First Presbyterian Church                                                                                  Bristol, Tennessee
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In This Issue
Congratulations to the Graduates of 2011
Healing Hands Health Center Needs Volunteer Receptionists
Kid Connection News: Teachers Needed for July and August Sunday School
Save the Dates: VBS Coming in July
FPC Plans Mission 2012 Trip to Ethiopia
Mowing Teams for May 18-28
Here's a Traditional Affirmation of the "Real" Jesus
Music Notes
Worship Information
Pray for One Another
Calendar

Windows

on First Presbyterian Church

May 19, 2011
Congratulations to the Graduates of 2011

For several weeks, you have helped us learn of the achievements of those in our church family who are graduating this spring. Now we want to recognize and congratulate everyone you have brought to our attention, as well as those whose graduation we may be unaware of.

Morgan Armstrong graduates fromTennessee High School on May 21.

Philip Andrew Bailey (Drew) will graduate from Tennessee High School on May 21.

Bridget Baldau will graduate on May 21 from Hardin Valley Academy in Knoxville. Bridget is the granddaughter of Graham and Sue Barr.

Kristina Bieschke-Baker graduated on May 12 from the University of Tennessee with a Master of Science degree in Teacher Education. She is the daughter of Jerry and Kit Bieschke-Baker.

Ruthie Blair has earned her Master of Arts degree in Special Education from the University of Phoenix.

Chad Carpenter has earned his Master of Arts degree in Coaching and Athletic Administration from Concordia University in Irvine, CA.

Alan Joseph Fey graduated May 14 from Belmont University School of Visual and Performing Arts, Nashville, with a Master of Music degree. He is the son of Steve and Vicki Fey.

Sarah Grubbs will graduate May 20 from St. Cecilia Academy in Nashville. She is the granddaughter of Ron and Sandra Grubbs.

Conor Haaser will graduate from Tennessee High School on May 21.

Catherine Hayes graduated on May 14 from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. She is the granddaughter of Harold and Virginia Rutherford.

Miles Andrew Hite received a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine from Carson-Newman College on May 13.

Tiffany Hove will graduate from Tennessee High School on May 21.

Elizabeth Blaine Matzner will graduate from Tennessee High School on May 21. She is the daughter of Paula Matzner and the granddaughter of Pat and Blaine Hunigan.

Blake McFerrin will receive hisBachelor of Science degree in Geology, with a minor in Geography, from the University of Tennessee on May 21. He is the son of Mike and Trudy McFerrin.

Sherry Ratliff graduated with honors from the Appalachian College of Nursing with an Associate of Science degree in Nursing on May 13.

Kate Reynolds will receive her Bachelor of Divinity degree from the University of Edinburgh in June. She is the daughter of Craig and Karen McDonald.

Andrea Denise Rowell will be graduating from the International School in Yangon, Myanmar (formerly Rangoon, Burma). She is the granddaughter of Frances Rowell.

Emily Frances Rowell will graduate on June 11 from Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem. Emily is the granddaughter of Frances Rowell.

Jacquelyn Rutherford will graduate from Central High School in Blountville on May 20.

Lauren Rutherford will graduate from Tennessee High School on May 21.

R.J. Sikorski will graduate from Virginia High School on May 26.

Abigail Christine Welch (Abby)will graduate from Tennessee High School on May 21. She is the daughter of Dave and Linda Welch.

Healing Hands Health Center Needs Volunteer Receptionists

Healing Hands will be celebrating 14 years of service to Bristol's working uninsured--40,000 patient visits--in October. We see new faces coming into our building every day. Eighty percent of those asking for help seek relief from dental pain. As we continue to grow, so does our need for volunteers.

We need volunteer receptionists to work in our office on Tuesdays and Thursdays. One full or half day a week would be helpful. For more information or to volunteer, contact Helen Scott at execdirector@btes.tv or 423-652-2516. You can also visit our website at healinghandshealthcenter.org. Thank you to everyone for your continued support! ~ Helen Scott, Executive Director, Healing Hands Health Center

our safe church logo

Kid Connection News

Teachers Needed for July and August Sunday School

Thank you to everyone who responded to our call for summertime Sunday School teachers! You are truly appreciated. To those others of you are interested in joining us we say, It's not too late!

 

These are the positions we still need to fill:

 

· July: Teacher for younger class (preschool through first grade)

· August: Teachers for younger class and older class (second through fifth grade)

· July & August: Helpers for both classes (can be a one-time or more commitment)

 

If you are unable to help with teaching, I encourage you to join us in prayer for those whom the Lord has called. Again, thank you for your support of our children's ministry!

 

For questions or to reserve your spot, please contact Cathy Newton at the church office or by e-mail at cnewton@fpcbristol.org. ~ Cathy Newton

Save the Dates: Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School: July 18, 19 & 20

Theme: Growing the Fruits of the Spirit

Early registration: Sunday, July 17

Details to follow!

 

FPC Plans 2012 Mission Trip to Ethiopia

Interested in a mission trip to Berhane Yesus Elementary School and other missional activities of First Presbyterian Church in western Ethiopia? We are planning such a trip!

We invite you to pray about becoming involved in this adventure. Our probable travel dates will be 12 to 14 days (TBA) in February 2012.

For more information, email Peggy Hill at hillp@btes.tv or call her at 423-652-1732.

Mowing Teams for May 18-28 

May 18-21    Team 4:   Joe Hagerty & Aaron Brooks

May 25-28    Team 5:   Jim White & Jim Arnold

Library News from Bill Wade

Here's a Traditional Affirmation of the "Real" Jesus

bk cover real jesusThrough the centuries, many questions and differences of opinion have arisen among Christians about the true and proper understanding of the nature and person of Jesus Christ. A number of historic creeds have specifically addressed this matter. Most recently, in our own times, a small group of about 200 scholars known as the Jesus Seminar has come forth to debate the historical accuracy of Jesus' words and actions as recorded in our four gospels. Their conclusion: Jesus said only about 18 percent of what the gospels attribute to him

 

That's nonsense, replies Luke Timothy Johnson, the respected Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta. Johnson is the author of our book of the week, The Real Jesus: The Misguided Quest for the Historical Jesus and the Truth of the Traditional Gospels. His work is a scholarly and powerful statement, and Newsweek magazine termed it "the best of the recent flow of books" debating the nature of Jesus. In his preface, Johnson states his thesis clearly and emphatically: "I wrote this book to blow the whistle on a form of scholarship I consider misguided and misleading." If you are looking for a good solid theological argument for a traditional understanding of Jesus, this book is an excellent choice.

In his first chapter, Johnson briefly reviews the methods of the Jesus Seminar, and those of you not familiar with this group will find this chapter both interesting and instructive. Succeeding chapters discuss other contemporary theological variants with which Johnson takes issue, and he concludes that their ideas have been responsible for a lot of theological and cultural confusion in the Church. The final chapters set forth what is the essential thrust of his book, that good historical and critical scholarship does in fact confirm the traditional understandings of the nature of the Christ that have been accepted by the Church through the centuries. In other words, the early Church fathers got it right about Jesus, and their views have been rightly upheld through almost two millennia. As Johnson puts it: "The Jesus who truly challenges this age, as every age, is the one who suffers in obedience to God and calls others to such suffering service in behalf of humanity. This is the Jesus that classical Christianity has always proclaimed; this is an understanding of discipleship to which classical Christianity has always held."

You'll not find this book "theology lite"; Johnson is passionate about his position and deplores the confusion he sees introduced into our current understandings about the essentials of the Christian message. But neither is it a dense book fortified by obscure theological terminology. Johnson writes clearly and covers the 2,000-year span of Christian thought with a master's touch. If you are want a solid work reaffirming the traditions of the church, this may be the book for you. It's on the display table in the library.

Music Notes

Music Participants: May 22: Sanctuary Choir; May 29: Sanctuary Choir; Michael Long, violin.

Sunday's Music: The Sanctuary Choir anthem for May 22, "I Will Bow" (also known as "Willow Tree"), is a song from the Shaker tradition and similar to the more familiar "Simple Gifts." It is a pledge to humility, and through this humility come freedom and redemption. The Shakers were a Christian sect noted for their generosity, their skill at crafts, and their vigorous worship. The arrangement is by Frederick Chatfield. It is one of the anthems that our Sanctuary Choir will be recording for St. James Music Press.

Program of Note: Mark your calendars! The Boone (NC) United Methodist Church touring handbell choir will present a program in our sanctuary on Thursday, June 9, at 7:00 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public. More information will follow. ~ Steve & Vicki Fey

Sunday Worship

May 22: Fifth Sunday of Easter

 

Lessons: 2 Samuel 18:5-15, 31-33; Ephesians 3:7-13

 

Sermon: Regal Glory, Earthly Grief, Gordon Turnbull

 

Hymns: Be Thou My Vision; O for a Closer Walk with God; Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me

 

Anthem: I Will Bow

 

By the Numbers for May 15: 8:30 a.m., 153; 11:00 a.m., 113

Pray for One Another

In Our Prayers

Sue Olsen

Lynne Testerman

Frankie Trammell

An extensive list of prayer concerns, "Pray for One Another," is available for pickup at the church each week.

 

To the Church Triumphant

Bettye Polk Moneyhun

May 14, 2011

 

Congratulations

Congratulations to Buddy and Jean Eller, honored with Bristol's 2011 Mayors Award of Distinction for their longtime service to the community in such endeavors as the Bristol Life Saving Crew, Holston Habitat for Humanity, and the Mountain Empire Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Congratulations to DeeDee Galliher, recipient of the Samuel L. Robinson Scholarship from the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for her studies at King College. This award goes to students at PCUSA-related colleges who successfully memorize and interpret the Shorter Catechism.

 

Birthday Prayer Fellowship

May 22      Karen Boone, Branch Sword

May 23      Kristen Allerton, Phil Bailey, Sue Olsen

May 24      Jared Kreiss, Frank McCown Jr., Linda Welch

May 25      Faye VanNostrand

May 26      Sherry Ratliff, Lenita Thibault

May 27      Jerry Poteat

May 28      David Tudor II

Church Calendar

Sunday, May 22

8:30 a.m.        Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:45 a.m.        Sunday School

11:00 a.m.      Worship, Sanctuary

5:30 p.m.        HeartsBurn Bible Study

Monday, May 23

6:00 p.m.        Cub Scout Pack 3

7:00 p.m.        Session Meeting

Tuesday, May 24

9:00 a.m.        Staff Meeting

10:00 a.m.      Morning Prayer Group

10:00 a.m.      Heart to Heart/HeartsBurn Bible Study

7:00 p.m.        Boy Scout Troop 3 Meeting

Wednesday, May 25

1:00 p.m.        Women's Small Group Bible Study

5:30 p.m.        Financial Peace University

7:30 p.m.        Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal

Thursday, May 26

7:00 a.m.        Men's Bible Study

12:00 p.m.      HeartsBurn Bible Study/Java J's