Windows October 25, 2012

In gratitude for the lives of the faithful who rest in God's eternal care, we will celebrate All Saints Day after our Fellowship Dinner Wednesday, October 31. 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. We will gather in the sanctuary at 6:20 p.m. Our Wednesday Night Kids and Student Ministries Small Groups have been canceled for the evening so that everyone may participate in this special worship service.

Don't Miss This Sunday's Surprise in Worship

This Sunday's worship features a special event related to our church's exploration of stewardship. As Brian Miller told us last week, the Stewardship Committee has been working hard all year to help us understand the abundance of God's blessings in our lives. In each of our worship services this Sunday we will take a step forward with a carefully planned opportunity for each member and worshipper. We are planning on your presence with us, and you will not want to miss out on the gift of this Sunday's worship. We look forward to seeing you!

Trunk or Treat Is Sunday Evening

Join FPC's Student Ministries in serving our community through Trunk or Treat this Sunday, 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 in the Fellowship Hallway after worship to reserve your parking spot. There will be a prize for the best-decorated trunk. Spread the word and invite friends to join us!

Officer Nominating Committee Seeks Suggestions

PCUSA seal small Our officer nominating committee is now at work discerning the slate of officers to present for election in the coming year. They welcome your suggestions as to who would serve best as elders, deacons, or trustee. Suggestion forms are available at the church, or you can contact a member of the committee: Kevin Buck, Beth Flannagan, Bill Linderman, Leigh Beth Phipps, or Loretta Thomas.

September Financial Summary

Our year-to-date financial summary, as of September 30, is as follows:

2012		September Actual YTD		September Budget YTD		Over/(Under) Budget
Revenue
Pledges	$	416,435	$	439,775	$	(23,340)
Offerings	$	102,702	$	91,425	$	11,277
Other Gifts & Income	$	96,582	$	71,010	$	25,572
Required Budget Transfer from Prior Years' Surplus	$	8,500	$	46,400	$	(37,900)
	$	624,219	$	648,610	$	(24,391)
Expenses
Evangelism & Outreach	$	27,824	$	31,801	$	(3,977)
Worship	$	101,020	$	99,035	$	1,985
Christian Education	$	127,661	$	164,851	$	(37,190)
Administration	$	213,473	$	224,095	$	(10,622)
Building & Grounds	$	140,987	$	118,294	$	22,693
Fellowship & Miscellaneous	$	19,334	$	23,956	$	(4,622)
	$	630,299	$	662,032	$	(31,733)

Net Position:	$	(6,080)	$	(13,422)

Highlights

Pledges: For the month of September, pledges exceeded the budgeted monthly amount; however, pledges remain behind budget for the year by roughly $21,000. Nonpledged and visitor contributions remain ahead of budget by $9,000 for the year.
Prior Years' Transfer: For the month of September, no prior-year surplus transfers were required. For the year, transfers remained at $8,500.
Worship, Christian Education, Administration, Fellowship: Expenditures remain well under budget for the year.
Building & Grounds: Expenditures for the year are exceeding budget by $23,000, with the corresponding income items exceeding budget by $34,000. Much of the variance is attributable to the receipt of insurance claims.

Respectfully submitted,

Aaron Brooks, Finance Chair

Leaf Day Is November 3!

Join a Leaf Team or Make Use of One!

rake and leaves The Household Task Team is happy to announce that Leaf Day is back! This year it will be next 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 9:00 a.m. 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!

Thank You, FPC Mowing Teams!

All the dates on our mowing calendar are now crossed off, although someone will be sure to hop on the Tiger Cat and run around the lawn when need arises. Since St. Patrick's Day, FPC volunteers have worked in all weathers to keep our church lawn looking its best for the benefit of ourselves, guests at special events in our church, and our neighbors. We most heartily thank the following for their mowing of the green:

Keith Blair

Aaron Brooks

Eric Cline

Randy Cook

Dan Gross

Joe Hagerty

JB Madison

Jon McClain

Brian Miller

Stuart Parker

Matt Richardson

Changsub Shim

Jae Shim

Roger Sikorski

John Vann

Jim White

Karen White-Smith

It isn't too early to put your name on next year's mowing roster, and it couldn't be easier. Just contact Randy Cook at npolecook@aol.com or 423-956-1541.

Heart to Heart Event

Girls' Night Out at Machiavelli's Next Thursday

Women of all ages are invited to Girls' Night Out at Machiavelli's next 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 by noon on Wednesday, October 31, the ages and number of children you will be bringing.

We look forward to seeing you!

Student Ministries Events

Final 5th Quarter This Friday Night

Our fourth and final postgame "5th Quarter" will be this 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.

Serve 2012 Coming Up November 9

The FPC High School Ministry will be going to Pulaski, VA, for a weekend of fun and service November 9−11. Students will stay at a farm and enjoy fun and fellowship on Friday evening. They will spend most of Saturday helping with relief work for damage from the 2011 tornado. Students will help move residents into their new homes, take part in building a new house, and prepare an almost completed house to be moved into. On Saturday and Sunday evening, they will relax on the farm, playing games and spending some time in worship. The cost of the weekend is $40. Register by sending your payment to Katie Arnold by November 4.

Early Bird Call for Great Escape 2013

Join FPC Middle School Ministry on a summer adventure to the Great Escape. This is a week you won't want to miss!

We will leave from the church on Sunday, June 16, and head to Lee University in Cleveland, TN. Middle school students from all over the country will gather for a wild 'n' crazy week of incredible music, captivating speakers, engaging entertainment, and the messiest games imaginable. We will return Friday, June 21.

A $100 nonrefundable deposit is required to secure a spot on the trip. If the deposit is paid by Friday, November 4, the cost will be $370. After November 4, the cost will increase to $385. Take advantage of the early bird rate and get your deposit to Katie Arnold today!

Pancake Fund-Raiser for Prison Ministry This Saturday

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. this Saturday, October 27. Tickets for the fund-raiser are $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.

Bristol: A Good Place to Die?

Our own CS "Chuck" Thompson has published his fourth mystery, Why Bristol? Murder at BMS. We can interrogate him about it this Saturday, October 27, during a charity event from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. at Southeast Culinary & Hospitality College. The ticket price of $35 includes a copy of the book, gourmet cuisine, and the chance to participate in a silent auction. Symphony Rags, a local band, will provide the evening's music.

Southeast Culinary & Hospitality College is located at 100 Piedmont Avenue, Bristol, VA. Tickets are available at there and at Kil'n Time, The Grind House, and Inari Wines. Proceeds will benefit Community Hospitality Outreach Program (CHOP), Young Life, and Family Promise of Bristol. For more information, email whybristolevent@gmail.com.

Library News from Bill Wade

Remember What Ben Franklin Said about Death and Taxes?

Sherwin B. Nuland

Like so many contemporary Americans I grew up sheltered from the reality of death. The first funeral I attended was during my freshman year in college, and it was a service for which I was a pallbearer. A close friend in high school had died of cancer, and I had to seek help from my parents as to the ceremony and my responsibilities as a pallbearer.

We still shelter ourselves from the grim presence of death, for today it is more likely to be an event that happens in a hospital or hospice house attended by doctors and nurses, and we like to cling to the ideal of a peaceful and serene passing in the company of a few close family members. That is dying with grace and dignity. This is the reason for the book which we are reviewing today, How We Die: Reflections on Life's Final Chapter, by Sherwin B. Nuland, a professor of surgery at Yale University and the author of our previously reviewed work on aging. All of this is part of a mini-series we are featuring to expand on Gordon's recent thoughtful sermons on the later stages of life.

Nuland writes that the ideal of a peaceful death surrounded by family is not always the outcome. Nor is death always peaceful. The first chapters of his book are realistic, often gripping, accounts of how the human body faces, and may fight, the onset of death. Separate chapters deal with the major causes of present day mortality: heart disease, cancer, stroke, dementia, even Alzheimer's, AIDS, and murder. It is interesting that Nuland has nothing to say about typhoid, tuberculosis, influenza, and so forth, those scourges that swept away whole populations in former times. He tells it like it is; he is not one bit sentimental, but he is deeply caring and compassionate. I asked Virginia Rutherford to review this book as a practicing nurse, and she vouches for its accuracy.

Nuland has read widely and often quotes from the classics of Western literature in order to place death in a larger philosophical context. And spiritual concerns have a central place, for he cites Paul with deep respect and approval. His aim is to help people live to their fullest, so that death becomes the final act in the pageant of life. His last chapter, "The Lessons Learned," is a fitting capstone wherein he gives his mature judgments (he is 81) on such things as the patient-physician relationship; when to intervene medically and when not to, in the case of an elderly patient; how to achieve a dignified and intimate passing.

How We Die was awarded the National Book Award in 1994 and the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction in 1995. It deserves a wide audience of readers and carries my highest recommendation. As Christianity helps us to know how to enjoy life to the fullest, so also our faith teaches us that the physical death of the body is the proper last chapter in the transition to an afterlife. This book will help us all make that a fitting and final conclusion.

From Steve & Vicki Fey

Music Notes

Music participants for October 28: Sanctuary Choir; Judah Irvin, trumpet.

John Ferguson

Sunday's music: On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, sparking the Protestant Reformation. In many churches, this anniversary is celebrated on the last Sunday of October. In recognition of this event, the Sanctuary Choir will sing an arrangement of Luther's hymn, "A Mighty Fortress," which is an adaptation of Psalm 46. Although it is often considered a battle cry, Luther called it "A Hymn of Comfort." The arrangement for choir, trumpet, and organ was made by John Ferguson (b. 1941), who for many years served on the faculty of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, and is widely known for his choral and organ compositions. Recognizing our Calvinist branch of the Protestant Reformation, at the 11:00 service the opening hymn will be "I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art," which has been attributed to Calvin, although there is no clear documentation to support this. The original French text and melody can trace their roots to Calvin's churches in Geneva.

Christmas pageant: Parents of children in fourth or fifth grade, please note that the children's choirs continue to rehearse music for the Christmas pageant. Also, the Savior's Singers Children's Choir (grades 2 through 5) is in the audition process for speaking parts and singing kings. If your child has not yet been involved but would like to participate in the Christmas pageant, the Cherub Choir (age 4 through grade 1) rehearses on Sunday mornings at 9:00 in the children's choir room, and the Savior's Singers (grades 2 through 5) rehearse on Wednesday afternoons, from 4:45 to 5:30, right after Children's Handbells (4:15 to 4:45). Younger children may be angels, shepherds, animals, or the star, while the older children may be angels, shepherds, or singing kings, or have a speaking role.

Arts Series: We continue to receive donations towards the expenses of our 2012−2013 Arts Series. Donors of $50 or more receive a certain number of season tickets, but all donations are gratefully received! This year, we feature two children of church members: Alan Fey, percussionist son of Vicki and Steve; and Lisa Holler Ransom, flutist daughter of choir members Ann and Pete Holler. They bring a variety of gifts to our series, which will also feature the violin talents of George Figueroa and the combined talents of our own Sanctuary Choir and the King College Choral Ensembles. Don't miss these great programs! Brochures are in the mail this week.

Pray for One Another

In Our Prayers

Cathy Andersen

Jim Bowdoin

Sue Cannon

Dorothy Dollar

Bill Goforth

Mary Nell Harris

Sharon Hatcher

Vivian Hill

Carolyn King

Mary Landrum

Ruth Musser

Mary Rice

Bob Vann

Deborah Whitaker

Jim Wiseman

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

Birthday Prayer Fellowship

October 28 Eddie Hill, Tom Murrell, Claire Pruner

October 29 Jim Daniel, John Havlik, Whitley Morris, Virginia Rutherford,

Sara Shumate

October 31 Pat Longnecker, Flora Mae Turner

November 1 Ben Cowan Jr.

November 2 Erin Hyde, Frances Rowell

November 3 Charles Webb

Church Calendar

Sunday, October 28

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

4:45 p.m. Jubilate Youth Choir

5:30 p.m. Trunk or Treat, Front Parking Lot

Monday, October 29

5:30 p.m. Sanctuary Handbells

Tuesday, October 30

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, October 31

9:30 a.m. Heart to Heart Bible Study, New Mothers' Room

9:30 a.m. Heart to Heart DVD Bible Study, Parlor

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

6:15 p.m. All Saints Worship

7:15 p.m. Sanctuary Choir

Thursday, November 1

7:00 a.m. Men's Bible Study

12:00 p.m. Thursday Noon Bible Study, Bristol Grind House

6:00 p.m. Girls' Night Out, Machiavelli's

8:15 p.m. Praise Team, Fellowship Hall

Saturday, November 3

9:00 a.m. Leaf Day

Windows is a publication of First Presbyterian Church, Bristol, TN. Please direct questions and suggestions to the editor, Kathy Acuff, kacuff@fpcbristol.org.