July 20

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lessons

Genesis 28:10-19a

Romans 8:12-25

Sermon

The Revealing of the Children of God

Gordon A. Turnbull

Hymns

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Christ Is Coming!

I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord

Duet

Peace Like a River/Kum ba Yah

Nancy & Randy Cook

Attendance for July 13

8:30: 139; 11:00: 102

July 27

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lessons

Genesis 29:15-28

Romans 8:26-39

Sermon

The Sovereign Love of God

Gordon A. Turnbull

Windows

First Presbyterian Church is a rich community of faith composed of individuals with a wide range of talents. More than ten years ago, a committee appointed by the Session developed a mission and a vision for our congregation to direct our application of these gifts to the glory of God.

Mission Statement

As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are a community of believers, called by God to glorify and serve God through worship and witness.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we reach out to share God's saving love and grace with people in Bristol and throughout the world.

Vision Statement

By the grace of God, the love of Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, we seek:

• To offer worship that invites and gathers a growing and diverse community of participants to celebrate God's glory and respond to God's grace, providing opportunities for both contemporary and traditional styles of worship.
• To become more effective and intentional in reaching out to our neighbors locally and globally with a deepening commitment each year of spiritual, financial, and human resources.
• To provide an exemplary ministry of Christian education and spiritual nurture, so that a growing number of people of all ages can find resources for growth in discipleship to Jesus Christ.

At Gordon Turnbull's suggestion, the Session established a committee to reexamine how our church is living this mission and vision today and how our strengths as a congregation enable us to consider new opportunities for service in our dynamic local and global communities. Members of the committee are Aaron Brooks, Peggy Hill, Jennifer Kennedy, Shannan Miller, Lensey Richardson, Gordon Turnbull, John Vann, Paul Warhurst, and Charles Webb.

The committee of nine will embark on an exploration of these important questions guided by Holy Conversations: Strategic Planning as a Spiritual Practice for Congregations, studying as a committee and facilitating opportunities for engagement with the congregation as a whole. The objective of the exercise is to better understand our gifts throughout the church's ministry and how best to unify our efforts in responding to God's call.

The committee will reach out for your input in the coming months of this yearlong effort and provide regular updates through Windows. Please pray for the committee's discernment and for our church as we strive to continue being the beacon of hope and love that is our legacy, by the grace and for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Come tap your toes to bluegrass in the 8:30 worship service on July 27! We will have a special set for the service, complete with banjo, dobro, mandolin, guitar, bass, and drums, and we will sing a bunch of the old toe-tapping hymns, such as "I'll Fly Away" and "I Saw the Light." No room for crabgrass at this service!

Dear Members of FPC:

Thank you so much for your recent donation of personal care packs to our ministry. They mean that our clients and their families will be able to keep themselves clean, something we often take for g ranted but shouldn't. This will be a blessing for the people we serve, many of whom lack the cash to purchase these very basic necessities, which can't be obtained with food stamps.

Christ commands us to feed the hungry and give drink to the thirsty. At BFIA, we think it important to give them soap and toilet paper too.

We thank God for your generosity.

In His Name,

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Board of Directors, Bristol Faith in Action

Our next opportunity to serve with the Sharing Christ Ministry on State Street is this Saturday, July 19. We need volunteers to prepare and serve chicken casserole and marinated slaw from recipes they can get from the church office. We also need rolls for that meal, and peanut butter, jam, and sandwich bread for 80 sack lunches, as well as the Ziploc and paper bags to put them in. We also need volunteers to make the sandwiches and fill the bags.

For more information or to volunteer, call Tammy Connolly at 423-968-3831, 423-914-9848, or 276-628-7213 or email her at lconn4691@btes.tv.

If you haven't yet retrieved the baskets or other decorative items you so generously let us use to set the scene for Vacation Bible School this summer, please stop by Lilly Osborne's office and pick them up as soon as possible. We need to clear the decks for the new program year. Thank you!

In Our Prayers

Becky Busler

Barbara Daniel

Dorothy Dollar

DeeDee Galliher

Juanita Goforth

Mary Nell Harris

Sharon Hatcher

Cindy Heglar

Ann Holler

Opal Johnson

Carolyn King

Ruth Musser

Nancy Preston

Mary Rice

Brenda Rogers

Virginia Rutherford

Katy Sikorski

Faye VanNostrand

Ann Woods

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

Congratulations

We celebrate with Katie Vande Brake in the birth of a grandson, Peter Cornelius Vande Brake, on July 9 in Rochester, New York.  His parents are Tim and Julie Vande Brake.

Birthday Prayer Fellowship

July 20           Bryan Boyd

July 21           Brad Arnold, Lily Hankins, Ginny Osborne

July 22           Rebecca Beck, Andy Cumbow, Don Preston

July 23           Mason Borsch, Brady Carter, Mark Comer, Liz Graham, Porter Hillery,

                        Denney Samuel, Reese Wilson

July 24           Nancy De Friece, Leigh King

July 25           Gracie Brooks

July 26           William Bane

July 27           Sarah Beckner, Barbara Daniel, Cyndi Madison

July 28           Ralph Booher Jr., Jennifer Kennedy

July 29           Shawn Nelson

July 30           Lisa Holmes, Mandy Hyde

August 2      Vicki Fey, Dan Kreiss, Peggy Nicar

Summer is the season of biweekly newsletters. The next issue of Windows will be published July 31. We will return to our normal weekly schedule on August 14. Thanks for reading! 

Sunday, July 20

8:30 a.m.      Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:45 a.m.      Sunday School

11:00 a.m.   Worship, Sanctuary

12:00 p.m.   Middle School Lake Outing

Monday, July 21

4:45 p.m.     Administrative Committee, Room 117

7:00 p.m.     Christian Education Committee, Room 117

Tuesday, July 22

9:00 a.m.      Staff Meeting, Room 123

10:00 a.m.   Morning Prayer Group, Conference Room

7:00 p.m.     Boy Scout Troop 3, Scout Hall

Wednesday, July 23

1:00 p.m.     Student Ministries Hike

7:30 p.m.     Praise Team Rehearsal, Fellowship Hall

Thursday, July 24

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

12:00 p.m.   Noon Bible Study, Room 117

Sunday, July 27

8:30 a.m.      Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:45 a.m.      Sunday School

11:00 a.m.   Worship, Sanctuary

Monday, July 28

7:00 p.m.     Session Meeting, Room 123

Tuesday, July 29

9:00 a.m.      Staff Meeting, Room 123

10:00 a.m.   Morning Prayer Group, Conference Room

Wednesday, July 30

7:30 p.m.     Praise Team Rehearsal, Fellowship Hall

Thursday, July 31

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

12:00 p.m.   Noon Bible Study, Room 117