians simply cannot get on the same page, and the division is wearing them down.  Paul painstakingly reminds them that, at the end of the day, it’s all about Jesus and allowing Him to change our hearts, rather than being chained to rules and regulation.

And what does he say as he approaches his “In conclusion…” paragraph?  “May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace.”  Oh, let it be so.

Let’s seek joy.  This simple act might just change everything.

Grace and peace,

Jenny

P.S. Need one more tangible way to seek joy these days? Join us for the YOUTH KICK-OFF on Zoom on Sunday night at 6:00.  Use this link to sign on with us: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83344427793

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Make Room for Grief …

For most of the past few months, I have been mostly ok.  Doesn’t that seem strange?  The world has felt like it was crumbling most days, and I have been ok.  That’s not to say I haven’t felt sad from time to time or had my heartbroken by the news. Or that everyday feels like a joyful adventure.  I’ve found myself feeling square in the middle most of the time.  If you asked me “How are you?” I would probably respond, “I’ve been better, I’ve been worse.” The middle. No man’s land.

But last night, I had to go to Church Street to do some brief preparation for our online Kick-Off Sunday night.  (P.S. Do you have it on your calendar?! See you on Zoom at 6:00!) I walked into our worship room and it hit.  The last time I was in that room on a Wednesday night was in March. MARCH. And we still have a long road to walk before we can safely join back together.  I was so surprised by the ache that I felt.  Because in the grand scheme of all that is happening in our lives and the world, walking into an empty room isn’t such a big deal.  But it was the step that woke me up a little bit inside. That reminded me that there is more going on under the surface of my soul than I realized.

So, what is our theme for today? Make room for grief.

What are the things that feel heavy in your heart?  Name them. No matter how big or small.

Are you sad about a virus that continues to spread, even though you’ve had to give up so much to it already?  Are you aching about the racial injustice we are seeing nationwide? Are you fearful about being back in school?  Are you disappointed because you are learning at home? Have you lost a loved one and not been able to honor their life the way you’d like? Has it been far too long since you’ve seen friends or family who live out of town?  Have things that bring you joy (graduations, performances, recitals, sporting events, family traditions, etc.) been put on hold? Does your faith feel like it’s slipping through the cracks without the rhythms of worship and youth group to keep you going? Are you frightened by violence and anger? Are you sad, but you aren’t even sure why?

Name it.  And hand it to our friend, Jesus.

In the Old Testament, there is a book called Lamentations.  And you probably guessed this by its title, but it is a book of lament, of sorrow, of heartbreak.  The author is writing it retroactively – so he is reflecting on what has already happened.  And he writes a series of poems telling the horrendous story of Israel’s fall to the Babylonians and the exile that followed. The entire book is one of pain, except for three short verses, found in the middle of the third chapter.  You’ve probably heard them before.  Lamentations 3:22-24 reads:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

These are the only words of hope in the whole book.  But the truth there is enough, even when we’re walking in darkness. This passage has inspired one of the most beloved hymns of all time, and it is our resource for today.  Great is Thy Faithfulness is a powerful song that praises God for His provision in the midst of our weakness and our grief.  One of my favorite lines says, “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.”  That single line has been a stone of remembrance to me during the past few months.  When things feel hard and heavy, I’ve thought, “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,” and it has helped to carry me through.

Below, I’ve included one of my favorite recordings of this hymn.  It is sung by singer/songwriter Sandra McCracken who also wrote one of our youth group favorites, In Feast or Fallow.  Her take on this well-known hymn is simple and beautiful, and accompanied me on my drive home last night, reminding me that our Hope is in Jesus.  Yes and amen.

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Wherever you are on the spectrum of joy and sorrow, I hope you’ll make room for your grief.  Let’s name the hard things and then turn them over to the One who can carry it all.  If you ever need to talk, just say the word. I’m all ears.

Grace and peace,

Jenny

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