May 4

3rd Sunday of Easter

Communion

Lessons

Psalm 103:6-14

John 21:1-19

Sermon

Easter Life: Daring to Forgive

Gordon A. Turnbull

Hymns

Lord, We Have Come at Your Own Invitation

Be Known to Us in Breaking Bread

Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine

Anthem

Come, Let Us Eat

Sanctuary Choir

Worship Count

April 27: 8:30: 151; 11:00: 131

Combined Service to Receive Confirmands May 11

Sunday School will begin early, at 9:30. Children's Handbells will rehearse in the sanctuary at 9:00. The Cherub Choir will not rehearse.

Concert in Memory of Mary Landrum May 10

Mary Landrum

A concert of remembrance will be presented in our sanctuary at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, to honor the late Mary Landrum, lifelong Presbyterian, member of our church for nearly 50 years, professor at King College, and organist and choirmaster at Emmanuel Episcopal Church. Members of the American Guild of Organists and the Bristol Music Club will perform selections on organ and piano, and friends and colleagues of Mary's will offer scriptures and remembrances of her. A reception will follow, given by Mary's children Robert and Harriet, and her longtime caregiver, Susan Tanner. Everyone is invited.

Our Program Year Has Ended

Our regular program year ended April 30. Wednesday evening programs and dinners will resume with the new school year. Look for details to be announced then.

We Urgently Need Drivers for Meals on Wheels

MOW delivers to about 50 recipients in all. Each driver picks up meals in the Fellowship Hall around 10:00 a.m. and delivers them to an average of six homes. Drivers greet the recipients but do not need to stay and visit.

Volunteers have the pleasure of knowing that they have not only provided food where it is needed but also given the recipients the security of knowing someone will be stopping by that day.

If you are interested in helping, please contact the church or Kay Wiseman (276-466-8710) as soon as possible. Thank you!

Receiving Children's Books for Summer Reading

Through May 10, the Junior League of Bristol will be collecting new or gently used books to be given to the elementary-aged children of Bristol this summer. First Presbyterian Church is one of several locations serving as a collection point for this project. We will have boxes in the Fellowship Hallway and the office hallway for children's books you would like to donate.

Spring Cleaning Was No Chore 

Lynette Wallen's Bible Study Completes Semester

Lynette Wallen's Heart to Heart Bible study group, which meets on Wednesday mornings at 9:30 in the New Mothers' Room, will hold its final session of the program year on May 7. After a summer break, the group will continue in the fall. Plans will be announced later.

Men's Breakfast May 10

Our monthly Men's Breakfast will be held May 10 instead of on the usual first Saturday. Join us in the Fellowship Hall at 8:00 a.m. for breakfast, Bible study, and good fellowship. Bring a friend!

FPC's Student Fellowship will meet at its regular time of 6:00 p.m. this Sunday, May 4. Come and bring a friend!

Let's Encourage Our Confirmands

Since October 2013, our confirmation students have participated in weekly classes that have taught, informed, and challenged their idea of faith. Watching them grow over the past school year and take ownership of their faith has been a joy and an inspiration!

On Sunday, May 11, our confirmation students will have the opportunity to proclaim their faith to our church family and become members of First Presbyterian Church. As we prepare for this special day, we ask friends and family to send in cards and letters of spiritual encouragement for our confirmands. The kind words you share will not only encourage them as they prepare to be confirmed but also be kept for years as a reminder of the great cloud of witnesses that surrounds them and that will continue to love, guide, and encourage them as they run the race.

The following are this year's confirmands: Blakesley Bassett, Jess Beckner, John Blair, Ashley McGill, John Thomas Scott.

If you would like to participate, please mail or deliver all cards and letters by May 5 to:

First Presbyterian Church

Attn.: Katie Arnold

701 Florida Ave.

Bristol, TN 37620

Thank you for joining us as we celebrate this important and exciting time in the lives of our students! For more information, contact Katie Arnold.

Graduation time is drawing near! We are planning a Sunday of celebration at both May 18 worship services, where we will recognize those among us who are completing degrees or certifications or graduating from high school, college, or other programs.

Every year we look forward to honoring the achievements of all the new graduates among us. Please call the church office at (423) 764-7176, if you or a member of your family will be graduating from high school, college, or any other educational or training program this spring. We need the following information by Sunday, May 4, for our recognition efforts: graduate's name; current (not future) school or program; degree or certification earned; and field of study. Thank you for your help!

After recognizing all our graduates in our morning worship services May 18, we will continue the celebration in the evening with a dinner especially for those graduating from high school. This year we are collecting "Legendary Letters" to present to our high school seniors at the dinner. These letters are written by family and friends to a senior and describe ways in which the senior has affected the writer's life. Letters can share memories, stories, lessons learned, or significant moments. This is a wonderful opportunity to encourage the senior in future plans and faith as well as to acknowledge the beautiful gifts God has given them.

Our hope is that the Legendary Letters will be a collection of love and truth that the seniors can read as they begin a new journey after high school and that will serve as a reminder of the incredible community cheering them on in their journey! If you would like to participate, please mail or deliver all cards and letters by May 12 to Katie Arnold at the church.

The following seniors are active in FPC's student fellowship:Liz Graham, Peyton Henley, Lexi Johnson, Zak Kitzmiller, Andrew Mills, Adam Mitchell, Breanna Necessary, and Josh Pendleton.

Everyone is invited to this celebratory dinner, Sunday, May 18, at 5:00, in the Fellowship Hall. Be ready to tell stories about our seniors and to be moved, amused, and maybe even amazed! if you would like to help set up or decorate for this event, please contact Katieat karnold@fpcbristol.org.

Anyone who wishes to help mow the church grounds may call Randy Cook at 423-956-1541 or email him at npolecook@aol.com. Randy will give lessons in operating the mower to those who ask.

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir.

Craig Carnahan

Sunday's music: "Come, Let Us Eat," the Sanctuary Choir anthem, is an arrangement of a song that is a call to the table by Liberian composer Billema Kwillia (b. 1925). The English translation was made by Margaret Miller (b. 1927), the daughter of Liberian missionaries. Kwillia, who worked as a preacher, evangelist, and literacy teacher, sang this song at a meeting where it was recorded and written down. The arrangement is by Craig Carnahan, a resident of Minneapolis who has an extensive body of published choral and instrumental music. As we reflect on the story of the Emmaus road experience of the disciples, this joyous song calls us to the celebration of the feast at Christ's table.

Altered schedule for May 11: Please note that the last rehearsal for the Cherub Choir is Sunday, May 4. On May 11, the combined worship schedule will be as follows: 9:00 a.m., Children's Bells in the sanctuary; 9:30, Sunday School; 10:15, Savior's Singers Children's Choir and Jubilate Youth Choir come to the choir room to robe (kids) and warm up; 10:30, worship.

Choir awards dinner: The annual children's and youth choir awards dinner will be Wednesday, May 7, at 5:30 p.m. A letter and return postcard are in your mailbox this week. Please return the postcard by Monday, May 5, or email us. Regular Wednesday afternoon rehearsals will be held at their usual times before the dinner.

Program of note: On Saturday, May 10, at 3:00 p.m. in our sanctuary, a concert of remembrance will be presented to honor the late Mary Landrum. Details can be found in this newsletter.

In Our Prayers

Mack Blevins

Sue Cannon

Barbara Daniel

Dorothy Dollar

DeeDee Galliher

Will Hankins

Mary Nell Harris

Sharon Hatcher

Ruth Musser

Nancy Preston

Mary Rice

Virginia Rutherford

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

Birthday Prayer Fellowship

May 4        Joan Freels, Dan Gross, David Johnson, Mary Caroline Mumpower,

                    Dave Welch

May 6        Frances Emerson

May 7        Allison Brooks, Allix Bullock

May 8        Kathryn Welch

May 10     Nancy Allerton, Kendall Carter, Nancy King, Mindy Lewis

Memorial Gifts