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Worship | |
Sept. 23: 25th Sunday
in Ordinary Time
Lessons
Proverbs 31:10-31; Psalm 1
Mark 9:30-37
Sermon
Who Is the Greatest?
Dave Welch
Hymns
All People That on Earth Do Dwell
O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee
O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High
Anthem
Be Thou My Vision
By the Numbers
Sept. 16: 8:30: 126; 11:00: 104 |
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Windows
on First Presbyterian Church
September 20, 2012 |
Chill with Us at the Ice Cream Social This Sunday |
 Please join us for our annual ice cream social this Sunday, September 23, at 6:00 p.m. We will gather in the Fellowship Hall to enjoy the sweets of frozen treats and the warmth of fellowship.
Prepare to amaze the judges (the deacons) with your chillin' best, or buy your favorite flavor and bring that. Chocolate chip mint won last year, but there's always room for innovation. |
Wednesdays in September
Venture through the Old Testament with Us! |
 Next Wednesday, September 26, we will complete the final stage of our mental and spiritual walking tour of the Old Testament, guided by Dr. Fred Foy Strang. Using the series A Walk Through the Bible, we are involved in interactive learning adventures that help us experience God's love more deeply and the Old Testament in new and refreshing ways. Books are available for $10.
Fellowship Dinner for September 26
We are looking forward to a relaxed meal and fellowship at 5:30 next Wednesday. We will enjoy chicken divan, spinach salad, rolls, and dessert before setting off on metaphorical foot to finish our journey through the Old Testament. Emily Hyder will help Mary Lee Schiesz with meal preparations in the morning. John and Claire Pruner will serve dinner, and Lee Galliher will clean up afterwards.
Student Ministries Small Groups
Katie Arnold and her team invite all middle school and high school students to take part in a relationship journey by joining a small group on Wednesday evenings at 6:00, immediately after the Fellowship Dinner. The groups are led by adults and made up of students of the same age and gender. Students are now involved in a series called "Starting to Go Where God Wants You to Be." Don't miss out on this opportunity to grow and be challenged while immersed in authentic community!
Wednesday Night Kids
On September 12 we learned about God's loving and careful planning when he created even a small bee. John Vann and Brian Miller shared with us the job of beekeeper as we each tried on the proper protective clothing and then tasted dark and light honey. On September 19 we continued our work on the Creation Tower by adding examples of plants created on Day 3. Next week we will begin our study of Day 4, when God in his wisdom created the sun, moon, and stars. Come join us as we look to the heavens to learn more about our mighty God. Classes are available for four-year-olds through first grade and for second through fifth grades. For more information, contact Ann Abel through the church office or aabel@fpcbristol.org.
Bloodmobile at FPC
Come early on Wednesday and donate blood for a chance to win NFL tickets to the December 9 Titans vs. Colts game! The Marsh Blood Services bloodmobile will be in our front parking lot from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. Everyone who donates blood will not only help save lives but also be entered for a chance to win the tickets.
We need at least 20 church members to volunteer. Remember, you're never too old to give blood or to go to a game! Seventeen-year-olds may give blood with parental consent. |
New Heart to Heart DVD Bible Study Begins Next Wednesday |
 The women of the church are invited to a new Heart to Heart video Bible study that begins next Wednesday, September 26, at 9:30 a.m. in the church parlor. We will delve into Beth Moore's newest eight-week study of a single book of the Bible, James: Mercy Triumphs. Workbooks will be available for $15 at the first session.
For more information, call Lorri Looney at 423-573-1676. We hope to see you there! |
Heart to Heart Fall Gathering Next Thursday |
 Please join us as we gather next Thursday, September 27, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., to enjoy a lovely fall supper followed by an interactive Bible study. We'll gather in the Fellowship Hall for dinner and fellowship. Our Bible discussion will follow the meal and tap into our churchwide emphasis on whole-person stewardship, as we consider Romans 12:1-2 and the theme of Living Sacrifice. Both the fellowship supper and the discussion afterwards will give women a chance to make deeper connections with one another.
Call the church office (423-764-7176) or email the church secretary, Jane Prater (jprater@fpcbristol.org), to let us know you can attend. We'll also have a sign-up table available after both worship services on September 16 and 23.
Need Child Care?
We are happy to provide childcare for this event! Please call the church office or email Jane Prater, as above, to let us know how many and what age children to expect. A light supper will be provided for the children. |
Children's Ministries News
Sunday Morning Nursery Volunteers Needed |
We rejoice that our nursery program is expanding, but for safety we need a volunteer each week during 8:30 worship and Sunday School. Please look for our recruiter at the desk in the Fellowship Hallway between the 8:30 service and Sunday School. Volunteers may sign up for both periods on a single Sunday or for a single session on different days. It is not a weekly commitment, but it is one more way we can support our youngest by providing loving care in a safe environment. |
Come and Get It! White Canopy Left Behind after VBS |
 We have a white E-Z UP canopy left from Vacation Bible School. It is in the hallway next to the chapel. If it belongs to you, please let us know or come and take it home. Also left are some baskets that can be collected at Ann Abel's office.
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Student Ministries News
Confirmation 2013: Classes Begin October 14 |
 Confirmation class leads up to the opportunity for students to make a public affirmation of faith and become a member of First Presbyterian Church. This class is offered to students who are in 8th grade or older and have not gone through the confirmation process.
The class will meet on Sunday mornings at 9:45, beginning October 14, and continue throughout the school year. The class will be led by Gordon Turnbull and Katie Arnold.
For more information or to sign up for confirmation class, please contact Katie Arnold. |
Library News from Bill Wade
The World's Religions Summarized in 100 Pages |
 Perhaps you saw the news some weeks ago that a gunman attacked and killed a number of worshippers attending a Sikh temple near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, before being gunned down by the police. It had never occurred to me that we might have Sikh adherents in this country with their own places of worship. And it made me realize how little I knew about their faith. I knew that Sikhs live in India, but is their religion independent of Hinduism or simply a branch of the major faith in that country?
This event revealed to me how little I know of the major religions of the world, a matter of increasing concern these days. I need help, and don't give me an extended treatise on world religions. I want something short and quick--just the facts, if you please--and pictures would be helpful. If you are like the picture I've just drawn, I've got just the book you need, the Illustrated Dictionary of Religion, produced by the well-known British firm Dorling Kindersley.
In a little more than one hundred pages the publishers have put together a concise, simplified, heavily illustrated compendium of all the major religions of our world, and then some. Their major sections focus upon the "big faiths" or ways of life around the globe: Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto. For each of these faiths you will find basic facts about their origins, their beliefs and practices, their geographic distribution, and any major offshoots of the faith. Multiple pictures abound on every page, providing a quick and graphic introduction to worship practices, places of worship, holy books, and historic leaders. And yes, Sikhism is well represented, a separate and distinct religion from Hinduism, concentrated mostly in the Punjab, a region divided between India and Pakistan. There are about as many Sikhs as Presbyterians in the United States. They believe in a single god and stress the individual's relationship with God through prayer, worship, and service to their community. If you want to know more, check out this book!
In addition to contemporary faiths, the Illustrated Dictionary has a section covering ancient religions, such as those of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome, and Norse and Celtic beliefs. And primal religions that are still present today in Africa, Australia, and the Americas are given coverage. A final chapter has information on what are termed "new religions": Baha'ism, Scientology, Krishna, Rastafarianism, and others.
There's a lot packed into this thin volume, and the publishers deserve a lot of credit for what they have been able to include. But understand clearly that this is not a study of world religions in depth. What it lacks in depth it more than makes up in breadth of coverage. That is its purpose, and it is valuable for two purposes. First, it is an excellent reference source for the basic facts of all the major world religions; second, you will find it interesting to browse through and get a feeling for the wide variety of religions that exist around our globe. You'll come away with a new appreciation for religious diversity on this planet! |
From Steve & Vicki Fey Music Notes | |
Music participants: September 23: Sanctuary Choir. September 30: Sanctuary Choir and Cherub Choir (11:00 only).
 | | Ann Holler |
Sunday's music: The hymn "Be Thou My Vision" began as a Gaelic devotional poem that was first translated directly into English and then versified by Eleanor Hull in 1912. Her version consisted of 12 two-line couplets; various versions of the hymn have been drawn from that, including its first appearance as a four-line, five-stanza hymn, in 1919. The familiar melody, Slane, is an Irish folk tune first paired with this text in 1927, and the two together have become much beloved throughout the English-speaking Christian world. Ann Holler has created an anthem setting that combines this hymn with one stanza of the hymn "Of the Father's Love Begotten." The Sanctuary Choir has sung her setting before, but Ann has provided a revised version with new music and text changes reflecting the version that will appear in the new Presbyterian Hymnal and restoring a stanza missing from our current hymnal. Her arrangement captures the chantlike lyricism of the melody, which highlights the reflective and powerful nature of the text.
Program of note: Soprano Rachel Barker, accompanied by Vicki Fey, will present a vocal recital this Saturday, September 22, at 7:00 p.m. in King College Memorial Chapel. Rachel is a graduate of King College and Westminster Choir College and was a Sanctuary Choir scholarship student for four years. There is no admission charge, but donations will be gratefully received.
Ringers needed! The Sanctuary Bell Choir is looking to fill two spaces with college-age and older folks who don't mind being called "ding-a-lings" every now and then! This group rehearses on Monday evenings at 5:30, and rings in worship several times a year. Music reading is helpful, but on-the-job training is offered! Contact the Feys for more information. |
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In Our Prayers
Cathy Andersen
Ralph Booher
Jim Bowdoin
Sue Cannon
Dorothy Dollar
Bill Goforth
Mary Nell Harris
Sharon Hatcher
Vivian Hill
Carolyn King
Mary Landrum
Ruth Musser
Lyndsey Ratliff
Bob Vann
Jim Wiseman
An extensive list of prayer concerns, "Pray for One Another," is available for pickup at the church each week.
Condolences
Our heartfelt sympathy is with Ed Hatcher and his family in the death of his mother, Edith Maiden Hatcher, September 14, in Abingdon; and with Tom Carter and his family in the death of his mother, Elizabeth Prater Carter, September 17, in Bristol.
Birthday Prayer Fellowship
September 23 Bill Longnecker, Stephen Welch
September 24 Andrew Beck, Seth Penley
September 27 Jamie Bales, Mitchell Land, Melissa Odom,
Jessica Rogers, Mark Shumate, Noah Wampler
September 28 Pat Criswell, Will Davis, Kelley Mayden
September 29 Larry Connolly, Riley Miller, Shannon Playl, Ann Woods |
Mowing Schedule through October 6 |
 Late summer weather and the fall of rain combine to give the following volunteers plenty to mow through the first week of October:
Sept. 19-22 Joe Hagerty & John Vann
Sept. 26-29 JB Madison & Jim White
Oct. 3-6 Roger Sikorski & Brian Miller
If you haven't joined a mowing team yet, don't despair! Just contact Randy Cook at npolecook@aol.com or 423-956-1541.
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Sunday, September 23
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
5:00 p.m. Jubilate Youth Choir
6:00 p.m. Ice Cream Social
7:00 p.m. Student Ministries Fellowship
Monday, September 24
5:30 p.m. Sanctuary Handbells
7:00 p.m. Session
Tuesday, September 25
9:00 a.m. Staff Meeting
10:00 a.m. Morning Prayer Group
6:00 p.m. Cub Scout Pack 3, Scout Wing
7:00 p.m. Boy Scout Troop 3, Scout Wing
Wednesday, September 26
9:30 a.m. Heart to Heart Bible Study
4:00 p.m. Bloodmobile, Front Parking Lot
4:15 p.m. Children's Handbells
4:45 p.m. Youth Handbells
4:45 p.m. Savior's Singers Children's Choir
5:15 p.m. Baby & Toddler Nursery
5:30 p.m. Fellowship Dinner
6:00 p.m. Wednesday Night Kids
6:00 p.m. Student Ministries Small Groups
6:15 p.m. Adult Learning
7:15 p.m. Sanctuary Choir
Thursday, September 27
7:00 a.m. Men's Bible Study
12:00 p.m. Thursday Noon Bible Study, Bristol Grind House
5:30 p.m. Heart to Heart Bible Study
8:15 p.m. Praise Team, Fellowship Hall |
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