It is with joy that we welcome the following folks who joined the fellowship of First Presbyterian Church in September. Please extend a warm welcome and congratulate them the next time you talk with them.

1. Adam and Susan Abel and their brand-new son, T.J.  Adam teaches at Glade Springs Middle School, and Susan is a communications and marketing coordinator for Johnston Memorial Hospital. Adam and Susan's pictures are in the current directory.
2. Chris and Elizabeth Blankenship and their children, Mecha and Jon.  Chris is a business banker, and Elizabeth is a market researcher.
3. Rebecca Coté is a high school student and a friend of Brit Sawyers.
4. Bill and Pat Criswell, who are current members of the Sanctuary Choir. While self-described as retired, they are very active in their community and enjoy traveling.
5. Will and Kristy Davis with their children, Evie and Drew. Will is a financial advisor and Kristy teaches at Sullins Academy.
6. Brittany Sawyers, a high school student and a friend of Rebecca Coté. Brit is the granddaughter of Ken Sawyers.
7. Katy Sikorski, who is married to Chet, and her children Ford and Julia. Katy serves as the director of community support for the Wellmont Foundation. The Sikorski family picture is in the current directory.

The members of our Officer Nominating Committee are currently at work to discern those whom God is calling to serve our congregation as Deacon, Elder, and Trustee. They welcome your suggestions! If you have people to suggest for these offices, please find the Suggestion Form at the church (available in worship this Sunday) and submit it to the church office. Or you can email the names of those whom you would like to be considered, with supporting information for each person, to Gordon Turnbull (gturnbull@fpcbristol.org). Please submit your suggestions no later than Tuesday, October 25.

Your 2012 Officer Nominating Committee consists of Aaron Brooks (moderator), Brenda Foster, Julie King, Jerry Poteat, and Billie Whisnant. Thanks to these faithful ones for their service, and to all who support their work by offering names for consideration.

Ladies, join your friends for a dinner out on Tuesday, October 25! Meet at the church at 6 p.m. to drop your children off for child care, then carpool to Machiavelli's for a casual evening of fellowship. Heart to heart, we'll have a blast!

Email Lynette Wallen at lynette.wallen@gmail.com to let us know you can come and to reserve child care.

Now that fall is here, and the holidays are drawing closer, our youth groups are preparing Christmas cheer for other children. You can support them in this effort by donating small gifts (or shoe boxes to be filled), which they will send on to Operation Christmas Child. Please drop your donation off at the church before October 31.

Here are some gift ideas:

Toys

Small cars, balls, dolls, stuffed animals, kazoos, harmonicas, yo-yos, jump ropes, small Etch-A-Sketch-like toys that light up or make noise (and extra batteries), Slinkies

School Supplies

Pens, pencils and sharpener, crayons, markers, stamp and inkpad sets, writing pads or paper, solar calculators, coloring and picture books

Toiletries

Toothbrush, toothpaste, mild bar soap in a plastic bag, comb, washcloth

Other

Hard candy and lollipops (please double-bag all candy), mints, gum, T-shirts, socks, ball caps, sunglasses, hair clips, toy jewelry, watches, flashlights (and extra batteries)

Personal Note

In a separate envelope, you may enclose a note to the child and a photo of yourself or your family. If you include your name and address, the child may write back.

For the safety of our children, please remember to sign your child in and out of Sunday School. Sign-in sheets are located at the Children's Ministries' registration table before Sunday School and will be in the classrooms afterwards. If you have not registered your child for Sunday School, you will find the necessary form at the registration table.

This Sunday, October 16, our third through fifth graders are invited to enjoy a pizza lunch followed by an adventurous romp through a corn maze. The fun will begin at the church at noon. After lunch, we will head to Beck Mountain in Elizabethton for an a-maze-ing time.

Parents: We are asking for a $2 donation to help with the cost. Please call Ruthie Blair at 423-217-1224 or Cathy Newton at 423-366-8367 for more information or to reserve a place for your child. Please plan to be at the church to pick up your children by 3:30.

Our Fall Festival with Trunk or Treat will be held Sunday, October 30, at 6:00, in the front parking lot. Last year, about 250 of our neighbors joined us in enjoying a great evening of fun and fellowship at our first Trunk or Treat event. Help us put on an even better festival this year by showing off your decorated car trunk, donating candy, serving food, or helping with games for the kids. It's a great way to reach out to our community as well as enjoy the company of our own church kids!

Look for the trunk-decorating sign-up sheet at the Children's Ministries' registration table and the candy donation trunk that will be located next to it. If you have any questions or would like to reserve a place for your car, please contact Cathy Newton at 423-764-7176 or at cnewton@fpcbristol.org.

The Neighborhood Initiatives Steering Committee is gearing up the Fairmount Elementary School snack program for the new school year. We're asking folks to bring in boxes of plain or cinnamon Teddy Grahams and put them in the Little Red House in the Fellowship Hallway. The committee will take them to the school, and the teachers will divide them into snack portions as needed.

The Neighborhood Initiatives Steering Committee has been providing afternoon snacks for students whose parents cannot afford to purchase them. Kay Ward, the community outreach liaison at Fairmount, works with the committee to identify the children in need and to distribute snacks to the teachers to hand out each day. Kay has discovered that there are at least two children in each of 23 classrooms whose parents cannot give them snacks. That adds up to a need for 46 snack portions every day, a total of 230 snacks per week, or 920 snacks each month.

Your loving contribution will give dignity to children from low-income families by allowing them to enjoy snacks with their classmates, and tide them over until the end of the school day. Say a prayer of blessing as you send them on their way!

Lasagna

Salad Bar

Garlic Bread

Dessert

A kids' buffet will be available.

Volunteers:

Morning: Emily Hyder

Servers/Cleanup: Claire & John Pruner/Lee Galliher