As part of our ongoing Neighborhood Ministry, the E&O Committee invites us to join with our neighbors at Fairmount Elementary School as they start up a Reading Buddy program. This program seeks to ensure that every child in the school has a support system that fosters his or her learning.

A Reading Buddy is an adult volunteer who meets with the same 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 improving their reading ability, students in the program build a crucial relationship with a caring adult.

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

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

Two Weeks to Women's Fall Gathering

Ronda Paulson

Bring a friend and come hear Ronda Paulson speak at our annual Heart to Heart Fall Gathering, scheduled for Thursday, October 2, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the chapel. Ronda is calling her talk "Let's Get Real." We hope you'll join us for dinner before the program.

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 applied to real life.

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 is working on her second book, I Love You More Than Chocolate. Ronda is married to Corey, and they have two children, Sophie, 11, and Mac, 7.

To let us know to save your place(s), 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!

How You Can Help Promising Families

Our next rotation with Family Promise of Bristol, scheduled for September 28 through October 5, is approaching fast. There are so many ways to help! 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.

It's Snacktime at Fairmount School

teddy grahams box School's in session, and it's time once more to help the young students in our neighborhood stay alert for their lessons. We are collecting Teddy Grahams, either plain or cinnamon, for snacks for Fairmount Elementary School classes. If you would like to contribute, please bring a box or so to the little red schoolhouse by the breezeway doors in the Fellowship Hallway. We know your generous hearts, so we take the liberty of thanking you in advance!

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.

Next Wednesday: Onward to Ephesians 6

In our next Wednesday evening program, Dr. Paul Warhurst of the King University faculty will lead a discussion of the sixth 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 24, 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!

Confirmation Course Begins This Sunday

PCUSA seal small This year's confirmation course begins this Sunday, September 21, during the Sunday School hour. It is open to all seventh and eighth graders.

Student Fellowship Means Food, Fun ... and Ephesians!

We are discussing Ephesians in our Sunday night Student Fellowship. Seventh through twelfth graders are invited to join us Sunday at 6:00 p.m. in the Youth Wing and Fellowship Hall for dinner, games, worship, learning, and fellowship.

Middle School Overnight at White Fork Ranch

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.

October 5 Is World Communion Sunday

Join us October 5 for a combined worship service, with Kids' Kirk, for World Communion Sunday. Worship will be at 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary, and Sunday School will begin 15 minutes early, at 9:30.The Cherub Choir will not rehearse that morning.

Find Your Place in Building or on Grounds

If you have ever wondered how you can help keep our building in good order and our grounds looking neat, your time has come! The Building & Grounds Committee invites congregational help with a variety of projects, small and large, knocked out in half an hour or taking shape over time. Contact Tom Daniel for more information or to volunteer.

So It Begins

The trees are beginning to think of yellowing, but the grass is thinking green. No matter; Mark Mervis and Keith Blair are scheduled to mow through the remainder of the month. Our perennial volunteers will continue to mow while the grasses grow. If you'd like to help with this seasonal chore, Randy Cook will be happy to add you to our mowing team as a regular or a substitute. You can reach Randy at 423-956-1541 or npolecook@aol.com. It's not too early to sign up for next spring!

From Steve & Vicki Fey

Music Notes

Sunday's music participants: Sanctuary Choir.

Sunday's music: Philippians 4:4-7 is one of the most joyful passages of scripture in the New Testament and has inspired a number of composers. This week's Sanctuary Choir anthem, "Rejoice in the Lord Alway," dating from the 16th century, is certainly the earliest English language setting. This anonymously written music uses a translation that predates the King James Version. Each phrase of the scripture is set with music that matches the sentiments of the words. It concludes with an exuberant "Amen" that confirms this joyous text.

Mark Miller

Montreat bio: The choral clinician for next summer's Senior High Choir (rising 10th through 12th graders) is Mark Miller. Mark believes passionately that music can change the world. Every Sunday, Mark's music is sung in churches throughout the country, encouraging people young and old that we are all part of the beloved community and that everyone is a child of God. Mark is Associate Professor of Church Music and Composer-in-Residence at Drew University in Madison New Jersey, and is a Lecturer in the Practice of Sacred Music at Yale University. He also is the Minister of Music of Christ Church in Summit, New Jersey. His newest album, "Imagine the People of God," is available on iTunes. Mark received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from Yale University and his Master of Music in Organ Performance from Juilliard. You can find out more about Mark and his music at http://markamillermusic.com/.

Pray for One Another

In Our Prayers

Becky Busler

Barbara Daniel

Dorothy Dollar

DeeDee Galliher

Mary Nell Harris

Sharon Hatcher

Rebekah Heacock

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.

Condolences

Our love and sympathy are with Keith Blair in the death of his mother, Beulah Blair, of the Deep Springs community, September 10; and with Cindy Heglar in the death of her father, Harold Craddock, of Conover, North Carolina, September 12.

Birthday Prayer Fellowship

September 21 Anna Booher, Karen Haaser, David Worley

September 22 Elizabeth Blankenship, Ann Holler, Jason Mumpower

September 23 Stephen Welch

September 24 Andrew Beck, Mindy Carter

September 25 Matt Richardson

September 26 Henry Linderman

September 27 Jamie Bales, Melissa Odom, Jessica Rogers

Memorial Gifts

Gifts in memory of the following individual were received from Monday, September 1, through Sunday, September 7:

Lewis Dulaney: by Joe & Martha Hardwick, to the Memorial Fund; by Ann Faucette Niblock, to the Memorial Fund

Church Calendar

Sunday, September 21

8:30 a.m. Worship, Fellowship Hall

9:00 a.m. Cherub Choir, Room 209

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

11:00 a.m. Worship, Sanctuary

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

4:00 p.m. Evangelism & Outreach Committee, Room 117

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

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

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

Monday, September 22

5:30 p.m. Sanctuary Handbells, Handbell Room

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

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

Tuesday, September 23

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

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

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

6:00 p.m. Venture Crew 3, Room 123

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 24

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 25

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. Orientation for Fairmount Reading Buddy Program, Fellowship Hall

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

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

Saturday, September 27

7:00 p.m. Middle School Overnight, White Fork Ranch

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