Lela Tarter died on Friday, June 5, 2009, after breaking her hip several weeks ago. She was the widow of Nazarene pastor, Gene Tarter, serving last in the Oak Ridge, Tennessee, congregation. When Gene died, she moved to Nashville and served in capacities which made hers the first face visitors saw when they entered the Adminis-tration Building on Trevecca’s campus. It was a friendly face. This morning, I helped facilitate her memorial service in the HCN Sanctuary where her son, Larry, her grandson, Shane, and her daughter-in-law, Tammy, spoke. We listened to a family tell of the gifts and graces of a life well-lived. Tammy’s father, Dr. Tom Cox, concluded the service with acknowledgements of her contributions to TNU and the Oak Ridge Church. The family escorted her body back to Oak Ridge for burial this afternoon. I am grateful this afternoon for a woman who gave her life to God and the church; raised her family to continue the legacy; finished her race with integrity. I am thinking there is a lot of cheering going on in heaven.
While one family celebrated and remembered a life on one end of the church campus, the other end was filled with 245 children who arrived to celebrate the first day of Vacation Bible School. It was organized and recruited pandemonium. It will be interesting to see how the week fills. The first day is usually not the largest day. I find the most amazing part of VBS to be the number of volunteers who make it happen.
Jessica Angle graduated from Tennessee Tech University on Saturday, May 9, 2009; packed a suitcase and left on Sunday, May 10, 2009, for Dallas, Texas; to start work on Monday, May 11, 2009, in the executive training program for Dillard’s. Congratulations to Jessica whose hard work is being rewarded.
Congratulations to Dalton Stephens, selected as the single Drum Major for the Mt. Juliet High School Marching Band of Gold for the 2009-2010 school year. Dalton shared the responsibility last year with another student. He is a rising junior.
Farewell to Madeleine Moser, who returns to her native Germany on June 9, 2009, after living with the Jon, Michelle, and Anna Cutright for the last ten months. Madeleine has attended Mt. Juliet High School as an exchange student. She has also lived as a vital member of the Building One Youth Group and sang in the HCN worship choir. We recognized Madeleine at the start of second service yesterday. We will miss you.
The HCN Prayer List keeps from 30-35 soldiers posted each week in the minds and hearts of the congregation and prayed for during pastoral prayer in both services on Sunday. I depend on you to both add names and to remove names when the deployed soldiers return home safely. Would you read through this list and if you know that a soldier is home, please contact the church office? Several of the men are active duty from HCN. Thanks.
Shay Coats, Tom Ferguson, Chad Adams, Timothy and Elizabeth Pool, Luke Carroll, William Young, Derek Adams, Adam Sempert, Evan Gire, Patrick Rasmussen, Dylan Booher, Chad Nelson, Clark Mitchell, David Lennon, Rob Wright, Jonathan Forester, Jamell Emerson, Mike Pickartz, David Martin, Pat Hall, Lori Bigger, Perry Tanner, Michael Weatherford, Chris Crabtree, Kurt Kile, Drew Parrish, John Knott, Ryan Sawyer
The church completes the payment of its budgets for others this month and we need lots of help. The truth is: we need an additional $40,000 to complete our responsibilities. If you made a pledge in November for the support of world missions and can speed up the payment of your pledge, that would be great. All outstanding responsibilities are for world mission.
On Monday, May 18, 2009, this was the last paragraph in my weekly letter to you:
I am always surprised at the evil which can be accomplished when we believe we are alone in pain and suffering. Temptation. Sickness. Unemployment. Depression. Betrayal. Broken relationships. The truth is as long as we trust in God, we are never alone. If the devil has been whispering in your ear lately, tell him to back off. Tell him in the name of Jesus. And keep on doing all the right things you already know to do.
The next week, I received this anonymous letter from someone in response:
I had come to believe that I was alone in my pain and suffering. Not alone in the knowledge of it, but alone in the daily living of it. The devil has been whispering to me, in the night while I sleep, in the glances of strangers, in the words of people I shouldn’t be talking to. His one whisper became like a thousand whispers, so loud I could hear nothing else, no one else. Not even God.
When I could not hear God, He sent me a letter. He said as long as I trust Him, I am not alone. He said to use His name and tell the devil to back off. He told me to keep doing what I knew was right. I could not help but cry as I read it. I am overcome, once again, with His great love for me. I have fallen face down and praised Him, thanked Him and asked for His forgiveness. He has forgiven me, even though I am not worthy of it. He has saved me. Again. I wanted to write Him a letter back, thanking Him for the mysteri-ous ways that He speaks to me. Thanking Him for never leaving me alone, and for putting people in my life who love me and care for me and who will speak to me on His behalf.
Last week, the author of the letter gave me permission to print their letter. I do so because I believe it will speak hope and grace to others who need to speak to the whisper.
In Christ Jesus,
Pastor Howard
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