Wednesday Program Update

Join Us for a Moravian Love Feast Next Week

Logo of the Moravian Church

The music of the Moravian Church has always been intended for amateurs and for congregational participation. Dr. Pat Flannagan's three-part series on that tradition culminates in a celebration of worship through a Moravian love feast next Wednesday, October 24, at 6:15 p.m. Please join us!

Fellowship Dinner for October 24

Please join us for a relaxed meal and fellowship at 5:30, before the evening programs begin. Julie King, John and Claire Pruner, and Lee Galliher are the volunteers helping Mary Lee Schiesz.

Wednesday Night Kids

We continue our study of the fifth day of creation, when God filled the waters and the sky with living creatures. "And God said, 'Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.'" Come join us as we learn more about the variety of fish and birds that were created to live and multiply in the place God called into being, and add to our creation tower. Classes are available for four-year-olds through first-graders and second- through fifth-graders. Our time goes by quickly as we learn through experiments, music, and a variety of activities.

All Saints Worship October 31

 We will celebrate All Saints Day together after our Fellowship Dinner Wednesday, October 31, gathering in the sanctuary at 6:20 in gratitude for the lives of the faithful who rest in God's eternal care. We will remember particularly those who have died in our church in the past twelve months, as well as others whose lives of faith have strengthened and blessed us. Please plan to share in this meaningful worship together, and invite others for whom it may be a blessing.

Dimensions of Stewardship

Spending Our Talents

Our Stewardship Committee is inviting leaders in our church to speak in worship about different dimensions of stewardship. Most recently, Craig McDonald offered these remarks about our use of our talents.

Had the Lord Jesus lived in our time, I'm not sure what story He would have told about talents. His parable in Matthew 25 warns about burying them. But what would he have said to a people who, rather than hiding their talents, display them so openly for everyone to see? Wherever we turn-in sports, business, academia, politics, the entertainment world, perhaps even the church-people are strutting their stuff. Why else would TV programs like America's Got Talent be so popular for so many seasons? Talent in our terms is something to parade, even to vaunt, before others, often with the effect, intended or not, of stunning the not-so-gifted among us into an awed and jealous silence.

Although such public displays have their place-work done well should please-I am rather certain that our Lord has something else in mind when he utters those words in Matthew. For one thing, Old Testament references to "talent" deal exclusively in weights and money. Gold, silver, and bronze, when weighed in "talents," would denominate a certain monetary value. The reference in Matthew 25 also relies on this sense of the word, centering on a number of financial transactions. It is literally money that the master gives his servants and expects in return.

But the context in which our Lord tells His story suggests that it is not simply turning a profit that counts. The earliest roots of the word "talent" signified not only "to weigh," but also "to bear, or carry" and "to lift up" (our word "extol," meaning "to lift up in praise," comes from the same root). And it is perhaps in the interplay among these definitions that we get some clue as to what is really at stake. The phrases have a reciprocal relationship. A talent is something God gives us to carry. For our part, we are to lift it up, to shoulder it, offering it back to Him, as it were, in worship and service. Talents may indeed be natural abilities-to have a head for numbers, to sing, to throw a football, or to train dogs. More certainly, however, they are spiritual graces bestowed on us when we come to faith (as we read in Romans 12, Ephesians 4, I Corinthians 12). In either case, they are gifts, offered to us, that we in return lift up for God's Kingdom's work. At the very least, we learn in the parable that our treasures are given to us by God, and we will be called upon to account for them.

Now from one perspective, our talents could be seen simply as burdens. The master in Matthew 25 is a figure to be reckoned with, doling out money, to be sure, but under demanding, even harsh terms. At least that's the way the third servant depicts him-as a hard man, who reaps where he did not sow and gathers where he did not scatter, charges, we might add, that the master doesn't really deny. And it is true that Romans, Ephesians, and I Corinthians place us under an obligation to use the gifts given to us for the edification of Christ's Body. We have work to do.

But I wonder if there isn't another way of looking at it, a way that the first two servants got, but that the third missed. The gift isn't really for the Lord's benefit. After all, what can we add to His treasury? No, talents are for our own use and for the blessing of others around us. At the end of the day, the master welcomes the faithful servants into his joy. They become participants in his celebration. In this case, then, maybe I was wrong. Maybe our Lord does receive some benefit: the pleasure in giving good gifts to His children and enjoying their company.

If this is true, if we serve a benevolent Master, I would suggest that we might think of our talents in yet another way. We read in Hebrews 11 that we are a traveling people, not truly at home in this world, but on our way together to a new place, a more glorious city. Seen in this light, talents might be thought of as our spending money, given to us by a loving Parent to aid us, even to make our journey all that more pleasurable. We are under strict orders, yes, but to spend our treasure, not to hoard it. Here is where we meet a paradox, one set forth for us in the story. On this journey, a Kingdom journey, the more we spend, the more we receive. In fact, the way in which we ensure that we have enough is to spend all that we have. The warning that Christ issues at the end of the parable, like so many of His other warnings, is essentially a statement of fact: if we don't use it, we will lose it. Our journey will be impoverished, our vision diminished. On the other hand, the more freely we use our talents, the greater our vision and the greater our joy.

May the Lord bless us on our journey, that we may spend our talents extravagantly, lavishly, and enter at last into our Master's joy. Amen.-Craig McDonald

Mortgage Elimination Pledges Near Two-Thirds of Goal

The Mortgage Elimination Project has received nearly 100 pledges totaling more than $553,000, and we still anticipate hearing from several members who requested information about pledging. The pledges we have received, added to the $100,000 challenge gift, come to 60 percent of what we need to pay off the remaining loan of just under $1,100,000 for the many capital improvements we made to our church property three years ago. We anticipate further aid toward our goal in the form of commitments from some of our members to include this project in their wills and estate gifts.

We thank everyone who has turned in a pledge form. Every gift or pledge of any size is important, and we are grateful for your generosity to our church. If you want to participate, please do so as soon as you can. To avoid conflict with the Stewardship Season now under way for the 2013 operating budget, we will no longer follow up with individual church members.

If you need a form or an envelope, please call the church office at 423-764-7176. If you need more information or have not yet returned your pledge form, please contact Betsy Galliher or a member of the MEP Committee as soon as possible. The following members of our congregation serve on the committee:

Karen Boone

Aaron Brooks

Tom Daniel

Pete Holler

Tom King

Bob Millard

Ernie Pennington

Harold Rutherford

John Vann

Charles Webb

Heart to Heart Event

Girls' Night Out at Machiavelli's

Women of all ages are invited to Girls' Night Out at Machiavelli's on Thursday, November 1. We will meet at the restaurant at 6:00 p.m. and enjoy an evening of fellowship and food that we haven't cooked ourselves. Bring a friend!

Child care, with a light dinner, will be available at the church from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Please let the church office (423-764-7176) know the ages and number of children you will be bringing by noon on Wednesday, October 31.

We look forward to seeing you!

Trunk or Treat This Way Comes

Join us in serving our community through FPC's Trunk or Treat on October 28 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Those who plan on decorating their trunks and handing out candy should arrive at 5:00 p.m. Please sign up after worship in the Fellowship Hallway to reserve your parking spot. There will be a prize for the best decorated trunk. Spread the word and invite friends to join us!--Katie Arnold, Director of Student Ministries

Student Ministries Event

Fourth and Final 5th Quarter This Friday Night

Our fourth and final postgame "5th Quarter" will be Friday, October 26. All high school students are invited for games and s'mores around the bonfire after the Tennessee High School football game. Bring your friends and join us at the Carter family's home, 1720 Clifton Road, Bristol.

Parents: Please sign up to help chaperone and assist with parking. Drivers: Please be very careful as you come up and down the Carters' driveway!

Student Ministries Fellowship Sunday Dinners

We are looking for families to provide dinner for Student Ministries Fellowship gatherings on Sundays. If you are interested in preparing a meal or providing a purchased meal, please contact Diedre Pendley at pendleyd@btcs.org. Growing teens need a lot of food!

Middle School Mania Breaks Out This Friday

Sixth- through eighth-grade students are invited for a night of crazy fun this Friday, October 19. The mania will occur from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the church. Bring your friends and lots of energy! Some of the activities will be outside, so dress accordingly. Oh yeah, and you may get a little MESSY!

Confirmation Classes Begin Sunday

Beginning this Sunday, October 21, and continuing through the end of the school year, Gordon Turnbull and Katie Arnold will lead a confirmation class on Sunday mornings at 9:45.

Confirmation class leads up to the opportunity to make a public affirmation of faith and become a member of First Presbyterian Church. This class is offered to students who are in eighth grade or older. For more information or to sign up for the class, please contact Katie by calling the church office or emailing karnold@fpcbristol.org.

Children's Ministries News

3-4-5 Hot Dog Roast This Sunday

Kids in grades three through five are invited to a hot dog and marshmallow roast to be held at the Osborne home this Sunday, October 21, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. We will gather around the fire pit, then participate in games and activities of the fall season. Bring your friends, dress warmly, and come for a good time. The Osborne home is located at 149 Maxwell Drive, Bristol, TN. Contact Ann Abel at anntabel@gmail.com for more information.

Join Heart to Heart's Creeper Trail Hike This Sunday

Join Heart to Heart on the Virginia Creeper Trail!

Heart to Heart Women's Ministry warmly invites all the women of FPC, and their friends, to hike the Virginia Creeper Trail this Sunday, October 21. We will meet at the church at 1:30 p.m. and carpool to the trail.

Please call the church office at 423-764-7176 or email Jane Prater at jprater@fpcbristol.org to let us know you can attend. We are looking forward to walking and talking together in the brisk fall air!

Men's Retreat Next Weekend

 The Men's Ministry is sponsoring a service retreat to Washington, D.C., October 26-28. We will travel Friday evening, work at the D.C. Food Bank on Saturday, take in city offerings Saturday night, then worship at National Presbyterian Church Sunday morning and return that evening.

Total cost for travel, two nights' lodging in a hostel, and some food (dinner on Saturday is not included) is only $60. Reserve your spot with a $10 deposit. Scholarships are available.

You will need a sleeping bag (or sheets and a blanket), a pillow, a towel and toiletries, ear plugs, work clothes and gloves, and comfortable shoes. Please let Dave Welch know if you are willing to drive your car; we will pay for the gas. For more information, please contact Dave at dwelch@fpcristol.org.  

Leaf Day Is Back!

Oh, Those Autumn Leaves and Autumn Gutters

The Household Task Team is happy to announce that Leaf Day is back! This year it will be Saturday, November 3.  This is how it works: We will have teams with rakes and blowers to get rid of leaves, and ladders for getting at gutters. You request service, and we send a team to your house.

If you would you like a visit by a Leaf Team, please call the church office (423-764-7176) and let us know.  We will call back to confirm before the Saturday event.

If you are interested in serving on a Leaf Team, email Gordon Turnbull at gturnbull@fpcbristol.org or call him at 423-764-7176 to get your name on the list. We will meet at the church at 8:30 for coffee, doughnuts, and directions, then head out on our rounds.  Each team will be finished by noon, in time to watch football or do your own chores!

Pancake Fund-Raiser for Prison Ministry

 Good News Jail and Prison Ministry will hold a pancake breakfast at Fatz Cafe on Volunteer Parkway from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 27. Tickets for the fund-raiser cost $7 per person. Buy tickets directly from Tom and Leigh King (423-968-2453) or call the church office (423-764-7176) to request tickets.

Help Local Poor Ward Off Flu This Season

It's Snacktime Again at Fairmount School

The Neighborhood Initiatives Steering Committee is continuing its practice of helping Fairmount Elementary School with its snack program this 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!