Farragut Presbyterian Church (USA)

These are the stories we ran in 2007. Enjoy!

Archive 11/07  Sarah Gallik: A God Thing?

     Did you ever wonder how people get interested in different subjects and fields of study?  I’ve thought lots about it, and I think it is a God Thing – for sure!   
     Meet Miss Sarah Gallik, a junior at the University of Tennessee.  As she says, she is almost legal, but more importantly, she is majoring in Audiology.  In fact, she is heavily invested in getting an AUD.  “A what?” I asked.  “Well, it’s a relatively new opportunity available at very few universities, but it is here at UT.  It’s actually fairly prestigious for a university to be able to offer this degree presently.  It is the equivalent to a doctorate in any other field of study.  It will take four years after college to earn the AUD.”  
     This is a field that one doesn’t hear people aspiring to every day.  How did Sarah get there?  The answer seems simple.  But was it?  She was paging through a blue book with major studies available at UT, and she came across Speech Pathology and Hearing.  It has fascinated her ever since.  Sarah explains that her dream is to work professionally with children.  [Sarah has been working with children forever, and most recently in our own Children’s Educational Program.]  Exploring with a hearing impaired child how to communicate more effectively, brings a magic to Sarah that is hard for her to articulate.  She says that when that magic happens with a child, it is a joy!  A joy from God! 
     To my inane question, “What do you like about UT?”  Sarah saved the day with her immediate response.  She loves the spirit there.  Sarah says it is great to go to a school where everyone is PUMPED [a very college trendy word] to be part of the UT community.  “ Do you mean the sports community?”  “Well, that is certainly a part of it, but I would say that people are more pumped by the quality of training available to us at UT.” 
     Sarah has been part of our church community nearly her entire life, moving here at two months of age.  Our church was the community to promise to guide and teach her.  I remember her baptism.  Sarah says faith has always been important to her, but since she has left home it has grown much more.  People question one another at college about what they believe and why.  Digging for those answers and having to come up with your own reasons—not just your family’s or your church’s—has caused her to grow and know more what she believes.  The Presbyterian Center on campus has been a major influence in her continued growth. 
     Being here on Sunday morning is important to Sarah.  Since her parents moved away, she feels good to have friendly families to join in the pew.  She hasn’t left us.  She serves on our committees [Currently, she is on the nominating committee.] and is glad to be part of the direction of Farragut Presbyterian.  “Change can be good,” Sarah told me.  She said she was so sad when Judd left, but that when things change you have to reexamine what it important, and now she is very happy to be working with Thom and the directions he is guiding us to go. 
     Is there a guy?  Of course!  Do you know Sarah? For over a year, her special someone has been Jay Robinson from Franklin, Tennessee.  He is an Engineering Major, and more importantly he loves SOCCER!  Soccer is very important in Miss Sarah’s life too.  She is currently sporting a sprained knee, a small price for her passion.  For the last five years, Sarah has been playing in the Knoxville Adult Soccer League.  That involves a practice plus a game weekly. 
     Sarah’s story has led me to reflect on God’s perfect plan.  We all have a part in his calling.  He needs us all to search for what we are suited to do.  Then it becomes a passion and fulfilling.  A God Thing!  And, what is more important than to help someone to hear, whether it is listening to one’s neighbor, or even a higher power?  You go, Sarah!!

Archive 9/07   Jackie Smith : An Author in Our Midst

     How about a cup of coffee?  Let’s pop into the Atlanta Bread Company and spend a few minutes with Jackie Smith.  She just might be there with her laptop working on her latest article for The Upper Room.  Jackie is one of those rare individuals, a published writer, and she usually doesn’t work at home.  She finds being around people when she works gives her extra energy.  At home, too many things, like the washer, call her name.
     If you know Jackie, you know she is a beauty both inside and out.  On the inside, she has known for a long time that God has given her the desire to write.  When she got around to answering that call she began writing a book.  Jackie decided that the discipline needed for a book is not hers yet. So, she is happily writing shorter works like articles and devotional pieces.
     These works led her to the Blue Ridge Writers Conference held in Ridgecrest, North Carolina, in May.  There she was able to have a face to face with an Upper Room editor.  The editor liked her work and has asked for two pieces now and more for the future. 
     God’s leading is always a journey.  Jackie’s began in a dysfunctional family, and it was further complicated by repressive fundamentalist religion.  However, Jackie always recognized God’s hand on her life, and she came to understand the extravagant love that God has for us.  It changed her life.  The joy she has is apparent in all she does.
     Jackie is  wife to Lowell, a mother to five, and a grandmother to fourteen.  That means lots of happy visiting, which suits her well, since travel both home and abroad is a love.  Even a trip to Australia beckons for next year.
     When she isn’t writing, Jackie is reading.  As the Librarian for our church she chooses great books for us, reading them and writing about them.  When asked why she wanted to share her talents in Farragut Presbyterian Church, she said she was so excited when she found our church because of the non-judgmental spirit and the love that abides here.
     Life isn’t always easy for this writer.  Jackie suffers from Sjogrens Disease.  It causes extreme fatigue, the “I can’t even walk to the mailbox,” tiredness.  Fortunately, a chemotherapy drug has lessened the frequency of the attacks.
     One thing Jackie knows she cannot do is dance.  How does she know?  Well, it was that P.E. course she took at UT five years ago where she had to do ballroom dancing with eighteen year olds.  She isn’t sad though, because as she says she “Dances in Her Heart” with her love for the Lord.   That just happens to be the title of one of the devotions for The Upper Room.  
      Now don’t run right out and get the magazine to see her work just yet, because there is a two-year lead time!  The Upper Room is translated into 42 languages plus Braille before it can be distributed to over 100 countries.  Isn’t anticipation half the fun?

Archive 8/07     Jim and Jessy Rich- in The Garden of Eden 

     If these two aren’t the poster children for luck, we don’t know who would be! You open your orders from the U.S. Army.  Oh no!  Your next duty station is Hawaii! “Okay, maybe if we can find a good place to live we can get through it.”
     When they learned they would spend two years in Hawaii, those in the know advised this family to avoid general quarters and try to find something on the beach.  Someone mentioned an older couple, John and Pearl Midkiff, who had been considering renting.  They called to inquire and were asked to come with their two young boys to discuss the rental.
     The Midkiffs had been in the sugar plantation business for forty years, and they had a little place on the beach in addition to their main home.  This little place had four bedrooms and four baths and just happened to be on the beach a few yards from a  lil’ ole coral reef.  What a find!  But could they afford it?
     For two hours their boys sat perfectly still and listened to the adult conversation.  When the price came up, the figure quoted was an impossibility.  Pearl, said, “John, you let these people have this house for what they can afford.”  Mr. Midkiff said, “Yes, Pearl.”  Then he thought and said that for that price they could not include the gardener.  “But, John, we’ve had Pasqual for forty years and we cannot let him go.”  “Yes, Pearl.” 
     Besides dealing with the gardener, living there had its challenges.  Every week or two the man of the house had to don his scuba gear, the heavy tank, the fins, the air regulator, and drop off the end of the coral reef to a depth of twenty feet.  There he had to sit until the right variety and right size of fish came along to meet his spear gun.  Then it was back to the waiting grill.  His wife had her job too.  Accompanying that fish would be a seaweed salad.  It wasn’t easy, for she had to gather the Mouse’s Ear seaweed just as the tide was going out.  She boiled the seaweed and then mixed it with green onions, tomatoes, and oil and vinegar. Yum!
     These people were not Adam and Eve.  They merely fell into the honey pot.  Jim and Jessy Rich have lead a rich life!

Archive 7/07 Turning the Tables
An Interview with An Interviewer, Clare Growden

     What if you grew up in a cemetery?  Would that influence life choices?  Would it help to make you who you are?  Or would that just be a fascinating tidbit for an interviewer to latch onto?
     It seemed like an excellent idea to interview one of the best reporters we have.  Many of you have been questioned for the Good News Banner by our very own Claire Growden.  So, we turned the tables on her, and Claire did not disappoint.
     Claire was quick to begin our chat by saying the most interesting part of her life has to be fifty-four years with Merle.  Where could we go from there?!  But, we managed to get back to her beginning, her birth in Arizona to a family trying to make a go of homebuilding.  It was during the Depression, but there seemed to be a spurt in housing there, so they gave it a go.  When it petered out and her mother vetoed settling on homestead land available to her WWI veteran husband --  she couldn’t abide becoming a cowgirl and shooting snakes – they moved back to their roots in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
     Back to that cemetery. Claire moved with her family into a large house on the grounds of a cemetery that her father owned and managed.  Of course, we had to know about ghosts and spirits and tales thereof, but, alas, they didn’t materialize.  The closest came when her sister had a very successful Halloween party in the cemetery.  By her account growing up there was a happy, secure time.
     That naturally led to her first job:  Working at the cemetery for her dad, so he could play golf.  She has interesting memories of helping to arrange funerals and dealing with distraught people.  Following WWII, the GI Bill let servicemen take a monthly payment for their service or they could choose to go to college.  These veterans surprised everyone by going to college in droves.  This affected Claire. When she decided to change college choices, a woman’s prerogative, it was nearly impossible to find a new spot.  However, the cemetery came to the rescue. 
     Across the street was a monument maker.  His daughter was the Dean of Women at Monmouth College, and with a little insider trading, Claire became a student along with many, many GI s at this Presbyterian school.  [Enjoying her fiftieth reunion there, she recalls being tutored in accounting by Red Poling who ended up being the CEO of Ford.]
     So, where did Merle come into the picture?  When might be a better question.   Claire knew exactly:  January 16, 1952.  Those twists and turns, those mysteries of life brought them together through continuing education.  She had signed up to take courses at the YMCA for bridge and public speaking.  Merle went for photography and public speaking.  They met.  He offered her a ride home, much safer than public transport, and, as they say, the rest is history.
     Merle’s transfer with the Fireman’s Fund of California took them to San Francisco.  For many years they lived in Marin County.  Claire actually began writing the neighborhood’s newsletter there.  Claire also worked for a very large law firm in San Francisco where she handled their health benefits.
     When they decided to retire to Knoxville where Claire has a sister, it took them only twenty-four hours to buy a house.  She reflects that this was a departure for a couple that normally debated for months on a new can opener purchase.
     So, next came the hobby question.  Amazingly, she does not construct model airplanes, but she does enjoy baking and eating cookies, belonging to the Wine Society of Knoxville, and writing the newsletter for Belmont West.  If you are looking for a sewing machine, she says she has much less than a hundred miles on her model.

Archive 6/07 Lindsey Martin; The Blank Slate

      So, you’ve just graduated from high school.  The University of Tennessee at Knoxville looms large and beckons temptingly.  What does one think about during this once in a lifetime lull?   A great conversation with Lindsey Martin gives us a glimpse of what just one of our new high school grads is contemplating.
It’s the blank slate!!!  Sure, you are just relaxing, but you are also getting ready.  There is the dorm room to decorate and supply, there is that laptop choice to make, there is that freedom to contemplate.  This is the time to worry if you will like your roommate, will you be homesick?  But, nothing compares to that blank slate.   OPTIONS are overwhelming.  One can go crazy thinking about choices.  If you obsess you could even project what will result in thirty years from that simple little choice you may have already made.  Yikes!!
So, safe territory is reviewing one’s foundation.  First, there are the faithful parents Beth and Jerry who made choices possible, provided that right mix of discipline and freedom.  Then there is Farragut Presbyterian which provided a community of support where the kids you romped with on the playground and went to Vacation Bible School with also walked with you across the stage for those high school diplomas. And don’t forget all the joy that came from just hanging out with friends and family. There is also the knowledge that community service is rewarding and helps you grow.
     It’s also a great time to review those memories. Lindsey hopes to remember everything in her life up to this point because as she sagely points out, these experiences are what have shaped her.   In taking stock, these stand out:
          Taking trips to the lake,
          Appreciating great teachers and enjoying sports events
          Playing with her dog Bronte and her kitten Chippers,
          Being part of a loving family and having a neat sister Kaylor and a fun brother Michael. 
          Being involved with the FPC Youth Group and the Ulster Project.
          Traveling on the mission trip to Jamaica Queens and cleaning the basement of the Salvation Army
     But that blank slate?  What might end up on it?  There might be a major in Journalism and Electronic Media.  Who knows?  That might be followed by a degree in Media Law.  (Do we see parental influence here?)  There might be great surprises.  There might be……………..
Are there apprehensions?  Sure.  Will Lindsey have that feeling of belonging on such a large campus, will she miss the comforts of home,  will she be able to make good decisions without discussing everything with her parents?
     And then there is the big problem to be solved.  Lindsey still needs to learn to do her own laundry!!
We wish Lindsey all the best in growing experiences.  Truly, we wish her God’s speed.
 
Archive:  5/07 Ron and Jeanette Mann  

He worked in a Philadelphia Turkish bath.  When he took this job he thought he would clean up (Ha Ha,).  But he found himself folding towels and handing them to middle-aged men as they exited the shower.  There was also a sauna nearby which made the place very hot and humid.  In those days there was no air conditioning.  After three years of the Turkish bath he decided that this was not a good career choice.  He had given up a decent after-school job working in a drug store to take this job.  Now he decided he had to get outdoors and out of the hot-humid environment before he became so wrinkly that no one would recognize him.  So he grew a pencil mustache and got a job repairing home appliances.  This got him out and around town and when he was sent on an emergency call to take a look at a sick refrigerator, he met her.
     She was a school teacher when she met him; however, she had worked in a laundry before going to college.  The laundry was very hot and operating a mangle was hard work.  Ironing everything from sheets to handkerchiefs was tedious.  She stuck it out because her mother, who had worked at the laundry before her and had pulled some strings, had got her the job.  Perhaps it was the hot-humid laundry environment that had done it.  Because when they first met he thought she was only a high school teenager.
     When he found out that she was a lot older than she looked he was very attracted to her.  As they started to compare notes of their working past, she was attracted to this young man that could relate to working in a hot and humid workplace.  She was also attracted to the young gentleman because he had a striking Clark Gable appearance.  In fact, even today, if you hold your head right and squint a little, you could see the Clark Gable resemblance.
     One thing led to another and they were married and are now members of this church.  If you visit with them you may notice a few wrinkles; however, these are not age related.  They are probably caused by their earlier career choices.  They are someone you should know.  They are . . . . . .Ron and Jeanette Mann.

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