School supplies

School has started, and we want to help make sure that all students and their teachers at West End Middle School have the supplies they need for teaching and learning. Please purchase items from the list below and bring them to church no later than September 5. There are collection boxes for all items by the desk just outside Thomas’s study.

If you wish to make a financial contribution, please mark your online donation or check, “school supplies.” Carol Doidge and her team will use the funds to purchase the most needed items. Thank you for your support of our partnership with West End Middle School!

School Supply List

  • 5-tab dividers for 3 ring binders

  • Loose leaf wide-ruled notebook paper

  • Pencils

  • Blue or black ink pens

  • Highlighters

  • Composition notebooks

  • Ear buds

Classroom Wish List

  • Hand sanitizer

  • Paper towels

  • Kleenex

  • Clorox wipes

  • Dry erase markers

  • Post-it notes

  • Extra pencils, pens, notebook paper

  • Tape (scotch or masking)

  • Staples

Scandalous Gospel

At the end of August, we will launch yet another opportunity for faith formation: a study of The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus by Peter Gomes. Gomes was the Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church at Harvard, where he also served as Plummer Professor of Christian Morals. Having already written a couple of bestselling books on how to be a faithful and intelligent reader of the Bible, Gomes commented,

“Now I write another Bible book, with the radical suggestion that we use the Bible to go beyond the Bible and embrace that to which it points: the gospel, or the good news. In a time when it is easier to write about doom and gloom than about hope and promise, I suggest that Jesus came into the world not as a Bible teacher directing us back to the text, but as one who proclaimed a realm beyond the Bible. He proclaimed his good news against the conventional wisdom of his day, taking up with unacceptable people and advancing dangerous, even revolutionary, ideas, nearly all of which remain to be discovered and acted upon.”

Bill McKibben called it “a very important book,” and he added

“From his strategic post at the crossroads of many traditions, Gomes shows the only real way forward for American Christendom. And he does it with a depth of fierce and sometimes angry hope that’s new even for the finest preacher in the land.”

We can all use a good dose of fierce and sometimes angry hope, and so we invite friends and members of the congregation, as well as neighbors, to join us for a series of conversations about this book (you may also call it a book group; please borrow or purchase your own copy of the book). Thomas Kleinert will serve as the convener of two groups, one meeting in his study on Tuesday evenings at 5pm, starting on August 29, and the other on Wednesday mornings at 9am, starting on August 30, also in his study. The book has about 240 pages, and current plans expect the groups to meet weekly, about ten times, until the end of October/early November.

Please register to receive additional updates via email, and direct any questions you might have to Thomas.

Dinners with Margie

by Stephen Moseley

I have a friend who always asks to schedule work meetings over lunch, because "you gotta eat" he says. And when the hours in a day are few and far between, that logical and efficient approach makes a lot of sense.

As Margie continues to settle in at Vine Street, and continues to put names with faces and faces with stories and stories with history, we know she's "gotta eat" as well.

So, let's combine a few meals with some "getting-to-know-you" time over the next couple months.

If you are interested in joining a group of Vine Streeters and Margie for a meal, please fill out the short form below. Once groups are formed, we'll coordinate with Margie to schedule time together to, at a minimum, discuss our shared "Margie Bingo" squares.


Elders affirm "Pillars"

On Monday, our new Vine Street Elders met to discuss what it means to be spiritual leaders in a season of change. Given the significant cultural shift in churches, we challenged ourselves to a) be more transparent about what it means to be an Elder, b) show up in consistent and meaningful ways for the congregation, c) be observant and listen to the needs of our community, and d) be intentional about greeting visitors on Sundays.

We hope to embody, and help lead the congregation in embodying, our pillars of faith formation this year, and we believe that hosting events that offer interesting topics and food serve that purpose very well. Speaking of food, Quentin Flowers, Chair of Elders, brought chocolate to begin the meeting—not a bad way to start! 

We have begun referring to these Core Components as “Pillars of Faith Formation.”

Insight Webinar

Living Your Best Life Now: Mental Health for Older Adults – Panel Discussion

Monday, July 17 at 10 am CDT on Zoom

How do we bridge generational gaps and connect with the people in our family? What can we do to heal from the mental and emotional wounds from our past? Can seeing a therapist really help us live our best lives now?

Join us for a one-hour panel discussion where we’ll explore the unique struggles faced by adults aged 60 and over and the resources that are available for building mental, emotional, and spiritual strength and well-being.

Our featured panelists include therapists Ngodoo Golden, Amanda Gibson LPC-MHSP (Temp.), and Josh Medeiros LPC-MHSP (Temp.). This event is free to attend and open to all.

Please register to receive the event link.

At the Movies

Our Vine Street at the Movies group will gather on July 5 to watch a movie that is appropriate to the July 4th holiday and the summer season: National Treasure, with Nicholas Cage as a historian on the trail of clues hidden in the most famous documents of U.S. history. Expect mystery, thrills and a bit of humor as he and his associates unravel a dastardly plot at the nation's landmarks.

The group meets at 7:00 PM in the South Meeting Room (some will remember it as the former choir room). Please enter via the South Entrance.

Vine Street at the Movies is for folks who love to get together once a month, typically on the first Wednesday, to watch a movie. Jim Carls is the curator of the playlist, and he’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Petite Pentecôte

A little Pentecost! On July 2 we worship with our friends from the DR Congo, Nouvelle Alliance Christian Church. We will witness four baptisms, sing in Lingala and English, pray with Pastor Celet, and get pretty close to do a little dancing with our clapping! Nouvelle Alliance have used the Vine Street chapel for their weekly gatherings for several years. We have tried to worship together at least once a year, but it’s been a while, due to the pandemic disruption. Mbote na bino, loosely translated means, Welcome, y’all!

Installation of Rev. Margie Quinn

You are invited to join us in worship on July 9, 2023 for the installation of Rev. Margie Quinn. Following the service, we will gather in Fellowship Hall for Installation Sundaes with Margie, a sweet and informal meet and greet. The church will provide vanilla ice cream, chocolate ice cream, sorbet, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream, and we ask congregants to contribute a topping or two from this grand buffet of possibilities.

Wedding shower Kara & Alex

Kara Reed and Alex Carls invite Vine Street friends to celebrate with them at their wedding shower at The Preserve at Bellpointe Clubhouse, 1000 Heatherly Way, Lebanon, TN 37087. 

This will be a come and go gathering of family and friends on July 1, 2023 from 3:00 - 6:00 p.m. Please call or text Brenda Jones at 615-481-7037 to let her know you’re coming.

Kara and Alex also invite friends to virtually join them for their wedding on October 7, 2023. Registry information, a zoom link for the day of the wedding (at Christmount in North Carolina), and an adorable timeline of their relationship in pictures can be found at Kara Reed and Alex Carls's Wedding Website - The Knot.

Immersion trip

On Sunday, a group from Vine Street will be traveling to Tucson, AZ for an immersion trip.

Participants are Dair Grubb, Meda Miller, Liam Dixon, Quinn Moseley, Calin Trabue, Margie Quinn and Jeff Miller.

The trip is planned and coordinated by Be the Neighbor, a ministry affiliated with the Disciples of Christ and the United Church of Christ; Allison Lanza, a former Vine Street intern, is one of the founders and co-directors. 

“Tucson, Arizona is 60 miles from the border of Mexico. …  Groups have the opportunity to explore what loving and welcoming our neighbors looks like through interactive experiences dedicated to growing your understanding around immigration, refugees, and persons seeking asylum. Weekly opportunities include desert walks, humanitarian aid, preparing and serving meals, building projects, learning about the immigration process, activism and advocacy. …  Each day includes a morning gathering with a biblical reflection and videos to learn more about immigration and the partner organizations for the day, hands-on activities with non-profits, connect time and free time. Connect time is our justice based curriculum that will help your group connect what you are doing on your trip with how your will put your faith into action in new ways with immigrants when you return home.” —from the trip description

Your gifts to Vine Street and the generosity of leaders like Jeff Miller make transformative experiences like this possible. Thank you!

During the summer, Vine Street is hosting groups who come to Nashville with Be the Neighbor to explore homelessness and housing.

 

Welcome, Margie!

Margie’s first day with us, before she takes off on the immersion trip to Tucson, is Thursday, June 15. Let’s surprise her with a basket of welcome cards and letters! Please mail your envelope to the church or drop it off in person, in time for the basket to be assembled on Wednesday morning. Feel free to include a picture or photo, or your favorite poem (Margie loves poetry).

We are making plans for an installation service during worship on July 9, with a reception to follow, as well as for other informal opportunities to get to know Margie.

Congregational meeting

Every year, the Congregation votes on the annual budget and elects a slate of leaders, including officers, elders, and deacons. The Chair of the Congregation, Stephen Moseley, has called a Congregational Meeting for June 25, 2023. The budget proposal and the slate of nominees will be distributed to the members via email. For those unable to attend the meeting in person, an electronic ballot will be available.

June Movie

Vine Street at the Movies is a small group of folks who enjoy watching movies together. Jim Carls, the group’s convener, is also the curator of the monthly screenings. On June 6 at 7:00 p.m. they will gather again, and they invite congregants and friends to join them. On the program is one of Oscar-winner Brendan Fraser's earlier movies: Blast From the Past. It's a "fish out of water" story that is really more of a "fish out of its can" tale. A young boy's paranoid parents have lived "off the grid" in the most extreme way possible and years later, the boy discovers that his world has... expanded. This is a lot of fun from a group of notable actors. Rated PG-13.

"Thanks to a clever script, tight direction, a first-rate cast and the dynamite combination of Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone, ”Blast from the Past” blows away the recent crop of romantic comedies. And it deftly makes a resounding point about the very real cost to society of the baby boom generation’s standards of manners and civility." —Jonathan Foreman, New York Post

Please note that starting with the June movie, the group will meet in the South Meeting Room, a.k.a. the Old Choir Room, to avoid late sunsets.

Summer Book Group

Bill McKibben is an award-winning author, activist, educator. Like many of us, he grew up believing—knowing—that the United States was the greatest country on earth. As a teenager, he cheerfully led American Revolution tours in Lexington, Massachusetts. He sang “Kumbaya” at church. And with the remarkable rise of suburbia, he assumed that all Americans would share in the wealth. But fifty years later, he finds himself in an increasingly doubtful nation strained by bleak racial and economic inequality, on a planet whose future is in peril. And he is curious: What the hell happened?

We invite congregants and neighbors to come together and talk about his book, The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon.

Those of us who, like McKibben, are members of the boomer generation—what are our memories?

Those of us who were born in the generations before or after—what is our take on how we got where we find ourselves? And how do we move forward?

McKibben is not without hope. And he wonders if any of that trinity of his youth—the flag, the cross, the station wagon—could, or should, be reclaimed in the fight for a fairer future. Would you like to be part of the conversation?

We are planning to have two groups: one on Tuesday mornings, the other on Tuesday evenings, beginning June 13. Group members will decide whether to take turns hosting or to meet at church. Please register below.



Gun safety legislation

Governor Bill Lee announced that the Tennessee General Assembly will reconvene for a special session to discuss firearm safety legislation beginning August 21, 2023.

As Voices for a Safer Tennessee wrote in a statement in response to the Governor’s announcement, “Polling continues to highlight the substantial common ground among Tennesseans of all political viewpoints for meaningful firearm safety solutions, and this special session will make more room for our elected officials to respond to the voices of their constituents.”

Governor Lee has requested feedback in advance of the August 21 special session. Continue to let your voice be heard! Respond and let him know you support:

  1. Extreme Risk Protection Orders

  2. Universal background checks, and

  3. Safe storage

The grannies’ vision of a ban on assault weapons may still be a dream, but small steps in the right direction make a big difference!


Pentecost Offering

In the beginning, every church was new. It’s right there in the Book of Acts. Early disciples came together, sharing all things in common, breaking bread with glad and generous hearts. God was doing a new thing:  creating a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.

In the beginning, Jesus sent out disciples, two by two, not to “plant”  churches, but to proclaim good news, to experience the hospitality and wisdom of neighbors all around.

At New Church Ministry, we believe God is calling the whole Church back to becoming new… back to becoming who we are: a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.

Your gifts to the 2023 Pentecost Offering, received this year in most congregations on Sundays, May 21 and 28, help ensure our movement continues to embody the Disciples of Christ vision: to be and to share the Good News, witnessing, loving and serving from our doorsteps to the ends of the earth. Half of your gift supports the local new church movement through your region’s ministry. The other half supports New Church Ministry efforts across the United States and Canada to equip, train, and empower new leaders. 

So, thank you for participating in the new thing God is still doing — just as in the beginning.

Save the date

Wesley King, a recent graduate from Lexington Theological Seminary, will be ordained to the Christian ministry on August 12, 2023. Congratulations, Wesley!

The service will take place at Vine Street Christian Church, but the time still needs to be confirmed.

All members and friends of the congregation are invited to attend!

We will share additional details as they become available.

Alive is too precious to lose

My friend David Barton, one of the founders of Alive Hospice, asked me to share this note with congregants and neighbors. I gladly do so; I share his concern, and I have signed the petition.

Thomas Kleinert, Senior Minister

Alive Hospice’s Advisory Board members, former board and staff members, donors and supporters have mobilized to keep Alive from being sold to a for-profit corporation. Alive is the only non-profit hospice in Middle Tennessee. Because its mission is to serve patients and not shareholders, donors make it possible for Alive to go above and beyond standard hospice care.

A 2023 RAND Corporation study (JAMA, Feb, 2023) yielded results saying that family caregivers reported worse care experiences at for-profit hospices than at not-for-profit hospices.  

In 2000, 30% of all hospices were for-profit. By 2020, that percentage had grown to 73%, primarily due to acquisitions of non-profits. The for-profit hospices care structure likely is influenced by having to answer to stockholders.

The coalition formed to save Alive includes a billboard campaign and petition drive. The petition, “Keep Alive Hospice Not-For-Profit”, now has more than than 1900 signatures and continues to grow. Please add your name to the petition. I would appreciate your help in spreading the word: Alive is too precious to lose.

Alive, was founded in 1975 by myself and the late Dr. John Flexner along with Lynn Barton.  It is the nation’s third oldest hospice and the first in the Southeast. It now serves patients in 10 Middle Tennessee counties, with residential facilities in Nashville and Murfreesboro.

Thank you,

David Barton

4101 Harding PIKE, Nashville, TN 37205 | (615) 269-5614

Sundays: Traditional Worship at 10:00 a.m. in person & ONLINE