Windows

First Presbyterian's Alternative Giving Program

to support local agencies and missions of our church

Our finest gifts we bring ...

pa-rum-pum-pum-pum ...

to lay before the King ...

The Evangelism & Outreach Committee invites you to "Shop the World" this Christmas season, giving gifts in the form of financial contributions to local and global causes that communicate and share the love of Christ near and far.

The process is simple:

1. Complete one form for each person being honored with your gift.
2. From the list on the form, select the organization or mission to receive your financial contribution.*
3. Attach your check, payable to First Presbyterian Church, to the form and submit the form to the church office.
4. If you prefer to have the church office send the recipient, on your behalf, an acknowledgment of your gift, be sure to submit the form by December 10 to allow time for delivery by Christmas.

Forms containing information about the organizations or missions are available in the narthex, outside the Fellowship Hall, and in the church office, as well as here on our website.

Your gift through the Alternative Giving Program will be the perfect fit every time, sharing the spirit of the season in ways that truly make a difference.

*Please note: Your tax-deductible gift is to First Presbyterian Church. FPC will combine your gift with others to the selected organization or mission without providing specific donor details. If you wish acknowledgment by the organization or mission receiving your gift, please consider making your donation directly to it.

Tom Faucette takes up the final segment of our three-part series, Faith and Finances, at 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, November 20. Join us at 5:30 for fellowship over a meal of lemon herb fish. Sixth- through twelfth-graders will leave for Student Ministries small-group discussions at 6:00, and Wednesday Night Kids will gather at the hall door when they see the Kids' Time sign, also around 6:00.

Children enjoyed decorating their gingerbread houses last year.

Wednesday Night Kids

It seems early, but we will make gingerbread houses on November 20. With lots of decorations from which to choose and many hands available to help, we will each leave with a uniquely decorated gingerbread mansion. Join us for this evening of fun, as we think of the Christmas season ahead.

Help Healing Hands Health Center celebrate 50,000 patient visits and 16 years of providing free medical, dental, vision, chiropractic, and counseling care to uninsured and underinsured workers in the Bristol area.

The party is scheduled for Tuesday, November 19, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at 210 Memorial Drive, Bristol, Tennessee. If you plan to attend, please email devassistant@btes.tv or call (423) 573-4327 by Friday, November 15.

You can find more information about Healing Hands at www.healinghandshealthcenter.org.

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir.

John Ferguson

Sunday's music: The Sanctuary Choir anthem, "New Songs of Celebration Render," is in a direct line from our Presbyterian roots in the worship in Calvin's churches. In Calvin's Geneva, churches sang the Psalms in the vernacular to metrical settings. Erik Routley (1917-1982) created a modern poetic setting of Psalm 98 for use with a melody written originally for Calvin's worship and sung initially with the text of Psalm 118. About this new text, one resource writes, "Routley has captured in contemporary language the spirit of the psalmist with whom we join in praising God as Creator, Savior, and Judge." Composer John Ferguson (b. 1941) has taken these materials, and given them a dancelike character that reflects both the 16th-century melody and the 20th-century text.

Christmas pageant: The children's Christmas pageant will take place Wednesday, December 18, at 5:30 p.m. in the sanctuary, followed by the Joy Gift dinner. Due to the lateness of Thanksgiving this year, the first pageant rehearsal and costume fitting will take place Wednesday, November 20, at 4:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. All children, from age 4 through fifth grade, are invited to be part of this production. Even if your child is not currently singing in a children's choir, it's not too late for him or her to learn the music for the pageant! See the Feys if you have questions.