We believe that this exploration will be of interest to many people in our community, and so we want to be very clear that guests are welcome to any of the presentations.

All sessions will be held on Sunday mornings at 9:30am in the Fellowship Hall, and the presentations will be made available on video for those who are unable to attend. Many of our speakers will also share a song or two with us during our 10:45am worship service.

January 29 - Session 1 
The speaker to kick off our series will be David Horace Perkins. Dave is a music maker who has played guitar on recordings or in concert with numerous artists such as Carole King, Ray Charles, Vassar Clements, and Jerry Jeff Walker.  As a record producer, he worked with artists such as Over The Rhine and Steve Taylor.  Recently, Dave wrote and recorded the score for the feature film Deadline, which opens on February 15th. Dave is a Master of Divinity graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity School where he is currently the Associate Director of the Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture program. Last year, Dave was awarded the Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University.  His dissertation is titled Selling the Sacred: Praise and Worship Music in the Sanctuary and Marketplace. In this opening session, Dave will talk about the roots of contemporary worship music in American and English revival history. He will discuss the relationship between contemporary worship music, pop music, and culture-at-large, and share examples of how contemporary worship music is used in some churches today. Dave will perform one of his own songs during morning worship.

See a complete listing of all programs.

We gladly extend the invitation to an ecumenical prayer service in observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The service has been prepared by Christians in Poland; here in Nashville, it will be hosted by Otter Creek Church of Christ on Wednesday, January 18, at 7pm.

 ***

Begun in 1908, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is celebrated each year in cities and towns across the country and around the world.

The theme for the 2012 observance of this week is "We Will All Be Changed by the Victory of Our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:51-58)

The service, which will be held as part of middle Tennessee’s observance of this annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, will take place at 7:00 PM at Otter Creek Church of Christ, 409 Franklin Road, Brentwood, TN.

Reverend Joseph Breen of St. Edward Catholic Church will deliver the message. Special music will be provided by Otter Creek Church. Area pastors will be leading prayers and scripture readings centered around this year’s theme.

In conjunction with this Prayer Service, Operation Andrew’s United 4 Hope and Room in the Inn will be collecting donations of coats, especially children and teen coats, for distribution through the school system and other social service agencies.

So, please come and pray with us and bring a coat for the collection!

download pdf

Serving the least of these: Bring new board games and toys for our Hope Camp Christmas Angels to the church. Please don’t wrap them, and please deliver them by Sunday December 18^th, when we will dedicate them in worship. If you have any questions, ask Hope.

Feeding the hungry: Your offering on Christmas Eve will be donated entirely to The Campus for Human Development. 

Welcoming the stranger:  We will be hosting Room in the Inn on the Wednesday after Christmas, December 28^th and again during the week of February 5^th [sign up here]. Will you be a Secret Santa and sponsor backpacks and toiletry kits for our Room in the Inn guests? If you have any questions, ask Hope.

Welcoming the stranger: We invite you to help with the TNT Christmas Party on December 10^th from 2-3:30 pm.  The TNT Club is a social group for adults with developmental disabilities, and they are the friendliest strangers you will ever meet! If you have any questions, ask Hope.

Clothing the naked: The women from the Rivera House/Theotherapy Project need winter clothes. Do you have a coat or sweater you can share? Please bring new or gently worn clothing items to the church by December 18^th.

Caring for the sick: Take 10 minutes to write a note to one of our shut-ins or someone on the prayer list. Need names and addresses? Contact the church office.

Visiting the imprisoned: The girls from the youth group will be spending an evening with the women from the Rivera House/Theotherapy Project. They’ll  bake cookies, eat cookies and share stories while making Christmas cards. Do you want to join them? Talk to Hope for details.

The Matthew 25 Approach:  

• bring new games and toys by December 18^th  
• deliver new or gently worn women's winter clothing by December 18^th
• spend an evening with our friends from Rivera House
• send a note of encouragement to someone in need
• volunteer for Room in the Inn
• celebrate Christmas with the TNT club
• be a Secret Santa
• pray that Christ in the least of these will love how we welcome him

We may still be wondering what to do with the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers, we may be busy writing Christmas lists and shopping for gifts, and we may have a million other things on our minds, but in worship we practice living to the rhythm of God’s time.

At Vine Street, we have a beautiful tradition to mark the beginning of Advent. At the end of the day, we gather in the sanctuary for what we call the Hanging of the Greens.

We sing some of our favorite carols (before we get tired of hearing them in every store and shop); we listen to stories about bells and stars and evergreens; we deck the sanctuary with wreaths and candles; we watch the great Moravian star as it rises over the baptistery; we say a prayer that our hearts may be prepared to welcome the birth of Christ; and we drink a little hot cider.

This festive and beautifully simple service invites us to enter the gates of Advent together, and we look forward to doing just that on Wednesday, November 30, at 6:30pm. You are welcome to join us for dinner at 6pm as well, just let us know you’re coming by making a reservation online or calling the church office by Monday, November 28. No one is too young or too old for this family gathering in God’s house.

This fall we will meet numerous times for conversations around incarceration and how it relates to our faith. Some of the conversations will happen in our fellowship hall, others in homes, in a local prison, and in our sanctuary. We are well aware that we cannot address every dimension of this seemingly simple question, What are prisons for? Once the planning team started naming themes for programs, we quickly realized that we were looking at a complex and multi-layered set of issues.

The idea behind prison:360 is not to look at an issue from every possible angle. What we try to accomplish is integrating traditional classroom learning with opportunities for fellowship and service, as well as spiritual practice and reflection. 

All of the programs are open to the public, but please note that a registration is required for some.

Wednesday, October 12

6:30 p.m. (dinner begins at 6 p.m. ) in the fellowship hall

Robin Porter – How Do Prisons Work?

Robin began working in prisons as an intern when she was a student at Vanderbilt Divinity School, and today she is the Director of Victim Services with the Tennessee Department of Correction. She will share with us from her own experience how prisons work, system-wide and on the day-to-day level in a specific setting.

Make your dinner reservation by Monday October 10

Thursday, October 13

8 p.m.   Documentary night at the Kleinert’s

American Drug War (2007)

The U.S. has the largest prison population in the world, and illegal drugs have a lot to do with that. The War on Drugs has become the longest and most costly war in American history, the question has become, how much more can the country endure? Inspired by the death of four family members from “legal drugs” Texas filmmaker Kevin Booth sets out to discover why the Drug War has become such a big failure.

Map and directions

Sunday, October 16

9:30 a.m.   in the fellowship hall

Gayle Ray – What Are Prisons For?

Gayle is a former sheriff of Davidson County and former Commissioner of the Department of Correction. She will talk about the purpose of prisons: what is incarceration supposed to accomplish, and how well does the system work?

Sunday, October 16

10:45 a.m.   worship

Lee Camp, guest preacher

Lee is Professor of Ethics at Lipscomb University, at both the college and graduate level, and he is well known as the host and creator of Tokens, a “theological variety show.”

Monday, October 17

7 p.m.   Documentary night at the Kleinert’s

What I Want My Words To Do To You ( 2003)

The film goes inside a writing workshop at New York’s Bedford Hills Correctional Facility led by playwright Eve Ensler. Fifteen women, most of whom were convicted of murder, delve into and expose their most terrifying realities as they grapple with the nature of their crimes and their own culpability. The film culminates in a prison performance of the women’s writing by acclaimed actors Mary Alice, Glenn Close, Hazelle Goodman, Rosie Perez and Marisa Tomei.

Map and directions

Tuesday, October 18

5:30 p.m.   Riverbend Prison

Life Behind Bars

We have the opportunity to visit one of Nashville’s prisons, Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. Visitors get a close look at life behind bars as well as time to talk with two of the inmates. The group size is limited and early registration is required. Please register here or call the church office at 269-5614.

Sunday, October 23

9:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall

Prisons – Places of Healing?

Many non-government agencies, groups, and ministries work with inmates and ex-offenders. Mark and Dana West are with The Theotherapy Project, and they will tell us about their work with convicts while in prison as well as after their release, when they face the challenges of life outside. Graduates of the program will talk about their experience during worship.

Monday, October 24

7 p.m.   Documentary night at the Kleinert’s

The Dhamma Brothers (2008)

An overcrowded maximum-security prison in Alabama is dramatically changed by the influence of an ancient meditation program. Behind high security towers and a double row of barbed wire and electrical fence dwells a host of convicts who will never see the light of day. But for some of these men, a spark is ignited when it becomes the first maximum-security prison in North America to hold an an emotionally and physically demanding course of silent meditation lasting ten days.

Map and directions

Wednesday, October 26

6:30 p.m. (dinner begins at 6pm) in the fellowship hall

Charlie Strobel – When Crime Becomes Personal

Most of us know and love Fr. Strobel for his work with the homeless in our community. What many of us don’t know is that Charlie’s mother, Mary Catherine, was murdered in 1985 by a man who had escaped from a prison mental ward. We have invited Charlie to talk about how his faith shaped his response to the violent and painful loss of his mother.

Make your dinner reservation by Monday, October 24

Wednesday, November 2

6:30 p.m. (dinner begins at 6 p.m. ) in the fellowship hall

Robin Porter and Nicole H. Smith - Victim Impact

Incarceration is a means to punish and rehabilitate offenders. What about the victims of crime? How does the prison help offenders take accountability for what they have done? What systems are in place to support victims of crime? Robin is the Director of Victim Services with the Tennessee Department of Correction. Nicole has used her experience as a victim of crime to teach victim impact classes for inmates and facilitate victim offender dialogues.

Make your dinner reservation by Monday, October 31

Thursday, November 3

8 p.m.   Documentary night at the Kleinert’s

Prison Town, USA (2007)

In the 1990s, at the height of the prison-building boom, a prison opened in rural America every 15 days. The film tells the story of Susanville, California, one small town that tries to resuscitate its economy by building a prison — with unanticipated consequences.

Map and directions

Sunday, November 6

After weeks of conversations and experiences, we address in worship and in the context of the gospel some of the questions that have been raised. Our faith traditions speak and sing about prisoners losing their chains and prison doors flying open, about repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation, and the scriptures are full of prison stories – Joseph, Daniel, John, Peter, Paul, to name just a few. Who knows what will emerge when we juxtapose recent experience and ancient tradition, burning questions and living Word?

Sunday, November 6

4:45 p.m.   Documentary night with the youth group

(the title of the film will be announced shortly)

Now this means that we are starting a crowd sourcing project: I invite you, your friends, neighbhors, distant relatives to submit questions: Do dogs go to heaven? Is sin just another word for bad morals? What is good about Good Friday? Questions like that. Any questions you think the preacher should address (i.e. not the kind of questions you think any preacher should stay away from).

You can submit your questions online (there should be a box at the end of this post), via email or twitter @thomaskleinert, or via handwritten notes (in the offering plate, under the door, or in my mailbox). I will collect and post all your questions, and then you'll get to rank them. I will address the top seven of your choices as best I can. That's what I call a grassroots campaign.

Here are a few questions I have already received:

• What should be the role of the church versus the moral and ethical corruptions of modern society? Handmaiden? Critic? Gadfly? Partisan supporter? Evaluator? Other?
• Whatever happened to the concept of sin? Aren’t many of our serious social problems related to The Seven Deadly Sins (wrath, greed, sloth, lust, envy, gluttony, pride) and the lack of support for The Seven Cardinal Virtues (fortitude, justice, prudence, temperance, faith, hope, charity)?
• How can the church serve as a peacemaker in dealing with the divisive issues (other Christian traditions, other faiths, political extremes, social values) of our time?
• What happens when forgiveness does not lead to repentance?
• When does a virtue like compassion or accepting difference turn into a vice?
• Did Jesus study Buddhism between ages 12 and 30?
• The first recorded miracle of Jesus is at the wedding of Cana, where he turned water into wine. The last recorded miracle is the healing of the servant whose ear was cut off. The other miracles can be explained as changing people’s attitudes. The first and the last are magic. What’s your take on that?

We want to fill a truck with Emergency Clean-Up Buckets, which Church World Service collects and distributes in their disaster relief work. The Nashville buckets will be  taken to a disaster assistance center in Little Rock, Arkansas, and from there they will be routed to the effected areas and to those in need.

You might be wondering...

What exactly is an Emergency Clean-up Bucket?

It's a 5 gal. bucket filled with items such as sponges, rubber gloves, disinfectant spray, laundry detergent and insect repellent. You can find a list of all the items at the Church World Service website or scroll down and print the list below.

What can I do to help?Photo: Rolanda Hughes/CWS

1. Send a link to this article to at least 10 people you know in Nashville... co-workers, the neighborhood association, the parent-teacher association, etc. We want to get the word out to as many people as possible; the more buckets we collect, the more people we can help.

2. Decide how you will fill your bucket.

*will you go to the store, list in hand, and fill a 5-gal. bucket with all the items?
*will you send a check for $56, the approximate cost of each bucket, and let us fill it for you?
*will you challenge your co-workers to a bucket filling contest?
*will you host a bucket party?
*or will you send a $5 or $10 or any $ donation so that we can purchase items to fill a bucket?

Any way you decide will be a great help!

3. Fill that bucket (or 2 or 3) and bring it in. Bring completed buckets or monetary bucket donations to Vine Street Christian Church on June 6th, 7th or 8th from 9am-7pm. We will sort, count and assemble buckets. Then we'll rent a truck and drive them down to Little Rock on June 10th.

Questions? Send us an email.

We are Nashville - Let's fill some buckets!

As an adult child, how can I be more diligent in ensuring that my parents are able to retire and be cared for? Are there any tips on how to talk with aging parents about choices? At the end of life, when is it time to let go, and how do I make my wishes known? Medicare, long-term care insurance, supplemental insurance, reverse mortgages – it’s such a jungle! Where is God in the so-called Golden Years?

May 4 – Easing Difficult Conversations

Dinner 6pm – Program 6:30pm - Dinner reservations by Monday, May 2
Childcare provided - Call the church office if you need transportation

Facilitator: Carol Smith, Counselor, Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee

Communication between aging parents and adult children is often strained because of difficult decisions that need to be made. Many of us just don’t know how to talk about making the home more accessible, changing living arrangements, finding in-home care, monitoring bank accounts, writing living wills, managing medications, or dealing with driving limitations.

Carol Smith is a Family Therapist; she will give us some tips that apply to all kinds of situations, and she will also try to answer our very specific questions.

May 11 – Caregiving and Support

Dinner 6pm – Program 6:30pm - Dinner reservations by Monday, May 9
Childcare provided - Call the church office if you need transportation

Facilitator: Nancy Pertl, Caregiver Education Specialist with the Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee

Caregivers provide 80% of the care for individuals. Especially with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia, caregiving can be particularly stressful. Making decisions about healthcare, communicating with physicians, knowing what to expect as the disease progresses, mobility and safety, making arrangements so the individual can stay at home and making decisions when that may not be possible any longer, are all decisions that caregivers face. What about the caregivers needs? When do they feel that they have time for friends, church, a movie, or a walk in the park?  What about the caregivers’ health and well-being?

May 18 – End of Life issues

Dinner 6pm – Program 6:30pm - Dinner reservations by Monday, May 16
Childcare provided - Call the church office if you need transportation

Facilitator: Greg Rumburg, Chaplain, Odyssey Hospice

Our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs change as we near the end of our life. When individuals and families are faced with decisions about the type of care they prefer at the end of life, they often wait too late to make their plans. Discussions about hospice care for life-limiting illnesses and discussions about palliative care for those with terminal illness can often be supportive to both the individual and to the family members. Knowing what to expect and making plans can take some of the burden off the family. Grief is inevitable, but support from clergy and bereavement experts can help. Knowing the individual’s wishes about funeral arrangement can help the family make better decisions with which they feel comfortable.

Greg Rumburg is an Elder at Vine Street, and as a hospice chaplain he walks, talks, sits, and prays with individuals and their families as they approach death. He will share his knowledge and wisdom with us.

May 25 – Navigating Medicare and Planning for the Future

Dinner 6pm – Program 6:30pm - Dinner reservations by Monday, May 23
Childcare provided - Call the church office if you need transportation

Facilitator: Lucy Utt, Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability, Supervisor, State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP)

Medicare is a federal government health insurance program that provides medical care and prescription drug benefits. You become eligible for Medicare when you turn 65 years of age or if you are under the age of 65 and have a disability. Medicare Part A is for hospital coverage, Part B is for medical care, and Part D is for prescription drug coverage. What all does Medicare cover? Do I need an Advantage Plan? Do I need supplemental insurance? What about long-term care insurance? What happens if I need long-term care in my home or in a nursing home? What if I can’t make decisions on my own? What if I run out of savings, will I lose my home?

Meals at 6pm

The Wednesday nights in May are great opportunities for learning, but they are also opportunities for fellowship and for getting to know each other. So pick up the kids and come on over for dinner! We have partnered with Copper Kettle to provide a delicious meal for us each week, and we will have childcare available as well.

We ask that you make meal reservations no later than Monday morning of each week, but you can make them as early as right now. We will take your reservations online, over the phone (call the church office at 269-5614), in person on Sunday mornings (look for the people carrying sandwich boards!), or with print forms available in various places at church.

Bob Dylan’s song was one of the hymns of the baby boom generation. The boomers have long been famous (some would say, infamous) for their desire to stay young, and many wonder what they will be like as seniors. Many predict that they will reshape the nation’s view of old age by staying active longer than their parents. Others worry that their numbers will break the generational contract behind programs like Social Security and Medicare: On October 15, 2007, Kathleen Casey-Kirschling, 62, a retired schoolteacher from New Jersey, applied for Social Security. She was born a second after midnight on January 1, 1946, the first of a generation of 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964. Until 2025, one of them will retire every eight seconds.

Aging has more dimensions than I could even begin to name in a brief article. There are the personal aspects of a life story with physical, emotional, and spiritual dimensions; there are interpersonal aspects of changing roles and relationships; there are societal aspects with economic and political implications. We are familiar with some of the questions; we have either asked them ourselves or heard each other ask them: Will I ever be able to retire? Why don’t they have shows on tv I’d actually want to see? How do I tell dad that it’s not safe for him to drive? Who will take care of me when I’m old? Can’t they make a phone that’s just a phone? How can I explain to my children that I don’t want to move to a nursing home? He says he loves my wrinkles, but I wish they hadn’t come so soon. What’s wrong with my eyes? Dad has Alzheimer’s – what am I supposed to do now?

During April and May, in a program series we call aging:360 we will get together several times to address various dimensions of aging. Our first meeting, Aging Baby Boomers, will be on Sunday, April 10, at 12:30pm in our fellowship hall. Kathy Zamata will introduce us to some key issues such as

• Increase in population and the need for increased services
• Planning for your future
• Staying independent and healthy for as long as possible

During that first meeting, we will also solicit your input: What questions do you have? What particular issues would you like so see discussed? The results of that survey will determine how we fine tune the remaining sessions, which will take place on Wednesday nights during April and May. So far, we have identified five areas we want to address:

• Medicare – navigating the complicated world of health insurance

• Caregiving – understanding Alzheimer’s disease and identifying resources for caregivers including communication, support, and respite

• Senior Housing – identifying resources to maintain as much independence as possible

• Legal issues – a look at wills, durable power of attorney, guardianship, insurance, reverse mortgages

• End of life – discussing questions around palliative care, hospice, funeral planning, and bereavement

If you would like submit your questions and suggestions now, you can do so with this simple form.