MSSA Opens 136th Program Season
Thursday, June 7, 2018
The Monteagle Sunday School Assembly in Monteagle opens its 136th consecutive summer season of enrichment on June 10, with an interdenominational worship service at 11 a.m. in the Assembly’s Warren Chapel.
The eight-week season will continue through Sunday, Aug. 5, featuring numerous visiting lecturers presenting morning and evening programs in Warren Chapel that are open free of charge to the public; unless otherwise noted, morning lectures begin at 10:45 a.m. and evening lectures at 8:15 p.m.
Anyone interested in a full schedule of the Monteagle Assembly’s 2018 program is welcome to pick one up at the Assembly Office (931-924-2286), or to peruse the schedule on the Assembly’s website at .
The first week of the season features an eclectic mix of programs, lectures and music, including a lecture from Mike Keith, play-by-play announcer on radio and television for more than 30 years. His work calling the January 8, 2000, Tennessee Titans game against Buffalo Bills made him famous; the “Music City Miracle” last-second touchdown that catapulted the Titans to an improbable playoff win was named by ESPN as one of the 10 best radio calls in American sports history.
Keith will speak on Friday, June 15, at 2:30 p.m. in Warren Chapel.
Thursday evening, June 14, features a musical performance by the Choo Choo Chorus, the Chattanooga chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, which performs to raise money for charities such as the Boehm Birth Defects Center. The chorus has donated more than $50,000 to the Boehm Center in the last few years.
Morning lectures in the opening week cover everything from finding peace in a noisy world to wrangling weeds. On Monday morning, Dr. William H. (Bill) Elder III and Linda Elder, longtime Assembly members, will talk about “Finding Hope in Life’s Unchosen Journeys.”
On Christmas Eve 2009, Bill suffered a major stroke; how the couple wrestled with the chaos that followed serves as the foundation for this powerful talk. Tuesday morning brings the Right Rev. Don E. Johnson to the Chapel, where he will reflect on how we are formed by the places we live and the experiences we share.
Johnson’s lecture, “A View from the Flatlands,” will also share how he and his wife, Jeannie, are preparing for his pending retirement as the Third Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee. Wednesday morning’s lecture with Mary Ellen Brewington, “Living Peacefully in a Restless World,” focuses on helping each of us be present, be true, clear our minds and hearts, and incorporate life hacks into our daily habits to live a less-stressful life.
Thursday morning, Cayce McAlister lectures on a project called Weed Wrangle®. This project is a one-day, citywide, volunteer effort to help rescue public parks and green spaces from invasive species through hands-on removal of especially harmful trees, vines and flowering plants. The morning lecture will be followed by an afternoon community Weed Wrangle from 2:30-4:30 p.m. Participants will meet at the flag pole to remove invasive species from the MSSA grounds.
Additional events the first week include the following:
Monday, June 11, 4:30 p.m., Winfield Porch—Informal lecture by the Rev. Ben Cathey, “Partnering with Unchurched People to Find Jesus.”
Tuesday, June 12, 8:15 p.m., Pulliam Center—Documentary moving screening, “Do Not Resist,” a 2016 unrated film that examines the implications of police departments acquiring armored vehicles and other military-grade weaponry. The film questions whether this trend serves the goal of protecting the public. Runtime: 1 hour 12 minutes.
Wednesday, June 13, 10 a.m.-noon, and 2:30-4:30 p.m., Pulliam Center —“Space to Shift: A Workshop for Women,” with Liz Norell. Gate ticket required.
Friday, June 15, 10:45 a.m., Warren Chapel—Lecture with the Rev. Francis X. Walter, “Two Eccentric Characters and My Mother.”