September 14

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Epistle

Ephesians 4:1-5:2

Sermon

Clothed with the New Self

Gordon A. Turnbull

Hymns

Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart

O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee

In Christ There Is No East or West

Anthem

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

Attendance on September 7

8:30: 172; 11:00: 125

Windows

There will be a special meeting of the First Presbyterian Church Session to receive new members this Sunday, September 14, at 10:20 a.m. in the chapel. Anyone who wishes to join FPC is invited to attend.

In our next Wednesday evening program, Dr. Warhurst of the King University faculty will lead a discussion of the fifth chapter of Ephesians, as we continue our churchwide study of Paul's epistle to the Christian community at Ephesus. Please join us for this adult learning session at 6:20 p.m., September 10, in the Fellowship Hall. Come early and enjoy intergenerational fellowship over a shared meal at 5:30. Student Fellowship small groups and Wednesday Night Kids will meet separately at 6:00. We are looking forward to an evening of fellowship and learning with you!

Our next rotation with Family Promise of Bristol, scheduled for September 28 through October 5, is approaching fast. Here is a reminder of our volunteering needs:

Food

Breakfast items and supplies. Bring these to the little kitchen by Sunday, September 28. If you can help with this or want more information, please email Scottie Bales at scottie@rtherapeutics.com.

Dinner. Bring this hot and ready each evening at 5:30. This is usually done by a family or a team. If you can help with this, please email Scottie as above.

Hosts

Dinner hosts. Come to the church by 5:30 to welcome our guests, eat with them, and stay until the evening hosts arrive at 8:30. Some people find it easy to fix dinner and stay on as evening hosts. If you are interested in this, please email Nancy Allerton at nja0510@gmail.com.

Overnight hosts. Come to the church by 8:30 p.m., spend the night, and help with a continental breakfast in the morning. Guests leave the church around 7:00 a.m., except on Saturday, when they leave a little later. If you can help with this, please contact Dan Gross at dan.c.gross@gmail.com.

Laundry

On Sunday morning, October 5, there will be piles and piles of sheets, towels, and comforters that must be washed with bleach and returned to the Family Promise Closet. We need volunteers to all take a pile home or to a laundromat and return them ready for next time. Scottie is your contact for this job.

Thank you so much for your love and hospitality to these families! If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to call or text Scottie Bales at 423-360-5357 or email her at Scottie@rtherapeutics.com. 

Ronda Paulson

Ronda Paulson will be our speaker for our annual Heart to Heart Fall Gathering, scheduled for Thursday, October 2, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the chapel. Her topic will be "Let's Get Real."

The dynamic and talented speaker from our 2014 Women's Retreat returns to challenge us to get real with one another. Working from Hebrews 10:22-24, Ronda will encourage us to draw near to God with sincere hearts and to be sincere and real with each other as well. You will not want to miss this opportunity for godly teaching laced with humor and real-life application. We hope you'll join us for dinner and the program to follow.

Ronda is an adjunct professor of biology and also the cheer and dance coach at Milligan College. She travels the country speaking to women's groups as well as teenagers. She has published her first book, Why God Made Colic: A First Time Mother's Journey, and is working on her second, I Love You More Than Chocolate. Ronda is married to Corey, and they have two children, Sophie, 11, and Mac, 7.

Invite a friend and let us know that you can join us! Fill out a registration form (available throughout the church) and drop it in the offering plate, call the church office at 423-764-7176, email Jane Prater at jprater@fpcbristol.org, or respond on Facebook. Child care will be provided, and we'll serve the kids pizza and fruit for dinner. Please let the church office know the names and ages of the children for whom you will need care. We look forward to sharing this exciting evening with you!

As part of our ongoing Neighborhood Ministry, the Evangelism & Outreach Committee invites us to join with our neighbors at Fairmount Elementary School as they start up a Reading Buddy program this year.

Reading Buddies are adult volunteers who are partnered to meet with a student once a week. The volunteer reads one-on-one with his or her assigned Reading Buddy or participates in other activities to build reading skills. In addition to the academic component, students in the program are building a crucial relationship with a caring adult. This program seeks to ensure that every child in the school has a support system that fosters his or her learning.

How much of a commitment is this? Thirty minutes a week, in a slot that fits into your availability. The target for startup is October 20, so we are invited to commit as soon as possible. An informational meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 25, at 6:30 p.m. at our church.

If you have questions, or desire to become a Reading Buddy, please contact Kay Ward (wardk@btcs.org; 423-652-9251) or Gordon Turnbull (gturnbull@fpcbristol.org; 423-764-7176). Thanks for considering this great opportunity to reach into the life of a young neighbor!

Bring work gloves and yard tools in addition to an appetite when you come to the Men's Breakfast this Saturday. We will do 30 to 60 minutes of grounds work after our Bible study. We will meet as usual in the Fellowship Hall and big kitchen at 8:00 a.m. on September 13. We look forward to fellowship with you, indoors and out!

The Men's Ministry is once again sponsoring its popular service and fellowship retreat to Washington, D.C., and this year it is planned for the weekend of October 31. The FPC men will travel Friday evening, work at the Capital Area Food Bank on Saturday, take in the city that night, then worship at National Presbyterian Church Sunday morning and return that evening. There is so much to see and do, and such a satisfying combination of work and play, that you won't want to miss it!

Informational flyers with registration forms are available throughout the church. The cost of $60 covers travel; two nights' lodging in the Pilgrimage, the hostel of the Church of the Pilgrims; and some meals (dinner on Saturday is not included). Reserve your spot with a $10 deposit. Scholarships are available.

You will need to pack a sleeping bag (or sheets and a blanket), a pillow, a towel, toiletries, ear plugs, work clothes and gloves, and comfortable shoes. Please let Dave Welch know if you are willing to drive your own car; we will pay for the gas. If you have any questions, please contact Dave at dwelch@fpcristol.org.

High school students can enjoy another Fifth Quarter party after the Tennessee High School football game, this Friday, September 12. We will meet at Velocity (515 Melrose Street in Bristol) at 9:30 p.m. for dodge ball, fun, and fellowship.

Bring your friends and come to an overnight Middle School Mania at White Fork Ranch Saturday, September 27. We will meet at the ranch at 7:00 p.m., enjoy an evening packed full of games and fellowship, and return to the church by 10:00 Sunday morning. The cost is $10. An FPC notarized form is required for all participants. The form can be found by clicking here. For more information, contact Katie Arnold at karnold@fpcbristol.org.

Jim Mayden, this week, and Mark Mervis, next, will keep our lawns from sliding into disorder as the planet tilts and the first day of fall becomes visible over the horizon. Our volunteers will continue to mow while the grass grows, possibly into November. If you'd like to help, Randy Cook will be happy to add you to our mowing team or, if you prefer, to our substitutes list. You can reach him at 423-956-1541 or npolecook@aol.com.

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir.

John Mochnick

Sunday's music: Central to this week's Ephesians lesson is the call to put on a "new self." The text of our anthem is a scriptural passage that reinforces this idea, Psalm 51:10-12: "Create in me a clean heart, O God." These words have been set numerous times by composers. John Mochnick (b. 1942) has created a version that elegantly highlights the pleading (and comforting) nature of these words.

Bell ringers ("ding-a-lings") needed! If you are interested in ringing bells, the Sanctuary Bell Choir (adults of college age and older) has a place for you! Music reading is helpful, but a few private sessions can be arranged to get you up to speed. If you can't ring on a regular basis but are willing to serve as a substitute when someone is sick or away, please let us know. Rehearsals are Mondays at 5:30 p.m. As several folks are out of town, we've postponed our first Sanctuary Bells rehearsal to September 22. 

In Our Prayers

Becky Busler

Barbara Daniel

Dorothy Dollar

DeeDee Galliher

Mary Nell Harris

Sharon Hatcher

Rebekah Heacock

Cindy Heglar

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.

Birthday Prayer Fellowship

September 14   Sue Mumpower

September 15   Jon McClain, Roger Patrick

September 17   Jeff Corder, Nelson Lundberg, John Scott

September 18   Keith Foster, Peggy Peters

Sunday, September 14

8:30 a.m.      Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:00 a.m.      Cherub Choir, Room 209

9:45 a.m.      Sunday School, Education Wing

10:20 a.m.    Called Session Meeting, Chapel

11:00 a.m.    Worship, Sanctuary

11:30 a.m.    Connect Ephesians Group, Poteat Home

5:15 p.m.      Jubilate Youth Choir, Music Wing

5:30 p.m.      Finance Committee, Room 123

6:00 p.m.      Student Fellowship, Youth Wing

7:00 p.m.      Connect Ephesians Group, Whisnant Home

Monday, September 15

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

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

7:00 p.m.      Vanns' Connect Ephesians Group, Thompson Home

Tuesday, September 16

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

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

1:00 p.m.      Connect Ephesians Group, Burt Home

6:15 p.m.      McClains' Connect Ephesians Group, Friendship Classroom

7:00 p.m.      Connect Ephesians Group, Sauls Home

7:00 p.m.      Betsy Turnbull's Inductive Study of Ephesians, Room 123

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

Wednesday, September 17

9:30 a.m.      Lorri Looney's Heart to Heart DVD Bible Study, Parlor

10:00 a.m.    Elizabeth Patrick's Women's Bible Study, New Mothers' Room

4:15 p.m.      Children's Handbells, Room 212

4:45 p.m.      Youth Handbells, Room 212

4:45 p.m.      Savior's Singers Children's Choir, Room 209

5:15 p.m.      Baby & Toddler Care, Nursery

5:30 p.m.      Fellowship Dinner, Fellowship Hall

6:00 p.m.      Wednesday Night Kids, Rooms 11 & 31

6:00 p.m.      Student Ministries Small Groups, Youth Wing

6:20 p.m.      Adult Learning Program on Ephesians, Fellowship Hall

7:15 p.m.      Sanctuary Choir, Room 202

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

Thursday, September 18

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

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

6:30 p.m.      Connect Ephesians Group, North Home

8:00 p.m.      Connect Ephesians Group, Benjamin Home