Vacation Bible School
July 6-9 (Mon-Thu)
9:30 am-Noon
Family Life Center

Kids 4 years old – Rising 5^th Grade
Drop-off and Pick-up at the playground entrance

Registration Deadline: May 20th

Open to Erin Church members and grandchildren, and friends, ages 4 years old – rising 5th Grade. Middle school youth serve as Jr. Assistants and will receive service hours, if needed for a school/extra curricular activity.

Join us on a summer safari as we travel deep into the jungle to explore the nature of God! Kids will learn that God is:

• Creator
• Provider
• Protector
• Savior

Each day is full of fun, hands-on, activities: Bible Story, Music, Crafts, and Games!

Contact Joy Bornhoeft, Family Ministries Leader
865-588-5350
cec@erinpresbyterian.org

Registration is now closed.

The Matthew 25 initiative as a partnership among many PC(USA) congregations and mid-councils to implement the teachings of scripture as the Spirit gives us ability. Our Session has committed our congregation to working on the three core areas of this mission:

Although we are proud of what God is doing through us, we also acknowledge that there is always more to do. God is the only one who gets to say “it is finished.” Therefore our efforts are not accomplishments, they are an ongoing pursuit of healing, restoration, and peace for our relationships, systems, and societies.

Join Us!

Fourth Tuesday @ 6pm
Abridged Beer Co. (next door)

Do you have questions about faith or just want to discuss life and make deeper friendships at Erin? Do you identify either as a Gen-X or Millennial, or at least consider yourself part of the “younger” set of Erin’s membership? We invite you to gather for food, drinks, and conversation.

Nathan Barber is taking the lead on topics for discussion and is completely open to suggestions from the group. And Jesse, the owner of Abridged, has promised to save us a table and has offered a 20% discount for members of the group.

Erin will also provide childcare during the meeting in the Family Life Center. It’s easy to drop the kids off on your way to Abridged.

For more info, please be in touch with Nathan at nathan.barber213@gmail.com ; for questions about childcare, contact April at the office: admin@erinpresbyterian.org.

Bridge Refugee Services is the agency responsible for refugees who are resettled in East Tennessee with offices in Knoxville and Chattanooga. Refugees are approved to enter the US legally after months of vetting by the US State Department and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Most have been living in refugee camps, having left their home countries due to war or other disasters. Most recent refugees are from Syria, Sudan, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. Our government loans them money for transportation to their new home in the US, and they or their sponsors pay it back.

When refugees arrive in the US they may receive funds for housing, utilities and food for a few months while they work with their sponsoring agency to find a job, take English classes, and become part of their new community. They don’t have a drivers’ license or a car at first, so Bridge helps with rides to the grocery store, job interviews, doctor’s appointments, and so forth. Most refugees don’t expect to return to their country of origin because it’s just not feasible. Most of them hope to become US citizens and become a part of their new country and community.

Erin Presbyterian has sponsored two refugee families through Bridge: in the 1980s we sponsored a family from Russia, and in the early 2000s we sponsored a mom and her four children from Liberia. They all still live in Knoxville and are doing well.

A January 20 Presidential Executive Order suspended the United States Refugee Admissions Program, and on January 28 all federal grants to Bridge and other refugee resettlement nonprofits were suspended. These actions canceled already-booked travel plans for a number of families and halted funding for all refugee services.

Bridge is now without the money to pay for the work they do to support the families who arrived here recently. They have numerous volunteers, but without the infrastructure or basic funding, they can’t provide the much-needed services.

In response to this funding crisis, First Presbyterian Church, through an endowment, is matching all donations they receive up to $50,000 for Bridge Refugee Services.

Erin affirms the importance of the US refugee program, and the courage, character, and dedication of the refugees we have supported. They have become citizens, opened successful businesses, put their children through college, and become a vital part of their communities.

Vacation Bible School
June 24-27 (Mon-Thu)
9:30 am-Noon
Family Life Center

Kids 4 years old – Rising 5^th Grade
Drop-off and check-in begins at 9:15 each day

Get ready for an adventurous summer trek to exotic . . . Thailand!

At this year’s VBS, kids will explore the Word of God while learning about the people and culture of Thailand. Through music, games, bible story, snacks, and cultural experiences, kids will discover that:

• God is Real
• God is Love
• God is Forgiving
• God is Forever

Contact Joy Bornhoeft, Family Ministries Leader
865-588-5350
cec@erinpresbyterian.org

Photo Gallery

Vacation Bible School
July 10-13 (Mon-Thu)
9:30 am-Noon
Family Life Center

Kids 4 years old – Rising 5^th Grade
MS and HS Youth serve as Jr. Assistants

Come along on an epic adventure where kids are empowered to “Stand Strong for God.” Through bible stories, games, crafts, music, and fun, kids will learn that:

• God’s love helps us stand strong!
• Family and friends help us stand strong!
• Prayer helps us stand strong!
• The Bible helps us stand strong!

Contact Joy Bornhoeft, Family Ministries Leader
865-588-5350
cec@erinpresbyterian.org