It’s been a year – this coming Sunday marks a year since I began as your Transitional Pastor, on June 1, 2025. We’ve been through a lot, accomplished a lot, learned a lot about one another and about our risen Savior, prayed a lot, celebrated a lot, and given thanks to God for 365 days, together. As my contract expires, the session and I have agreed to keep things going, on a modified basis, until your next pastor is called. I will continue to serve as the moderator of session and will preach and lead worship once each month, normally on the second Sunday of the month. I will also continue to be available for pastoral care and hospital visits, as well as fill any administrative roles that would be helpful during this interim period.
So I will see you on Sunday, I’ll be back again on June 14, for worship and the session meeting, and I’ll be conducting the upcoming memorial services for both Phil and Bonnie. I’m so grateful for our year together and am looking forward to all that lies ahead. See you on Sunday!
So I will see you on Sunday, I’ll be back again on June 14, for worship and the session meeting, and I’ll be conducting the upcoming memorial services for both Phil and Bonnie. I’m so grateful for our year together and am looking forward to all that lies ahead. See you on Sunday!
Wondering how you can help serve?
There will be a 30-minute training session for those who would like to explore serving as a worship leader … this Sunday, May 31, immediately after the service.
We will meet in the narthex and go to an available room.
El Nino
by Dave Nock
There is a really funny clip from Saturday Night Live about El Nino. If you need a good laugh – look it up. We are approaching hurricane season. Usually that means storms along the gulf coast. Texas and east to Florida and north to Virgina. The nice thing is that being in Tennessee and inland we get the remnants of these storms. For the last couple of years we have been in a weather lull. Meaning that the El Nino and La Nina weather patterns have been switching. We are now coming into an El Nino weather pattern. What does that mean for Middle Tennessee?
El Niño in Middle Tennessee generally means wetter fall, wetter summer, and a drier, less snowy winter, with some meaningful implications for flooding, drought relief, and severe weather patterns. Strong El Niño years since 1990 show that five out of six summers in Middle Tennessee were wetter than average. This happens because Pacific hurricane moisture can travel across the Southwest and into Tennessee, boosting rain chances. A strong El Niño increases the likelihood of a wetter fall, and historical data shows five of the last six strong El Niño falls in Nashville were above average in rainfall. Expect more rain in late summer and fall, which can help drought but also raise flash-flood risk.
Ok so why? The expectations are for above-normal rainfall, especially in July–August. El Niño shifts the jet stream south and increases the odds that Pacific tropical moisture gets pulled across the Southeast. This can cause a higher flash-flood risk, more frequent downpours, but fewer long-duration heat waves. These weather systems or storm clusters ride the jet into Middle Tennessee, bringing damaging winds. Fall El Niño patterns often suppress Gulf hurricanes, but remnants of Eastern Pacific storms can still send moisture into Tennessee — meaning a random 2–4" rain event is very possible.
OK enough of the weather geek. Praise God for the rain we have received.
El Niño in Middle Tennessee generally means wetter fall, wetter summer, and a drier, less snowy winter, with some meaningful implications for flooding, drought relief, and severe weather patterns. Strong El Niño years since 1990 show that five out of six summers in Middle Tennessee were wetter than average. This happens because Pacific hurricane moisture can travel across the Southwest and into Tennessee, boosting rain chances. A strong El Niño increases the likelihood of a wetter fall, and historical data shows five of the last six strong El Niño falls in Nashville were above average in rainfall. Expect more rain in late summer and fall, which can help drought but also raise flash-flood risk.
Ok so why? The expectations are for above-normal rainfall, especially in July–August. El Niño shifts the jet stream south and increases the odds that Pacific tropical moisture gets pulled across the Southeast. This can cause a higher flash-flood risk, more frequent downpours, but fewer long-duration heat waves. These weather systems or storm clusters ride the jet into Middle Tennessee, bringing damaging winds. Fall El Niño patterns often suppress Gulf hurricanes, but remnants of Eastern Pacific storms can still send moisture into Tennessee — meaning a random 2–4" rain event is very possible.
OK enough of the weather geek. Praise God for the rain we have received.
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
5:30 – 6:45 PM
We will be reading
Chapter 2 - Pages 29-47
"Love pays attention"
of
Life Changing Love
by John Ortberg
All ladies are welcome to join us at any time. We meet on the first and third Wednesday of each month.
The side door by the ramp is unlocked by 5:15. There is always some chit chat and hugs as people arrive and by 5:30 we settle in with sharing our prayer requests. We keep these prayer requests confidential and we don’t discuss them with our friends or family. I write a summary of the requests and share them in an email only to the people who were in that room at that time. A written summary is intended to help us remember our stepsisters in our daily prayers.
By 6:00 we turn our attention to the book that we’re reading. It’s a time to share our insights, questions, things we like, and things we might disagree with. You are welcome to come even if you haven’t read the current chapter of the book.
The side door by the ramp is unlocked by 5:15. There is always some chit chat and hugs as people arrive and by 5:30 we settle in with sharing our prayer requests. We keep these prayer requests confidential and we don’t discuss them with our friends or family. I write a summary of the requests and share them in an email only to the people who were in that room at that time. A written summary is intended to help us remember our stepsisters in our daily prayers.
By 6:00 we turn our attention to the book that we’re reading. It’s a time to share our insights, questions, things we like, and things we might disagree with. You are welcome to come even if you haven’t read the current chapter of the book.
Momma Mia!
June 9th
Is the Last Come to the Table for the Season
Menu
Lasagna
Green salad
Garlic bread
dessert
Percy’s Union Station Chronicles, Vol. 2
The Day I Accidentally Joined a Wedding Party
Hello friends — Percy here, back with another tale from my days as the esteemed Mouse‑in‑Residence at the Union Station Hotel. If you’ve ever visited that grand old building, you know it has a lobby that looks like it was designed for royalty: towering columns, gold trim, a balcony that seems to float above the room, and the most magnificent stone fireplace you’ve ever seen — complete with a giant clock keeping watch over everything.
Well, one Saturday afternoon, that very fireplace became the backdrop for one of the most unexpected moments of my tiny career.
The lobby was buzzing — flowers everywhere, people adjusting ties, bridesmaids practicing their smiles, and a photographer pacing around like he was directing a blockbuster movie. A wedding photoshoot was underway, and naturally, I felt it was my duty to observe. Strictly professional, of course.
I was sitting quietly near the base of the fireplace, enjoying the warmth and admiring the clock (I do love punctuality), when suddenly the photographer clapped his hands and shouted, “Everyone! Gather in front of the fireplace!”
Before I could scurry out of the way, the entire wedding party swept toward me like a tidal wave of satin and chiffon. I darted left — blocked by a bouquet. I darted right — blocked by a groomsman’s shiny shoe. And then, somehow, I found myself standing directly in the center of the group… right at the bride’s hemline.
The photographer froze. The bridesmaids gasped. The groom blinked like he wasn’t sure if I was part of the décor.
And then — click. The photographer took the picture.
There I was: Percy, tiny, dignified, wearing my best red bow tie, perfectly centered beneath the grand clock and balcony, immortalized forever in someone’s wedding album. The bride burst into laughter. “Leave him!” she said. “He’s adorable — and he’s good luck!”
Good luck. Imagine that. A mouse, blessing a wedding.
I stayed for two more photos (strictly cameo appearances), then gave a polite nod and slipped away behind the fireplace before anyone asked me to sign a model release. Fame is exhausting for a mouse of my size.
And that, dear friends, was the day I became an unofficial member of a Nashville wedding party — right there in front of the grandest fireplace in the city.
Well, one Saturday afternoon, that very fireplace became the backdrop for one of the most unexpected moments of my tiny career.
The lobby was buzzing — flowers everywhere, people adjusting ties, bridesmaids practicing their smiles, and a photographer pacing around like he was directing a blockbuster movie. A wedding photoshoot was underway, and naturally, I felt it was my duty to observe. Strictly professional, of course.
I was sitting quietly near the base of the fireplace, enjoying the warmth and admiring the clock (I do love punctuality), when suddenly the photographer clapped his hands and shouted, “Everyone! Gather in front of the fireplace!”
Before I could scurry out of the way, the entire wedding party swept toward me like a tidal wave of satin and chiffon. I darted left — blocked by a bouquet. I darted right — blocked by a groomsman’s shiny shoe. And then, somehow, I found myself standing directly in the center of the group… right at the bride’s hemline.
The photographer froze. The bridesmaids gasped. The groom blinked like he wasn’t sure if I was part of the décor.
And then — click. The photographer took the picture.
There I was: Percy, tiny, dignified, wearing my best red bow tie, perfectly centered beneath the grand clock and balcony, immortalized forever in someone’s wedding album. The bride burst into laughter. “Leave him!” she said. “He’s adorable — and he’s good luck!”
Good luck. Imagine that. A mouse, blessing a wedding.
I stayed for two more photos (strictly cameo appearances), then gave a polite nod and slipped away behind the fireplace before anyone asked me to sign a model release. Fame is exhausting for a mouse of my size.
And that, dear friends, was the day I became an unofficial member of a Nashville wedding party — right there in front of the grandest fireplace in the city.
