To register for this outreach opportunity, please visit bit.ly/WorshipWithoutWalls

The Blakemore Endowment Fund has two funds which offer college tuition support. The Dorothy Knowles Scholarship is open to all fields of study while the Guy and Margaret Smith Scholarship is open to students pursuing a service based career (i.e., counseling, teaching, social work, nursing, medicine, ministry).

Applicants are not limited to Blakemore members but the candidates must be active in the United Methodist Church. The award amounts vary but generally are near $1,000.

Applications are available below and in the church office. Completed applications must be returned to the church office (3601 West End Avenue, Nashville TN  37205) on or before May 15.

Completed packets require:

• a transcript of current grades and completed classes
• an essay
• 3 references
• a financial need assessment

If you are a previous recipient, you still need to complete the full packet with updated info.

2019 Dorothy Knowles College Scholarship Guidelines and application

2019 Guy and Margaret Smith College Scholarship Guidelines and application

Please join us January 25-27 for the annual Women’s Retreat, hosted by Blakemore UMC and Clark Memorial UMC. More information can be found below.

Womens Retreat 2019 Brochure for web

As a part of our first ever Blakemore Christmas Cabaret, Kristi Walker re-wrote lyrics to a famous Christmas song to match the happenings and life at Blakemore. Check out the lyrics below:

The 12 Days of Christmas
[Blakemore Edition]

Written by Kristi Stephens Walker

On the twelfth day of Christmas, the good Lord gave to me,

12 Handbells ringing
11 Frozen Assets
10 new church members
9 Children Dancing
8 guests a sleeping
7 bible studies
6 staff a’working
The Faith We Sing!
4 church retreats
3 new screens
2 new bathrooms
at Blakemore UMC!

As we reflect on the ministries we’ve encountered in the past year, we give thanks to God for all we’ve been given.

Use the links below to learn more about how you can share in these ministries of Blakemore UMC by your prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.

Pledge Card 2018

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Stewardship Letters

Active Member Letter
New Members Letter
Ministry Update Letter

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Budgets

Narrative Budget for 2018
Line Item Budget for 2018

Interested in purchasing a Blakemore t-shirt?

Use the editable PDF linked below to complete your order and e-mail to ashley@blakemoreumc.org.

Payment can be made directly to the church office.

Editable TShirt Order Form

Youth, Women’s, and Men’s sizes available

$12 per shirt

Dark gray backgtound & white text/art

“A Sacred Calling:  Faith Communities Caring for Our Earth” a conference of

Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light (Nashville Chapter) and cosponsored by the Creation Care Ministry of the Tennessee Conference

Saturday, Oct. 14, 9:00-3:30

at West End United Methodist Church, 2200 West End Avenue, Nashville 37203

People of all faiths and anyone else who cares deeply about protecting this beautiful, abundant earth and all living things sustained by it, are invited to a day of learning and strategizing about how to be better stewards of creation.

The keynote speaker will be Rev. Fletcher Harper, Executive Director of GreenFaith, an international interfaith earth care organization.  The title of his talk is:  “I Believe Three Things:  Core Values Connecting Religion and the Environment.” 

A series of workshops will be offered throughout the day focusing on:  (1) practical steps that local houses of worship can take to be better caretakers of the earth (reducing energy use; earth-friendly care of land; reducing waste; etc.;  (2) educational and worship resources that can be used in a variety of faith settings; (3) advocacy strategies for shaping public policy; and (4) models and strategies for integrating earth care into the life of your house of worship, including ways to have non-polarizing conversations about earth care that are based on shared values.   The day will end with a short interfaith worship service.

The cost (which includes lunch from local caterer Barley to Rise) is:  $20 for Adults and $12 for Youths (ages 12-18) and College and Graduate Students.  Child care for ages 0-5 is available for $5/child (see more about child care at registration site).  If financial assistance is needed, contact Rev. Paul Slentz at pslentz53@gmail.com.

Register at http://bit.ly/SacredCallingConference2017.  Registration deadline is noon, Oct. 11.

In addition to Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light (Nashville), the conference is co-sponsored by the Creation Care Ministry of the Tennessee Conference, UMC, and the Cumberland-Harpeth Audubon Society and numerous houses of worship.

For more information, contact Rev. Paul Slentz (pslentz53@gmail.com) or Ms. Aimee Shelide Mayer (615) 760-1019.

Each year, our Blakemore family gathers at the Beersheba Springs Assembly in Beersheba Springs, Tennessee for a weekend away from the regular schedule. Intergenerational programming and fellowship are on the schedule, along with time to explore the retreat center, hike nearby Greeter Falls, or visiting Beersheba Porcelain. Brochures and reservation forms for the annual Church Retreat are available below.

Please return forms to Deanna McCulley: drop them off in the church office or e-mail them (deanna.mcculley (at) gmail.com.

Retreat Form 2017 (PDF)

First United Methodist Church in Hopkinsville invites you and your women’s group to join them for an exciting day steeped in God’s word as they host a simulcast of Beth Moore’s Living Proof Ministry event on September 16th. For more information, see the images below.

The Tennessee Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church met for the 50^th time on June 11-13 at Brentwood UMC. Ron Merville and I represented Blakemore at the gathering. Separate clergy and laity sessions opened the conference. At the clergy session, we dealt with matters pertaining to conference membership, such as approving individuals for licensing, commissioning, ordination, leave of absence, and retirement. At the opening worship service that evening, Bishop Bill McAlilly reminded us of our theme: “Sent to Serve God and Neighbor.”

Monday morning began with worship in which Rev. Carol Cavin-Dillon preached an inspiring and convicting sermon about the parable of the Good Samaritan. She reminded us that it is normal to avoid messes and uncomfortable circumstances like the priest and Levite did, but we are called to be “weird” like the Samaritan and move toward suffering. The rest of the morning was filled with the standard business items of annual conference, such as reports about resolutions, standing rules, our financial situation and budget, clergy pensions, and the health plan.

After lunch, we returned for two worship services. The first was the Memorial Service. Tom Nankervis was among those remembered. The second was the Retirement Service. Michael O’Bannon and Michael Williams, both former pastors of Blakemore, were among those celebrating their retirements. Michael O’Bannon listed four things he’d learned as a pastor, including not to eat chili on Saturday night. Michael Williams was, of course, humorous and gracious in his speech and paid a special tribute to Rev. Bob Lewis. We closed out the afternoon by hearing several reports about some of our connectional ministries, such as Warmth in Winter, Cedar Crest, Beersheba Springs, Wesley Foundations, Martin Methodist College, and Miriam’s Promise.

Scott Chrostek, the pastor of the Church of the Resurrection’s campus in downtown Kansas City, was our speaker and teacher for Tuesday morning. He shared about his experience of planting a church in a downtown urban setting and urged all of us to move beyond the walls of the church to share God’s love out in the community. Most of the rest of the day was spent dealing with conference business. We adopted a $14.4 million budget for 2018, reorganized our standing rules, passed some resolutions, voted on constitutional amendments from the 2016 General Conference, officially reorganized the conference into five districts, voted to close nine churches (including 61^st Avenue UMC) and allow two others to merge, decided not to elect new delegates for the called General Conference in 2019, elected folks to serve on various committees in the conference, and decided that we will meet at Brentwood UMC again in 2018.

Conference ended on Tuesday evening with the Service of Licensing, Commissioning, and Ordination. We commissioned one missionary, licensed 23 first-time local pastors, commissioned four provisional deacons and seven provisional elders, and ordained six elders and one deacon in full connection. The one deacon was Gracie Dugan, who used to be Blakemore’s Minister to Children and Families. That, along with getting to stand with and lay hands on Chris Allen, whom I have mentored for several years through the candidacy process, as he was ordained were the highlights of Annual Conference for me. Powerful reminders of God’s call on all our lives and how we live out that call in connection and community together.

~ Rev. John Hill