The Persistent Widow and the Unjust Judge

The Widow and the Judge
Parable of the Unjust Judge by John Everett Millais (1863)

This Sunday we'll be looking at another parable that appears only in Luke's gospel. We have talked before about parables as a frequent teaching tool of Jesus intended not to give us an easy moral lesson, but to unsettle us, disturb us, make us think and wrestle and work to understand how a story gives us insight into the Kingdom of God. We have two more Sundays in our series on the Stories from a Jewish Rabbi (with much thanks to Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, professor of New Testament studies at Vanderbilt, and her book Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi). Join us Sunday as we explore Luke 18:1-8.

Weather Schedule

Winter Wonderland

I love the snow. Like most of you, I'm ready to see it go by the time spring rolls around, but I love it when it snows - everything is beautiful and bright. But along with the snow comes the occasional difficulty of navigating icy or snowy roads. Just as a reminder this season:

In every case, please use your own best judgment when deciding whether or not to get on the roads. For information about other activities (committee meetings, choir practice, women's group, etc.) please contact the individual facilitating that activity (committee chairperson, choir director, PW moderator, etc.)

Movie Night

O, God Movie Poster

We're going to try for movie night again this week and hope the weather cooperates. Join us Wednesday (27 January) for dinner and the George Burn's documentary O, God.

January Collection Items

Food Bank January Items: Canned Pinto Beans

Please remember the Greene County Food Bank and Samaritan's Purse collections for the month of January when you're doing your shopping. January collection items are:

Coming up at Timber Ridge...

Committee Opportunities

The Session had its first meeting last week, and elders are working on filling church committees for 2016. We need your help with the various activities and ministries we hope to accomplish this year. A brief list of the committees is below. Please prayerfully consider which one(s) might interest you, and let the committee chair or Brian know.

  1. Building Committee maintains and repairs the church physical facilities (Doug Roberts)
  2. Cemetery Committee oversees maintenance of the cemetery and grounds, and works with the funeral home and pastor in the event of a death (John Morrell)
  3. Christian Education Committee works with Sunday school and Vacation Bible School programs (Marilyn Brumley)
  4. Evangelism Committee strives to engage with members of the community outside of the church (Lisa Balabas)
  5. Mission Interpretation and Stewardship (MIS) Committee is responsible for the financial wellbeing of the church and special offerings throughout the year (Paul Burkey)
  6. Nurture Committee seeks to care for members of our church family, especially shut-ins and the sick, and plans our annual Fall Retreat in Banner Elk, NC (Kimra Crocker)
  7. Worship Committee works with the pastor to plan worship leadership, ushers, communion, pulpit supply, and our spring and fall picnics in the pavilion (Charlie Harmon)
  8. Youth Planning Committee is responsible for our Wednesday evening and other special Youth activities throughout the year (Amy Cobble)

Please prayerfully consider where God is calling you to serve this year, and let the pastor or an elder know by February 10.