H7 Story: Spring Outreach Events
Throughout the year, many opportunities arise for FCC members to serve the community throughout Greene County. The majority of these events are fairly small and usually originate from a direct effort on our part to help support and stand alongside the schools that are helping teach our children and the children of county.
These service opportunities are usually spearheaded by one of the Campus Pastors or the Tech Team. However, even if small in scope, volunteers are always needed. We understand that this takes time away from other things in your life, but we wanted to share how much of a difference you are helping to make #forgreene.
Volunteering needs are especially numerous during the Christmas holiday season and at the end of the school year. None of these events would be possible without the everyday faithful (and sometimes even … boring) service of our congregation who step in to volunteer and bring these ideas into fruition!
Please keep reading to get just a small taste of some of the serving opportunities on each of our campuses that our FCC’ers have stepped in to help with, just in the past month, in order to show Greene County that we are #forgreene!
These service opportunities are usually spearheaded by one of the Campus Pastors or the Tech Team. However, even if small in scope, volunteers are always needed. We understand that this takes time away from other things in your life, but we wanted to share how much of a difference you are helping to make #forgreene.
Volunteering needs are especially numerous during the Christmas holiday season and at the end of the school year. None of these events would be possible without the everyday faithful (and sometimes even … boring) service of our congregation who step in to volunteer and bring these ideas into fruition!
Please keep reading to get just a small taste of some of the serving opportunities on each of our campuses that our FCC’ers have stepped in to help with, just in the past month, in order to show Greene County that we are #forgreene!
Serving at South Greene:
Tech Support at SGHS Award Ceremony and SGMS Graduation: On May 12, our Tech Team was able to use our portable setup to provide tech for the South Greene High School awards ceremony. On May 19, we repeated this help for the Middle School graduation held at South Greene High School. These events were fairly simple in scope but still meant a lot to the school and surrounding community.
Graduation Parking Assistance: Eight volunteers from three different FCC South Greene Life Groups helped with parking at the South Greene High School graduation on May 16. We also provided meals and beverages for the four Student Resource Officers (SROs) who were on duty that night. Volunteer Tim Fuller even brought his golf cart and helped transport people to the football field where the graduation ceremony was being held. What an incredible way to be #forgreene!
Teacher’s Breakfast: Every year, we have the opportunity to appreciate the teachers with a big breakfast on their last day of the school year. South Greene volunteers make and serve the breakfast and get a chance to get to know the teachers and thank them for their hard work. Each teacher was also presented with a small gift from FCC. This year, the talents of several FCCers were put to use as we commissioned local painter and faithful FCCSGer, Dave June, to do a painting of the main building at South Greene High School. That painting was printed on notecards that were given as gifts to the teachers. We also printed the painting on coffee mugs and gave them to the principals and SROs.
“FCC never ceases to amaze me! Today they fed my South Greene crew breakfast and presented each of us with David June original cards depicting my beloved school! It literally brought me to my knees!” Principal Lori Wilhoit shared on a Facebook post. “There is nothing I like better than writing notes of love, support, and thanks, so this hit me so hard! The thing is FCC shows up for us literally all the time! They volunteer, love, give, support, feed, and give us so much! – Lori Wilhoit, Principal at SGHS
Graduation Parking Assistance: Eight volunteers from three different FCC South Greene Life Groups helped with parking at the South Greene High School graduation on May 16. We also provided meals and beverages for the four Student Resource Officers (SROs) who were on duty that night. Volunteer Tim Fuller even brought his golf cart and helped transport people to the football field where the graduation ceremony was being held. What an incredible way to be #forgreene!
Teacher’s Breakfast: Every year, we have the opportunity to appreciate the teachers with a big breakfast on their last day of the school year. South Greene volunteers make and serve the breakfast and get a chance to get to know the teachers and thank them for their hard work. Each teacher was also presented with a small gift from FCC. This year, the talents of several FCCers were put to use as we commissioned local painter and faithful FCCSGer, Dave June, to do a painting of the main building at South Greene High School. That painting was printed on notecards that were given as gifts to the teachers. We also printed the painting on coffee mugs and gave them to the principals and SROs.
“FCC never ceases to amaze me! Today they fed my South Greene crew breakfast and presented each of us with David June original cards depicting my beloved school! It literally brought me to my knees!” Principal Lori Wilhoit shared on a Facebook post. “There is nothing I like better than writing notes of love, support, and thanks, so this hit me so hard! The thing is FCC shows up for us literally all the time! They volunteer, love, give, support, feed, and give us so much! – Lori Wilhoit, Principal at SGHS
Special Gifts to Special Teachers and Staff:
There are four classrooms we use at South Greene every Sunday. To show our appreciation to those teachers for letting us use their classrooms, we gave them river rock soap dishes, hand-carved by Bethany Hodge (who attends the Greeneville Campus) and hand-made soap from Jim and Joy Elliott’s Star Mountain Soap Company. (The Elliot’s also attend the Greeneville Campus.) We also presented these gifts to the two custodial staff at SGHS since they take extra time every week to get things cleaned and organized in preparation for our Sunday services.
There are four classrooms we use at South Greene every Sunday. To show our appreciation to those teachers for letting us use their classrooms, we gave them river rock soap dishes, hand-carved by Bethany Hodge (who attends the Greeneville Campus) and hand-made soap from Jim and Joy Elliott’s Star Mountain Soap Company. (The Elliot’s also attend the Greeneville Campus.) We also presented these gifts to the two custodial staff at SGHS since they take extra time every week to get things cleaned and organized in preparation for our Sunday services.
Serving at Greeneville
New Year's Eve: FCC volunteers helped to support our city’s efforts to celebrate the New Year. We helped supply a family zone during the downtown celebrations for kids and their parents to come in out of the cold and enjoy some warm fun together. Volunteers handed out vouchers for a free Catalyst coffee, and had beneficial conversations where they were able to invite community members to FCC.
Greene City/County Band lunch: FCC volunteers provided a lunch for students from all over the county who came to GHS for a percussion workshop on April 26. We were able to support the schools’ effort to provide extended education and experience for the percussion members of the city and county school bands.
Greene City/County Band lunch: FCC volunteers provided a lunch for students from all over the county who came to GHS for a percussion workshop on April 26. We were able to support the schools’ effort to provide extended education and experience for the percussion members of the city and county school bands.
End-of-Semester Meal: On May 21st, FCC volunteers helped serve a lunch to encourage and say thank you to GHS teachers for another year of giving their best for our community's students. We are grateful for our teachers and were able to let them know. The GHS principal and faculty are always so very appreciative of FCC’s encouragement and generosity in the end of the semester meals. Kay Widmaier and Barb Bergman worked together to plan the event, and they shared about their experience when they jointly penned the following: “It was a blessing to be a light representing Jesus, and FCC to the GHS teachers who so faithfully serve our community's students. They were all so kind and appreciative. It was the end of the school year for them and for three of the teachers it was retirement after teaching 38 to 40 years each. That was special and fun!”
Upcoming Celebration: FCC will support our City’s Juneteenth celebration by providing activities for kids during this event. This will be our fourth year supporting this event.
Upcoming Celebration: FCC will support our City’s Juneteenth celebration by providing activities for kids during this event. This will be our fourth year supporting this event.
Serving at Afton
Chuckey-Doak HS & MS Band, Chorus, and Theater Performances: Each of these groups hosted a spring performance, and FCC was there for each of them providing sound, lights, and video support. It’s impossible to count the number of times these teachers and students said “Thank you!” as FCC assisted in AV to make each day a success!
Chuckey-Doak HS Teacher Appreciation: As part of teacher appreciation week, some Afton volunteers took it upon themselves to organize a thank you gift of their own for each teacher, custodian, cafeteria, and support staff at CDHS. Of course the sweet treat of cookies was much appreciated, but it was the hand written cards included with each gift that really made the impact.
Chuckey-Doak Graduate Lunch: This lunch has become a yearly tradition, but this year, it was held on May 9 at the FCC Greeneville Campus instead of its previous location at CDHS. A large group of amazing volunteers prep for days to pull off an amazing lunch to celebrate the graduates. It was Pennie Nunn's first year to organize the event and she shared, "This is the first year I have organized this event and I could not have done it without the help of Cindy G and Marlene E. They have always organized this and done a wonderful job at it. They helped me in so many ways to prepare and carry it out. This event is a means for the many volunteers to reach out and touch the lives of not only the students. but the staff at CDHS. It is a celebration of the accomplishments of the CDHS seniors as they graduate and prepare for their plans for the future. It is a means of sharing the gifts that the Lord has given me to use them to further His kingdom. Hopefully all that attended will remember not only the food and the celebration, but the love that was shared with them that day with all the hard work and care the FCC team showed."
Chuckey-Doak HS Teacher Appreciation: As part of teacher appreciation week, some Afton volunteers took it upon themselves to organize a thank you gift of their own for each teacher, custodian, cafeteria, and support staff at CDHS. Of course the sweet treat of cookies was much appreciated, but it was the hand written cards included with each gift that really made the impact.
Chuckey-Doak Graduate Lunch: This lunch has become a yearly tradition, but this year, it was held on May 9 at the FCC Greeneville Campus instead of its previous location at CDHS. A large group of amazing volunteers prep for days to pull off an amazing lunch to celebrate the graduates. It was Pennie Nunn's first year to organize the event and she shared, "This is the first year I have organized this event and I could not have done it without the help of Cindy G and Marlene E. They have always organized this and done a wonderful job at it. They helped me in so many ways to prepare and carry it out. This event is a means for the many volunteers to reach out and touch the lives of not only the students. but the staff at CDHS. It is a celebration of the accomplishments of the CDHS seniors as they graduate and prepare for their plans for the future. It is a means of sharing the gifts that the Lord has given me to use them to further His kingdom. Hopefully all that attended will remember not only the food and the celebration, but the love that was shared with them that day with all the hard work and care the FCC team showed."
Chuckey-Doak High School Graduation: Pillar organized the entire parking plan for the graduation, which sounds simple enough, but with around 1,200 attendees and limited parking, this proved to be quite a feat. Our young adults met beforehand to come up with a plan and positioned volunteers across the campus to help facilitate, greet, and assist guests.
Additionally, FCC provided sound and video production for graduation allowing it to be live streamed online and into the Auditorium and hallways for overflow. The required days of work ahead of time planning and preparing so that on the day of graduation, everyone in the gym (along with hundreds of other guests in the overflow areas) were able to celebrate the big day with their graduates. We are glad we could come alongside our community to make this special day even better.
Thank you to everyone who volunteered and let Greene County know that we are For Greene, because God is For Greene!
Additionally, FCC provided sound and video production for graduation allowing it to be live streamed online and into the Auditorium and hallways for overflow. The required days of work ahead of time planning and preparing so that on the day of graduation, everyone in the gym (along with hundreds of other guests in the overflow areas) were able to celebrate the big day with their graduates. We are glad we could come alongside our community to make this special day even better.
Thank you to everyone who volunteered and let Greene County know that we are For Greene, because God is For Greene!
Posted in Tell the Story