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Windows
on First Presbyterian Church
January 12, 2012 |
Please Pray for Ethiopia Mission Team and Partners |
 The photo shows Trudy McFerrin and Peggy Hill preparing to pack items donated by our congregation for Berhane Yesus Elementary School in Dembi Dollo, Ethiopia. The two FPC members arrived in Addis Ababa on Tuesday.
Peggy reports that their baggage was "within ounces of the limit, thanks to the generous support of our congregation." She and Trudy deflated the balls, removed the pencils and pens from their packages, and compacted everything as much as possible to fit it all in.
After a stay with the people of Dembi Dollo, Peggy and Trudy will spend a couple of days visiting the clinics in Gambella. They plan to return home January 22.
They praise God for all the support, encouragement, and inspiration they have received, and ask your continuing prayers for this mission. |
Heart to Heart News Reading Paul's Mail | |
 The new year brings new opportunities in Bible study for the women of the church and their friends. In January, two groups are reading letters Paul wrote to instruct and encourage far-flung early Christians.
Lynette Wallen's Ladies' Bible Study resumed its weekly schedule January 11. Meeting at the church from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., this group is using materials by Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, to guide their study of Paul's letter to the Galatians. Join these women as they dig deep into God's Word and share in the fellowship of the Body of Christ. Child care is available; please let the church office know how many children to plan for.
Betsy Turnbull will lead an inductive Bible study of Paul's letter to the Romans. The group will meet at the church on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Join them this Tuesday, January 17, for an introductory session on inductive Bible study and a brief overview of Romans. Consider becoming a part of this group that plans to learn and grow through the shared study of God's Word.
While you're at it, markyour calendars for this year's Read and Feed, a book review session and soup smorgasbord planned for February 4, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at Jennifer Kennedy's home. You will enjoy great food and fellowship as you hear about books that can encourage and challenge you in your life of faith. Please call 764-7176 or email the church office (jhunt@fpcbristol.org) to let the group know you can come. Child care is available for this event; just let them know of your need.
Two Months Till the Annual Women's Retreat!
FPC's annual Women's Retreat will be held at Blowing Rock Conference Center in Blowing Rock, NC, Friday to Sunday, March 16-18. Registration will begin on Saturday, February 4, at the Read and Feed. |
On the Menu for Wednesday: Food for Body and Soul |
After the Fellowship Dinner this Wednesday evening, January 18, Dave Welch will present "Love, Love, Love," a discussion of the letters of John, as our Adult Learning Program continues.
Fellowship Dinner
Menu
Spaghetti
Green Beans
Salad Bar
Dessert
Volunteers
Morning: Emily Hyder
Server/Cleanup: David & Sherry Worley |
Save a Life by Giving Blood |
The March Blood Services Bloodmobile will be in the church parking lot from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, January 25. We need at least 20 people to make appointments to donate blood, so please volunteer.
You're never too old to give blood, and you may be as young as 17 (with parental consent). Call the church office at 423-764-7176 for more information or to make an appointment. |
Noted Author Marilynne Robinson to Speak at FPC |
 | | Marilynne Robinson |
Pulitzer Prize winner Marilynne Robinson, author of Housekeeping, Gilead, Home, and several volumes of nonfiction, including The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought, will be at FPC Saturday, January 28, to give the annual Buechner Lecture, sponsored by King College's Buechner Institute. FPC members will be welcome at both the 4:00 p.m. interview in the Fellowship Hall and the 7:00 p.m. talk in the Sanctuary.
Robinson has written articles, essays, and reviews for Harper's, The Paris Review, and The New York Times Book Review. She has been writer-in-residence or visiting professor at the University of Kent, Amherst, and the University of Massachusetts' MFA Program for Poets & Writers. In 2009, she held a Dwight H. Terry Lectureship at Yale University, giving a series of talks entitled Absence of Mind: The Dispelling of Inwardness from the Modern Myth of the Self, since published in book form. She teaches at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. |
 Kid Connection News
Children's Teachers Needed for Wednesday Evenings |
Would you like to work with our children ages 4 years through second grade? The Children's Ministries is looking for a few volunteers to do just that during Wednesday evening programs in February, March, and April. We are asking for a commitment of at least one month of Wednesdays. The actual time slot is 6:15 to 7:00, and all teaching and craft materials will be provided. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact Cathy Newton at 764-7176 or cnewton@fpcbristol.org. |
Library News from Bill Wade Celebrating the Basics of Christianity |
 Have you ever been at a meeting where the matter under discussion became ever more complex and convoluted? Finally one of the participants, hoping for a fresh look at the problem, speaks up and says, "Let's just get down to the basics." That in one sense of the word is just what John R. W. Stott has done in his book, Basic Christianity.
I must tell you that this is not a new book. John Stott was born in London in 1921 and grew up attending All Souls Church there in Langham Place. While attending Rugby as a teenager, he heard a minister give a sermon entitled, "What Then Shall I Do with Jesus, Who Is Called the Christ?" He took it as a personal call to the ministry and went on to attend Trinity College in Cambridge. Finishing theological training, he was ordained an Anglican cleric in 1945, immediately accepted a call to All Souls Church, and remained there as rector until his retirement in 1975. In retirement he continued being actively involved as honorary president of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity.
Stott became increasingly recognized for his leadership in the evangelical movement in Anglicanism in the post-World War II years and was recognized throughout the world for his activism. In 2005 Time Magazine ranked him among the 100 most influential people in the world. He also wrote many books and was a superb communicator, the BBC describing him as one who could "explain complex theology in a way lay people could easily understand." Of all his works, the favorite remained Basic Christianity, first published in 1961. It went through multiple printings, becoming a classic, and in early 2011 plans were launched to produce a grand 50th anniversary edition. On the eve of its publication, just after the editorial work had been completed, Stott died at the age of 90.
The book is exactly what its title declares it to be: a summary of basic Christian thought. The only change since the first printing is to provide a modern translation of the Bible and "to respond to sensitivities relating to gender." Compared with some modern treatments of the faith, there are those who might term this book old-fashioned. Stott would not have rejected that; he himself declared that "Basic Christianity is something of a period piece. It reflects the culture of its own day and needs to be allowed to remain itself. We hope and pray that God will use it as he has done in the past all over the world."
I think that traditional is the right word to describe this book. And if you are looking for a brief statement (only 168 pages) of the Christian faith as it has come down through the ages, you could hardly do better. Not only does it provide the fundamentals of the faith, but it does so in the characteristically genial, non-polemical manner that made Stott a beloved clergyman not just to English Anglicans, but to Christians throughout the globe. It's in our church library, just waiting for you. |
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Music Notes | |
Music Participants: January 15: Sanctuary Choir; George Huber, cantor; Leigh King, violin.
 | | David N. Childs |
Sunday's Music: The Sanctuary Choir anthem is a setting of the famous Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, which begins "Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace." Francis (c. 1181-1226) was the son of a wealthy merchant and lived a worldly life as a soldier until changed by a vision. He established several religious orders devoted to caring for the poor. He also had great concern for all of God's creation. Although the prayer cannot be accurately attributed to St. Francis, its series of petitions matches the call to humility and faithfulness that was exemplified by his life and ministry. The musical setting is by David N. Childs (b. 1969), a native of New Zealand, where he received his initial education before earning graduate degrees from several US institutions. He served for several years on the faculty of the Blair School of Music of Vanderbilt University; since 2010 he has been Director of Choral Music at Highland Park United Methodist Church in Dallas. Childs sensitively picks up the lyrical nature of the text with a beautifully flowing musical setting.
Program of Note: One of the subscription programs for Symphony of the Mountains this season is Blast of Brass, a program of brass, percussion, and organ music (separately and in combination!) taking place in our sanctuary on Sunday, January 22, at 3:00 p.m. Vicki Fey will be playing Bach's "Toccata in D Minor" as well as accompanying a trombone solo and a brass and organ piece. See the symphony's website or A! Magazine for the Arts for details. All students can attend any SOM program free of charge.
Arts Series: Keep your calendars marked for the next program in our 2011-2012 Arts Series. British organist and pianist Jeremy Filsell, Artist-in-Residence at Washington's National Cathedral, will present a program, using both of our marvelous instruments, on Sunday, February 26, at 3:00 p.m. More details to follow! - Steve & Vicki Fey |
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In Our Prayers
Becky Busler
Bill Goforth
Sharon Hatcher
Carolyn King
Ruth Musser
An extensive list of prayer concerns, "Pray for One Another," is available for pickup at the church each week.
Condolences
Our love and sympathy are with Ann Davis in the death of her father, Edward Stephan, on December 30 in Lafayette, LA; and with Roger Sikorski in the death of his grandfather, John Gose Boggs, on January 9 in Bristol.
Birthday Prayer Fellowship
January 15 Molly Mahoney
January 16 Tom Daniel, Dale Davis, Ric Proctor
January 17 Mack Blevins, Trudy McFerrin, Gordon Turnbull
January 18 Adrianna Nelson
January 19 Carrie Haaser, Amanda Hankins, John Peters
January 20 Gene Haskins, Nancy Sauls |
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Sunday Worship | |
January 15: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lessons: 1 Samuel 3:1-10; John 1:35-51
Sermon: Come and See, Gordon Turnbull
Anthem: Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, Sanctuary Choir
Hymns: Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah; Lord, Speak to Me That I May Speak;
Be Thou My Vision
By the Numbers: January 8: 8:30: 176; 11:00: 165 |
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Sunday, January 15
8:30 a.m. Worship, Fellowship Hall
9:00 a.m. Cherub Choir
9:45 a.m. Sunday School
11:00 a.m. Worship, Sanctuary
1:30 p.m. Evangelism & Outreach Committee
4:45 p.m. Youth Choir
5:30 p.m. Junior High Youth Group
7:00 p.m. Senior High Youth Group
Monday, January 16
4:45 p.m. Administrative Committee
5:30 p.m. Sanctuary Handbell Choir
Tuesday, January 17
9:00 a.m. Staff Meeting
10:00 a.m. Morning Prayer Group
6:30 p.m. Cub Scout Pack 3
7:00 p.m. Boy Scout Troop 3
7:00 p.m. Heart to Heart Inductive Bible Study
Wednesday, January 18
9:30 a.m. Ladies' Bible Study
1:00 p.m. Women's Bible Study
4:15 p.m. Children's Handbells
4:45 p.m. Youth Handbells
4:45 p.m. Savior's Singers Children's Choir
5:30 p.m. Fellowship Dinner
6:15 p.m. Adult Program
6:15 p.m. Kid Connection
6:15 p.m. Junior High Bible Study
6:45 p.m. Senior High Bible Study
7:15 p.m. Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal
Thursday, January 19
7:00 a.m. Men's Bible Study
12:00 p.m. Thursday Noon Bible Study, Java J's
Save the Dates:
Saturday, February 4
11:00-1:00 Heart to Heart Read & Feed
Friday-Sunday, March 16-18
Annual Women's Retreat, Blowing Rock Conference Center |
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