Windows January 17, 2013

We are delving into the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament with Dave Welch in our Wednesday evening adult program. Over the coming weeks, we will engage the Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes, and perhaps even the Song of Solomon, finding parallels to our own lives and our own questions about God and life. The Israelites faced similar questions and grappled with them rationally from the perspective of experience and community wisdom. They may have more to say to us today than modern Christians are used to hearing. We look forward to sharing several evenings together pondering these wonderful avenues for reflection in our scripture. Join us on Wednesday nights, from 6:15 to 7:00.

Fellowship Dinner

Chicken divan casserole is on Wednesday's Fellowship Dinner menu. Please join us for food and fellowship at 5:30 in the Fellowship Hall, then stay for the program.

Wednesday Night Kids

We are exploring the parables of Jesus in Heaven's Kitchen, a cooking-themed series. Four-year-olds through fifth-graders are learning how Jesus used ordinary ingredients like soil and seeds, salt, yeast, wheat, and fruit to teach us about everyday living. Whether making play-dough food, participating in the telling of a parable, tasting the ingredient of the day, or investigating with a kitchen science experiment, we all will learn not only what the parables mean but also how to apply them to our own lives.

Sujean Bradley and Alice Graham lead the younger children, while Jennifer Covington and Laura Linke work with the older. Join us at 6:00 p.m. on January 23, as Chef Emerald and Chowdown the Apprentice help us with part two of our study of the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-8 and 18-23).

Special Meeting to Receive New Members Feb. 3

PCUSA seal small There will be a special Session meeting to receive new members Sunday, February 3, at 10:15 a.m., in the chapel. Everyone who wishes to join FPC is invited to attend.

Bible Basics

Young Couples' Study, Fellowship Group Begins First Sunday in February

Bible Basics, a new Sunday School class for young adult couples, begins Sunday, February 3, in the conference room (across from the copier room in the office hallway). Thomas and Jennifer Covington will lead the class, which is open to anyone interested in understanding how the Bible fits together, what its purpose is, and what it means for us today. Participants will become familiar with the themes of individual books and with the authorship and organization of the entire Bible. Class members will be encouraged to apply what they learn each week to their daily lives. We also intend to have regular fellowship activities in addition to the Sunday morning meetings. If you are looking for a place to be fed and grow in fellowship, come give us a look!

Men's Service Retreat Begins Tomorrow

The men's service retreat to Washington, D.C., gets under way tomorrow, January 18. 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. We ask your prayers for the service efforts, fellowship, and travel of the retreaters: Kevin Buck, John Graham, Dan Gross, J.B. Madison, Pete Stiger, Curtis Vann, John Vann, and Dave Welch.

Winter-Spring 2013 Heart to Heart Opportunities

blue H2H logo A new year of fellowship and shared learning is under way with the following opportunities for all women of FPC and their friends.

Weekly Bible Studies

Lynette Wallen has begun a weekly study focusing on prayer and guided by the book Longing to Pray, by J. Ellsworth Kalas. This approach to prayer relies on the Psalmsto teach us how to commune with the Father. The study group meets each Wednesday from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in the New Mothers' Room across from the nursery, and child care is provided. We plan to meet weekly until summer, taking time for fellowship, study, and prayer. For more information, email Lynette at lynette.wallen@gmail.com or call her at 423-360-7488.

Lorri Looney is facilitating a DVD Bible study through February 27 that uses Priscilla Shirer's Jonah: Navigating a Life Interrupted. What do we do when God interrupts our lives? Often, like Jonah, we run! In this Bible study, Priscilla redefines interruption and shows that it is actually God's invitation to do something beyond our wildest dreams. This group meets weekly, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., in the church parlor. Child care is available. For more information, email Lorri at jeffandlorri@msn.com or call her at 423-573-1676.

Twice-Monthly Bible Study

Betsy Turnbull's inductive Bible study of Revelation begins Tuesday, January 22. The first meeting will introduce inductive Bible study techniques and give a brief overview of the Bible's most puzzling and, in some views, most intimidating book, the Revelation to John. The group will resume its normal schedule in February, meeting at the church on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Consider becoming a part of this group, which plans to learn and grow through the shared study of God's Word. For more information, email Betsy at gbturnbull@btes.tv.

Looking Ahead: Read and Feed

Plan on joining us on a Saturday (to be determined) in February for our annual book review session and soup smorgasbord. We promise you great food and fellowship as we gather to hear about books that can encourage and challenge us in our lives of faith. WatchWindowsfor more details about this much-anticipated annual event.

March 1-3: Women's Retreat

The annual Women's Retreat will be held at Blowing Rock Conference Center in Blowing Rock, NC, the first weekend in March. This year we'll feature Christian speaker Joan Spitz, who will lead us in a Biblically based study of "The Power of Encouragement." Learn about Joan at www.joanspitz.org. Registration will begin in late January.

Buechner Lecture at FPC

Spiritual Explorer Kathleen Norris Here Jan. 26

Kathleen Norris

Please join us Saturday, January 26, as we host the King College Buechner Lecture, featuring Kathleen Norris, the award-winning poet and nonfiction author of The New York Times bestsellers The Cloister Walk; Dakota: A Spiritual Geography; Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith; and The Virgin of Bennington. Norris will give an onstage interview at 4:00 p.m. and the Buechner lecture at 7:00 p.m. She will also sign books. Admission is free.

Sunday Evening Youth Activities

The Student Ministries Fellowship small groups will not meet this Sunday, January 20. The Jubilate Youth Choir, however, will rehearse from 5:00 to 5:45 p.m., as scheduled.

Berhane Yesus Celebrates Christmas

Peggy Hill recently received these photos of students of Berhane Yesus Elementary School celebrating Christmas, which is observed on January 7 in Ethiopia. The school in Dembi Dollo is one of our mission projects.

Nursery Volunteers Needed for Sunday Mornings

If you enjoy small children and babies, please volunteer to offer extra love and care for the youngest among us on Sunday mornings. A sign-up form for volunteers will be in the Fellowship Hallway this Sunday, January 20, for those willing to assist during the 8:30 service or the Sunday School hour. Thank you for your help these past months! And thank you to those who will give support to our children in the months ahead!

Save the Dates: June 10-12

Vacation Bible School 2013

Vacation Bible School 2013: we are deciding on the theme and the times, but we know the dates! As you begin making summer plans, please save June 10-12 for VBS at First Presbyterian. There are sure to be games, skits, and good music as we gather together and learn more about God's love for us. So pray for the planning team, think about who you should invite, and mark your calendars.

Make Snack Time Cheerio-ier for Fairmount Children

Everyone needs a lift in the afternoon, but not everyone can afford an afternoon snack. For that reason, the Neighborhood Initiatives Steering Committee is collecting snacks for children at Fairmount Elementary School who would otherwise go without when snack time comes. The committee is asking us to bring in boxes of Cheerios, plain or multigrain, 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.

Kay Ward, the community outreach liaison at Fairmount, 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!

Flu Season Is Here

Bristol Faith in Action urgently needs more flu season care kits to distribute to families in need. Many items that promote health and cleanliness cannot be purchased with food stamps. Among these are disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer, germ-killing sprays, and tissues. The Evangelism & Outreach Committee asks the FPC family to collect such care kits, or items for them, over the next several weeks. Please bring your donations to the church and place them in the gray bin under the steps in the Music Wing. Thank you!

From Steve & Vicki Fey

Music Notes

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir.

Gordon Young

Sunday's music: The Sanctuary Choir anthem this week, "Now Let Us All Praise God and Sing," has text and music by American composer Gordon Young (1919-1998). Although not drawn from a specific psalm, the text has echoes of such praise psalms as numbers 100, 148, and 150. Young, a Kansas native, had an extensive career as a composer of music for the American church. He wrote this anthem for First Presbyterian Church of Detroit, Michigan, where he served for a number of years.

Rehearsal reminders: All the music ensembles of the church are back in the swing of things, with regular rehearsals on their respective days. All children, youth, and adults are invited to participate in a music ensemble! The Sanctuary Choir is preparing for the March 10 Arts Series program, in which the King College choirs will join and which will feature mostly sacred music by local composers. Children and youth are now working on music for Transfiguration, Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and beyond, and the various bell choirs are preparing music for worship participation. Contact the Feys for more information or just come join us!

Pray for One Another

In Our Prayers

Cathy Andersen

Bruce Bales

Mack Blevins

Becky Busler

Mack Calcote

Sue Cannon

Dorothy Dollar

Mary Nell Harris

Sharon Hatcher

Carolyn King

Mary Landrum

Ruth Musser

Jay Regan

Mary Rice

Sam Samuel

Chuck Thompson

Deborah Whitaker

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

Birthday Prayer Fellowship

January 20 Gene Haskins, Nancy Sauls

January 22 Dick Ladd, Julie Looney

January 23 Cassie Wilder

January 24 Claire Hankins

January 25 Karen Pennington

January 26 Caleb Gross

Church Calendar

Sunday, January 20

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

Monday, January 21

4:45 p.m. Administrative Committee

5:30 p.m. Sanctuary Handbells

Tuesday, January 22

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, January 23

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

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

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 Rehearsal

Thursday, January 24

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

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

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

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