Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! We are glad that you have chosen to visit our website!  Calvary Presbyterian Church of Big Lick is a welcoming community of faith where we enjoy Christian fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ.  Please take a few minutes to look through the pictures on our website and read about our upcoming events.  We hope that after reading the website you might like to join us in person at one or all of our upcoming activities.  Calvary Church of Big Lick is definitely a place where all are welcome.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

 DAILY SCRIPTURE READINGS!

One of the habits of faithful Christians is daily Bible reading.  The "One Year Bible" provides a helpful way to read through the Bible in a series of 365 daily readings.  Each reading contains a passage from the Old Testament as well as one from the New Testament.  There is also a Psalm reading and a Proverb for each day.  You can access the "One Year Bible" online by clicking on the link below.  Many different English translations are available online!

ONE YEAR BIBLE ONLINE - CLICK HERE! 

     AUGUST BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES:
BIRTHDAYS: 
2  Lee Heffner
4  Mike Smathers
6  Ray Jolley
6  Addison Woody
7  Ronny Hill
7  Aaron Freeman
10  George Dagley
14  Cora Kerley
15  Martha Tinch
15  Connie Lewis
18  J.R. Tinch
20  James Kimbrell
22  Lynn Tollett
27  Butch Burgess
29  Bev Talbott
29  Jeannie Ullmann
30  Ellen Cooke

ANNIVERSARIES: 
15  Nevin & Emma Jean Harrison
17  Judy & Mike Smathers
21  Randy & Martha Tinch


 

Big Lick Homecoming Pictures - 2010

Vacation Bible School 2009 Pictures

Big Lick Country Day 2009 Pictures

Children's Christmas Program 2009

Calvary Presbyterian Church of Big Lick
10077 Vandever Road
Crossville, Tennessee 38572

Telephone: 931-788-5240
Email: BigLickPC@aol.com

(Our church directory is available online (courtesy of Olan Mills) by clicking on the picture of the church above.  In order to view the directory, you need to have a password.  If you do not already have that information, please email the church at BigLickPC@aol.com  to get the log-in info.

Directions: 

From Crossville, drive south on Highway 127 S. through the Homesteads.  Approximately 12 miles south of Crossville, and 6 miles south of the Cumberland Mountain State Park, you will cross the "Lick Creek" bridge.  There is a small pond on the right hand side of the road.  Immediately past the pond is Vandever Road.  Turn right on Vandever Road and drive approximately 8/10^ths of a mile.  The church is on the right hand side of the road.

From Lake Tansi Village, drive south on Dunbar road.  The church is located on the left hand side of the road at the point where Dunbar Road dead ends at Vandever Road.

From Pikeville, TN, drive north on Highway 127.  Approximately 3 miles after entering Cumberland County, you will come to the Daddy's Creek bridge.  Immediately, past the bridge, turn left on Vandever Road and drive approximately 8/10^ths of a mile.  The church is on the right hand side of the road.

 Calvary Presbyterian Church of Big Lick
is the proud sponsor of

PROJECT CELEBRATE!

Project Celebrate works with the Churches of Cumberland County to organize and provide fellowship gatherings for the children and parents who are part of the Foster Family Association of Cumberland County.  Our goal is to provide these families with a time of fun and rejuvenation in which the children can come to know God's good gift of unconditional love and acceptance.

You can also visit our Presbytery Website or the PCUSA website at:

www.PresbyteryMiddleTennessee.org
or
www.PCUSA.org

“SOUTHERN GRATITUDE”
1 THESSALONIANS 1: 1- 10
(This sermon was preached by Rev. Pete Ullmann on Sunday, July 11, 2010 at the Calvary Presbyterian Church of Big Lick in Crossville Tennessee.)

Have you ever wondered where some of the heroes of the Bible came from? Where they grew up? Where they were raised? Sometimes, Scripture lets us in on this information. For instance, we are told that Abraham came from a small out-of-the-way place called Haran. Moses was born in Egypt and raised in the palace of the Pharaoh. Bethlehem came to be known as the City of David because it was the birthplace of this great King of Israel. Jesus was born while His parents were en route to Joseph’s hometown of Bethlehem to be registered in the census, but we all know that He was raised in Nazareth. The Apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul is said to be from a town called Tarsus.

Where do you suppose Tarsus was? If you were curious, you might look at a map of the ancient world in order to find out. When I did, I spotted it right up at the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean Sea. However, I’m pretty sure the map is wrong, because Paul must have been from the South! The proof is right here in the beginning of Thessalonians as Paul writes, “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers.”

As Dawn, Nathanael and I prepare to head just a little farther south to Georgia, that southern version of the second person plural - “Y’all” - won’t be anything new for us, but what Paul has to say to his friends in Thessalonica about his thankfulness to God is something that touches a chord with me today as I think about you all. I am truly grateful to God for each one of you... for your faith... for your hope... for your love... and for how my life has been blessed by the thirteen years I have spent with you as your pastor here in Big Lick.

Sometimes the introductory words Paul uses in his letters might be easy to gloss over or to take for granted. To the Corinthians, Paul writes, “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus.” To the Phillippians, he writes, “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now.” To the Colossians, he writes, “We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints.”

Paul’s words of thanksgiving sometimes may appear almost obligatory - perhaps just a matter of “good form” in writing. In fact, Biblical scholars point out that the urgency of Paul’s “issue” with the Galatian Church is highlighted by the very fact that in this letter, the introductory words of thanksgiving are surprisingly missing. Instead, Paul cuts right to the heart of the matter saying, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel...” But while Paul might usually be all about “good form”, when we look closely at his words of thanksgiving, I believe we can see genuine, heartfelt emotion for each group of Christian friends to whom he writes.

Let’s take our text for today as a case in point. Paul writes to his friends in Thessalonica saying, “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, knowing, beloved, your election by God.

These aren’t just mindless words that Paul writes without thought or heartfelt meaning. Paul knows the believers in the Thessalonian Church! He knows the way they work to hold onto their faith in the midst of difficult times. He knows how they go out of their way to love others and to demonstrate the love of God in their daily lives. Paul is well aware of the Christian hope that inspires them to remain steadfast in their beliefs in spite of persecution and suffering. “We know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that God has chosen you...” says Paul. And for that Paul and his friends are tremendously thankful.

In reading Paul’s words to these Christian brothers and sisters, it seems clear that Paul means every word he says. He knows these people. He’s met them face to face. He and Timothy and Silvanus are the ones who lived and worked among these Christians and first delivered the Gospel of Jesus Christ to them.

While considering these brothers and sisters in Thessalonica, Paul is thankful to God for the faith, hope and love that he has seen take root and blossom in their lives. He is thankful for the growth that God has effected through Paul’s own faithful proclamation. This Apostle is thankful for the powerful work of the Holy Spirit that has taken the seed of faith and nurtured it to fruition in the lives of these men and women whom Paul cares so much for.

“Our Gospel did not come to you in word only”, says Paul, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.”

Paul recognizes that while he and his friends had a very important role in delivering the Gospel of Jesus Christ to these Thessalonian believers, it is God alone who creates faith! It is the Spirit who nurtures those seeds and makes them take root and grow and become fruitful. And as Paul considers these Christian friends, how can he help but be thankful for the work that God has accomplished in their lives?

“You became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit.”

Sometimes faith is a hard thing to understand and to comprehend. It seems that here the Apostle marvels at the fact that the Gospel has somehow taken root so strongly in the lives of these believers. He mentions the example of faith that he and his colleagues set for these men and women - an example grounded in the example of Christ Jesus himself. But what could he make of the persecution these people suffered each and every day for the faith that they held dear? How could he grasp their receptivity to a Gospel which would mean their own suffering and tears and in some cases even death? Only God can accomplish such things! Only the Spirit can inspire faith and trust and hope in the midst of such persecution. And Paul is well aware of that. Likewise, he thanks God for working powerfully to nurture the seeds that he has planted. He thanks God that the faith of these believers has become so obvious for all the world to see!

And that’s what Paul ends up saying, isn’t it? The faith, hope and love of the Thessalonians is such that it is obvious to all who know them. It is plain for the whole world to see. Paul needs not tell others about the faith of the Thessalonians, for word about them has already spread to each and every one of the people that Paul meets. In fact, claims Paul, his own reputation is wrapped up in the faith of these Thessalonian believers and how they have allowed that faith to influence and impact every part of their lives.

You see, that’s what happens when people allow the Spirit of God to work in their lives. That’s what takes place when faithfulness to God becomes a genuine way of life. That’s the effect that comes about when Christian believers start to take seriously how their faith is meant to be given flesh and lived out in the course of daily life. Others start to take notice! Word begins to spread! Indeed, reputations are created!

In thinking about this New Testament lesson for today, there is much that reminds me of this congregation. Indeed, like the Thessalonians, your faith, your hope and your love are known far and wide. This little church in Big Lick may be small, but it has a big reputation - not only in Crossville, or in Cumberland County, or even in Middle Tennessee - but in Florida, Alabama, Nebraska, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, California, and as far as word of your faithfulness to God has spread.

People within and outside of this community speak of your friendliness and the way they are welcomed whenever they visit this church. Your kindness and generosity are talked about by neighbors and friends who have witnessed and heard of these things first hand. The way you take care of each other and minister to the physical needs of others while praying for God’s healing and protection is a blessing that does not escape notice by friends and strangers alike. The way this community of faith gathers to study God’s Word, to Worship our Lord and Savior, and to give of yourselves to help the needs of neighbors near and far are things that regularly make up the reputation you have - a reputation that makes others want to be a part of this family of faith... a reputation that leads people to come back here from points all around this country.

As much as I might like to, I don’t take credit for this. I don’t believe one person ever could! But I am genuinely thankful that I have been able to be a part of this community. I cherish my time here and the many lasting friendships that I have made. Most of all, I thank God for the work that the Spirit has done in this place - the faith that has been created, the hope that has been strengthened, and the love that is so often shown.

Yet this work is not complete, is it? Indeed, the work of the Spirit in your lives is a powerful work that I know will continue in the days, weeks and years to come. It is a work that will bring blessing to both you and the folks you minister to alike. The work of the Spirit that will continue in this community of faith is a blessing that will foster God’s gifts of faith, hope and love in your hearts and souls for many years to come. And I thank God for these gifts that I know the Lord will shower on you. I thank God for the faithfulness that I know will continue in this community. And I thank God for the presence of the Spirit which will inspire you to move forward into the future with confidence, assurance and hope.

Along with my departure comes a time of transition - a transition in pastoral leadership - but the bulk of the things that make this church strong will remain the same. There are many strong leaders within this church. Your relationships are genuine. Your caring for one another is unmistakable. Your giving is a matter of faithfulness. Your commitment to study and worship is something that will undoubtedly thrive. Your fellowship and nurturing spirit will continue to make this a place where visitors feel welcome.

Indeed, you have much to be proud of. But remember also that this is NOT a time to quit! It’s NOT a time to step away and leave the hard work to others. The future of this church depends upon you and your continued faithfulness. It will require your commitment, your dedication, your willingness to respond when called upon, your determination to serve God, and your desire to keep the reputation of this church vibrant and alive.

Along with your willingness to follow the Lord, the Spirit of God will enable all these things. The Spirit will lead you into the future. And the Lord will bless this congregation for many years to come. I trust that! I thank God for that! I thank God for your faith. I thank God for the time that we have spent together. And like the Apostle Paul, I will remember you in prayer, asking God to give you all good things... indeed, all that you need.

Because of your faithfulness and the way that you welcome the work of God’s Spirit in your midst, I have no doubt that the Lord will continue to bless you richly. Praise be to God! AMEN